Hoot Owl Diary Part 3

*Hoot Hoot*
Thank you so much for your patience dear listeners. I have part 3 for you, and we shall read a little longer today to make up for last week. I hope you enjoy my little owlets!

*BeepBeepBeep* Nick felt like he had only just closed his eyes. He shut off the alarm and stared at the celling.  As much as he didn’t want to, he needed to go in for work. Work helped keep his mind off Judy’s disappearance and gave him something to do. After a few moments he got up and began to get dressed for the day. As he was straightening his uniform in the mirror, his eyes caught something glinting in the open drawer. His sunglasses. He hadn’t worn them in weeks. Nick picked them up and looked at them. “I learned two things that day…The first was to never let anyone know they got to me…” He could hear himself saying these words to Judy Hopps so long ago. The sunglasses had been the secret to his success. Eyes will often give away true feelings or intentions. The mirrored sunglasses kept anyone from getting too close. He put them on, somehow comforted by their presence. Then, he walked out the door.

One good thing about this apartment, he reflected to himself, it was a short walk to work. He crossed the street and passed by the elephant ice cream shop. Just then, a moving shape caught his eye. He quickly turned, but whoever it was had vanished around the corner. He could have sworn someone was following him, no, waiting for him? He shook his head and walked into the 1^st Precinct Police Station.

The Bull Pen was loud and noisy, as usual. He walked in and looked around. Francine the elephant was sitting on the left, in her usual spot. Nick sighed. He didn’t really feel like talking with her quite yet, so he seated himself in the back. Just then, the chief walked in.

“Alright, settle down. This has been a quiet summer, but now that it’s over, we have some cases that need assigning. Let’s see.” He squinted at his list. “Reports of some traffic light drag racing in Sahara square. Weaslton is back to his old tricks, selling pirated movies on street corners.” He flipped through his notes. “And we have some reports out of the Canal District.” Something about the way he said that made Nick’s neck hairs prickle. He and Judy had only been there once during their 3 years on the force, and it appeared to be a dead end. They were running interviews for an updated tram system and track repairs. It was well known that the Canal folk mostly kept to themselves, but the interviews had just been…well, off. Most animals wouldn’t even talk to them, and those that did were either gruff and brisk, or furtive. “Wilde!” Nick snapped out of his reverie. “Yes chief?” “You and Francine take a look into these claims. More than likely a couple of frightened little beavers running away from home.” “Yessir.” Nick wished he had been paying more attention. “Very well” Bogo boomed. “You have your assignments. Get to it!” Nick and Francine picked up their case file and left. Francine began glancing at their file. “A couple of runaway beavers. You don’t usually hear about this sort of thing in the Canals. It’s usually so quiet…” Her voice trailed off. “It’s not unheard of, she continued. However, they will probably be back by supper.” Nick followed her out, still lost in his own thoughts. Missing animals? It may be the lead he needed to find Judy. Then again, he chided himself. He shouldn’t get his hopes up. As they were leaving the precinct, he thought he saw another flash of gray. He wondered who it might be, but decided not to point it out to Francine. If someone was following him, he could deal with it on his own.

Hoot Owl Diary part 2

Back again, my dear readers? As it turns out, the little owlets were curious what happened next as I'm sure you all are, so I decided to continue this little narrative. *hoot!* I didn't get as far as I planned today, but I'll have more for you next week. Gather around the fire, and enjoy!

Nick slept fitfully, visions of the past coming back to haunt him. The summer months had been quiet, unusually so. Criminals were abiding by the laws, traffic incidents were at an all time low, even repeat offenders like Weasleton weren't causing much trouble. The precinct decided to reward its officers with 3 day weekends until the end of summer. Nick was quite content to spend these days lounging around, and exploring the new shopping center. Judy on the other hand, couldn’t sit still. She persuaded him to begin looking through cold cases at the precinct looking for new leads. After a few weekends of this, Nick was getting bored. He just didn’t see the point of sitting in the basement for hours looking through case files from 5 years back. That last weekend, he planned a lake picnic excursion for the two of them to get some fresh air. Judy said she would meet him there at 1:00, she just had something to check up on. 1:00 came and went. At 1:30, he decided to give her a call. No answer. He called again, a little anxious. Still no answer, but he thought he heard her ringtone in the distance. Curious, he hiked along the trail until he came to a cliff. The scene was so clear, Nick doubted he would ever forget it. The sun was shining on the lake. Judy’s backpack propped against the tree near a ledge. The ledge was partially eroded, and looked like it had just fallen in. Judy’s phone was in the water, partially floating and still ringing. A small snap of a twig in the distance.

He woke sweating and shaking. The same dream every night. Nick cursed under his breath and looked at the clock. 4:09. He sat up, placing his head in his paws trying to calm his breathing. He had lived so long burying his emotions and now he awoke shaking every night. Judy had meant a lot more to him than he had ever let on. While he tried to compose himself, Nick reflected back on that day.

He had called in backup the moment he saw the cell phone. They had searched until sundown, with no luck. The search party was out again the next day, and the next. A week later, Chief Bogo called off the search. There was no more evidence,  nothing to point to what had happened. Judy had evidently dropped by the precinct on the way over, but there was nothing to indicate what she was doing, or what she may have found. Her death, no, disappearance he corrected himself, was ruled accidental. He wiped the last of his tears, resolving once again to keep at it until he found her. With those last thoughts, he rolled over, to catch a few more hours of sleep before roll call at 7:15. 

Hoot Owl Diary Part 1

Well my dear lads and lassies, it appears as if sheepdog has gone on vacation for the winter, to the coast no less. I believe he is storm watching. He may make an appearance here and there, but in the meantime, I *hem hem* shall be posting stories from my diary for you all to enjoy. *Polishes Spectacles.* Let me see, *flips through pages* ah, yes here we are. I wrote this one for the little owlets after taking them to see the summer movie premier:

It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out!

 *Hoots with laughter* Just teasing my fellow readers. That was indeed the first part of Snoopy's book I believe. Anyway, on to the narrative:

"And where were you June 29th?" he asked the owl. The owl paused, blinking slowly at him. Finally, she spoke. " I'm afraid I cannot help you. I was there at the lake, but I had two little owlets with me at the time and did not see anything." Sighing, he picked up his hat and coat. "Thank you for your time."
The rain had just started as he stepped outside. He turned up his cloak and pulled it tighter around his thin frame. Grimacing, he dashed from tree to tree, trying to stay out of the increasing rain. He knew it would be a bad storm, his left footpaw had been aching all day, and his tail was all static-y. This is what you get for doing business in the rainforest district, he chided himself. He stopped running however, when he came to the pier where the tram was. Softly, he brushed the railing as he walked along it until he came to the broken spar. It had still not been fixed since the start of his career 3 years ago. He gazed at it for a few seconds before the rain pulled him away and into the tram. Once inside, he shook off his tail, and sat down on the bench. Nick took out his ZPD embossed notebook and began flipping through its pages, trying to piece together the puzzle. A rumor here, a whisper there, he sighed and snapped the notebook closed. He had nothing! 3 months of sneaking around asking questions, and he had nothing! In a sudden rage, he pounded the walls of the tram, rocking it slightly. He brushed the rainwater out of his eyes and reflected it wasn't all rainwater.
Tomorrow, just like every other day, he would wake up and report to the police station. The other officers still walked on eggshells around him, but no longer talked about it. It was as it had never happened. They had even assigned him a new partner, Francine. She was a good officer, but she wasn't Judy. The tram stopped in Midtown. He got off, and trudged slowly home in the gathering clouds. The rain had stopped when he left the Rainforest district, but it looked like rain for the center of town as well. Nick stopped when he reached an old hotel building. He unlocked the door, and stepped into room 219. He had been living there ever since June 29th. Maybe it was silly, but he felt like he couldn't go home until he solved the case. He placed his notepad inside the desk drawer alongside an old manilla envelope. The envelope contained the official police report following the incident, along with Judy Hopps' remaining personal effects. Death by accidental drowning, the report read. After all, they had reasoned, her things were found by the lake, and her body was never discovered. Nick shook his head. He refused to believe it. Something else had happened to her, she was still alive. She had to be. He had been denied access to the old police files after an officer caught him snooping around one too many times without the proper authorization. Still, he couldn't just leave it alone. After all, she was his partner. He closed the drawer and lay down to try to get a few hours sleep.

Wheels

I got wheels! Well, 4 of them anyway. And attached to a chassis no less. That's right my semi-faithful-yet-salvaged-6cyl.-boat finally bit the dust. A moment for our beloved companion.... I guess it was time to begin searching for something a little newer and more reliable. And so, Tadaa! Allow me to present my replacement: 2006 Toyota Corolla. I haven't decided on a name for him/her? yet. We'll see I suppose. Although my named cars seem to be happier and last longer than my un-named cars. Perhaps something about a storm? I dunno, I felt the hairs on my neck stand up when I took this picture...

Summer Weather

So it's summer, and the weather is beginning to act like it! All these wonderful evenings and weekends. What to do first? Fortunately, I've had the bunnies compile a list of summery activities:

Let's see what they came up with:

Apple Drone
Did you know Apple came up with their own drone?? And it's free! Simply get yourself an old kite and some string. Tie an apple to the kit and let it hang about 10 feet down. Then fly the kite. Poof! Instant drone.

Paper Airplane contest
Fly paper airplanes in your office between visits. don't worry! No one will notice. For bonus points, draw a pokemon on the airplane. Then watch someone swipe their phone to try to catch it!

Skateboarding
What's more fun than skateboarding? Standing around with a skateboard looking cool! Make a skateboard out of paper mache and get yourself a pair of sunglasses.

Gardening
Find a community garden. Locate someone's plant that is dying, or not doing well. Bring a bag of tiny marshmellows. Turn it into a marshmellow bush! A few days later, swap the tiny marshmellows out for large ones. Or, get a small money tree for work. Every day, add some pennies to it, then nickles, then quarters.

Pokemon Go
Everyone's playing it right? So get yourself some small red or white balloons, fill them water, and paint them to look like pokeballs!

Ant Farm
Make your very own ant farm! get a clear container, fill it with peanut butter, and add raisins.  Grab a spoon and start nomming your ant farm when people go by.

Surfing Class
Find a swimsuit, and a large board that might pass for a surfboard. Wear your sunglass and get a table set up in a parking lot. Claim your giving out free surfing lessons. When they ask where the ocean is, just say "We're waiting for the tsunami wave, brah"

Movie snacks
Some people make popcorn for their movie snack. Since it's summer, that might heat up the house. Make cookie dough instead, and just eat it raw! If you're brave, bring it to the movie theatre hiding in a bag.

Have Fun! 

Numenera #2

Numenera Starts!

Good Afternoon my loyal readers!

Late March, you may have seen a post in regards to our new rpg game centering around a circus. Well just last Sunday we had our first session with our new characters, and I must say, it went great! My new character is a little tricky to play, as my nature is somewhat contradictory to his, but that will make him all the more fun to play I think. He is a little rash, a perfectionist, and appears to be now leading a circus. Here is his first journal entry:

3rd Circus Day 1. After 6 months traveling and looking for a lead role in a circus, I have stumbled across a small circus hailing from the city of Nilesh, about 200 miles south of Draolis. I have been traveling with 2 circuses before finding this one. Both were reluctant to allow me a greater role in their leadership. I did however, enjoy the actor's company. Especially Swarq. I shall miss her violin playing skills. And Sharg. His fire breathing display was something to behold. His temper often got the better of him though. He was at times hard to work with.

Got to meet our benefactor/sponsor Gayv-oreth this evening. He looks just like Jabba the Hut! Whoever that is. Seems to be jolly, and easy to please. I am thankful for that, for he asked me to perform on the spot as the Ringleader!! I was ecstatic, but very flustered. I do not do well under pressure, and am very much a perfectionist. I fell on my face so to speak, my improtu comedy act was a failure, I didn't know the abilities of my performers, and did not know how to arrange the acts. It came off okay though, Gayv-oreth seemed to approve and that's what matters. I am looking forward to proving to him conclusively that I am well-qualified for the job, and plan to put forth all my effort into getting this circus into shape. I do not know if this circus is the one I want to use to bring glory back to my homeland, but this is the only one I have found that will give me a ringleader position.

So far I have met Marbel, who performs feats of strength, Rain, in charge of animals, Layla, a fortune teller of whom I know little, and the magician. The last seems a little unbalanced, but talented magician's are rare to find. I shall have to learn to work with him.

I must cut this short as I need to see to the rest of the circus...

We meet again in a week! I look forward to keeping you all updated. That’s all for now! Ta’

~Sheepdog~

Breathing Again

Hello All! Woof and yip yip!

I'd like to first apologize for this unexpected haitus, I could list any number of factors but basically I missed a few posts, and then my blog got placed on a back-burner. Will cookies help? *Hands out cookies to all my loyal readers* "Bunnies, you don't count! You already ate the rest of the cookie dough!"

Harumph, and Ahem! Now then, some good news from the past few weeks. I've taught myself to juggle! I figured it was high time I apply my intellect and brain to learning a new skill. I thought about skydiving, spelunking, or interplanetary space travel, then finally settled on juggling. It's an imperative skill to have, and easily applicable to any situation. Family dinner? Juggle apples for entertainment! Shopping? Juggle merchandise! Camping? Juggle your friend's flashlight and batteries! erm, haha, just kidding. Anyway, it was relatively easy, but took more time than I expected. I've gotten in about 20 min. a day for the past 2 weeks or so, and have the basics down okay now. Just more practice needed! Let's see, what else? My master took me to a Renaissance Fair! We saw maidens, knights, and jousting! It was a lot of fun, and I intend to go to more in the future. :D We also acquired a new movie called Zootopia! It is now the bunnies' favorite movie. (Gee, I wonder why)

Well, I suppose that's all for now. Things are mostly less crazy now, so expect a semi-regular posting every week, I'll try to keep to Tue./Th. but you may only see 1 a week for a little while.

Is there anything you'd like to see in particular? I will most likely post updates mixed with reviews for upcoming movies and technology, but I could also do a home life / adulting type blog. Part of this blog's issue is that it's thoughts and musings and doesn't have a real cohesive theme to it. Any input is appriciated!

Until next time,
Sheepdog

Bah!

Well, summer is almost here! (school-wise speaking) and work is becoming crazy for poor shaggy! He's been working late and is rather tired. :( But he insists next week we will get to go on more walks, hooray!