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Chapter Three-Trials of Misfortune

It was a solemn night for the shepherd. He'd had everything on him taken except for his wallet for some odd reason as he was ushered through processing and been transferred to a holding cell, though he wasn't in it long before a guard came back for him and took him to a small, enclosed room, handcuffing him to the chair which he was forcefully pushed down into. He'd been in this room for nearly a half an hour now, sitting, listening to nothing but the ticking of a nearby clock as it steadily clicked away the seconds and minutes of his time, staring at only a blank wall and the back of a chair across the metallic table from him.

Finally, the hypnotic ticking was interrupted by the noise of the door opening up, and Rudy turned his head to it as the same Siamese cat from the week before walked inside, taking one look at the dog before sighing.

"Thought I told you last week I didn't wanna be in this position," Brandon said to the dog as he sat down across the table from him, occupying the empty chair that Rudy had familiarized himself with so well. A mug of coffee which occupied Brandon's hand was set down on the table.

"Sorry, man," was all Rudy responded with. "How's the CBR treatin' ya?"

"Runs like a dream," Brandon replied. "Unlike you, apparently." Rudy sighed as the cat flipped out a folder which Rudy knew was a dossier, which was opened up to reveal some papers. "Official dossier, case file 1734B. Date: Tuesday, the eighteenth of September, 2001. At 10:37 PM, dispatch received a call from an angered resident registering a noise complaint. Dispatch put out a call to multiple officers about it, to which Officer Torres responded he was in the area and would take the call. At 10:42 PM he showed up on scene of the location of where the noise was allegedly coming from, discovering a car meet. One silver vehicle was leaving said meet, which prompted Torres to turn on his lights. The aforementioned vehicle began to flee rapidly, prompting Torres to radio in and report one fleeing party and call for backup to shut down the meet, stating he was taking pursuit of the other vehicle. Erratic driving ensued as the fleeing party began drifting around corners and fleeing at speeds of 90+ miles per hour before a second police cruiser joined the chase at 10:49 PM. At 10:52 PM, the suspect hit a roadblock which had been set up, effectively ending the chase. Suspect was apprehended without further struggle and brought in for questioning and holding." Brandon reached into the pocket of his flannel shirt and took a pen from it, clicking the top to bring out the point. "That brings us up to now. It is 12:28 AM on Wednesday, the nineteenth of September, 2001." He moved a few of the papers around, shuffling them a bit until he got the one he wanted. "Information for the official record, beginning with full name. Last name first." Rudy sighed again, knowing he was entirely defeated now.

"Hendriks, Rudolf Noah, that's with an F. Preferred name is Rudy," Rudy told him.

"Spell the last name for me," Brandon said. Rudy told him, and the cat scribbled it down. "Date of birth and current age."

"December twenty-second, 1983," the canine said. "Seventeen years old."

"Height, weight and eye color," Brandon told him as he scribbled down the previous information.

"Five foot eleven, one twenty, blue," Rudy answered. Brandon looked up at him for a moment, an eyebrow raised.

"One twenty?" he said, sounding a little surprised. "Jesus, you're a fucking twig." He wrote down the info regardless. "Place of birth. Just the city and state, and country if born outside of the U.S."

"Littleton, Colorado," Rudy told him.

"Okay, that's about it for all of that," Brandon told him as he jotted down the last bit and moved the page over, adjusting the one beneath it. "Now come the questions. You've already been informed of your rights, but just a reminder, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." The canine nodded. "Okay. First off, why did you start running from the officer?"

"He came out of nowhere," Rudy responded. "I got spooked, thought he was just gonna bust me straightaway, so I got the hell out of there."

"Obviously you didn't do a good enough job of getting away," Brandon retorted. "Were you in possession of any illegal weapons, substances, or other items considered to be harmful, dangerous or against the law for someone your age?"

"No," Rudy answered. "I don't do shit like that. I'm sure what's left of my car is in the impound and you can go through it if you want."

"Noted," the Siamese said. "You said you were spooked by Torres and began running, what was your reasoning behind fleeing the scene?"

"I didn't wanna be associated with anything that was going on at that meet," the canine said. "They were doing burnouts and shit and I knew it was attracting attention, which is why I was heading out."

"Your original destination?"

"My friend Quentin's house. I called him beforehand and told him I'd be there."

"Alright. Were you doing any burnouts or excessive revving of any sort at the meet that would have contributed to the noise that caused the noise complaint in the first place?"

"No, not at all. I did a couple of 4k braps with my car and that was it. Nothing crazy."

"Alright." Brandon began writing a few things down on the paper; from what Rudy could see he was writing short, abbreviated versions of Rudy's answers to the questions. "Now... I'm gonna be blunt here. What you did was fucking stupid. If you would've just stopped your car you probably would've gotten let off with a ticket at the least and a very,very light sentence of probably just community service or a deterrence program of some sort at the most, since you weren't directly involved with what was going on. But what you did instead racked up charges against you. A full list is here..." The cat moved a few papers around in the dossier again before taking one and reading it. "One count of evading police custody, three counts of excessive speeding, two counts of reckless driving, one count of damaging police property and/or vehicles, one count of resisting arrest and one count of disturbing the public." He set the paper down. "That is enough to get you five years at least. Unless the judge or jury, if you have a jury trial, finds an alternative punishment for you, you're going away for that amount, probably longer. Anything you want to say in your defense?" The canine remained silent, but shook his head slightly. "No statement." Brandon sighed a little, adjusting the papers again and beginning to write as he spoke aloud. "Rudy Noah Hendriks, held on multiple charges. Recommended to hold in separate cell in solitary confinement from all other inmates due to type of charges being pressed and current age, as still a minor. Bail is set at thirty five thousand dollars, and unless it is paid the suspect will remain in police custody until his preliminary hearing on the eighteenth of October, 2001."

"Hey, uh... probably a stupid time to ask, but I only get one phone call, I know that... can I get two? I need to let Quentin know I'm not gonna get to his house tonight..."

"Can't do that. It's against regulations. If you really want me to, I can head over to where he lives and let him know personally."

"Can you? He worries about me a lot."

"Alright. I'll head over there. Address and full name of Quentin?" Rudy gave both items of information to Brandon, who jotted them down on a blank sheet of paper. "Your parents know you're out this late?"

"They knew I was out, yeah. I told them not to wait up for me so I don't think they were expecting me home until really late. I'm using my phone call on them and hoping to God that one of them picks up."

"Putting a lot on hopes and dreams there." Brandon then stood from the chair, putting the dossier under his arm and picking up the mug of coffee, which still remained untouched. "Listen, kid... the reason I didn't want to be put in this situation, other than this fucking paperwork, was so that I didn't look at an image of myself from nine years ago."

"What do you mean?" Rudy asked, looking up at the Siamese.

"Well, I was a little older than you, 19 to be exact. I got busted for aggravated assault on a minor because I beat the shit out of a 17 year old over thirty dollars and that little shit's family called the cops on me. I spent three years behind bars and I should've done more but I had a good attorney. I'm lucky to be where I am now. I'm lucky as shit the cops even let me into their fucking training program in the first place. I'm 28 years old; I've been around the block a few times, bud. I was trying to keep you from making the same stupid mistakes I did."

"I understand." Rudy hung his head a bit, looking down at the surface of the table.

"I don't think you do. If you did, you wouldn't be sitting there cuffed to the goddamn chair right now." Brandon sighed a bit as he opened the door to the room. "A guard will be here in a few minutes to take you back to your cell." He then cocked his head a little. "Incidentally... where'd that scar come from? The one on your shoulder?" Rudy looked over at his right shoulder, the one he knew was in question; he was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt which exposed his shoulders, and he saw the familiar scar, a spot where little fur grew to cover it. Almost the moment he looked at it he could feel himself starting to have flashbacks to that day, and he shook his head, trying to rid his mind of those thoughts.

"I'd rather not say," Rudy told the other. Brandon sensed that there was a backstory to that scar of which the dog didn't want to reminisce about and let it be.

"Fair enough." The cat then exited the room, the door clicking shut behind him. Once again the dog found himself surrounded by nothing except the rhythmic ticking of that clock, now counting the seconds he had left in this room. As Brandon had said, it only took a few minutes before the same officer who had brought the dog here in the first place came back in and collected him. They went back through the detention cells but didn't stop at the one that Rudy knew was his; instead, they kept walking, heading to another room where the door was shut. There were a few phones inside, one or two occupied by other inmates who were frantically talking into the receiver.

"You've got ten minutes, kid," the officer told Rudy. "Make your call." The shepherd looked about for a moment before heading to one of the phones, picking it up and dialing his home phone number.

"C'mon, pick up, somebody, please...," Rudy whispered, listening as the numbers were dialed back to him and the ringing began. Once. Twice. Three times. He was already losing hope. A click on the other end finally brought hope back to him.

"Hello?" his mother's voice came from the other end; it was incredibly tired and groggy.

"Mom? It's Rudy," Rudy said, his voice shaking a little.

"Hm?" his mother asked; he could immediately tell she was paying very good attention now. "What is it, Rudy? Did something happen?"

"Yeah...," the dog replied, sighing a little. "Listen... I'm about to drop a bomb on you here, but... I'm in jail."

"What?!" Noelle exclaimed on the other end. "What happened? What did you do?!"

"I was at the car meet and I was leaving and shit just hit the fan," Rudy responded, sighing again. "The cops were watching me and I was just trying to get out of there and I got jumped, started running. The 240SX is totaled and I'm in lockup..."

"Damn it, Rudy, you should know better!" his mother scolded. "Always comply with the law, always!"

"I'm sorry, Mom...," Rudy said; he heard his voice crack softly as he spoke, and he could feel a lump in his throat. He willed himself not to cry. Not here.

"You're at the police station, right?" Noelle asked; Rudy knew she was coming to get him.

"Yeah...," he responded.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," she growled into the phone. "You'd better have a damn good explanation, Rudy Noah Hendriks, otherwise you're gonna be in more trouble with me than you are with the cops." Before Rudy could get another word out of his mouth, there was a click on the other end, and he hung up the phone, still forcing himself not to cry.

"You done already?" the cop asked. Rudy only nodded in response. "Well, let's get you back to your cell." Rudy complied and walked with the officer back to his cell, where he was promptly locked in. "Hey, kid... I really hate to see when those your age are behind bars. Makes me wonder what the hell I'd do if one of my kids ended up in your position..."

"Look, I know I fucked up, okay?!" Rudy growled, his emotions growing unstable. "I made a big fucking mistake and now I'm in lockup. Might as well give the fuck up now and just accept I'm gonna be in fucking prison for the next several years." The cop sighed.

"Whatever, kid," he said before walking away. Rudy looked up for a moment, catching a last glimpse of the cop as he headed down the hall, his footsteps echoing through the corridor before fading away into silence.

That's when Rudy finally broke down into tears.

-

Time just seemed to fly by after that. Rudy's mother did show up that night, tired, groggy and more pissed off than the young dog had ever seen her in his life. She'd been swearing left and right, nearly every other word out of her mouth being some sort of a profanity. She didn't seem to even care if it was directed at anything or anyone in particular. She found out what was going on and what had happened from the police and her son and immediately grew more agitated than she had already been, cuss words flying out of her mouth about quite literally everything that was going on, from the police to what her son had gotten into and even further, and the police actually had to calm her down. Once she was levelheaded enough to think rationally and speak without every word from her maw being a swear word, she was allowed to see Rudy even though it was much past visiting hours. They spoke and made arrangements, and Rudy gave her all of the information that she needed, including the bail amount, which she thought was absolutely outrageous. Ultimately she ended up telling Rudy to hold out as long as he could while she and his father dug up the money to bail him out, which could take quite a while. For the moment, he was stuck in his cell.

Rudy was allowed to speak to an attorney the next day. Once the details were all laid out on the table the attorney told the dog that it was going to be difficult, but that he was confident he could get a lighter sentencing of some sort. The shepherd was relieved at that statement, and he spent the next month in jail, only allowed to leave accompanied by an officer for school related purposes. His preliminary hearing came and went quickly; his court date was set for six months later, on the eighteenth of April, 2002. The day after the preliminary Rudy was bailed, and he was allowed to live a more normal life from there on out, though he did have to check in with an officer once a week. His driver's license had surprisingly not been suspended in light of his necessity to get to school and his lack of having a bus stop near his home.

The months passed by quickly after that. Rudy's eighteenth birthday came and went; even though it was supposed to be a special day and mark his first day as a true adult, it didn't feel like much. Every day the dog had a horrible shadowy feeling of dread that clung to him like a disease. New Year's was nothing special to him. It only meant that his court date and the sentencing that came along with it were drawing nearer. Many nights he broke down in his room, crying into a pillow for hours on end while having music play on his stereo system so no one could hear him. Even days where he saw his girlfriend or his friends from school brought no relief or happiness to him.

Finally, the court date was upon him. He woke up early that day, the angst hitting him square in the face the moment he awoke. He dressed quickly, getting into a white polo with a black tie and black slacks so as to look somewhat presentable at his trial before heading down the stairs, where his parents were awake and waiting for him.

"Today's the day," Baylor said to his son as Rudy sat down at the table.

"I know, don't remind me," Rudy muttered, putting his head in his paw as he groaned. "Didn't think I'd ever be put in this position."

"Well maybe if you wouldn't have fucked up like you did, you wouldn't be in this position," Baylor shot to him. Rudy slammed his fist into the table.

"I don't need to hear it, Dad," Rudy retorted, glaring at his father.

"I think you do need to hear it," Baylor responded, raising his voice. Noelle hadn't said anything; she was simply standing in the kitchen near the stove, watching the argument unfold. "Seven months ago you were doing just fine, no troubles at all. Next thing I know, I find out my son is in fucking jail because he ran from public authorities. How stupid do you have to be to do that, Rudy?!"

"Look, I know I fucked up, okay?!" Rudy said, looking back down at the table. "I don't need anyone to rub it in, especially my own fucking family."

"Your brother never got in this much trouble. How come you-" Baylor didn't get to finish his sentence as Rudy sprung to his feet, knocking the chair back into the wall behind him and swiveled to face his dad, a look of pure rage plastered on his face.

"Who fucking cares if Ricky never got in this kind of trouble?!?!" Rudy screamed at his father, staring him right in the eye without faltering. "_I am not fucking Ricky, Dad!!! I am my own fucking person and I have my own fucking path to follow, and I will fucking deal with it as it comes, so lay off!!! _"

Baylor was speechless. His eyes were fixated on Rudy. The young dog was breathing hard, his eyes full of tears; whether they were related to sadness or anger, he didn't know. His face was flushed. Baylor opened his mouth to speak but didn't get a single word out as Rudy spun ninety degrees and threw his fist into the wall, putting his whole hand right through it, drywall and all. He pulled it back to his side a moment later, now covered in dust and bits of plaster.

"...Rudy, I'm sorry," Baylor finally managed to say.

"Oh, bullshit," Rudy shot back, heading for the door. "You obviously care more about Ricky than you do me. You probably give more of a fuck about Sarah than you do about me. Don't even bother coming to my trial. If I come home today you'll know that I either got off scot free or they found an alternative punishment. If I don't, you won't be seeing me for years." He swung the door open and then slammed it shut behind him, leaving the two stunned parents in silence. Baylor looked to Noelle, who was still silently standing against the counter. He sighed and took a few slow steps towards the living room before he heard squealing tires outside. Knowing Rudy had pulled away from the house, he just decided to sit at the kitchen table instead.

It didn't take long for Rudy to reach the courthouse. He parked his car and got out, heading up to the doors and walking in, heading for the front desk. He got checked in and headed to the courtroom, walking in and seating himself at the defendant's desk, where his lawyer was already awaiting him. The two only regarded each other for a short moment before they waited for the prosecutor to arrive, which he did shortly after.

"Attention," the bailiff called out to those in the courtroom. "This court is now in session. The honorable Judge Larkin residing. Everyone rise." The judge made his way to his bench as everyone stood, taking a seat and placing a set of glasses upon his face.

"Be seated," he addressed the court, and everyone sat back down, including himself. "Today is April the eighteenth, 2002, the time is 8:01 AM. Case file 1734B, Rudolf Hendriks versus the City of Auburn. Mister Hendriks is present, yes?"

"I'm here, Your Honor," Rudy said, standing. The judge regarded him for a few moments.

"Now I believe you do know what you are here for today, if I am correct," Judge Larkin said. Rudy simply nodded. "Then I don't think I need remind you of the charges held against you by the city currently. However, for the official record of the court, Rudy Hendriks, the defendant, is being charged with multiple counts of excessive speeding, reckless driving, damage to city property, evading police custody and disturbing the public. This does sound familiar, correct, Mr. Hendriks?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Rudy responded simply, sitting back down.

"Now that we're all on the same page, the prosecution may begin with their opening statement," the judge said, looking over to the prosecutor. The opening statements from both the prosecution and defense were rather boring and generic, pointing fingers at what or who was to truly blame for Rudy's actions. The statements were over within a few minutes, and though Rudy was offered a plea bargain he did not take it and proceeded with the trial. The first two or three witnesses for the trial were completely uneventful; none of them had anything good to say for either side and the defense and prosecution were both at a complete impasse.

Eventually, witnesses ran out for both sides, and the court had been in session for at least two hours at this point. Rudy was getting antsy, wishing he'd just taken the plea bargain by now so that he could get out of there. "Defense, would you like to call another witness?" the judge asked Rudy's lawyer, who nodded and stood.

"Defense calls Rudy Hendriks to the stand," his lawyer said. Now Rudy was even more nervous. He didn't know what he was going to be asked or if it was even going to do anything. He stood and went to the stand regardless, taking the oath and seating himself in the chair provided. "Now, Rudy, on September 18th of 2001, what had you been doing that day?"

"I went to school, did my stuff there, went home for a few minutes to drop off my stuff and let my parents know I was going to a friend's house, went to said friend's house, hung out there for a little while and went home. After that I went to the car meet," Rudy said.

"Now in your private statement here that you gave to me, it states that you went to the meet in a silver Nissan 240SX. This is your vehicle, correct?" the lawyer inquired.

"_Was_my vehicle is more like it, but yeah," Rudy responded.

"The car was legally purchased and registered in the state of California, as the VIN number was run after the fact according to this document I have here. The vehicle was not illegal. Now at the car meet, did you do anything that would have been considered illegal, such as racing or doing burnouts?"

"No. I only revved my car a bit. I wasn't directly involved with doing burnouts."

"Alright. Now when you started running you were aware that it was a police officer, correct?"

"Yes."

"However, instead of stopping, you ran. Was there any direct cause for this?"

"I'd been told that if I was caught doing stupid things again I'd be arrested. I wasn't doing anything stupid and I didn't want to be guilty by association and end up right where I am right now so I tried to get away as fast as I could to make sure I wouldn't be affiliated with what was going on."

"Fair enough, fair enough. No more questions, Your Honor." Rudy's lawyer walked back to the defense table.

"Would the prosecution like to cross examine?" the judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honor," the prosecutor said as he stood, walking over to the stand. "Rudy, if I am not mistaken, you were very aware that the police had you on watch the night you went to the car meet?"

"Yeah," Rudy replied.

"And yet you went to the car meet, knowing full well that someone was probably going to do something to attract attention to everyone there," the prosecutor said. "You also took the car that apparently had heat on it. You essentially called attention to yourself. Why?"

"I didn't have much of a choice," Rudy responded. "I went to the meet because even though the police had been eyeing me those guys are a second family to me and I wasn't gonna ditch them. My other car that I would've taken was out of commission, cracked transmission casing so it leaked all of the oil out."

"Fair enough. However, how did you know that the police were keeping an eye on you?"

"Uh... they sent a cop to my house, undercover cop, posing as a buyer for a motorbike I was selling. Name was Brandon, I think. He said he was there to arrest me but he gave me a warning and told me not to do anything dumb."

"So you had forewarning, and yet you went out and did something dumb. Blatant disregard for a warning of which you were properly issued that resulted in your arrest."

"I didn't even do anything dumb at the meet, I just went to hang out with those guys!"

"Can you prove that? Can you prove that you didn't do anything like burnouts?" Rudy opened his mouth to respond but found himself tongue tied. He couldn't prove that he hadn't done anything.

"...No, I... I can't," the shepherd finally said. The prosecutor smirked and stood up straight, looking up to the judge.

"Nothing further," he said simply before walking back to his table. The judge looked down at Rudy in the stand for a moment.

"I believe I am breaking protocol by doing this, but I'd like to ask you a question, Mr. Hendriks," the judge said. Rudy looked up and nodded. "Who are your parents?" Rudy was a little confused; that question didn't have anything to do with this court case.

"Uh... Baylor and Noelle Hendriks," Rudy told him.

"Would you mind telling the court and jury what field they are in for careers at this current moment?" the judge asked, though it sounded more like an order.

"Uh... my father is retired from the military, my mother is active duty," Rudy stammered.

"Thank you, Mr. Hendriks, you may step down." The shepherd was definitely confused now. As he stepped down the judge excused the jury to develop their final verdict, leaving Rudy to sweat in his seat.

"Listen, Rudy," his lawyer said to him, "hopefully those questions that the judge asked were in hopes that he could find an alternative punishment in this case if they do give you a guilty verdict."

"Shut up," Rudy muttered. His lawyer got the message and backed off. After another fifteen minutes, the jury returned to the room, taking their seats.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked them.

"Yes, Your Honor," the speaker said, standing up and unfolding a piece of paper that he had in his paws. "The jury finds the defendant guilty on all charges." Rudy groaned audibly, and the audience mumbled amongst themselves before the judge rapped his gavel a few times.

"Order," he said, bringing back everyone's attention. "Mr. Hendriks, though on normal conditions for this you would be receiving jail time and probation, due to your family's history as well as the current state of emergency that is in this country, I have reached an alternative for your sentence. This court hereby sentences you to military service. You will be sent to basic training for the United States Army Corps and shape up there. Your driver's license is hereby revoked and will have to be reacquired when the sentence ends. It is still valid until the day you graduate from high school on June the seventh, 2002 and will then be invalid until exactly two days after this date two years from now, which will be April the twentieth, 2004. Probation officers will be checking in with you twice weekly until you are sent to basic training, which will be on June the tenth, 2002, three days after your high school graduation."

"Objection, Your Honor!" the prosecutor said, standing from his chair, looking rather agitated. "After what he's done you cannot give him another chance on the streets after simply shipping him off to the military!"

"Overruled," the judge responded simply. "Mr. Hendriks, you are aware of your sentencing, I am quite sure of that. On the date of your departure to basic training an officer will come to your home and collect you. Court is adjourned." He rapped his gavel, and as soon as that thud hit Rudy's ears, his heart sank. He stood from his chair and trudged out of the courtroom, heading outside to his car and stepping into it.

The drive home was solemn; no music played in the car as Rudy drove in silence. He pulled up outside his house and turned the car off, stepping out with his pack of cigarettes in his paw as he walked to the door of his home. He opened up the door, finding no one in the entryway or the kitchen. He shut the door behind him and checked the dining room, finding no one in there either. The living room was next; still no one.

"Mom?" the shepherd called out. "Dad? You guys here?" No noise from anywhere nearby. His heart sank a little as he then walked back through the kitchen, looking at the hole he'd punched in the wall earlier, sighing a little. He trudged up the stairs and to his room, but just as he pushed open the door he heard the door at the end of the hall creak. Lifting his head a bit to look to it, Rudy saw his dad standing in the doorway.

"Rudy?" his dad asked him. The young dog's expression contorted to confusion and anger.

"Yeah, it's me," Rudy said, undoing his tie and unbuttoning the top of his shirt. "Looks like I won't be a bother to you much longer."

"Did they sentence you?" his father asked, starting to walk down the hallway.

"Yeah," Rudy answered. "Military service, starting after grad. License is gone on grad day, can't get it back until two years from now." He opened the door to his room and stepped inside, hearing his father stop walking. "I'mma change and head to Marley's."

"Rudy, wait." Even though every fiber of the shepherd's being yearned to slam his door shut and lock it, he resisted, turning around to look out of the doorway to see his father standing in front of it. "I'm sorry about this morning. I was just concerned about you and trying to get through to you that your actions do have consequences, even if you don't think they do..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know Dad," the shepherd replied. "Sorry for putting a hole in the wall." Baylor chuckled a bit.

"I'll fix it later, don't worry. Have a good time with Marley. Remember to take a condom with you."

"Dad!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, heheh." Rudy just groaned a little as Baylor walked back down the hall.

It only took a few minutes for the shepherd to change his clothes into a T-shirt and shorts, heading down the stairs and outside to his front steps. He pulled out his lighter and his cigarettes, putting one between his lips before igniting the lighter and putting the flame to the tip of the tobacco stick, puffing on it a couple of times before taking it between his fingers and pulling it away from his mouth, blowing a small cloud of smoke from the side of his lips. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing a few numbers and putting it to his ear as he dragged on the cigarette again.

"Hello?" a voice on the other end said; it was feminine, easily recognized by the canine.

"Hey Marley," Rudy said. "It's Rudy."

"Oh hey babe!" Marley said, sounding ecstatic now. "How are you?"

"Heh, well, I've had better days," Rudy replied. "Listen, I was hoping I might be able to come over for a little while? I have some bad news and I think it would be better to explain it in person."

"Oh, um... well, my parents aren't home, but you can come over if it's that important, hun," she said, her voice now sounding saddened.

"Hey hey, this isn't about you and I, we're fine baby, don't worry," Rudy assured her, taking another puff on his cigarette. "I'm not breaking up with you, I have no reason to. Something's come up though and I need to talk with you about it, okay? I'll be over in a few."

"Okay, Rudy. See you in a bit, hun."

"See you soon. Love you." Rudy then ended the call and pocketed his phone, taking one last drag on his smoke before he dropped it to the ground and crushed the butt under his foot, standing up and walking out to the street. He stepped into his car and fired it up, pulling away from the curb and heading across town. It only took about fifteen minutes for him to show up, parking his car outside and getting out, walking to the door. Before he could even knock the door swung open, and the familiar face of the beagle that was his girlfriend greeted him.

"Hey," she said, smiling softly. She wrapped her arms around him, and he returned the embrace before they walked into the house, Rudy closing the door behind him. "So what is this about, babe?"

"Let's sit down, hun," Rudy said, guiding her over to the sofa in the living room of her house and plopping them down on it. "Listen... you remember how I got arrested last semester and they were arranging my trial?"

"Yeah?" Marley replied, scooting a little closer to her boyfriend.

"Well, I went to court today... I got a guilty sentence," Rudy told her. "But I'm not going to jail. Judge sentenced me to military service. I'm getting shipped out to basic after graduation."

"W... What?" The beagle was obviously stunned, and Rudy slipped his arm around her, pulling her a little closer.

"Hey... I'll be fine, babe, trust me. Nothing can kill me and nothing will take me from you, I swear." He planted a soft kiss on her cheek, turning her head to face him. "Nothing will take me from you."

"B-But Rudy... w-what's going to happen to us? What we have?" The beagle was visibly shaking, tears in her eyes.

"Nothing will happen to it, everything will be the same. I promise." He wiped a tear that escaped her eyes away with his thumb, gently cupping her cheeks. "I love you, Marley."

"Rudy..." The two leaned in at the same time, their eyes closing, letting their lips connect in a soft smooch. Rudy turned his body a little, positioning his hands on her hips to gently hold there. He felt her arms go around his shoulders, and his head tilted a little as their lips parted for a brief moment, going right back together in a more connected kiss than the previous one. Slowly his hands began to rub over her hips, and hers gently rubbed over his shoulders, occasionally going back to run through his hair. Eventually the two came apart, their eyes connecting and gazing into one another for a few moments before their muzzles were back together again, now kissing more furiously, the moment heating up quickly. Rudy slipped his hands underneath her form, gripping the backs of her thighs and picking her up off the couch as he stood, letting her wrap her legs around his waist. Their muzzles never left one another, the pair French kissing as though their lives depended on it. Slowly the dog made his way towards the door that led to Marley's room, pushing it open with his foot as it had been cracked already. Finally the two came away from one another, both panting open mouthed and blushing softly.

"R-Rudy...," Marley breathed, looking down at her boyfriend as he took a step into her room.

"Marley...," Rudy whispered, taking another step.

"I need you..."

"I need you too, babe..." They connected their mouths again as Rudy kicked the door shut behind him, the lock clicking a moment later.