Street-Bred

Chapter Six - Got Your Back

Fawn slowed her pace until she knew that Copperhead was far behind. A wave of dizziness came over her, causing her to stop and regain some of her lost energy. She lifted her nose, taking in familiar scents. I'm near that fire hydrant again. The pack probably isn't there, but I can look. Fawn turned at a corner and saw the leaking hydrant where she met the twin dogs that took her away. Their scent remained there, making Fawn shudder. She shook her head from the thought and then padded up to the hydrant and lapped up some water. Now with some hydration, Fawn knew she could run again if she needed to. She lowered her head to sniff around the area. The female took in the scents of the pack.

She imagined Mei in a dark alley, curled up next to Ace, asking him when Fawn would return. Fawn didn't exactly want to see the pack again, yet the thought of leaving Mei without her knowing she was safe was enough to send a pang of guilt in Fawn's heart. So she set off, nose close to the ground, following the smell of the pack.

Half an hour later...

The scent of the pack was fresh, Fawn had to be close. As she lifted her nose from the sidewalk, a growl erupted from the shadows around her. Fawn whipped around, expecting Copperhead or Cash to jump out and tear her to shreds. But nobody was there. Feeling uneasy, Fawn began to turn back around and continue walking. Yet again, the growl stopped her in her tracks. The noise was louder this time, and it was more menacing. Fawn gulped when she heard the clicking of claws against concrete. Fawn glanced over her shoulder to see where the noise was coming from. Then something hit her. Hard.

The next thing she knew, Fawn was pinned to the ground, stunned by whatever knocked her down. She struggled to stand back up, but an intense force kept her down by her chest. The loner looked up to see her attacker, and noticed a familiar face. She had a glossy, black coat and floppy, triangular ears. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of brown, and she had a square muzzle. It was no other than April, the Beta of Ace's pack, "April? Wait, it's me, Fawn!" Fawn exclaimed quickly.

April's eyes softened and the weight was lifted off of Fawn, "Fawn? How did you get back?" The lab asked, watching Fawn stand to her feet.

"I ran. I'm pretty sure I lost them by now..." Fawn replied. April seemed impressed with this feat, "well, I'm glad you're okay Fawn. Mei was worried about you, so she'll be happy to see you... if you want to come back, I mean."
"Of course! Is everyone safe?"

"Heh, for the most part. I think the only danger is Mei. The little chatter-box won't let any of us sleep!" April chuckled, "C'mon, I'll walk with you."

"Speaking of Mei..." Fawn began, "how did you guys... you know..." the female searched for the right word until April interrupted.

"Get her?"

"Yeah," April paused for a moment, then looked down as she walked. Sighing, she stared back up at Fawn, "she was.... abandoned," April finished.

"Oh..."

"I remember that day. Not that long ago, actually. It was a nice, warm day and Ace went out for food. We were all hanging out in the alley, until Ace came back with this teeny, scrawny puppy. She was so dirty and small, I asked him what happened and why he brought a puppy home. He told me that she was laying behind a trash can, whimpering. The parents weren't in sight. She didn't even have a name. So we named her Mei, I think it means, 'beautiful' or something. She was really quiet at first, she would only whisper to Ace. Then she warmed up to Paisley and Captain, and now she's really outgoing, like all puppies, but..." April paused, her ears and tail lowering.

"But what?"

"Mei... still hasn't warmed up to me. She's very uncomfortable if I'm too close. I... I think she hates me," the black dog said sadly.

"Hey, there's still hope. I mean, she just joined the pack and she's only a pup. I bet she doesn't hate you, April," Fawn responded, trying to lighten the mood. April only smiled a bit to herself, then changed the subject, "so, uh... who was chasing you?" she asked.

"Oh, erm... this black German shepherd named Night and this other dog named Copperhead," Fawn answered.

"Wait, Copperhead?! She's the fastest dog I've ever seen! She has greyhound blood, you know. How on earth did you lose her?" April exclaimed.

"Oh, I'd rather not talk about it..."
"Oh c'mon! If anyone can outrun Copperhead, I'd consider them a superhero!"

"Well, I ran out into the street and uh... Night got hit by a car," Fawn said slowly, ears flattening as April stared at her with a shocked expression. Both of the dogs stopped in their tracks, "y-you mean, Night is dead?" April stammered. Fawn nodded, "Copperhead stopped following me after that," the Pharaoh hound sighed.

"Fawn, do you have any idea what this means?"

"Not exactly..."

"Fawn, Cash is going to kill you! We have to get you out of Cash's reach!"

"What do you mean 'we'?"

"You didn't actually think that you would run away by yourself, did you? You need to have somebody to watch your back!"

"I mean, I suppose but... I don't want any of you guys getting hurt in the process."

"Hey, don't worry about it. We look out for one another. That's what a pack does," April responded calmly. Fawn only sighed, deciding rest was the only thing left to soothe her. Though she probably wouldn't get much when they made it back to Ace's alley. There, a small, fluffy puppy scampered up to her, and Fawn could tell she had a lot to say.