THE YARD

Chapter 14

As the male opened his mouth to speak, he glanced around at each dog. Flare felt her pelt stand up when he glanced at her, but nothing more. The male's solid-colored fur and pointy muzzle greatly contrasted the more rounded shapes and lighter, mixed colors of the bully-breed dogs.

"Who's the leader here?" He asked. Rather than give an impulsive and untrue answer, the dogs in the yard all looked at each other silently. Even Shadow, who was now wide awake.

Flare felt like this was a peculiar situation for the males. A stranger may think their ways were odd, not having an alpha or omega specially established.

When it was clear none of the dogs would reply, the black male let his teeth show. The white fangs gleamed as they caught the light, looking menacing. With such a long muzzle, he'd find it easy to damage another dog's weak spots. He could probably fit his muzzle around Shadow's whole neck, she thought with foreboding. But so could I. I have a long and pointy muzzle, too. Shadow had a sharp nose, of course- but his jowls were floppy from his hound dog genetics.

So what now?

Since Mocha had left, Grey Dog had recessed further and further from the leader position, and resigned himself to a quieter, less dominant version of himself. Though Flare liked this Grey Dog more, she knew he probably felt hollow and lonely inside. His mate was gone; although that seemed not to affect his fighting ability. Grey Dog hadn't lost a fight to any other dog in The Yard since Flare could remember.

That being said, who controlled the resources? Certainly not Shadow, who wasn't respected because of his neuter- and not a possessive dog in any way. But White Dog had a water bucket, and although he shared it with Jax, he did not let Shadow come near it. Flare looked at him now, tall but spindly. The old male's hip and ankle bones were more profound against his skin, and White Dog didn't react. He didn't look aggressive; if anything, the male seemed a bit tired.

"I am," Jax said recklessly. This time, White Dog's face twisted into annoyance. He was quick to reply, being the oldest dog in The Yard- and seeming how Grey Dog was not responding yet.

"He wishes he could be."

The black-and-white bully breed puffed out his chest. He had thicker legs than any other dog, but his height was much less intimidating. Jax stood so close to the ground that the others couldn't see him as a big dog; let alone the leader.

"I know I could be," Jax stated matter-of-factly.

"Your muzzle is too short to do some real damage. And you're a runt," the newcomer said in a drawn-out snarl. Flare was startled and felt her hackles lift. Though the black dog was menacing, his hate did not seem to spray out of him. Too often, the other dogs let their anger out quick, like a lashing whip- but this male spoke quieter, and slower. Why's he so careful with his words?

Flare was bewildered that no other dog had replied by now. Perhaps the way he looked was intimidating them. The male's slim build and jet-black fur was contrasting the other's dogs pelts, all lighter or splashed with white. Black Dog's tail was high and at an angle, but his head wasn't raised above the rest. His ears weren't forward like that of a dog with a high ego... They were defensively laid back.

"He's not as confident as he seems," Shadow said over his shoulder at Flare. He had his voice lowered, but Grey Dog caught hear of it anyways. He looked back at Shadow without expression, then squared his shoulders. The grey Pitbull was far closer to the new male than the others, and his hackles had long-since been lifted. Shadow stood a few feet in front of Flare, between her and the others. Jax was close to White Dog, but also just a few feet the new male's back legs. He looked as if he could hardly contain his anger.