—CHAPTER 18—
It was a warm, clear night in the outskirts of Burlington. The stars were clear as day, and crickets filled the air with their summer songs. A full moon shone down on a row of decrepit farm houses, all of them seemingly abandoned.
One of them, however, was not. Although there were no outward signs of activity, the faint roar of a raucous crowd emanated from the two-story building. Suddenly, a loud crash disrupted the relative serenity, and the crowd had become noticeably more agitated and chaotic. Somewhere within the building, the pitter-patter of a four-legged silhouette echoed as it raced down a dimly-lit corridor. This was the creature's only chance to escape; it followed its keen senses to the only possible exit, up an old wooden staircase to a specific room amongst several indistinct doors on the second floor. An open window awaited at the end of the room.
As the creature gazed out, the flat roof top of another old building, slightly shorter than the window, laid just across a small chasm, but it was clear that a drop to the ground below would prove fatal. Shouting voices quickly approaching from the hall signaled that there was little time to decide. With little hesitation, the creature took several steps away from the window, paused for a moment, and dashed out the window, putting all its strength into a powerful leap that cleared the gap between the buildings.
From there, the creature was able to reach the ground floor and outside, making a break for it as far from its prison as it could. With newfound freedom, the creature was now driven by the desire to eat, and so a medley of enticing scents led it into the city.
It wandered aimlessly downtown, gazing intently inside restaurants at the patrons, enjoying the delicious-looking food in front of them. Curiously, it made its way into the alley nearby, just as an employee stepped out of a side door to dump a plate of food on the ground and go back in. The creature cautiously approached the pile, sniffing it for a moment before chowing down on the spread.
It was only able to gorge itself for a minute before its ears perked up, warning it of three stray dogs that had been hanging around approaching. They were regulars to this alley, and the food was there's to claim; baring their fangs, the dogs growled menacingly at the intruder as they slowly circled, ready to pounce.
Unfortunately for them, the creature had no intent of backing down. It's blue eyes gleamed as it bared its own set of sharp teeth, and furiously lunged at the foes.
/
"I must say: These so called, 'champions', seem more like professional wrestlers," Jack joked, as the two exited Taste of Edo and made a left towards the alley. The restaurant was much closer to their new residence, so the two decided to walk there to celebrate being selected to compete in the Dome of Doom. During dinner, they sat in the back of the restaurant, watching clips from the show on Ashi's phone.
Ashi shrugged, "What did you expect? It's all about spectacle; they guys aren't just there to make it harder for the contestants, but to make it more entertaining for the audience. They're probably more stuntmen than they are athletes. Although, I think that guy Sumoto is actually a former sumo wrestler. Who would have guessed, right?" she remarked sarcastically, and they both laughed.
All of a sudden, the couple was cut off by a pack of mangy-looking dogs fleeing from the alley they were about to pass, yelping and whimpering in pain. Curiously but cautiously, the couple gazed down the alley.
Standing there, bloodied and menacing, was a pure white wolf, staring at them with piercing blue eyes. It stared them down for a few moments, before collapsing in exhaustion, panting heavily.
Ashi's alarm turned to pity, and she quickly ran over to kneel down next to the canine. "The poor thing… we have to help it!" she yelled to Jack, placing a gentle hand against the lush white hide.
Jack approached the creature hesitantly, "Ashi, I'm not sure if we should get involved. Look at where we are; this… wolf… could have some sort of disease," he remarked, kneeling down next to her, "We have no idea where it's been."
"Well, maybe, but we won't know for sure unless we take it to a vet! Either way, it needs medical attention!" Ashi pleaded.
She was making a good point, Jack thought. Whatever it was, the creature needed help, and the Samurai couldn't ignore that. He was always willing to go out of his way for his fellow man, why should an innocent animal be any different? Perhaps years of avoiding sickly stray dogs had dulled his empathy towards them.
Carefully, Jack slid his arms underneath the animal, lifting and cradling it as he stood. There's an animal hospital just a few blocks down, let's hurry."
Ashi nodded, and the two rushed out of the alley to the vet.
/
They had been sitting in the waiting room for about a half hour when the weary vet finally came out to speak to them, worn from having worked all day. "Well, it's not a wolf, but it's about as close to one as you can get," the vet remarked, snapping off his rubber gloves, "It's a North Inuit, a pretty rare breed, especially for this area. Fun fact, though: that's the same breed of dog they use for the wolf on Game of—"
"Never mind that, how is it?" Ashi interjected with apparent concern.
The vet made a sour expression, then continued; "He'll be fine—it's male, by the way—no mange, no rabies, just some minor bites and scratches that should heal just fine. There is one thing, though…" Jack and Ashi looked at each other, then back at the vet, "Aside from the fresh wounds, the animal has several telltale scars; he was also rather aggressive, and we had to anesthetize him before we could get him on to the operating table. What I'm saying is that this dog was likely raised in a dog-fighting circle."
Jack's eyes widened, but Ashi's expression remained blank.
"Now, normally when people bring in an injured animal, I ask if they want to adopt it. But people usually bring in stray cats, dogs, something that can be domesticated pretty easily. This dog, though, I don't think will ever be able to adjust to that kind of life; he'll always have that killer instinct in him. So, what I'm going to do is send him over to the local pound, and they'll decide what to do with him over there," the vet explained, sounding somewhat somber about the animal's fate.
Jack nodded, "Yes, that is probably a wise decision."
But Ashi looked concerned, "Are you sure? Do you think anyone's going to adopt him?" she asked the vet.
"Hmm, probably not," he responded, "Older dogs don't get adopted too often; this one's only around four or five, but he's way too aggressive."
"And what if he isn't adopted?" she added, and Jack glanced at her curiously.
"Well, there's a good chance he'll be euthanized."
Ashi gasped, and Jack's head shot back in the vet's direction with a shocked look. They both took a moment to process the information, before Ashi spoke up again in a determined tone, "We'll take him."
Now, Jack and the vet looked at her in surprise, "W-What?" the latter stammered.
"Ma'am, while I'm sure your heart's in the right place, I would strongly advise you not to adopt this animal," he responded bluntly.
But Ashi was adamant, "I understand the danger, but I can't allow this innocent creature to be punished just for existing. I'm involved—" she looked to Jack in acknowledgment, "we're involved now, we can't just abandon him!"
"Ashi, how can we afford to own a pet right now?" Jack argued, "We just got the business going, it should be our only focus," he looked at her sympathetically, "I know it's hard, but we've done all we can for this animal."
"That's not true," she stood her ground once again, "That poor animal has spent its whole life being used as a tool for evil people. It doesn't know real trust because it was never shown it, but that doesn't mean its incapable. That dog deserves a loving home, and I know we can provide that for it."
Once again, Jack found himself unable to refute her, reminded of his own moral code. "B-But…" he searched vainly for a convincing response.
Ashi looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, the irony of which was not lost on her. "Pleeease?~" she begged innocently.
Jack's will finally broke; with a loud sigh, he turned to the vet and said, "We'll take the dog."
The vet, who had been staring at them with a glazed-over expression during their exchange, finally snapped back to reality. "Nnghokay, I just need you to fill out some paperwork first," he slurred, turning and walking away with a big sigh, "I'll just go get them and… the dog, for you."
As they stood there waiting, Jack's hands were in his pockets as he shook his head at how easily persuaded he was. Owning a pet was an enormous responsibility to begin with, but this wasn't just any old dog they were about to adopt. This animal raised to compete in illegal dogfighting rings, with large sums of money being gambled on its behalf. Its life was constantly on the line, kill or be killed; victory was the only course of survival. Whoever raised it had likely abused the animal, and any sort of affection would likely be foreign to it. Could it ever possibly adjust to the normal life of a pet?
Jack's worried thoughts ceased when Ashi slid her arm into the crook of his left elbow, hugging it and looking up at him with a warm smile. As difficult as it might be, he knew he was doing the right thing.
But sympathy wasn't the only reason Ashi wanted to adopt the dog. Deep down, she empathized with its troubled past. Its whole life was geared towards one purpose: to serve the means of selfish, greedy people who held no regard for the animal's well-being. Granted, her own upbringing was not nearly as bleak. But she knew what it was like to feel trapped in a life where no one cared about you unless you were perfect, something you would never be able to attain, especially not in their eyes.
Even though the animal was now free, the horrible circumstances under which it was raised had likely scarred it more deeply than any of its bodily wounds. Ashi truly believed that she and Jack could be the ones to save the creature from its miserable state, just as Jack had saved her.
Moments later, the vet returned with a small stack of papers on a clipboard, handing it to Jack and pointing out several dotted lines on which he had to sign and date. After that, a couple of attendees brought the white dog out from the back on a chain leash, wearing a choker collar and a muzzle.
One of them handed Ashi a plastic bag containing a few days' worth of dog food, and a couple dog toys. "I'd keep that on, if I were you," he remarked, gesturing to the muzzle, "At least until you get him home."
Ashi looked down at the animal, sitting there so calmly and patiently, that she immediately doubted the necessity of the muzzle. Abruptly handing Jack the bag of pet supplies, she bent down to eye-level with the beast. They stared at each other silently, while everyone around them observed them in utter confusion at the moment they were sharing.
Jack spoke up, still holding the clipboard along with the bag, "Um, Ashi? We still have to give him a name. Did you have anything in mind?"
She thought for a moment, then carefully reached around the animal's head to unhook and remove the muzzle, causing everyone else to flinch. But surprisingly, the dog remained still, not breaking its gaze at Ashi.
"Let's just call him, 'Wolf'," she stated assuredly. Jack nodded, jotting the name down on the top form and handing it back to the vet, who had rolled his eyes at such an original name.
With all of the paperwork done, he sent them on their way.
/
The walk back to their building was only a few blocks longer than it would've been had they gone straight home from the restaurant.
Despite Jack's uncertainty that the Wolf would be receptive to his new surroundings, the animal immediately made himself right at home. The first thing Wolf did once they got inside was waltz over to the corner of the living room, lift its leg and relieve itself onto the floor, then lazily plop itself down on the couch.
"No, bad dog! We don't do that in here!" Jack shouted, walking up to the couch. Wolf growled at Jack as he got close, causing him to back off a bit.
Ashi then came between them, "Jack, you can't yell at him like that. He's probably had people screaming at him his whole life! What he needs now is positive reinforcement," she softly suggested.
Jack was taken aback by her response, "W-Wha… Ashi, we can't just excuse this behavior! If we're too lenient with him, he's going to walk all over us!" he gestured to Wolf, who was already falling asleep.
"I know, I know; but there's got to be another way to go about it. We have to show this animal that things are different for him now. How's he going to understand that if we just yell at him every time he makes a mistake?"
"Well he also needs to know when he's making a mistake; animals don't just figure that out on their own," Jack remarked.
Ashi sighed, beginning to realize she may have been a little impulsive in this undertaking. "You're right… look, I'm sorry for twisting your arm on this whole thing, we should've talked it over more first. I'll clean that up, you go get ready for bed. We still have classes in the morning, we should get some rest."
Jack smiled, "Thanks… You don't have to take all the blame; I could have just said no."
"Jack, we both know that isn't true," Ashi teased, and Jack playfully shoved her shoulder before turning and heading towards the hall.
/
The next morning, Jack was woken up earlier than usual.
Something was pushing against him, almost forcing him completely off the bed. It couldn't have been Ashi, she never took up that much space. He turned over to see their new pet laying there on the bed, wedged between the two of them.
Still exhausted, Jack's head fell back onto the pillow, only for Wolf to outstretch his legs and send Jack over the edge of the mattress. He landed with a thud, causing Ashi to shoot up from the bed in alarm.
"Wha…what's happening!?" she mumbled half-asleep, turning to see Jack was no longer next to her. Peeking over the side of the bed, she could see Jack lying facedown on the floor, "Jack…?"
Jack answered without moving, his voice muffled against the carpet, "Good morning, Ashi. Did you sleep well?"
Ashi then noticed the animal taking up most of Jack's side of the bed, "Wolf, did you push Jack off the bed?" she asked in a mock disciplinary tone. The dog responded by lifting his head to lean it against her, looking up at her with much softer eyes than usual; Ashi's heart melted, caught off guard by such a wholesome reaction.
Lifting himself up against the bed, Jack got up to see Ashi gently petting the animals head, completely enamored with the beast. "Don't encourage him!" he scolded.
"I'm not! Just taking a different approach to discipline is all," she explained, before addressing Wolf in a firm voice, "Wolf, make room for Jack," while gesturing at his side of the bed. Amazingly, Wolf repositioned himself so that his legs were tucked underneath him, giving a surprised Jack some space. "There you go! See? He's such a smart boy!" she gushed, nuzzling the dog.
As Jack lifted the covers, about to slip back into bed, the alarm clock went off, eliminating any reason for him to lay back down. With a relenting sign, he dropped the sheet and stopped the beeping, shuffling over to the door. "I'll just use the bathroom first then," he muttered groggily as he left the bedroom.
/
"That looks good, just straighten out your leg a bit more," Jack instructed the young student showing him their latest kata.
Ashi was still upstairs, waiting to let Wolf in and feed him, so Jack went down ahead of her to open up the dojo. Sure enough, a couple of their more eager students were waiting out front, so Jack let them in and started warm ups.
Suddenly, Ashi came bursting in from the back door, "JACK!"
Jack whipped around so fast that he almost knocked over his student, who flailed his arms to keep their balance, "What, what is it!?"
"Wolf's gone! I let him out back to pee, and he must've slipped out from between the buildings!" she explained, slightly hysterical, "Jack, we have to go find him! What if he gets into trouble!?"
Grabbing her shoulders, Jack tried to calm her down, "Ashi, relax; take a deep breath. It's going to be okay, we'll find him. He couldn't have gotten too far, right?" He told their students to continue practicing on their own, and that he would be back shortly, before leading Ashi over to the door. "You go on ahead, one of us has to stay behind and teach class. Give Scotsman a call. He should be on his shift now, and I'm sure he'd be happy to help you look."
Ashi breathed deeply, much more relaxed now, "…Okay."
"I'll catch up with you once class is over," he assured her, sealing the deal with a quick kiss on the lips.
"If we're lucky, he'll turn up before then," she remarked, before heading out to look for their missing pet.
After that interruption, the lesson proceeded as normal and ended at the usual time. Immediately afterwards, Jack went upstairs to change clothing, then texted Ashi to see how the search was going. The fact that they weren't back yet told him that they had yet to find Wolf, and even though he was still somewhat at odds with the dog, Jack would do everything he could to find him. Ashi and Scotsman were currently riding around in his patrol car, so Jack took off in his bike to cover more ground.
Hours passed, and daylight quickly fading, but still no sign of Wolf. All three of them were tired and hungry from their exhaustive searching, and even Ashi was beginning to lose hope. The trio finally decided to call it quits, and continue even more extensively morning. Scotsman was driving Ashi home, with Jack not far behind.
"I don't understand, we've combed every inch'a this city! How can it be this hard t' find a pure white dog!? Ain't like ya see those every day!" Scotsman complained, in his usual raucous tone.
Ashi stared out the window, crestfallen; "I just hope nothing's happened to him. He's already had such a hard life, I thought Jack and I could be the ones to give him a new start. Maybe it's true what they say about old dogs…" she mused.
Scotsman nodded solemnly, "Aye, from what you've told me, I don't think a dog like that'd be cozyin' up to anyone any time soon. Not surprisin' he ran away…" he trailed off as they approached Ashi's building, "…But, uh, this is a little surprisin'."
"What is?" Ashi asked, only to herself notice Wolf sitting patiently on the stoop of their home. She immediately jumped out of the car and ran up to the dog, getting him excited as well, "Wolf, you came back!"
"HA! Guess that ole' mutt already knew a thing or two!" Scotsman remarked as he leaned against his cruiser, watching the happy reunion.
Right then, Jack pulled up on his bike, only to see Ashi embracing the animal they had just spent the whole day looking for.
She noticed him sitting there in disbelief and called out, gushing about the dog once again, "Jack, look! Wolf came back all on his own! Isn't that great?"
What Jack heard was that they had wasted an entire afternoon, and he slammed his head against the bike's handlebars accordingly. "That's wonderful, I'm so glad…" he cheered blankly, giving a weak thumbs-up.
/
A few hours after the search, Jack was sitting on the couch by himself, watching nothing in particular. Ashi, convinced that Wolf had left because he didn't like the food they were giving him, went out to buy him a better brand, and so Jack was waiting up for her to return.
As he was flipping channels, Wolf came over and sat down in front of him, looking at Jack expectantly. He stared back, unsure of what to do, or what to expect from the animal. After a minute of silence, Jack finally squeaked out a, "H-Hello…"
Wolf continued to stare at him.
"You… gave us quite the scare today. First day with us and you run off, what's that about?" he chuckled, trying to get some sort of reaction from the animal, but to no avail. Wolf just kept staring. Jack's eyes traveled all over the room, almost intimidated by the animal's gaze, but he found that he was unable to ignore it. Instead, he continued, "Well, it's good that you came back. I'm impressed, actually, that you found your way home so easily. Like I said, it's only been a day. You're a…" he reached his right hand out hesitantly, "…smart one, aren't you?"
Slowly, Jack closed his eyes and reached out to pet the animal, expecting to be growled at or bit. But all he felt was the soft white fur lining the animal's face, opening his eyes to see the animal still watching him. He kept petting, and Wolf's eyes closed as he leaned into Jack's hand; he was actually enjoying it!
After a minute of petting, the dog moved from his spot on the floor and leapt onto the couch next to Jack, stepping over his lap and then plopping down right on top of it. Jack was cautious at first, but soon found it easy to rest his hands on the Wolf's back, stroking it gently. The dog opened his mouth wide to let out a big yawn, and Jack could hear its calm breathing as it began dozing off.
In that moment, Jack knew what all the fuss was about.
Ashi came home ten minutes later to find the two asleep right there on the couch, and almost woke them up with her adoring squeals.
/
A week had passed since Wolf became Jack and Ashi's pet, and he had quickly become part of the family. The animal had proven to be quite independent, and aside from feeding and letting him out, Wolf spent most of his days roaming around the neighborhood at his leisure. They bought him an official dog collar, with their address listed on one tag and another they had specially made which read, "I'm not lost, I just like to roam. Please be nice to me." Jack was a bit skeptical that such a thing was allowed, but they hadn't gotten any trouble over it yet. They took him for walks often as well, eager to bond with their pet.
That night, they got back from a late walk. Wolf ran up to the couch, then looked at the couple expectantly, wagging his tail. Jack and Ashi glared at each other, then raced to the couch, trying to push each other out of the way. In the end, Ashi reached the cushion first, and Wolf plopped himself down her lap. She shot Jack a smug grin, accompanied by a mocking, "Ha-ha!" Defeated, Jack went and sat down on the adjacent loveseat.
He didn't get much time to relax, as the doorbell rang a few minutes later, and he went downstairs to answer it. It was Scotsman, looking as proud as ever of himself. "I finally found it!" he raved, pushing past Jack and up the stars to their living room, "Hey, Ashi! Guess what!"
Wolf immediately came to attention at the presence of the stranger, barking a couple times before he picked up on who it was. He hopped off of Ashi's lap as she got up, "What? What did you find?"
"I found the location of that dog fightin' circle our friend here is from!" he cheered, gesturing to Wolf, "Like you asked me to!"
Ashi raised an eyebrow, "I did?"
Scotsman nodded, "Of course! You said the other day how you would've loved to break it up and bust those crooks yerself, remember!?" he explained, sounding quite excited himself at the prospect.
Ashi sighed, "Well, yeah, but I didn't think we were actually going to follow through with that. I was being facetious."
"Oh reeeally?" Scotsman replied with a knowing look.
"…Mostly," she admitted with a shrug.
Scotsman then addressed Jack just as he was coming back up the stairs, "What about you, Jackie boy? In the mood for a good ole' fashioned sting operation?"
Not really in the mood for policework, Jack humored his old partner, "When?"
"Tonight!"
"Tonight?" he answered incredulously, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's already a bit late for something like that, isn't it?"
Scotsman shook his head, "Nonsense! We used to pull late night stakeouts all the time back in the day! Besides, this is the only time'a day they actually hold the fights; it's now or never! ...Alright, maybe not never, but I was really lookin' forward t' this, and I can't do it without you two!" he pleaded.
Ashi jumped back into the discussion, "Scott, I don't know…"
"Come ooon! I already got yer disguises, all the equipment, and the place is right outside'a town; we go in, get what we need, and be done before midnight!" Scotsman boasted persuasively.
Jack and Ashi thought for a moment, looked at each other, then at Wolf, and both decided to go through with it. "We're in," they affirmed simultaneously.
Scotsman laughed in approval, "That's the spirit! You'll see, this'll be an easy one!" he touted as he started down the stairs.
The couple stood there for a moment, realizing what they had agreed to. "Why do I get the feeling this is going to be anything but easy?" Ashi remarked flatly.
Jack responded with a sigh, "Because nothing in our life is ever easy."
They started walking out until they heard the jingle of Wolf's collar, and turned to see the dog following obediently behind them.
"Wolf, you stay here. This could be dangerous, and you've already dealt with these people enough," Jack directed firmly.
But Wolf whimpered in response, his way of refusing to be left out.
Ashi reached out and pet the animal, "Aww, don't be upset. We just don't want to see you get hurt anymore. It's our job now to take care of you; and right now, that means avenging your mistreatment at the hands of those petty criminals," she asserted.
Wolf let out a couple barks and growled, indicating both his understanding and his own desire for vengeance.
Jack and Ashi looked at each other with uncertainty. They had no intention of letting the animal actually fight, but if being there would make him feel better, they could at least bring him along, right?
Just then, Scotsman called out from downstairs, "YOU TWO COMIN' OR WHAT!?"
Wolf then ran ahead of them as Jack responded, "Yes, we're coming!"
/
It was now quarter to eleven.
Scotsman sat in his patrol car, parked behind a row of bushed outside the old farmhouse where the dog fights were being held. Wolf was in the car with him, sitting patiently in the passenger seat as Scotsman listened in on the transmission.
The officer and the dog watched as Jack and Ashi. Two sets of ratty, worn clothing served as their disguises, but Jack had a wire under his shirt and a tiny earpiece for Scotsman to keep in touch with him. Once he had the evidence he needed, Scotsman would signal that they could leave; the less time they had to spend there, the better. After a brief exchange with the bouncer, Scotsman and Wolf watched as Jack and Ashi disappeared inside the building.
The couple then came out into the huge open-floor arena of the farmhouse, filled with seedy gamblers. Nobody in the rambunctious crowd was any better dressed than either of them, and they were all too caught up in the action to even notice them. The official ring was made up of spectators, standing around two animals fighting to the death, holding up the wads of cash they were betting on the competitors.
Morbidly curious, the couple pushed their way into the crowd to see the fight, arriving just in time to see a rooster standing triumphantly over a heavily wounded rottweiler. The chicken let out a caw of victory, as a portly man with a handlebar moustache and wearing overalls overalls waddled into the ring with a small cage. He dropped the cage next to the rooster, which obediently strutted inside, as another man trudged over and unceremoniously hoisted the dog and brought it out of the ring. Jack and Ashi gazed upon the spectacle with serious disdain, failing to not show it on their faces.
A few minutes later, the portly man stood up in front of the room from a tiny podium on a small stage, where a visibly aged speaker system was set up. He picked up the microphone, giving it a few test taps, which caused a painful feedback in Jack's earpiece.
Scotsman then chimed in, "What in blazes was that!?" which in turn caused feedback through the speakers. It seemed their recording device and the sound system were on the same frequency. That's probably not good, thought Jack.
The man at the podium started speaking despite the interruption, in a heavy Italian accent. "Wasn't that-a fantastic match! Once again, 'El Pollo Caliente' has-a defended his title as-a arena champion!" he held the cage aloft, and the audience went wild.
The "master of ceremonies" placed the bird's cage on the podium, then turned to a chalk leaderboard to his left while twirling his moustache devilishly as he joked, "Now then, we got-a another challenger coming up very soon, so make-a sure you get-a your bets in soon! Next payout is-a gonna be a big one!" he touted, resting a hand on the rooster's cage, then quickly pulling it away as the animal went to nip his finger.
A large portion of the audience then herded towards the stage with wads of money to make their bets, Jack and Ashi almost getting swept up along with them. With the rabble occupied, they took the opportunity to do some reconnaissance. Jack kept a look out as Ashi snuck into the basement floor, quietly sneaking down a concrete corridor until she came upon the room where the animals were kept. She was surprised how many exotic animals there were. Aside from the garden variety dogs and cats, there were birds, snakes, possums, racoons; there was even a spider monkey on a leash, pounding it's chest like gorilla. Discreetly, Ashi took out her phone and snapped a picture of the space, before hurrying back to the main floor.
Ashi returned just before the next contender was about to be announced, and one of the crooks headed down the staircase she came from. Jack sighed in relief at the close call. The MC went back to the podium, picking up the mike again, "Now then, it-a is time for the next-a match!" he declared. The man who went downstairs returned with an opaque dog carrier, bringing it the edge of the fight circle and placing it down inside the circle. the cage was opened, and a tiny alligator emerged, barely two feet long, snapping at the air threateningly. The cage opened, and a tiny alligator emerged, barely two feet long, snapping at the air threateningly. "May I present to you: the cold-blooded killer; the jaws of death; the amphibious amputator; Looockjaaaaw!" the MC shouted into the microphone, causing an ear-splitting feedback into Jack's earpiece.
The auditory assault caused him to hastily pull the wire from his person and toss it to the ground. It only took him a split second to realize the mistake he made, as he noticed all eyes were on him and Ashi, daggers pointing in their direction.
The MC started speaking again, this time without the microphone, and slowly walking to the edge of the podium. "So… looks-a like a couple of rats managed to sneak in here to compete…" he said, as the crowd began to circle the pair; some of them cracking their knuckles, others pulling out switch blades, brass knuckles, and other underhanded weapons. The MC continued, "Well, let-a me tell you something… we let a lotta different animals participate here," he crossed his arms, standing over them threateningly. Jack and Ashi each took a ready stance, backs to each other. "But rats are immediately disqualified…"
One of the thugs holding a knife lunged at them, only for Ashi to swiftly kick it out of his hand, then in his stomach, then an elbow to his face once he doubled over, putting him flat on his back. The rest of the crowd then leapt into action, and the fight was on.
Jack fought off three crooks that came at him in quick succession, pushing past them like punches as they ran headlong towards him. The last one, Jack used his foot to sweep the legs of, then brought his own leg down hard into their chest once they fell. Before two more could ambush him from the sides, he flipped backwards out of the dropkick, causing them to knock heads.
Ashi took this opportunity to take out her anger at how these people had been treating animals; many of the assailants that approached her were dropped before they could even flinch. One tried to get her from afar with an iron chain, but she merely caught it on her arm, yanking the fool right into her eager fist. The man let go of the chain as he fell, allowing Ashi to utilize by striking down a couple thugs, then catching another by the neck as he went at her. He only choked for a moment before Ashi spun him like a top into a small gaggle of crooks, bowling them over.
Meanwhile, Scotsman was trying his best to radio dispatch for back up, but Wolf had been barking furiously and scratching at the car door ever since they lost contact with Jack and Ashi. Finally fed up, he barked back, "ALRIGHT, YA NOISY MUTT!" reaching over to open the passenger door for the animal. Wolf immediately made a mad dash for the entrance to the old farmhouse.
Back inside, the MC could see the tide had changed against him; the thuggish gamblers were dropping like flies. Being the only one not actively involved in the scuffle, he snatched up the cage housing his feathered champion, and made a break for the exit.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jack could see him getting away, but both he and Ashi were too preoccupied to stop him.
Much to everyone's surprise, the MC found his exit blocked by a familiar white dog, snarling and looking ready to pounce. The man started slowly backing away, as the canine slowly and menacingly stepped forward. "W-Well, if it isn't the o-old-a champion himself! J-Just c-couldn't stay outta the ring, now could you?" he chuckled nervously as the beast approached, "Oh, don't l-look at me like that! H-H-Haven't I always been a good owner to you? I-I saved you from that kennel, r-remember!? I raised you; made you a winner! You-a liked that, I know you did!" he pleaded desperately.
"Well, I'm sure it was better than the alternative!" Ashi interjected, her and Jack now standing within a circle of fallen foes. They stood with their arms crossed, observing this surprising development. Their part was over; this was Wolf's fight now.
Jack chimed in, "You forced that dog to fight for its life just so you could line your pockets, I'd hardly call that winning!"
"Looks like the joke's on you now, though. Your "victories" are back to bite you," Ashi boasted, clearly enjoying the man's just desserts, "Now you get to feel what it's like to be on the losing side!"
The MC turned towards them arrogantly, "Not-a so fast! I still have a winner on my side!" he declared, stepping back and placing down the cage he held. "Sorry, rover, but the truth is I don't-a need you anymore!" he boasted, addressing Wolf, "Allow me to introduce your replacement!" as he opened the small cage. El Pollo Caliente stepped out with a confident strut, locking eyes with the other animal. "He's-a made me more money in just a week than you have your entire career! This bird is a better champion than-a you ever were, and now he's-a gonna prove it!" the MC asserted.
"Not if we can help it!" Ashi shot back as her and Jack were about to rush over, but stopped when Wolf turned and barked threateningly at them. Ashi was taken aback, "Wha…Wolf, you want to fight?" the dog barked assuredly in response.
Jack placed a hand on her shoulder, "This is his fight, Ashi. I don't think it's our place to step in on this one."
Ashi looked on in concern, "B-But…"
"I know, I'm worried, too; but ee're here for him if anything goes wrong," Jack said comfortingly, also trying to reassure himself that their pet would come out unscathed.
The two animals stood there, staring each other down. A hush fell over the room, both from the intensity of the faceoff and on account of almost everyone being out cold.
Finally, the MC spoke up again. "El Pollo Caliente… tear him to-a shreds!" he commanded, and the rooster let out a mighty wail before charging at Wolf. Time seemed to slow as the rooster leapt into the air, it's razor-sharp talons bared and ready. The MC grinned maliciously, while Jack and Ashi watched in breathless anticipation.
In an instant, Wolf deftly avoided the bird's strike and snatched it by the neck in his jaws. He shook his opponent back and forth violently several times before casually dropping it, swatting away the twitching rooster with his front paw.
Jack and Ashi stared blankly at the anticlimactic outcome. The MC blinked in slight confusion, scratched his head for a moment before muttering, "You know, in hindsight I, uh… I-a probably should have seen that-a coming…"
Suddenly, Wolf lashed out at the MC with a vicious snarl, causing him to stumble backwards onto the stage and knock over the aged speakers. A burst of sparks easily ignited the old, dry wood floor, and the tiny flame quickly grew ten times its size. The MC got up and ran cowardly towards the exit, as Wolf took off after him.
Ashi was about to pursue, but stopped when Jack grabbed her shoulder again. "We have to get these men out of here," he urged, gazing at all of the thugs they took out, "Go release the animals, I'll start bringing them to safety," he assured, already hoisting one of the crooks over his shoulder. Ashi nodded affirmatively, and ran back down the staircase.
Meanwhile, the MC didn't make it very far outside the barn before Wolf tackled him and began gnawing aggressively at the back of his shirt collar. Despite the dog not actually biting into his flesh, the rotund Italian cried out in pain, begging for help even after Wolf stopped. The dog ran back into the farmhouse as a shadow loomed over them, and the MC looked up to see Scotsman standing over him.
"Not a dog person, eh?" the officer smirked, dangling a pair of handcuffs in front of him as the MC gulped nervously.
Back inside, some of the crooks were already coming to, and had quickly realized the danger they were in. The rest, Jack and Ashi had to carry outside, one at a time. As for the animals, Ashi had trouble evacuating them once they were all released from their cages, but Wolf showed up to herd them all to safety; he still held the position as the alpha of the group, it seemed.
By the time Jack, Ashi and Wolf had evacuated just about everyone, the fire had nearly engulfed the arena. The last crook woke up and made a mad dash for the exit, and now it was time for three of them to follow suit. Before they could, however, the flaming doorway gave way and collapsed into a burning pile, blocking their only way out.
"What do we do now!?" Ashi cried out, holding onto Jack as the inferno closed in around them. The air was thick with black smoke. Their fate looked bleak, but just before they could lose hope, they heard Wolf barking across the room; he seemed to want them to follow him to the ascending staircase. With no other choice, they grabbed each other's hand and ran after their pet, covering their faces with their free arms.
They came to a hallway with several doors. The flames had only just begun to reach the second floor, but they were moving quickly. Wolf started scratching and barking at one of the doors, so Jack stepped back and kicked it open, revealing an open window at the end of the room.
Wolf immediately bolted, leaping out the window which cause Jack and Ashi to gasp. They ran up to it and saw that he had landed safely atop the roof of the building next door, untouched by the fire. Looking down at the gap between the buildings gave them pause, but the fire beginning to creep in from the hallway was all the motivation they needed. Still holding hands, the couple stepped back a few feet, then followed their pet's example, leaping across the chasm to safety.
They landed with a tuck and roll before falling back onto their butts, sighing in relief. Wolf walked up and sat between them, and they both lovingly pet the animal as it nuzzles their hands. Ashi smiled, feeling even more validated in her decision to save the animal, and found it ironic that it only took a week for him to literally save them back.
"Good boy…" Jack praised quietly, as they watched the crooks down below being apprehended by the cops that had arrived not long ago.
—END CHAPTER 18—