The Dog

As soon as Una was out of view Felix snapped into a rage and punched Dynamo's back with both hands. He grabbed her fur and pulled as hard as he could, letting out a shriek.

"Ow! OW!!" Dynamo snapped her head back to face Felix with her teeth showing. Felix didn't flinch. Dynamo rolled her eyes and continued farther away from the kitchen and the microwave.

"Sooo.. what do you squeaks talk about?" Dynamo asked.

"How much we hate you.." Felix huffed. He wiped his nose. It was oozing blood, and so was his mouth. His whole face was heavy with iron.

"Aw don't be like that. This is just the way things are. I'm sure in another life, in another situation we could've been friends. Every single conquered species always acts the same way to me. I get it. You don't wanna be reborn as a devil wolf, you all apparently have a lot going on. If it wasn't me doing what I do somebody else would. The thing is, I really do like talking with new species. It's not fair to you guys, but this is kinda the unstoppable eternal empire. You become whatever you hate eventually so don't judge me until you've done what I do, because you will. So anyway, you're something crazy probably. How's life for you?" Dynamo asked. Felix refused to speak, "How come you can talk and the others can't?"

"...I don't know," Felix grunted. He rubbed his head.

"Mystery man huh? There's a lot I don't know about myself too," Dynamo said.

"... Like what?" Felix hissed.

"Like who I really am. I was an alien who was put into the microwave a long time ago. They didn't keep records so I just have a general idea of what I might've looked like. They sent me to war to fight my own kind. I didn't even know I had been in the microwave until my first instructor remembered me," Dynamo explained.

"If it ruined your life then why do you do it to others?" Felix asked.

"First of all, it's my job, and second of all, I don't know if it ruined my life. As far as I can tell it's the start of my life. Most of the time devil wolf microwaves are used for war and invasion, not cannibalism. Monsters capture people in all sorts of horrific ways once they touchdown, and if you'd believe it, the microwave is one of the best things that can happen to you up here.

Devil wolves are big and strong and fluffy and they aren't cursed upon transformation. Your old friend Tito is cursed with bloodlust, but we're just doomed to be monsters. Maybe we're a little trigger happy but that's probably it. Our free will is limited, but it's not like we're in pain all the time. And once someone is a devil wolf I get to teach them everything about it. I take care of them, sorta like a momma," Dynamo explained.

"...What about all the cannibalism?" Felix asked.

Dynamo sighed.

"Food's been scarce, and honestly it isn't really much different to eating anything else. I don't do it because I'm always afraid it was someone I raised, but I don't get mad when other people do it. Food's food. Everybody can't work for Dog," Dynamo said.

Felix grunted.

"Yeah ok," Dynamo said. After a time of silence she stopped at a pair of brand new double doors. They were in a similar white iron style to the rest of the new doors, as well as the microwave too. Dynamo walked through them.

On the other side were a lot of flimsy steel tables holding oils, pickaxes, drills, and saws, as well as some chemicals in labeless paint cans. Another table only had papers and pens strewn about. On the ground and under the tables were thick plastic bins that looked easy to carry around. In the back of the room tied with leather to a table was Error. Standing next to him with a chisel to Error's head, was the Pardons. The two headed raptor.

"Excuse me?" The right Pardon turned to face the interrupting wolf.

"Misses, sorry. I have a new development that I think you might wanna look at," Dynamo said.

"I thought these squeaks were supposed to go in all the way.." The left Pardon said as they walked over.

"That's just the thing though misses. He won't transform," Dynamo said. The Pardons walked up to Felix and looked him over.

"Are you sure the machine was working correctly?" The left Pardon asked.

"Yes. It was used right before I put him in and it was working just fine. None of the monitors said there was anything wrong. He's the only squeak that talks too. He doesn't even know why. Oh also he's dying so I kinda need you to stop that or else we'll lose him," Dynamo ranted.

"Fine. We'll take him. What's his name?" Both the Pardons said.

"I don't know. What's your name kid?" Dynamo asked.

"Felix," Felix said. He looked up to Error who was shaking his head. Felix's heart sank. Oops.

"Really? Like for real? Ha! Like HA!" Dynamo began to laugh, "Ha! No way!? Another Felix???"

"That's not funny Dynamo," The left Pardon said. The Pardons jumped up onto Dynamo's back and picked Felix up with her little arms.

"As funny as it actually is, I've got some work to help Spinrana finish. Hopefully they didn't overthrow her already..." Dynamo mumbled as she shuffled out of the room, "Bye Felix! HA!... Felix."

The Pardons walked him to a table, jumping up on it and pushing all the papers off with her feet. She then dropped Felix on the table and leapt back to the floor.

"Is that really your real name?" The right Pardon asked as the left focused on opening one of the plastic portable bins.

"No. I meant to say Frank.." Felix lied. He held his head try try to massage away his aches.

"I don't believe you," The right Pardon hissed. The left Pardon took a medical needle out of the bin and shut it. She then hopped back to Felix.

"Relax," The left Pardon said as she brought the needle over to Felix's arm. Felix pulled his arm away anyway.

"What.." He coughed, "What is that?"

"It's a healing tonic. If you've gone in the microwave without fully transforming your probably going to bleed to death. And if you're really a Felix then we need you alive. Just like that one," She pointed behind her to Error.

Felix relaxed and let the Pardons put the needle in his arm.

Felix's eyes met Error's, but the frogen didn't lock eyes for long.

"You're a Felix, Error?" Felix asked. After his injection he took a deep breath and felt his pain turn to chilled relief.

"Yes..." Error sighed, "That's my o-original name. I didn't want the monsters to know it was your name too. They might start to think we're related. Nobody deserves to be treated the way I am, especially someone as innocent as you.." Error hung his head on his chest. His forehead was peeling in some places.

"...." Felix stopped to think for a moment, "What are they going to do to me? Do you know?" He focused hard on what Error was about to say.

"If you're anything like me, they want your blood. You're going to be their lab animal.. They want to make a curse that will infiltrate your DNA when the other methods fail. I don't turn because the monsters use curses that are for a broad amount of creatures. Frogen genes just don't work that way. Everything's extremely specific for each individual. I'm mostly metal now.. but my brain. They can use it to turn me if it fits in with my DNA, but that's the easy work. If they figure out what actually causes my genes to be so unchangeable, they can make monsters that can't change back the same way. They will make monsters that are even farther from their true selves, the selves that make choices that are truly theirs. They will make it worse for all of existence every time they break creatures like us," Error said.

"You think I'm like that? That my DNA is locked or something?" Felix asked. The Pardons meanwhile looked through a portable bin under a table.

"Are there gwenens that just don't get sick?" Error asked.

"No. Even I've gotten sick before," Felix said, "I mean, it's never for long but I can get sick."

The Pardons went to one more bin and took out a needle with another substance in it. She hopped back over to Felix.

"We'll see if you can get sick.." The left Pardon said with the needle in hand.

"What's that?" He asked, curling his tail around his legs to keep it away from her. He tried to ignore how much more black was on his tail.

"None of your business juice," The left Pardon said. She stabbed the needle into his arm even though Felix flinched back.

"Owch.." He groaned.

"It hurts when you move," The right Pardon said.

"It's a terrible curse Felix... Just try to stay calm.." Error sighed.

The Pardons walked back over to Error and hopped onto the table he was strapped to. Using a chisel and a hammer she began to smash through layers of metal off of Error's forehead. Error scrunched his face up in anguish.

"Are you going to be ok?" Felix asked. He shivered.

"I appreciate the concern Felix but It's likely a no," Error said as he crossed his eyes at the chisel digging into his head.

Felix held his head before letting go to sneeze.

The Pardons stopped chipping at Error's head and left the chisel by his hand. They locked their eyes on him.

"How do you feel?" The left asked.

"Bitey maybe?" The right asked.

"Why should I t-tell you?" Felix grunted. Error shook his head in the background.

"I don't play that game Felix. How about you tell me or I'll take your fingers off," The left head said.

"Don't ask me how I'll take them, just know It'll hurt and I've done this before," The right head said, licking her lips.

"You wouldn't do that..." Felix wiped some snot from his nose, "You need me to be healthy right?"

"I need you alive. Error's only got a brain and he's still perfectly valuable," The left head said.

"Who knows what I can reduce you to?" The right head said.

"Fine, I feel a little sickly.." Felix sniffed.

"Just as I feared," The left Pardon shook her head. The Pardons trotted to a far wall where a phone hung. They took it off the wall, dialed, and waited.

"Error.. What's going on?" Felix asked. It was nice to be the one asking that question for once.

"She's a scientist who works for Dog..." Error said, frowning. Using the very limited movement in his wrist, he attempted to rip apart the leather strap with the chisel the Pardons had 'left' him. Felix held his breath and listened in on the Pardons' phone conversation.

"Yes sir... I know but his name is Felix and he won't turn.... No not even with the good stuff or the microwave... Ok... I will," The left pardon said to the phone. She turned to face Felix, "Dog wants to see you, boy."

Felix's heart sank.

"Please let me stay here. I can't take any more of this," Felix shook his head as he slid off the table to stand on the floor. He held his hands out in front of him and backed away from the Pardons when they trotted over. The two headed lizard had handcuffs with her.

"When Dog says something I have to do it," The right Pardon said.

"He has you on sight. You will be his," The left Pardon said.

"Isn't there anything I can do?" Felix asked. He looked at Error, "Well?"

"Just do whatever everyone tells you Felix," Error's face drooped, "It doesn't look too good for you," He chocked, trying not to cry, "The easier you can make it for them the faster you might be able to make an escape," Error said.

The Pardons stood in front of Felix and presented the handcuffs.

"Do what the frogen says, boy," The right Pardon said.

Felix let the cuffs lock around his wrists. The Pardons pulled him from the chain in the center toward the door.

"If I run where should I go? There are monsters everywhere. I don't think the gwenens can fight," Felix said as he was being dragged.

"I don't know. The winds are too strong..." Error grumbled, "Goodbye.."

Before Felix could ask Error another question he was on the other side of the double doors.

He looked down to the two headed lizard leading him. She was about a foot shorter than he was. Maybe he could take her.

Felix pulled on his handcuffs attempting to lift the Pardons off their feet so they'd let go. The Pardons twisted around and kicked Felix's chest. Felix fell backward with the Pardons now standing on top of him. They had a talon to Felix's eye.

"Don't be stupid!" The left Pardon hissed. They snapped a kick into Felix's bike helmet.

"I come from the depths of the mother ship's wilderness! I have killed many to get my positions now and I still would love to take your fingers off you continue to be a little brat!" The right Pardon spat.

Felix nodded.

"Good.." The left Pardon said. They leapt off of Felix and yanked at his handcuffs. She led him further from the restaurant for a short time until the ceiling opened up into a destroyed room besides a narrow walkway.

Off the side of the walkway was a monster made canyon filled with wooden spikes at the bottom. It seemed that the rest of the room had been blown up just to make this death pit.

There weren't any torches down in the pit but Felix thought he saw a clawed foot sticking up from a shadowy corpse. He looked away. No more reminders of what might become of him.

At the end of the walkway was a tall metal door painted white. The Pardons pushed it open and led Felix in.

Dog.

At the end of the room sat the giant red haired thing. He sat behind a desk with his massive paw hands folded together. His bowling ball eyes held Felix in their sight by pin prick pupils. His mouth with all their little teeth oddly screwed in too many times opened and closed with the rhythm of his massive inhales and hissing exhales.

The walls were lined with wooden wallpaper but it somehow was already ripped and peeling. Plates with old bones and fur rotted broken all over the red carpet. In the very back corner beside the king was what seemed to be an entire devil wolf, but Felix could only distinguish the back legs of the beast. The pinky globby rest looked like it had been mauled so much that it had been messily pulled inside out.

The Pardons pulled Felix closer. At first it looked like Dog was sitting in front of a black glass, but on closer inspection, it was really a room packed with devil wolves so dense that all that could be seen through the glass wall was their squirming black hides. The glass was cracking in several places.

The Pardons stopped and let Felix free from their grip.

"The Felix, sir," They both said.

"Leave..." Dog hissed. He took his eyes off Felix briefly to pay attention to the Pardons.

"Yes sir," They both turned and left.

When the door shut Felix looked to Dog, and then away. The beast heaved in and out anyway. They stood in silence for a while.

An ugly scratching sound.

Felix looked up to Dog's desk. The beast was scratching a claw into it, slow, making a huge gash. Felix noticed a giant watch around the monster's right wrist. It reminded him of the very same ones that the artifexes wore.

"Well..." Dog said, "Sit down.. Relax. We're going to be here for a long time..." Dog took a small chair out from under the mangled devil wolf and placed it in front of Felix.

"..T-thank you.." Felix said. He sat in the chair, but only on the dry side.

They sat in silence again.

"...I don't like that you're not saying anything..." Dog said.

"...Sorry," Felix mumbled, "What do you want me to do? I mean say?"

"I think you know why you're here Felix. I don't like lies," He hissed.

"Uh, well I'm here because I wanted to save my friends," Felix started.

Dog's eyes went white surrounded by a black ring with spiky shapes growing out into the whites. It was just like those monsters that ambushed Error. That crazed white surrounded by black growths. Dog inhaled and clawed into the desk deeper when the eyes faded.

"Nothing else? Why are you in the tower?" Dog put his thumb under the desk and began wiggling the wood into breaking like a loose tooth.

"I-I was born here," Felix stuttered. Dog's eyes went white again.

"...How do you know you were born here if you don't even know what you are?" Dog said. Without taking his eyes off Felix he stood up and pressed his palms down on the desk. The wood snapped and splintered up in places but it didn't completely fall apart. Dog's breaths quickened.

Felix gasped.

"I think you do know though. You're hiding. I think you are. You're hiding so I can't see you. You're not clever..." Dog hissed. He walked over to Felix's side of the desk, still keeping his bulging eyes on him.

"I'm sorry, D- sir, but I don't know what you mean.." Felix shivered. There wasn't a desk in between them anymore. Dog's lower half had much thinner legs compared to his massive arms. Still, they seemed to carry him on his toes anyway. He had a tail, but it was either cut or just that stubby.

"What's with your collar," His eyes went white, "Your father made it right?" Dog leaned a hand on the wall, locking his retractable claws into the wallpaper and digging into the cinder blocks.

"I.. I don't know," Felix said, his ears drooping for so long that it was beginning to hurt. He didn't know for how long he could stand to look at Dog, or if that was what the monster wanted. The muscles on the beast shivered with anticipation, aching with violent desire.

"What does it do?" Dog asked.

"I'm not entirely sure.." Felix said.

"Are you a gwenen?" Dog stood over his broken plates, shifting his weight to crumble them further.

"... N-no," Felix stuttered. He felt his eyes dart away.

Dog's eyes went white.

"Hmm," the white faded, "Then what are you?"

"I don't know..." Felix said.

"You do know.." Dog hissed. He let go of the wall and walked over to Felix. He brought his hand close, extended a claw and hooked it under Felix's collar. He lifted Felix up to his face. The smoky breath dried up Felix's nose. Felix tried to hold his collar so that his weight wouldn't all be hung by Dog's claw, but he choked anyway.

Dog grumbled. The monster used his other hand to hold Felix's legs as if he was a bird. His hands so muscular that a quick shift in pressure could pop Felix. Dog let go of Felix's collar, with the creature's bottom half secure, but used the open claw to tug on Felix's device.

"Ooo..." He purred. Tugging on the collar he could see the narrow space between the device and Felix's neck.

Felix pulled at Dog's claws to try and pry them off but he was an insect compared to the strength of the monster.

As Dog tugged on the collar he found that it didn't twist all the way around Felix's neck. It was stuck in one place. Dog moved his head in close to peek. In between Felix's neck and the collar were two clear hoses with blood flowing through them.

With a claw he moved in and narrowly outlined one. Dog shivered with temptation, heaving in and out. Any more force and he would cut through. He smiled at this and heaved a sigh of satisfaction.

"I hear that bad things would happen if I broke your collar... That it might reveal who you really are," Dog stood shivering, his whole form holding itself back, yet his voice was calm.

"Please don't!" Felix cried. He kept trying to pry Dog's hand off of him.

"Mnn, maybe I won't.." Dog hissed, "Maybe something else first. Yess. Just a little thing,"

The monster spit a flame onto his own shoulder and watched it grow down his arm toward Felix. Felix leaned back but the fire continued to spread to Dog's knuckles, heating up Felix's back. His shirt was on fire. Felix reached for his back but it was difficult to reach with handcuffs. As much as he slapped it the fire continued to thicken and scar him.

Dog inhaled slow and long, and then blew the flame out. Felix teared up, his back and right shoulder now scarred.

"Mmn," Dog exhaled with relief and smiled briefly, "Do you know where Silverwings is?"

"I've never met her..." Felix cried, trying to rub his back. Dog's eyes narrowed.

"You are a liar.." Dog hissed. He dropped Felix. Felix got up and dashed behind Dog's desk.

The desk only lasted a few seconds as it exploded into splinters leaving Felix out in the open again. How? Looking back Felix caught a glimpse of a large slender metal greyhound head slipping into Dog's open wrist. It seemed to be attached to a chain. Dog was not a creature but rather some sort of metal one. Felix faced Dog again. He hesitated, and then, dashed past the beast to the door. Metal teeth wrapped around his arms and pulled him straight back. He had been caught by the greyhound head and dragged back into Dog's hand by the retractable chain. Dog's wrist opened up, consumed the head, and then snapped back into place with Felix held in his palm.

Dog snickered a laugh.

"DO NOT RUN FROM ME!" He snapped into a boom. Felix covered his eyes and shivered.

"...Sorry," He cowered.

"Where is Silverwings?" Dog asked.

"I don't know.." Felix cried.

Dog lifted up his other arm and stepped into a punch that cracked the entire cinder block wall. Devil wolves behind the glass barked in anxiety.

"Where is Silverwings?!" Dog asked.

"I never even met her! Please it's true!" Felix cried.

Dog opened up his mouth and exhaled a large flame into Felix's face. He then slammed Felix onto the ground.

"Where is Silverwings!?" He boomed.

Felix didn't even bother to answer or get up. He wasn't entirely on fire, but the heat had definitely burned and scarred parts of his face that was now bald in those places. He found his eyes drift to the devil wolf wall. There was a tapping coming from it.

"Where is Silverwings.." Dog growled. He put a thumb claw up to Felix's back, but then stopped. His ears twitched to the devil wolf wall.

A large crack echoed through it. The entire wall shattered, flooding the room with so many wolves that it knocked Dog over as if it was a tidal wave. Teeth propelled at Felix at the same time. A devil wolf picked him with their mouth and crashed out the door. Others followed. The devil wolf carrying Felix ran down the narrow walkway. Dog ripped his door off and tossed it down into the spikes. From where he stood he popped the greyhound head out of his wrist and threw it in a perfect arch that would bash the devil wolf's head in.

Felix saw flying, just about to strike.

"Look out!" He cried, but the devil wolf could only run so fast. Felix looked ahead to see Nick flying toward them from the chambers ahead. The artifex jumped up on top of the escaping devil wolf's head. He was about to be hit instead. At the sight of Nick, Dog gasped and pulled his chain back. The greyhound head stopped its arch only to snap into hitting Nick on the head. The artifex went limp and fell. He vanished under the foot of the devil wolf stampede.

"No!" Felix tried to reach for the artifex but it all happened too quickly. The stampede continued without him and emptied into the Statue Chambers.

Dog stepped over to the limp artifex, his face bent with worry. With a massive hand he flipped Nick over to reveal that the creature's eyes were still open. Dog slammed his fist against the ground.

"How dare you! You could have died!!" He roared.

Nick sat up, emotionless, "GRRAHH! You let him get away!! I have had enough of you getting in the way of my life!" Nick just stared at him, "I have burned you! I have enslaved your kind! What will it take to have you leave me alone!!"

"I will never stop haunting you," Nick hissed back at him.

Dog shoved his big head into Nick's body and screamed.

"No! You know what!" Dog stood up and looked around with a craze in his eyes, "There is one thing I can do!" Dog said. He swiped up Nick in a paw before the artifex could fly away. In one hand he held the artifex's front, and with the other he took a paw and found the base of one of Nick's wings. Dog tore the wing out, and then the other. He dropped Nick, but the creature got up and ran, a yellow glow encompassing him.

"Where are you going!?" Dog chased after the glowing, and getting brighter creature.