The Stray

Chapter 8

          It was around noon, I woke with a start, I looked around frantically. I was chained to a small metal post outside of a plastic dog house. A trail of dry blood lined my face from where the brick hit me. My vision was still fuzzy, but I could see other dogs, all chained up and in similar dog houses. I shook my head and stood up, my collar was gone and replaced with a thick, heavy one. I licked my chops, I was parched. I began heaving my way to a tin bowl. The water was stagnant but it worked.

Once I had quenched my thirst I moved in front of my plastic dog house. I whined, Jake was probably so upset! Mom would be angry... My thoughts were interrupted by savage barking coming from the dog next to my space. It was a large blue pit. The brute was pulling at his chain, his eyes were locked onto the dog across from him. With a start, I looked around. All the dogs were pitbulls! There were about two dozen of us! I also realized all the dogs, some as young as a year, had scars. Scars decorated their faces and chest. All of them had sharp, pointy ears. My ears were still soft and floppy. I turned my attention back to the blue male. He stopped his barking. I noticed he had fresh chunks of meat in his bowl. I looked at my bowl to see a man putting some in mine as well.. He was the man who took me away! I snarled and lunged at him, I latched my chops onto his hand. He yelled and threw the bucket of meat backwards. He punched my nose and and tried to pull his hand away. My chain choked my neck. He landed his foot into my stomach, that made me Yelp in pain and let go. He didn't walk away. He took one look at the spilled food and began kicking my side and face. I yelped and scurried into the plastic igloo.

It was around dusk when I woke again. I crawled out of the dog house and looked around. The blue pit was gone, as well as another dog a few rows away. I heard savage barking coming from a crude looking shack. The barking was joined by the sound of bodies thudding against the floor and cheers of men. I looked to my left, where a tri colored pit looked down sorrowfully. I walked as close as my chain allowed me. "Excuse me, where are we?" I asked. She looked up. Tear drop scars laced her muzzle. "A dog fighting ring. The male who was barking earlier was taken along with my pup from two years ago." She looked back down. "You are new here. You will have your days of fighting, but you are a fae. Our only true purpose here is breeding." I looked down. She continued. "First they will take your ears and make them sharp, then they will take your beauty, and replace it with scars. Then they will take your pups, and replace them with more." She looked at me. "You must respect the men or a bullet will fill your skull. You must do what the say and never question it. Go back to your dog house and never question other dogs. They are not as kind as me.." I padded back to the plastic house and lied down. I thought about what the other fae had said. My life was about to change for the worse...