Perils of Miscommunication (7)

'Okay, I might have underestimated the night-time a bit.'

Iris stood a couple meters away from a pit bull terrier, staring him back in the eyes. Apparently, at night, some people decided to not follow the rules and release their dogs from the leash.

She had never cared about such stuff before, but now, she felt like this was a crime of highest proportions. The dog was looking at her with the eyes of a wolf who's found its prey while its owner was nowhere to be seen.

Her instincts screamed at her to run, escape, but her brain kept her in check. If she ran… she would certainly become prey. But even if she didn't, what would that change? He now started advancing slowly, its fur raised as it growled low in its throat.

A thought to just roll on the ground and expose her belly flashed through her mind, but she didn't think it was that good of a plan. If the dog decided to attack, she'd be dead meat instantly. And she didn't want to test its kindness, not with this little life of hers.

The dog took two more steps forward, and she broke down. Like a startled chicken, she whirled back and flew off as fast as her little legs could bring her. Her body was much smaller, but maybe it was more agile…

It wasn't. The dog swiftly caught up and went for her throat. All Iris saw was a dark shadow flying at her, and then it was there, right about to hit her. In shock, she froze, and that saved her life.

Having missed, the dog slowly stood up and shook itself off, but Iris didn't stay around to check what it would do next. She suddenly realized that this was no longer a game and that dog could really spell her end.

Adrenaline rushed through her system, forcing her heart to pump faster with every beat and her mind to clear up for a moment. In the periphery of her vision, she saw a gigantic rose bush.

Sharp thorns glistened in the faint moonlight, and she dashed straight for them. Midway to the bush, she heard the panting of the dog behind her. It was closing in on her with mile eating strides, each one of its being two-three of hers.

Soon, it went for her again, and sensing it this time, she dived for the rose bush. Her small form got through the first layer of branches much easier than the dog's much larger one. The thorns tore at her fur and dug into her skin, but she ignored that and rushed ahead, straight to the center of the bush.

The dog whimpered when its paws were pricked and took a couple steps back. It barked at Iris and tried coming for her again, but soon retreated once more. The sharp thorns easily cut at its skin, paining it.

For a while, the dog circled the bushes, going right and left, barking all the while. It kept trying to get to Iris again and again, but was every time pushed back by the pain of the pricked skin. This lasted until the owner called it back. The dog wasn't willing to go back, but a few sharp commands later it left Iris be with a disappointed whine.

It took her a while to really believe that the dog was gone, and then it took her an even longer while to extricate herself from the bush. The dash in was easy, adrenaline numbing the pain, but now, she felt the dog's reluctance. In whichever direction she moved, there was always a dozen thorns blocking her way.

Her fur was dirty and torn in a few places, while tear marks covered most of her back. She looked like a feral that's been on the streets for years rather than half a day. Worse, everything hurt. She carefully tried to lick herself clean, but whenever her tongue touched the skin, a light jolt of pain would pass through her. There was not a single place on her little body that was free of scratches.

'I'm an idiot,' she admitted with a sigh. She was angry before, and so she ran away, since belonging to a stuffy madame sounded like torture to her. But what was that when compared to a life outside by herself? It was only half a day, and she was already in such a state.

Carefully, she walked away from her last battlefield. She didn't want to sleep in a place where the ghost of the dog might chase her in her dreams as well. Besides, that dog might come here in the morning.

It was hard to walk, however. Her energy was spent, and all she wanted was to lay down and forget about her life for the moment. She'd made some horrible choices and she'd have to live with them tomorrow, but for now she wanted to enter the world of dreams and relax her taxed body and mind.

Since she had woken up after the short nap in the afternoon, all she'd done was run from one danger or another. First it were the crow, then some kid saw her, then a random biker almost hit her. While she was trying to steal a mouthful of water, a dog on a leash came barreling at her. It was lucky that the owner managed to stop it in time, but she hadn't dared to go there again. And then she'd met with the monstrosity that went straight for her throat. Not for a moment had she had any peace.

She was tired and hungry. Her throat was a desert which couldn't remember the taste of water. With glazed eyes, she chose the first thick looking bush that didn't have thorns and moved toward it to sleep in there.

As she did that, a sound reached her. Those footsteps, they sounded familiar, but she had to be dreaming. Her muddled mind had to be playing tricks on her. What could that person still be doing here?

She saw him walk past her bush, his eyes no longer on anything but his shoes. Lost in his mind, he slowly moved away, about to disappear from her vision. Then, as if sensing something, he looked around. Iris was too startled to react, and seeing nothing, he left.