Okay. So, before you read, I would like to warn you guys that this is some pretty heavy stuff. Just this chapter, though. If you are triggered by animal abandonment, abuse, or death, do not read forward. If you are triggered by mentions of skinning, burning, or boiling things alive, also be cautious.
If you are triggered by mentions of suicide, please be cautious as well, as this does happen in the beginning. (hence, if you didn't get it, the boy)
I saw this picture of Genos as a German Shepard. Once I find it again, I'll post the credit. Until then, know the idea didn't come from me.
The Yulin festival part was originally my idea, though.
Yulin Festival.
In China, there is an infamous festival in Yulin where, for a week, the people in the city would eat dog meat. The tradition went back many generations, and dog meat had been considered an delicacy.
The people in other parts of China spoke of it like it was nothing but a sad story, one that was no reality to their pets. In other counties, it is glanced at, but not looked into closely. For Genos, it wa l.
The German Shepard forgot what it was like to live in a loving home. He remembered, clearly...a smiling Chinese woman, looming above him. Every day, she would come home and greet him with love and kisses, spoil him with treats, let him sleep next to her on the bed. If Genos was good, he would be praised, given a shower of kisses and love. Each day, he looked forward for her to come home. And, when she left...all he did was wait for her to come back.
There were other people, too. A younger boy, who was Genos' best friend. They would go on walks, play outside. Genos, to his humiliation, would be picked up and draped around the boy's shoulders as he ran around the house, pretending to bark and growl.
His tail wagged the entire time.
There was a younger girl, perhaps a toddler, who would ride on Genos' back, even when Genos was only a year old. He would carry her sometimes around the house. He would be patient, even when she gripped his ears tightly or grabbed his tail, he would shower her in kisses and yips of affection.
He never slept outside. He never was abused. He lived in a happy family, where he was greeted with love and kindness, and the young dog would jump up happily whenever they came home.
. . .
One of them never came home.
The young boy.
Genos didn't know what happened. Was he abandoned? Did he leave the family? Genos would remember, tears streaking down his face for a while now, and Genos would have to barge in and lick the tears away. He would have been held for a long time, until he calmed down...
That had gone on for a few months.
He remembered, laying down on the bed next to his mom, who was snoring faintly and completely sprawled out over him. He didn't mind. He had layed down fully on her, in revenge. He remembered waking up in the morning with his mom, yawning and wagging his tail as he jumped down, leaving the room.
He remembered walking into the room, finding the boy was still in bed. He had yipped and yawned. Normally, he would be up by now, getting ready for school! Genos took it upon himself to watch over his home, anyways! He had walked over, sniffing and nudging the boy. He barked. No response.
And when the mom came in, she ran over, lightly shaking him...before shaking him violently and yelling. Genos didn't understand. He couldn't comprehend the empty bottle of pills, or realize the throw up next to his head was unnatural.
The house fell apart...He wasn't treated with love anymore. The German Shepard would wait, standing at the door, waiting for the boy to come back from wherever they took him. His mom would get mad, throw things at him. He had gotten scared, shrinking down low and crawling up to her, until she gave in and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He didn't know why everyone was so upset.
He knew, later, that the boy wasn't coming back.
The German Shepard was laying on the couch, a few months after the boy had left. He was curled up tightly, staring at the door..that was cracked open a bit. Would mom be happy if he found him? What if he was taken? No...Genos shouldn't leave...
But they were so unhappy.
Ears lowered slightly as he whined, waiting for his Mom to come back. She had taken the younger one with her, and they haven't been back for a few hours...
That's when it hit him. Were they leaving him too?! The dog bolted up in a panic, padding up to the door and giving it a nice, good sniff. He prodded it open, looking around slowly, before stepping into the back yard. The back yard, him and the boy would play in...his heart ached as he whined, curling up in the small back yard, against the fence.
He had fallen asleep like that...
And when he woke up, he wasn't in his back yard. He wasn't home. He wasn't close. He was in a smelly room, with other dogs, without collars. Confusion reigned over him as he sat up, expecting to hear the small jingle of his collar..
There wasn't.
There wasn't a collar on him. The dog backed up, tail between his legs as Genos looked around skeptically. Where was he? Why was he here? Where was mom?! He started to whimper, crouching down lower and lower. Was he...was he kidnapped?! The thought perked his ears. Was...he taken?! Ears flattened as the door opened.
It was a man. With a weird stick. He started to growl, as other dogs backed up slowly. His mind began to race, feeling a strange pull in his gut, as every single sense of him screamed at him to do two things. Run! Or...with how much his mind was yelling at 'DANGER'...fight.
The man stepped forward, raising the bat as if to wade the dogs off. That's when Genos lunged.
He clamped down on the man's forarm, just enough for there to be a loud howl emitting from him. The snarl that escaped the dog's throat was menacing and deafening, something Genos had never heard himself sound like. He thrashed his head, when suddenly he felt a pain in his side. Then his leg. Then his head. The dog let go, stumbling back as pain seared his body. He crouched, getting ready to lunge again.
This man...did this man take his family?! Genos' mind was a jumbled mess, as he lunged...the weird stick connected with his muzzle with a sickening crunch, and Genos yipped, stopping mid lunge and falling to the ground. There was angry yelling, of different voices, as he felt another searing pain and a thud against his stomach.
What was happening? Genos whimpered, ears flattening back as he tried to get as small as possible, as the man...kicked him. Kicked him so hard, that the dog gagged, kicked him so hard that his ribs broke. He felt his skull explode with pain as a painful thump went against his head, and he couldn't feel or see anything after that.
...
Genos woke up in a tight space. His body was aching, tail tucked between his legs, as tears pooled at the corners of his eyes. He opened them...seeing he was on top of another dog. And there was one pressed to his right. And there was one in front of him. He couldn't move his head, but looked to the side, where he realized...he was in a cage.
A cramped, small cage, filled to the brim with dogs like him. He couldn't even stretch his legs out. He couldn't even struggle or move! The dog began to panic, squirming slightly as he shifted his position, but a dog yelped under him, and he stopped.
What...was going on?
Genos could remember the beating. It had been a few days before then, where he was attacked and beaten until he couldn't find the will to fight back. His head rested against the back of another dogs, as he whimpered and whined, waiting for his mom to come find him. Mom would save him. Mom would take him away from these humans.
There was a jolt as they hit a bump on the road. That's when Genos realized, they were driving in the back of a truck, the cages tightened in the back. He whimpered a little louder, before closing his eyes, wondering if he'll ever see his mom again.
...
He opened his eyes to find himself in a clearing. The yowls of other dogs were deafening, as his ears flattened against his head. He was still in the cage, perfect view of everything...He watched in horror, as a dog was placed down in the center of a group of people, paws painfully tied behind its back. He watched, in horror, as puppies...young PUPPIES...were being held in the air, and people seemed to be...wanting to take them? He felt himself growl half heartedly. These people..don't deserve them. There was another yip and cry, and he turned his attention towards the crowd. He couldn't see...but somehow...he knew that dog was facing worse than him.
...
Time passed by in a haze. The German Shepard couldn't keep track. The only thing he COULD do was sleep. Sleep, and ignore the painful yowls. Sleep, and forget he was here. If he closed his eyes long enough, he could imagine he was in a comfortable bed, being pet by his mom as she sang softly, slowly drifting off as the warmness surrounded him welcomingly...
There was a snap. The cage opened, and his eyes opened onto for something metal to wrap around his throat. With a painful yowl, he was suddenly yanked up and held up in the air by a pole, not even daring to thrash around in fear that he would get hit with another stick. He landed on the ground with a thud, closing his eyes as he couldn't even bark or whimper. He couldn't make any sound. He refused to look around. He refused to even look at what was going on around him. He refused to react when he was lifted up in the air, placed in a different cage, and hauled off again.
By the time he opened his eyes, he was still in the cage. He had been trapped like this for a few days. Or was it a few hours? All he knew...was he was dead. The dog couldn't even react to the most basic things. Mom wasn't coming. Mom wouldn't come. Mom didn't care...Did mom miss him? Was she alone, crying..? Or...with how she threw things at him...did mom set him up for this?
The dog rested his head against the strange things keeping him trapped in the cage. He remembered vividly, the pained cries and howls.
Nothing could prepare him...for this.
It started, when the cage opened, and a dog before him was dragged out. She seemed to be a mutt, smaller than most. And she didn't put up a fight. He had walked into a different room, where there was a thickening thud. He perked his ears, listening. Then..unmistakenably, there was a howl. A yelp, a howl, a strangled cry and hisses of pain. There was scratching sound, as the howls became garbled and high pitched. The noises were unbearable. He couldn't get it out of his head. The crying went on for a few moments, before an eerie silence filled the place.
The dog above him was whimpering. Genos couldn't muster a sound.
The man came back, grinning as he looked at the caged he had. What was this place? Genos sniffed once the door was opened...and noticed the unforgettable smell of blood.
He remembered, one time, the little girl fell and skidded her knee. To make it better, Genos had licked the red substance away. He had been swatted, not knowing any better, as mom would pick the little girl up and carry her inside.
This smelled like it...but it was amplified. It smelled horrid. He was so dull, so lifeless, that he hadn't even realized how BADLY it smelled.
"Ah! Such fine conditions, this would make splendid dishes for our customers!" Genos' ears tilted back. He couldn't understand a word.
He watched as he opened up another cage, taking another dog.
And he dreaded whenever the man came back, after the place would be silent. He dreaded the painful cries of the dogs he was trapped with. He dreaded...what would happen...if he had gotten picked? Slowly, it was becoming less weight on top of him. He was near the bottom, being crushed by the weight of others, but he hadn't noticed how he missed being able to stretch out. He looked over at the other dogs in the cage.
A brown terrier mix, a smaller dog, who was curled up in the corner. A black laborador, who never made a sound, eyes lifeless as he didn't move. A small, scottish terrier, who growled at everything and everydog. Two buff boxers, a pitbull...That was it. That's all that was left in his cage. His eyes traveled over towards the other cages, where other dogs sat in dreaded silence.
There were whimpers. There were whines. But not once was it loud enough to attract attention towards anyone. Genos learned to keep silent, the bruises on his body proving to be enough reason to not make a noise.
And yet...
He watched as the heavy metal door opened. The monster was back. His neck bristled in anticipation, as he checked each cage, before stopping in front of his. No...The latch opened.
No!
Genos let out a startled yelp as he was roughly grabbed by the leg. He was hoisted up, pain searing his entire body as he was carried by the back of the legs. He was a deadweight, unable to move or struggle, as he watched the eyes of every dog follow him. And the doors shut, and he was tossed to the ground.
His fur got coated in blood.
He felt himself choke in a panic, chest rising and falling as he made pathetic attempts at barking or making noise. It came out of rough yips and huffs, as he looked around. The dog, the dog that had come in earlier, was skinned and hung up, skin a tan color and expression a permanent growl. There was fur on the ground near him.
He felt his stomach doing flip flops as nausea took over him. He was next. He was next.
He was going to die.
He watched as the man put his gloved on, expression hard to read as he looking over at Genos. He smiled, patting his head roughly, before leaving the room. Genos began to shake, unable to even bring himself to move as he silently began to cry. Was this punishment?
Did he earn this? Was he...was he bad? He tried to think of any reason he deserved this, any at all, but he came up with a blank. He looked towards the doors the monster left through, resting his head down against...the blood...
It returned.
"Ah...a request for boiled. That can do." He felt himself rise into a panic. "It seems to be getting more popular lately. Torching them leaves a weird tang, after all. People like it when they're easier for soup..." The man reached down, grabbing Genos by the neck.
This was happening.
Genos couldn't even look up, as he ultimately began to prepare himself. What was going to happen to him? Would he cry, just like the others? He began to whimper, panting heavily as he was spread out on the table. His muzzle was held firmly shut, as he had no choice but to watch as a sinking realization kicked in.
Steam rose from the boiling water.
Genos LOST IT.
He suddenly thrashed up, snarling as he suddenly bit down on the arm of his attacker. The man seemed surprised, stumbling backwards. The grip on his muzzle had been weak, too weak. Genos painfully rose to his paws before jumping off the table, scrambling out of the room-only to be grabbed by his hign legs. There was a painful tug on him, and he was suddenly weightless-before his body was slammed forcefully into the wall.
He let out a yelp, panting and choking as he was forced onto the table in a fit of anger. "Stupid FUCKING MUTT." The monster growled, pulling out a sharp, metallic object Genos would sometimes see his mom have. "I should fucking have your head!" He raised the thing, and Genos closed his eyes.
...
No blow.
His eyes opened to see the man's arm had been grabbed from behind.
It happened in a span of a few seconds. The newcommer had twisted the arm behind the monster's back, slamming him forward against the counter Genos was on. In a solid motion, he grabbed the back of the mans head, forcefully slamming it into the wood near Genos' stomach, before raising him up by the hair and chucking him. He then turned, kicking the guy in the face, as if for good measures.
"Tch! Asshole. I'M the one who should have YOUR fucking head."
The man looked down at the unconscious figure for a few moments, before turning towards Genos. "What the fuck kind of tradition is this? They don't have anything like that in Japan...so much for Mumen thinking it'd be a good idea to come here." Genos didn't understand a word.
"Ah...you're...hurt pretty bad. What kind of sick fuck would do this to an animal." He looked down for a moment, before reaching out to rest a hand on Genos' side.
The poor dog was petrified in place, watching the bald man's every move. Was he...
Being pet...?
"Hmm...shit. Well...already crossed the border illegaly. I guess doing one more thing illegal won't make a difference." The man's voice was nonchalant, it seemed. And with that, Genos was being picked up gently, the opposite of how he's been treated before. He was carried back into the other room, where other dogs awaited.
"Ah...shit. How many of you are there?" He frowned, pausing for a moment. "...Twenty one? Damn...can't leave you guys here, can we..?" Silence filled the air. He then sighed. "My truck probably cant fit you guys. maybe if...you all squeezed...in the back...No. That'd be fucking horrible. You guys already got put through this..."
Silence.
Genos was gently placed down, ears flat and tail in between his legs. The man pulled something out of his pocket, clicking a few things before pressing it against his ear.
"Hey. Mumen. Its Saitama...oh! Sorry for ditching you. I heard...huh? Yeah. No, no I'm... I'm Inside. How..? Ah..the back door was open. Huh? No, I didn't see any cameras...What? How many..? Twenty two." He looked down at Genos. "Mhm. He was about to kill one. I dunno how many...hah? No, fuck no. They were being BOILED ALIVE, Mumen! They got fucking torched! I could tell! They were ALIVE when it happened, Rider! There's no fucking way I'm going to, what, sit back? Let this happen? I got a chance at saving them-oh. Hey, you okay? Shit, I didn't mean to yell into your ear...Okay. Just...meet me out back."
Silence.
Saitama sighed, before looking down at Genos again. "Hey...up!" He made a weird motion that Genos couldn't recognize. "...what did they do to you..." Saitama sighed, before sitting down next to the dog, staring at the cages. "Ya' know... if I get caught helping ya, I'm gonna get arrested." Sigh.
Saitama reached a hand out, and Genos flinched away slightly. There was a long pause, before Saitama lowered his hand into his lap.
They sat in silence like that.
Ayeee! So I made this to bring awareness to an issue that kind of strikes me deeply.
This thing, the Yulin Festival, is an actual festival.
And yes, they treat the dogs like this. They burn, skin, and boil them. Alive.
Its the most horrid thing i've ever come across.
Anyways...don't think its over with the Yulin festival. It will not get as dark as this, I promise you, okay?
Its going to be cuteness and heart filled moments. This was just the intro. insert wink