Fighting Dog

6

I spent the early part of the morning with my nose altering between the floor and the sky. My ears were like radars picking out the sounds of different birds singing to one another, the sound of cars as their slight hum of an engine rolled past and the occasional person shouting across the street to what I assumed was another person. I crossed roads carefully after my first time nearly got me seriously hurt. The car that screeched at the side of me stopped, and barked a strange noise at me, I took it as warning to look where I was going. I walked on the grass whenever I got the chance, the feeling of it's soft and moist texture soothed me as it had in my dream. The first person I passed looked at me warily as I approached and their scent gave off a tinge of fear, I couldn't understand why, I never appeared harmful to them. Nonetheless I didn't let it bother me to much, I was drawn to the smell of meat cooking, the house was lit and the kitchen window was open I watched as the woman within moved about. I approached quietly but quickly ran off when a strange buzzing noise alarmed in the kitchen, I left to the sound of the woman cursing and flapping a towel at something on the ceiling.

As I continued to walk I found myself getting thirsty, a person with a hood up passed by without so much as noticing me. I stopped to stared at them as they continued to walk, I contemplated following them until I saw another person walking her dog on a lead. At first I was unsure of what to do. A dog owner would surely have something to help with hydration, but at the same time the thought of her dog biting at me struck anger into my blood. I growled deep as they approached, the woman stopped and watched me anxiety in her being. Her dog stood head held high and not one bit a threat. it's floppy sandy ears looked stupid and it's gentle approach was ridiculous. The woman reeled the dog back and turned to walk back the way she had come. My teeth were showing still and my hackles had risen, the dog seemed to respond to the woman and followed close to her side always looking back at me, still watching them carefully. I hadn't considered that the world off the leash would involve other dogs until that moment. Now aware that I could be expected to fight I stalked around corners prepared for any hidden attackers. The day was in full bloom when I made my first human contact, that was on a bridge with an elderly couple who had food. I had approached them in hope of food after drinking from the pond below, and they greeted me with gentle and fragile hands, each soft stroke I received made me long for more. They fed me a few hot salted soft things from a tray in a news paper, before they got up and walked away clearly not wanting me to follow. I sniffed at the bench where they had sat and remembered their scent for future reference before walking off to find another charitable person. I made my way across a large open field, empty of everything except a group of boys kicking a ball around and their dog lying watching.

'Oh shit Mike! Get your dog!' One of the boys cried out to his other friend then pointed to me as I approached with caution.

'Fuck!' The boy dived on his dog, and held the lead 'William get that dog out of here, you know what Tyson is like, he will try kill it.'

sensing the tension I lowered my head and sniffed the grass watching them with a questioning gaze. Tyson barked at me a long snarl followed. "Fuck off runt!"

I lifted my head at the dogs foul sense of language, a dog that knew English very well. I growled back my hackles rose as I closed in slightly. One of the boys ran at me but I was audacious and their attempt to scare me off failed, I growled, testing their bravery to attempt to chase me.

'Oh that's not good. Mike?' The person I come to know as William watched me with eyes wide and backed up slowly. Another lad threw the ball at me but the throw was out and the ball flew past me.

'Well done Derrick.' William spoke, but never took his eyes off me. 'Mike, I think Tyson is going to have a fight.'

Mike looked at me and lifted his lip at me as though he saw nothing more than shit before him.