Stray

Correction 11

    The canine froze as he and Wendy passed by a certain man, who was talking to another on the sidewalk. He stared at them and whimpered, beginning to shake. He knew this man, he knew that smell. The girl stared at him, worried, she began to stroke him carefully, making soft noises to get his attention and to urge him to move on with the walk, he wouldn't budge. The man then turned to look at the dog, his eyes widening slightly as he stared the animal down.
    "Well I'll be- say where'd ya get that dog?" The man asked, tilting his head with a crooked surprised smile. Welsh shook more, his tail hiding between his legs as he frantically hid behind Wendy. She noticed this a grew suspicious. The blonde shook hee head and began walking back the way they had came, Welsh finally moving and following, he was more than afraid of this man. "Hey I was talkin to ya!" The man barked as he grabbed the girl by the wrist, without thinking Welsh snapped back and wrapped his mouth around the man's hand, not biting him, only holding him, gently, but showing him that if he wanted to, he would bite down. The man stared him in the eyes, fear and hatred filled them. Wendy stared in shock, she watched her dog before shifting her stare to the shifty man.
    "How do you know my dog?" Wendy asked, a fierce burst of courage began to flow through her as she stood tall. The other man watched in awe, slowly grabbing his phone, turning it on, and recording the event. The three were frozen in position, the man continuing the hold the blonde's wrist, however not nearly as tight, the canine holding him with his strong jaws. The thuggish boy felt his blood run cold as he tried to find some kind of excuse, he began sweating. "Why are you so interested in my dog? You look like you know him from somewhere." Wendy said menacingly, the more she watched, the more she became more suspicious. She looked to her beloved dog's scars, the many staining his flesh, large and small. She then looked back at the other human with a horror in her eyes.
    "I-I just,, I just know him, see?" He began before he winced in fear, watching as Welsh began to put pressure down on his jaws. The man panicked and cracked, his pride sinking, he knew what the animal was capable, what it could do. The recent mass dog attacks also worried him, it was almost as if karma was resurfacing to claim his soul. "He used to be mine. At the ring,, he,, he was my fighter. Wasn't a good one but he-" The man finally confessed before Wendy reached around and pulled the trigger on her pepper spray, spraying it into his eyes, he screamed and fell backwards, Welsh stepped back and let go, watching him, panting, anxious and afraid.
    Within minutes the police arrived, statements were given and the man was forced into the back of a cruiser. Welsh watched as he was driven away, the man who recorded then stepped over to the girl and her dog and showed them the video, asking permission to post it, she nodded sternly before she got up, waving to bystanders and passersby as she lead the emotionally exhausted pitbull away from the gathering crowd. She lead him back home, shutting the door behind them and sighing, unhooking the leash and hugging the scarred canine.
    "I had no idea,, it's not your fault. I'm sorry." She mumbled as she cried into her dog's shoulder. The truth about her new friend hurt, but it taught her something, that he deserved more than enough love, and that she was going to give him that. She turned to the feline who purred and rubbed against her, he then curled up against the canine. She looked at the few scars on him as well, she thought about it, she had no idea what their stories were. She slowly got up and picked up Welsh, cradling him and Jasper like babies, she sat down on the couch with them, the kittens added themselves to the cuddle pile. Hours of silence passed, and they fell asleep.
    Welsh woke up on the couch with the cats, he looked around the room quietly, picking up his head, looking for Wendy, he saw her dumping food into his bowl and sighed with a smile, he then turned to the tv.
    "Breaking news: Dog fighting ring raided after hero dog forces a confession."
    The title shocked the canine, he watched the video that man had taken on his phone, it replayed several times as the reporters explained in detail what had happened and what lead to the raid, he watched the live footage of police officers and vets leading dogs into cars and people being handcuffed. Jasper looked to his friend in shock, he then smiled. Wendy watched the report quietly with a subtle melancholic smile on her face, she then looked Welsh, who turned and looked to her proudly.
    "The world owed it to you, it's been long overdue." Jasper stated with a nod, purring as he nuzzled the pitbull. Who wagged his tail as tears formed in his eyes. He watched footage of a large, bloody tosa, who looked sad and severely injured. Welsh silently hoped these animals would get another chance, that they would all get their justice, that they would get to live their lives happily, just like he was. Maybe things would get better,, it had to get better from here.