Russ nudged Breathe. "Are you sure?"
Nix sat and reluctantly began her tale. "I was born in a dog fighting business. They...fought dogs and reproduced us like we were savage beasts. We were mother's 8th litter of pups. And she was still young. Our father was one of the best fighters, he killed every challenger." A small glint of pride appeared in her eyes as she straightened. "He was nice at first. But then...the mean people grabbed momma. They wanted to make her have another litter with daddy. She didn't want to." Nix let a small whimper escape her throat. "My mother fought my father, bravely. She snapped and snapped and then..." She shuddered. "My vicious excuse for my father killed her. The humans only laughed and threw mommy in the dump." Nix let sadness envelop her for the first time since her mother died. tears appeared in her throat and her throat felt like it had a lump in it. She blinked away the tears. "Then came the time that our mother had told us about when we were younger. It was a time when... I would be tested by a local vet if I was able to hold pups, and when Velox would be taken to the pit to fight. I didn't want Velox to go. Those monsters would...kill him. My beloved brother. My only littermate. My only family that I knew and accepted. But they separated us anyways." She winced now, her voice growing soft. "I was taken to the vet. T-the vet was cruel, he said mean things and was dirty. I was with other she-pups. They all were... excited. Excited and nervous. They wanted to have pups, only to see them get slaughtered. It was horrible.... T-then, when the tests came in....." She stopped and looked at her paws, ashamed. "It was negative. I'm barren." Her voice was no more than a whisper now, filled with bitterness, regret, and... sadness. "I should have been relieved but...I wasn't. No. I didn't want to have pups for those monsters, but neither did I want to be barren. I had....always dreamed of escaping and then having pups of my own." She gave a cold laugh. "But but now I know better. Dreams will get you nowhere," She spat. "I was taken and then I was taunted, stabbed and barely fed. I was used for amusement. They made me fight badgers, I always lost. And when I couldn't take it anymore, it stopped. They healed me they fed me and...then reunited me with my brother. He had suffered the same, because he would not fight. Then one day they shoved us in a sack and took us somewhere. We were in the sack for a long time before we were picked up, and tossed. We were flying....and then we hit the pavement. And then....we ended up here." She snorted and looked away. "But I'll never be ok. I'll never be able to experience what love means. Humans threw me out, they mistreated me, the abused me. And nor will any dog look at me as a mate, for I am not a dog. I'm not even in between. I'm a worthless as a piece of dung." She growled. "My father was right. I should just kill myself and get this over with."
Soot nudged Violet to her paws. "Let's go find your brother,"
