The sun shone in the summer sky, but Bemu kept running as hard as he could. He wanted to put as much distance as he could between himself and the humans. Though he had been raised by humans, he hated them now.
And it was all one selfish man's fault.
Bemu decided he would live in the wilds of Kyushu. Any dog who would accept him at face value, who would ignore the scarring, would be welcome in his pack.
Bemu aimed to be Satsuma's strongest leader. He knew he would have to deal with ridicule, but he was prepared for that. Bemu was ready to dish out appropriate punishment to those who tried to insult him.
But for now, forming a pack he could be leader of was the more important task at hand. Coming across a stream, he padded into it and stuck his head underwater briefly. Bemu raised his head, taking a moment to settle his breathing.
The Boxer shook himself free of the water, relieved the remaining droplets of acid were now gone. Bemu sniffed around and found the carcass of an animal. Thankfully, it was a fresh kill. He tore into it like a wild beast. He hadn't realized the stress of being attacked and running for his life had made him ravenous.
The mouthfuls Bemu ate were sizeable and he had hardly finished chewing them before he swallowed, his stomach was that empty. He knew he would probably pay for it later, but that didn't matter right now.
What mattered was food, then rest.
Once he was full, Bemu lay down beside the carcass, which was now 'his' and went to sleep. He hadn't wanted to, but slumber took him to his glorious puppyhood. Dreaming of a better life or their youth was how most old dogs went out, Bemu remembered. He wasn't old and he had no intention of going out just yet.