Commander Hoffen of Foxtrot | #34 | Male | Schnauzer/Wolf cross | M: Maze, Arrow, Tysta

Hoffen hadn't known how to react to the small dog. He knew dogs her size did exist around the city, kept hidden from Beta and mostly used to control rats. While technically illegal, their population wasn't really enforced by the Beta dogs, their size didn't pose much of a threat.

And then a larger male, still smaller than Hoffen and Maze, lunged out of the tunnel. Snarling when he felt teeth meet his already sensitive wound, Hoffen's training took over. Without thinking about it, he attempted to pin the golden-furred dog with a forepaw.

"Relax!" he hissed, "if we wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already."

Catching Maze's gaze, he nodded. "No blood," he called out a puzzling command for a Beta dog. Hoffen didn't see these dogs as a threat, and had no wish to harm them. Especially if they were just pets.

Tysta stumbled to the ground, metallic limb pinning him to the freezing, icy earth beneath him. The Cull's sudden blow had thrown off his rhythm. He had expected more aggression, and acted accordingly. But... the Beta dogs... didn't want to hurt him? That was against everything he had been so firmly taught. The Beta dogs were horrid canines, bowing to a tyranical, cruel power. They were mindless weapons, fighting for all the wrong reasons. They were merciless. They were monsters, all of them. Yet here he was, pinned beneath a Cull, and miraculously in one piece.

He narrowed his eyes. The Cull's words did indeed ring true. But... no. Perhaps he was just waiting to turn them in, to study them, to pry information out of them. Tysta balked a little, horrified at the thought. Nobody could drag him into that Beta complex as a prisoner, and he wouldn't let such a fate befall Arrow either.

Maybe if he just smashed his head on the wall, and pretended to be dead....

That seemed a stupid idea, he realized immediately. He took a deep breath.

"I'll just plain kill myself if you want to take me prisoner." He flicked his tail tip, a snarl on his lips. He did indeed muster a menacing appearance. "And touch Arrow over there, and never live to see the light of another day."

He squinted at the sky. Gray, as always in these parts.

"If you've ever seen it in the first place."

Kämpe flicked her stony gaze away from the small corgi, towards Twenty - Eight. Kämpe flicked her ear. There had always been something about that dog... something about him...

She disregarded the thought. She neither had the time nor the current motivation to explore further. His posture was submissive, which was better than what she could say for most. However, he lacked the alertness, the poise. "Stand taller, Twenty - Eight. In regards to you question, I absolutely cannot permit -"

A searing pain crackled through her skull. Beta.

"You may go, so as long as you return swiftly." Her eyes flashed white, pupils vanishing into her head. The pain decreased, and eyes shifted to a normal appearance once again. She glared at Twenty - Eight as if nothing had occured. She had multiple reasons for not permitting him to go; there was absolutely no fault in the intelligent female's logic, but -

Her programming cut off her thought.

Obey. Obey. Obey.

Kämpe found she was unable to do anything else.

Sabre / Female / Wolfdog (wolf-GSD-alaskin malamute) / Foxtrot / I.D: 65 / M: All

Sabre sat in the middle of a line of dogs in the Beta training facility, her face emotionless. For all anyone knew, she was a statue as she listened to the sisters, sixty-one and sixty-three from Regiment Charlie (wherever that was), introduce themselves. So far, she'd been able to supress the urge to sigh. It seemed sad that, when introduced, they had to use numbers instead of their names. What was the point of a name, if you were supposed to use a number instead? She watched as one of the males, Zadolt, she remembered, actually go up and talk to the sisters. She didn't move a single muscle as she saw "number sixty-one's" eyes scan her and the others. Waiting for orders, she gazed back at the new Commander's face calmly.

Kordelas (Kor) / Male / Doberman Shepherd (doberman pinscher x German shepherd) / Kilo / I.D: 71 / M: Ginger, Tysta, Arrow, Hero

As Ginger turned back to the group, Kordelas made sure he was back in line. His heterochromatic eyes gazed at her, determinedly. He was determined to be the best warrior she had ever trained, but he knew the only way to do that would be if he listened. Still, his mind kept wandering. He wondered where Tysta and Arrow were; if they were okay. He wondered what happened to Hero, why he had collapsed. Kordelas hadn't seen Hero much; he had hardly paid the others any mind. As he recentered his thoughts on Ginger's words, he made a mental note to make sure he was more social from then on. He would have to be familiar with the others, if he was to go on any missions.

Arrow | Female | KILO dog | Terrier cross | #47 | M: Tysta, Hoffen, Maze

Flailing and struggling under the much larger dog's paw, Arrow hissed up at her, amber eyes flashing in fear and anger.

"Ty!"

In a moment of desperation, her terrier instincts shone true. Sinking her small teeth into the female's foreleg as deep as she could muster at such an awkward angle, Ari gave a feral snarl. For a dog of her small stature, she was almost intimidating.

"You'll never take us alive you rotten-"

Commander Hoffen of Foxtrot | #34 | Male | Schnauzer/Wolf cross | M: Maze, Arrow, Tysta

The dog's brave words left Hoffen stunned. No pet would dare speak to a Beta dog in that manner. He was impressed by the dog's boldness, and in a display of goodwill that any other dog would consider stupid, he lifted a forepaw off the male's chest. Hoffen remained looming over him, blood from his wound dribbling down his beard. He was almost reminded of a lost life, a purpose he was given at birth, then promptly taken away by Beta.

"I have no desire to harm you, or your companion Arrow. Tell me, who do you accompany? There is no way you are housepets. Are there dogs on the outside?"

He licked his lips, brows furrowed deep in thought as his metal lower jaw gleamed. He was almost amused by this dog's valor, ignoring the throbbing in the back of his skull.

"I can see well enough to you that killing yourself would be just as stupid as following me back to Beta's headquarters."

Kämpe | Female | Doberman, GSD, Australian Shepard Cross | Chief Cull | 24 | M: Aayda

Kämpe halted, remaining taciturn as always. If she could display emotion, she would have been mildly shocked. But she wouldn't - physically shouldn't be able to - show emotion. It was not.. predictable, that this small dog would be so stubbornly calm, persistent. She was naive to the point in which Kämp wondered of the nature of her training. The Cull regarded the small dog coldly. She could almost appreciate how composed the corgi was in the face of a towering Cull. There was indeed a fine line between stupid and brave, however, and this dog was dancing along the edge. She supposed, though, that rather than stupidity, it was simple ignorance that the dog carried. It lessened Kämp's anger at her lack of discipline. The dog continued to speak. Of course she did. Kämp could not discern if she admired this dog, or was getting stretched to the limits of her tolerance. Both, she assumed.

Parvus Project.

Sixty - Two did seem to be quite knowledgeable of her purpose. Oddly, there was no note of uncertainty in the dog, not a flash of hesitance. The dog was quiet again. It was now Kämp's turn to speak.

"I will address you with your given identification, just as you are address me with my due title. There is no exceptions. Understood?"

Well. The Cull did recall the sound of Hoffen calling her name. It evoked... such a strange.. feeling. Feeling. She felt something, and it was.... strange. She flicked her ear, the only indication of her thoughts. "You know little of the life of the rest of the Beta dogs. Before any sort of training commences, it is clear that you must be briefed on the daily routine. Rule one: Don't ask questions. Rule Two: Never break rule one. Rule Three: I am your supreme Commander, and you are to follow my orders above all but Beta's. Rule Four: You may not stray from your schedule unless Beta or I permits such action. Any questions as of right now? "

Kämpe narrowed her eyes. The intelligent Cull was cunning, this so much was true; and as of right now, she was weighing Sixty - Two on her impending answer, measuring her worth.