A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Nine

Content Warning: Violence, Language, and the aftermath of rape.

--------------------------------------

Stretching, Aldrik slowly opened his eyes. He'd gotten to the town late, deciding to just sleep in his truck. It had been cold, but at least it was free. His brows shot up when he noticed the big ball of fur on his lap. The dog was light from the lack of nutrition, but he was warm nonetheless.

"Comfortable?"" The dog's ears twitched back proving that he was listening, yet he didn't make another move. Taking advantage of the moment, Aldrik began petting the dog. Not receiving a negative reaction, he began pulling the burrs out of the beast's fur. Most of them were easy to pull free, but there were a handful that were buried into the fur tightly. He worked them out as cautiously as possible, half expecting the dog to jump up and bite him. To his surprise, the dog remained patient, not even bothering to growl.

Cautiously, Aldrik reached into his pocket. He didn't have much jerky left. Taking a bite out of a bigger piece, he gave the rest to the dog. He was hungry, but the look of the dog reminded him that he'd be fine skipping a meal.

"If you choose to stick around we'll have to come up with a name for you, won't we?" He commented before reaching for the door handle. The second he opened the door, the dog was on the ground. He wandered off for a few moments, but quickly fell in step with Aldrik as the man walked along the street. He wouldn't find Mina without being out on foot.

Coming to a crossroad, Aldrik wasn't sure which way he wanted to go. He had no idea which way Mina would have went to find the answers she was looking for. Sighing, he took a left toward a nicer part of the town. The dog grabbed the loose folds of clothing around his ankle and started growling and tugging him the other direction.

Taken back, Aldrik pulled himself free. "Watch it, buddy!"

The dog turned to go the opposite direction, pausing to bark and make sure Aldrik was paying attention.

"I do not know what your agenda is, but I am trying to find my friend. Go whatever way you want to." Aldrik waved the dog off and began walking again. It was only a moment before the dog was in front of him, growling and barking. "What the hell..."

As if realizing he overstepped a boundary, the dog stopped the viciousness. He began jumping up on Aldrik and pushing him back.

"Really?" Aldrik threw his hands up in the air. Frustration was more than obvious. "I am going this way, boy."

The dog wasn't about to take that answer. He began circling around Aldrik as if trying to herd him in the direction he wanted him to go. A few people glanced over at the display, but didn't say anything. There was a sense of urgency in the dog's actions, enough to not go unnoticed.

"Fine...fine, have it your way. I think I will call you Albtraum because you are a nightmare if you're not listened to." Shaking his head, Aldrik sighed and began going the opposite direction he had began with.

The dog looked proud that he'd finally been listened to. His head was held high and his tail wagging. He looked the happiest he'd looked since meeting him on the road. He kept looking over his shoulder to Aldrik just to make sure he was still following him. Perhaps this was a fool's errand, or, perhaps, this would prove to be helpful going the direction that hadn't been originally chosen. Time would tell.

Aldrik hadn't follow the dog for long before he stopped at a run down pub. The dog growled viciously as if the place held a cruel secret within it. They'd passed a few places that served food and none of those places seemed to interest the dog like this. Clearly something wasn't okay.