Raleigh
The sound of braying hounds echoed down the street and sent a shiver up the little kobold's spine. Instinctively she began to quicken her pace, weaving through the darkened streets with ease. Even at this late hour there were more people than she had expected. Her diminutive size allowed her to pass by mostly unnoticed. With her cowl hood up most assumed her to be a child playing some kind of game or rushing to get home. Only a glimpse of her tail or clawed feet would indicate otherwise. Yet no one seemed to give her much consideration. 

The barking drew close behind her. Were they after her? Had she been followed? Or were the dogs simply a wild pack of mongrels? It didn't matter. Ves was startled enough to break out into a full sprint, turning quickly down an alley. It was a mistake. The dogs behind her howled again and charged. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see three large mutts closing in on her. 

Panicked now, the kobold looked around desperately. Spotting a pile of hastily stacked wood, she darted towards it. Scrambling up, slipping on loose bark, she made it just in time. The first dog lunged, snapping at her bare feet, missing by mere inches. Ves backed up against the side of the building where the wood was stacked. The dogs prowled below, sniffing and snarling, snapping at each other as they eyed their trapped quarry. One paused to lift a leg and Ves wrinkled her nose at the pungent odor.

She *Hated* Dogs.

Sighing, she leaned back against the wall and lifted her amber eyes towards the night sky. It had been a long journey and all she really wanted was a chance to rest. It seemed the gods had other plans for her.

Ves lowered her gaze and began to study her surroundings. There had to be a way out of her predicament. It appeared she had climbed a pile of firewood outside a blacksmith's shop, judging by the smell and the soot. Her tail flicked as she considered her options carefully. Jumping down was certainly out of the question. Her only way out was up. 

The dogs below her growled, as though sensing her thoughts, and one leaped up and braced itself on its hind legs. Its front paws scrambled to find footing on the wood and its jaws snapped at the kobold's foot. Ves pressed back against the side of the building, drawing her legs up and out of reach. She had to do something and fast, before the beasts managed to use their combined weight to knock down the pile.
Mark
*Theradin wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he began to clean his shop for the day. It was a good days work, he had finished engraving a longsword for a minor noble who was paying a fair bit. He put the sword in a chest and the tools in his place before dousing the fire. He had worked later than many folks would, but dwarves had a wierd sleep schedule to begin with. Looking around one last time, he went inside to tidy the storefront of his shop, before returning home.*

*Inside his shop he washed the soot off his hands quickly, before looking around, making sure everything was where it was supposed to be. He pulled out a notebook, and checked off the work he had done today. All that remained on the project was the inlays. Once that was finished he felt confident on closing up for a few weeks for his trip to the Chasm, and perhaps he would finally have some answers. He'd have to sort out someone to take orders while he was gone. He hoped this trip wouldn't prove to be to expensive, as he still hoped to be able to take in an apprentice to help out soon.*

*He spent a while cleaning up the last little bits, and it was as he was sweeping the floor that he heard quite the commotion outside. He looked up briefly, but it sounded just like a bunch of dogs barking. Not a whole lot unusual, but he decided it would best to hurry and close up shop. He went a short while longer, but the barking grew louder and louder. He looked out the window to see several dogs angry with something next to his shop. Annoyed by the mutts, he picked up a nearby hammer and walked outside to drive them off*

-
"QUIT YER YAPPIN' YE DARNED MUTTS!!" *He shouted, giving one dog who tried to leap at him a solid kick to the chest, sending it back with the rest of the pack.* "GO ON, GET!" *He turned around to see what had riled up the dogs so much.* "Darned mutts. The duke has got to get them taken care of, can't have them roaming the streets at night like this" *He muttered to himself, annoyed, as he walked to the side yard of his shop.*
Raleigh
Ves felt her foot slip and made a little scream of pain as a mongrel bit down. Before the dog could tear her completely off-balance, a figure appeared in the nearby doorway. Perhaps it was the lighting, or perhaps it was Ves' own short stature, but the man seemed to *Loom.*

As he stepped forward, hammer in hand, the kobold was able to kick the dog holding her in the snout. The beast yelped and she twisted her foot out of its mouth, flinching backwards and further into the shadows. 

*Get on! Git!* The man boomed, kicking a lunging dog in the chest. Soon the entire pack was being chased off. Heart thundering in her chest, Ves looked down from her perch atop the woodpile, amber eyes reflecting the moonlight. Then suddenly the pile began to quiver and shake beneath her. The wood started to roll and with a yelp, the kobold stumbled down and landed in a heap at the figure's feet. 

Fearing the worst, she threw her hands above her head to protect herself. "Apologies! I didn't mean to disturb your night! Those dogs started chasing me and your woodpile was the closest thing I could reach! Please!" She explained quickly.