Chapter Seven: Talking

Valkyrie stood in the dog park with Scorch, who now only was wearing a collar to take suspicion away that he was actually a supernatural demon dog that could destroy the city in minutes. Or at least that's what Skulduggery said.

She marveled at how the smallest dogs could be eaten in one bit by her dog and how he easily towered over the biggest dogs.

Valkyrie grinned quietly to herself.

Suddenly someone entered the park that made Valkyrie's grin turn to a scowl.

Hannah Foley, her arch enemy, was wearing a hot pink top with sparkly black and purple hearts on it and skinny jeans. Her dog, Miss Sparkles a Chinese Crested (the hairless breed), on the end of a sparkly pink leash with a matching collar had walked into the park.

Valkyrie saw Scorch's ears perk up and he turned to look at the new people.

"Whoa! What the heck is that thing? A naked rat?!" He cried.

Valkyrie's eyes went huge. "Scorch?" she said in shock. "You can TALK?!"

Scorch looked at her. "Of course, am I not an extremely intellectual, and exceedingly handsome, supernatural creature?"

Valkyrie continued to stare. "You can TALK?!" She said again.

Scorch sighed.

"What's wrong Stephanie; don't know what a dog is?"

Valkyrie looked at Hannah and smiled. "No, I was just trying to think of what your dog would sound like as my dog ate it in one bite."

Hannah scoffed. "As if, where is your dog?"

"Right next to me, honestly I can't believe that you didn't notice him yet."

Hannah looked down at Scorch and her eyes went huge. "What kind of dog IS that?"

Valkyrie was about to say hellhound but stopped herself so instead she said, "a mix of Germen Shepard and wolf."

"WOLF!"

"Yep, his mother was apparently a Siberian husky whose father was a wolf. Although I guess that he's also part husky too so..."

Hannah continued to stare.

Scorch's point of view…

The strange pink girl came over with the little naked rat. Scorch cocked his head as the rat approached.

"What are you?" he asked. "Why are you so naked? Did you fall into a hair removal factory or something?"

The rat looked at him and sniffed. "My name is Miss Sparkles; I am a pure bred Chinese Crested, and I am supposed to look like this. What are you?"

"Hellhound. Now are you SURE your parents didn't just tell you that so that you wouldn't know you actually just had an unfortunate accident with some chemicals?"

"Yes I'm sure and you're a WHAT?"

"A hellhound, you know; demon dog, servants of the demons, guards of the Gates of *****?" Ring any bells? And that IS actually what my father is to so…"

Miss Sparkles was still staring at him in shock and terror. Then she sniffed, stood up straighter. "I don't believe you, there is no such thing."

Scorch turned his eyes back to the regular collar, his fangs curled over his jaw and his claws grew. He raised one paw and leaned in close and said in a low guttural growl that didn't seem natural: "Now do you believe me?"

Miss Sparkles yelped and stumbled back.

The pink girl looked down, luckily Scorch had disguised himself once again but had not moved, and gasped. "Keep that demon dog away from Miss Sparkles!" she cried, scooped up her dog and stormed away.

"And that's supposed to be an insult?" Scorch whispered to Valkyrie.

Valkyrie laughed. "I guess so."