Embrace (Rocky x Chase)

Prologue- Mutts

Garbage.

It was one thing to be raised primarily on what others threw away, as such was the life of a scavenger. It was a whole other ballpark when you were garbage yourself, from the breed in and out.

Trash.

That was all the young mixed breed had seen in his early years of life. He was born in a cold alleyway, his frail body landing in a puddle of rainwater before his mother hastily scooped him up. The first thing the pup saw when he opened his eyes was a world of filth and dejected dogs. His whole family, a breed of grey mutts, had been homeless for as long as they could remember. They tried to make the most of it, being on the move constantly as they traveled to different locations, seeking to unearth every scrap of food they could.

He remembered his mother, frail and weak, but tuckered on every second of the day to bring a meal to her two pups. Whoever the father was, he was long gone, clearly disgusted at conceiving a litter of mutts. The mother was quick to explain to her pups with great disdain of their position in the world, the truth that they were simply lower than what people wanted. Her philosophy would be stretched to its breaking point the day she was killed.

The youngest pup never saw her die but was quickly grabbed by his older brother and carried far into the darkest alleyways to escape, his grey ears configured to his brother's hissing words of sworn revenge. As the months passed, the two pups never left each other's side, only breaking momentarily if the situation really called for it.

One brother had grown cold with narrowed eyes, lips usually curled back in snarls, his face decorated in scars and cuts from the blood he spilled. One could look at him and wonder if the dog was really there in the head, as anyone growing up in a world who hated them was bound to be shaped into something vile.

The second brother had become quiet and soft-spoken, still on the smaller side. His face was dirty but unscathed, with fearful brown eyes that had a tendency to wander. He was known to run and hide when his brother lashed out into fights, and find solace in observing the world around him.

Staring ahead at the pile of the trash before him, the young pup studied the mess, wondering if anything interesting was thrown out.

"Didn't know you to be so interested in trash, Rocks," 

The puppy turned his head in irritation at his brother, "I'm just looking for something cool,"

"What's so 'cool' about wet newspapers and a broken kitchen appliance?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow, walking over, "the only thing you're gonna find in this stupid alley is waste,"

The older brother never could really understand the mentality of his sibling. Every day they slept in a filthy alleyway with nothing but trash and each other, how in the world could anyone find a pile of garbage interesting? He figured his little brother was going mad.

"Well think of it this way," Rocks pointed out, "it's an old coffee maker, and-"

"how do you know it's a coffee maker?"

"It says it on the side," 

"You can read?" the larger dog squinted his eyes, "why the hell are you reading?"

"It's a handy skill, Dakota," Rocks smiled, "makes on smarter,"

"I'd rather my little brother not become a fag," came the sharp coldness in his voice, "why not learn to break someone's neck as I did?" he gave a dry laugh, "what, you like guys too?"

Rocks looked up with a frown, "that's hurtful,"

Dakota merely shrugged at his brother, "I just don't get why you're into all this worthless shit,"

"It's not worthless!" Rocks countered, "look at the coffee maker, imagine if I could break it open! Think of all the cool parts inside, the circuit boards, the old wires, gears, axels, doesn't that all sound cool to see?"

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about," the larger mix shook his head, "tonight I have to guard our food supply, and I'd rather you help me than stare at a pile of garbage all night."

Turning a cold shoulder to his little sibling, Dakota spoke again, "Rocks, you're never going to be anything if you keep getting lost in yourself as you do. Learn to survive, fight, and maybe you won't end up being our mother's biggest disappointment."

The little pup's eyes went sad as his ears fell, and his head hung to the floor, "I'm sorry," but his brother gave no response. Even in his shame, Rocks knew he had a passion for finding things of value among what was considered worthless. Dakota's support or not, he wanted to take his place in life, escaping the hell of dogfighting and cold raining nights.

"I'll show you," the puppy said under his breath, "I'll show you I can be someone,"