affectionately.
  "I don't care what everyone else thinks. You're a beautiful pup, never forget that." She looked around. "Okay pups, time for bed!" At her word, the pups came out of hiding and rushed back, snuggling up close to their mother.
  They all fell asleep peacefully, the tan Doberman dreaming about his father. What did he look like? Where was he at? He hoped he would find his father someday... When he was older...

  Two months passed, Selma taking her pups to view the city instead of being stuck in an alley from time to time during the first month. Zak was amazed by how big one city could be, trying to take everything in at once. His siblings were starting to find their own friends from their walks. Though everyone else stayed away from Zak and stared at him like he was from another planet.
  But the pup didn't care. He was always too busy looking around the city to notice the stares and that nobody wanted to be his friend. Though as time went on he started to notice his siblings were getting more and more distant with him. They started hanging out more with their friends. And quite a few times he would go to ask if he could play with one of his brothers or sisters.
  This was the normal routine:
  "Hey Denis! Would you like to play tag?" The energetic pup would ask one of his brothers.
  "Not today squirt, I'm going to the park with my friends today."
  "Alright, maybe later!" And then Zak would run off to find a different sibling to play with. But left and right he would get the same response. Then he realized it: He didn't have any friends. And when he would try to approach a potential group of friends, they would shy away.
  After he came home yet again from a similar situation he decided to ask his mom why everyone avoided him and why his siblings were growing distant of him.
  "... And that's how my day normally ends." Zak concluded after telling his mother his concerns with friends and siblings. She thought awhile... It stretched out into minutes.
  "I honestly don't know why they would want to avoid you. You are such a nice pup. Maybe it's because you look different from your brothers and sisters. They all look more like me." She said, sighing.
  "I want the best for you. You are such a special and nice boy, I don't see why everyone acts like this towards you all because you look a bit different." Zak was a bit downhearted for these reasons, and started to become a bitter dog as he grew up more and more. He was starting to hate how he looked, how everybody acted around him, even his siblings.
  When he was about one year old, everyone was poking fun at him. They made fun of his fur, how he looked, and about who his father was. Even his siblings joined in when he passed by a group of friends. His mother would try to support him, but she already knew that it was going to be impossible to help him. Though that changed one day while he was in the park.
  He had been sitting under a tree, watching his siblings and their friends hanging out and laughing. What they were laughing about, he had no idea, but he did notice they pointed at him a few times. His ears lowered in distaste. He hated them...
  "Excuse me..." Zak thought it was directed at someone else nearby, so he ignored it. Then he felt a paw tap his shoulder and he looked over. It was a female Golden Retriever, and she looked kinda shy.
  "You seem kind of lonely over here... Would you like me to hang out with you?" Zak stared at her incredulously. This had to be a prank, a joke. Nobody had ever wanted to hang out with him, never.
  "Depends, is this some kind of joke or prank? If it is, I'm not interested." Zak growled, looking back at the group of dogs. He watched her from the corner of his eye, and she shook her head.
  "I know where you're coming from with that, but no. This isn't a joke, nobody set me up to do it. My friends had pointed you out, and were making fun of you. I didn't feel you deserved it, so I left and came to hang out with you instead." Zak's heart leapt a bit at the prospect.
  "I'm Alexis. What's your name?"
  "I'm Zak." He said, offering his paw which she took. He didn't tell her his last name because he thought it was an embarrassing name. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the group of dogs he was watching gaping. He smiled inwardly.
  "So Zak, what do you wanna do?"
  "How about we go and get something to eat? I don't think my mom would mind telling us where the best spot is."
  "Sounds good to me." She said, smiling at him. The Doberman mix stood and started heading back to home, his new friend following at his side.
  After that meeting the two went everywhere together. They played in the park, talked, and even started to get more friends. Though Alexis was always Zak's closest friend, and he thought that new friends were only coming because she was with him. But when he would go talk to the others without Alexis, they actually didn't try to push him away. They actually accepted him...
  Though his siblings still made fun of him and his group of friends, Zak was happy to even have friends who respected him for who he was. Once they got to know him, they thought he was a nice guy. Though there was one fact that always bugged him: where was his dad at? It was always there, in the back of his mind.
  When he was fourteen in dog years he finally decided he would go looking for his dad. He decided to tell his mother, not wanting to go without a goodbye.
  "Mom... I'm going to go look for dad. I just can't go through the rest of my life not meeting him, knowing what he's like." Selma nodded understandingly.
  "I didn't expect you to stay. I knew you would go after him sooner or later. I know you got questions that I can't answer." Zak shuffled his paw awkwardly. She gave him a hug.
  "Be strong and don't give up searching." She said when he hugged her back. He then started going and saying good-bye to his other friends. They all gave him their good wishes, patted his back, hugged him, and some even offered to accompany him, which he refused.
  "This is a trip I have to do myself. He's my dad, so I'll go find him on my own." He would say before he went to the next dogs place. He already knew where to find his last, and first, friend. He went to the park, under the tree they met, and sat there, waiting.
  As predicted, Alexis came and sat by him. They were silent, watching the sunset. They weren't sure what to say to each other. Zak decided to break the ice on their final conversation.
  "I have a feeling you already heard..." She nodded.
  "I'll miss you..."
  "I know. But I can't let that question linger around without an answer. But you know I'll miss you to." He smiled sadly as the sun sunk lower and lower. "I dunno if I'll come back. If I do, I'll be sure to visit you.
  "It's been fun, really it has been. You were the only one who accepted me at first even with my abnormality."
  "It's because it doesn't matter what you look like. It's all in your heart and soul." Alexis replied. The Doberman mix's ears flattened against his head. The silence stretched into minutes.
  "I'll be gone by the morning. I will come back and visit sometime." Zak said. They looked at each other and Alexis nuzzled his powerful neck. He put one paw around her shoulders in a one-armed hug, and they watched the sunset together. For the final time...

  Morning was starting to arise in the Fleabite, but Joey didn't have the heart to throw anyone out right now. He was interested in the strange dog's story. The mix hadn't even finished his first drink. It was just sitting there, with only some liquid missing.
  “So, did you ever see her again?” Charlie asked, curious. The mix shook his head.
  “Don't even remember where I came from... What can I go back to if I don't remember it?”
  “What happened after you left?” Joey asked, slightly anxious for the story to keep going. The mix thought back, stubby tail twitching. He then gave a nod.
  “Now I remember. I traveled around a few cities and small towns, asking other dogs about my dad. Eventually, I ended up in New Orleans, where I met my half brother.” Joey's ears went more erect than usual, now thoroughly intrigued. “I think I should start when I first got there...”

  It was yet another stop for the mix breed. Dogs were talking behind him about his fur color and his different appearance. He was used to it at every stop, being talked about. He took a huge drink of the Sprite he got, sighing. The mix looked at the bartender.
  “Excuse me, have you heard of anyone called William Joseph Slumdog around here? Nickname Will?” The barkeep shook his head, which caused Zak to sigh and lay his muzzle off the table. He then heard a scuffle behind him and turned around. What was happening was a Doberman and a Pitbull were fighting, punching and biting. The mix watched, amazed by how much ferocity the Doberman had.
  “Who's that?” Zak asked, slightly awed by the energy the pure-breed had.
  “That's Joey, best fighter around and he's still young for his age.” The barkeep explained. “He's nineteen, they say his father was a