Grimly, Shadow did not answer for several heartbeats. When the male dog finally did, his voice was full of distress. He growled deep in his throat before speaking, nearly waking Crow. Flare quieted him with a warning glance.
"Don't let him manipulate you any further, Flare. I-... I don't know how I'll protect you, but I will. Just until tomorrow night so we can escape."
Trembling now, Flare was realizing the direness of the situation. "You can't. I think he may kill you, after how close it came last time." Flare licked her lips nervously. Her ears pinned back, she looked over at Crow. It was almost comical how his lip was still flapped open- until she recalled the memory his fangs sunken into Shadow's throat.
"I have to try. We can't let him mate you, or you'll be with his pups." Unsettled and jumpy, Flare almost barked a smart retort. As if I don't know that! She tried to calm down, though. I need to think of a better solution than Shadow risking his neck again.
"I might," she began uncertainly, "-be able to convince him not to. But I'm not certain. Crow has been respecting me lately."
"If you count holding you against your will as 'respect,' then-"
"He's not heartless, is what I meant." Flare interrupted as she felt Shadow's anger begin to build up again.
"I wish The Man had never put us here," he snarled anyway. Unable to prevent the rage, Flare put a tan paw over his.
"Me either. All he does is use the males for fights, and use us females for pups." She let a growl creep into her own throat as well; to show that she agreed.
The Man never once cared what we wanted. And he never will. It's hardly Crow's or Shadow's or any other dog's fault for any of this; it's his. She felt her heart harden like mud forming into rock. The Man had manifested hatred among the dogs. The Man was the one who fed them so little, that they created a heiarcy amongst themselves. The Man was the cause of entrapment. And suffering. But some of us suffer worse than others.
"White Dog might be dying and no one cares, especially The Man. He doesn't even pat the old male anymore, let alone look his way." Flare admitted sullenly.
"I suspected as much, but it seems like it's gotten worse. I could smell his wounds today when we passed each other. He has a few old ones that aren't healing." Hearing this from Shadow, Flare's heart nearly snapped in two for the old mastiff.
"There's nothing we can do, though. He said he isn't well enough to jump the fence," Flare halfheartedly replied.
"He may have to try," the floppy-eared canine stated calmly. Shadow's forever pursuing the most inconvenient ideas, Flare mused.
"But I don't yet know when we'll have a chance. If the opportunity arises, we can try to get White Dog out, but- I'm not sure where he'll go." Knowing that was true, Flare fretted. She was worried about White Dog and concerned about their escape. Even they didn't know where they'd go in a life beyond The Yard. And then there was her heat-scent and Crow's infatuation with her as well. I've never had so much to stress about.
"It'll be okay."
Shadow cut into her dark thoughts like a knife through butter. Staying on the opposite side of Flare, he positioned his body closer. With Shadow's smooth shoulders beside hers, she felt a bit less estranged. Her tail-tip twitched with the urge to wag. As quietly as she could, she whispered. "We should probably end it now. It'll be light in the next hour or two." But as she spoke, she nosed Shadow's spilt ear playfully. He puffed out his chest and looked on with shining eyes.
As they moved apart, Flare felt Crow's resting body slide farther off of her flank. He inhaled quickly as if he were about to wake up, and within an instant Shadow had vanished from her side.
She saw him slink quietly across The Yard, looking over his shoulder as he hurried away. His long hound nose, floppy lips and ears, and sloping forehead framed his kind brown eyes.
~
The sun had hoisted itself to nearly it's highest point in the sky. However, the day wasn't very warm- clouds scuttled across as the wind whipped the dog's ears around their heads. More often than not, the puffy white blobs prevented the sun's rays from reaching through. Even the blades of grass were tugged this way and that, still wet from morning dew.
At least it's not rain, thought Flare positively.
She hadn't moved from her spot all day, fearful that the burly black shepherd would smell her. The tan female dog didn't want to deal with the drama now, or later. But he's going to find out soon enough...
She watched the male for awhile, who eventually turned his head and wagged his tail as he caught her looking.
Flare looked away instantly, though. Now she felt repulsed.
"It's okay, you can look at me. We've been together for awhile now... And my stature is more of something to look at than Brown Dog's, I'm sure." The long-furred male dog began trotting towards Flare with his bushy tail raised. Her adrenaline spiked, a sudden rush of nerves flooding the she-dog's system.
"I have fur, unlike all of the other dogs here. Well- besides you." He rubbed his jaw along Flare's, but she was stiff as a board. Pausing, Crow looked down at her with narrowed eyes.
"What's wrong? You've been quiet all morning," observed the sleek male. Nearly trembling, Flare clenched her teeth. Say something say something say something.
"Um-" she began uncertainly, rushing to make up an excuse.
"I don't really like- how you talk about the other dogs. It's rude."
Flare exhaled in relief, mostly at herself. At least that's not a lie. She turned her head away from Crow in a pouting gesture.
"Sorry. I'll try not to from now on," he grumbled, plopping his haunches on the ground like an exasperated puppy. "Now can you please start acting normal?"
Scrunching up her nose, Flare felt a spurt of anger erupt. She forced her hackles and tail down, leaning forward and pretending to nibble at her foreleg in an attempt to hide her expression. I haven't acted normal since I've been with you- because normally, I'd be away from you!
"You're so difficult sometimes."
Despite this retort, it seemed she'd convinced him. Crow leaned down and began licking her face. Peeved off, Flare tried to stay mad as it happened. She hardly had time, though- because the male dog stiffened.
He began sniffing her pelt all over, and stood up with an excited lash of his tail. Continuing to lie still, Flare nervously watched as it thrashed back and forth.
"Flare, you're in heat. We can mate now- and have pups!" Crow sounded excited, vibrating back and forth.
Just say it. Just say it without thinking about it so that you don't hesitate.
Swallowing, the yellow Carolina Dog opened her jaws to speak.
"No. I don't want pups."
At first, Crow halted and his tail fell into a slow wag then stopped. Soon after he dropped it down a few inches, and lowered his head to better hear Flare.
"What?...why?"
She managed to keep her voice steady. "Because the humans just take them away. Last time, Mocha got taken too! And it's just not something I want. I hardly ever feel full myself, and there's always fighting going on in The Yard, and-"
"You could make it work for me," growled Crow. Flare gulped as she was interrupted, and shrank away from the male. Is he serious right now? Flare looked up at the male with fear in her eyes.
He softened immediately after that, carrying on. "I wouldn't let The Man take you away."
"That's not how it works-"
"And so what then? We don't need the pups. It's just mating without baggage." Disbelieving, she widened her eyes.
"And so what if that's true?" Flare flicked up her golden ears and let a retort slip out. He can't tell me what to do!
"I don't want to mate and birth puppies. They need milk, too-" Flare stuttered over her own words hastily. She didn't want to sound like she was making up excuses for the sake of being difficult.
But Crow isn't even thinking about obvious things. I can't believe my ears! Without letting herself sound too hostile, Flare fretfully continued to speak. But her breath was shaky.
"To me, that's scary and new and- I don't trust you enough for that yet." It was all true, down to each and every last word. But would her supposed mate accept it?
Even as the rage grew in Crow's small copper eyes, she carried on. She spoke through her fear. I won't shut my mouth... I'm not an un-opinionated item. Despite her lingering confidence, desperation was begging to grow. Flare knew this was her last chance to escape having Crow's pups.
"Why does every female dog have to birth puppies? There's got to be ones out there that never did in their lives."
"You're arguing over nothing, Tan Dog." He spat an insult by using her informal name, almost screaming by this point. Flare saw his teeth flash as the male spoke aggressively. She shrank back into herself but knew she couldn't relent yet. Don't give up. Her haunches trembled with nerves.
"It's all excuses. There's no reason not to mate if all you have to deal with is a bellyful of pups for awhile," he spat with a curled lip. "Your milk won't last forever. Once it's dried up, it'll be exactly like it never happened."
Until it happens again. He'll make me mate each time I go into heat. So many puppies, lost- and they're not even born yet. Terrified, Flare's heart hammered inside her chest. Her ribcage expanded and contracted as she hyperventilated.
"I'd have to birth and suckle them, too," she reminded him again. At this point, the female was rehashing the same argument. I might be making up reasons at this point, too, but so what? Heaven's, help me... He's not listening!
"And then I'll be too attached to them- I won't want to give them up," Flare rambled on.
"We can always make more." The male dog still stood directly over Flare, as he confirmed her earlier suspicion. She was talking into his chest-fur. He'd blocked her light, casting a deep shadow over her pelt. At this point, Flare began trembling all over with anger and nerves.
"It'll be fine. Every dog is scared of their first time," growled the young male determinedly. Feeling her blood run cold, Flare's hackles sprang up. She tried to interrupt but was spoken over.
"I've never done it either, but it's something to do together. You think it's something to be feared, when it's actually enjoying. You say you don't trust me when you're just not allowing yourself to." Horrified and disturbed all the way down into to her bones, Flare let herself be nosed onto her paws. Her heartbeat was loud, but it seemed far away.
He slid his muzzle underneath her belly and helped her stand up. Shocked, Flare feebly flicked out her hind legs in a pitiful attempt to kick Crow away.
This can't be happening. He didn't listen at all... Crow's trying to manipulate me again. Into being okay with all of this. Stubbornly, she sat back down again as the male moved his head. A powerful gust of wind swept through them, but it was hardly noticeable. It must've been worse outside of The Yard, where the fence walls wouldn't have blocked the worst of it- and yet Flare still wished she could be out there rather than where she was.
"I'm not going to play your games, Flare," Crow growled in an insufferable tone. Her ears twitched angrily just hearing him speak.
However, Flare felt she had to be nonconfrontational to have any chance of escaping.
"Why aren't we going behind the dog houses?" She asked gruffly. It was a desperate attempt to stall for time.
The female could see White Dog's broad head across The Yard, but he wasn't looking their way. She peered towards the back door end to search for Shadow. No brown pelt stood near the porch, house, nor the fence.
"And waiting until night?" She stated after a whine escaped her muzzle. There was no covering it up after it sounded. Flare could feel her desperateness beginning to show, and clenched her teeth in a bitter mentality. Crow doesn't care.
"Because that'll take too long. We can always mate a second time later," he stated matter-of-factly. Deeply disturbed, Flare kept her mouth shut. She knew her time was running out. Dealing with inner turmoil, the female flattened her ears to her skull.
On one hand, Flare was enthralled with rage for Crow's controlling behavior. On the other, she could hardly control her stress and fear of the situation. The larger dog padded around her, either ignoring her terror or not noticing it. His tail flicked to and fro in arrogance.
"You won't be able to leave my side, either. Or the other male dogs may try to mate you." There was a lump in Flare's throat. How can he talk about this so casually?
Crow came into Flare's immediate space with his tail held high. His deep scent filled her nostrils as he licked her ear-fur. The young she-dog kept still as her tail, trembling with fear, tucked tighter around her.
The apprehension was nearly overpowering, to the point that she could've turned and bit him. Her fight-or-flight instincts could be switched on quicker than a light-switch.
After Crow nibbled her neck and Flare glared hatred at him, he flicked an ear dismissively before swiveling around towards her back-end. The shepherd's fur was buffeted by the fierce wind, but he paid no mind to it.
There, in broad daylight, he rose onto his back legs behind Flare and began mounting her. On instinct, she ducked away while keeping her rump to the ground, so that Crow had nothing to grab onto. He stumbled and let an impatient yip out of mouth before beginning to try again.
Flare heard the pounding of paw-steps before she saw them. She tensed and sprang back just a second before Shadow barreled into Crow like a wild beast. He'd arrived from the opposite end of The Yard- towards the back gate and dog-house area, where the male had been watching and waiting.
The two dog's shook their heads as they absorbed the force of the hit. Barking wildly, Shadow released a flurry of deep-throated bays into Crow's face, recovering faster. Shadow almost never barked during a fight, and it was clear that he was overflowing with jealous hostility. He advanced on Crow with his teeth in full view. Threateningly, the male crept forward in a rigid stance- so that all of his sleek muscles were taunt against his skin. Shadow looked like a large, threatening dog- and Crow stepped back instinctively.
Flare was buffeted slightly sideways by a strong gust of wind, and righted herself in time to see Crow underneath Shadow. The black shepherd was curled on his back, whilst his attacker stood with his lips peeled back.
Neither dog spoke, but during the calm before the storm their gazes hardened. To Flare, it appeared, they were viewing each other as nothing more than prey. And prey was something that needed death to give life.
Jax, White Dog, and even Grey Dog took tedious paw-steps closer. They seemed to sense that this fight was more serious than any other previous ones had been.
White Dog shot her a look of sympathy just before snarls filled the previous silence; telling Flare that he had indeed seen what'd happened. She didn't have time to think about it, though, and snapped her gaze back onto the two tussling dogs.
For once, it seemed, the underdog had the upper hand.
Shadow's lithe coon-dog body twisted as he fought to keep a tight grip on Crow's shoulder. His neck was safe from the bigger male's for now- but the brown male's legs were right next to Crow's face. Shadow attempted to pull the black shepherd to the ground by his teeth alone, but it did little more than stumble him. All four of the black male's paws were still firmly planted against the ground, and his claws dug in as he fought to right himself.
Crow suddenly grasped his attacker's leg between his teeth and yanked down as hard as he could. He closed his eyes to shield them as both dogs fell, bodies thumping against the earth in a tangle of legs. Flare watched as Crow was the first to get up, his shoulder flowing blood. There was an exposed bit of pink flesh from the tear. Shadow must have had a good grip to get through the shepherd's thick fur.
Neither canine hesitated. They aimed for each other's faces. Crow scratched a few long cuts open near Shadow's eye, while his attacker barked in his face and then feigned to the right.
Shadow swung back to the left as quick as a nimble rabbit. He lunged for Crow's neck and tried the same move that had been performed on himself. However, the black dog curled his body into a C shape and managed to kick Shadow in the eyes and jaw with his back legs. Shadow let go immediately, and the wound in Crow's neck appeared insignificant.
He's not even bleeding from that attack. Shadow's going to loose again. And it might kill him. A whine escaped her lips, but no dog turned to acknowledge it. Young Jax watched the fight unfold with interest, his tail wagging. Grey Dog was farther off in his own space, and had no expression. White Dog, as usual, sat there in a tired hunch with tired eyes.
I have to do something.
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SomeGuyArneo said it not me and I got the idea to create a meme from that fkn hilarious comment 😭😭 (it's somewhere on this chapter btw)