Shadow was pulled from his stance as Crow grabbed his hind paw and yanked it. Grunting, the hound fell to the ground.

However, Shadow struck out his legs in a strong kick, sending Crow flying across the grass when it connected with Crow's chest. The young shepherd reeled in confusion, then bared his teeth. His white canines were of great contrast to his shark, jet-black pelt. With a flurry of pawsteps, he closed the gap between himself and his opponent within moments.

Crow snapped his incisors down just a width away from Shadow's ear as he got back up. Flinching, Shadow turned away so that his shoulder was facing Crow instead.

Crow rose up onto his hind-paws and struck out at Shadow blindly with his claws and teeth. None of his blows landed, and he had his eyes shielded for cover. Shadow soon saw his opportunity and head-butted the male so hard that he stumbled sideways.

Crow jerked around and sank his fangs into Shadow's tail- a lucky strike by all means. The larger black dog had begun to shake it in his mouth, jerking Shadow's tail away from his rump with teeth clamped tightly around. Shadow ripped it away from Crow's mouth as he stepped away. His tail was missing some fur, and bleeding a bit; but it was otherwise intact. Crow hadn't gotten that good of a bite in, thankfully. His much flatter back teeth must've did most of the meager damage.

But in retaliation, Shadow bared his teeth and grasped Crow's entire muzzle. Blood welted up from the tooth-marks, and Shadow bit down harder as the male whined.

In a surge of energy, Crow ripped his head away. There was now a fresh wound along his nose and lips, flowing blood freely. It traversed down his neck and chest in a few thin strips that were hardly visible against his black fur. It dripped into the grass below as Crow stilled in surprise, but didn't change his aggressive stance. He didn't seem to care. It wasn't very much longer before Crow had his bloodied mouth curled up in a snarl again.

As the black shepherd reciprocated another attack, he aimed for Shadow's eyes. Shadow side-stepped and avoided the slashing of his fangs, which only made Crow more irritated.

With a snarl of fury, Crow lashed out in a blind rage again. He looked dangerous with his teeth and gums exposed like so, and Flare's heart raced with fear for Shadow.

He found his mark, pinching Shadow's flank near his belly. Crow tore an open wound in Shadow's side with his long and pointed canine teeth, causing Flare to gasp aloud.

White Dog was the only one who glanced over at her. However, he did not say anything- and wouldn't have been heard over the snarl of pain either.

Both dogs were breathing rigidly, their hackles raised. Crow looked particularly larger with his back and neck-fur fluffed up, whilst Shadow had a bridge of bristling fur down his spine. They both leaped for each other again, hardly hesitating.

"Stop!" Screamed Flare. Her own throat was hoarse from the power she'd put into her screech. But, it had worked. All dog's heads flicked towards hers. Jax's eyes stretched wide, as if he anticipated drama and was intrigued at Flare's outburst.

I have to do whatever I can to save Shadow now. He came back for me, and he's saved me how many times?

Feeling her eyes sting with emotion, Flare shook her head.

I can't even count! Her legs began shaking with fear. She flattened her ears to her skull, but the young she-dog knew that she had to continue.

"I'll do what you want, Crow- but you'll have to leave Shadow alone. For good. Stop taunting him, talking about him, and hurting him." She took a deep breath as she trembled. Flare was deeply disturbed, and still could not accept what she'd just agreed to.

"I'll mate with you." Flare couldn't hold back a whine of terror. She knew the extent of what she was doing. Mothering Crow's pups and then losing them to humans would be hell upon her, as well as mating with Crow in and of itself.

But it's whatever. Because for once, I need to save Shadow. I'll tell him he can jump the fence after this, and go make a life of his own. He won't want to witness any of this...

Her heart twisted. Pure fear flooded Flare's senses, worse then it ever had before. I don't want to be a mother-dog! I don't wan't to mate with Crow. Blood roared in her ears as her heart pounded harder and faster. Flare's paws tingled with shock, and her tail was tucked submissively. She turned her face away, horrified inside.

Heavens, help me, I don't- I can't- but I must..-

"Excellent," growled Crow after a long moment of silence. He was littered with wounds, including a deep tooth-gauge on his shoulder and muzzle. It now drained blood down his foreleg and into the dirt which they stood upon. Crow looked intensely satisfied as he lifted his tail and grinned.

At least they had stopped fighting.

Crow stepped back from Shadow passively, but after turning his head towards Flare in disbelief, the brown coon-dog arrogantly stomped back towards the shepherd.

"That's not happening," the thinner male dog growled from deep in his gut. Flare tried to give Shadow a warning glance, but his brown eyes were locked onto Crow. The opposing male had frozen uncertainly.

"Fine," Crow finally snarled.

"I'll kill you first."

"No," young Flare hoarsely cried out, but neither listened to her. They squared their blooded bodies and lowered their heads to better cover their necks.

"You could've helped, you know."

Bewildered, Flare nervously looked Shadow's way as he spoke. But he wasn't talking about her, as she'd initially thought.

"All of you dogs could've helped stop this from the start," Shadow growled solemnly. He didn't lift his head, but turned it slightly on the quiet audience of dogs. Grey Dog and White Dog had the remorse to look guilty, but Jax simply stared in confusion. His stump of a tail had stilled from it's previous wag.

"You could've prevented Crow from rising to power before now," Shadow snarled rebelliously. Grey Dog lifted his lips to show his teeth defensively, but did nothing further.

"All you had to do was fight together, or even talk about the notion of helping someone other than yourself."

Jax, not understanding, flicked his ears forward. "For what?"

"To save her!" Shadow's eyes flickered towards Flare. She could hardly stand there, feeling her own hot embarrassment causing her heart to pound faster.

"Or to escape this yard. Or split food evenly amongst yourselves- anything. For crying out loud, you could've kept Mocha here had you not bred with her- or so I've heard." He settled his gaze onto Grey Dog. It was full of blame, and Grey Dog stood up immediately.

"As if any dog could've predicted it," growled Grey dog. His body was vibrating with fury. The male's hackles had risen defensively. Clearly, Grey Dog could not handle the notion of Mocha's dissapearance being his fault.

"Still," Shadow edged on. "You could prevent it happening to another she-dog. You could make the Yard the way it used to be, where one dog wasn't eating before the others. We could make life fair again if we all fought him!" Shadow's voice grew louder on the end, as if he was overflowing with desperation. Haughtily, Flare watched from behind. He knows he can't win against Crow.

"That's not how it's supposed to work," Grey Dog commented with a condemning bark. His small grey eyes finally looked something other than distant, for the first time in ages.

"And why can't Flare fight her own battles?" Jax butted in disapprovingly. "Mocha's bitten me more than once-it's not like she doesn't have teeth." Jax continued being a smart-aleck, as per usual. However, his comment stirred deep indignation within Flare.

"I agree more with Crow. The Man needs a use for female dogs- and so do we. He wants the pups, and we want to mate. And otherwise, what's the point to a female dog anyways?" Jax began rambling on, but Flare had stopped listening. She could hardly believe her ears. I'm being spoken about as if I have no opinion. Pure hate pulsed throughout her limbs and into paws. She straightened her head and back, enough to where White Dog- who was closest, noticed.

"Flare does not fight because she is afraid of him," White Dog said in a much wiser, calmer tone- but his voice was loud enough to drown out the roaring wind and Jax's impeccable arguing.

Grey Dog laughed, a gruff chuffing noise. "What's new there, old buddy? I was scared before my first fight, too." He looked over at Crow nervously. The grey pitbull wouldn't admit it out loud, but he must've been thinking; I'm still scared when I have to fight him. It hadn't been long, after all, since the last fight in the Shed. And Grey Dog as well as Crow had been The Man's chosen participants.

"Flare isn't going to fight me, because she likes me." Crow stated matter-of-factly. But he still had one forepaw raised uncertainly, as if he was ready to jump back into a tussle again.

The black dog's eyes were on Shadow, though. He wasn't scared of Flare; no dog was. The notion made her feel weak- but she was nearly just as large as Crow, and definitely as formidable. Except... Flare had never fought another dog before.

"Oh, come off it- you've manipulated her through terror and control. You know you have," Shadow growled menacingly. Crow had no problem reciprocating, and the young shepherd's hackles raised alongside his tail.

"Females don't have to have pups if they don't want to. Just as we shouldn't have to fight if we don't want to." Shadow's head swung back towards the other three dogs, who's ears flicked back unnervingly. White Dog looked guilty, but solemnly nodded his head. "We should all have a choice," the old male dog rumbled in agreement. Jax rolled his eyes in disbelief and scoffed, turning his rump and trotting away.

"I won't listen to a bunch of old dogs making fools of themselves. Sooner or later, The Man will bring along a female that I can mate with. I'm sure of it. She'll probably be short and stout like me..." As the male spoke over his shoulder, he continued pacing away until all the dogs could hear was his incoherent jibber-jabber across The Yard.

"You're all hopeless," Shadow snarled suddenly. "Flare, just help me pin him down- if we can get him to submit, he'll leave us alone long enough for us to jump the fence!" His voice sounded urgent. The brown coon-dog was looking for any course of action, other than losing control to Crow once again.

Flare didn't move, though. Even as White Dog stared imploringly at her. What was left of his shredded ears flapped in the breeze, whilst her own blonde fur was tugged by the wind.

"Flare!" Shadow barked, louder as his enemy began stalking closer. His lips were peeled back from his fangs, pure white against his stark black pelt and soft pink gums.

"All you have to do is recall all of the hate that's built up since you've gotten here. Hate for The Man and Jax's annoying taunts... For Mocha and her pups disappearance, the pain of losing your litter-mates and mother- and the way Crow has forced you into submission. You're not prey. You have teeth, so use them!"

Pulsating, Flare tried to rip out all of her buried feelings. She sifted through her memories like they were flash cards; recalling the resentful bullying she'd received from each dog since she'd gotten here.

Each dog except Shadow.

"Flare...!" Shadow sounded nervous now, as Crow was approaching his face and snarling.

And no matter how bad Flare felt for Mocha, White Dog, Jax, or Grey Dog- she had never forgotten their cold treatment towards her upon arrival. She never would.

As her eyes fixated on the black, hulking furred figure, she realized something.

If I want things to change around here, I'm going to have to change.

"Step far aside, Shadow." Flare stated calmly. The she-dog knew she had to appear that she was holding it together.

Taking a breath, she locked her eyes onto Crow's. They looked uncertain, but there was something else in them- a bluff. He doesn't believe I'll do anything.

But this is the last time I'm going to be ordered around by any dog.

"I am not a tool- I am not made for the pleasure of male dogs or the passing of genes!" Flare spat. She stepped closer, with her head lowered. She knew to keep her neck covered. I've seen enough fights to know how to end you.

Suddenly confident, the female narrowed her eyes. She let her mouth fall open in a baring of fangs. Her canines were long and white, deadly enough to pierce through a jugular. Ears flattened to her skull, a loud snarl building in her throat, Flare braced herself and leaped.

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Flare