The Daughter Valentine

[Valentina]

The Daughter Valentine

Is it worth it can you even hear me?
Standing with your spotlight on me-
Not enough to feed the hungry-
I'm tired and I felt it for awhile now.

In this sea of lonely,
The taste of ink is getting old.
It's four o' clock in the f**king morning,
Each day gets more and more like the last day,
Still I can see it coming.

While I'm standing in the river drowning.
This could be my chance to break out,
This could be my chance to say goodbye,
At last it's finally over.

Couldn't take this town much longer,
Being half dead wasn't what I planned to be.
Now I'm ready to be free,

So here I am it's in my hands,
And I'll savor every moment of this.
So here I am alive at last,
And I'll savor every moment of this.

And won't you think I'm pretty,
When I'm standing top the bright lit city?
And I'll take your hand and pick you up,
And keep you there to so you can see.

As long as you're alive and care,
I promise I will take you there,
And we'll drink and dance the night away.

As long as you're alive,
Here I am.
I promise I will take you there.-"The Taste of Ink" -The Used



Chapter I
A Little Chaos, a Little Fun.

The gray clouds covered the sky, a nice relief from the harsh summer sun that scorched one with such dismal luck as to be left without shelter. The pavement was still warm as the light rain had only begun. It was steadily getting wetter however and the tar darkened with moisture, thousands of delicate drops at a time.
Tiny beads formed on the tips of the fur that reflected every smooth movement, flying off when her creamy mitts struck the ground, causing a white aura around her. The rain was picking up with every step she took however, and the sound of her lope was rythmatic like a clock. Every step she took was a second on the grandfather clock that was life, ticking slowly away.

She did not think of such things, though. She did not think of the symbolism her very life brought, or all the metaphors you could make of rain. She thought of the coolness of the water she happily loped through moistening her lush fur, after what had felt like an eternity of the sun. She thought of where she might go next, with no real place to belong or return to. Such was the life of a stray; freedom as much a curse as a pleasure. She would never lead another life, and the wolven blood hat coursed through her burned at the thought of chains. She did not regard her blood, half wolf, half husky, as any part in her mental make-up. She was who she was because that was how she had grown, her thoughts were her own, not bred into her or led down a certain frame of mind due to heritage.
Nor did she scorn those from either side. Dogs and wolves, free or captive, were all possibility to her. Possibility to be a friend, or possibility to be an enemy. Until she knew them by further acquaintance, she was indifferent to all things and everyone.
She stopped in the middle of the empty street, and looked up into the gray sky. Rain caught on her soft lashes and she blinked the water away. Her brilliant blue eyes born of her husky blood shown a knowledge of something greater than her age of three. Perhaps it was the primal knowledge of blood untainted by civilization for a lifetime, living a solemn life in the wild---the life of her father. Or perhaps it was the knowledge of being forced to grow up faster than you should, abandoned too early and having to teach yourself everything in order to survive from early on.
She thought of howling. It felt so natural to her, her head thrown back to contemplate the heavens through songs, and yet she just looked on, the blue eyes refusing to let the wolven side show through. She was not ashamed of it, but clung to the philosophy that she was who she was because of her, not because of her blood. She would not bark, either. She would never let either side shine through. She compressed both natures, surviving day by day. She turned, water again flying from her, but the rain was heavier now.
Her fur was thick and red, though it appeared gold in sunlight. Her long, slender wolven legs were a solid cream, until about five inches below the shoulder. Her hind legs were also cream to the heel. Her tail was soft and lush, arched over her back like a husky's, and the underside of it was cream. Her underside and chest were splashed with the cream as well, and her maw was splashed too, save for the strip of red that divided it along the top from her nose. Cream also accented her curved blue eyes lined faintly with black, making them shine all the more. Right now however, her fur was wet with the rain, and it was slicked to her body to reveal her voluptuous form. Her skin was not quite wet yet, though. Her fur managed to keep her dry on the inside.
She flicked her deep scarlet, velvet ears at the sound of a car coming far off, and knew if she wanted to die she could stand still. She didn't though, and went into an alley on the side of the road, then she climbed the slick iron stairs that led to the rooftops. She stood at the edge of the building and looked out over the city, which stretched before her in a down hill slope.
Just then the sun broke through the clouds and cast its yellow light over the buildings and rooftops, sparkling with rain. She put her paws on the very edge and took it in, allowing the corners of her mouth to twitch in a faint smile. She laughed out loud, waving her tail a few times, then walked back across the top of the building towards the stairs that led down. She stopped once, and shook her body from head to tail, her fur fluffing up and water droplets shining all around her.

This was her life. The life of one not quite dog but not quite wolf and not caring about either; the life of a street dog. It wasn't always beautiful, but it had as many ups as downs. Her name was Valentina, and she wouldn't change it for a thing.

------

Valentina padded silently down the sidewalk, slipping in and out of shadows made darker by the streetlights. The streets and sidewalks were mostly empty, but there were quite a few people out staggering around together, laughing or fighting or sobbing uncontrollably. One guy appeared to have passed out outside a bar. To these people she may have been nothing more than the illusion of a wolf passing right through their hallucinations.
She came to a bar on a corner, with doors and large windows wide open in the heat of the summer night. The sign above it read in neon letter "Ralphie's" then in smaller letters below that, "Bar &Grill." She jumped up with her paws on the edge of a windowsill and looked in. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes and heat and people assaulted her nose, but there was the delicious scent of food mixed in there as well. Chairs scuffed the hard wooden floors and people laughed and glasses clinked. The bar was set to face inward toward the karaoke bar where a few people attempted "Hey Good Lookin', Wutcha Got Cookin'?" arms wrapped around each other. The rest of the space was covered with tables, most with dishes from meals, either covered in leftovers or food. She judged that most of them were pretty smashed. "Perfect," she said to herself. "Looks like Ralphie's is the place tonight."
She smiled to herself and leapt up onto the large windowsill easily, and with no attempt to conceal herself, looked around. Everyone was facing the other direction, laughing at the wanna-be singers, and so Valentina went unnoticed. She sat, perched on the windowsill, and flicked her ears back with mock sadness at the lack of attention of a wolf dog jumping in the window, and said to herself, "Come now, let's make this fun!" and leapt onto the nearest table gracefully from the windowsill. A dish crashed to the floor and shattered, as well as a few plastic cups that hit the ground hollowly and loudly.
The people's reaction was as she had calculated. They screamed with surprise but most laughed at the same time. One fellow seated at the table she was on went over back-wards. She kicked a few more things off the table, then leapt to the next table to arouse more screams. The singers were still going, oblivious of what had happened, but the bar had gotten five times louder in ten seconds. Valentina ate a few of the french fries off this table and a hamburger, leaving the bread and shoving the plate into a woman's lap afterward. Valentina smiled at her and flicked her ears, then jumped to the next table thinking, She d**n near inhaled her cigarette!
She jumped easily from table to table, grinning and laughing devilishly all the while, eating whatever she pleased here and there, dodging bottles being thrown at her with terrible aim. A few people came after her, but she leapt easily away from them, throwing stuff and wreaking havoc as she went. Then she found herself on the windowsill again, the music stopped and all eyes on her. Her pursuers had also stopped now, clearly hoping she would just jump out the window. Valentina jumped on the table again, but made no move to go anywhere else so it remained quiet.
"A-heh-HEM!" she said, knowing the humans wouldn't understand her but getting her fun out of this anyway. "And that is why drinking is very, very bad!" She thought for a minute, then added as an afterthought, "Fake ID or no! And those cigarettes are seven minutes off your life each! Eat peanut butter instead!" she proclaimed, glared at the woman who sat staring at her with wide eyes, cigarette burning away between her fingers, and swiftly turned and jumped back onto the window. She bowed once, and then was gone from these people's lives forever, who would undoubtedly remember this night through the foggy haze of their buzz-ons, and tell all their friends what happened at Ralphie's and oh my god this crazy dog jumped in the window.
She padded back down the street, in and out of the harsh glows of the street lamps, still grinning. She was full of chicken and steak and fries, not that those people were going to miss their food. The sky was black above her, and her pelt smelled of the bar, but she was in high spirits now. She laughed out loud again and sat down on the sidewalk, wondering where all the other dogs of the night were tonight, and how much fun they'd been having. It's a good life, she thought as she watched the stop lights change colors for cars that were not there.[/color]

[Valentina]

Chapter II
"And What's Over Here!"

The femme loped along the street, the dying sun on the tops of black buildings made her red fur blaze like the sunset itself, and along her back the tips of her fur shined gold. A few cars bustled by, but the streets were relatively spared of pedestrians.
Everything shined gold in front of her, and some of the glass windows were blinding to her sensitive eyes. She'd been walking along a low wooden fence, half hidden by dense bushes. Suddenly a scent came upon her, and she stopped; it was a scent marker, and a strong one. She looked over her shoulder compulsively, but saw nothing except a few cars and the orange sun against the silhouette of the city sky line, so she kept walking, twitching her black nose at the fence.
I must be on the edge of a pack land, she decided, instinctively thinking of wolves. It also came to mind how touchy alphas could be, usually tolerating nothing and killing for no good reason...at the same time though, she realized it might be different as she was a female---and she believed in her ability to charm.
Nonetheless she prepared herself for the worst as she leaped the fence. She perched on it for a split second with catlike agility then landed quietly on the other side. She stood still somewhat hidden in the shadow of the fence, and looked around. And what's over here, she thought, not really seeing anything that looked like a pack. She once entered a dog pack in a junk yard, and they all milled around on the trash in plain sight. This place was different somehow.
She padded into the remaining sunlight, her flaming fur ablaze once again, and sat down to wait for something to happen. She didn't really know what possessed her to do this, maybe it was her desire for new experiences and fun...an escape from boredom. She also knew that she could not sit here long and remain undisturbed in what was clearly the land of a gang.
In no time at all, a large Rhodesian ridgeback with a cropped auburn pelt came striding purposely forward, parallel to the fence. A blaze of swan white shimmered on his chest and his dark eyes reflected the setting sun, a rapidly diminishing speck of light struggling to survive in a pool of darkness.
Tyrant's gaze locked onto Valentina the same instant her gaze locked on him, and the husky rose to meet him, taking him reflexively. She analyzed every inch as he drew near; his swaying plume was lifted in dominance, but his eyes were not fierce. Rather, they were joyful and welcoming. Another loner on my borders. That's the second tonight! he thought, and smiled even before he reached the wolf-dog.
However, the fur along his back caught Valentina off guard, but only for a split second. It wasn’t until she caught his smile did she realized that he was not bristling. She concluded that he was an alpha, that much was obvious before he even spoke.
"Greetings, stranger. You are standing upon the borders to my gangs land. If you wish to join as a loyal member to the gang, then you would be welcomed. If not, then I advise you to leave now." Valentina looked playfully questioning at this. Such a warning, but said so calmly! She found it hard to believe that the dog before her, as powerful as he seemed, could possible harm another and wield such a charming disposition at the same time. His greeting had been said in a bright tone, warm and sweet. Tyrant's kind gaze met Valentina's icy blue one and he cocked his head at her expression, awaiting her answer.
This wasn't something she'd been expecting right off the bat, and at first thought him too open and welcoming, but Valentina instead a strange sense of ease seemed to take over. She knew about being respectful, and kept her tail limp so it hovered just above the ground, dusting the tips of the grass. She also knew about avoiding eye contact, but since he had met her gaze, she chose not to break it.
The corners of her mouth twitched in a light smile, and she said the first thing that came to mind, as she always did, "A greeting without a name?" she flicked her ears back and then gave a low, sweeping bow. "I am Valentina. I did not mean to invade," she said. Well maybe I did, but it was out of sheer curiosity. Tyrant smiled, a soft chuckle erupting from deep within his throat, his eyes twinkling with humor. She added as an afterthought, "What sort of gang do you lead, sir alpha?"
"How rude of me." He said, the smile still plastered across his maw. "I’m Tyrant, Tyrant Mozae. And I'm sure you didn't mean to invade." He went on obliviously. He paused for a moment, his gaze flitting to the sky as he considered her question. Reverie'll hate this one. But she seems nice enough to me, Tyrant thought, as an image of Reverie meeting this Valentina. Both amusing and slightly worrying.
"My gang is quite new. With many members, all original, but also all very loyal. Some don't get along too well, but I have complete and utter faith that all of my members would protect another with their life if need be." He concluded truthfully, as Valentina listened intently. His was gaze no longer light and humorous, but filled with an intense, somber darkness.
Her velvet ears flicked at the note of severity his voice had taken on. She tilted her head lightly to the side in contemplation, also looking at the sky steadily growing darker. The idea of someone giving their life for her seemed unreal.
In her world it was every dog for themselves, and that was why she had tried to stay indifferent toward everyone she met. The smile playing on her maw vanished as she gave serious thought to the proposal, finally deciding it was time for a change. She hadn't exactly lived in solitude, but being around a lot of dogs sounded...new to her, and she was always up for something new. The question as, would she follow through with it this time, or disappear in the middle of the night once again, just as her mother had before her? It’s not like I have anything to lose, she thought, completely unaware of what she was about to get herself into.
Finally she returned her gaze to Tyrant, smiling honestly and laying her ears back, trying to look as innocent as possible. "If there's room for one more, Sir Tyrant."
The large, dominant male's maw creased into a broad beam. His head dipped in a nod and his dark eyes danced. "Of course there is, Valentina. Welcome. Follow my scent trail back to the Hollow. Our base. I'll meet you there later, my patrols are not yet complete." He explained, nodding back in the direction he had come.
Then, the auburn ridgeback turned and continued along the fence, plume swaying, a bark of temporary goodbye floating over his shoulder as he broke into a swift lope.
Valentina was a bit bewildered by his sudden leaving, but she couldn't help but smile. "I will do just that, thanks," she said with a grin, referring to following his scent trail. She watched him walk away, but gave no audible response to his bark.
Valentina refused to bark or howl, so that neither side, wolf nor dog, would appear the dominant characteristic of her; rather, she preferred to believe her bloodlines had nothing to do with her and who she was, and doing nothing that seemed a characteristic of distinctly one side or the other, was her way of proving this to herself.
Instead she said, "Til we meet again, Sir Tyrant!" and tail waving behind her, turned away and padded quietly along the trail, lost in thought.

[Valentina]

Chapter III
So this is it.

A few pebbles rolled down the entrance before her, as Valentina plunged head-first into the Hollow, almost completely deserted with only the elderly Schnauzer Bayarn left dozing in his den, his left hind-leg twitching every now and then as he dreamt of days when his limbs weren't stiff and his muscles were pleasantly strong and knotted. The half-wolf was a bit overwhelmed by all the smells, but this was definitely where Tyrant had said to go.
The hollow opened up into a larger cavern, and Valentina stopped to think about why she had listened to the Ridge back, and why she was even still here, but couldn't quite place it. Instead she took to looking around the den.
"So this is it..." she muttered. It wasn't quite what she had expected. It was very...open, and hot, and there seemed to be a total lack of privacy. This also hinted at how close the pack must be, and she tried to picture herself in here with a bunch of other dogs. In distinct relation to this, her next thought was sleeping outside by the pond, but scratched that as soon as snow came to mind. She could do it, she was half-wolf, not that that mean anything to her, so she could pull it off even in the harshest blizzards, but that was being foolish.
She sighed, a somewhat defeated sound but more a tone of wistfulness, sat back on her haunches wrapping her thick tail around her, and allowed her blue eyes to reflect her thoughts. She would wait here for Tyrant, or whoever happened to show, before she officially moved in to this place.
Just then, there was a rustling as something stirred in the thorny bushes above. Moments later, a long dark muzzle appeared, carving a temporary pass through the scrub so that a large, shaggy, fawn coloured body could slip through.
The Esterela Mountain dog perched atop the lip of the slope for a moment, large eyes sweeping over her home. When they fell upon Valentina, her eyes narrowed and she released a gruff bark. The husky’s ear pricked sensitively at the sound, Reverie noticed, satisfied. Then, she tilted her body and plummeted down the hill, skidding to a hault beside the newcomer, noticing the husky’s shocking blue eyes agitatedly.
Valentina turned as Reverie came loudly to her side, sniffed her and boring her eyes into the side of wolf-dog‘s face. Reverie had formed an instant dislike for her, and a small smile flickered across Valentina’s features at this realization. To frustrate the dog, instead of rising respectively Valentina didn't even stand up but turned her head to meet the harsh gaze.
Reverie’s nares flared a she took in the newcomer‘s scent, and a she released a snort of distaste. She had obviously been accepted by Tyrant; the Top Dog's scent clung to the husky’s fur, but there was something about this female she didn't like. She doesn't seem settled in the Hollow; in fact, she doesn’t seem be showing much admiration for the gangs carefully chosen home at all! Reverie's piercing stare locked onto the femme and stayed there, hostile and demanding, while Valentina gave her the up-down, her icy eyes a mocking look of polite puzzlement. She met the glare evenly, and said a contemptuously, "Excuse me, can I help you?" Her deep red ears remained pointed at the new dog, but otherwise her body posture had not changed.
Reverie's glare hardened and growl bubbled in the Esterela Mountain dog's throat. She drew herself up to her full size, plume lifted high in dominance, and Valentina watched with a look of mild interest as Reverie straightened herself, having to raise her eyes had to maintain Reverie‘s gaze. She became a full four inches taller than the seated half wolf, but Valentina was not deterred. Fool! She's just arrived and she's acting like she owns the place. She needs to learn some respect! Reverie thought, glaring at the dog’s perked ears, and examined her posture with contempt.
"Yes, newcomer, you can. You can show some respect when entering a home that has only just become your own, yet has belonged to others for moons." She growled. Her voice had a hard, dangerous tint to it as she glared into the female's icy blue eyes. To some, Valentina's stare may have been intimidating, but they simply infuriated Reverie even further. Valentina rolled her eyes. Respectful, huh? . Her expression as she stood up was that of a weary dog tired of being forced to humor a pup or some such thing.
As if prompted by the completion of Reverie's venomous speech, the thorn bushes guarding the Hollow rustled for a second time and another dog appeared, only this time a large, broad shouldered male with a white blaze across his chest appeared. Tyrant eyed Reverie, then Valentina, noticing the venomous look in his close friends eyes. Oh no, he inwardly groaned. Valentina's in for it.
She gave the low, sweeping bow she had given to Tyrant. A humorous bow, and Valentina again did not break the eye contact, but rather smiled at Reverie, also in a mildly annoying way, that most would find funny. But this dog was not most, and Valentina knew that. She also knew what this might invoke, and didn't care. She had been accepted, and to her, that was that.
Tyrant practically threw himself into the small space between the two females, but Valentina leaned around him to speak anyway. Her tail swept the ground behind her, and she gave the femme a polite look. "Explain to me how I have been disrespectful, if you please, when I had not so much as opened my mouth before you came?" Valentina inquired, her tone that of obviously forced politeness, with no attempt to hide it. Tyrant cringed. Reverie whipped around and narrowed her eyes.
She did not speak for a moment, as she was still marveling at the femme's impudence. Every other dog, even if they didn't like her, had at least acknowledged her higher ranking and dominance. But this one....
"You know exactly what, my dear." She hissed in a threatening voice. "Your tone of voice when you spoke to me, and the look you gave me are two things. The third was something you didn't do. Quite simple, really. You could have had the courtesy to at least act as if you respected others authority instead of waltzing in and sitting with your head held high! Unless you are completely ignorant, you will know that dogs do not learn most from words, but from actions." Her voice was low and menacing, but she emphasized her words by raising her voice ever so slightly. Turning away pointedly, Reverie parked her rump on the floor and shut her mouth with a snap.
Tyrant sighed and shook his head wearily, but he still managed a small smile as he turned to the husky-femme. "Valentina. I trust you found the Hollow safely. I'm afraid I can't test your abilities at the moment, I'm exhausted. But please, feel free to roam the territory" His words were punctuated by a loud yawn and he turned away, now facing Reverie.
She felt this was more of a suggestion to explore rather than an invitation, but she smiled at him anyway and said "All right, Sir Tyrant, it was good to see you again." She cast a nod and a smile at Reverie and padded out of the den, feeling watched by Reverie, even though the Esterela mountain dog’s back was to her.
The Rhodesian ridgeback nodded to Valentina, then said to his friend, "Goodnight, Reverie. Make sure there isn't any trouble." His voice was not stern, more as if he was asking her a question, to which Reverie replied with nothing more than a grunt of assent. Comforted by this act, Tyrant bounded over to his nest, where he curled into a tight ball and was soon asleep, the day had been long and he was tired.
Although Reverie said no more, her keen ears picked up the sound of Valentina and she rose steadily to her feet and the footsteps faded. I wonder where that d**ned femme is going. She thought, turning to see the fox-like tip of Valentina’s tail disappear through the foliage guarding the entrance. There's something about her that's just not quite right. I should investigate. Her gaze flicked to Tyrant and she nodded decisively, then followed Valentina from the den, tracking her scent and staying in the shadows, like a predator stalking prey.

[Valentina]

Chapter IV
A Dusty Beginning

The wolven figure loped along the street, the sun having burned it's last light over the city. The heat was fading into the cool of the night, and it felt wonderful on her body, with fur thick enough to withstand the Arctic. Her slanted eyes appeared silver in the darkness, and flashed in the light from street lamps as she stopped and looked behind her. She was certain she was not alone, but sensed it rather than saw it; it was a sixth sense that every living thing possessed. The side walk behind the femme appeared innocently deserted, as Reverie wasn't going to let herself show. Not yet. She kept to the shadows, slipping from dark spot to dark spot as if she was merely a ghost dog, a figment of one's imagination. When Valentina's ice blue eyes flashed over her shoulder, the Esterela Mountain dog would press herself against the wall or slip into a dark side street.
In the course of just a few hours, Valentina had come across more to think about than she had in three years. First, the meeting of Tyrant, who, though looked very strong, was absolutely nothing like any gang leader she had ever met.
The two leaders she had met were a rottweiler, and an enormous pincer-German Shepard mix, both brutes covered in scars with cold black eyes and dumber than she thought possible, but Tyrant was different. He had warm brown eyes and a shockingly friendly disposition. He seemed keen as well, knowing immediately what was going on by first glance upon seeing Reverie and herself, and being able to accurately predict where the situation was leading to, from being able to judge both their personalities.
This Reverie though, as Tyrant had called her, was another case entirely. From the way Valentina saw it, she had been sitting there, minding her own business, when this other dog popped up and rudely gave her the glare-down, without so much as a name! Now what was that all about?
Valentina gave a quiet huff, and whipped her tail to the side once before arching it over her back again. This was the entire extent of any visible agitation. The half-wolf wondered Reverie's connection to Tyrant, and felt a prickle of jealousy. Again she looked over her shoulder, then disappeared into the darkness of an abandoned theater, and had Reverie not been watching the husky carefully, Valentina would have seemed to disappear.
After a moment Reverie slipped inside, poking her maw in and glancing from side to side to make sure the coast was clear before padding inside. Her paws echoed as she took her first footsteps into the high-ceilinged entrance hall, and she cursed herself for her clumsiness, dropping into a crouch and pulling herself forward as quietly as she could. Somewhere ahead of her, the scarlet femme paused, listened carefully for a second, then continued along.
It was a place Reverie knew well, from simply exploring the city, and had been one of her and Tyrant favorite resting spots before they found the Hollow and formed the gang. She had been confused as Valentina slipped out of the park and headed toward the city. She had not know what to expect, but she had at least thought that the femme would have stayed in the park. What's she playing at? She thought suspiciously. Deep down, the female knew she was being to suspicious, but she would never have admitted it. She didn't like Valentina, and was desperate for a justification of her feelings toward the dog.

Valentina smelled them before she saw them. The burning, chokingly dry smell of cigarettes hit her nose from the lobby, whose walls were covered with ancient movie posters. From the enormous room that held the screen she could hear their voices, two boys obviously laughing about their getting away with this stunt. Valentina stopped in the dark lobby and looked around. The ceiling was made of white, ornamental plaster. There was a stand to the left with a green counter, an old popcorn maker with its glass broken sitting next to an old cash register. A sign that once upon a time lit up with dozens of little bulbs listed prices for an assortment of refreshments that were probably no longer made.
Following the sound of voices, she soon found herself sidling into one of the screening rooms. There were three in this complex, it had been considered quite large in the days when it had been used. The now broken sign, hanging limply from the grime covered wall above, stated it as being 'screen 2'.
She padded in to the room, leaving large, dark foot prints in the dust that covered the old hard wood floor. They looked unmistakably like a wolf's. Through the rows of seats she could see the two boys leaning against the stage, laughing aimlessly. By the way they even held the cigarettes, Valentina could tell they were inexperienced. She gave them a piercing stare with ice blue eyes that went unnoticed, and crept silently along. These fools never learn, she thought to herself, and her stunt at Ralphie's bar the previous night flashed through her mind. She gave a quiet laugh. She would creep up onto the stage and scare them from behind, maybe leaping off it in front of them, or on them. She would snarl, but never bark or howl. Oh no, she wouldn't permit that of herself.
Her forgotten stalker was thinking somewhere along the same lines. Reverie growled softly as the acrid tang of the tobacco wafted into her nares, causing her to suppress a cough. She wrinkled her nose and growled again. These youngsters need teaching a lesson. Polluting the air like that. I think I may have met them before.... she thought, smirking slyly.
Had the boys been more observative, they would have seen the dogs in the wide, open space of the isles between the rows of seats, but they didn't and both successfully managed to climb onto the stage without them noticing. They each took their place at one end of the stage, hidden in shadows and having completely forgotten about the other. Then at the same instant they rocketed toward the middle of the stage, snarling and barking and meeting in the middle. The boys immediately stopped laughing and turned wide-eyed, yelling.
The boys had their terrified gaze locked on one dog, their lips quivering, their feet plastered onto the ground as Valentina dashed t'wards them. When Reverie's loud bark filled the air, one whirled around to see yet another crazy canine running at them from the other end of the stage. "R-r-r-r-run!" He cried, lifting a shaking finger to point at Reverie.
His friends did not need telling twice, all of them turned away, bolting toward the exit of the theatre, chucking their still smoldering cigarettes over their shoulders as they went.
Reverie laughed and released two savage barks after them as they reached the exit and paused, staring at the two dogs. These sent them running once again, tripping over their own feet. Their cries floated back to her, causing her to grin as she turned to the dog next to her.
For a moment she was taken aback. She had forgotten about Valentina. Although she had known that another dog had been chasing the boys, she had been to caught up to put two and two together. I guess she just came here for some fun... She thought, shrugging. "Well, that was fun." She panted, settling upon her haunches. The chase had put her in a good mood and she grinned at the husky-dog, who returned a grin. That had been very satisfying, especially after her encounter with---the evenings' events popped into her head and she suddenly remembered, also amazed that she was actually having a laugh with this dog whom she'd been steaming at not an hour before! She must have followed her. "Wait, so what are you---"
The smell was horrid. One of the cigarettes had landed beneath a deep purple safety curtain, still lit. The curtain was slowly blackening, curling in on itself as it resisted the urge to catch alight. However, in the end it could hold back no more, and it suddenly burst into flame.
The fire spread up the curtain at a surprising pace, devouring the material quickly before turning on the crumbling ceiling, coated with dry dust and awfully flammable. The flames crept across the plaster, cackling and spitting their glee at a room filled with so much fuel.
The room had been over-taken by flames faster than she had thought possible. Valentina had never had any experience with fire, save for a tamed little flame in a humans fire place now and again, and she was terrified. She crouched down low, her chest touching the stage floor, and stared up at the flames as they rose above her.
Reverie whipped around as the flames roared into life at the foot of the curtain. Her feet suddenly glued themselves to the floor and she began gasping like a fish ripped from the water. Her fur prickled and she gave a low whine as memories flooded her, terrible memories of her childhood, when humans had burned her den, with her and her family inside it. A growl of defiance was released, but it was weak, and soon the memories had complete hold over her, gripping her soul tightly. Another whine escaped her lips, then she collapsed. The ground rushed t'wards her at alarming speed, then everything went black.
Valentina heard Reverie's growl but it never registered. She was lost in a terrible trance, the orange tendrils of fire dancing in her blue eyes. She pinned her ears back and just stared. She snapped out of it and whipped around to look at her at the sound of the limp body thudding on the hollow floor. "Reverie?" she half whispered. The plaster began to crumble from the ceiling in chunks steadily growing larger, and the flaming debris was starting to crash down all around them.
She bit Reverie's ear and tugged on it rather harshly, muttering "Get UP!" through the fur in her mouth. At no response she reared up and brought both feet down together roughly on Reverie's side, hoping to jolt her back into consciousness, and thinking apologetically, Ouch. She'll feel that one tomorrow! I'm so sorry! "Reverie wake up!" she screamed, feeling panic rising within her, but determined to keep her cool. “Get UP!”

The blackness faded as quickly as it had come, to be replaced by terrifying images from her childhood. Reverie was trapped in her past, a past she had never spoken of to anyone. Not even Tyrant. She saw her falter, coat flaming, scream at her to run. She felt her mother nudge her t'wards the door. Tear trickled down her cheeks as her father started back into the smoke, in search of her brother.
Suddenly, a sharp pain in her right ear jolted her and she was thrown back into darkness. Then, another jolt caused her eyelids to flicker, and she gave a low groan as they finally burst open. Panic flared in the femme's eyes as her dreams became reality. Fire still blazed around her, red and orange tendrils reaching toward her, cackling evilly and taunting her. She whimpered as inside her head a fierce battle raged. It was between her common sense, struggling to get to her feet and find a way out, and her fear, wiling her to lie back down and close her eyes, to escape the terrible scene before her.

In the end, her common-sense won, and she leapt to her feet, then immediately crouched down again as black smoke filled her nostrils and caused her to cough loudly. A smile of relief flashed across the wolf-dogs face as Reverie rose, but it was gone as quickly as it had come, over-taken with panic and fear that she could almost taste. The air was clearer near the stage, but she and Valentina needed to get to the floor. Narrowing her eyes to focus on the dog beside her, now shimmering in the blazing heat, she shouted above the roar and snap of the flames.
"Get down! Off the stage!" Then, turning, she leapt off the raised platform in one bound, just as the screen shriveled and a shower of black ashes fluttered onto the stage. Valentina attempted to follow in suit, but she had been delayed a split second, forcing herself to register Reverie's words through all the confusion. She turned to see the screen, black and flaming, falling down at her like an enormous hand. Her mouth was slightly open and her ears were pinned back as she stared at it wide-eyed, then turned and leaped off the stage in one agile motion. But she had jumped a heartbeat too late.
In mid-air the screen caught her left hind foot, not lighting it afire but scorching it. Valentina howled in pain, a purely wolven sound, the first and perhaps last howl to ever escape her lips. In the pain she lost all thoughts of landing, and landed heavily on her side, sending up a light cloud of dust that was settled on the ancient floor. Upon impact with the floor, her icy eyes went blank and Valentina could not see. From the speed, momentum and height from leaping off the stage, she rolled over twice, but her feet were under her in a flash. She stood defensively, feet slightly apart, blinking and trying to regain her vision.
Through the blackness Valentina could see the hazy form of the room slowly coming back into view. It was entirely orange. She could hear the enormous hunk of plaster crash down more than she could see it, but she managed to sight Reverie's retreating flank headed at where it was falling, and she felt sure it would fall on her. She snarled compulsively and bounded after the femme. She refused to limp, but a low snarl continually escaped her lips as she moved, subconsciously acknowledging the burning pain in her hind left foot and right shoulder which she had landed on.

-----

Reverie flattened herself to the ground and searched anxiously for the entrance. Everything looked strange in the furnace of a room. Larger than life, and as if the very walls were leaning in, threatening to topple over at any minute.
Reverie's mahogany gaze, now flickering with red and orange light as her eyes reflected the flames around her, finally fell upon the exit and she barked over her shoulder, the noise sounding faint and ghostly, as if it had come from someone other than herself. Shuddering, she began up the aisle, head lowered against the smoke and to shield her eyes from the dark dust now flying around the room.

However, when she was only half way up the aisle, a large chunk of plaster detached itself from the ceiling and fell, still burning, to block the doorway. The pale boulder, now engulfed in flame, crackled dangerously at the two dogs, then suddenly went out in a puff of smoke, leaving only blackened ashes in its place. Reverie snarled and charged forward, plunging her forepaws into the fine dust and digging for al she was worth. The dust's dry smell clogged her nostrils and tiny specks flew into her eyes, irritating them even more than the stinging smoke. With each small amount she dug out, however, another pile seemed to slide from the top into its place. Like an infuriating circle. She snarled desperately and continued flinging herself at the debris, and it was the commotion she made that enabled the husky-dog to find her.
If ever Valentina had looked like a wolf, it was now. Her icy eyes seemed silver, and reflected the flames around her, making her eyes glow golden like a wolf's, as she stalked stiffly along, head low, growling through clenched teeth determined not to show her pain.
The heat was unbearable. It was hot enough to drive one to the brink of insanity, and it was getting hotter. Valentina stopped about eight feet behind Reverie, hearing what she was doing more than seeing it. "Give it up!" she yelled over the roar of the fire. "There has to be another way out!"
Reverie growled as a huge pile of soot collapsed, sliding down the pile and staining her paws and already dark maw an inky black. Behind her, she heard Valentina tell her to give it up, and she whipped around. The rest of the femme's words had been whipped away, and Reverie was suddenly confused. Give up! What does she mean? Just stay here to die? She asked herself angrily, peering into the flames. Valentina was nowhere to be seen, but Reverie could hear paw steps, muffled by the flames but steadily getting louder.

Valentina had been in theaters before. She was familiar with human ways, and was even able to read certain things, and she knew there was always an exit besides the main entrance, usually marked with a glowing sign. Of course, there was no glowing sign, and Valentina was half-blind, going mostly on instinct. She padded quickly back down the aisle and in front of the stage entirely in flames, and sure enough, on the right side of the stage was a door. It was one of those door with the metal bar across it you had to push on to get it to open. Valentina could just faintly make out the long gleam of the metal across it. The smoke was starting to burn what was left of her senses.
She reared up and pushed her feet against the metal bar. It unlatched and swung open with the pressure from the room they were in, and the flames immediately poured into the next room. Valentina turned, searching blankly with near-sightless eyes for Reverie, and realized she would probably not be able to hear her from where she was, and ran back to her, almost collapsing but managing to keep her feet under her somehow. "C'mon!" She shouted, hoping reverie was following, and ran at the open door. She prayed that it wouldn't cave in as well before they got there, and that they weren't headed for a dead end.
Suddenly, her gang-mates head emerged from the flames, shouting something. Reverie strained her ears and just managed to pick up what she was saying. Another way out! Of course! She thought, dashing after Valentina.
Reverie plunged through the thick smoke, narrowing her eyes and holding her breath against the dry smell. But despite her best efforts, her throat became parched and irritating when she had only ran a few steps and her eyes filled with particles of dry dust.
The femme was forced to press herself against the floor, where the smoke thinned out slightly. Valentina was no more than a small, hazy splodge before her, her figure losing all sharpness in the shimmering heat and inky smoke. However, this 'splodge' was what Reverie fixed her eyes on, ignoring the crackling, spitting flames on both sides of her and squirming after Valentina desperately.
Soon, Valentina reached a door, a horizontal metal bar attached to it about halfway down. Reverie watched as the female reared up and thrust her forepaws down onto the bar. Then, her eyes widened as the door gave a soft click and swung slowly open. Reverie was about to dash inside when flames roared overhead and to her sides, spilling into the hallway beyond. She whimpered and flattened her body, her soft ears flicking backwards.
After a moment of breathing deeply with her eyes closed, Reverie began t'wards another exit. In other circumstances, the fawn and brown female would have looked quite comical, wriggling along like a snake, yelping every time she ventured too close to a flame and her fur was scorched.
She continued in this strange, worm-like manner of travel all the way along the corridor, her eyes narrowed to slits to block out the terrifying scenes all around her, fixed straight ahead, where the space not consumed by flames was horribly black.
Suddenly, a door loomed before her. 'Twas similar to the one Valentina had opened earlier, and new hope pulsed through Reverie. She leapt to her feet and gave a booming bark, telling Valentina that the exit had been found. She could feel tiny gusts of fresh air wafting in from the hairline cracks around the door, and she frantically pushed her snout up against one of these cracks, tasting the air with relish while behind her the corridor was filled with blazing orange light as the inferno danced and flickered, licking at her long, shaggy fur, roaring like an angry beast.

-----

The fire and smoke was pouring into the room before her at alarming speed. She dashed through the door she had found, going on blind hope, and found it to be another screen room, now lighting equally as fast as 'screen 2' had, and the plaster was starting to fall almost as soon as it caught fire.
She pushed in, the smoke not so thick as the other room, and once she reached the stage, planning then to turn and run at the exit, it began to cave in around her. The flaming hunks of plaster came crashing down on all sides, and she knew she would never make it to the exit.
The debris was falling into her fur, scorching it, at which the snarl already continually escaping her clenched teeth would double. She turned back and bounded over a three-foot flaming hunk of plaster, her already-burned feet passing through the flames. It took all her will power not to collapse as she landed, but she knew if she fell she probably couldn't get up. She dodged the debris as it fell, but it was getting harder and harder to see.
Her eyes were still damaged from her heavy impact with the floor, and the blurring smoke, hard enough to see in anyway, made her eyes as useful as being blind. They smarted and stung unbearably, and the smoke seemed to set her lungs on fire. She was slowing down, losing track of where she had come from, though she knew she hadn't been far into the room. The fire was overwhelming her, and she had come to the conclusion that she was going to die.
Just then the wolf-dog heard her saving grace; Reverie's bark. She immediately picked up speed again, and following where it had come from, head low to escape the smoke as best she could, she found the door again, and slipped though it.
She could no longer hear the dog, but down low where the smoke wasn't so thick, she could faintly make out something that appeared to be Reverie's feet up one of the isles. Reverie had began to panic as, at first Valentina did not appear at her bark. i]I can't leave her here! I'll have to back and find her![/i] She thought, dismay nearly overwhelming her as she turned to the flickering flames, now surrounding her on all sides except for a narrow passageway between the fire, where smoke writhed and twirled as if in a deadly dance.
Just as she went to plunge into this passage, her way was blocked by none other than Valentina. Reverie issued a sigh of relief and nuzzled the femme, showing her joy that her gang-mate was safe in an unusual display of affection.
The husky-dog dragged herself to the dog's side, coughing and unaware she was still snarling. The wall around the door was engulfed in flames, but she could feel the air coming from underneath the door nonetheless. It was their last hope. It wasn't a push-door like the last one though, but a metal door knob, scalding to the touch, was their only way out. She tried it and wiggled it, using her teeth, yelping as it touched her tongue, and then trying her paws, which also came away burned, while Reverie watched and encouraged her with low whines and the occasional bark.
Whether the door was locked or not, it's near impossible for a dog to turn a door knob, especially one glowing red-hot. When Valentina stepped away, Reverie’s face fell, but her depression was soon overwhelmed by a burning determination. She rushed at the door, barking and snarling, and attacked the doorknob with claws and teeth, but her natural weapons were near useless against the brass knob, and she barely even scratched the surface. Snarling, she turned away and began pacing to and fro before the door, mind working furiously, when Valentina's voice probed through her angry trance, full of common sense. "Let's charge it!" she shouted, hoping it would give if they both slammed against it at the same time. She backed up about fifteen feet, disappearing into the smoke once again, holding her breath that this would work.
Why didn't I think of that? Reverie thought, backing up with Valentina, who smiled as she came to her side, minds working in unison. She felt as if they were now in full understanding of each other, and turned back to face the direction of the door, as her eyes were as useful as being blind. When they were both far enough away from the door, they turned to each other and nodded curtly, then bolted at the door as fast as they could, head down, shoulders thrust forward.

They heard the smash, felt the thick wood give, and Valentina yelped in pain as a shard of wood became lodged in her upper-arm. Blood slowly began to pool around the haggard shaft, and Valentina glanced at it with a snarl. Pain lanced down her foreleg and up her neck, but she ignored it and stepped backwards hopefully, peering into the smoke.
The Esterela Mountain dog's face fell as the inky black smoke tendrils that had been shrouding the door thinned slightly to reveal that it was still in tact. Her eyes felt raw and dry, and the tips of her fur were singed black. With a whine of despair, she began pacing backwards again, readying herself for another attack on the door.
But, before she had gone three paces, Valentina rocketed past her in two bounds and smashed straight through the weakened spot on the door, shards of woods flying all around her. Reverie stared at the large, splintery hole her gang-mate left in her wake, a smile slowly alighting upon her features.
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[Valentina]

Dashing t'wards the gap, barreling through the smoke that now crept outside of the building to be teased away by a gentle breeze outside. Reverie thrust her head through the opening and breathed deeply, relishing the cool feel of smoke free oxygen slip into her nostrils and down her throat, clearing her head and relaxing her lungs.
After taking two more deep breaths, Reverie began through the opening. However, as she did, a tendril of flame leapt onto her tail, devouring the fur quickly and beginning to at her thick skin. The femme gave an agonized yelp and darted the rest of the way through the hole. Her feet gave way beneath her as she fell, her eyes dull from pain.
Quickly, she rolled over and leapt to her feet, her tassel still alight. She hurried to the wall and flicked the burning tail around so that it was between her and the wall, then leant against it, squashing out the flames.
A wide smile burst across her cream-hued muzzle as her friend came through the door. She got up and pranced in a wide circle, nose in the air, sniffing comically and grinning. She then collapsed in the ground, rolling over onto her back, and looked at the fiery door they had escaped from. From inside she could hear a loud, snapping crash, and it crossed her mind bitterly that that sound could have been the end of one of them. She turned to see Reverie extinguishing her tail, blinked, and then burst out laughing, rolling side to side. She wasn't laughing at Reverie's antics so much as she was expressing her relief, finding the slightest thing funny.
Reverie cast attempted to glare as her friend began to loose it, but found she couldn’t keep the smile off her face either. She stood and her plume replaced itself, hanging limply behind her, and a large, angry red patch could be seen, raw and gleaming. Reverie sat and began to lick it frantically, easing the agony, if only slightly, with soft caresses from her smooth salmon pink tongue, although she was still grinning.
After a moment spent in this fashion, the fawn and mahogany female lifted her head, panting, and stared into the hole through which they had come. An eerie orange blaze radiated from the opening, mingling with dark fingers of smoke. Reverie shuddered, immensely glad that she had escaped the hell hole.
Suddenly, the sound of a loud siren caused her to jump, and she whipped around to see a fire truck roaring t'wards the derelict Theatre, lights blazing, men clad in red overalls hanging from its windows. Turning to Valentina, Reverie smiled, although the pain still lancing up her tail turned it into something that looked more like a grimace, and got to her feet.
"Let's go home, my friend. Tyrant's probably wondering where we got too." She said, padding away. Then, as an after-thought, she turned to the husky-wolf once more. "Oh, and if you tell anyone of my fear of fire, I'll tear your liver out." She said, then burst out laughing, padding back the way she had come to nuzzle Valentina, before continuing to pad away from the cinema.
Valentina heard the sirens too, stopped rolling and looked up at them, then rolled onto her feet, turning to Reverie, nuzzling her back and padding along at her side. The impact of her injuries suddenly hit her, and the low snarl suddenly raised up in her throat. Her hind pad was raw and the leg was sensitive from being scorched. Her upper-arm was severely bruised from landing on it, and to make matters worse, there was a six inch shard of old, rough wood, lodged three inches under her skin.
The wolf-dog turned and ripped it out with her teeth, spitting the bloody shard on the street as they walked. She moved stiffly, but refused to limp to the extent her body wanted her to. She turned back to her friend, and gave a pained laugh. "Who needs livers anyways?" She couldn't get over the immense relief she was feeling from getting out of that cinema, and she felt weak. Her arm was still bleeding, but it was hard to tell how much as her fur was already red. Her eye sight had basically come fully back, but now things were blurry and had the tendency to split in two every now and again. The flashing lights became kaleidoscopic to her.
She was determined to make it back to the Hollow though, but until then she would not give in to her body's cries. She thought about seeing Tyrant again, about what he would say. He might be mad at her for leading a pack member to danger, or perhaps glad they had escaped? She walked in silence, trying to ignore her pain and suddenly longing for the quietness of the Hollow. She poked along, doing her best to keep up with Reverie, and hoping they'd get there soon.
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