username;; marzipan-love. I love this species so much,
and I know a hacker dog strikes me as one I will love when I can't stop staring.
and this was one of the few.
name;; hajime
story a;;
the brunette girl had come home with yet another hacker dog. she'd always felt so sorry too easily for a hacker dog left for adoption for too long. some reason that the idiots of the world thought could never be changed.
and this one had a painful reason. it maybe could be changed. she'd give him forever. she wouldn't abandon him.
he was a fighter. he was always scared. skittish. did what he could to cling to his life, hanging by his claws, like a man on a sinking ship.
the girl stumbled through the doorway, holding the dog in both arms whilst she held open the door with her foot. he snuffled into her shirt, creating a black spot from his dark smoke. reuben, being the curious hacker he was, ran right up to them, tail flitting back and forth as smoke drifted up from his snout. he bowed in a playing position.
"hah! who's this mighty dog? you, sir, will be part of my crew!" reuben boomed loudly, referring to his past on a whaling ship called the Metal Star. even though the beginning of his past seemed gruesome, he must've enjoyed it up to the point he was put up for adoption.
the girl rolled her eyes. "oh, reuben, give it a rest." she said playfully, patting reuben on the head. she walked over to the center of the room, and set the large hacker down on a fluffy blanket layed out on the floor. she hadn't got a word out of the poor dog. Rinji was cowering from behind the couch, peeking out to sniff every few minutes to gather more information on the new dog. small puffs of her brown smoke drifted up. it gave her presence away. the large black and white dog perked his ears up at her sniffing noises and smoke, and bounded over to her. she squeaked, bolting out the other side of the couch so quickly that she ran into peony, who's claws were clicking on the glossy floor in the other room. peony rolled her eyes and she stood up and shook her long fur.
"watchit, hun, will ya?" peony barked loudly. Rinji whimpered in answer.
the black and white dog suddenly let out an unearthly roar that could be compared to that of a mad lion and sprung towards peony. the girl backed up against the wall, crying out, as reuben stood in front of her, growling with rage. reuben could get feisty.
why had this happened? none of them knew, but the black and white dog did. her claws. peony's claws.
every single time he'd heard that sound, it was from some large, mean animal that would fling him like a ragdoll, sliding and trying to catch foot, on the dusty floor of the fight kennel. he was blind with rage, trying to drown the sound out from his ears. he didn't care that it was peony. his mind was clouded. he knew he could beat the animal this time.
peony yelped and decided to lunge back at him, snarling with fury. reuben bounded over, and in a stride, landed on the dog's back. they were a snarling, spitting mass, and as peony joined in, the sound increased. roars and barks and yelps were heard, Rinji fleeing into the basement and whimpering very loudly which hurt the other's ears.
the girl yelled out "STOP!" which held the others panting in their tracks. reuben had a deep slice in his shoulder, peony's hair was scattered in clumps surrounding her, and the dog had a cut in his ear. Rinji was long gone.
they'd all gotten off on bad terms.
***
later that night, at about 2:30 am, the black and white dog, now named hajime, quietly got out of the little nest he'd made himself out of pillows and blankets and hurried downstairs into the basement. the dark was overwhelming. he padded into the main part of the basement, had a large cutout window in the center of the ceiling. moonlight drifted down onto a sleeping form. Rinji. what he wanted.
hikau wanted to see if she was okay. he was sorry. he didn't know why he couldn't gain control of his actions. as he neared her, he noticed her shaking. she was awake. she'd smelled him.
suddenly, she jumped up and ran, so quickly she was a blur to anyone with eyesight, and curled up at the base of the steps. this chasing game continued, until he grabbed her feathery tail in his mouth and she whimpered extremely loudly.
"a-ah....p-please let go! I-i won't bother you! ple-ase let me li-ve! I apologize for everything and I won't bother you anymo-" hajime cut off her loud whispering.
"shh. I'm not going to hurt you. I wanted to see if you were alright." he said quietly, touching his muzzle to hers. she shivered.
"e-eh?" she squealed, laying down, curling into a ball.
"p-please don't be afraid," hajime's voice cracked on the word please.
"you could be the only friend I'd ever have..." he said, laying down next to Rinji. she uncurled herself from the ball and touched her muzzle to his.
"I-it's okay...I'm just shy...a-and easily scared. i'll be your friend." she whimpered, wagging her tail and licking hajime's cheek. he hurried off.
he was looking for reuben.
hajime padded up the stairs, facing into a room on the right and smelling the black smoke and sea salt smell of reuben's pelt.
he entered, head bowed, and poked his muzzle into reuben's face to awake him. reuben jolted up.
"what." he growled rudely.
"sorry. I-it's just...my past."
reuben studied him. he smelt submission and determination.
a long moment passed, and reuben said finally, " we all have those times we were ashamed of. scared of. hateful of." it was the quietest hajime'd ever heard out of him.
"I was in a fight kennel. the clicking noise of the larger animal's claws scared me. I heard peony's and...my mind went blank. I guess I was programmed to fight. I thought it was another wolf or something. I knew I could beat it. but the one thing is, I didn't know..." he started sobbing the next part. "I didn't know it was peony!" he cried loudly, reuben shushing him.
"mistakes happen...I was a stowaway on a ship. I loved the crew, they actually liked me. I thought they wouldn't. but one day, our ship was attacked. I was a pup. my eyes were still open. i was the only one who saw the ship coming, and I was overwhelmed with guilt. and as my eyes slowly closed, all I could ever see was the gruesome scene. the mutilated bodies. the insane smiles of the other ship's crew. I jumped ship, floating on a piece of debris. I woke up on a spit above a fire, on a beach. cannibals. I don't remember clearly how I'd gotten away, but next thing I knew was that I had the title of captain dropped on my shoulders and a small crew killing whales for quick loot. i'll never forget the places I landed. i'll never forget why I was put up for adoption."
hajime sensed small tears at the corners of reuben's tightly shut eyes.
but a small smile took over his face.
"you're a good one, hajime. worth fighting for. worth dying for."
and with that, hajime ran to peony's location. a corner by a window downstairs in the main room.
her smoke smelt like lilacs. it eased him.
but she'd be the hardest to explain it to. "p-peony...." he nudged her.
a cold reply. "get out, a'ight?"
"I really didn't mean what I did." he said firmly, and dove into the long story of the fight kennel.
in turn, peony dove into hers. she had an owner. a young owner who liked to tease and hurt her. the little girl didn't know better, but when on a walk, peony yanked the leash out of the girls hands and ran away.
***
the next morning, the four were playing around like some best friends who had never met in years. and when the brown-haired girl reached the main room, she smiled.
reuben was standing straight and tall on top of the couch with a pillow on his head.
"yo are a pirate!~" he sang loudly, which resulted in uproarious laughter from the other three. peony grabbed a pillow between her teeth and flung it at reuben, who toppled to the floor upon impact. they were all dying of laughter.
"breakfast is ready!" the girls voice rang out, and at the table above a plate of waffles, hajime asked Rinji, "what was your past like?"
Rinji responded simply. "I don't remember much, but it's for me to know and you to find out." she smiled sadly.
"well, how will I figure it out?" hajime demanded.
Rinji gestured to the others. hajime smiled.
"ay, she was originally from Egypt, yes she was!" reuben said, followed by peony saying "her mother bought da' scarf fo' her!"
Rinji nodded, a now happy smile on her face.
these people. their pasts.
he could never fit in more.
end.
