Dog Eat Dog World

2

When Obadiah woke up, Mathias was gone. He probably ran off somewhere else as soon as he woke up. Obadiah looked around with squinted eyes, but no sign of that boy in a bandana. He sighed, standing up and dusting off his clothes as if he didn't want to dirty his stained clothes even more.

He took a small stroll around the town. It wasn't hard to miss him, as his sandals flip flopped on the ground each step he took. Looking at all of the shops, watching as a royal carriage passes by, holding a young girl in a bug puffy dress about the same age as him. He smiled and waved, but she didn't notice him.

Obadiah wondered if he'd ever run into that boy again. He really wanted to make as many friends as possible, fortunately, as he walked down the street, he noticed Mathias practically being waterboarded. Obadiah dropped everything and sprinted toward him.

"Ya think you can come into my store? Ye filthy street rat."

Mathias was wiggling his little body around to try and escape from the elder man's grip, but it was useless.

"Hey, big guy! Leave 'em alone!" Obadiah waved from afar. For a crowd like this, nobody seemed to interfere.

"Yeah? You wanna go next, boy?" The man turned around with a nasty sneer on his face. He held a rag in his hand and a cup of water in the other. They were near a fountain, so the man could get an endless supply of water until Mathias drowned. Thank god Obadiah came in time.

"I just think there are easier ways to solve this problem... What did that poor boy do to you?" As Obadiah was busy distracting him, Mathias made a break for it. He ran as fast and as far as he could. The other boy watched with a grin.

"Are you questioning me? Don't go pokin' yer nose in other people's business, boy. You look like a street rat... are ye with him?"

When the bigger man turned to point at Mathias, he was gone. The bigger man was furious, and when he slowly turned back to Obadiah he was gone too.

Obadiah ran in the general direction of Mathias. It seems that he doesn't have very much stamina though because he ducked into an alleyway to catch his breath. Mostly because he was waterboarded.

"You okay? I can't believe all those people just ignored ya like that!"

"Ye should've jus' left me. I didn't need yer help."

"If I didn't come at a more perfect time, ye would've been dead. you should be happy I saved yer ass, Canine. What didya even do?"

"Nothin'. He just saw me walking around and accused me of stealin'. And stop calling me Canine."

Mathias was soaked. Most of it was on his face, neck, and hair. He was shivering.

"Ain't you freezing? Let me help."

Obadiah untied his bandana and began to wring it out. The mix of dirt and water dripped down his leg.

"Don't touch me."

"I'm just tryin' to help!"

"I don't need it."

Mathias didn't feel like biting him. He was shivering too hard to care.

Obadiah looked at Mathias, stripped of his most notable features. Just a shirt and pants. He looked at his wet hair. It was all tangled and matted.

"Can I brush your hair?"

"Don't touch me."

"Please? I'll make it look nice!" His hand reached for Mathias. Mathias pulled a knife on him and struck his arm quickly.

"Oooww... Sorry..." Obadiah winced and clutched his arm. Mathias just looked at him with a cold hard stare. What a low blow. Biting the hand that feeds you.

"Ugh. I should confiscate that! Yer not using it properly... I would've rather ya just bit me instead." Obadiah brung his arm to his mouth and licked the dripping blood. "Whatever. It'll heal."

Mathias stomach growled as he stared at Obadiah as he cleaned his wound. It was like watching him eat a chicken leg.

"You hungry? I know a place with some good snacks." Obadiah grinned, "Follow me, Canine!"

Mathias didn't seem to speak much. He just had a pout on his face. He held his arms as if he were still cold and followed right behind Obadiah. He was clutching his bloodied arm.

Obadiah guided Mathias to a street market. Mathias has been here plenty of times, but he never had the guts to buy or take anything.

"Alright... give me yer bandana."

"No."

"Are ya hungry or not?"

Mathias was reluctant, but he gave him his damp bandana. He was starving.

"Go distract that man right there. I'll steal some of these."

Mathias, as much as he didn't want to listen to Obadiah out of spite, obeyed anyways.

"Hey. 'Scuse me."

The shopkeeper turned to look at Mathias. It was an adult. He had a long mustache and he was pretty big weight wise. His beer belly was prominent even under that long apron. He looked at Mathias with a raised brow. He was clearly put off by the sheer height of him. Despite his appearance, he was a big red flag. Merchants don't sell to street rats. His brows furrowed.

"Are ye looking for trouble, little boy? Trying to steal from me, aren't ya? You rats are all the same."

Mathias almost jumped out at him like a rabid animal. He turned his head around to the left to see if Obadiah had abandoned him with his bandana. He was sneakily tying up his bandana full of food under the shopkeeper's table.

"Yer mean. I wasn't planning on stealin' anything. Why would I want to take any of yer shitty food-"

"Excuse his foul language, sir! My brother is just so silly! Let's go, Canine."

Obadiah cut him off from trying to anger the merchant any longer. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and turned him to the other direction, all the while he held a bandana full of food in his free hand.

"You should be kinder! More charismatic... That'll get th'big baddies offa ya."

God, did Mathias want to bite him. Obadiah and Mathias found a nice cool spot under a tree next to the ship docs. Obadiah unraveled the bandana and revealed a big pile of peanuts. Mathias looked at him crazy.

"What? Look, this is how you eat 'em."

He picked up a peanut, squeezing it between his fingers until it cracked. He dumped the actual peanuts into his other hand and dropped them into his mouth.

"Try it!"

Mathias copied him exactly. He struggled a little with the cracking part because his fingers were so nimble, but he got the hang of it. He began swiftly cracking them and shoving them into his mouth. Most of the time, he wouldn't even use his hands, just his mouth. Like a nutcracker.

Obadiah just watched. Like he always did.

"You know, I always wanted to be a sailor. Maybe even a pirate when I grow up."

Mathias thought it was dumb. He grimaced.

"That's dumb. You'll never be a pirate."

"What makes ya say that?"

"Pirates are cool and tough. You are... not."

"I can be nice and a tough pirate."

"No ya can't. Pirates are rude. Cold-blooded killers. Yer justa street rat."

"I can change that."

Mathias rolled his eyes. He's so stupid, he thought. He picked up a peanut and held it up to Obadiah's face. He kinda looked like it to him. Which he hated. He crushed it in his hand.

"I hate peanuts."