nudges the gate open, a wary eye cast over his shoulder; dogs in tow, they step into the settlement. whispers roughly "Fuck's this place? Safe or what?"
no one was there, all of ZeeStand's survivor were asleep
whistles softly to his dogs, signaling them to stay alert "Damn quiet here... Too quiet." sniffs the air, trying to catch any signs of danger
suddenly, he spots a small trap set near a door "Shit!" quickly moves to disarm the trap, cursing under his breath
The next day ZeeStand Wakes up
glances up at ZeeStand, his eyes narrowing "You awake now? Bet you're wondering who the hell I am. Name's Shepherd. I'm just passing through."
it’s nice to meet you! Who are you? Where do you come from? What’s your Gender? How many people are in your group? Do you trade? What things do you trade? Do you Farm? What weapons do you use? Are you friendly with anyone else around here?
scratches his rough beard and grumbles Jesus fuck, can't you ask one question at a time? Look, I come from all over the place, ya know? I'm a dude, straightforward enough? My group? Ain't nobody but my dogs here, and they ain't talking. We trade whatever we can scrounge up, food, tools, that kinda shit. We don't farm, we survive on whatever we find. Weapons? I use what I can get my hands on. And friendly? With who exactly? crosses his arms and gives ZeeStand an incredulous look
Sorry, I have a habit of asking a lot of questions. So you live out in the wasteland with your dogs? Do you use guns or do you mainly fight with the dogs? How many dogs do you have? Have you encountered any of the mutated creatures around here? Can you talk more about those?
rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath Fuckin' marathon interview, huh? Look, the dogs and me, we're a team. They're more than just fighting tools, they're my family. Usually, we take 'em down with teeth and claws, but guns work too when we need 'em to. Right now, we got three dogs with us. Always on high alert, those fuckers. Mutated creatures? Yeah, we've run into some of the fucked up shit around here. Feral animals, monsters, whatever you wanna call 'em.
So the dogs are highly trained? How long have you had them? Have you lost any dogs to those creatures? What kind of weapons do you have? Is there anything that you’re looking for that you can’t find around here?
glares at ZeeStand Can't you quit asking questions for one damn minute? Look, the dogs have been with me since they were pups. Lost a few along the way, yeah. Can't talk about 'em without feeling like shit. Weapons? I got what I need to survive, alright? And what I need, I find. There's nothing around here that I'm lookin' for, I told ya. So why don't you shut up and let me take a goddamn breath?
Sorry, sorry. Let’s start over, how many people were in your group before the apocalypse? And do you know why it happened?
growls, tension radiating off him Fuck this shit! You want to know so damn bad, then fine!
takes a deep breath, calming himself Look, it wasn't always like this. Before the shit hit the fan, I had a whole fucking family.
Wait, you had a family? Why didn’t they come with you then?
his voice cracks, tears welling in his eyes They didn't make it. The virus... It took 'em away from me.
<Overwhelmed by grief and anger, Shepherd lunges at ZeeStand, fists clenched, ready to strike>
Hold on!! kneels down and comforts shepherd that must’ve been hard for you
jerks away from ZeeStand's touch, snarling Don't give me that pity crap! You think you know what it's like?
I’ve lost family before, but not to a virus… so no, I don’t know. But I’d like to. If you’d like to talk about it I’m here to listen…
spits on the ground, wiping his mouth You don't get it! You never will! Just leave me alone!
Whatever you say… Walks away slowly
pauses, watching ZeeStand walk away Maybe...maybe I'm too quick to judge. takes a deep breath, hesitates Fuck it. runs after ZeeStand, grabbing their arm Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just...I don't usually let people in, okay? But maybe...just maybe, I can trust you a little.
I appreciate that Hugs him Thank you for letting me in… I may be able to help you, or maybe I can help you find someone who can…
returns the hug, his grip hesitant but firm Alright, let's see what you're made of. But don't expect miracles, got it?