HOME | DD

Description
Happy New Year Everyone! (Updated)

Started this last night, then was kicked off the computer.

Still interested in working with colours and filters and such, so another day to night experiment

-------------------------------------

I walked out to the veranda with two beer bottles in one hand and a coke in the other. I sat down in a deck chair next to Cam and passed him and Stark the beers.
I heard a loud bang in the sky and looked out into the distance to see colourful splashes of light that blazed across the sky.
"Up next on the Aria top 30 countdown of 2011 is Titanium from David Guatta." Said the announcer on the radio. The song started to play as more fireworks lit up the sky.
Our local town was lucky enough to be home to a retired pyrotechnician that set up a prime display every year.
As soon as the loud bangs started, the barking started. The fifty or so dogs that lived here at the kennels were probably scared of the loud noises but all of them were properly contained so they couldn't run away and get lost. I heard a bark that sounded closer and Bluey and Sam barrelled out of the house and down onto the gravel of the driveway . Sam was the guard tonight because I had decided to give all the protection dogs a break. Sam looked menacing enough in the dark, so she would do for one night.
The two fearless dogs play fought and tried their best to spill gravel all over the place.
I started to laugh at the spectacle and so did the boys. I saw Digger, Stark's Cattle dog, raise his head and look at the younger dogs before going back to sleep. The five year old Heeler lay under his masters chair with his head beside Stark's feet.
"Digger doesn't seem to mind the noise." I said. Reaching down to pet him.
"Nahh." Stark answered. "He's deaf in his right ear."
"Really?"
"Yep. He wondered off when he was about 10 months and ended up on next doors property which was a good K away." He said. "Farmer's wife hates dogs so she thought blowing an air horn a meter away from his ear was the right way to go about getting rid of him."
"That's awful!"
"Yeah, but not as bad as seeing your dog come home with blood coming out his ears." He said. "Had to rush him to the vet and get surgery done to try and save his ear drum. They did what they could and patched him up, but it never healed." Stark was obviously holding back frustration. He got up and went back inside, Digger following.
I sighed and went after him, leaving Cam with the gravel-eating dogs.
I found Stark on the couch with Digger next to him in the lounge room.
"You ok?" I asked, hanged back by the door frame.
He looked up and nodded. "Yep." He said. "Fine." H e patted the spot next to him on couch. I rolled my eyes and sat down next to Digger instead.
"So, Iz," He asked. "Have a new year's resolution?"
"Hmmm…" I pondered. "I just want the kennel to succeed and good health for my family, both human and canine."
"Fair enough."
"You?"
"I want… I don't know. To be happy, I guess." He looked off into space and sighed.
"Being happy isn't hard." I said. "You just have to find something to live for." I stroked Digger and he leaned into my legs. I thought about my dogs and how far they had come in the past year or so, Powder had won her champion title, our dogs had had healthy litters...
My thoughts were interrupted when Stark leaned over Digger and kissed me. His lips were soft and my stomach fluttered. I pulled away and shuffled away from him on the couch.
I was speechless. I didn't know what to think.
Stark looked away, then straight at me. "I-I'm sorry." He whispered. "I-I don't know what came over me." He got up and fled from the room. I had never seen him like this. He was always the strong and confident type, but tonight, he was like a scared little boy who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"What was I thinking?" He muttered angrily to himself. He kicked over his plastic bin beside his desk in his fury and scrunched up paper balls rolled out across the wooden floor. He kicked one against the door and sat down on his bed.
His room wasn't much, but it was really only a place to store his stuff and sleep. He had work during the day, so it didn't really matter to him what his room looked like. The bed was a king single with white sheets and a green and blue patterned doona. By the door, he had a small desk with his laptop, a few books and a couple of pencils and pens resting on it. In front was a blue and black swivel chair. He had a big window that took up nearly the entire top half of a wall. It looked out to the paddock and patches of empty property.
He looked out the newly-cleaned glass to see Chevy in the darkness. The fireworks had just ended and the horses were settling down for the night.
He couldn't shake the image of Izzy looking surprised and what he thought was repulsion from his mind. He heard a knock at his door and snapped his head around to face the new comer. The handle turned and Izzy stuck her head through.
"Can I come in?" She asked.
He nodded warily and sat to face her.
Her eyes were a weird shade of bluey-grey and they were full of curiosity and shined in the low light of the room. Her face was transfixed with a cautious, yet friendly expression as she sat down on the desk chair. She pulled her legs up and hugged them to her chest before speaking.
Stark beat her to it. "I know what you're going to say, and I'm sorry." He said. She listened intently. "I think it was a heat of the moment thing and I-I shouldn't have done it." He looked away, feeling pissed at himself.
Izzy burst out laughing. That surprised him. A lot.
"You sound like you're apologizing for putting a thumbtack on the teacher's chair!" She laughed again and wiped a tear from her eye.
Her laugh was funny. It wasn't pig-like like some of the girls he had dated.
"Y-You're not mad?" He asked, raising an eye brow.
"What? No!" She smiled. "Just a little confused."
"About what?" He ventured.
"Well… I don't know." She looked to the floor. "I just... well, I want to keep you as a friend more than anything else and I don't think we should take it any further." She looked into his eyes and he understood.
"Don't take it the wrong way." She said. "I like you, as a friend, but I think we should keep it that way."
He remembered her saying almost the same thing the night he first arrived at the kennels. He had been hurt, but it was justified. He respected her decision, but it didn't mean he liked it.
Izzy got up and put her arms out.
"Hug?" She inquired.
He smiled and got up. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. Stark breathed in her sweet scent as she rested her head against his shoulder.
He personally didn't want this hug to end. It felt so right being close to her. She made him feel so good. When she pulled away, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Izzy looked up at him and smiled. He offered her a weak smile before she drifted out of the room silently.

-------------------------------------

Had this written for weeks, just never ended it. I found it the other day and put a couple lines in to end it and yeah...

Edited a few things on the picture, like Sam's shadow.

----------------------

NWRK's True Blue "Bluey"

NWRK's Stay Frosty "Sam"

Stock images:
Grass --- [link] --- By ~Rai-Stock
Gravel --- [link] --- ~Beautelle-stock

I took inspiration from this tutorial --- [link]

Description
Happy New Year Everyone! (Updated)

Started this last night, then was kicked off the computer.

Still interested in working with colours and filters and such, so another day to night experiment

-------------------------------------

I walked out to the veranda with two beer bottles in one hand and a coke in the other. I sat down in a deck chair next to Cam and passed him and Stark the beers.
I heard a loud bang in the sky and looked out into the distance to see colourful splashes of light that blazed across the sky.
"Up next on the Aria top 30 countdown of 2011 is Titanium from David Guatta." Said the announcer on the radio. The song started to play as more fireworks lit up the sky.
Our local town was lucky enough to be home to a retired pyrotechnician that set up a prime display every year.
As soon as the loud bangs started, the barking started. The fifty or so dogs that lived here at the kennels were probably scared of the loud noises but all of them were properly contained so they couldn't run away and get lost. I heard a bark that sounded closer and Bluey and Sam barrelled out of the house and down onto the gravel of the driveway . Sam was the guard tonight because I had decided to give all the protection dogs a break. Sam looked menacing enough in the dark, so she would do for one night.
The two fearless dogs play fought and tried their best to spill gravel all over the place.
I started to laugh at the spectacle and so did the boys. I saw Digger, Stark's Cattle dog, raise his head and look at the younger dogs before going back to sleep. The five year old Heeler lay under his masters chair with his head beside Stark's feet.
"Digger doesn't seem to mind the noise." I said. Reaching down to pet him.
"Nahh." Stark answered. "He's deaf in his right ear."
"Really?"
"Yep. He wondered off when he was about 10 months and ended up on next doors property which was a good K away." He said. "Farmer's wife hates dogs so she thought blowing an air horn a meter away from his ear was the right way to go about getting rid of him."
"That's awful!"
"Yeah, but not as bad as seeing your dog come home with blood coming out his ears." He said. "Had to rush him to the vet and get surgery done to try and save his ear drum. They did what they could and patched him up, but it never healed." Stark was obviously holding back frustration. He got up and went back inside, Digger following.
I sighed and went after him, leaving Cam with the gravel-eating dogs.
I found Stark on the couch with Digger next to him in the lounge room.
"You ok?" I asked, hanged back by the door frame.
He looked up and nodded. "Yep." He said. "Fine." H e patted the spot next to him on couch. I rolled my eyes and sat down next to Digger instead.
"So, Iz," He asked. "Have a new year's resolution?"
"Hmmm…" I pondered. "I just want the kennel to succeed and good health for my family, both human and canine."
"Fair enough."
"You?"
"I want… I don't know. To be happy, I guess." He looked off into space and sighed.
"Being happy isn't hard." I said. "You just have to find something to live for." I stroked Digger and he leaned into my legs. I thought about my dogs and how far they had come in the past year or so, Powder had won her champion title, our dogs had had healthy litters...
My thoughts were interrupted when Stark leaned over Digger and kissed me. His lips were soft and my stomach fluttered. I pulled away and shuffled away from him on the couch.
I was speechless. I didn't know what to think.
Stark looked away, then straight at me. "I-I'm sorry." He whispered. "I-I don't know what came over me." He got up and fled from the room. I had never seen him like this. He was always the strong and confident type, but tonight, he was like a scared little boy who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"What was I thinking?" He muttered angrily to himself. He kicked over his plastic bin beside his desk in his fury and scrunched up paper balls rolled out across the wooden floor. He kicked one against the door and sat down on his bed.
His room wasn't much, but it was really only a place to store his stuff and sleep. He had work during the day, so it didn't really matter to him what his room looked like. The bed was a king single with white sheets and a green and blue patterned doona. By the door, he had a small desk with his laptop, a few books and a couple of pencils and pens resting on it. In front was a blue and black swivel chair. He had a big window that took up nearly the entire top half of a wall. It looked out to the paddock and patches of empty property.
He looked out the newly-cleaned glass to see Chevy in the darkness. The fireworks had just ended and the horses were settling down for the night.
He couldn't shake the image of Izzy looking surprised and what he thought was repulsion from his mind. He heard a knock at his door and snapped his head around to face the new comer. The handle turned and Izzy stuck her head through.
"Can I come in?" She asked.
He nodded warily and sat to face her.
Her eyes were a weird shade of bluey-grey and they were full of curiosity and shined in the low light of the room. Her face was transfixed with a cautious, yet friendly expression as she sat down on the desk chair. She pulled her legs up and hugged them to her chest before speaking.
Stark beat her to it. "I know what you're going to say, and I'm sorry." He said. She listened intently. "I think it was a heat of the moment thing and I-I shouldn't have done it." He looked away, feeling pissed at himself.
Izzy burst out laughing. That surprised him. A lot.
"You sound like you're apologizing for putting a thumbtack on the teacher's chair!" She laughed again and wiped a tear from her eye.
Her laugh was funny. It wasn't pig-like like some of the girls he had dated.
"Y-You're not mad?" He asked, raising an eye brow.
"What? No!" She smiled. "Just a little confused."
"About what?" He ventured.
"Well… I don't know." She looked to the floor. "I just... well, I want to keep you as a friend more than anything else and I don't think we should take it any further." She looked into his eyes and he understood.
"Don't take it the wrong way." She said. "I like you, as a friend, but I think we should keep it that way."
He remembered her saying almost the same thing the night he first arrived at the kennels. He had been hurt, but it was justified. He respected her decision, but it didn't mean he liked it.
Izzy got up and put her arms out.
"Hug?" She inquired.
He smiled and got up. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. Stark breathed in her sweet scent as she rested her head against his shoulder.
He personally didn't want this hug to end. It felt so right being close to her. She made him feel so good. When she pulled away, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Izzy looked up at him and smiled. He offered her a weak smile before she drifted out of the room silently.

-------------------------------------

Had this written for weeks, just never ended it. I found it the other day and put a couple lines in to end it and yeah...

Edited a few things on the picture, like Sam's shadow.

----------------------

NWRK's True Blue "Bluey"

NWRK's Stay Frosty "Sam"

Stock images:
Grass --- [link] --- By ~Rai-Stock
Gravel --- [link] --- ~Beautelle-stock

I took inspiration from this tutorial --- [link]