URGENT NOTICE: Be aware that at the end of this chapter, Jack says something that may seem disturbing to some people. I would just like to say this before you read that part. I. DO. NOT. ABUSE. MY. DOGS. Read on until the end of the chapter and you will see what I mean. But please, enjoy!

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Conroy was the first to awaken the next morning in Jack and Zoe's den; the other two were fast asleep, Zoe tucked into a ball and Jack laying on his side, both softly snoring. Conroy opened his mouth to yawn, got up on all fours, and stretched. Although he and Zoe had spent most of the night getting to know each other, he had slept fairly well. The fire had kept them warm through the night until it burned itself out, and the walls were practically sound proof. It turned out being better than listening to the commotion that went on in the bar above him back home. Zoe had told him that he could take whatever food he wanted, so he took a small portion of beef for himself, chewing on its cold, greasy texture. He didn't really like meat when it was cold, but it would have to do.

It took only a couple hours of waiting for Jack and Zoe to get up, although Zoe was the first of the two, as Conroy had expected. She yawned deeply, fluttered her eyes, and then looked to see Conroy. With a smile, she greeted him. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" she asked politely.

"Yeah, I slept great," Conroy replied.

"Well, that's good… oh, yeah, could you do me a huge favor," she asked, stretching her back. "Could you please get some of those twigs in the corner there for a fire? I'm sorry for putting you to work…" Conroy assured her he was completely fine with it, and within a few minutes, a warm fire lit the den. Conroy glanced up at the twirling wisps of smoke.

"Where does the smoke escape?" asked Conroy, searching the low ceiling for some kind of escape system. Zoe walked over and pointed out a couple of tiny holes, practically invisible to him until he looked closer.

"We had to dig these nasty little things ourselves. First, though, we had to dig the actual den, and nearly got caught twice. Then, we had to… uh… 'Salvage' some food so we wouldn't starve. And finally, we had to dig out these little sections of the top so that the smoke from the fire could get through and not choke us to death." Zoe dragged a slab of meat from the corner of the den with her paw, and slowly began to eat. "It's tough being alone out here…" Her bronze eyes glowed brilliantly in the fiery light. "But, at least I have him," she said jokingly, shooting a glance over at Jack.

Jack snorted and whimpered, stretching his limbs and licking his lips at the smell of food. He slowly blinked awake, raising his head and rolling over onto his other side. "Food…" Jack yawned, slowly got onto all fours, and walked over to the food pile, grabbing a slice of ham with his jaws.

"Oh, what am I doing?" said Zoe in surprise, "Go ahead and help yourself to something to eat!"

"No thanks," Conroy replied, laying down on his stomach and staring blankly into the fire. He rested his head on his crossed arms.

"Well why not, there's plenty to go around."

"That isn't the reason…"

"Then what is?" asked Zoe, finishing her question with her mouth full of food. Conroy looked back at her, opening his mouth as if to reply. He actually moved his lips a little, but then clamped his mouth shut, and looked away. Zoe gave him a concerned and somewhat puzzled look. "You're still thinking about that missing family of yours, aren't you?" she asked softly.

"Yeah… It's pretty hard. Even after two years I still just recently found out… that they… uhhh…" Conroy stopped. He didn't want to reveal anything too personal to some dogs he just met, no matter how nice they were.

"They did what?" Zoe asked intently, scooting closer.

"What did what?" Jack had come over, a small bit of ham hanging off his lip. "What've you two been going on about? We need to leave soon y'know…" Zoe looked up at Jack with a small smile, and then glanced back over at Conroy.

"I know something that will take you off your mind for a little," Zoe said, scratching her ear.

"What is it?" replied Conroy, wondering what the dogs had in store.

"You'll see."

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Conroy pulled on his left rain boot, now fully prepared for whatever the two dogs had in store. Jack had been outside on "lookout", shoving his eye through a hole in the fence their den was dug by and staring blankly at the mansion that stood just a few yards away. Even if it was snowing, it hadn't snowed too hard, so when Conroy stepped outside, he could barely make out the mansion's features.

Lights from the various windows dimly lit up the large house. Snow piled onto the roof, and smoke twirled lightly from the chimney: the fireplace was on. Potted evergreen plants hung from the patio awning, and the pool had been draped over by a large tarp to keep snow from overfilling it. The stucco that plastered the walls was painted with many colors, mostly reds and browns, with the occasional purple to accent the building. It seemed like the perfect place to live, from the outside, at least.

Jack was still staring. Conroy waited, and then pricked his ears up. The sound of a car rumbled into the distance, disappearing into the ambience of the wind. Jack waited for a few more seconds, and then called out to Zoe.

"Their car's just driven off, and there's no movement inside from what I can see… which isn't a lot." Jack squinted and blinked, turning away from the fence to face Conroy. "Ok, kid, here's the plan," Jack said, getting down low and speaking in a light whisper as if people were watching them. "I know it looks like we've got a lot of food right now, but there really isn't a lot. We need more! That's exactly why we're heading up there to get us some food, and what better way to find food than a huge place like that!" He slowly licked his lips, and continued. "Zoe's gonna sit in the driveway and keep watch incase the owners come back too soon. You and I, on the other hand, are going inside. I'll explain the rest of what we need to do when we get up to the house. Zoe, go!"

Zoe darted out from the den, and with a single bound, leaped the wooden fence with incredible ease. There was no doubt: she was built for speed. Conroy leaped up and grabbed the edge of the fence, poking his head over. She was already three quarters across the yard.

"Wow… she's fast!" Conroy complimented, lowering himself onto the other side of the fence. Jack came up to the hole in the wood's surface.

"She always beat me to the bone when we played fetch," Jack groaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm way too big to climb this thing, so I'm gonna be late. Wait for me by the pool and stay under something until I get there. I need to go around…" Jack then turned and scrambled around a corner, spraying snow in all directions. Conroy did the same, getting down on all fours and dashing up to the house's backyard. He was excited. He had never done anything like this before, save for the time he was eight months and had stolen a wallet from an unsuspecting woman. It hadn't gone well, since he had gotten himself bashed over the head with a purse. But he had no need to worry about getting bashed over the head with purses in this kind of heist. Jack had said there was no one around, so he figured it would be easy.

Conroy finally reached the inner fence of the mansion's property, leaping over it and landing on the outdoor pool tile. He scanned the area. The only living things back here were the evergreen plants hanging from the patio ceiling. There was a barbeque stand, covered with a tarp like the pool, a few planters lining the wall, some dead bushes, and a broken drainpipe leading to the roof. The sliding glass door that led inside appeared to be locked. A curtain behind it hid the interior of the house. Conroy heard footsteps approaching, and turned to see Jack trotting toward him. He panted lightly as he stopped to catch his breath, his chest rising up and down. After a minute, he was ready.

"Ok… now…" Jack looked about and spotted the drainpipe. "Quick, get up that pipe and in through that window," There was, in fact, a window there, just to the left of the long pipe. It was pretty high up: the third story. "I hope it's unlocked. If not, try the other windows if you can get to them. Now go and unlock this sliding door!"

Conroy took off, making his way to the pipe, and with one dive, latched onto it with his drawn claws. Hopefully, this didn't leave any evidence of their break in. Retracting his claws, he carefully maneuvered upward, paw over paw. The pipe began to sway without warning. He heard Jack gasp below, and he shouted, "Don't fall!" Conroy latched on tighter, attempting to keep his grip steady. It was no use. His paws slipped, and he began to fall. He was too shocked to scream or cry out. Was it ending already?

Instead of feeling the rough sting of concrete on his head, he heard a sharp yelp as he landed onto a soft mass. Jack had caught him. But, it came at a price. Jack's legs gave way, and he fell to the ground. Conroy slid off onto the tile, and then got to his feet. "Jack! Are you ok?!" Conroy knelt next to the large dog. His eyes were closed, and he didn't make a sound. He laid a hand on Jack's head, shaking it lightly and saying, "Come on, get up!" Jack trembled for a moment, and then blinked awake. He cringed, attempting to get to his feet, but he slid back onto the ground. Conroy stood back, allowing Jack to gain some air.

"Oh… I'm ok, I guess. Are you ok, though?" Jack asked in a raspy voice, shifting his eyes in a puppy-dog stare to look at Conroy.

"I'm ok… you're hurt, aren't you?" Conroy became worried.

"Nah… it's just these old bones… I'm not the puppy I used to be. Zoe's better off, being young and all. I've just had too much. But, I can get up…" The poor, old Labrador finally rose to his feet, still slightly slouching. He would pull through. He was tough. "Now… don't bother with me. Try again… just don't fall this time, ok?"

With a hint of concern and worry for his new friend, Conroy replied, "Ok… I'll do my best." This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. With new determination, Conroy began to scale the pipe once more. He took a glance down at Jack, who was now standing up fully. He didn't want to have Jack go through that again… it might seriously hurt him if he did catch Conroy again. It might even break his back and kill him. Conroy looked forward, a glare plastered on his face. He had to get up. For Jack.

He reached the swaying point where the pipe hung out the most. He hadn't realized how much it had separated from the wall. It was a swinging death trap. Conroy inched his way up, but he couldn't stop looking down. Jack had moved closer to the pipe as if to catch him if he fell again. Thinking of this, Conroy actually missed his grip, and dangled helplessly. He cried out in fear, and Jack poised to catch him again. He shouted down, "Jack, MOVE!" Jack stayed put. "MOVE…" Conroy felt his grip loosen, and he slipped. Jack crouched low.

Conroy caught the end of the dangling pipe at the last second, and with the rest of his strength, clawed his way up as fast as he could. The pipe swayed furiously, but his grip help fast as he reached the window. He leaped, and caught the edge of the window sill with his claws. He looked back down and noticed that a rung holding the pipe to the wall had broken. The metal pipe came crashing down. Jack moved backwards, but as he did, the metal clipped the end of his nose. The sound of the pipe hitting the ground was drowned by Jack's pained howls. He shook his head furiously along the ground, blood oozing from his muzzle. Conroy grimaced. Everything wrong seemed to be happening to Jack. After a couple of howls, Jack slumped onto the ground, panting as the blood stopped flowing. There was a small puddle of it on the tile, slowly freezing over.

"Damn thing!" Jack shouted into the sky, throwing his paws over his scratched nose. "That stings like bloody hell! Ugh… Conroy, get down here and open this door. Only God knows who heard me screaming like that…" He looked around, and then covered his eyes with his paws, whimpering.

"I'll be down soon! Just hold on!" Conroy scrambled up onto the edge of the sill. Surprisingly, the window was in fact open. Jack had a good eye for these things, even if he claimed he didn't. He slipped under the low opening he had made, and then closed it shut behind him. He surveyed his surroundings. He stood in a decorated hallway, lined with small tables, potted indoor plants, and pictures of abstract art and landscape photos. Conroy carefully edged his way down the hallway, sticking close to shadows and darting from table to table, taking care not to knock its contents onto the floor. The house seemed confusing. As he moved around on the current floor, he kept passing similarly decorated halls, leading him to different rooms. There were bathrooms, multi-colored bedrooms, and even a small dining room. The only thing he couldn't find was the stairs.

At last, he came across a stairwell that twisted and winded down into a grand hallway. This must have been the main stairway that led between the ground floor, the second floor, and the third. A golden chandelier hung on the mural covered dome ceiling above. It was utterly amazing. Conroy was so absorbed by this, that as he made his way toward the landing on the stairs, he was unable to spot a slippery something crossing his path…

Conroy tripped, falling headfirst onto the first step and crashing bottom-first onto the second. He tumbled head over heels for what seemed like an eternity. His arms and legs began to sting. Rug burn from the carpet lining the stars prickled at the back of his neck. And finally, after falling for so far, Conroy landed on his back onto the ground floor's marble tile. He slid for a few moments before halting directly underneath the brilliant chandelier above. He let out a great, "Whew!" rose to his feet, dusted himself off, and looked about. "That was fun… but where do I go now?" There were four main hallways that branched off from the main hall. Behind him was the front door, but he needed to open the sliding glass door, which had to be at the back of the house. Conroy took a passage that led off to his right, passing by a kitchen and finally discovering the curtain he had seen from outside. He pushed it aside, and sure enough, there was Jack, lying on the ground and whimpering as Zoe stood by him, licking his nose. Conroy then reached up, lifted the lock that kept the door shut, and opened it.

Zoe looked up at him in surprise and said, "I didn't know you were in there! Nice work! Jack said that his nose got scraped by that falling drainpipe," She took a glance at the fallen metal pipe, and continued. "He didn't say where you were, though. Come on, Jack, get up. I need to go back to see if they're coming." Jack nodded at her, his eyes slightly puffy, and rose up. He then stepped past Conroy and into the house.

"Let's go, kid," he said in a sharp tone, shooting a stare back at Conroy.

"Ok…" Conroy replied. He was confused. Was Jack… angry at him? Was he just frustrated that he had been hurt? He couldn't tell which be he could tell as he walked behind him that he was mad at something. Conroy decided to ask with an apology.

"Jack…" he started, and the Labrador stopped, not turning around. "I'm sorry… I didn't know that the pipe would break, and I shouldn't have fallen in the first place. I didn't mean to hurt you, really… I just-" Jack had cut him off. He had turned around and pushed his head softly into Conroy's chest: something along the lines of a hug. He then backed away. There were small tears in his eyes. He then replied.

"You've got it all wrong, kid. I ain't mad at you; it's just something that's on my mind. Painful stuff happens to me a lot… but it brings back some other painful memories. That's one of the reasons I left my hometown with Zoe." He backed away a little more. Conroy felt relieved that he wasn't mad at him, but he couldn't help but ask:

"What kind of memories?"

Jack froze. He looked up with a cold stare that made Conroy uneasy. "I'd rather not say…"

Jack suddenly turned about, ears perked and head low. He backed towards Conroy. Then, a shadow appeared on the wall in the hallway in front of them. Footsteps drew near.

Someone was coming.

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Author's Note: I hope all of you have enjoyed this chapter, but let me say again: I DO NOT ABUSE MY ANIMALS. And I have no reason to. What Jack says; I am referring to some events that took place in his real life that do not involve abuse from me. I would never do that and have no intention to. All of this will be resolved in the next chapter. Until then, stay in your seats! -Xegrot