Living a different life

I do not own the Road Rovers, but the characters that I made up are mine.

132

Spending time with one another

All was silent within the cold caverns of the mountain, but was soon disturbed by a silent moan. A body was lying on the icy cold ground but suddenly gave a slight, jerking, movement until it finally sat up. The person had his back turned to the front of the camera. On the person's back was a golden/yellow vest with the back of the head showing itself soon afterwards. The back of the head shows some black stripes and rouge red fur, with triangle ears tipped with black. The person looks at his hands and gasps.

"What the…!" shouted the person before turning to the icy wall to his left.

The person saw his reflection within the icy walls. What was staring back at him was a wolf with tiger stripes all over its body, but that's not what shocked the person the most. For on the wolf's body were the cloths that the person was wearing. The person was none other then Roger. Roger quickly stood up in shock as he stared at his reflection but quickly fell back down onto his bottom. Roger looks down at his right ankle, and he saw that a little bit of blood was poring down from the side of his ankle.

"Well that's just dandy!" he growled as he glares down at his ankle. "I'm stuck in a cave made of ice and snow, with my ankle cut, which is probably sprained or broken!"

Just then a thought came into his head, how did he get here? Roger started to look left to right within the cavern for any signs of anything familiar, but he didn't see anything that looked familiar at all.

"Okay, calm down," voice Roger as he took a deep breath. "First off; my brother and I were playing catch within the park, and then those guys in black suites came and grabbed us. After that they put those cloths to our noses and we started to breath in this weird smell. Then I woke up in this strange machine, while being strapped to a metal table. And I was soon shocked by an electrical current, and then I blacked out. After that it becomes a total blank, and then I wake up in this cavern. I wonder where my brother might be."

Just then, Roger was pulled out to his thoughts as he suddenly noticed the heavy weight on his neck. Roger lifts up his left claw hand and suddenly felt something cold and hard attached to his neck. Roger takes a second glance as his reflection in the ice, and saw the black collar hanging around his neck.

"What the…where did this thing come from!" shouted Roger as he starts to claw at the collar.

He was about the trash around but was quickly stopped by someone behind him. He felt the person place their hands on his shoulders.

"Take it easy there kid, you might hurt yourself." Spoke a voice from behind Roger.

Roger was confused as to who this person was, but quickly found out when he saw who it was behind him as he stared into the reflection of the ice cave wall. Who stood behind Roger was actually a six feet humanoid dog that was wearing a blue suit with silver armor, gloves and boots on its body. Around the dog's waist was a red belt with a yellow R on the front, and around the dog's neck was a bright red collar with a golden dog-tag on it. Roger quickly turned around to face the humanoid dog, while pushing the hands away from his shoulders, with a startled look on his face. The humanoid dog had the head and tail of a golden retrieve with a few light spots on his muzzle and at the tip of its tail.

"Who-who in the world are you?!" questioned Roger as he quickly got to his feet.

Suddenly, he felt the same pain erupt from his hurt ankle, and he started falling down to the ground. But before Roger hits the ground, he was quickly caught by the humanoid dog. The humanoid dog lightly sets Roger down on the ground.

"Whoa! Take it easy there kid," the Dog said as he leans Roger up against the icy wall of the cavern.

Roger looks up at the humanoid dog with a confused look on his face.

"Now to answer your first question kid," continued the dog with a smile. "My name is Hunter, and I'm the leader of the Road Rovers."

"R-road rovers?" questioned Roger with a confused look on his face.

"What? Don't tell me you haven't heard of us!" gasped Hunter as he looks at Roger in disbelief.

Roger gave a nerves smile as he scratches the side of his head with his index finger. "Well…I haven't really read the News paper, so I'm always the last one to know."

"That's okay" Hunter said with a smile as he shrugged of his shoulders. "I'm also slow on getting information sometimes as well, and I would also like to ask you a question if you don't mind."

"Go right ahead," said Roger as with a shrug of his shoulders.

"By any chance, could your name be Roger?" asked Hunter gently.

Roger was surprised by Hunter's question, "How-how did you know my name?"

"Well you, your brother, and five other kids have been kidnapped by an evil scientist named Dr. Tomes William, and our master sent us to find you." Hunter answered as he sat down on the ground in front of Roger. "He told us to find you and take you guys home, and if you guys were changed into mutants, just like you are now, we were to take you back to our base and change you back to your original selves."

"Are you serious?" asked Roger with hope in his heart.

"For real man," answered Hunter with a nod of his head. "It's a superhero's honor."

Roger gave it some thought before smiling at Hunter. "I guess I can trust you, but how are we going to get out of here?"

"I'm sure we'll find some way out of here Roger," answered Hunter with a reassuring smile.

"Okay, then we better get moving." Roger said as he started to stand up but was stopped by Hunter.

"I think you better take it easy on that ankle of yours." Hunter said before turning his back to Roger. "Until then, you can ride on my back."

Roger was unsure for a moment but decided to take up Hunter's offer, and slowly raised himself up onto his feet. Roger lets out a whimper of pain but managed to limp over to Hunter's back and grabbed hold of the humanoid dog's shoulders, while Hunter wrapped his arms underneath Roger's legs and lifted the boy up onto his back.

"You okay up there?" asked Hunter as he looks over his shoulder at his passenger.

"Yeah," answered Roger before he started scratching his claw fingers on the black collar again. "But this stupid collar is starting to hurt my neck."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll meet up with one of my friends, Exile, and I bet he'll get that metal collar of your neck in no time." Hunter said with a smile, "And he's probably with one of the other kids that might have been kidnapped as well."

Roger smiled back at Hunter; he had only met Hunter for a few seconds and he already started to like him. Hunter made sure that Roger a secured on his back as he started walking down the cavern with his steps echoing against the walls.

Akane

Akane lay on the icy floor within the icy cavern but soon sat up.

"Where-where am I?" she voiced as she looks around the cavern.

The cavern that Akane was in was beautiful as light seeped through the cracks and bounced off the icicles as they created rainbows. Akane rubs her eyes to see if she wasn't seeing things and when she took another look, she saw that she wasn't seeing things after all. Akane was actually seeing colors that she had only seen in her dreams, but this place was even more beautiful than she saw in her dreams.

"I'm…actually seeing things that I have only seen through my minds eyes!" gasped Akane in surprise with a huge smile on her face as she slowly got up from the floor.

But her excitement quickly came to a halt when she turned to see her reflection within the ice. Akane saw the face of a dog staring straight at her. The dog was wearing the same clothes that she was wearing but she also saw the dog's eyes. The dog's eyes were a light brown with a soft warm glow in them. Slowly Akane lifted up her hands and saw that her hands were human but had golden fur on them. Akane then turns her head to the side to see a tail waging behind her. The Japanese girl lets out a gasp as she falls on to the floor of the cave with a shocked look on her face.

"How-how did I wind up like this?" questioned Akane as she stares at her reflection and she suddenly noticed the black collar hanging around her neck.

Akane slowly lifted her paw/hands up to the collar as her finger tips touched the cold surface. The weight of the collar felt uncomfortable around the girl's neck. Just then, Akane's ears picked up on quiet noise behind her and she quickly turned around to find a body lying on the ground. Akane was a little surprised that someone else was here with her. Akane was curious on who this new person was as she slowly got back up onto her paw/feet, and started to walk over to the person with timid steps.

Once Akane came closer to the body she saw that the person's body had the tail of a dog with the face representing a face of a dog as well. Akane knew what type of dog it was; it was a Collie that was lying in front of Akane. The Collie was wearing silver and blue armor with a red belt around its waist. Akane leans down to have a closer look of the dog and found out about some of the features of the dog's face that it was actually a female. Akane had to admit that this dog was beautiful.

"Umm…" voiced Akane a little shyly, "Excuse me."

The Collie didn't move for a moment but soon let's out a groan before opening her eyes. Akane steps back to give the person some room before sitting back down on the ground. The Collie slowly sat up as she rubs her temple for a moment. The Collie starts to look around before her blue eyes landed on Akane.

Akane shies away from the collie as she slides back a little, but was soon stopped when the collie started talking to her.

"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you love." The collie said in a gentle tone.

"Who…what are you?" asked Akane in English.

Akane had learned a little English back home in Japan.

"My name is Colleen, and I'm part of a team called Road Rovers." Colleen answered.

"I'm Akane" she replied with a smile on her face.

"Then you must be one of the children that me and my team had been sent to find." Colleen said as she runs her right hand under her chin.

"What do you mean Mrs. Colleen?" questioned Akane as her head tilts her head to the side.

"Well love, our Master had sent us to find you and six other kids. Once we do, then we'll take you back to your family." Colleen answered with a smile.

"Really?" asked Akane with a hopeful smile on her face.

Colleen nodded her head 'yes' at Akane's question. Akane's smile became wider and before she knew what she was doing, Akane threw her arms around Colleen's waist. Colleen was taken by surprise for a moment but soon smiled as she places her left hand on Akane's back; while stroking the girls head.

Akane realized what she was doing and pulls back a little: "Oh…sorry about that Colleen."

"It's alright," Colleen said as she looks down at Akane. "Now, let's go find the other, shall we?"

"Of course," answered Akane with a nod of her head.

The two of them started down the cavern of ice in complete silence.

Simba

Simba had woken up in the ice cavern like Roger and Akane. He was shocked that he had become an African wild-dog and had found the same black collar hanging around his neck. Simba was wearing the same ragged clothes that he had been wearing back at home as he sat on the icy floor. Simba had soon met Exile, and he was surprised as he saw a talking dog in front of him. But he quickly got over it as he saw that Exile wanted to help him. Exile was crouched behind Simba as he started working on the black collar, which hung around the young Wild-dog's neck.

The husky was using his heat-ray vision as he tried melting the collar off of Simba's neck. The metal started to melt under Exile's heat-ray vision, and the husky quickly tore the sides off. Simba rubs his neck as relief washed over him.

"Thank god," he sighed "I thought that collar would never come off."

"You said it; for this is one strange looking collar that I have ever seen." Exile said as he looks at the remains of what was left of the black collar.

"I just hope I don't meet up with that mad doctor again," muttered Simba as he looks up at the Husky. "And I really owe you one for taking that collar off my neck."

"No sweatski," replied Exile with a wave of his hand. "It's my pleasure to help people out, it's my job."

Simba smiled at the husky as he stood up. He started looking around his surrounding's.

"I wonder how we'll get out of this cavern?" questioned Simba as he scratches the back of his left ear.

Exile stood up and looked to his right: "I think that we should go that way." He pointed out as he saw a tunnel up ahead of them. "If we followed it then we might be able to meet up with comrades."

"Good idea Exile, lead the way." Simba said with a smile on his face.

The two of them soon started their walk through the cavern.

Colt and Nanuq

"We just had to get lost down here, didn't we!?" shouted a voice that bounced off the cave walls.

"Well…it vas your fault that we're in this situation!" shouted a voice right back.

"Will you two calm down" a voice said as it intervened into the conversation.

The people who were arguing with each other were Blitz and Colt. Nanuq and Colt had woken up after the avalanche. The two boys had found themselves as dogs and wearing the same clothes when they were kidnapped by those men in uniforms. They quickly met up with Blitz and that's when Colt and the Doberman started biting at each other's throats.

"What do you mean it was our fault?!" yelled Colt in question as he glares at Blitz.

"You and your team leader had attacked a bus full of people, and then your friend here trapped my feet under tick, not to mention cold, ice. Then that avalanche falls down on us after you lead us to a cave, and that's why it's all your entire fault!" shouted Blitz as he throws his arms up above his head.

"Oh sure…blame us for all of your problems," scoffed Colt as he turns his head away from the Doberman. "Why not blame the whole universe while you're at it."

"That's enough!" shouted Nanuq at the top of his lugs.

Blitz and Colt were surprised at Nanuq's sudden shout and quickly turns to him.

Nanuq glares at them with his hands on his hips: "Will you two just grow up; right now we have a situation on our hands. And that's to find a way out of this cavern."

"Okay Mr. Smart-guy, where do we go?" mocked Colt with a glare of his own.

"Give me a minute," answered Nanuq as he lifts his nose up into the air. "I've suddenly noticed that my nose had picked up the slightest hit of air in this cavern."

"Oh brother," grumbled Blitz as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Nanuq ignored the Doberman as he sniffed the air for a moment then started walking to the right. Colt huffs at this and followed the Malamute with the Doberman following behind.

Alexander and Tom

"It's just my luck to get trapped in an ice cave with a rambling Sheepdog, and a boy who think of himself as a werewolf." Tom grumbled as he, Alexander and Shag walked down the cavern.

"It's not so bad," Alexander said with a wolf smile.

"Oh really wolf-boy?" questioned Tom as he glares over at Alexander. "Then how do you explain about our new body forms?"

"Um…well," Alexander said with hesitation as he scratched the back of his head.

Tom and Alexander had awoken when they found themselves in their dog forms with their regular clothes on them. And they also found the black collars hanging around their necks as well. Alexander was surprised to see himself as a wolf and nearly thought that he was a werewolf, but Tom had knocked some sense into the boy by telling him that he was being an idiot.

The two boys quickly met up with Shag, but when Shag first saw them he had quickly curled up into a ball and placed his hand/paws over his eyes. It took Alexander some time to calm the sheep dog down and their pretty much where they are now.

"I hope we get out of here soon or else we'll all wind up as popsicles." Tom voiced as they walked down the icy cavern. "And I really hope that this collar will come off soon, it's really starting to annoy me."

"You're not the only one," added Alexander as he started fiddling with his collar that was hanging around his neck. "This collar is really heavy, whose idea was it to create these heavy collars any way?"

"You're asking me?" questioned Tom as he looks over at Alexander with his left eyebrow raised at the wolf-boy.

Shag started rambling about something that Tom couldn't understand.

"What exactly are you saying fluff-ball?" questioned Tom again as he stops and turns his attention to Shag.

"I think he said that the only way to get these collars off is to find one of his friends, Exile," Alexander said as he repeated what Shag had said.

"Hah!" scoffed Tom with his nose up in the air, "Like you can understand this guy."

"I can understand a few words that he is talking about." Alexander said as he blushed under his grey fur from embarrassment.

Tom blinks at Alexander for a moment before throwing his arms up in the air. "That's just great!" he shouted, "I'm with a Scotland boy that understands dog language!"

Alexander frowns when he heard Tom's statement to him. Two minutes with this guy and already Alexander started to hate him.

'Why did I have to get lost with him?' thought Alexander with a huff.

Alexander hoped that they get out of here soon so that he can go home, and wake up hoping that this was just some crazy dream.

Roger and Hunter

Hunter's steps echoed against the icy walls of the cave as he carried Roger on his back. Roger was quiet for most of the trip as he rode on top of Hunters back.

"Hunter?" asked Roger as he broke the silence between the two of them.

"Yeah kid" answered Hunter as he looks over his shoulder at Roger.

"I was wondering," said Roger as he thought over the words that he was going to ask. "How are we going to find the others? I mean…there's a pretty slim chance in finding our group members without some sort of clue to look for them."

"Well there's one go thing about being a dog, you get to have a very keen nose on finding things." Hunter pointed out with a smile.

"Really?" questioned Roger with one eyebrow raised upwards.

"Yep," answered Hunter with a nodded of his head before lifting his head up into the air. "You just have to follow your nose on where you want to get to."

Roger wasn't sure to believe what Hunter was saying or not, but he decided to give it a try. Roger lifted his nose up into the air and started to sniff. Cold air came into his nostrils but another smell came with it.

"I think I smell something," declared Roger as he looks at Hunter.

"Me too," said Hunter as he looks up ahead. "It smells like Exile, and I think he's found one of the six kids."

"Then they must be close by," Roger pointed out with a smile.

"Then we better get tracking," Hunter said with a smile of his own as he started walking down the icy cavern again.

Will the team meet up again? You just have to wait and see next time on Road Rovers.

To be continued