Wolves circled each other in a small caged structure. The crowd around them was shouting and some people were waving money in their hands. One wolf was large with light brown fur. The other was a smaller white wolf covered in grime. Both had shackles on all four of their ankles and were both covered in bloody wounds. Standing on the outside of the cage doors on each side were their masters waiting for the outcome of the match.
The brown wolf charged in and bit down on the white wolf's scruff. He yelped as he pulled away tearing the flesh at the back of his neck. He broke away and retreated back a few steps before letting out a low growl. The brown wolf jumped on him, but he quickly ran to the side to dodge it. They both stood on their hind legs as they tried to bite each other. The white wolf saw an opening and bit down on the brown wolf's jugular. He forced the larger wolf to the ground and laid on top of it. The brown wolf was at his mercy. A bell rung that signaled the end of the match and so the white wolf let go then looked at his master.
He started walking back to the cage door when he heard a growl behind him. Before he could react, the brown wolf had clamped down on his hind leg. He whimpered out as he was brought to the ground and dragged back. The brown wolf shook his head tearing at the white wolf's hind leg. The smaller wolf kicked at the brown wolf and clipped it in the eye with one of his claws. It let go shaking his head and the white wolf jumped up biting down on his neck once more. However, this time he shook his head until he heard the brown wolf's neck snap. He let go and let out a growl at the brown wolf's master.
A whistle caught his attention. His body started moving to the cage door on instinct as the crowd roared in disappointment.
"The winner is Dogma!" the announcer shouted as the white wolf change into the form of a young man with blonde hair. He was shirtless wearing grey long shorts. Blood ran down from bite marks on the back of his neck, down his right arm, left calf muscle, and scratches on his back. His master was waiting at the door so he turned when got there and placed his back against it. He felt his master's hand come through the bars and wrap the metal collar around his neck with a click locking it in place. The metal aggravated his neck wound, but he didn't make a sound. The door was opened and he was allowed to limp out where his master hooked a chain to his collar.
"Good boy, Akira. You made me a lot of money tonight." Dogma said with a smile. The man was taller than Akira, his brown spiked hair was greying at the sides as well as his short beard. The compliment had no effect on Akira as he was tugged by the chain to follow. His leg burned with every step they walked into the hallway. The only thing he knew was hunger, pain, and fighting.
They went down a few corridors until they reached a hallway full of cages. Akira was pushed into his pen and his master unlocked his leash only to lock a longer chain to his collar. This chain was connected to the back of the cage. The blonde carefully laid on his blanket as his master closed the barred door. He stared at the empty cage across from him wondering just how much longer it would be before his own cage became empty. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Sleep seemed to be his only escape.
"Wake up."
Akira's eyes shot open and saw a familiar teenage girl sitting next to him. His nose caught the whiff of food. Next to her was a plate of chicken tenders and mashed potatoes. He growled at her as he reached to grab the plate. His body was being drove by hunger. He grabbed the plate and started cramming the food into his mouth. A hand on his shoulder made him flinch and he growled at the girl, but she seemed unaffected. After all, she was in charge of taking care of him.
"When you're finished I'll clean you up. We don't those wounds getting infected."
Akira studied this girl for a moment. She had long brown hair, brown eyes, and freckles on her cheeks. She was wearing a blue dress with white poke-a-dots. He let out a low growl but continued to eat and lick his plate until it was cleaned. The whole time she had begun rubbing his head. He liked it. He liked her. She was kind and she didn't yell or beat him.
He allowed her to clean his wounds and patch them up for him. She took the plate and stood up to leave. He whined and looked up at her with his sad brown eyes. She leaned over and kissed his forehead.
"I'll get you out of here tonight, I promise." She whispered. Then she was gone and Akira was left alone to sleep.
A loud clank filled his ears and he opened his eyes to see the girl standing there. She knelt in front of him and placed a finger over her lips signaling him to stay quiet. He nodded his head and she took the chain off his collar. She helped him to his feet where he could limp out. She pulled out a white piece of cloth and handed it over to him.
"Smells outside will be really strong for you for a while. This will help block them out. Cover your nose with it."
He nodded at the order and tied the cloth around his face before they continued on. He held onto the wall as he limped down behind her. They moved through several passages until they came to the end of a dark hallway. The whole time she had gentle grip on his hand to lead him. She walked to a sewage cover and lifted it up. He stared at her as she grabbed a book bag that was hidden in the back of the darkness.
"There is some food in here and a long jacket. I wasn't able to get you shoes or a shirt. I hope this is enough for you. You also have four bottles of water so drink them sparingly. You'll have to follow the sewage out to the water. After that you'll have to find your own way."
Akira grabbed the bag and placed it on his back before looking at the teenage girl and gave a stiff smile.
"Thank you, Leena." His voice was rough and low, but it made her smile.
"Get out of here now. They'll notice you're missing in a few hours. You'll need to make some distance before that." She whispered.
He nodded and moved to climb down the stairs. He was careful with his leg as he made his way down. When he reached the bottom he could barely make out Leena's form, but it was soon gone when she covered the opening back up.
He had followed the flow of sewage, slipping on some in the process, but he made it out to the end of the pipe. It was flowing into the low tide ocean. He carefully climbed down to the rocks, then down those until he stepped onto the sandy beach. He took in a breath of fresh air. Even through the cloth on his nose, it was still a little strong and turned his stomach. He opted to breathing through his mouth for now. He trekked the beach for a while and after a few hours he finally put on his jacket. It was long enough to cover his ankles and it hid his collar as well.
It had been a week since he escaped. His leg was a little better, but his arm and one of the wounds on his back were killing him. He still had a slight limp and the wound was still sore, but he managed to get some distance by walking. He thought it would be safer to walk along the forest path rather than cutting though cities and towns. He hadn't had any problems up until now, but stepping onto this path he knew he was in trouble. He could feel it, hear it, and smell it. He was surrounded by wolves from this forest. He must have missed the scent markers for the territory. It was too late now though.
He stopped walking and waited. Either they would deem him a threat and attack or they would leave him alone for the night. A low growl followed by others surrounded him as they started coming out of their hiding places. The dark brown wolves were starting to circle him. He counted five, but spotted two more still in the bushes. He was looking for a way out, but not making a move so he wouldn't alarm them further. The hair on his neck stood as he heard someone coming from his right.
Suddenly a tall, older man walked out wearing a black coat covered in fur and feathers. His hair was long and black, his coat was opened up to show his muscled form. His legs were long and covered with black leather pants. His face was aged with wrinkles under his eyes and some around his mouth, but he still held a strong square jaw. The man cocked his head to the side as he walked closer to Akira and the circling wolves stopped their movements. The blonde lowered his head to show submission to the pack leader.
The man leaned over and took a big sniff. "Tell me, what is a smelly pup doing out here away from his pack?"
Akira let out a small whimper as he shrunk in on himself. The pressure this alpha was emitting was putting a strain on him. A few wolves let out a few growls from his silence, but the man waved his hand to silence them.
"There is talk going around about the pack leader Dogma losing one of his puppies. You don't know anything about that do you? He's paying a hefty reward for the pup's return."
Akira started to shake at the sound of his master's name. This was the first time in a long time that he allowed his fear to take over his body. When the pack leader in front of him stepped forward, Akira stepped back. He didn't know what to do. The older man quickly reached out and grabbed Akira's jacket and pulled him closer. He pulled it down and saw the metal collar that held a name tag with cursive writing: 'Akira'.
"Please." Akira whimpered. His eyes watered. "Please let me go."
"You're worth a lot to him."
"Please…" He begged quietly, already giving up all hope.
The old man took a deep breath and let go of his jacket, but placed a hand on the blonde head. "You're one of his cage fighting dogs. Dogma is a wolf that I have no respect for. Go to Ravenstone City. A pack there might let you join them. You have until dawn to get out of my forest. Go."
Akira nodded his head. "Thank you." He whispered and took off not wasting a second. He ignored the pain in his leg and kept going until the sun started to rise.
The morning air was crisp as he walked along the road. He long left the forest and the last pack's territory. He was grateful that he was let go, but he wouldn't risk it again. He decided to stick with the roads from now on. He made his way through a couple of small towns throughout the morning, and the sun was now high in the sky. He walked upon a truck station where the drivers were filling up. By this point he was starting to feel warm and tired. His limbs felt like jelly as he made his way to the building.
The smell of food was making his mouth water. As he walked closer, he noticed truckers staring at him from inside. There were a few outside the doors smoking and giving him glares. He decided not to go in, but instead walked around to the dumpster. He hopped onto the side and looked in to find it empty except for one trash bag. He sniffed at it, but found the smell unbearable and he almost puked.
He jumped off and whimpered from the pain in his leg. He turned and found truckers still watching him carefully. Akira looked at the trucks then back at the drivers to find them starting to walk to him. A shiver went down his spine and he quickly started limping back towards the road.
"Hey you." He ignored the call and kept limping on. "Do you want some food?"
He stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to find a middle aged man walking to him. In his hand was a sandwich. Akira's mouth watered at the sight of it. He was tempted to snatch it away and run. Then the man reached out with it. Akira stared at it for a moment debating whether it was safe or not. He grabbed it and brought it close to his chest as he took a step back waiting for the man to react. When he didn't, Akira started shoving the sandwich in his mouth and in seconds it was gone.
"Th-thank you." Akira mumbled licking his lips.
"Where are you heading?" The driver asked a little surprised.
The blonde swallowed hard but answered. "R-Ravenstone City."
The man nodded his head. "You don't seem like a bad guy. If you want, you can hitch a ride in the back of my truck. Not the warmest ride, but I'll be driving by the exit for Ravenstone sometime tonight. I'm heading to the city past it, but I don't mind driving you to the exit."
Akira was surprised at first. He hesitated, but nodded his head. "Thank you."
The man waved his hand and Akira followed him to a small semi with the bed being covered by a large brown tarp. The back was opened up and the load was stacked boxes. He climbed in and walked to the back to sit in the corner. He placed his empty book bag next to him as he placed his knees at his chest. He heard the truck start up and for the first time in a long time he closed his eyes without feeling scared.