“You don’t know if that was a good idea?” Rosa finished for him, getting a nod in return.
  “Exactly.”
  “I don’t think we should be too worried about Meph, he’s a bit headstrong but he’s smart in his own way.” Mel said, patting Philip’s shoulder.
  “Still, since we’re technically related I can’t help but worry about him.” Philip said, looking between both females. “I just don’t want him to think about doing something stupid.”
  Elliot twitched his ear, closing his eyes thoughtfully. Meph was thinking about the same thing he was: how to resolve what issues they were having in any way possible, and was probably up pacing in his room thinking about it.
  Before he could think any more, there was a crash and he opened one eye, giving a sigh before opening both and starting to walk to the bar, where one drunk hound was starting to cause problems. At least he had his job to keep his mind off things. He picked up the dog by his scruff, the hound struggling and cursing, and carried him to the front entrance.

  The green-eyed mutt was racing down the stairs, his claws clacking each wooden step as he went down. He had a determined expression on his face, going down to see Elliot. Meph had taken a few hours to think about what he wanted to say to Elliot, what he wanted to do, and he figured he had the perfect idea now.
  When he reached the lobby area he opened the front door to go outside, heading into the Fleabite. He looked around quickly, eyes darting around until he saw Elliot standing there. Eyes narrowing, Meph walked up to him, the mutt staring at him as he approached. “We need to talk, outside, now.” He snapped, waiting for a response.
  Elliot kept his face calm but inside he was seething with annoyance. He gave a nod and gave a simple response. “Lead the way.”
  The younger mutt huffed out his nose before he turned and started walking, heading back for the entrance, Elliot following behind him. From the bar, Joey watched the duo as he cleaned out a glass, eyebrow raised. “Where’s our bouncer going off to?”
  “Don’t know bro.” His brother, Zak, was watching them as well, glass lifted halfway to his muzzle as he stared in interest. “Meph can’t stand him, so I have no idea why he would want to go anywhere near him.”
  “Knowing him, he’ll tell me after he gets whatever he wants figured out.” Joey said, filling the cleaned glass and gulping it down. He was glad Charlie didn’t mind him taking the occasional drink himself when he knew stress would be on its way. “That kid is going to turn my fur grey, I swear!”
  Outside, Meph took a deep breath and turned around, glaring at the mutt who was standing there casually. It was irritating how calm Elliot was being knowing that he was about to chew into him. “I hate you. I’m pretty sure you’re well aware of that, and if you aren’t, now you know.”
  “Feeling is starting to become mutual.” Elliot replied, rolling his eyes. “If that’s all, can I get back to work?”
  “No, that’s not it.” Meph snapped, growling. “I want to fight you and show you I’m not just some kid. And I want a wager in it too.”
  The older mutt was silent, ears twitching to show he was listening. He had never been involved in a wager himself, always had them placed on him by betting dogs when he used to box. “Let’s hear it, pup.” He said, his voice almost mocking.
  Meph knew he was just trying to get under his skin and shook it off. “If I win the fight, you leave and go back wherever you were. If you win, I leave town and don’t come back.”
  Elliot raised an eyebrow. “Bit harsh, don’t you think?”
  “Scared?”
  “As if kid, I’ve been properly trained to eat up street fighters like you and spit them out easy.” Elliot’s eyes glinted with something he hadn’t felt in ages: the desire to fight and brawl. “Hope you don’t like Frisco too much.”
  “Hope you didn’t like your bed.” Meph replied, stepping around Elliot and heading back inside. He started heading right for the bar, Joey spotting him.
  “Here we go.” He grumbled, Zak following his example from earlier and gulping his drink right down before he came. Meph sat by his uncle, arms crossed on the bar, ears flat with an irritated look on his face. “So how are you today Meph?” Joey asked him casually, giving his usual confident grin.
  “Annoyed.”
  “Why’s that?”
  “That Elliot guy.” Meph let a low growl out mentioning the name.
  “What did he do to you?” Zak asked, one of his ears twitching.
  “It’s just the fact that he’s here.” Meph shook his head. “He thinks he’s so much better than me, I can tell.”
  “No offense Meph,” Joey said as he set a glass of water in front of his kid, “but he’s a pro boxer. My dad actually went up against him, he was the champ.”
  Meph stared at the glass in front of him. “I don’t care, I’m a pro on the street fighter section around here and you know that.” He turned his good eye up to Joey. “And I’m going to prove it, I challenged him to a fight.”
  He saw his Uncle and dad look at each other and tilted his head when Zak looked at him. “What did you bet?” He asked.
  “What?”
  “Meph, don’t play dumb.” Joey said sternly. He leaned on the bar to look his son in the face. “You don’t get into any fights unless something is in it for you; it’s why you quit boxing. You hardly got paid much and didn’t like that, so you joined the street to get more because it offered you a good price. So don’t lie, what did you bet?”
  Meph looked uncomfortable as he shuffled a scarred paw on the counter. Both adults were staring at him, and he was sure if he tried to make a move to bolt that Zak would just grab him. He took a deep breath before he said, “Loser has to leave. Him the building, me the town.”
  Joey shook his head, growling. “Meph, go tell him you call it off.” He snapped.
  “But…”
  “No, no buts son.” Joey gripped his scruff firmly, pulling him close. “That is a stupid wager for some bitter grudge you have for some stupid reason. Nobody is leaving, got it?”
  When he was let go, Meph lowered his head. Joey sighed, standing straight. “Tell him after your match, and that I said that it was too dumb to be a serious bet.” The Doberman watched his son perk up slightly. “I want you two to fight your hardest and fight it out good.”
  “So… It’s okay if I fight?”
  “Might show him a Slumdog can still kick his tail, plus it may stop your aggression so you’ll quit staying away from your family.” Joey said. He pat his son’s head, adding, “You’re a good kid, but sometimes you can just be an idiot. Just figure out how you feel about Elliot after you work your anger out.”
  Meph was confused how to feel, annoyed that he was being called a kid and an idiot, or proud that his father thought he could handle himself against a bigger pro like Elliot. “Thanks dad. I’ll… Make you proud I guess…”
  “Better do more than guess.” Zak said, chuckling. “He might drop you like a rock if you don’t try your hardest.”
  “Watch out for his left hook. When my dad told me about it as a pup he was complaining that his side and head hurt for days after.” Joey said casually, finishing cleaning his last glass and setting it aside.
  Meph could only blink, surprised his dad was going to let him do this. He picked up his glass of water and gulped it down, setting it back on the counter to go back inside to wait for the night. He could feel a good feeling through his belly, sure that this was a good sign.
  The duo brothers watched him head back inside before Zak turned to Joey. “You really think you can handle himself?” He asked while offering his glass forward for a refill.
  “If he can’t, I’ll be sure to disown him.” Joey said jokingly, filling up the cup.
  “You’re father of the year, Joey. Father of the whole year.” Zak said as he shook his head, gulping it down.

  Elliot glanced up as he left the building, seeing the dark, clear sky past the street lights that were on. Meph had given him directions to an alleyway far away from the apartments so he wouldn’t be followed, and nobody ever went there because it was so out of the way, even the street fighters avoided it. He figured a nice run would get his blood pumping, taking off in a flash, using his long legs to get there faster.
  Wind whistled through his triangle-shaped ears, through his fluffy fur, and over the exposed scars on him. He sniffed the air as he sped through, catching Meph’s scent and starting to follow it. The mutt really didn’t want to hurt him, he could tell that he had some issues that he was sure he kept in, but he knew that this was a fight to be able to live in a place he just got to. He couldn’t back down; he owed it to the pups to stay.
  It didn’t take long for the older dog to find the place, seeing a single light