"Officer please you don't understand, I know my son he wouldn't-,"

"Mam," the gruff, thickly built police officer answered, sounding compassionate yet firm. "I know you're concerned, you have every right to be, but we can't report him missing until he's been gone for-,"

"He's sick!" she shouted at him, her hands shaking as she held out the roughly clutched pill bottles for him and his partner to see. "He's sick and he's in pain, he wouldn't just leave unless something was horribly wrong. Something happened and he needs me. Please, please help me look for him he's sick I- I know my son." Her voice wavered, and the worried mother held back tears as she said, "I know my boy, he wouldn't just leave. He needs me."

The two police officers stood in the open doorway looked to each other, obviously upset with the way they were being forced to handle this. This mother had been calling ever since morning, having spent the previous night looking for her son. The leading officer looked down, rough, callused hands holding a picture of the missing boy the mother had given them.

He was a kind looking kid, grinning happily in the photo and sporting a bright red baseball cap as he hugged his dog for the camera. In the picture the dog was only a puppy, and the officer couldn't help but look past the panicking woman to that very same dog pacing anxiously in the living room now.

The German Shepherd was clearly agitated, constantly in motion with its fur on end. It looked up at the adults every time they spoke, clearly aware that something was wrong though it couldn't possibly understand what. It was only a dog.

The mother was still talking, rambling desperately in an attempt to persuade them. They all kept talking, the men speaking in placating tones as the mother only became more and more upset. They would talk and talk, meaningless talking, but Carter looked up every time they said the name he was so attuned to.

'Nino-,' then more words, senseless noise, desperate pleading, then again. 'Nino-,' more words.

Carter paced and paced, waiting for something to happen. He was waiting for his boy to come home but only adults came, foul smelling men and occasionally the father, dirty and exhausted and only stopping to talk to the mother before leaving again. The father was acting, looking for their boy, these stupid men did nothing, they just talked and talked. Carter needed to find him, the sick boy. His boy. He was in pain, he was afraid, and he was gone. His boy needed him, and these adults did nothing.

Carter kept pacing, a growl building in his chest until they heard them say something plain as day, a word he understood clearly.

'No.'

Carter looked up, watching as the mother began to weep and the men looked on with firm, pained expressions. They had said no, the mother was begging and they said no. It didn't matter if they clearly wanted to help, they still said no. They stood to talk and talk, and do nothing. His boy was gone with monsters in the woods and men did nothing.

So he did.

The police officers had been attempting to console her, promising to put the word out as soon as they were allowed to, making as many promises as they could. Neither of them had been expecting the dog to suddenly face them, crouching with teeth barred as it charged. With all its body weight the dog toppled the leading officer, leaping off his chest and barreling through the legs of the second and out into the street.

"Carter!" the mother shouted, the officers sprawled out on the floor and groaning in pain but Carter didn't stop for them. He stood in the street, head high as he turned to regard the woman who had brought him home.

The Mother looked on, her face weary from panic and tears. Her hands were clutching the pill bottles to her chest and her eyes were fixed on him as he looked back at her.

Carter had never understood people or the things they said, at least not most things, but he always knew what they felt. And though she was so surprised and agitated and she called out to him, she didn't want him to stop. She knew what he was doing, and she wanted him to go.

It had never been a spoken command, and it never needed to be. What she said to him now made sense to him, and he would follow it through.

'Find him.'

Carter watched her for a moment more, feeling sadness for leaving her when she was so alone, but it was Nino who she needed. And if he could, he'd bring him home. And if he couldn't? Well, then he wouldn't be alone, and he knew the mother needed that too.

The dog ignored the indignant calls of the men as they finally stood, and he ignored too the car that honked at him irritably to move from his place in the street. He focused on what he knew and bent his head to the asphalt, finding the scent he was looking for.

As soon as he had it Carter left the little home on the street behind without a second thought, fixated on his task as he broke the tree line and entered the forest. His paws dug into the earth as he bound forward, nose working furiously now. He stopped briefly, tail starting to wag as he realized how clear the scent was still. Wow if Nino had left this much of a trail in all likely hood he would stink something awful when he found him. How much had he been sweating? He was ill, sick people sweat sometimes Carter believed, though he didn't really know. Hardly mattered, it helped him so it was a good thing.

The dog held the scent firmly in his mind as he broke into a sprint, enjoying the sensation of running unhindered though his task was important. He couldn't help but feel joy, he was finally acting. He was going to find his boy and no leash or fat, foul smelling man could stop him.

Though he didn't need them to know where Nino had gone, Carter could see the impressions of hurried footsteps in the earth. Some of the tacks were deep and gouged, as if Nino had been stumbling and dragging his feet. The bushes were bent and raindrops knocked clear from the path the boy had taken, going on and on in more or less a straight line. Carter sped up, excited now as he hunted him down.

The dog was forced to stop now and again, checking where it led and feeling slight unease when he stopped in front of a particularly horrid smelling mess on the ground. It was dark and horrific, the smell so strong that Carter sneezed and backed away. He had smelled vomit once before when the father of the house had been sick and it set Carter on edge, but he turned away from it and refocused on the path.

For a long while it was effortless to follow, but the tracks sunk into the dirt became more and more sporadic and Carter was getting anxious. Why had Nino been alone? He was sick, he was hurting and desperate. Why did he leave him behind? Why did he leave home?

Carter had been beside himself just before Nino left, his boy in more pain then the mother and father really knew. Something was wrong, very wrong, and some part of Nino had been changing. He could feel it, and smell it too, even now as he followed him into the woods that sharp shifting part of his smell became stronger and stronger. It was something clawing its way through him, and Carter had been able to do nothing.

The adults didn't understand, and neither did he completely... but his boy was alone. That was something Carter could fix, if nothing else.

The dog loyally forged on, ignoring the intricate web of scents the forests offered and following Nino's trail single mindedly. At the pace he was going he knew he could cover what a stumbling human could in a third of the time, but Nino's path kept going deeper and deeper into the woods. Why had he gone so far from home? Why hadn't he taken him?

Carter had been dutifully following the scent when he was hit with a wall of it all at once, the shepherd skidding to a stop and looking around the small space in confusion. It was so complicated right here, so many things mixed together and thick with that same smell of his boy but... different.

Carter waited in that space, trying to understand it as he lowered his nose to the earth, and went stiff as he noticed the deeply cut marks in the ground. He backed up, looking at the dimly lit little area and felt an anxious whine escape him.

The ground here... it was clawed, deeply. The creature responsible had been huge, a confusing, overlapping series of footprints and paw prints cut through by the gouges in the dirt.

The marks on the ground told of chaos and confusion... his boy walking in, and something huge walking out.

Carter's tail curled between his legs, the dog whining as it looked at the scene. The smells were violent and convoluted, but didn't tell of a beast attacking his boy. There was no blood, and no body. Nino had walked away from this; he had just been...

Different.

It was confusing, but Carter trusted his nose. As he found the courage to pad forward and follow the trail out he recognized the scent. It was fuller, wilder, but it was him. It was that different part of his smell, the part that had been growing and growing for the past while. It was fully realized now, but it was still Nino, he knew that for a fact. His boy might be different but he would know him when he found him, he had faith in that.

It didn't make sense to him... it was confusing but many things were, and he still had a job to do. He was going to find Nino, regardless of what had happened he was still his boy. So he stopped waiting around.

Now with the altered scent to follow and the change in the tracks Carter set off again, finding the path practically cut for him. The animal- no, his boy, he'd been so big. Much bigger than he ought to be, very heavy and big, so big that he pushed every bush and branch aside as he walked and they remained bent after he had left. In time they would return to how they were, but for now they guided the dog who followed dutifully along behind.

Where the grass grew or the ground was dry there were merely vague impressions, but where the earth was damp or even muddy the tracks were exceptionally clear and not entirely unlike Carter's. They were padded and clawed just like his, and though it confused him all Carter had to do was sniff at them and he'd be sure again. It was Nino. That wasn't usually how things were but... even if things were different, it was still him. In the end what sort of tracks they left in the mud didn't matter, the mother didn't like them being in the mud anyways.

Carter fondly remembered all the times it would rain and Nino would go out for walks anyways, laughing whenever Carter would chase after him with the leash that meant he was allowed to go outside. It was annoying to be held back but Carter had gotten used to it, and when no one else was around Nino would let him run wherever he liked. They'd walk through the rain and get soaked and dirty, then the mother would shout things at them. Nino never cared, so neither did he. Carter used to have memories with everyone, but after Nino had gotten hurt...

The dog forged on, trotting quickly as he followed the path. He was going to make up for what he did wrong before. Carter was meant to protect the family and he hadn't, Nino had gone out alone and he got hurt. Carter should have been there, should have fought off what hurt him and he hadn't. He wasn't going to leave his boy alone after that, and he became his boy. He'd always be loyal to the family, but he wouldn't fail his boy again. And yet here he was... chasing along behind as Nino was alone.

But he was coming. He'd find him.

In the middle of the woods a German Shepherd was running, more confident in the path now and going as fast as it could. The trail was long and led deep into places he had never wandered before, winding close to neighborhoods but never entering. His boy had gone deep into the forest, farther and farther away from home than Carter had ever gone. Even as the day wore on and Carter got hungry and tired he didn't stop, he didn't want to. The only thing that made him stop was when he noticed a second scent following the same path... and he froze in his chase.

The dog was panting, having traveled very far already, but the introduction of the new smell alarmed him. Well, it wasn't new... he remembered it. He had tried to warn the mother and his boy, he'd tried to protect them but the mother had pulled him away. He barked and barked but Nino hadn't backed away, they didn't know she was dangerous like he did.

It did not comfort him to find the woman's scent in the forest.

It wasn't recent, not exactly, perhaps early that morning. She hadn't been there at the same time his boy had, rather she had followed along behind like Carter was doing now. But she was ahead of him, and Carter had no way to know if she had already beaten him to Nino.

The dog flew, digging his claws into the ground and pushing himself forward. He didn't like the woman, he didn't trust her, and he didn't want her anywhere near Nino again. Why had she followed him? She had tracked him the same way Carter was, looking for him. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? Was that why Nino had gone so far, was he running from her? Or had he even known she was there? If she was there when he got there he'd run her off, there was no leash to hold him back now. He'd protect Nino, he was tired of not being there to protect him. He'd chase her away.

It was a long time later before Carter finally stopped, needing to rest if only for a little while. He forced himself forward until the scent was strong again, and after hours of running and hunting Carter finally pushed through into a small tree ringed clearing.

The panting dog wearily padded forward, sniffing at the area and taking the opportunity to rest for a moment as he sorted through what he found.

Carter prodded at a scattering of papers left in the grass, tilting his head in confusion and huffing at them. They fluttered from his breath but otherwise provided him with nothing, so he kept casting about.

The woman had been there, but she had left a long time before, maybe even before Carter had left the house, though he couldn't be sure. It didn't matter, she wasn't there, that's what mattered. He could tell that Nino had left this area as well, but the two smells went different directions so Carter allowed himself to rest. So long as he wasn't racing the woman he could stand a few minutes lost.

The dog laid down with a huff, panting still but refusing to sleep. He was a long way from home... but he had a feeling he was getting close.

The clearing was soaked with Nino's scent, and in a reassuring change it was much closer to what Carter was used to. It still had that different part, it wasn't gone, but it wasn't as strong as it had been on the trail. It was more mixed, not overpowering, it was like how it had been in the forest near the house. Carter didn't understand why the smell kept shifting, but if it was back to how it was then he must be getting closer. He could see it too, there were paw prints but they were old, much older than the footprints that led away. That was how footprints in the mud looked sometimes, when people didn't cover their feet. They were people prints as they were meant to be, and if Nino was back to how he was then that meant he was a lot slower, which was good news for Carter. He'd be able to catch up to him now instead of pace him, and so long as the smell didn't change again he could count on finding his boy before the sun went down.

Even as he lay in the forest, so far from home, his tail swept the grass as he considered finally catching up with Nino.

'I'm coming. I'm coming. I'll be there soon, and you'll be alright. And then I can take you home, and if I can't, then I'll stay with you. And you won't be alone and you'll be alright.

I'm coming.'

Nino had been sitting in a small wooded area just off the side of the road as the sun started to set. He tried to keep from panicking, finding some kind of reassurance in the fact that he wasn't in pain, so that meant that it couldn't be happening again, right? It had hurt so much before, all the stories and even the note had said it was the full moon, only then, right? Even if the moon looked full maybe it wouldn't be completely, maybe it was only when it was completely full that it happened. Still though, he sat in the dark with his arms wrapped around his stomach practicing his chant.

'I'm a person... I'm a person... I'm not an animal. I'm not a monster.'

He grimaced against the hollow pain in his stomach and the ache of his feet. He had walked a very long way with bare feet and had nothing to eat. He had been keeping to the road, following signs that mentioned the distant city of Paris. It was the only thing he could do, he didn't have any money, he didn't even have his phone. He was just some dirty, terrified kid walking along the road.

A few people had stopped and he couldn't help but shy away. They asked him if he was okay, if he needed a phone or directions, but he had just muttered something and ran, too afraid to be near anyone. They had been kind, trying to help a homeless looking kid, but he was dangerous. He had to stay away. They didn't know what he was, they didn't know any better than to try and help him.

He knew eventually he'd have to do something for food but... he wasn't concerned with that right now. He just wanted to go, trying desperately not to think as he walked and walked and walked.

Nino jolted when he heard the squealing of tires, some big truck on the road blaring its horn as it was forced to stop. Nino watched nervously, afraid of the car stopping and him being seen, but it hadn't been stopping for him. He heard shouting a moment later, some loud mouthed jerk yelling out his window.

"MOVE YOU STUPID DOG!" and the horn blared again before the truck kept moving, veering around something as it darted across the road.

Nino kept watching, some part of his brain glad through the numbness that the truck had missed whatever dog was out running around about as lost as he was. And another part of his brain darkly chuckled as he realized that, at the minute, he didn't have a lot that wasn't in common with a stray.

God this was all so messed up...

Something off to Nino's left moved, pushing through the bushes and snapping the lost boy to attention. Nino scrambled to his feet, heart pounding as he tried to see through the failing light.

He was paranoid, seriously, but he felt a little justified. He had rather rapidly been made aware of all that was threatening in the world... and been made a part of that category. After a moment, he wondered if he wasn't more of a threat to it then it was to him, whatever it was.

Was it the dog? It would be on his side now, probably nervously padding around him as it headed towards whatever its destination was. Nino heard the sound of sniffing and the jingle of a collar some distance away, and despite his own situation he felt a pang of sympathy for it.

If it had a collar that meant it went somewhere... and was probably a long way from home. Again, darkly, Nino considered them similar, but his mind went blank when he saw the dark nose of an animal pushing through the brush... and the head of a German Shepherd poked out.

Not even a second later Nino was sprawled out roughly on the floor, the wind knocked from him as he was barreled over and his ears ringing as the dog barked joyously. The boy was gasping, trying to get his breath back as he was pinned to the ground, the dogs front paws planted squarely on his chest as its intention was instantly made completely clear to him. The dog might as well have been shouting, 'I found you! I found you!'

"C-Carter!?" Nino gasped incredulously, sputtering again as the dog started to drown him in saliva. Its rough tongue was scratching at his face as the animal practically vibrated in jubilation, besides itself with pride and excitement. When Nino was finally able to place his hands against the dog's chest and push it back, he realized that's exactly who it was. Dark blue collar with that same faded stripe of orange, a flat and circular golden nametag proudly proclaiming the dog to be his. It was Carter.

The dog barked again, bounding backwards and hopping in place, tail wagging furiously as Nino managed to sit up, staring at the dog in utter bewilderment.

"Carter what are you DOING here!?" Nino said aloud, laughing in disbelief as his dog jumped on him again and basically begged to be hugged. He complied of course, and realized with a resounding ache in his chest that he... he was just... so, so relieved to see a friendly face, furred though it was.

"Carter I- how did you find me boy? Did you run away from home? You shouldn't have done that!"

Quite to Nino's shock, Carter pulled away, staring at him with his head cocked in confusion. Though he had no words to offer, again, it was extremely clear to Nino what it meant. His dog's posture and stance said the same thing it had said before, this time a little incredulously actually.

'I found you!'

Nino blinked once, trying to shake off the feeling and allowing himself to laugh again, roughing up the fur on Carter's head as the dog's tail still wagged happily.

"Boy... oh good boy Carter... you're a good boy. But are you- you-..." Nino's sentence fell short, and he pushed Carter a little distance away so he could look him in the face. It was stupid to ask but... he was so glad not to be alone. "Carter aren't you scared of me? S-shouldn't you be scared of monsters boy?" Nino hesitated again, his voice wavering a little. "You barked at her, w-we're the same now boy, aren't you scared of me too?"

Carter was still, his tail wagging and his head still titled to the side so that one ear flopped, and he met Nino's gaze very seriously, in a way Nino couldn't recall he had ever done before. As if he understood what he was saying perfectly, and was completely baffled by what he was saying for another reason entirely.

It was clear as day, just in the way he stood there, in the way he whined and tilted his face. It was as plain as if he had somehow said it aloud.

'Why would I be scared of you? You're not a monster.'

Nino was... in a word... overwhelmed. For two reasons.

The boy slowly reached for his dog, letting the sob that was sitting in his chest spill out as he pulled his stupidly loyal dog to him and just... held him. The Shepherd craned its neck into the space besides Nino's and, in a way, held him too, tail swishing slowly from side to side.

Nino started to cry, his tears soaking into his dog's fur as it patiently let him drop that protective wall of numbness. It understood that's what Nino needed, and he let Nino cry, only pulling away to occasionally lick the tears from his face and force a smile from him.

Nino, in that moment, was so entirely glad not to be alone... that he decided he was going to temporarily ignore the fact... that he could kind of talk to dogs...

For now.

He had enough things to think about as it was. He just... in the moment, he decided that he would deal with it in a minute.

He just wanted to be with his dog for a while.

He could deal with the other part later.