no different than a beast of war // kenji vs mirrorhound

You are alone.

Cold, tired, and hungry you walk along this sea that smells like a meal, but it wasn't. You are scared, terrified, and only want to find your family once more, except they weren't in this place. No, your family wasn't like the pack of hounds roaming the strange world around you, but they were like them. Tall, lanky, strange beings that would pet you with a certain loving calmness where you felt at home, comfortable and not alone, but here you are, in a field of sand, pawing at the ground to look for grubs. Hungry for something more.

Hungry for the food your family used to leave out for you. A small strange being named Twilight with long hair and warm hugs, you miss her dearly, but she wasn't here anymore. The two bigger strange beings let you go, explore the world on your own, but you didn't. You laid out in front of the door, until the bad ones took you. They called you monster. They told you that you'll love it where you were going, but you didn't. They threw you in here after poking and prodding at you, knowing you were not like the other hounds. Not like the hounds who scream for death and for the bodies of the strange beings.

You sniff the sand, letting the little bit of warmth his you. Scales glittering against the sky, letting you look pristine. Almost as pristine as you had looked back then with Twilight, but you didn't get to feel the soft pets anymore. Instead, you watched Twilight from a window as another hound barks with youth, excitedly wanting to be hers. You were never meant to have a home. You were never meant to have a pack. You were always meant to be alone, cold, and hungry.

You hated being locked away. You hated the bad ones for poking and prodding at you. You hated the way the water laps up at your paws, despite the fear of something else getting you. You were alone and the bad ones wanted you to attack. The bad ones led you here, but there's no food. There's no people. You are alone like always. Eyes glance around as you paw into the sand once more, until there's a sound. A sound that seemed different than the other beasts around. You explore, until you see the strange being. Different looking from the bad ones and Twilight. You breathe quietly for a moment, just watching as the strange being pulls out a large rock.

The strange being strikes, bones crack, and you whimper in pain. Tail between your legs as you growl back with all of the fight in you. The strange being was like the bad ones, mean and violent. You didn't want to be poked and prodded. You just wanted Twilight. You just wanted your pack. You just wanted your home. You jump forward with all the fight in you, knowing that this strange being wasn't going to stop. You were prepared to fight. You were prepared for fight to see Twilight again. You had to.

You snarl with home in your heart.

Teeth pointed as you bite forward, growling under your breath.

You will never find home.

It's the taste of this strange being's blood that reminds you of this. You taste flesh and blood on your tongue, pretending like you enjoyed this. Part of you did, part of you wanted to hurt strange beings like this. Ones that remind you of the bad ones, ones that would declare you weaker than the other hounds. You wished Twilight could find you. Hold you tight in her arms when night falls, but all that's left is your teeth and this strange being's blood on your tongue. You watch as he swings once more, slamming the rock into your shoulder this time.

Crack.

You break.

Crack.

You whimper.

Crack.

You will never be home.

Crack. Crack. Crack. Your bone breaks with the sound of your own heart thrumming in your chest. Whimpering from the depths of your throat, you back away knowing this strange being was strong and had rocks that could break you piece by piece, but you would never see Twilight if you didn't keep fighting. Home was worth fighting for. You had to keep telling yourself this, even through the image of Twilight holding a new pup, even through the whines in the middle of the night outside the strange being's home trying to get back to her. They would come out and shoo you away. Tell you that you were no longer allowed there. Home wasn't your home anymore. You whimpered when the bad ones came and shocked you. You cried when they locked you up and injected you with bad things. You barked at them to try and make them run, but none of it worked.

You were alone.

You were theirs.

You wouldn't find a home.

You limp with pain in your right and your leg not looking well on the left, sniffing the air trying to remember what it was like to feel happy. You are afraid of the strange beings. You are so afraid of them that you can feel the fire of wanting to fight to get home fade away. You bark loudly to the strange being with the rock, hoping he can understand you. Hoping he can at least show you some mercy, but you couldn't. You couldn't stop. You barked loudly, growled under your breath like the strange being had done. You are being threatened. You are alone. You are scared.

You can feel your pain bleeding through your body. Limping on both legs, you push yourself harder than before. You wanted Twilight. You wanted her to sing to you like she used to. You wanted home where the fire was warm and you could curl up and wag your tail in contentedness. You wanted to go back to the times where things were easier and happier and you had a pack. A pack that you loved so much, but everything changed. You are no longer the same as you were before. You are lost.

You will always be lost.

You bark with all the fire you can muster, hoping to slow the strange being's onslaught of attacks. You don't wait to see if it works, you race forward with pain in your skin. You clench down with your canines, ripping at flesh.

This is what the bad ones wanted.

You hope Twilight will forgive you for fighting.

Crack.

You break with the sound of Twilight's giggles in your ears. Flesh ripped into by your teeth, blood upon your snout, as red as the ocean next to you. White fabric falls from your teeth, the taste of anger upon your tongue. Bad one, you shout to yourself. Bad ones deserve to die. Bad ones will hurt his Twilight. You growl back at the strange being, but it swings the rock. For a second, you can hear the giggling of Twilight in your ears, until it's nothing more than the crack sound of your bone, splitting through your skin.

Crack!

Your heart breaks.

Crack!

You're dying.

Crack!

You'll never see her again. You'll never see Twilight. You'll never get to run in the park of statue strange ones, sniffing them one by one. You will never get to bark at shiny lights during the night. You will never get to hear that giggle if you die here. You want your home. You want your pack. You want to go back. Stepping softly in the sand, you whimper, tail between your legs as you back away. Don't show your stomach, you shout in your mind. Don't give an opening to the bad ones. Don't show weakness. You were never meant to be violent. You are alone. You are hungry. You will never go back as long as this bad strange being lives.

You bark loudly, another try at making the strange being leave. You feel your blood pooling in the spots where you're broken. For a moment, you like at your paw trying to ease the bone and the blood. You're hyped up on adrenaline and your instincts scream to kill. The bad ones scream for you to kill. You don't want to. You don't want to kill. You don't want to, but you have to listen. You have to listen or they'll never let you see Twilight again.

You can remember the morning when Twilight got the other pup. Her eyes glowed like they had with you. She giggled with a heavy laughter as she held the pup close. You sat outside in the cold, watching and waiting for her to let you in. You waited for her to let you in and meet the new pup. You waited for her to pet you and love you, but she didn't. She left you outside. She walked away. She left you behind for the bad ones. The large strange beings let you be broken. You barked when they took you. Twilight didn't even blink when you were gone.

She left you there to die.

You growl. You bark. You snarl.

You can't die. You have to go home to Twilight. You have to go home and protect her from the shadows on the walls. You have to go home to lay on her bed and lick her arm, waiting for the attention she would give you. You miss her. You miss her so much. You push forward, limping along with all the power you have. You are broken. You are dying. You will not break. You are tired of breaking. You will eat. You will survive. You have to. You run around the strange being, pushing yourself to the limits, until you strike. Leaping up with your hind legs, trying to knock the strange being down. You chomp with all that you can muster up. You can't feel the sand anymore. You can't feel the red water around you.

You snarl with your teeth.

Your heart is broken.

The Bad Ones will be too.

The air smells of fear.

You're scared. You're scared when the strange being steps out of your attack, looking as strong as before. Stronger than you'll ever be. You don't taste the blood of the strange being, you only taste the salty air and what little it gives you. You snarl in annoyance, broken bones aching in pain. The air isn't as clear as you wish it were. Smells surrounding the beach around them, more blood and more strange beings. You are alone. Alone with one of them, trying to go home to Twilight. If you killed the strange being, you could continue your search. Find food for yourself before you walk miles and miles and miles in search of her. No one could stop you.

Not even the bad ones.

For a moment, you growl heavy in the air as you circle the being. Watch it's rock steady and sharp, but only feeling it break bone after bone on you. You are not sure when things got so dangerous, but it started with the strange being. The strange being who looked nothing like Twilight. The strange being who was trying to keep you away from her. You wouldn't let him. You couldn't let him. You weren't going to die after the bad ones freed you finally. You couldn't die, when they poked and prodded you. You barked and whined for someone, anyone back then, but you were alone without a pack. You missed having one.

The strange being strikes with the rock, swiftly, but to no avail. You were faster. You've dodged dangerous things before, when you were alone in the cold. You were used to dodging the birds and other pups on the streets scavenging for food. You growl back as the rock doesn't break your limbs. You were strong. You were dying. You could survive. You had to survive. This strange being was nothing more than another pup to face off. Violent and strong like the others, but you could beat him for Twilight. You needed to see her.

You dream of the day you meet her again.

The happiness that'll flood of you.

You dream of the days when you were younger.

You circle once more with all the memories in your heart. You leap forward with those giggles in your ears. You bite with all the fire to see her again.

You will not fall.

You are not a Tribute.

Blood.

It's metallic taste fills your mouth with a new strength. Buried in the depths of your stomach, you feel stronger than before. Strong enough to fight this strange being. It's not enough to take it down, but you are only getting started. Limping on broken bones and broken memories. Left behind to suffer from things you don't understand. Twilight would miss you if she could see you. She'd be proud of you for fighting for her. She'd be proud of you for protecting her from the bad ones. You can't give up. You have to keep fighting.

It's in the blood that you feel stronger. A taste of it making you feel taller and bigger, despite not actually being. You've gained confidence in your bite now. You howl loudly, hoping for the strange being to hear your cry. Strike fear into it's skin and make you look tougher, stronger, better, and faster. You stop circling, letting your eyes stare at the red of blood that drips from the torn marks you've created. Twilight left you. They left you. You had no home. You would get a home if you killed this strange being. You'd go home to Twilight and bark happily as you run up to her waiting for her loving embrace.

You weren't weak.

You were strong. You are strong. The pack of hounds didn't know what they were growling about. You are alone, but you have your heart. You have a goal. A dream. A way home. You were going to go home to her. Even if it was the last thing you did, you would go home and see her. You are dying, but you would see her one last time and bark happily; let your tail wag happily. You would get to do so, but first you needed to make sure the strange being stayed down. The being swings the rock and you move once more, behind the creature, avoiding the spiky rock that glitters like the stones on the strange being's hands and necks.

You lunge once more, with all the bite in the world.

Twilight would give you strength.

You believe in her.

You'd die for her if you had to.

Your bite does nothing, but snap in air.

You feel blood fall from your leg when the strange being strikes, cutting you open. You whine in pain, but you backup to catch your breath. Heavy breaths upon your snout, you watch the strange being wondering what it's been through. Has it met the other hounds? Has it killed before? Will you become it's meal? A chill runs down your back as you stare into those eyes. You are not just some mutt. You are more than the others. You've had a home. You've lived with a family. You lost it all. What more was there to lose?

All you could do was fight.

Fight to see Twilight.

Fight to continue your search.

You are nothing more than a strong pup who wanted to have happiness. The strange being speaks to you as if you understand it's words. You pick up nothing, but exhaustion. Good. It should be tired. Tired creatures were easier to kill and you had to kill. The Bad Ones keep telling you to. You blink once, swiftly before you feel your heart pounding in your chest. You miss her. You miss Twilight. Was she watching? Did she care? Would she be too busy with her new pup? You wanted to know. You wanted to find her. You wanted to make it home. You wanted to survive. You wanted to be free.

Freedom doesn't exist with the bad ones.

They lock you up.

They expect you to die.

You aren't going to die.

You can't die.

You lunge forward with all the speed you can muster, teeth snarled as a deep growl leaves your throat. You will break the strange being apart. You will make it home. You won't hurt anymore. You can't be afraid. You're alone, but you have to pretend like there's a pack behind you. You're the protector. You protected Twilight and you can protect yourself too. You bite with a heavy jaw, striking where you can.

The bad ones expect you to give in.

You'll always fight.

Your strike hits hard, breaking flesh and creating more blood.

The strange being shakes you off, throws you back as you land on your hind legs feeling weaker than before. You start a dash, but it's not enough. It's not enough to feel the rock cut along the back of your head, deep into the flesh. You whine loudly to the air, feeling blood pour from your body. You can feel yourself growing weaker. Your vision is getting blurry now, you know when you're about to die. You whine in pain, ignore the feeling of failure in your heart. You are dying. You will die.

All you can think about is Twilight. Her smile. Her love. Her warmth. Her desire for a new pup where you will never fit in anymore. You are broken. You are bleeding. You are dying. You whimper into the air, whine like the world is breaking apart and to you it is, to the strange being, you look miserable. You probably look dangerous still. You're barely standing when your vision is blurring. You can still make out the other. You're going to die. You're going to die. You're going to die.

You were never going to make it home.

The Bad Ones wouldn't let you.

You were left behind by Twilight to die. You whined and whimpered outside for years of your life. You begged for a chance, a home, and a new opportunity, but you were never meant for that. You whine and whine and whine as you saunter over, weaker and barely about to walk. You can smell the salt and the blood in the air. You can smell the strange being's desire to survive. You can smell it's will to live. You don't want to die.

You've never wanted to die.

You lean against his leg, unsure of if this will be it. If this will be the last thing you see in this world of red seas and heavy sand. You burn as you nuzzle as close as possible, whimpering for forgiveness, for kindness, for anything, but you can feel it. The shock of having to fight. The shock of the bad ones screaming at you to fight. You bite at him, weakly with the last bit of strength you have.

Twilight would have another pup.

You are nothing more than a worthless pup.

Lost, tired, hungry, and broken.

Oh, so broken.