Grant

We have arrived at the #Moselle #Moezel #Mosel #Rover #Pumi didn't mind #posing with his face in the cool wind. #dogsofinstagram #doglife #dog by Demelza van der Lans, on Flickr

Basic Information

Name: Grant
Gender: Male
Orientation: Demisexual
Birthdate: June 306
Breed(s): Terrible Terrier Mix (among other things)
Variant: Basal (NnT^at)
Mutation: Wonder Fur, Pheromone Furballs, Subterranean Adaptions (carrier of cloven feet an prehensile tail genes)
Played by: Ninjaplushie (Ninjie)

Appearance

Height: 1ft 8in
Build: Brawny, Strong legs, Babyface, Cuddly
Description:

Surface wise, Grant is the most adorable creature you could have ever seen to most humans. He looks like the perfect blend between a puppy and a teddybear; large fluffy ears stand erect on his head and then fold at a midway point to make him resemble a floppy-eared rabbit or puppy whose ears are perked in curiosity. His big, squishy body is coated in dense, fluffy, and curly locks of fur to make him look and feel like a soft and living stuffed toy. The fur thickens around his face, legs, and tail; the latest curls and twists atop his back until it looks like a fur ball attached to his bottom. It uncurls from lengths between a sweeping furry wave across his back to a high standing and wildly swaying curly squirrel tail depending on his level of excitement.

However, Grant was not bred to be the adorable cuddly companion he first comes off as. Anyone who looks beyond that layer of curly locks long enough can tell he was bred to be the bane of all pests; from the smallest shrew to the most viscous badger or even venomous snake. That layer of soft warmth underneath his fur is not due to fat, but rather unusually thick and elastic skin. It protects against any flesh rending attack less than those of a bear so that he is better equipped at fighting more canine-deadly vermin like wolverine and foxes. Underneath that stretchy, wrinkly skin is thick muscles woven compact to his form. His thick and powerful legs give him a vertical jump that rivals the height of humans, but more importantly protect against falls of equal height or greater and allow his digging capacity to rival many of his prey.

There were also mutations that were purposefully extracted and introduced to his parents to yield pups better suited for underground work; those excessively large ears are bat-like in ways more than looks, the soft pads of his feet sensitive to ground vibrations and tipped with digging claws much bigger than normal, and his intelligent dark chocolate eyes are equipped for close-to-no-light environments. For all intensive purposes, he has adapted to survive long periods underground. However, his most interesting mutation is his hormone mutations. In his parents, it wasn't expressed any more than an insect repellent, however Grant's are potent enough to attract, repel, and even excite insects while making his natural canine pheromones more expressed, especially in his leftover dandruff and furballs. The same hormones help protect against venomous bites.

Lastly is the curious nature of his hair. For all intensive purposes; his fur was simply an unknown recessive trait expressed. Instead of coming out bristly and short like the rest of his family, it is long thick locks. This curly fur has made all the difference however; it is thick enough to mask the bat-like ears and the wrinkly flabby skin he and the rest of his family sport, especially where it bunches at the neck and face. The bristly fur was bred for functionality, not aesthetics; its thick and tough like the rest of them and its unpleasant and prickly to the mouth. It regularly and easily sheds depending on subtle stresses caused by environmental conditions and grows in the same way. Grant's fur can do the same,however it tends to clump into fur balls that can retain the residue of his hormones.

Personality

Skills: Hunting, Spelunking/Burrowing, Survival expertise
Abilities: Hormone manipulation (self), Springfeet, Fast learner
Description:

There are very few who haven't heard of the flare and fire that terriers have, and even fewer than't don't know Grant is the leading pioneer of this attitude. Energetic, loud, vulgar, and fearless, he can be quite the entertainer to short company. 

Getting to know him is a little harder. Grant is ver guarded. He has had his heart broken into thousands of pieces and would rather leave it jagged and unappealing than have someone try to mend it. Although charming and kind, he is undeniably selfish and his compassion is very low. Grant is the type of dog to be happy to talk someone into one of his crazy adventures and when they sustain a near fatal injury, he shrugs and tells them to "walk it off". While his vanity is a facade, he doesn't look like he is dropping the ball anytime soon.  He is argumentative and purposefully annoying at times just to make himself more of an antagonist. On top of his act is a short fuse that is very real; he can get quite nasty in words and actions and isn't afraid to throw the first punch.

Underneath such an irritating exterior is an interior of a dog who is capable of love beyond the norms of most dogs. He is sensitive, intuitive and surprisingly intelligent despite acting like a goof. Grant is a dog that longs companionship but is too afraid to seek it out and thus he fills his life with adventures and a bad reputation.

History

Lineage:
Father: Jaxx | Basal (Mutated) | Terrier mix | Unknown
Mother: Kora | Augment | Unkown mix | Unknown
Sibling(s): Kendrik | Augment | Unknown-Terrier mix | Unknown - Jazz | Basal | Unknown-Terrier mix | Unknown
Background:

With a growing number of humans leaving Starlet city to the mainland in hopes of raising their own resources, breeding dogs perfect for the daily needs of farmers became quite popular; these dogs were varying degrees of two or more groups of dogs; primarily terriers, herders, and hound dogs. Grant's father is one of those dogs; however he was owned by a person who still lived in Starlet city hoping to become a breeder. While neither Jaxx nor Kora could claim to be pedigree, Kora's DNA origins were especially suspect despite the fact that she looked and acted like the farm dogs he intended to work with.  And from the litter of 3 came one happy, fluffy little surprise. 

Grant was swooped up just as easily as his brothers, however. Unlike them, he remained in the city; as an adorable little family pet. They were in for quite the rude awakening; Grant was like a storm bent on destroying as much as the interior of the house as possible. When put outside, he often broke loose and terrorized the town; sometimes going as far as to sync with watchers and create absolute mischief and mayhem. But his family loved him regardless, especially the almost equally destructive and mischievous young human girl. When the world was becoming too much for her, she would throw a furious tantrum of screaming and stomping and throwing things. Grant would always be right at her feet, barking up a storm and retrieving everything she threw. When he would be litterally put into the dog house for whatever crime he had committed, she would often sneak away to crawl in and join him. She shared half her food during dinner and her second pillow on her bed when it was time to sleep. He only ever did tricks for her...sometimes. The two were inseparable. At least they were supposed to be....

During the summer of year 310, the girl and her canine companion had been sent to visit some distant family that owned a giant farm on the wasteland. Grant had a blast! He quickly learned what animals to mess with and what animals not to; he surfaced some herding compulsions and was allowed to let them flow in the pasture with the goats and sheep, and he could even dig as many tunnels as he wanted. And after a long day (with the exception of the days he needs a bath) he could spend the night warm and happy in his tiny human's arms. This lasted until late fall when one day he went to the bedroom to find that she wasn't there. Grant waited for a moment atop the bed for her to appear until he fell asleep. The next morning, she still wasn't there, and the next night he waited until exhaustion overcame him again. After almost a week had passed, Grant had to come to terms that she wouldn't just arrive one day; he had to make a decision; to sneak out of his paradise to go search for the girl or continue to live in the land where he could do everything under the sun but would have an empty hole open in his heart during the moon. The choice was really easy to make; she meant more than any chicken, goat, or fresh-made breakfast he could ever have and he was willing to search every end of Canaria to find her.

So Grant set out on his long and perilous journey. While many pets crippled under the pressure of fending for themselves, Grant had a prey drive strong enough to take down a stag with a matching resolve and intelligence. He established himself as a wilderness savvy dog who wasn't to be trifled with, but even with all the respect and recognition he felt meaningless without his human. Eventually Grant found himself at the docks, sneaking onto a cargo ship that was heading to Starlet city. It took him a moment to reorientate himself to the city he had spent so long out of, but once he found his direction, he headed straight home. Scratching and barking at the door, it felt like it was forever before the door finally opened and he was less than welcomed in. There was a tension in the air to have him around and he noted one of the human parents had called and spoke about him to someone, but he didn't care. He happily launched himself upon his favorite human girl. She seemed somewhat distant and confused, but it was probably because it was so late at night.

The next morning he had found himself tossed into a cage and sailing over the waters all the way back to the farm. It was upsetting. VERY upsetting. He was starting to understand why the human girl would flail her limbs and yell so loudly now. But he wasn't one to give up. He remembered how he had gotten there, walked back to the docks, waited to stow away on a cargo ship and waltzed back up to his home in a weeks effort. Once again he was howling like a demon and rushing the entrance to get their attention. Once again he was sent back to the farm. Again, Grant made the journey to his home with rage building to the point where he had the movement of a speeding train. When the door opened this time, it wasn't his family that greeted him, but rather strange  human men with catch poles.  The chase was on, all through Starlet City; into busy traffic, into  buildings and all through crowds. It became very clear that they wouldn't be able to catch him and it seemed like they gave up.  He returned home with the confidence of a victory into the embrace of his human girl as a reward. It was clear to everyone now just how inseparable they were.

The next day, the pair rose early together. The human girl had made their breakfast  and was going to take them on a walk. Things were calm and nice for once; there was a happy, fluffy feeling in the air. Grant was so enamored by the idea of having his life go back to normal that he hadn't really noticed when he was being guided into the snares of a catch pole. It was in the pitiful, heartbreaking moment of barking and howling at his human girl's back as she walked away while he was being dragged into a carrier crate did he realize the betrayal. He had become unwanted; a nuisance to his family and a nuisance to all of Starlet City. And as punishment for being such a pest, he would be spending the rest of his life in a cage.

Days went on and he had still not recovered from his heartbreak. The routine of a shelter was such a daze for him, it made him seem oddly complacent. By now, the shelter humans had written off his out of control behavior as poor leadership on the family's part and used his calm demeanor now as proof. In reality, he was finding himself fall into a depression. 

But then Grant had an epiphany. One day, he simply thought to himself "why be sad about this?". He was in this cage because he was an untamable monster and a menace to all of Starlet City! While it may not have been the most polite of titles, it was a mighty fine accomplishment on his part. Yes, rather than sulk about a couple of weak humans not being able to handle him, he should be proud of having such an unextinguishable fire in him.

And now he flames had been stroked again, he let his mind formulate a plan. He went through his routine as usual all the way until it was time for walking. It was then that the slow and leisurely pace they usually held was broken by a sudden strong and demanding jerk on the leash. The human, unprepared for such a reaction from Grant, had the leash slip right from his fingers! And with that Grant was off; once again through busy traffic, buildings and crowds until he finally got far enough ahead to dig himself a little tunnel to hide in. Grant spent most of the day in that tunnel, plotting his next daring move before deciding that he was a little too hot in Starlet City. It was time to once again hitch a ride on a cargo. And who knows? Maybe he will have luck carving a name for himself out there in the lawless wastelands.

Accepted.