By The Crack House (Anyone/Soulless)

[Cruce]

((This is just a character development/practice thread for me and Soulless, but, anyone can join in.))

Away from the Market, but not too far from it sat the House. People went in and never seemed to come out. But what was beside the House attracted a Mutt.

Blood sniffed around the empty trash-cans, finding a discarded burger and some stale fries. Good enough. He was starving and anything could be consumed. Taking it into his jaws, he looked over his shoulders, making sure no one else had their eye on his meal. Two good chomps and everything disappeared down his throat, leaving him a little less hungry.

The sky above was dark with thick smog. No stars, no moon. What did those look like? Blood couldn’t recall. He just heard about them from country dogs. Ground level, the alley he was in was quiet and damp. The only heat to be had came from a steaming manhole further near its dead-end. His eyes fluttered absently with thoughts.

Money is nothing to a dog. Food is everything. He needed to make the humans money so they’d feed him.... Fighting was the key. At this moment though, the Mutt could do little of that. A good rest, some more food...he’d be alright.

His tail swept the asphalt, a sign he was bucking up from his moment of hopelessness. Turning from the deeper dark of the alleyway, he ambled over to the sidewalk near the street. An ear twitched towards the opening door of The House, watching as a shadow slipped in silently. He licked his lips, dismissing the ghost like humans from his mind.

Hmm...what to do.

[soulless]

Unfamiliar sights and sounds were all around Soulless as he made his was slowly down alley after alley looking for something to keep him alive. He was fading slowly, his vision blurred with blood. His nose was still working, which was a miracle after what he had been through, and the scent of human was strong. Finally he smelled what he needed.

Left here, right there, keep going, only a little further to go. There! A skinny man covered in his own filth was seated against a run down building trying to open a small baggie filled with white powder . This powder was exactly what Soulless wanted. He remembered that his former master had made him sniff this before a fight and that it always made him feel like he was invincible. Invincible until the next morning when his wounds became real and the pain was unbearable.

The man finally opened the bag and began to pour the powder onto a piece of broken glass. Soulless knew that he had to act quickly. He let out a low growl and bared his teeth the best that he could in the condition that he was in. It was enough, and the man ran screaming down the alley and into the street. Soulless hobbled over the the glass and bent his head low. He sniffed and felt the burn of the Cocaine as it entered his nostrils. His eye began to water and he shook his head violently, his flapping ears flinging blood everywhere. He sniffed again, and again, and again until at long last all the powder was gone. And so was the pain. His whole head was numb, and his body was on its way there.

Soulless continued his was down the alley and was almost to the front of the building when a door on the side opened. The skinny man came out and next to him was another man, tall and as filthy as the first, holding a gun. Without hesitation, the man with the gun fired it at Soulless, lowered the gun, and walked back into the building with the other man.

Soulless looked around confused. If the man had wanted to scare him off he had failed miserably. Soulless looked around for a moment before making his way around the building. But as he began to walk he felt dizzy. He couldn't understand why it felt like his feet were wet. As he came around the side of the building, through nearly blinding tunnel-vision, he saw another dog. A dog he recognized from long ago.

"Cruce?" Soulless questioned quietly as the world disappeared from around him.

[Cruce]

Gun fire. It made Blood’s nape hackle. He turned back to the door, noticing the humans once more. Keeping silent, his blood-brown eyes narrowed on the spot whilst the door closed. Further from where the men had stood came the black figure of a four-legged creature. His lips twitched with an unheard snarl, awaiting trouble.

It spoke...it spoke his name.

He blinked and stood straight. No one around here knew his name, only a faint mention of his ring title. But that was it. His nose wiggled at the air, pulling it in to catch the smell of blood and the dog’s scent.

”Soulless?” he repeated the name that flared blue in his head. A friend!

His tail started to wag, sweeping dust through the air as the Mutt quickly approached his old Ring buddy.

”Soulless! I thought they sent you to the Pound when the pit got busted!” His deep voice rang excitedly towards the battered black dog. Upon getting closer, he recognized the buzz in Soulless’ eyes. Reacting with a snort at the old addiction, the Mutt did little else to show his worry on the matter.

Looking over his friend, Blood was startled as the dog dropped. Getting nearer to him, his snout lowered to a fresh smelling wound. It was a simple hole, spouting blood from the dog’s shoulder. The gun fire.... He looked into Soulless’ distant eyes before they closed, wondering what he should do. Getting near frantic, he went to the dog's side and tried to nudge himself under Soulless' body. Hoisting the black Mutt in an awkward manner, he stumbled towards the alleyway.

“Gotta get you off the street,” he grunted.

[soulless]

Flickering images of reality flashed before Soulless's one good eye as he drifted in and out of consciousness. He was being carried, by who or what he did not know. He tried to speak, but only gurgled as the blood flowed through his throat. It was then that he realized that he had been shot. The bullet had entered through the right side of his throat and lodged itself somewhere in his left shoulder. He thought he was dying. And the Pain! A merciless God would let him die! He writhed frantically until he felt himself hit the ground. He stood, but his legs were weak. he couldn't see or hear anything except for a ringing in his ears. Suddenly, a sound.

"Soulless!"

Someone knew his name! He turned toward the sound, but still he saw nothing. But the fact that he was known calmed him. He dropped to the ground shaking violently. His body was cold and his head was swimming. He felt is coming, and then it came. Vomit. His mouth tasted of blood. Once more, the darkness enveloped him.

[soulless]

The walls dripped blood. Pieces of fur and gut covered the floor. Smoke filled the air. Everyone was screaming. Betting on the dog they expected to survive. Soulless was up next. His master poured the powder into his bowl. Soulless inhaled it. He took it into his brain and became God. He stepped into the ring. A large brown dog stared back at him. Caine, they called him. Soulless lunged first. His teeth sank into Caine's shoulder. Caine let out a wimper, but countered Soulless with a razor tipped claw to the face. The razor entered at the base of Soulless's left ear and tore through his left eye before catching on the corner of his lip. He was blind in his left eye now. The pain blinded him in his right. In a fury, Soulless tore at Caine, ripping through his chest and into his ribcage. The sound of cracking ribs...

[Cruce]

Blood backed away as his old pal vomited. He looked down the street, then up it, searching for help, any sort of help. His eyes flicked back to the still black form at his paws. What should he do? What could he do?

He lowered his nose to the gushing wound in Soulless' shoulder. The hot smell of crimson filled his senses. He whimpered a little from it and pulled his snout away. A dark sky above, and a dark ground below. Like a void, he felt alone and trapped. Quite helpless, the Mutt stepped over his downed friend.

At the alley's mouth, Blood stood guard. It was all he could do.

((Ptthbbb crappy post on my part. I'm rather brain-dead today.))