Nex (old and bad)

Chapter 2

Slightly belated merry Christmas from Aida (in the photo). :3

Also, I would like to thank slpblue for her support. <3

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Aida floundered to her paws, her long tail pressed firmly against her abdomen. Her head was whirling, panic and confusion nearly blinding her. However, what she did see caused horror to roil in her stomach, and she almost wished that she could have been fully blinded so she wouldn’t have to process so much at once.

The town in which she had spent the majority of her life was gone. In its place was a desolate scattering of flimsy-looking houses, from which the breeze pulled the unmistakable scent of death. Most of the fencing around the park in which she stood had toppled over, the air was stale with dust, and the afternoon sky had been stripped of its vibrance. The streets were littered with fallen branches and shattered glass, and, not far from the park, a car lay on its side, something with a sharp, foul odour pooling beneath it. Aida puked, and she was not the only one to do so.

The dogs were a bruised and battered bunch. All of them were terrified, but none fled for fear that they might get caught in the wave again. They knew not what their invisible enemy might have been, but it was plain enough that there could be no hiding from it. It was best to avoid it if they could, and it seemed unlikely that it would return to the ravaged landscape in its wake.

Aida cast about for her friends, and soon saw them ducking beneath the picnic table. One of Pepper's slender forelegs was swollen and oozing blood. Crawling to shelter was clearly more difficult on three legs, but the brindle-and-white Whippet made no complaint. As soon as she'd managed to lay down, Karli nestled up against her flank, trying to shove herself closer as if she thought that Pepper could hide her. Glad to see that they were both alive and more or less well, Aida looked around for her master. The girl who had been by her side for as long as she could remember was less fortunate.

The limber mutt rushed to her master’s side, tripping over her own paws in her haste. Aida swiped her tongue across her face a few times, detecting the salty tang of blood it as it passed near her nose. The girl did not stir. Whining in despair, she lay at her master’s side, her forequarters resting on her chest and her chin on her feet. She stared into her master’s face for a few minutes. She would have stayed there all night if it wasn’t for Lowell.

Rapid puffs of air from a large, curious nose tickled Aida’s side, just in front of her hind leg. She started, not having heard him approach, then growled, wedging her body between the solid black brute and her master. Her hackles fluffed up on her shoulders and croup as she bared her teeth at him, prepared to protect her master’s body with her life. The male held his ground, unphased by her aggression. He stood a little less than a foot taller than her at the shoulder and his posture was dominant, but his wolfish ochre eyes were gentle as they met Aida’s smouldering glare. How could he remain so calm at a time like this? Was he not confused? Was he not scared? His air of confidence was reassuring; calming. A rock was something that most, dogs and humans alike, looked for in times of chaos. All this was enough to gain some of Aida’s trust.

Gradually, Aida let her quivering lips fall to conceal her fangs once more and allowed herself to be guided away, though her hackles remained standing as she eyed him uncertainly. He led her over the fallen wire fence and into the parking lot, where an elderly blue heeler stood, one of his hind legs shaking uncontrollably due to old age. The motion sent tiny ripples along his speckled hide, which seemed to be in better condition than anyone else’s. Turning around, she saw an even larger male, a red Malamute, herding Pepper and Karli towards them, silver eyes hard as he ushered them on. Once everyone was together, he spoke up.

“I’m Phoenix,” he informed them, his tone assertive. “We’re on our own now-” Aida’s ears lay back against her narrow head at those words. Despite that she knew it in her heart to be true, she remained reluctant to accept it. “-so it’s best that we get to know each other. Names?”

“Lowell,” the black male immediately answered, holding his head and tail high as he levelled his gaze with Phoenix’s. It was clear that both of them were aiming to be the boss. Great - scuffles were just what they needed at a time like this. It was then that Aida realized Lowell’s eyes had locked onto her, indicating that it was her turn.

“I’m Aida,” she introduced herself, struggling to disguise the fear in her voice even though her tail, still hiding between her legs, made it obvious that she was afraid. Lowell’s stare moved on, eliciting a response from each of the other canines in turn.

“I-I’m Pepper,” said the injured Whippet softly, lowering her eyes in a timid manner.

“Karli,” the Jack Russell who stood close beside Pepper announced in a high-pitched yap.

“Murphy,” the old cattle dog grunted. That was everyone.

Wait… Wasn’t there another old dog before? Aida thought, baffled. It didn’t take long to spot the answer to her question. In one corner of the park, there he lay, crumpled at the foot of a sturdy maple tree with his neck twisted at a disturbing angle. He must have been unlucky enough to get thrown into the trunk, the impact breaking his already-frail neck. Aida quickly averted her eyes, barely managing to swallow the bile that rose in her throat. In a hurry to distract herself, she looked over the silent town once more.

“Where are we going to go?” she asked, her gaze flitting back and forth between Lowell and Phoenix as she spoke. “We can’t just go back home, not without masters to take care of us.” Before either dog could answer, a panicked voice broke in.

“What will we eat?” Pepper demanded. “Where will we live?” Karli, now standing completely underneath the whippet, began to whimper in despair.

“Shut up!” Phoenix barked harshly, fixing the frantic pair with a glare. “Worrying about it isn’t going to make the problem go away. We’ll figure something out, but only if we keep our heads clear.” Aida didn’t like how strict the burly Malamute was, but she agreed with the point he was making.

“So?” she pressed, this time focusing solely on Lowell. At the edge of her vision, she noticed Phoenix’s eyes narrow in annoyance.

“It isn’t safe to return home,” the onyx mutt mused. “And you’re right - there’s nothing for us there anyhow. I think our best option is to head into the forest.”

“Wh are we supposed to eat in the forest?” Phoenix challenged, stepping toward Lowell in an fruitless attempt to cow him. “Sure, there’s shelter and plenty of water, but what about food?”

Pepper, lowering her head respectfully, spoke up in a wary manner. “Perhaps the… the… perhaps whatever passed through affected rabbits and birds the same way it affected our…” She trailed off, glancing sorrowfully toward where her own master lay.

“We can’t rely on a mere possibility!” Phoenix barked stubbornly.

“There is no hope of survival in our houses,” Lowell reasoned, his tone growing more insistent. “We’d all run out of food within a week. Hell, the walls might not even hold out long enough for us to starve! In the forest - our only other option - we actually have a pretty good chance.”

Phoenix’s jaws parted as he prepared to argue further, but, seemingly unable to disagree with any of his foe’s logic, he straightened and turned to face everyone else. “It’s decided: We’re heading into the forest,” he announced, acting as if he’d never had a problem with the idea in the first place. Without allowing anyone time to disagree, he trotted briskly toward the treeline, skirting around some shards of glass from a car window before moving in a straight line. Lowell loped after him, equally determined to lead the group.

Aida, unlike the apparent alphas of the small, rag-tag pack, zig-zagged all over the parking lot as she crossed it, nose to the ground. Pepper trailed behind her with an uneven gate, and Karli kept close to her side, staring worriedly at the larger dog’s injured limb. Murphy, at the rear of the group, trudged stiffly along, triangular ears angled back while his eyes were locked on the path ahead.