The alleyways are dark as a night with no stars. A perfect place for someone like me to hide. "Psst. Gash. I found a better alleyway." I say secretly, like we're travelers hiding out in a hostile city. Gash, my best friend and traveling companion, peers into the alleyway and wrinkles his nose in disgust. He's a cute little guy, half Canira and half Canis.

You wouldn't be able to tell though, he looks almost entirely Canis. He has the bulkier build of a Canis, with those big eyes that look innocent and all-knowing at the same time, as opposed to the slender build of a Canira. His ears give him away, though- one is a more rounded Canira ear, and the other is more boxy, and it curls down at the top, like it couldn't decide what it was supposed to be. I've never seen another mixed-breed like him, and I still don't know where he came from. He doesn't know where he's from, either. His fluffy brown fur jumps up and down as we walk down the alley.

"Oooh. Cool! But I kinda wanted to set up fort at somewhere comfy tonight. Like someone's house?" He whines a bit, big purple eyes and ears down against his face.

I sigh and roll my eyes. "We're roughing it! Remember?"

He frowns at me, slightly confused. "I don't wanna rough it tonight. It seems so omy-omin-omyno-"

"Ominous?" I say.

"That too."

"So then what do you wanna do?"

"I wanna get into someone's house and curl up and eat bacon flavored Meat Treats."

I groan. "But we're ROUGHING it! We're tough, nasty orphans, right?"

"I don't want to be tough or nasty..." Gash murmurs, tail between legs.

"We can borrow a blanket from Lily Lazura." I say, trying to knock some sense into him.

"Oh... I like Lily. She's very nice." Gash says with a smile.

"You go get the blanket." I say, pointing towards her house. "I'll set up in the alleyway."

Ever since we've been little, Gash and I have been orphans in the streets. It would've been way cooler if everyone didn't go "Awwww, you guys want some shelter? Food? Inflatable toy horse? Your own baby dragon?"

It's just too darn easy!!! I stomp around, and kick a rock into the alleyway I plan to set up in. It makes a dull, metallic thud that sounds nothing like a rock, and bounces back and hits me in the face. Annoyed and a bit scared, I flare out the fur around my neck, setting it ablaze. I stride into the alleyway, but no one is there. It's just an empty alley. I sit down and wait for Gash.

An hour later, he still hasn't come. Worried, I walk slowly out of the alleyway and hit a wall. I look up and see nothing, but when I try to get through I just can't. "GASH! WHERE ARE YOU?" I scream, as if yelling will make the wall go away. Out of nothing, a black figure appears from the wall. It's not completely draconic, but rather an odd breed of Canira mixed with dragon. Blue flecks remain on its body like the black is some type of armor. Three black spiraling scars are engraved on its backside.

I look into its eyes, trembling. Its eyes are completely blank circles of shiny black. It takes one step towards me, and I scurry backwards. It lashes out at me, showing huge wings, and I run. I find myself at the back of the alleyway, panting hard, and a door opens out of the shiny white of the house behind me. I jump in, and the creature disappears as the door closes. I turn to look at my saviors, and find they are all made of the same glossy black stone. One of them, who's in the form of a griffin, picks me up and hurls me into a small stone cell. I have only a second to realize I've been abducted before the wall hits me full force and I pass out.