To say that my parents "abandoned" me as a pup would be both cliche and incorrect. If I claimed to have been "abandoned", I would be implying that my kin simply dumped me and forgot. This is not the case at all.
My mother raised me for as long as she could. She showered me with love and affection; I was everything to her. I was the center of her whole world, and she did everything in her power to keep any form of pain from coming my way.
Unfortunately, such a goal is impossible to accomplish, and when I was only a young puppy, my mother was taken from me. She referred to them as "the hunters", and the very notion of them seemed to strike fear into the center of her heart. She would lecture me for hours, telling me to be careful, to be safe, to be aware.. for the hunters were out there, and they would catch me the moment I let my guard down. Sometimes I fell under the impression that the idea of my abduction was slowly eating away at my mother's sanity.
Of course, like every youth, I became careless and stupid. I ceased to heed my mother's warnings, not being capable of knowing that I would vigorously regret it in the near future.
It happened at the worst possible time. After what seemed like hours of pleading, I had finally convinced her to let me play in a very appealing puddle outside the alley that currently acted as our refuge. She had been more than reluctant, of course, but one of my best qualities is my ability to persuade.
The first sign was the screeching of tires, the white, windowless van that sped toward me. I know now that I should have fled as soon as that sound reached my ears, but I ignored it, falsely assuming it would take no notice of me and continue on its way. It wasn't long before realized how wrong I was, as did my mother.
She dashed to my aid as a white-suited man leaped from the vehicle and lunged for me. Her teeth sunk deep into his latex-covered hand, inches away from my face, and he shrieked in pain. My mother released him for half a second. "Run!" she cried desperately to me, then was forced to defend herself again as the man brought forth what looked like a long, thin pole, bejeweled with a shiny chain loop dangling from the end.
It took me a moment to comprehend her request. My brain seemed to be filled with some sort of sluggish glue; my thoughts were a train set in slow motion. Time and everything it controlled around me crawled.
And suddenly, something mobilized my thought process, derailed the train, and my mind began to race. I whirled, just as another human stepped from the van to assist his companion, and broke into a flat out sprint to escape this terror that my mother had so warned me of. I ran and ran until I could run no more, and when that moment arrived I huddled beneath the nearest adequate shelter and collapsed. I was exhausted, and it was only seconds before I was out like a light.

----

Needless to say, I never saw my mother again. Of course I missed her, and not only because I was left to fend for myself. I was practically an infant, and my whole world revolved around my mother. I certainly searched for her for weeks after she disappeared, but I didn't hear from her again until almost a year later.
As I was saying, I was only a young pup, left to defend myself on the harsh streets of the adult world. I had absolutely no understanding of life without my mother, so for the first weeks I went hungry, feeding on whatever scarce scrap I could find, which wasn't much. I was a dreadful sight, thin to the bone and covered in grime. I probably would have died if it wasn't for Tony.
Now I know what you are expecting: another stray creature, perhaps, or some dark, mysterious alley walker to train me of the ways of the streets. Nope, wrong. I'm not that cool, or tough, or whatever you want to call it.
My savior was a plump little man who cooked for an Italian restaurant near the place my mother and I stayed. He spotted me snooping around the trashcans one night and decided to help a kid out, and discreetly placed a plate of spaghetti outside the back door of the shop, hidden from the street by the dumpsters. I was exuberant, for I hadn't had anything that even resembled a meal for weeks. I thanked him by licking his hand earnestly the next time he appeared. He laughed a jolly little laugh, and brought me another plate of food. I developed the habit of waiting for him every night at the same time, and he never failed to appear and reward me with food.
He was perhaps the closest thing to a friend I have ever had, excluding Ryuk.
I wasn't the only one to benefit from this man. There were several other stray customers, but only one other regular like me. He was a scrawny little thing, some sort of canine, with a pelt that was white as snow when all the filth was cleaned from it. We soon became familiar with each other, but I wouldn't call him a friend.
So everything went well until the day Tony was arrested. I was waiting for my routine meal when a group of strange, loud men burst into the shop. I heard screams, and gunshots, and then I saw the man who had been so kind to me dragged out of the building, bound in handcuffs. The men, I assume they were police, glanced down the alley and yelled something at us, but then were preoccupied.
It wasn't long before the strange white van showed up. The white dog beside only needed one glance and he was off. I was right behind. I recognized this van as the same that stole my mother away from me. Terror flooded my senses, and I increased my pace, my long legs easily out pacing my gaunt companion. I could hear the enemy advancing behind us.
I froze and whirled as a yelp ricocheted off the brick walls. A dart-like object protruded from the poor pup's bony figure. He looked up at me, his eyes filled with absolute horror. "Please... don't leave me here.." he gasped.
I hesitated for a moment, debating my options, but all thoughts of staying faded as a man in a white lab coat rounded the corner of the alley. I turned and broke into a full sprint, trying to ignore the wails of pain behind me.
I continued to race until I could see the light of the street ahead of me. Relief rushed through me. I was free! This thought only caused me to eagerly increase my pace.
Everything seemed to go into slow motion as I burst from the shadows. One second I was going to get away, going to be okay, and the next a noose had tightened around my neck, and I was yanked forcibly backward. I landed hard on my back, gagging and coughing, and my vision took a moment to clear. When it did, I saw a man in the same white coat as before sneering down at me. He laughed. "And you thought you'd gotten away." The smirk on his face told me that I had no hope of escape.
I was trapped.

I was in the back of the van, swaying to and fro with the movements of the vehicle. The back, where I was contained, was lined with rows of wire cages, stacked on top of one another. The white mutt was unconscious in the cage to my left. To my right, a small black kitten was huddled in the back corner of her enclosure, not moving except the steady rise and fall of her breathing. After a moment I determined that she was either sleeping, pretending to sleep, or knocked out.
I laid my head on my paws, staring at nothing. I had no idea what would happen to me, but I was very afraid. I wondered vaguely if they would take me to the same place they had taken my mother, if I would see her again. After a moment, however, I dismissed such a silly idea. Still, the seed of hope had been planted, and it remained there, unable to be uprooted. Perhaps I would find my mother and we would escape together.
Suddenly the hound next to me awoke with a start. He leaped forward in surprise, crashing head first into the cage door. He whimpered as he realized he wasn't in the alley anymore, and his searching eyes lingered on me once he had examined his surroundings. "You.. you came back for me." he said in awe.
I was about to deny his words, but I hesitated. Perhaps this mutt and I could be allies. I simply shrugged, and his eyes filled with gratitude. "You risked yourself trying to save me." he grinned, and his stubby tail wiggled happily.
I didn't agree with him, but I didn't argue, either, and soon he was telling me all about the story of his life. I only listened with half an ear, and after a while I tuned him out completely. I was focused on the little window that connected the cab of the van from the back. Light was streaming through the wire screen, and I could almost make out what the humans were saying. The sound was muffled, however, and hard to distinguish from the whimpering and mewing, and occasional bleat, of the residents in the other cages.
After what seemed like days but was probably only a few hours, the van rolled to a stop. I was eager to see where we were, but at the same time I was petrified of the future. The back doors of the van swung open, and the white-coated men began unloading the animals from the cages. They had some sort of strange stick and were poking the inhabitants of the cages before opening them. The victims seemed to go into some sort of trance, and once it was clear that they were out of it the humans would carelessly throw them into the back of a large cart. The cart had solid-looking metal doors, and all hope of escaping left me.
When it was my turn to be stuck, I snarled and writhed and tried to get out of reach of the whatever-it-was, but the attempt was useless. The sharp stick-thing easily penetrated my skin, and soon the world began to swirl and tilt around me. I could no longer feel my limbs, and for a moment I had a strange feeling of lightness, like I was a feather. Quite suddenly, everything went black.

----
When I came to, the first thing I realized was that I was freezing. I curled into a little ball on the cold metal floor, trying to keep myself warm. The other animals who had taken the trip were around me in cages of various sizes, but the little white pup was gone, and I suddenly felt very alone.
A human stood by the opposite side of the aisle, as the cages were lines along the walls of what seemed like a narrow hallway. The room was gloomy and depressing, with shiny stainless steel floors and thick metal doors. The doors opened with a swooshing sound as the white-coat exited the chamber, and the animals were left alone.
The voices started up as soon as the man was gone. "What's mine say?" came the call, as every containment had a chart taped to the door. I strained to read the one across from me, but I was never very good with reading, and my effort was fruitless. My mother had once tried to teach me to read from discarded newspapers in the alleys, but I didn't have the patience to sit and listen to her ramblings, and had distracted myself with a nearby fly.
Now, I was regretting my short attention span, as I worried about what was written on my own chart. The other creatures were frantically trying to come up with escape plans, but after a while the 'plans' became incredibly ridiculous, serving only as desperate grasps at hope.
The black kitten from before sat in the cage below me now. He had silver stripes running down his back and bright green eyes, which were set within patches of silver fur. As he gazed fearfully up at me, I had the sudden urge to calm him. "Hello there," I said cheerfully. "I'm Ax. What's your name?" He stared at me for a moment before answering, measuring me up.
I am Ryuk." he said at last. "Ryuk," I replied, "I like that name. It's catchy." He grinned, pleased, but both of our attention was diverted as another white-coat came to stand before my cage. "C'mon then," he growled, and pulled me quite forcefully into the aisle. Almost instantly I felt the chain loop around my neck, and I snarled in distaste.
He led me into a laboratory-like room before blindfolding me. I felt myself being lifted, and then a smooth, cool surface touched my paws. I couldn't hold back a small whimper of fear.
Then came the pain.
The humans removed the blindfold and forced open one of my eyes. Instinctively I tried my hardest to keep them both closed, but it was useless. Some sort of liquid was dripped into my pupil, then they stepped back. I stood, trembling, waiting for something terrible to happen, but nothing did. I cautiously straightened up, relief flooding through me.
Then came the pain.
I cried out in agony as I first felt it. It was as if someone had taken a red hot branding iron and drilled it through my eye. I screamed and writhed as the white-coats restrained me. My vision in that eye had gone, and I could see only a black screen. I lashed out with my teeth, and connected with soft human flesh. The human yelped and leaped back, giving me just enough time to flee.
I tore out of there as fast as I could, my claws skittering precariously on the slick floor. A foolish human had been holding the door for another, and I slipped beneath their feet. I heard them yelling behind me, but I ignored it as I dashed down the hall.
As I rounded a corner I came face to face with another white-coat. He was carrying Ryuk. I growled angrily and sank my teeth into his leg while Ryuk did the same to the man's hand. He dropped Ryuk quite abruptly, howling in pain as he clutched his shin. My teeth were much bigger than Ryuk's and did much more damage.
As we ran on, I suddenly caught a glance of something odd and stopped. Through a glass window, there was an entire wall of pictures and charts of past animals. What caught my eye was a very familiar picture of a roan she-wolf, gazing sadly out into my eyes. It was my mother, and though I couldn't read the word beneath her picture, I could very well decipher the meaning. Ryuk tugged at my fur. "We have to hurry!" he cried. Dazed, I turned to follow him.
We continued out escape. Up ahead there were two thick double doors. Through a small window beside it I could see the sun shining brightly: freedom. I silently thanked whoever had the idiotic idea of putting a window in a laboratory. Perhaps they thought the sunshine would be nice. No matter, for as I hurtled into the glass, it shattered beneath my weight, and we were free, bounding across a large, green lawn.

They were shouting frantically behind us, but we were out of there, running as fast as we could to some sort of safety. I knew they would have the vans out soon, hunting us down. I had a feeling they wouldn't give up anytime soon. "We have to get far away, Ryuk." I murmured to the little cat as we rested later in a drainage pipe. My eye had finally began to clear up, an I could see again, but it still stung slightly. Ryuk thought for a moment then nodded gravely.
So we hitchhiked a ride in the back of an unsuspecting farmer's pickup truck, and he drove for sometime before coming to a standstill at a small farm. That's how we knew he was a farmer.
We waited until we were sure he had gone into the little house before us, then we hopped down and loped off toward the nearby trees. We came to a grinding halt, however, as an angry voice yelled after us.
You there! What do you think you are doing?!" I spun around, baring my teeth, expecting a fight, but was surprised to find it was only a she-dog. I laughed. "We were just leaving," I said sardonically as Ryuk and I once again turned toward the trees.
She sprang around to block our path. I paused to avoid colliding with her, and surveyed her up and down. Her pelt was white, with black and orange splashes here and there. Her proud muzzle was the lightest shade of tan. I curled my lip. "Get out of my way." I sneered. She spat at me.
What were you doing on my farm?" she demanded. I sighed and rolled my eyes. It seemed she wasn't going to drop it. I, however, wasn't going to give in to a female. I stuck my fangs in her face and let out a thunderous growl. "Out of my way." she stared at me for a moment, then suddenly her eyes widened. She had spotted the red tag in my ear. "Oh my," she said in disbelief, "are you from the laboratory?
I sighed, not believing the nerve of this girl, but Ryuk piped up. "Yes, we escaped." he said proudly. She stared at us in wonder.
Come then, you must stay with us for a while." she turned and trotted away, then paused when she realized we weren't following. "Come on then," she said cheerfully.

----

I'm not going to go into detail of what happened the following weeks; it is almost too painful to think about. I'm not going to be cruel and leave you hanging, however, as I am the one who got caught up in the story, so I'll make it brief.
The she-dog's name was Elune, and she took us in and nourished us back to health. To be completely and totally honest, I loved her. I denied it, of course, when Ryuk teased me, but now we both agree she obviously had feelings for me, as well.
I guess we'll never know, however, as one day Elune was bitten by a rabid coyote, loyally saving her owner from a horrible fate. She was infected with the disease, and well...
You can guess what happened.
The farmer, who had grown used to me and Ryuk being around, suddenly no longer cared for us. We were forced to move on. I fell into a deep state of depression, refusing to eat and unable to sleep. Obviously, after a time, it wasn't so bad, but I never quite got over it. I will never forget her.
Ryuk and I found our way to the ocean. We decided to stay in a port city, and spent our time stealing, lying, and gambling. We no longer cared for morals or respect. Well, perhaps Ryuk did, but I had no interest in anything of the sort.
So we found ourselves spiraling toward a fate we had never imagined, plundering and wreaking havoc wherever we went. There is a name for such a lifestyle, and the term suited us just fine.
We had become pirates.

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