((Blood: I don't think so.  It should be fine.))

Suddenly, a new scent entered the mix.  It definitely wasn't rat.  In fact, it smelled like another dog.  Maybe he'll have food, Gryphon thought.  It would be nice to eat something other than rats and garbage for once.

Gryphon turned to his companion and said "Stay here, I want to investigate this."

He padded further into the alley and the smell got stronger and stronger, until he came upon a large, wiry haired dog laying in the sun.  

"Hello," Gryphon said. He stood tall so as not to appear weak, yet he tried not to stand too tall in case it made him look overly threatening.

(I presume you mean Doon?)

Doon layed out, bathing in the nice sun. Sure, his territory wasn't "to die for", but it had its perks. It was one of the very few places in the city where sunlight was actually able to creep through the ominous shadows of the buildings. 

Food, was a harder prospect. The rats hardly ever showed their little red eyed faces, but they ate enough of his food to make Doon thirst for thier blood. The cats, however, Doon liked. They killed a rat, ever so often. The trouble was, they were always so picky about which rat they would kill. This, was annoying to everyone, except the rats.

For shelter, Doon used an old and abandoned trash can which barely held him inside and was dented. It smelt like rotten eggs and there was some green stuff on it in one corner, but it was home, and that was all he needed.

So, Doon was sprawled out on the asphalt, when another dog just happened to wander up to him. This was no accident, as the dog said 'hi'. "What," Doon said as he scuttled to his feet, "are you doing here?". He bared his teeth, willing to protect his territory. It was the only thing he had left.

(Yep.  I have nothing better to do so I figured I would go around talking to people... or fighting/ possibly running for my life in this case xD)

Out of instinct, Gryphon's hackles raised a little and he bared his teeth.  That wasn't quite the reaction I was hoping for, he thought.  Oh well.  If it's a fight he wants, then it is a fight he shall get. I'm not one to argue.

"I was just passing through here.  I didn't mean you any harm.  But since you seem so eager to fight..."  With that, Gryphon assumed a fighting stance and waited to see if the stranger would attack. 

(Doon doesn't really want to fight, but maybe just this once....)

Doon raised his hackles and growled threateningly back at this dog. 'How dare he tresspass on my land!' he thought, taking on a threatening, but not neccessarily fighting stance. "You would do best, to leave. Now." Doon said, taking a step forward, urging the dog to turn and run. Doon would not chase, so long as the dog didn't come back. 

Doon hated company, even when he lived with humans. Every stranger presented a threat to him. A challenge to his supremecy. This was what he had grown up believing, and in the end, the real reason why he had been left on the streets to die. Except he didn't die.

Seeing the larger (but not necessarily stronger, he thought) dog react this way, Gryphon crouched low to the ground.  He was hungry, and therefore in a bad mood. He didn't have time for this nonsense. Who was this dog to challenge him? A guttural snarl ripped from Gryphon's throat.  He was certain even his friend Shadow would be able to hear him, though she was far away. It didn't matter, though. He knew this would be over soon enough.

 Since it seemed as though the other dog didn't want to strike the first blow, Gryphon did it for him.  He ran at him and nipped at his shoulder.  It really wasn't enough to do damage.  Gryphon was just trying to get his opponent angry, really.  He waited to see if it had worked. 

Doon smiles, almost maliciously, as he removes his weight from the dog. He turns and begins to stalk away, back to the safety of his trash can. 'Hopefully that foolish dog has learned to stay away from me now.' He thinks. The hot, mid-morning asphalt burns the pads of his paws as he walks away, slowly, as if he has better things to do.

Then, something large, painful, and an awful lot like small daggers piercing his skin grabs his left shoulder. Doon screams (a heavy man-scream) as he feels the ivory-white teeth sink in to the bone. The pain is imidiate, and Doon scrambles, trying to get a good hold on the mutt who has decided to play God with him. Nothing works, and Doon falls to teh ground, unable to move his shoulder without a stab of pain rikishaying (not sure if that's how you spell it) through his body.

When Doon was very young, a meer puppy, he found himself alone, on the streets, and in pain. His owners has abandoned him, as he was unwanted. He wanderd the streets for days, until he was finally picked up by some random humans. They took him in, cared for him, and fed him until he got better. Then he became the family dog. They called him 'Shaggy', because of his fur.

Two years later. Doon began to notice a difference in the family. The Female human was getting more moody and less predictable. She was also growing in the belly. The Male human, who would usually walk and feed Doon, didn't have time for him, and was focused on taking care of his mate. Then, after a few months, both left Doon in their apartment, alone for two days. When they returned, the had a strange creature with them. Something small, pink, and noisy. Doon did not like it at all.

Four months later, and Doon was watching over the thing that was small, pink, and noisy, which he had discovered was a baby. The baby was toying with Doons fur, pulling things that hurt in all the wrong ways, and Doon had had just about enough. He figured that he could treat it as a dog would treat a puppy when it was being bad. He growled and bared his teeth at the baby.

The humans who had cared for him so much, took one look at him growling, and threw him out on the streets. At first, Doon was confused. He didn't know what to do. He tried to return, and would spend nights in the back lot where his "naughty-kennel" was. One day, it wasn't there anymore. Doon was forced to move away. Then and there, he vowed that he would never trust another living being, human or otherwise, ever again. 

((Just felt like telling his story in detail.))

(Okay, I'm sorry, but "Heavy man-scream" made my day xD and it's spelled 'ricochet')

When the stranger dog stops struggling, Gryphon feels he has had enough.  He almost feels guilty about biting him so hard- almost.  After all, he did push him to the ground.

"Had enough, old man?" he taunts.  Then he steps back and licks the blood from his maw.  His heart is pounding from the adrenaline pumping through his system.  He can feel the rage that built so quickly when he was pushed begin to ebb slowly.  He can't help but be reminded of himself when he looks down at his opponent, broken, laying on the ground. 

His ex
pression... I imagine that's what I looked like after all those beatings.  Nearly devoid of emotion, except for a tiny glint of cold hatred.  We're not all that different,  he mused.  But there is something else in his eyes, like he's reliving a painful memory.  Perhaps he is simply trying to escape reality?

Unable to look at what he had inflicted on this stranger any more, Gryphon sprinted off to where he had smelled the rats, hoping to repay a debt.

 He probably thinks I'm leaving because I don't care.  Gryphon thought.  Then, a grim realization struck him.  Up until now, I didn't. That phrase, 'Once a bad wolf, always a bad wolf'- I wonder if it's true? 

((Lol shattered here's what happened: Gryphon got bored so he left Shadow with the rats. He decided to go ask a stranger dog (Doon) for food but Doon didn't want Gryphon in his territory.  They fought, Gryphon bit Doon.  He now feels bad for what he did and wants to find a way to help Doon))

Gryphon sprinted back to Shadow.  Breathlessly, he explained, "Shadow. We need rats for another dog.  Don't ask, just help me."

Without waiting for her reply, Gryphon began searching for the rat's nest.  Normally it was an easy task for him, he had been doing it all his life, but his mind was occupied- no, overtaken by thoughts of what he had done to the stranger.  I need to help him, I need to help him. became a chant in his head.  Why do I feel this way?  I have gotten in many fights before, I never feel remorse when I win. Winning is supposed to be good. So why is this happening?  he thought.  It is because we are the same, he answered himself. Helping this dog means redeeming myself in my mind.

Suddenly, his head was flooded with images of his former master, closing in on him.  Except it wasn't his master that night.  Something changed in him then.  Gryphon knew it was because of the female his master had met, yet he didn't blame her.  It wasn't her fault.  Excited to meet someone new after not having a visitor in weeks, he had rushed at her the moment she entered the door, barking happily.  Except, she did not react the way he had thought she would.  Instead, she had screamed and cowered.  Concerned, Gryphon attempted to get closer to her, to see what possibly could be frightening her so much.  She began wailing in the strange human language.  Gryphon never learned what it had meant.  All he knew was that the female screamed at his master and left.  That night, when Gryphon went to check on his master, something happened.  Normally he was greeted with "Good boy!" and scratches behind his ears.  That night, his master looked at him with obvious hatred in his eyes.  "Bad dog," were the first words out of his mouth.  The rest of the words were indecipherable to Gryphon.  What had he done wrong? He couldn't understand what he possibly could have done to warrant this screaming.

Then, his master began repeating words that the female had used.  Others were mixed in,   but only a few stuck with Gryphon.  "Me or the dog, she said. Me or the dog!" then his master would begin to laugh.  Gryphon would wag his tail uncertainly and try to lick his master, only to be beaten. "Your fault!" his master would scream.  "All because of you!" and "I chose you, you ungrateful mutt!  She left because of YOU!"

Gryphon often tried to figure out meaning, but he eventually gave up when he decided it didn't ultimately matter.  He had no master.  The screaming man that hit him was no master. His master was a kind man that would curl up with him on the couch and play with him.  Not  hit him senselessly.  The day he realized this, Gryphon ran off, escaping through a hole in the fence.  Since my master left, he thought, so shall I.  Maybe I will find him again some day.

His mind whirling,  and unable to concentrate, he looked to Shadow for help.  "You're better at finding rats than I am. Always have been. So um... help please?"  he looked at her expectantly. 

((@Wolfeh, completely off topic, but Silver Pack is back and I would appreciate it if you'd post. Thankies!))

And then, it was gone. The mirror mutt was gone. Turning to see where the dog had gone, Doon saw the state of his shoulder. 'It doesn't look too bad. I could probably walk on it.' he thought as he rose, steadily, his back legs shaking under most of his weight, and then, was up. Wagging his tail lightly, he stretched, and heard a rippin sensation in his shoulder.

The muscle itself was tearing. 'That, can't be good.' he thought as he resumed standing position. His upper left arm was now numb, from pain, and blood loss. This fact was probably the only good thing about his injury, since in any case, an injury never turns out to be good. Not unless it happens to someone you hate. Right now, the mirror dog who had done this to him was the dog who Doon wanted to be in pain. In bone shattering pain.

He growled, and started to amble--for that was the fastest pace he could manage--after the dog. Although he could hear his muscle tearing with each stretch and paw step of his leg and shoulder, he knew that he had to get revenge. Vegeance here, was necessary.

(Not trying to ignore Pezzo there, but I only have one character.)

"The new dog?" Gryphon said.  "Oh, he's not far. Actually, he isn't that new. An old friend, and he doesn't take kindly to strangers.  So I was thinking... Maybe I should bring this to him alone."  he hoped Shadow wouldn't guess his real reasoning for wanting to be alone when he brought the rat to the dog.  i don't even know his name, the smallish German Shepherd dog thought.  

"Er... thanks Shadow.  I'll be back soon.  Maybe..."  he grasped the limp rat in his jaws and began to carry it back to the dog.

The dog... I wonder if he's still lying there.  I hope he forgives me.  What if he doesn't?  And what if he doesn't take the rat?  He'll starve to death...  Gryphon forced himself to stop thinking so grimly.  He instead focused on carrying the rat to the other dog.  He'll eat it if he gets hungry enough,  Gryphon decided.  

 He knew he must be nearing the dog when the smell of fresh blood overpowered even that of the dead rat in his jaws.  He approached the spot where he had left the dog before.  As he had feared, he wasn't there.  He must have been afraid I would come back to finish him off. Or what if he crawled off somewhere to die?  No. I would smell it.  This is his home, right?  So I'll wait here for him to return.  He will eventually, I know it. I just don't know when.  

 Gryphon lay down in a patch of sun to wait for the other dog's return. Soon, though, the warmth caused Gryphon to become sleepy.  He fought it for a minute, but then decided to give in to it.  He might be a while, and I'll only sleep for a few minutes, he decided.  With that final thought, Gryphon allowed sleep to overcome him. 

(Well, maybe while he was thinking so hard, they passed each other and they didn't even realize it. Lol xP)

His limping was bad. He'd had worse, but this, was bad. He was reminded of the sharp pain every so often when he decided to put his weight on it and try to walk normally. This only resulted in Doon biting his tongue hard so as not to yelp out in pain. The salty taste of his own blood soon filled his mouth, and he had to spit out some of the kool-aid like liquid.

'He'll most certainly pay with his life for this.' Doon thought, beginning to shuffle forward. It was too soon to tell, but he thought he could see the distinct outline of a dog in the distance. It looked just the right size to be the mutt that had mauled him too. 'Time for vegeance. Your about to find out how very wrong you were to attack me.' he thought, spitting out some more blood before shuffling to hide behind a large wooden crate which smelled vaguely of rotten eggs and french fries.

He peered around the crate, and saw his target, not twenty meters away, an easy chase, if he only got close enough. Edging slowly around the crate, Doon began to tip-toe forward, slowly, with stealth on his side. This dog was not going to know what hit him.

He continued forward like this for about five minutes, before ducking behind another piece of large litter, and peeking, much like a pup playing hide and seek, over the top of the ob
ject. He could see his target now, and his mouth salivated with the thirst for blood, so much so that he had to spit more out onto the pavement. 'It's now or never.' he thought, closing his eyes, and then springing out from behind his hiding place.