Drifter licked his lips.

“Time to chow.” Drifter ran for a nearby meat pile, but despite his intense hunger, Haywire hesitated.

“Humans need this food. Is it right to take it for ourselves? They’ll probably have to throw all this away if they discover we were in here.”

Drifter snapped and swallowed a chunk of meat. “First off, no one’s gonna discover we were here. Second, even if they did, I certainly hope they throw all this away.” He continued eating.

Haywire walked up to a slab of steak and lowered his head to it. He sniffed it. The aroma was heavenly. His mouth started to water. Well...whatever I need to survive...but nothing more. With only a couple of bites, he downed the steak.

“And just to think,” said Drifter after a mouthful. “We could do this however many times we want!”

Haywire choked and coughed. He held his throat and waited for it to pass. Drifter looked at him, confused.

“We can’t keep doing this,” said Haywire.

“Sure we can. If these humans won’t take of us, we’ll just have to take care of ourselves.” Drifter took another bite.

Haywire stared at him. “By stealing their food? I thought we only did this just to survive.” He was suddenly confused.

Drifter gulped. “We do, what seems to be the problem?”

Haywire pawed at the ground. “It just doesn’t sound right. Just because hungry doesn’t mean we can resort to breaking into the butcher’s shop and stealing.”

Drifter walked over to him. “Listen here. Life’s cruel. You gotta do what you can.” He gave a light growl.

“Yeah, but it’s just something I wouldn’t –“

Suddenly, Drifter covered his mouth with his paw, and gestured for him to be quiet. “You hear that?”

Haywire perked his ears up and listened. He did hear something...voices. They sounded worried, and their footsteps got ever closer and louder as they came closer to the freezer room. “We’ve been discovered!”

Drifter caught a slab of meat in his mouth. “Let’s get outta here!” He headed for the exit, but Haywire blocked his way.

“What’re you doing?”

Drifter, surprised, looked impatiently at him. “We can come back for the rest later, but I’m taking this with me!”

Haywire lowered his head and growled. “No.”

Drifter dropped the piece of meat and stared angrily at him. “What?”

Haywire looked at him. “We have to control ourselves...some things may seem okay to us, but we’ve got to consider the possibility of us hurting others in the process.” He had absolutely no idea where that came from, but it suddenly reminded him of the prank he played on Blitz; how he thought he’d get a good laugh out of it, but also how angry he made Blitz in doing so. Knowing that he’d learned his own lesson made him feel a little guilty.

Drifter growled back. “Don’t be ridiculous!”

“He’s right.” Someone said behind Haywire. They both turned to see Blitz and Ambyr staring at the both of them. Drifter’s growl became louder.

“Who’re they?” he said.

Haywire turned back to him. “Those...are my friends.”

Drifter’s growl turned to a snarl. “You don’t have any friends.” In a flash of teeth, he lunged straight for Haywire, aiming for his throat. Blitz and Ambyr both gasped.

With matching speed, Haywire jumped out of the way. He shoved Drifter to the ground, and pinned him to the ground. Drifter snarled and snapped at him as he struggled to get free, but it was no use. Blitz and Ambyr both had their mouths wide open.

“Now, you listen to me,” Haywire snarled back. “My friends once told me to start acting my age because a certain prank I played on them went too far.”

Blitz lowered his ears.

“...Now, it seems as though I’m the one who is, and you aren’t! Think about it, Drifter! You said it yourself. You only wanted to survive in this world, and you are. Now, let others have their chance.”

Suddenly, a rush more of angry voices could be heard coming into the butcher’s shop. They were human voices, speaking about a break-in. Now they became closer and louder by the second. They were coming from the front door, and not the side.

“We have to get out of here!” Ambyr said urgently.

Drifter grunted and struggled a little more. “You swear you mean what you say?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“Of course.”

Haywire loosened his grip, and Drifter grunted again as he struggled to his paws. He was panting, and looked right at Haywire’s eyes, his gaze burning like a fire.

“...Then let’s stop this madness! MOVE!!” He barked loudly as he bolted straight for the open side door. Haywire barked also and followed him. Ambyr and Blitz took off soon after.

“Hey! There they are,” one of the humans exclaimed. “Hey! Stop!” he shouted, but the four dogs were already long gone.

Drifter, Haywire, Blitz, and Ambyr ran as fast as their paws would carry them, as far away from the butcher shop as they knew. When they finally stopped, they were all completely out of breath. They were sure none of the humans identified them, and none of them were following. They had escaped.

“I...gotta admit, Haywire,” Drifter panted. “It’s...been truly the experience...working with you.”

“Likewise,” Haywire managed to wheeze.

Drifter’s breathing soon began to regulate, and he soon caught his breath. “Thanks.” His eyes then looked up to see Ambyr, still panting. Their eyes locked, and they both seemed to just stare at each other. Ambyr had to turn away when she almost felt herself blush.

“I, uh,” she started to say, but soon stopped herself.

Drifter gave a light smile and walked over to some shadows. “’Till next time,” he said, and disappeared.

“When will that be?” asked Haywire. “...Drifter?” He looked at the spot where Drifter had gone, but there was nothing there. He smiled and shook his head. He then turned to Blitz. “Hey, Blitz...about earlier...I, uh, well, I was the jerk...and...I-I’m sorry.”

Blitz smiled back and lightly nudged him on the shoulder. “We’re both to blame,” he said. “Don’t worry about it!”

Haywire grinned and wagged his tail. “So...who’s up for ice cream?”

Blitz and Ambyr laughed. “Now THAT’s the Haywire we know!” They all started walking off, but no one noticed when Ambyr stopped for a few seconds. She looked back at the spot where Drifter disappeared, thinking to herself.

Don’t be insane, she thought to herself, and joined the others.