A Second Chance
#1 of Writing Group Challenge
Writing Group Challenge #1
Surprise, it's me again! That pesky itch to write was stubborn and didn't want to go away, but I wasn't sure what to write about. Then I stumbled upon a writing group led by some fellow furry writers and decided to take up their weekly writing prompt! I horribly missed the target of only 1000 words, but I was having too good of a time writing this and decided to just let it flow. It's somewhat of a cliché story, but I enjoyed every minute I spent writing it! Hopefully you all find the same enjoyment I did! As always, I hope to see you at the bottom of the page!
Learning to block out all the noise was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. The hustle and bustle of hundreds of thousands of people passing by on the sidewalks every single day, rain, shine or snow, and the relentless horns of the dull yellow taxi cars that sat gridlocked on the streets. Today? Rain, of the cold variety.
My once smooth, glossy black fur was now mangled and matted, plastered down against my skin. Clean, neat clothes were now caked with dirt and grime from having not been washed in a few weeks. Bright, green eyes that were once full of life and determination were now dull and bloodshot, pointed down at the sidewalk, unwilling to raise my face to the stream of people passing by who never seemed to notice me anyway. An unkept and scruffy wolf muzzle under an old tattered New York Yankees cap stared back at me through the puddle that had pooled on the ground in front of my feet. My stomach growled angrily, but I ignored it and instead pulled my knees closer to my chest so that my paws wouldn't be stepped on.
Today was a twisted celebration of sorts, a celebration of the day when my world came crashing down. Rewind about two years and two months, I was a prospering senior at one of the top universities in the state. I excelled in all of my classes throughout my undergraduate career, it was too easy. It was boring. I needed something to keep myself entertained during the last two months of my final semester; the parties were lackluster at best, and I'd fallen flat with relationships. I needed a source of excitement; I found drugs.
My friend Jordan introduced me to weed first when I told him I was interested, and he was more than happy to oblige. Next thing I knew, I was hooked, and it all spiraled down from there. A week later I tried cocaine, and the week after that? Meth. I wanted to try it all, not once considering the consequences of my actions.
It went surprisingly smoothly for the next couple of weeks, I had found my solution to my boredom. I was sat on the back porch of my second story apartment smoking a joint when it all happened. A firm knocking on my door, causing me look up from my phone.
"Who is it?" I yelled, taking a small drag.
"NYPD, open up!" A muffled shout came back, which led me to quickly snuff out the blunt and toss it over the side before jumping up to answer. Pulling the door open, two German shepherd canines in full uniform stood silently, holding out a piece of paper. "Your apartment manager called, said he was suspicious of some criminal activity taking place in this room. He told us he's given you multiple warnings but have ignored them, and has given us permission to search the premises. Step aside please." I could only stare dumbfounded at them as they pushed their way through me into my small apartment.
"Wait, you can't just barge in here like that! Who gave you the right to just waltz on in and start going through my stuff?!" I complained indignantly, too high to realize they'd already answered that question. Needless to say, they found everything. Weed, meth, cocaine, all in places I thought was hidden thoughtfully, but it was no problem for their strong canine noses. I was arrested on the spot. The two officers felt bad for me and destroyed the weed, but they had to charge me for possession of narcotics.
It all fell apart from there. I served a few months in jail before being released on probation for good behavior, but it was too late. Everything was gone. Kicked out of school, apartment lease torn to shreds, and heavily in debt. I lost everything. I had no close connections to family, and my friends had all moved on, having graduated without me to go on to bigger and better things. I tried to find work, but my criminal record shot down any chance of that.
After a few days I became desperate, I needed food, so I did what any homeless poor person does. Beg. I found an old tin can in one of the alley dumpsters, sat down on the sidewalk, and waited. Eventually I attempted to reach out to people, tried conversing, but I was never even given a second glance. I grew colder inside with each person that turned a blind eye to my situation, my heart shriveling up until it became a husk, only a remnant of what it once was.
Days, weeks, months went by, and I learned to adapt to the best of my ability. I learned how to dumpster dive. I learned what days were best for begging, most often weekends when people weren't in a rush to get to work on time. I learned to trust nobody, because as soon as you did, it turned into a cruel joke for some quick entertainment and a new viral video to post to the internet. This was my life now.
I shivered slightly in the cold rain as my stomach uttered another demanding growl. I reached for the old plastic bottle that was sat out to my side collecting water as it spilled from the roof, only to have it kicked out of my reach. I dragged my head upwards to try to catch the culprit, finding an outstretched paw holding my water bottle back out to me.
"Sorry about that, wasn't watching where I was-" the voice cut itself short suddenly, and I tilted my head up further to meet the other person's gaze. A piercing set of icy, yet familiarly warm blue eyes partly hidden behind a pair of blue framed glasses stared bewilderedly at me, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Danny...?" the stranger asked quietly, and my eyes widened as I heard the name that I hadn't heard anyone say in years. Even though it had been two years since I'd seen him, I recognized the dog's face immediately.
"Ben..." I muttered in almost a whisper, calling him by the shortened nickname we gave him during my college years. The husky dropped my water bottle and held out a paw to help pull me to my feet, straining a bit as I'd been sitting all day. I quickly found myself wrapped up in a hug from the smaller dog; Ben had always been the affectionate one of our small, tight-knit group. I wasn't sure how to respond at first, having nearly forgotten what the feeling was like, but I eventually returned the embrace.
"Dude, you stink. How long have you been sitting out here? When was the last time you ate anything? Are you not staying anywhere right now?" The husky bombarded me with questions as he pulled away, to which I answered honestly.
"Yes I know I stink, I've been out here for longer than I care to admit, I'm honestly not sure when the last time I ate was, and no, I'm not." He stared at me in disbelief before looking over his left, then right shoulder and whistle shrilly. "Taxi!" He shouted, waving his arm wildly.
"What are you doing?" I asked with a frown crawling across my features. "I'm taking you back to my place until I can figure out what to do with you, you're not going to sit out here and waste away on the streets for the rest of your life." He replied curtly over his shoulder, still trying to wave down a cab. With a sigh I slowly lowered myself back down to my sitting spot, shaking my head.
"What's the point? I'm hopeless Ben, and I'm sure as hell not gonna drag you down because of my stupid decisions I made. Just get back to your life." I replied dismissively, pulling my knees back against my chest. Ben's shouting stopped at my words, and the lack of a reply caused me to assume that the dog had taken my advice to leave me be.
The vicious growl left my lips before I could stop it as my friend reached down and snatched up my collecting can, holding it for ransom. Before I could stop him I watched in horror as he tossed the can down one of the nearby storm drains, effectively throwing away my dinner for the night.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?! That was the only money I had for food!" I roared at him, jumping back up to my feet. I loomed over the smaller canine threateningly with fists clenched, and the husky stared back at me, terror written across his gaze. In the reflection of his glasses I could see my snarling muzzle staring back at me, shame flooding through me as I realized what I was doing.
"Ben, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I'm starving, I've barely slept in days, I'm disgusting and gross and I don't deserve anything that you're trying to give me. I made mistakes, and you shouldn't have to suffer for them. Please just... go home, and don't tell anyone else I'm here, please. I don't want any of them to see me like this." I pleaded with him. He was silent for a few moments before finally shaking his head.
"No Danny, I'm not leaving you out here like this. Yes you made a couple of dumb mistakes, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve a second chance. You're one of, if not the smartest person I've ever met, and I'm not going to let you live out the rest of your days in misery. I'm bringing you back with me, you're getting a shower and a meal, and then we'll figure things out from there. Okay?" The dog's voice was laced with sincerity, shoving its way through my pessimistic thoughts of the future. I mulled over the decision for a minute or two in silence before meeting the dog's gaze again.
"What the hell. It beats getting off the streets even if for a little while I guess." I complied with a sigh, and immediately the breath was knocked out of me as the dog wrapped his arms around me tightly once again. I couldn't help but chuckle as I returned the hug, resting my head on top of his momentarily. "You really do stink, wolf." My old friend jabbed at me, generating an eye roll from me. "Yeah yeah I know, you're not the one who has to smell it every day." I jested back with a grin, before having my attention drawn to the taxi that rolled up next to us.
"I heard somebody calling for a cab, still need one?" the taxi driver asked impatiently, the husky looking up towards me. I nodded my head in confirmation, following the smaller dog into the backseat. As the cab pulled away, I stared down at my paws in my lap before glancing over to the husky next to me who stared out the window, and for the first time in months I began to think of a life that could be worth living for.
That's that! I'm hoping to try to keep up with these after final exams next week, free time allowing! Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed be sure to fav/rate as you please, or leave any comments with constructive criticism, I always read them even if I don't respond! Stay fuzzy! -Elijah