"Flare." A nervous voice from afar calling to her awoke Flare, and the tan dog stretched her muzzle in a yawn.

"Flare. Hey!"

Her eyes flicked open wider now. The voice had sounded familiar. Shadow? Tail wagging with exhileration, the young dog stood up.

Flare stepped over Crow, feeling a bit guilty that she'd been laying so close to him last night. He vanished from her mind quicker than snow under the sun, however.

"He's not awake, is he?" Shadow's voice called worriedly from beyond the fence. He spoke in a hushed tone, and Flare pressed her face right up against the fence with her tail wagging gleefully.

"No. But I'm so glad you're here!" Energy surged throughout her body, and Flare's shoulder knocked into the fence.

"Shh! Your making a lot of noise," he said affectionately with an amused undertone. Flare could practially hear his ego soaring.

"I missed you too- a lot. I'm sorry I couldn't come back sooner." Shadow said in a hurried whisper.

Oh yeah. I should be mad about that. Flare's tail stopped moving as she stiffened.

"I'm so sorry. Flare, I was starving. I got lost for two days, as well- the whole time I'd been away from the yard I was trying to figure out a plan that would get you out."

That doesn't explain everything. Flare thought for a moment and then tilted her ears.

"So you did? You know how to get me out of here?" She finally barked, hopeful. They could discuss the rest later.

"Well- no... But if he's still asleep, you can jump the fence now."

Flare turned her head quickly towards the yard, but her heart sank. Crow had awoken and was near a water bucket, bending to take a drink. His eyes were on Flare right as he looked up. A bolt of lightening-like fear jolted up her spine. Without a second thought, she bent to sniff at the grass.

"He's awake, Shadow- I can't." She muttered out the side of her muzzle. "I think he sees me talking to you right now-" Flare gasped.

"-and he's coming over here..." Swallowing nervously, the tan canine hoped she wouldn't be punished by Crow. She knew how heinous he could be.

"That's fine!" Shadow yipped with confidence. Flare heard the sound of paws pushing off dirt and a rush of wind as Shadow randomly bounded away. His brown pelt vanished from the fence's thin slits, replaced by dull green grass.

Confused and a bit crestfallen, Flare heard the echo of her own heart beat in the uncomfortable seconds of silence. Crow was still stalking towards her, and she stayed where she was as she began hearing Shadow bark from someplace beyond the fence.

"What?" Snarled Crow, his lips peeled back to expose his gums and fangs as he halted.

Jax began barking alongside Shadow, and White Dog approached Flare's far right flank.

"It sounds like he's at the front door."

Since the sun was just rising, Flare knew there was about a halfway chance of the man being awake or just now waking up. She was relieved to not hear any screams erupt from The Man, and pricked her ears as the tiny sound of a door squeak drifted towards them.

Shadow stopped barking straight away, and all the dogs stood tensely. White Dog pricked his ears behind Flare, while Crow simply vibrated with irrefutable anger. Just as Flare began to work out for herself what was happening, the back door swung open.

The brown coon-dog bounded through the doorway like an excited rabbit, launching himself off the porch eagerly. He smelled like concrete, smoke, trash and rubber as well as rolling-dens. None of that bothered Flare, though- she bounded forward to meet him.

When the two dog's bodies clashed they instinctively licked each other's faces, pawing over one another with long thin legs. Shadow's entire rear end moved alongside his wagging tail, and he smothered Flare's ears with licks, nibbling them as well. Though the female dog wouldn't admit it, her heart sang being fawned over like a puppy.

I missed him so much I missed him so much! Now feeling her spirit soar with rewarded hope, Flare lost her sense of dignity- dancing around the brown dog on her tippy toes. Shadow panted in excitement and jumped at her flank, which tumbled Flare into her side with her belly exposed. She relaxed as Shadow followed her, his whines of relief loud and concerning.

"I'm alright." Shadow licked her nose in response, but leaned closer to her ear after that and paused.

"Did he hurt you at all? Or did you go into heat? I can't smell it." Worridly, Shadow sniffed down her flank- but Flare shook her head.

"I was so worried." The male dog blew out a huge sigh of relief. His eyes shone with emotion as he flicked them this way and that. All of the other dogs were close by, but The Man was examining each step of the fence. His presence was like a dark hulking mass of sinew as he stepped heavily beside the wooden slabs, moving from one corner to another.

He's wondering how Shadow escaped, Flare realized. But the most he'll find is a half-dug hole. Unconcerned, Flare disconnected herself from the human's negative aura of energy.

"I honestly didn't think you'd come back," Jax piped up from far behind them. He seemed to be talking to any dog who'd listen. "Brown Dog must be some fight-dog if he came back for the fights, yeh?"

Thinking Jax sounded extremely daft, Flare rolled onto her paws. She pressed her head against Shadow's, who eagerly did the same. His tail still wagged against his flank.

"Nor did I." White Dog caught her eye from beyond Shadow's brow. She didn't respond, and it seemed that's all the male had to say. He turned away and Flare saw his bony haunches retreat to a patch of shade near the fence.

Though the young tan dog knew it would be feeding time soon, and that The Man still stomped heavily around The Yard, they were both far from her mind. Her eyes closed in content as she slid first her cheek and then her flank across Shadow's. She almost shuddered with happiness, her paws tingling with excitement. Shadow is who I want to spend my time with.

"Okay, I've had enough."

Like a bolt of lightening, Flare's peaceful moment was ripped from her. She opened her eyes as she was shouldered roughly aside by Crow- who had seperated the two dogs by pushing between them. His body was much larger, darker and furrier than Shadow's- and it was laced with muscle. She almost snarled at being pushed aside from Shadow's lithe, warm body- and being cushioned by the large black German Shepherd's instead. Are you kidding me?

He didn't step away from Flare; rather, he let out a snarl towards Shadow right beside her. Crow threw his tail over Flare's back and pressed close to her, even as she leaned away. The long-muzzled black dog seemed distraught with anger, and at the end of his rope. It was only out of her fear for him that Flare didn't pull away any farther.

"Flare is my she-dog now. She's come to like me in the days that you've abandoned her. She even licked my wounds after last night's fight."

"Impossible!" Barked Shadow in short-tempered fury. Flare's heart lurched as he moved his gaze onto her's.

That's not true!!! She screamed in her mind. With her exposed throat so close to Crow's muzzle, though- she felt too threatened to say it out loud. The male was vibrating in a fit of lost temper. His lips rose from his teeth and gums, folding back to expose a dog's deadliest asset.

"Food's here!" Jax called from across the Yard randomly, distracting all of the dogs. He was quickly hushed by Grey Dog and White Dog. By now the sun was fully out. Flare twitched an ear as a dead leaf from beyond the yard landed upon it.

However, not a head turned among the three tense dogs. Flares heartbeat quickened as she felt incresingly hot and uncomfortable so close to Crow.

"You're bluffing, Black Dog. I'm so sick of your antics I could hurl." His lip curled once again, showing the canines all the way up to the gumline. Shadow looked fearsome with his muzzle crinkled and his small brown eyes fixated on the German Shepherd.

"Flare, come away so I can deal with him," he snarled. Trembling, Flare began to step away from the tall black male dog.

"No!" Bristling with outrage, the young shepherd tensed before throwing himself at Shadow teeth-first. One of his flung-out back paws almost hit Flare in the head, but she shrank away just in time.

Watching a fight was almost as nerve wracking as being in one. At first, she could hardly tell what was happening. The snarls and deep growls were so loud that it deafened all other sounds.

Shadow was the first to slow down amist a turmoil of swiping, twisting bodies. He reared back and snapped his teeth three lethal times at Crow's eye, but missed each one. His teeth seemed to catch on Crow's brow or forehead, though- because the young male backed away.

Sure enough, blood began to trickle down the side of Crow's face. Unconcerned, he attempted to knock Shadow's feet out from under him with a well-placed bite on one paw. However, Shadow twisted his forelegs at the last moment and Crow's teeth snapped down on air. Growling, the male immediately followed with another offensive attack.

Shadow hopped back and forth as his paws were being bitten at, trying to snap his teeth down on Crow's ear while doing so. Both males were moving around too much for a bite to land.

With a chest-deep growl, Crow lurched forward with his jaws outstretched. His teeth caught Shadow's muzzle and ripped painstakingly down it. Flare flinched as blood welled up from the long toothmarks around his snout, but luckily Shadow had pulled away at just the right angle to save his nose.

Flare wished she could help in Shadow's favor. As the dogs stalked around each other again, her paws trembled with nerves. Fighting over her seemed like such an insignifigant thing. Why couldnt she choose who she spent her time with?

Shadow bounded forward first this time, his ears flapping. He dug his teeth into Crow's shoulder, then reared back with his fangs still sunk in.

The injured dog's snarls were full of pain as he tried to buck his way out of it- then, with a rapid jerk of his whole body, he twisted around for a perfect hold on Shadow's throat.

The brown dog's neck had been fully exposed- stretched out, even, as he'd tugged on Crow's shoulder. Crow's canines were the longest teeth in his mouth; and they were sunk almost fully into Shadow's skin. Blood erupted from around the teeth, traveling freely down the coon-dog chest and legs in broad daylight. With such a strong grip around his neck, Shadow began struggling to breathe. His breath rasped in and out.

Flare instinctively looked around for some help, but- The other dogs were on the porch eating, and the Man was just watching. Though he looked straight at the two dogs locked together in combat, his eyes seemed unconcerned but mildly interested. He was close enough to seperate the two male dogs but chose not to.

"Stop," Flare said weakly, rising up.

"I'll crush your airway fully if you don't relent to me from now on." Crow's voice shook with rage and violent confidence. He almost seemed eager to kill Shadow, and tightened his grip. Flare couldn't watch any longer as she saw Shadow gulp, Crow's fangs sliding deeper into muscle.

"I hate you. I swear I will. You-" He snarled out from barely-parted fangs, but Flare interuppted him. She had stumbled forward with her teeth bared- and she could hardly believe it, but... Shadow might be about to die.

"Leave him alone," she showed her teeth as much as she could. The satisfaction of her muzzle peeled back to expose her long, threatening fangs was exhilarating. "You're a horrible dog, if one at all," Flare snarled through parted fangs. Her anger vibrated throughout her body. The youn dog felt fed up with so much fighting. She left her teeth exposed, and her tongue lolled as she stepped forward again. She was tired of time and time again being ripped away from Shadow.

"Overgrown-furred brute," Flare added when Crow didn't respond. Her anger was suprising her, also bringing with it adrenaline that drove off her fear. Both dog's eyes were wide with shock. Crow let his lips fall back over his teeth, and removed them from Shadow's throat slowly.

Shaking, Flare let out a breath. He could've killed Shadow just then.

"I'll forgive you for that insult," Crow commented slyly with his head cocked to the side in wonder. However, his eyes were dark and serious. He put one paw in front of another, walked closer. Most of Flare's confidence drained out of her in that instant.

He can kill me.

He halted just before her, and gave her muzzle the smallest lick. There wasn't love in his eyes, but infatuation.

It was soon replaced by loathing as the black shepherd glared over his torn shoulder at Shadow.

"Because we're mates."

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Crow