Chapter 1: City of Frozen Howls

I sniffled in the cold, cloudy air. Speckles of white frost fell into my tangled hair. My gentle breath became a white cloud that hang still in the freezing winds. My cloths were soaked and frozen over by the clinging white roses that fell from the winter sky. A deep crimson hue lies in my tracks. The red liquid spills heavily behind me as I continue to slowly walk towards a torn and distant settlement. Each time I feel like I have finally reached that clouded town in the distance, it seems to just walk farther and more distant. Yet, I have finally reached this frozen city, as I searched for a shallow place to rest. I stared at the bluish-white hue in the sky while I laid my head under the shining stars…

X

I faintly head voices while I struggled to stay asleep.

"Is it dead? Can we eat it?" said a faint male voice.

"Hopefully, we can fetch a nice price for it if it is still alive!" said another male voice.

"How about we just kill it?!" whispered another voice.

"Well, if we skin it, we can use its fur for warmth!" said another low male voice.

I suddenly snapped myself awake as an odd smell filled my nose. I looked up to see a beautiful snow-white dog rip its canines into a human's hand. The dog's eyes narrowed as he tore through another human's bare throat. The white dog snarled, showing his crimson-stained canines. A crimson hue splattered onto the cement floor below, as the white dog suddenly jumped from a ledge. He suddenly chased a young man towards the outskirts of town, passing me. I caught a glimpse of anger from the white dog's golden eyes. The dog was chased into a tunnel by the man as I lost sight of them. I solemnly stood from my resting place, stretched my arms wide, and yawned loudly before I took a walk around town.

Eventually, the scent of apples and hot dogs led me to the main market a half-mile from my resting place. My stomach lowly churned as I looked up at the hot dogs that sizzled in the sunlight. Drool began to drizzle down my chin while I reached for the nearest hot dog.

"Go on, kid! You can have one!" said a sweet feminine voice. I looked up to see a blonde haired woman dressed in a silk dress and a cotton white apron. Her gentle green eyes smiled at me as I had a shaky expression upon my face. "Go on and take it, kid! It's free so you don't owe me. Well, go on."

"O-O.K…." I said shaking. I took the hot dog in one hand and took a bite. An explosion of flavor filled my mouth as I heard the sudden sound of barking from dogs in the distance. I thought back to the dog and young man from before as they disappeared into the tunnel. Before I took another bite out of my hot dog, I smelled blood in the cold air. I suddenly bit into my hot dog and broke into a sprint without the woman noticing.

I ran into the tunnel where I watched the man and dog vanish into before. The tunnel led me to a flight of crumbling stairs as I finished my delicious hot dog. I licked the sauce that stained my hand and looked up to see two dogs fighting. The white dog was fighting with a grey dog with a scar in the shape of an "X" on his chest. The grey dog suddenly bit his canines into the white dog's muzzle and spilled blood onto the cement below. The white dog tried to snap back at the grey dog, but, the grey dog suddenly head butted the white dog in his lower jaw. The white dog staggered backwards and the grey dog transformed into the young man I saw before.

They are… They are just like… me! I thought as another human's footsteps could be heard.

The young man suddenly caught the white dog's canines in his knife, which he suddenly pulled out from his sleeve. I watched the young man kick the white dog away before the human's footsteps came closer and closer. I hid myself behind a crumbled wall off to the side and cautiously watched a young boy swing a weapon at the white dog. The young boy was dressed in a jacket, scarf, and torn pants. His hat fell from atop his reddish-brown hair while he swung wildly at the dog. The white dog suddenly jumped away without being hit by the boy's weapon. I then noticed that the white dog's glistening, golden eyes pierced right through my body. I blushed heavily as the white dog suddenly ran away while I quickly-but quietly- ran down the cement stairs.

X

I began to walk around the streets of this freezing city. Many people filled the lifeless streets as I began to occasionally wander from street to street. I felt tired, so I began to rest against a brick wall. Before I could close my weary eyes, I noticed that same white dog from the tunnel. He was walking through the street, with a wounded hind leg. The white dog walked with a limp in his hind leg and he looked flushed and out of breath. I suddenly heard a growling dog and a clicking sound of the safety of a gun coming undone. The white dog began to growl loudly while a human let his dog loose. The bluish-black dog broke into a sprint towards the white dog and jumped, opening its big jaws and extending its paws – ready to strike. I watched the human who let the dog loose suddenly pull a hunting rifle from under his trench coat. My eyes widened as I heard the slow clicking of the man's finger slowly calling back the trigger. I was frozen with fear as the loud, echoing sound of the burning bullet suddenly sank its deadly fangs into the white dog's fur, tearing open his flesh and spilling blood across the cement ground. The bluish-black dog suddenly stopped as the white dog collapsed to the ground below. I suddenly got up and broke into a sprint. Looking back, the white dog's eyes were fixed on me as I ran. His piercing golden eyes shot through me once again, as more humans passed by me to collect the dog and control the rogue human gone wild like an enraged animal…

X

The sunset quickly came and passed. When the sun hid behind the pink and purple clouds, the stars began to dance and shine alongside the glistening moon. The moonlight was so bright and beautiful… I was full of hope as I starred at the glistening stars and watched how the winds made them dance ferociously.

I heard muffled voices from the next building roof to my left. I calmly looked over to see two dogs sitting side-by-side over the edge of the roof. The dogs were starring at the full moon, like I was. They looked at peace, almost fully content, as the cool night breeze blew through their highlighted fur. The moonlight beamed down and made their glistening eyes shine bright. I noticed that one of the dogs was the snow-white dog I kept running into time and time again. Yet, he had another dog with him. This dog, however, was a deep brown on top with a lighter shade of brown on his underbelly. Plus, he had a tight, black collar wrapped around his fluffy neck. A silver slimmer of light reflected off of a silver plate on the front of his collar, but I couldn't see what was on the plate.

Soon, though, the two dogs faded away and two young men appeared in their places. One of the men had the same collar as the brown dog with the fluffy fur, so I guessed that he was that brown one. Yet, the other man, he had absolutely no features or traces of the white dog whatsoever!

The first man, who was the white dog, was very handsome as his golden eyes changed to a soft blue-green. His hair was a deep, chocolate brown – almost black. He wore a plain white T-shirt with a greenish-black jacket with a high collar that seemed to end at his elbows and covered his shirt. He also had faded blue jeans and torn black-and-white sneakers.

The other man with the black collar had the same color hair as his dog form. He was dressed in a black long-sleeved undershirt, with a mustard-yellow jacket over it that reached his elbows. It had a single black stripe running down the sides of the jacket that started at the shoulder and went straight down to reach the elbow. He also wore faded blue jeans and pure black sneakers. His chocolate eyes seemed kind and joyful as the moonlight glistened.

I wonder what they are talking about. I thought cautiously. I wonder if they will let me join them. Maybe not… I mean, come on! If I try to approach them and they attack me, it'll be two against one! I can't win in a fight like that! Unless… Unless… I can find someone who can help me and be my ally…

I looked back up to the stars with weary eyes. I looked down to rest my head. I leaned against the wall and slowly fell asleep…