idiot. What the heck am I supposed to reply to THAT?”

Ambyr started at him, amazed. Then she chuckled to herself.

“Anyway,” Blitz said, shaking himself off. “Since you woke me up, I might as well get to the track now. Mail duty tomorrow.”

“I know,” Ambyr replied. “Let me know if you see Haywire anywhere.”

Blitz laughed. “Haywire? At the track? And I thought you were the only sane person around here.” He pushed the door open and entered the ground covered in a fresh layer of snow. Leaving Ambyr alone, he closed the door lightly, still chuckling to himself. On his way, Blitz couldn’t help but feel about where Haywire had gone off to either. Usually, he was the last one to get up – and that was late in the afternoon, unless they had mail duty. As he rounded a curve to the track, he suddenly stopped and stared at the strangest thing he ever saw.

Haywire was there at the starting line, standing poised as if ready to attack. On an invisible cue, Haywire leapt forward and dashed through the course. His turns were sharp and acute, his running was unreasonably fast and steady, and his concentration was determined and stable. It gave Blitz a few thoughts about how he was ever able to beat him on try-offs. Try not to be jealous, Blitz whispered to himself. This is a GOOD thing for him. Feeling a little better, Blitz casually strode up to Haywire as he just started to race across the finish.

Haywire panted and heaved once he crossed the finish. He thought he was doing pretty well. If he kept this up, maybe he’d have a chance at beating Ambyr! Oh, the look on her face would be absolutely priceless! Ahem...DO try and stay focused, he told himself. Just as he was about to turn around and poise himself back on the starting line, a familiar voice rang through the air.

“Hey, Haywire! How’s it going?”

Haywire spun around to see Blitz coming over to him, a friendly smile on his face. He shrugged in response, partly shocked to see him here. He must’ve lost track of the time.

“Wow, that’s not bad,” he said. “Keep it up, and you can ALMOST become as good as me!!” He laughed aloud and slapped Haywire on the back.

Haywire frowned at him and grunted. “Yeah...sure.”

“What’s the matter? Something wrong?”

“No, nothing. And you’re asking because...?”

Blitz rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Well? Aren’t you gonna tell me I strut like a pup, or something?”

Haywire shrugged again. “Eh, no...I just remembered I had something else to do.” He moved away from the starting line, towards the exit.

“Hey, wait! How about one race?” Blitz called to him. “You know...for bragging rights.”

Haywire didn’t stop walking, and he didn’t turn around. “No thanks...maybe some other time.” Then, he disappeared around the curb.

Blitz was left alone, dumbfounded, and staring back at the spot where Haywire left his view. This was the first time HE turned down a race...usually, it was HIM that turned them down. He uneasily shook his head to the side, then began his normal morning routine on the track. He seemed to have forgotten all about returning to Ambyr.

As Haywire confidently strode up the roads of Nome, he was careful of any people in his way, or puddles on the ground. For a few moments, he became occupied in thought, thinking to himself how much he...what was that word again? Oh yeah...matured. He frowned at how he could have gotten a lot more practice if Blitz hadn’t shown up. Why would he want to race him? It’s not like he didn’t know who was going to win anyway. Bragging rights...tch, yeah right. If Blitz was so confident in himself, that would mean Haywire would have to try harder. He wanted so much to wipe that smile off of Blitz’s assertive face.

“Oooohh!! Lookie at the doggie!! Isn’t HE feeling up today!!” A black cat stood perched on a fence, accompanied by a few other cats, who snickered at him. “Shake that tail, doggie. And watch out for any sticks and stones in your way!!” The bunch started laughing again.

Haywire growled at them. He was about to go over there and let them have their fair share of ownage, but some unknown force forced his teeth to bite down on his tongue.

The black cat licked at her paws. “What’s the matter, doggie? Cat got your tongue?” She scowled at him.

Haywire growled one last time, trying with all his strength not to give himself over to them. He forced his paws, one at a time, to move one after another, and he slowly turned around and started walking away, still not saying a word.

“Yeah, that’s right. Whimper and cry to your musher like a good doggie now!!” Their laughter faded in the distance.

As soon as Haywire was clear of them, he found a nice, secluded area where he was alone. Angrily, he vented out his rage, jumping up and slashing at trashcans, kicking them over with a noisy CRASH and knocking them to the ground. What came over him at that moment puzzles Haywire to this very day, but all he knew was that he was not himself. Haywire stood, alone, panting, and gazing down at the mess he had caused. What have I done...?

Ambyr was out for a stroll when a series of banging noises caught her attention. She perked her ears and listened. The sound seemed to be coming from a secluded alleyway. Ambyr’s heart jumped up to her throat, and she almost gagged. She sprinted over, and stopped before the corner. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she peeked her head over.

Haywire was sitting in the dark, his back turned to her. He seemed to be hunched over something. Ambyr’s eyes widened. Haywire was snarling at biting down on something. He lifted his head, and a terrifying RRRRIIPPP echoed through the air. Ambyr put her paw to her mouth, suddenly feeling nauseous. She walked out from the corner, and stood before the open mouth of the alley. Haywire was still tearing and shredding at that thing on the ground, seeming not to notice her.

“...Haywire...?” Ambyr cocked her head at him, and cautiously took a step forward.

Haywire instantly stopped what he was doing. He dropped a limp body from his mouth to the ground, and slowly cranked his head towards her, growling. Ambyr gasped and took a step back. “Haywire, what’re you –“

She gasped again as Haywire lunged at her. She threw her paws in front of her, bracing for impact, and quite possibly, the end of her life. Suddenly, Haywire reeled around in mid-air, and landed next to her. Shoving her aside, he ran away, and out of sight, rounding another corner.

Ambyr picked herself off the ground, and shook herself off. What the heck’s gotten into HAYWIRE?! With an uneasy stare to the place where Haywire ran off to, Ambyr cautiously stepped into the alleyway. A torn up and mangled figure lay mutilated on the ground. She felt ready to hurl when she suddenly noticed there was no blood anywhere. Taking another step, she put her nose to the body and sniffed it. Shocked, she withdrew her head and rubbed her nose with her paw. It was one of Haywire’s chew toys! Ambyr, confused but relieved, took a closer look around the alley. ALL of Haywire’s toys lay ripped and torn to shreds around her. Why would Haywire get rid of his most...ermm...prized possessions? Not taking a second longer to figure it out, she quickly dashed to the track.

Something’s happened. Something bad. But no one knew what. How could a dog suddenly switch personalities overnight like that? With all of his characters, you can literally have a different-acting Haywire every day for a week! None of it made any sense, but maybe Blitz can help.

Blitz was already starting to leave the track when Ambyr came sprinting up to him. Both panting, she quickly explained what happened in the alleyway. “What’s up with Haywire? Did you say something to him?” she demanded.

Blitz shook himself off. “Me? Are you kidding?! He’s been acting weird ever since I saw him on the track this morning!”

“You saw Haywire this morning? On the track?! Why didn’t you tell me?”

Blitz shrugged. “Why do you always have to know everything about everybody?”

“Never mind about that,” Ambyr snapped. “We have to find Haywire. Now!!”

“That’s not Haywire.” The two dogs hurried off, following after Haywire’s trail.

A rabid Husky dashed a corner, and effortlessly glided into another secluded alleyway. He looked over his shoulder and smirk, glad that he wasn’t being tailed. “Suckers,” he said. He shook himself off, then continued down the dark corridor.

“Wow, you must be one of those new kinds of idiot,” said a voice beside him.

Haywire looked up to see the same black cat he saw earlier, perched on top of a ledge on the wall, only she appeared to be alone. She casually licked at her paw. “So who are you supposed to be anyway?”

Haywire snarled at her. “You again!! Get lost, fuzzy!! I don’t have time to listen to your pathetic insults.”

“Neither do I,” replied the cat. “But it’s always fun to see a dog degrade himself in front of all his friends.”

Haywire smirked. “I’m not that idiot of a mutt that walks into doors and slips in puddles anymore. You must think you know me, don’t you? Just scram already!!”

The cat continued to pay no mind to his attitude. She examined her claws, holding them out in front of her as she spoke. “Okay, so you can dodge doors and puddles. Big deal.”

“That’s not all. I’ve changed my ways. My character. The way I am.”

The cat