Street-Bred

Chapter Eighteen - The Last Chase

     "You're done for, Fawn..." A deep, dark growl made Fawn whip around. Cash loomed over her, a snarl present on his face. A chilling breeze blew by, making Fawn shrink down to the alley floor even more, "m-my packmates will come and find me! I w-won't go down without a f-fight!"

"You idiot, all of your friends are dead!" He snapped, "you let them die, remember? You were too weak to protect them!"

"W-what? No..." Fawn murmured, eyes clouded with pain and sorrow.

"Now look at you... you're helpless. Pitiful. Unworthy of life. You know why?" He paused, letting his insults sink in, "because your pack made you that way. You became so faithful in them... now look what you've done. They're all dead because of you. And there's nothing you can do about it..." Before Fawn could reply, Cash leapt at her with a frightening snarl. The only thing she could see was red after that.

     Fawn gasped as she jumped awake, her breathing heavy. She glanced around to see Ace and Buck standing over her, worry clear on their faces, "are you alright?" Buck asked, nudging Fawn up.

"Yeah... it was only a dream," Fawn replied, shaking herself.

"Are you sure? It sounded like a nightmare. You were whimpering and murmuring things in your sleep," Ace told her.

"Like I said, I'm alright. Please, don't worry about me," Fawn's gaze wandered around the alley to see Paisley and Avis missing, "where did Avis and Paisley go?"

"Paisley is taking Avis back to Cash's pack. April is following behind them to make sure everything runs smoothly. Avis is going to tell Cash to be here by evening, and that's when we run," Ace reported.

"Huh, I slept through all of that?" Fawn asked.

"I figured you'd need the extra rest for tonight, so I let you sleep later than everyone else," Ace smiled.

"Thanks, Ace. I'm going to go and speak to Marley," with that, Fawn padded past her leader and over to the gentle giant.

"Hello, Marley. Are you ready for tonight?"

"I think so..." he sighed, looking down the alley with blank eyes.

"Don't be nervous, we're in this together. Remember what I said in the beginning? You'd make a great pack member. And you did. There is nothing to worry about."

"Thanks, Fawn," Marley wagged his tail slowly, "but... after we're done with this whole Cash thing, I think I'll be on my way."

"What do you mean?" Fawn asked.

"Listen, I love everyone here, it's just... my master probably misses me so much. I need to return to him," he admitted.

"I see... well, I don't think it would be right to stop you. I do hope you find your master again. You will always be welcome here."

"Thank you for understanding. I hope I will find him again, too," Marley's eyes were filled with a light Fawn hadn't seen in the last few months. She gave him a cheerful grin before walking to the entrance of the alley to watch the sun climb slowly into the sky.

Evening rolls around...

Fawn sighed, staring at all of the pack dogs that stood outside of the alley proudly. Captain, however, was going to stay behind. Despite Captain's arguments, Ace ordered the old dog to stay back for his own safety. Now, they were just waiting. Waiting for a sign of Cash. Everyone was quiet, even the few people walking the streets were silent. A bone-chilling, November breeze wasn't enough to make Fawn shiver. Her eyes were locked on the other side of the street, where Cash may come from. And, after what seemed like decades, she heard them. The barking and howling. The scent of them wafted to the pack's noses, "They're here," Fawn said.

     Out on the distant sidewalk, they marched. No shadows were present as dark clouds threatened to release havoc upon the city at any moment. They came closer until she saw him. Cash. She narrowed her green eyes when she realized Cash had seen her, too. She glanced to Ace, and gave him a nod, "Let's go!" he demanded, and ran to the west at full speed. Fawn ran behind him, her paws flying with every agile stride. Fawn could hear them following her pack, furious barks sounding the air. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and her pulse throbbed within her head. Her tan pelt felt as if it was on fire from all of the adrenaline she had. Buck matched every stride she made, his eyes serious. She knew he could go faster if he wanted to, but he didn't. He wanted to be right by her side, which Fawn was grateful for.

     Buck glanced at his sister, and a determined smile appeared on his face. One that said, "We can do this!" Fawn looked over her shoulder when she heard a growl erupting from Paisley, who was lagging behind, "C'mon!" April encouraged, making the small dog's brown eyes harden. She took in a deep breath, and then burst forward. Fawn nodded at Paisley before looking straight ahead once more. The wind whistled in her ears as grey buildings whizzed past them. At last, she could see the abandoned construction site.

     It was just a few grey walls, not even reaching two floors. Whoever built this, must not have gotten far before the walls began to erode and crumble. Boards and other unfamiliar items lay around the orange, clay ground. The pack entered the area, and Fawn easily jumped off a pile of rubble and onto a wall which seemed to be close to falling. It's time for the rival pack to know the truth. To know the real enemy. To discover Cash's lies.