HEIR TO THE FLAME
CHAPTER 25: Black Death
Roy sat huddled by the fire, Riza's head resting gently on his shoulder, her breathing even and quiet.Black Hayate opened one eye and closed it again. Everything was fine, so far. As Roy drifted off to sleep, he had the strange feeling that something was missing...
Black Hayate sniffed the air, his ears going flat on his head, and stood up. He trotted away and Roy let him, thinking, It must be nothing...
Black Hayate padded down the wood floored hallway, sniffing here, sniffing there, then stopping in front of the front door. He sat down on his haunches and wagged his tail, once, twice, then sniffed the crack under the door. Deducing that he wouldn't get out this way, he searched for another way outside, sniffing and poking into every room cautiously. Something smelled strange... something different! He prodded into another room but was disappointed when the strange smell disappeared. Maybe it was nothing.
Hayate whined and trotted back down the hall to Roy and Riza, or as he liked to think of them, Mommy and Daddy, when he stopped again, paw poised to take another step. His head swung into a room and his jaw dropped, panting happily. A way out! He climbed up on the bed and managed to stick his snout into the crack of the window. It was only slightly open, but it was enough. After much manuevering and whining, he managed to lift it up and bound outside to freedom.
He quickly put his nose to the ground and started to sniff. His quarry couldn't have gotten far; it was a small quarry anyway, but still very precious. His nose detected that strange and unwelcome scent again, the scent that his mommy despised, mixed in with the scent of his quarry.
He didn't like it.
He sniffed further, with more urgency, his steps quickening, and found that the scent of his quarry was mixed with distress, and his head went back to the house, and he howled.
Riza jolted awake, her fingers burying themselves into Roy's shirt, and he grunted and awoke as well. "Whazzamatter?" he asked drowsily, and her gaze sweeped anxiously from left to right. "Where's Junior?" she asked, her voice becoming high pitched and almost hysterical. Roy roused himself from his stupor almost immediately at her words and he too looked for Junior. They heard another howl and Riza jumped up, lifting himup quickly. "That was Hayate!" she cried, and they both bolted from the house and down the slope.
Black Hayate was fast on the trail now, his legs pumping and his body flying along his trail-scent. He would find his quarry and his teeth would rip the perpetrator asunder. A growl rose in his throat, and then another howl, and his canine ears picked up a gasp up ahead, a short plaintive gasp, and a faint wailing.
Further along, his chase was stopped by a hunched figure leaning heavily against a tree, hand clasped at his side and something much like water, but smelling much like iron, dripping freely between his fingers. Hayate whined and approached the figure, and Jackory looked up, a pained smile on his face. "Hey Hayate, long time no see..." he gritted his teeth and Hayate licked his hand. "Hurry, go get him, Boy, he's got the little one... go!" Black Hayate woofed and turned back to the trail.
Roy and Riza followed Hayte's pawprints in the snow at a dead run; neither wanted to risk losing the trail. It looked like it was going to snow any minute.
Finally, a howl of triumph rose in Hayate's throat and he rushed at the figure carrying his quarry with all the malicious intent a dog could possess. Fangs bared, he sank his teeth into the man's arm and the man howled curses, letting go of Hayate's quarry. Hayate watched little Junior tumble in the snow and start to wail, and Hayate sank his teeth into the man's leg, earning another curse and a vicious kick, and Hayate whimpered as he felt something warm and wet trickle from his head. Hayate decided to retreat and ran over to little Junior, picking him up by Junior's collar, and proceeded to carry him away when the man whipped something out of a holster at his waist.
Riza saw Hayate attack the man that she identified as Haruko twice, watched as Hayate picked up Junior and started to run towards her, and saw Haruko grab something out of a holster. There was a loud bang and Hayate seemed to fly forward with Junior in his jaws, crimson stained the white snow and Hayate thudded into the ground.
And lay still.
Haruko chose the moment to flee and Riza let him. She kneeled down on her knees by her precious pet and pulled Junior away from him gently. She stroked the fur on Hayate's back and tears rolled down her cheeks. "Buraha..." Roy finally made it, having not been able to keep up with Riza's speed, and froze at the sight. "Oh no..." he murmured, and he kneeled down next to Riza, also patting Black Hayate for the last time.
Riza stood up with Junior and backed away, still trying to wipe away her tears, and Roy snapped his fingers, immolating the dog completely until he was nothing but ashes. She cried even harder and Junior stirred in her arms, only now waking up from his frightening ordeal. Roy transmuted the ground around the ashes into a stone bottle and picked it up, the only remains of their trusted friend, the dog, Black Hayate.