fighter hound stared at her in disbelief.
  “Sis, you can’t honestly believe that he’s repented? He almost killed you damn it!”
  “No, no he didn’t.” She replied, growling at her sibling. “I remember one of them was staying off me and I can tell how sincere he is. I appreciate your concern, but leave him alone Meph!”
  Meph’s muzzle was gaped open in shock at how her sister was defending him. He was about to reply, but she cut him off. “And close your mouth, it’s rude to leave it open like that.” And, like the dog he was, he obediently shut his mouth, but continued to stare.
  Mel glanced at Philip, who staggered up, looking at her nervously. “Philip, I think you should go.”
  He looked like he was going to protest but seeing Meph glaring at him and Mel’s pleading look for him to go, he nodded and started to walk away. But before he got very far, Mel caught up and turned his head a bit, kissing his cheek. “Be safe for me.” She whispered in his ear before going back to her brother, who remained where he was but growling.
  The Akita gave her a wan smile before he turned and dashed off. What none of them saw was the other two members of Philip’s crew leaving to get ahead to go tell his father what they had seen. It was a night of fiery revelations and hurt, and would only get worse in the dark.

  “Guys, I’m back…” Philip sighed as he entered the warehouse where he stayed. He was tired from his run, and tried not to show it too much. To his surprise his father was there along with his friends, who were glaring at him, while his father stared at him with cool indifference. “What’s going on…?” He could sense a kind of tension in the air, something that made his fur stand on end.
  He didn’t have any idea what was going on with his companions or his father, and in a situation like that it was a bad sign.
  “Having fun with the enemy son?” Eton said coldly, continuing to stare at his son. Philip felt his heart skip a beat, not in the familiar, happy way he was used to, but from pure dread.
  “The enemy…?”
  “That young mutt of a girl I told you and your friends to kill.” Came the bored sounding reply. “Or did you forget in your love-induced haze?”
  Philip stayed silent, keeping his breathing calm.
  “Remember why we do what we do Philip? Remember how Charlie’s family killed my business partner Carface?” Eton said, a light growl breaking through his voice.
  Silence.
  “And yet here you are falling in love with one of his relatives. I don’t know what your deal is Philip, but you need to straighten up and do what I tell you.” Eton growled deeper. “I’m raising you the way I do for a reason, and you better follow it.”
  “… No.”
  “Excuse me Philip?”
  “I’m not going to follow your way. Not any more, not ever.” Philip glared at his father, who raised a taunting eyebrow at him. “I’m not like you; you’re money grubbing, cold and selfish. Charlie started the same way you did but he reformed himself and started a decent family. You decided to stick with that backstabber Carface just to get what you wanted.”
  “Watch it Philip.” Bane growled. “That hound was like a dad to me and if you say one bad word against him I’ll-!”
  “Bane, listen to me!” Philip turned his attention to the Malinois, also looking at Ashton, who looked like he was about to speak. “Don’t you hear yourself? You’re so vile and evil because Carface did it to you! Same with you Ashton; instead of trying to repress violent urges out of you two, he abused them and let you think they were right, kept you two around him the whole time so you didn’t know any better.”
  “Philip, that brat from our enemy’s kids was our message to Charlie that we were coming for him, but she lived and it failed.” Eton cut him off. “Carface raised these two fine and they did a good job where you failed.”
  “She couldn’t defend herself two on one you egotistical old hound!” The young Akita barked loudly. “And you’re raising Bane and Ashton just like your stuck-up business partner did, the wrong way that will get them killed!”
  The silence in the room seemed to choke out the life of even the air around the four canines.
  “Dude… What are you saying…?” Bane muttered, seeming horrified.
  “Wh-what?” Ashton breathed.
  “You guys are set in evil. I don’t know if I can change that but-.”
  “Enough Philip,” snapped Eton, “you have disgraced this family. You are no longer my son, now if you would be so kind, please leave.”
  Philip stared at his father, who promptly turned his back on him in disgrace. The Akita was tempted to attack, but he was sure that he would be taken down if he tried. Though Ashton in particular looked disturbed, that didn’t stop him from being dangerous. “Fine. Fine then!” He barked, turning his back and walking to the door before looking back and saying “By the way, the Barkins and Slumdogs are a much better family than this. At least it feels like home with them.”
  He thought he saw a flicker of hurt through his old companion’s eyes, but it seemed to fade fast to anger. He took off running, not looking back again. The trio left was silent, and the younger two looked towards Eton.
  He looked from one to the other quietly. “Well?” He breathed quietly. “Go on. Kill him.”
  The duo looked nervous about following the order, but then went after Philip.

  “I don’t need them anymore… I can live by myself, and Mel will come and see me…” Muttered the Akita, having slowed his run to a trot when he thought he was far enough away from the gang, tail flicking. “I mean, I got nobody else now…”
  He kept walking, glancing now and then over his shoulder. He didn’t put it past them to come after him, maybe to beat him up until he came back. But he wouldn’t go back, ever. He had his mind made up that senseless violence wasn’t what he wanted in his life. He could live peacefully; maybe Charlie would let him have a room.
  Maybe he could even stay with Mel. He would be happy to sleep by her, or at least in the same room. He couldn’t help imagine spending his days with her, and smiled blissfully. He started to imagine having pups of his own, watching them chasing around him and Mel, and himself as a proud, respectable father.
  He was so deep in his thoughts that the attack of the two caught him like a lightning bolt. He yelped, starting to fight them off as they sunk their teeth and claws in him. He might have kept off Mel, but that didn’t mean he lacked strength when he needed it. He shoved and bit at them.
  “Stop struggling and we’ll make it painless Philip!” Snarled Bane as he was kicked off of the Akita; he pounced back on, his fangs seeking Philip’s throat. Ashton tried to pin him down so Bane could finish him off, but he seemed far off, like he wasn’t aware what was happening.
  “Get off of me, both of you!” Yelped the pinned Akita, using one of his paws to fend them off his throat, twisting and turning wildly to escape from the duo.  He felt Bane get ahold of his throat and give a victorious growl, and tensing his head, ready to pull.
  But suddenly Bane let go with a yelp. Ashton was soon off with a similar noise, and Philip winced as air got to his bite and scratch wounds. He heard a growl above him, and two from a distance, not able to tell who was over him.
  “Oh get your sniveling butt up and quit whining like a pup with a scratch on its paw.” He heard an exasperated voice say. “It’s not like you’ve been in any heavy street fight, these guys were going easy.”
  Phil let his eyes adjust as he sat up. His wounds still hurt, but he stopped making noises, looking at his savior. His eyes widened in surprise: Meph.
  “You?! What are you doing here?!” Stuttered the Akita.
  “Not to save your tail for pleasure,” replied the scarred dog dully, “I’m doing my sister a favor.”
  “A favor?”
  “She didn’t smile much after these two mutt friends of yours got her.” Meph said venomously. “But you make her smile and she likes you. Besides, it’s two on one, and now you’re hurt.” The mutt turned his good eye towards Philip to see him clearly. “Get out of here, I’ll handle these two, it won’t be hard.”
  Philip stared at him a moment, his heart beating fast. Then he shook his head and stood beside Meph, who seemed like he couldn’t decide whether to glare or to look confused. “Sorry, but your sister won’t smile much if I leave you here. Besides,” Philip smiled at Meph, “if I go, it’s still two on one. So you’ll have to pardon me for not listening to you.”
  The scarred mutt looked Philip up and down a moment before looking back at the two who had been slowly approaching. “You better watch my back Philip. If you double cross me I swear to God I’ll haunt you.”
  “Don’t worry your scruffy tail about it.” Philip