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Reunion: Chapter 2

The small Canis was afraid, he had one off and tried to be brave and walk home by himself instead of staying with his friends. He always wanted to be known as the Brave One. The Smart One, Fast One, Strong One and Handsome One were already taken and he didn't want to be left out. It was a silly game that he and his friends had made up on the playground, to be their own little gang of super heroes. Each of them had done something to earn their names. The Smart One held the highest grades, the Fast One won a race that was held, the Strong One was able to lift up the heaviest object, which in this case was a chair that someone sat on and the Handsome One was able to get the most girls to follow him. That just left him, young Adrian Ross. He didn't want to be stuck without a name so he told them that he would walk home from school in the dark.

Now he was in an unfamiliar part of the city. The buildings here were taller than the ones at home and the streets were cleaner too. There weren't people sleeping in the shadows and the smell was nice, it was like some magical place. But, it also had humans. His parents had told him to stay away from them because they were dangerous. He was too young to understand why, but he knew the just of the message, don't mess with humans or they'll take you away.

He walked past them and kept his head low. Most ignored him and continued on their way without giving him a second look. They were either too busy to care, or did notice him and were doing all they could to not get his attention. Like Adrian had been told about humans, many humans were told to avoid any unknown Canis. It was a circle that most were unaware of, a conditioning started generations ago that had seeped into each new generation.

Some though, didn't look away. They watched him carefully as he walked by and thought about what to do. To them, the disappearance of a single Canis was no issue, in fact, the disappearance of any Canis was a plus to them. They viewed Canis as the scum of the world who dragged down humanity. They believed all of the propaganda that the government released and their belief was unwavering. There were too many people around now. The common citizen would be sympathetic to the blight that was wandering aimlessly down the sidewalk. They would wait for him to go somewhere with less people.

Adrian thought about turning around, it was getting obvious that this was the wrong way. The buildings were only getting taller and the number of humans was growing. Some of them glared at him and shoved him out of the way when he didn't move fast enough.

As he was about to just turn around, an arm reached out and grabbed him. Another clamped around his muzzle before he could yell and pulled him into a nearby alley. Few noticed, but none really cared, some were even relieved to see the Canis gone.

Adrian squirmed and tried to pry the fingers away from his muzzle, but to no success. The man who now had hanging under his armpit, raced down the alley way and turned a corner to get out of sight of the street. He looked around to make sure that there was no one around and then set the Canis down, still keeping the muzzle shut. He then looked down at the young Canis. "I'm going to let you go. Don't run or shout, you understand."

Adrian nodded his head. He was terrified more than ever, not brave like he wanted to be. This man who was clothed in a dark trench coat and hid his face with a cloth wrapped around his face looked at him sternly. As the hand slowly moved away from, him a sudden urge to just bolt rose up in his chest. It was the sudden panic now that he was free that nearly took him, but the fear of what would happen if he didn't listen was stronger. He stayed quiet and as still as he could be, though he did reach back onto his tail. It was an old habit that many Canis developed in childhood. It was the equivalent of a safety blanket, just something to hug and hold close.

"Good." The man said and crouched onto his haunches. "You shouldn't be this far into the city, it's very dangerous for your kind." He warned with a wag of his finger.

"I..." Adrian tried to tell him that he was lost and scared, but being scared is what stopped him. The words just stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

"What is it?" The man asked. He was trying to be calm, but he knew others were coming and there wasn't much time.

Adrian squeezed his small paws and closed his eyes and spoke quickly so he wouldn't lose the words again. "I'm lost and scared." He took a deep breath in and looked up at the man.

"Well is that so?" The man already knew that, there was no reason for a Canis to be in the human controlled part of the city and if they did have a reason they were either in an employee bus or in the back of a military transport. "Let's get you home." He wanted to move the frightened child before anyone else more frightening came along. He reached out slowly and Adrian flinched away as if about to be struck. "Take my hand." He insisted and kept it held out.

Adrian regarded the hand with suspicion, his fear was beginning to go away. The man hadn't hurt him like his parents had warned. Though he was far from trusting him. He kept his paws to himself.

"Come on." The man shook his hand in the air. He didn't want to just grab him like he did only moments ago, he only did that out of necessity. It was slowly becoming a necessity. No Canis went around the city without someone in the government knowing about it. They would send out the Dog Catchers soon.

Dog Catchers, the people the government sent out to gather up any Canis that wander too far away from the slums like the Adrian or Canis that become too vocal. It was known that some Canis possessed abilities that some would call unnatural which meant Dog Catchers needed to be the best. They were a force to be reckoned with. They wore bright blue armor and carried both nonlethal and lethal weapons to capture when possible and kill the rest of the time. They were stationed in the Defense Department building. No details regarding what happened to any Canis unfortunate to be caught have ever been leaked. It was one secret everyone knew existed, but didn't attempt to learn about.

"Please, I'm not here to hurt you." The man pleaded to Adrian who was still trying to back farther against the hard wall. He wasn't trying to help the Canis who he only barely spotted on the street because he loved them, he was doing this because it was simply the right thing to do. He had watched as people pushed the child around as he stumbled blindly into danger, barely anyone helped anymore and it was disgusting. He wasn't going to be one of them, he would help even at the risk of his own safety.

"Citizen." A voice that had been ran through a vocabulator to turn it into a deep and assertive voice spoke from behind the man. The man nearly jumped, but he caught himself. Dog Catchers wouldn't hesitate to shoot anyone who they perceived as a threat. "Stand up with your hands out." It ordered and he complied.

There were four of them, each wearing their iconic bright blue armor that only exposed them at the joints. Their faces were covered with entirely blank cube helmets that would look utterly ridiculous if it wasn't terrifying at first. They had weapons point at him and the Canis as well.

"Citizen, you are in direct violation of Dominion law 374-2b." One of them stepped forward while the others kept their weapons raised. "You have been found aiding a Canis under illegal and suspicious circumstances are will be arrested." The Dog Catcher produced a pair of cuffs from his utility belt that also held a shock stick and grenades. "Do not resist and no lasting damage will be incurred upon your person." The Dog Catcher spoke robotically as he recited the charges.

"I will not resist." The man spoke clearly and did not move as the cuffs were put onto him. The Dog Catcher wasn't soft, he shoved him down on his knees with a controlling hand on his shoulder and a crippling kick to the back of his knees. Anger flashed in his head, but it would be suicide to do anything. He was just a normal man, not some trained soldier. He had tried to help and that was all he wanted to do. He felt more sorry for the small child who had slipped in the back corner and was doing all he could to look small.

With the man under control, the Dog Catcher turned his attention to the real reason they were there. "Subclass citizen." He spoke menacingly and took a step towards Adrian. "You are in a restricted area and will be detained."

Adrian didn't understand what was happening. Suddenly there were four more humans who hid their faces behind helmets and spoke with a scary voice. He regretted every decision he had made that day. He thought about all of the 'what ifs' that could have happened. What if he just went home normally with his friends? What if he had taken the man's hand? It seemed to him that every decision he had made was the wrong one.

"Come out now." The Dog Catcher ordered and pointed to the ground several feet away from him. He was seeing how compliant the Canis was going to be and hoped that he would get to use the shock stick. Most Canis were too compliant, it made the job a tad boring by his standards. He could beat them if he wanted to, there was no rule against it, but it was only fun when they fought back.

Adrian, like before, did not listen. He held onto his tail as tight as he could, to the point where it actually hurt.

Satisfied, the Dog Catcher stepped forward and reached for Adrian who threw up his arms to try and stop him. The Dog Catcher swatted the little paws away and reached for the scruff. He grabbed Adrian and tugged him out and away from the wall.

Adrian felt the man grab him behind the neck and he yelped as he was pulled violently. His fight or flight instinct kicked in and everything went dark for him. He heard yelling and gunshots at first and then the sound of metal and bone crunching.

Adrian opened up his eyes and found himself in his bed with the sheets tossed off the side. He was breathing hard and was in a cold sweat.

It was another dream, he told himself.

It wasn't just a dream, it was a memory. The clearest moment in his life that he could remember and yet he wasn't even entirely sure what had exactly happened. He had regained control of himself to the sight of four bodies mangled and bent into positions that shouldn't have been possible. Bits of blue armor stuck out of them where it had been forced into their bodies and the amount of blood that painted the entire area was beyond disturbing.

The man who had tried to get him to go with him was untouched, but wide eyed and pale. Adrian had ran then, leaving the man behind amidst the mess and gore. He ran and ran until he eventually found his way back to the slums where he lived. He kept the events of that night and told his friends he chickened out. He was then named the Scared One, but that no longer mattered, it was true, he was scared... of himself. He still was, now, eighteen years later and no one he knew had any idea about what he had done to those four men.

"You awake yet?" A Canis poked his head through the bedroom door. It was Malcom, his roommate, a fox at that. Foxes were trouble, naturally conniving and full of tricks, but Malcom was a friend, the Fast One. He was the only one of his childhood friends that he knew was still alive. Everyone else had gone off to do their own thing after school and never came back.

"Yeah I'm awake." Adrian sat up. He was nothing but his blue and green striped boxers. His body was well toned due to years of hard living in the slums. Everyone pitched in to help with the schools since we weren't the savages the government made us out to be, but afterwards, he needed to be strong. As much as someone might want to help you, they probably couldn't since they had their own troubles. Asking a human for help was just a way to get the Dog Catchers after you and few escaped the Dog Catchers once they knew who they were hunting.

"Good." Malcom said and walked in. "Now get some clothes on, how are we supposed to find food if you're just in here sleeping the day away?"

"Shut up and get out." Adrian threw his pillow at Malcom. "I'll be out in a bit."

Malcom ducked and the pillow should have went right over his head, but it didn't. At the last moment, when Malcom couldn't see it, the pillow dived down and hit him right atop of his head. Adrian may have been afraid of what he knew he could do, but it also gave him an edge. He used them when he could as long as he wasn't in danger of being spotted.

"I don't know how you do it with your trick shots." Malcom grumbled and picked up the pillows.

"Practice." Adrian replied, not quite lying. "Now like I said, get out. I need to change."

"Ok." Malcom put up his hands and tossed the pillow back on the bed. He left the room and closed the door behind him.

Adrian stood up and stretched. He peeled back the dirty linen that he used as a curtain to let the sun in. Across the trash ridden street he saw a human and not just any human, a military type. He wore a green uniform and was talking to a female Canis across the street. He watched intently as they talked and grew slightly concerned when the woman brought out young child as well. Luckily nothing happened and the man went on his way after waving goodbye. He didn't know what that was about, he and Malcom had only recently moved here to get closer to the city where they could possible find a job. He would need to ask around to find out if there were going to be more of the military showing up and snooping.

"Hurry up. Daylights burning." Malcom yelled from somewhere inside of the building.

Adrian pushed the thoughts of the military out of his mind and changed into some worn out clothes he had scavenged over the years. Money was hard to come by and usually saved in case of an emergency, most things were built out of scrap or just found. Stealing was something that was frowned upon by nearly all Canis since it meant you were taking from someone who wasn't doing much better than you. Only the most despicable stole.

Now being as decent as he could get, Adrian left to go out and try and find something to eat. Life in the slums was hard, but it was the life he had.