Bentley crawled slowly across the room. He laid himself down exhausted.

Tears rolled down his cheeks silently. He felt broken, useless. Maybe this was justice, maybe this was what the belated word felt like. Yes, this was justice, coming to get him. He marked dogs, did Azriel's dirty work and this was what he got in return. Or rather, what he lost in return. No more walking, no more running. His spine was severed, his hind legs forever paralyzed.

A happiness should have existed in him. Azriel and his silent killer, Harley were both dead. All the dogs that they ever tortured were free to go. No longer having to live in fear under the crazy mutt. Yet, he felt as if he should also be dead. It would only be fair, no? He had been apart of the scheme as much as all the other top dogs. But here he was, alive. Broken, yes, but very much alive.

Why was the world being so kind to him? He should be able to just lay there defeated and wait as hunger and thirst brought about his slow end. But the world left him with dogs who considered him a friend, even when he had been the one to mark them. It left him with a place to sleep under and a city filled to the brim with food. What did he do to deserve the world's kindness? He once marked puppies, for goodness sake! He didn't deserve any of this...any of this mercy. He deserved to be torn about, in revenge, by those dogs. He deserved to always be looked down on. He deserved to lay pathetically outside and be showered with rain. He deserved starvation.

The tears stopped abruptly, while his tortured mind continued it's ravenous assault on his physical self.

"Bentley?"

His ears perked. He didn't have the energy to turn, but could tell that it was Polly's voice. "Yes, Polly?"

The chocolate colored Labrador came into his view. "Are you okay?"

Tiredly he answered. "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

He could barely pick up on the sarcasm in her voice."Well, you lost your back legs, I could hear you sobbing from the bottom floor, " Perhaps his cries weren't as soft as he initially thought, "you kept muttering to yourself."

"Polly, I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry for marking you. And your pups." He paused looking away from her. "I'm sorry for being apart of that lunatic's work."

Her tone took on a softer, more motherly tone. "Bentley. I don't hate you. None of us do." She caught his eyes. "That 'lunatic' was always gonna' have his way, I'd much rather have you mark me, than him."

More tears rolled down his eyes and his voice came out quivering. "Still-"

She shushed him. "That's all in the past. Now you, me and the others are free." She smiled, comfortingly. "You're gonna' be okay, all of us are. We're free to start a new life, right here."

The tears slowed down, he couldn't find any words, though.

"I'm gonna' go see what the others are up to, get you some food, okay?"

He nodded and watched and listened as she walked off. Eyes forced themselves shut.

Maybe he would be okay.