The Stray

Chapter 11

I let out a whine and dug my claws into the ground as I was dragged along, I could feel my man getting agitated. Once we got into the shed he hoisted me up onto a cold table, like one I had seen at the vet when I was a mere pup in the shelter. A man was on the other end with a syringe in hand, talking to my man. I yelped and and struggled to get off of the slippery table, but the mans grip on my leash was too much for even a Pitbull Terrier as myself. The needle slipped under my scruff and the strange man patted my neck. I whined and collapsed on the table. My vision going blurry, the last thing I saw was the dark face of my man before I drifted into the black nothingness.

I woke up inside my wooden box. I groaned and lifted up my head. My ears hurt. I heaved myself up and trudged outside. I walked over to my water bucket and whined once I saw my reflection. My ears were small and pointed, no longer soft and floppy, dried blood decorated the edges. But I did admit, I think I looked good. The strange man had made a clean cut. I lapped up the water, distorting the watery image of myself. I dragged along my not so heavy chain and jumped on top of the shelter. I looked around to really get a good look of the place. Fighting building on one side, shed on another, rows of dogs in the center, all surrounded by a huge wood fence. Behind the fighting shed was a house, my guess was the owners house. I jumped down from the shed and observed around me. I hadn't seen the tri colored out for a while, but the blue males barking was ever so present. Across from me were other shelters with other dogs in them, I never payed attention to them. I sat down and passed the time by barking, chasing my tail,ect.

At dusk, two dogs were taken to the ring. Only one came back. I turned to the out across from me, a long legged brindle male.
"What's the score?"
"4th dog this week. Men are getting spoiled"
I nodded in agreement and sat down. My sharp ears relaxed.
"How long has it been like this?" I asked.
"What?"
"How long has there been dog fights here"
The brindle thought for a moment
"I'm not too sure, maybe 5 years..."
I frowned. That seemed like a long time.
"Now if you please.." He turned away and crawled into his shelter.
Whatever
I snorted and rose to my paws and jumped stop my box and layed on it. Wondering when something interesting would happen in this place.

I woke up to a bright, summer sun. I groaned and jumped off of my box. Food was in my bowl, which I ate gratefully. Along with some fresh water. Every dog was barking or running in circles. Confused, I turned to the brindle again.
"What's everyone exited about?"
"A deer! A dog got off of the chain while a deer was in the yard and he killed it!"
"Deer?!"
I suddenly became another dog in the mass of barking.
There was only 12 dogs, but it sounded like a million.
One of the men came out of the house yelling and ripped the dog off of the dead deer. He chained it back up and walked over to the deer. He thought for a moment before grabbing it's tiny another's and dragging it to the house porch, where he and 2 other men began cutting the skin off and chopping the meat into large chunks. The four legs were cut off the thrown at random to the dogs. I managed to grab one out of the air. Growling, I dragged it into my box and ripped into the rich meat.
Once I had finished the leg it was around noon. My stomach was full and I was absent mindedly chewing in the bone, trying to get to the marrow. For once it seemed like everything was right in the world. Boy, was I wrong.