CC R5 Part 1

And I'm not sleeping now, the dark is too hard to beat
And I'm not keeping now, the strength I need to push me
-Lights by Ellie Goulding

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        A bright orange eye blinked, snapping himself out of the banished memory. A familer brown and black dog let out a soft irritated growl as he glared out at the horizon beyond them gym.

        'It's bad enough I have this plan to manage....' Jet thought, scowling at the horizon, 'Now I have unwanted memories popping up as well...'

        Jet stared out blankly at the city, laying casually on the massive windowsill that made up the fourth wall of the gymnasium. Once he had returned from round 4 early in the morning, Jet had spent almost all of his time sitting quietly alone with his thoughts, thinking of every detail, every pro, every con, every possibility, and every..... ending that he could think of for this newer plan of his. Though to any other dog who might spot him he seemed to just be staring out at the city rather than planning the future of it.

        Jet scolded himself within the complex compounds of his mind. He hadn't even noticed his mind drift to the strictly self forbidden memories of his past. He gave his head a shake as if trying to rid himself of the rebeling memories.

        Actually looking at the horizon now, the sky was covered in a thick blanket of clouds, though it was beginning to gain a faint shade of red, so sunset couldn't be too far off. The whole city was beginning to get a red tint, much like the clouds that rested above. Jet could only imagine how much of the city was covered in red as well. How many dark alleys? How many streets? How much rubble? Who could really say.

        Jet's angered gaze softened as he laid alone, a sadden expression resting where a smile was usually plastered.

        'Still....I can't help but wonder..' Jet thought, his gaze shifting from the city to the sky, 'Would you be proud of me William...? For everything I've done...and everything I'm about to do...? Or would you hate and scorn me....? Honestly...I don't know anymore...' Jet pushed himself onto his legs feeling restless after sitting in one spot all day, but he knew aside from planning he needed to conserve his energy for the rounds. Too much was at risk to do anything stupid. Better to save the stupid recklessness for the rounds themselves.

        '...Everything's getting so complicated..I'm beginning to think I've gone insane....maybe I have...hard to say...' Stretching on the windowsill and yawning, he examined his pelt in hoping to distract himself from where his memories might lead him. His brown fur had started to get longer in preparation for the winter months ahead, but was covered in a mixture of bear blood, dirt, and dust. Under other circumstances, Jet would have cleaned his pelt in a heartbeat. A performer was naturally suppose to look decent for the audience, but he figured when your audience is a city full of desperate bloodthirsty starving dogs, you'd probably would get better results looking a little more filthy. Performers performed best when they knew their audience.

        Thinking back on it now, Jet wished he would have put more bear blood on him so the scent would have been thicker. Perhaps he could have used the scent advantage to hide as a bear, oppose to the mix of dirt and dust scent he currently obtained. Though the bear scent was still there, and if he was lucky he could use that to his advantage somehow later on. However, thick or not, he had successfully covered the foul scent of humans once and for all. Jet wouldn't be performing smelling like an idiotic human pet to a city of dogs that fought to survive.

        Leaping off the windowsill onto the slick ground below, Jet decided to attempt to relax a little. Judging by the way things were going he wasn't sure if he'd get an opportunity like this again. Besides, he had been racking his brain all day and could use a break.

        Walking until he reached the forestry area out of earshot but still within eye shot of the gym, Jet flopped on the ground rolling on his back and stretching his legs. He smiled as he rolled in the damp leaves and spots of snow that made up the ground. It felt good to be moving again after sitting still all day, and the cool leaves re-awakened his muscles that had begun to cramp. However, the smile soon faded until he eventually just laid there on his back staring up sadly at the sky.

        "Looks like it'll snow again...." he mumbled. The frown resting on his face soon deepened into a scowl. 'I reawakened those memories didn't I....Last night...I got too carried away...' The memories of his fight with Caesar forced themselves into his mind. He had done the one thing a performer is NEVER suppose to do during a show. '...I broke my character.....Dammit I'm gonna pay for that later....'

        The argument echoed in his mind, almost taunting him with his childish mistake. His past self seem to be screaming his own words in his mind, forcing him to remember.

        '...I did killed my father, and my mother, and every single one of my siblings. I felt their life die under my jaws. And you wanna know why I killed them? Not only did they starve me and beat me to hell and back then left me to die, no it was because they took away the only family I ever really had. They broke him. And you know what happens to animals who can't perform? They become tiger chow. I heard him get ripped apart and couldn't do a fucking thing. So I went back to where they were hiding and slaughtered all of them. No mercy...'

        Jet let out a growl at his foolishness. No one, absolutely no one was suppose to know anything about his past yet he had easily just spat it out as if it was nothing.
'Idiot!' he thought, a small growl echoing in his throat.

        '...So quit your whining, because you want to know the sad truth? No one cares. No one is going to care if you die, or if you get murdered. No one cares how broken you may be, or how tired or hungry...

        Jet's furious gaze softened a bit. How true it was...no one cared. No one in the world would care what happen to him if he failed, and they really wouldn't care if he succeeded. It's just how the world was, they cared about the performance but not what happened to the performer. He wondered if he cared or if it was just a reawakened insanity causing him to follow through with this plan of his. He..he had to care right? That's why he was doing this. Right?

        His nearly broken orange gaze stared up at the sky above. Either by some sort of curse or desire to temporarily be free of his troubles, another memory flowed into his mind.

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        Staying under the protection of William's body, a small, slightly fatter, pup walked between his new guardian's legs as they stepped out of the train and into the cool afternoon. Jet's orange eye widened in amazement as small white fluffy things fell from the sky.

        "William what's this?" he asked sniffing a falling fluff curiously.

        "What?" He noticed the pup staring wide eyed up at the sky. "The snow?" Had Jet seen snow before? He assumed not since he looked like he born around summer, maybe spring.

        "Snow..." Jet repeated staring at one, rather large snowflake, falling gently before landing on his nose. Jet yelped in surprise and fell backwards back underneath William's protective figure.        

        "It's cold!" William couldn't help but let out a deep laugh.

        "Well of course. Snow is always cold, but you know it can taste rather good at times....." Jet tilted his head at this statement. He looked up at the falling snow until he targeted a helpless snowflake. He caught the snowflake on his tongue and quickly devoured the cold victim.

        "You're right!" he exclaimed looking up at William with a cheerful eye. The two soon broke out laughing and tried to catch a few more snowflakes together.

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        "You never lied William...." Jet said in a whisper just loud enough for himself to hear. He didn't catch snowflakes much anymore.

        A sudden rustle of the bare brambles of bushes caught Jet's attention. His ears perked as he looked to see the familiar face of a small gray dog with a rope around his neck. One of his hired eyes and ears of Pripyat.
Jet's face quickly morphed into a smile as he rolled back onto his paws. Glancing around to make sure there was no one else around the area, he padded into the area of bushes and trees, bare of leaves but thick enough to provide protection from unwanted eyes.

        "Good to see you again." Jet began sitting down in front of the group. The group was made up of a large gray and brown male, the small gray dog with a rope around his neck, and Hazel. "I remember there being more of you last time, but it's nice to see you again. You too Hazel."

        "The rest of my gang is busy still gathering information for you," The large gray male began, "However, we decided to come and report what we had to you currently."

        "Good to hear. So whatcha got?" The small gray dog with the rope spoke first.

        "It's true about the dead pig gang taking dead bodies. We saw them with several more. Didn't want to get too close though."

        "I confirmed that rumor last round as well." Jet replied with a nod "Did you find out anything else?"

        "Something is stirring in the city." The large brown and dark gray dog said rather troubled.

        "What do you mean?" Jet asked, hoping for more details.

        "The gangs in the city are all whispering about ending the tourney, and Beyra. The Blind Pig is already recruiting to start a revolution by the sound of it. Some are looking at joining the Blind Pig gang, and I imagine some are thinking of starting their own revolution, however from what we've gathered, the Blind Pig has the largest amount of supporters and it's still growing. I've already seen the Fratelli group head towards the Blind Pig. It seems some ex-competitors have joined as well." The gears instantly began turning within Jet's mind as the smaller gray dog began his own report.

        "Not to mention some tensions between groups are getting very high. Between the lack of prey, cold, and poor results of this tournament so far, some dogs are looking into lowering the population themselves. Fights have broken out over the smallest things, deadly fights, and it's only going to get worse unless things start improving. Many dogs are blaming Beyra for the poor results."

        "Anything else?" Jet asked absorbing the information within the labyrinth of his mind, though his face gave no information on what he was thinking about.

        "Oh!" Hazel suddenly exclaimed, " And it seems some of the dogs have finally decided to leave the city. Two dogs and a bird leaving near the edge of the city were spotted a while ago, some black dog with a white splotch on his chest was watching them. There's also been talk of other groups that are thinking of leaving as well before this whole 'revolution' bloodshed starts."
Jet's orange eye flashed a little as he smiled. 'Interesting...Guess the population is getting reduced in several ways...'

        "Alright here's the new plan. I want you guys to continue on keeping an eye on the city. Let me know on anything and everything that happens in Pripyat. However, since the semi finals are next and there's only three other opponents,"

        'And naturally I know all of them...' Jet thought, almost laughing at the cruel irony of it all, but hey, that's Pripyat for you.

        "I want your gang to see if they can uncover anything about the other competitors. However, do try to keep things under wraps as much as possible when doing this. The less other dogs know, and the more I know, means I get a better chance at winning. In effect, you guys get your breeding rights." Despite Jet's overly enthusiastic smile though the whole discussion of the plan, the three others, shared a rather unamused expression. A mix between bored and aggravated.

        "Oh! And if you bring me back any really 'juicy' information, I'll reward you guys with a meal." The expression change to overjoyed was so fast, Jet nearly missed it while blinking.

        'At least I can count on their loyalty for the time being. Seems food is the answer to just about everything here.' Jet smiled wide with his accomplishment.

        "Alright so come report your findings to me after round 5. By then I'll have either won or I'll be dead. One of the two. Same rules as before, stick to your end of the deal, and I'll keep mine."

        "As we expect." replied the large dark gray male, with a hidden tone of warning if Jet didn't keep his side of the bargain. Jet dipped his head in a farewell to the smaller gray male, and the much larger darker male as they began to leave. Hazel stood up to follow them, but Jet quickly stopped him.

        "Hang on Hazel. I want to speak with you for a sec." Hazel gave the other two a confused look but they shrugged and padded off leaving Hazel alone with Jet. He sat down onto the damp ground in front of Jet, minding his still tender broken tail.

        "What did you want to talk about Jet?" Hazel questioned, tilting his head as curiosity filled his eyes.

        "There's a group of friends somewhere out there in the city. They got a bunch of scared little kiddos with them and some elderly den mother. I don't even know if my friends managed to find them but I gotta hope they did. That food I was talking about, there's plenty for your gang and those kiddos and my friends." Hazel's eyes widened in surprise.

        "Is it really that much?!" He asked, astonished with his mouth hanging open.

        "Honestly I don't know. I imagine it would be enough for them to at least fill their bellies better then they probably have in a long time, so long as no one else has found it. However I know how greedy some dogs can be when it comes to food here so I want those pups to eat first. Hazel I need you to find my friends with the pups and take them to the food in secret. Can I trust you to do that without telling your gang where the food is? I'll send them your direction as soon as they report back to me."

        For a while Jet was sure he would said no. Hazel stared at his paws quietly as if thinking things over. Was it really fair for Hazel to have a chance at the food before his gang did? On the other hand, if there were dogs in trouble, pups no less, wasn't it his duty to try and help them too? Perhaps he could wait for his gang to arrive before he ate his share... Hazel looked back up to see Jet, a soft hopeful smile on his face, as he stared back at him.

        "Jet, if it's so secretive why don't you just go?" Hazel questioned. Jet looked up towards the sky, his blind side towards Hazel, as if trying to find the correct words to answer his question. A soft smile still remained, though the rest of his face was hidden behind the red cloth of his bandanna. He looked back at Hazel then shook his head.

        "Believe me its a lot safer for everyone if I stay away from them. Besides, round 5 could start soon and I'll need to be here. So, can you go for me?"

        Jet stared at Hazel with a single large hope filled orange eye, with a soft smile to match. Jet was his friend now, and was risking himself for his gang when he, himself had failed, and apparently his other friends and these pups. He couldn't just stand by, especially after everything Jet had done to help them.

        "Alright Jet, you can trust us to find your friends and get them to the prey in secret. We promise, a gentlemen's promise." Jet and Hazel began laughing softly at the inside joke.

        "Good to hear. Alright my friends are..."

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"It's a metaphor," a soft voice murmured, and Beyra's hackles rose. She turned to face the newcomer with a snarl, but relaxed when she saw a dog with a familiar drifting gait coming up behind her.

            "Ah, it's just you Helium-Head."

            Balloon sat down next to the champion, her gaze upon the ferris wheel. "It's a metaphor. The ferris wheel is the life of the city. The tournament reduces the population, times are easier, then the population grows out of control and the tournament must be held again. Like the ferris wheel, which is a circle, this process never ends; it just starts anew. The rust is the blood that is shed; every time the cycle repeats more blood accumulates, and the structure of our lives weakens."

            Beyra frowned. "Did you just follow me here to make grandiose speeches?"

            "No, boss-lady," Balloon replied. "My purpose is dual natured and I now shall reveal the truth of it; most of the fighters have returned from the deciding of their fates and now in their weariness descend into slumber."

            "Alright," the champion growled. "You said dual natured; what else do you have to say?"

            "Only conjecture; you do not meet with the public approval, boss-lady. I fear that they regard you as a coward who hides behind mass numbers to keep authority, and a killer who revels in their deaths. Should this go unchecked, they will likely attempt a revolution."

            Beyra flopped down on the street, moaning softly as her aching joints protested. "I honestly don't give a damn what those fools think. It hardly matters."

            Balloon tilted her head to the side, her expression full of confusion. "But if they attempt an uprising, it could result in your decease."

            "Helium-Head, let me tell you something. I've seen six winters come and go; this is my seventh. There aren't many dogs who can claim that. But this winter is gonna be a hard one even for the young mutts. Dog my age? Hah! Maybe it'll be a rogue competitor, maybe it'll be starvation, hell it could just be the damned cold. But one way or another, I don't see myself being around anymore come the spring."

            Balloon recoiled, for once at a loss for words. The old champion only sighed, gazing up at the ferris wheel again.

            "So the idiots have a beef with me? Fine. Tell 'em this- anyone who wins this round and moves on the to final can meet with me, alone, for one hour. No proctors, none of their little buddies, just one on one. If they wanna talk, we can talk. If they wanna scrap, we can scrap. If they don't care to take me up on it, well that's one less idiot I gotta deal with."

            "I do not think that there is wisdom in this decision, boss-lady," Balloon said, "but I will carry your words with me back to the competitors and convey to them your offer."

            The floating dog turned away and began to bounce towards the gymnasium. Beyra lingered, her gaze fixed on the ancient rusted circle of the ferris wheel.

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        "Alright so Hamlet, Aderyn, Jessica, Duncan, and Cryus right?" Hazel repeated. Jet smiled, wagging his tail.

        "Perfect. Tell them Jet sent you to relocate somewhere safer and they'll hopefully listen. Now the food is in an abandoned mansion about four blocks down from here. The entrance is on the side of the building in an alley but is covered with rubble so you'll have to dig it open then recover it so no one else gets in. On the side of the large staircase is where you'll find a bear, dead and covered in meat. Don't let anyone else in but my friends, those pups, and your gang. I mean it. No one else."

        "Mansion four blocks down from here, entrance on side, don't let anyone else in but friends, gang, and pups. Wait a minute. Did you say bear?" Jet held back a laugh.

        'Guess I should have mentioned that little detail earlier...'

        "Yes, the prey is a large dead bear. Even taking my fill I didn't make that much of a dent in it, so the others should have enough. Hopefully the scent of bear alone, will keep others away...Keep everyone hidden there until I send word for something else."

        Hazel leaped to his feet, giving a curt nod, before turning and bounding in search of the damsels in distress.

        "Oh Hazel!" Hazel slid to a halt to see Jet's blinded side turn towards him, though his body was pointed back towards the gym. "Don't go on the second floor. It's pretty unstable up there. Wouldn't want anyone getting hurt."

        "Ok. I'll be sure to make sure no one goes up there. Don't worry Jet, we promise to make sure they get there safe. You just worry about winning the tournament." Though Jet didn't see it, he could sense Hazel's bright smile before he heard him bound off through the underbrush.

        'If only winning the tournament was my only problem....but enough on that." Jet began heading towards the gym. 'I need to get back to business, and by business I mean the business of my possible opponents. This is the semi finals, meaning each of the three other dogs made it this far for one reason or another. Strength, brains, luck, etc.'

        Quickly walking back into the slightly warmer interior of the gymnasium. Jet began to notice just how different it was compared to how it was only a few days earlier. It seemed so odd to see it empty compared to how full it had been back in round 3. Though some of the blood stains still remained. Only three dogs were left, all sitting separately.

        The first was Untoten who was curled up and sleeping in a corner. From what Jet had learned, she was pregnant. He could assume that was one reason she was fighting, though he wasn't sure if there was anything else. Jet had to admit he was impressed such a small dog had made it this far, and carrying little ones no less. The crazy female had guts.

        Second was Speaks. Jet had liked Speakeasy's company, even though she...or he..., seemed two acts short of a circus. Speaks had always had a smile on her, or his, face along with a natural carefree attitude about things. Not to mention, as far as story tellers go, Speakeasy gave some rather good stories, despite their often....grim topics. He wasn't sure if Speaks was a boy or a girl, or perhaps an it? Perhaps he'd just call Speaks a girl, and if she got mad he could play it off as a slip of the tongue. She had always been in a good mood whenever he had seen her. One of the few other competitors that always smiled often like him. Oddly enough though, today Speaks seemed in almost as grim a mood as her stories. Jet flicked his tail wondering why that was.

        Turning his head to the other side of the gym, Jet spotted the last possible opponent, Tyson.

        'Come to think of it now, Tyson's the only one I don't know much about. Last time I spoke with him, he had both of his eyes...and now that I think about it...His appearance reminds me of something..' Deciding to 'make a new friend' Jet trotted over towards Tyson's direction.

        Tyson sat near a corner of the gym, his face troubled as if he was trying to remember something important. Jet vaguely remember him not sleeping once he returned from round 4 as well. Perhaps had been up to something too...

        "Hey Tyson!" Jet exclaimed happily, his face full with a large joyful smile. Tyson's head turned to see Jet sitting down next to him on both their blindsides.

        "Oh um.. hello...?"

        "Jet. We met back after round 1 remember?" Tyson laughed a little.
        
        "Y-yeah. Good to see you again."

        "So... I heard you saw some dogs and a bird escape." Tyson's head instantly snapped to face Jet. "Don't worry I won't tell. Every dog has their own right to their secrets."

        "How did you-"

        "Pripyat has some good eyes and ears you know." Jet said with a chuckle. "So were they friends of yours or something?"

        "Yeah...they were friends of mine, and my opponents last round."

        "Ah well that was rather nice of you to send them on there way. So they just gonna wander into the woods beyond here, or did they actually have a location?"

        "Well...There's a human town directly south of here. I told them to head there since
        Trinity, was sick."

        "Trinity?"

        "The bird."

        "Ah got it."

        "So what happened during your round?" Jet flicked his tail and looked towards the large gym windows.

        "Nothing exciting I'm afraid."

        'Nothing I need to remember right now...' He thought bitterly. The better he could keep those memories free from his mind the better.

"Alright you lot gather up!" Jet and Tyson both looked up to see one of Beyra's helpers, Curley, looking as grumpy as ever.

"Well it's been fun Tyson," Jet said pushing himself onto his paws, "But I got a round to win. Good luck with your round."

"Uh, thanks. You too."

        Tyson and Jet joined Untoten and Speakeasy on opposite sides. As the four semi finalist fell in line in front of the group of helpers, there was no Beyra to be found. Jet's single orange eye filled with curiosity as he observed the group of helpers. Each one seemed to be angry, troubled, or a mix of the two. Was something wrong with Beyra? Eventually a pure black helper with bright, almost glowing, silver eyes, named Bristles, stepped forward.

        "Well welcome to the semifinals and all that crap." he began, his annoyed tone matching his expression as he rolled his eyes with a snarl. "Whichever two of you win this round get an hour alone with Beyra. You wanna talk or fight, she doesn't care."

        Shock hit the four dogs at the sudden deal Beyra had offered. Slowly each face of the remaining competitors changed into one expression or another. Tyson looked between a mixture of confusion and concern, Untoten seemed troubled, as if trying to figure out Beyra's motives with this sudden decision, Speakeasy looked as if she could care less,.... and then there was Jet.

        Jet's face held a mixture of utter joy and complete excitement. It was similar to a human child getting a present on christmas. He nearly leaped onto his paws in excitement.

        'One hour! A whole hour! Oh all the possibilities I could have with that one single hour!' Jet's smiled grew even wider.

        "Alright now for round 5. Let's see here..." Bristles paused looking at the four competitors. "Tyson against Untoten, and Jet against Speakeasy. So...get to it or whatever." Jet and Speakeasy turned to face each other.

        'Another friend to fight....go figure...but no time to chicken out after making it this far...besides I've already come to terms with fighting friends.' Jet got onto his paws, smiling warmly at his friend. 'Best to keep it to the book this time. I don't want a repeat of last night. First let's see what I can learn about Speaks.'

        "Shall we begin Speakeasy?" Before Speakeasy had a chance to respond, Jet was out of the gym and heading towards the edge of the city.

        "Rotten all...." Speaks got to her feet then took off after the sly circus mutt.

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Jet ran, bounding over fallen frozen trees and over ice spots, but the thundering of Speakeasy's paws followed nonetheless.

'I gotta hand it to her, she can run. She's even catching up pretty fast, but it's gonna take more than that to defeat me this far in the game.' Jet spotted the destroyed ruins of a large building near a clearing. He smirked then turned fast and ran into the remains of the building.

        Speakeasy slid to a halt once she entered the building. It wasn't much of a building now though, more just a series of ruin walls sticking up out of the ground. She walked around quietly keeping her eyes open for her slippery opponent.

        "Where'd he go...I know I saw him run this way." A laugh echoed through the walls. Speakeasy turned around, but didn't see anything but a half demolished wall and the clearing beyond it. The laugh continued the echo around the walls surrounding Speakeasy. Sometimes it was close, other times far. She growled at the mocking laughter of her opponent.

        "Where did he go...Come on out Circus boy! Let's just get this crap over with." Speakeasy stopped suddenly at the odd thick musk. "What the hell is that scent...?"

        "Bear I imagine." Speakeasy turned around to see Jet laying casually on top of one of the dissolved walls. "Among other things. Sorry about the run. I don't normally sprint out like that but I couldn't resist. Nice to see yah Speaks." Jet smiled big at his friend.

        "Alright, let's get this rot over with." Speaks growled and got in a fighting stance, snarling at Jet.

        "Aww so quick to the point?" Jet pouted, "Where's the fun in that? Come on Speaks, be a little more creative." He got onto his paws balancing on the wall, still holding his smile as if this was all a game. Speakeasy was beginning to hate his taunting smile. "How about a game of catch? See if you can catch me, if you can maybe I'll let you win. We are friends after all, mine as well play a game together."

        Speakeasy had, had enough of this. She lunged towards his front paws, only to find her jaws snap onto nothing. Looking up she saw Jet balancing on his hind legs, still on top of the wall, smiling brightly as ever.

        'Hmm powerful looking jaws. I'll want to stay clear of those.' Jet thought to himself.

        "Bit slow, Speaks." Jet laughed "Oh I know! How about you tell me another one of your story songs?" Speakeasy growled and lunged for him again. Jet leaped off the wall and onto the ground. He turned around to see Speakeasy half way over the wall growling loudly.

        "Come on please? I really like your songs."

        "Not really in the singing mood." Jet tilted his head. No singing from Speakeasy? Was the world coming to an end? This kind of behavior didn't seem like Speakeasy at all, she had always been so cheery, and loved singing her grim songs. Although...maybe this was how she always was whenever she fought. Who could say? He had never seen her fight.

        "Aww why not? Something happen last round?" Speakeasy finished scrambling over the wall, but stayed silent.

        "Come on lighten up. I'm just trying to make it fun."

        "I can think of things that are a lot more fun." She responded glaring at Jet.

        "So can I, but hey you gotta make each day fun, cause you never know when your gonna end up in a ditch somewhere or six feet under." Jet began laughing again. Oh how Speakeasy was beginning to hate that laugh. She snarled then charged Jet. He rolled to the side wincing as his back shoulder wound protested. Jet quickly got to his paws and smirking with a single playful orange eye. Speakeasy turned around and snarled. Why did he keep acting like a pup playing with a toy?

        'She runs fast enough but can't seem to turn well. Good to know.' He began slowly backing up as Speakeasy started to advance.

        "You're a rotten rat to catch, Jet."

        "I think I'm adorable, and by far the best performer in this city." He giggled, giving a mock bow. Speakeasy snarled getting closer to him, as Jet started backing up a little faster. He glanced around the area looking for anything that might be useful. There was a fallen tree behind Speakeasy that had crashed through one of the ruined walls, it's roots sticking up in the air. Behind him was the remains of another wall though half of it was dissolved and sloped upwards.

        Speakeasy charged again, but this time Jet jumped up before landing on Speakeasy's shoulder's. He turned and leaped onto the wall, climbing up wall until he sat at the top. Panting and turning around, he saw Speakeasy shaking her head and growling. Even though she had a large size advantage, he was out of even her reach for now.

        "So how's the weather down there?" She snarled and tried to race up after her, but her clumsy paws only made her slip and fall back down. Now that Jet had Speakeasy's attention perhaps he'd have a better chance at getting what he wanted.

        "Wow you are really determined on this. I wonder why that is. I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me." Once again he was met with an angry glare. "I'll take that as a no." He concluded, sitting down on top of the wall. He watched as Speakeasy continuing trying to climb up the rubble, but the mixture of ice, loose spots, and inexperienced paws, made her slip each time.

        "So...I'm assuming since we're in the semi finals asking you to just give up at this point is kinda pointless?" Speakeasy just frowned, looking annoyed. "I thought so. Ah well, can't say I didn't try, so I'll just continue to smile through and through."

        "You hit your head last round?" Jet flicked his tail and looked upwards.

        "Well yes, by a rather annoying book, but that's besides the point." He looked back at Speakeasy smiling down at her. "I just came to a realization that's all. A very particular realization, but enough about that." Jet got back onto his paws. "This is beginning to get rather boring. So I'll just have to cut things short this round." Without warning Jet through part of the loose wall at Speakeasy.

        Speakeasy drew backwards and shook her head and snarled. She opened her eyes to see Jet leaping from the high wall directly at her. Jet tackled Speakeasy using the high ground against his larger opponent, to pin her down.

        "Time to end this show." Speakeasy looked up, her stomach lurching uncomfortably as she laid on the cool ground. She let out a quiet moan but Jet didn't seem to notice. Before finishing her off, Jet leaned down to meet Speakeasy at eye level. "No hard feelings Speaks."

        Speakeasy suddenly hacked up a large amount of black goo straight towards Jet's face. Jet's single eye closed but the black good seeped into the gashes on his face and burned. He let out a cry of pain, instantly drawing back off of Speakeasy and rubbing his face on the damp ground, attempting to get the burning liquid off.

        "What the hell is this?!" Jet asked in alarm still trying to get the foul sticky goo off his face. Speakeasy had him now. She got onto her paws and growled a little before charging again towards Jet. He looked up in surprise and tried to dodge again, but slipped on a stray ice patch below his feet. Speakeasy practically flew past Jet missing his neck but her fangs found a piece of soft cloth. She held onto it tight as her body knocked Jet to the ground.

        Jet's single eye widened as a 'RRRRRIIIIIIPPPPPPPPP' echoed in his ears.

----------

        Jet tried leaping again but his paws became tangled in the hoop. Letting out an alarmed yelp, both the hoop and him fell onto the ground below. Jet shook his head and winced a bit getting back up, as the trainer untangled the hoop and placed it back up. He turned to see his large gray caretaker pad towards him.

        "I'm trying William, honest." As always, he was met with sympathetic yellow brown eyes.

        "I know lad." Jet winced as his right eye throbbed from the fall.

        "Is your eye bugging you again?"

        "It's not getting better William." Jet responded grimly, as he looked up at him. "I can't see anything clearly out of it. Everything's all blurry and messy. I can't jump through one hoop when I see six." Despite that Jet's wounds had fully healed about a month ago, his eye had remained damaged. Once they had taken the bandage off, his vision had been distorted. They thought perhaps it would heal over time, but it seemed to be making little, if any, progress.  

        "We've got to figure something out...the circus doesn't have room for animals who can't perform." Both William and Jet knew that was something to worry about. If they thought you were useless you had to run before they fed you to one of the large hungry wild animals.

        "Perhaps if we covered your eye..." William suggested, "Maybe an eye patch." Jet shook his head in disapproval.

        "I hate those things. They're too tight and hurt my eye more." Several of the trainers  tried to dress him up more than once, since he was the newest puppy in the performing animals group.

        "I see...." Inspiration suddenly hit William. "Ah! I've got it." Before Jet could object, William bent down and slid off the bandanna around his neck. Taking it in his jaws he padded to the trainer and gently nudged her hand. She looked down to see what William was holding in his jaws then smiled.

        "Good idea William." Gently taking the bandanna, and patting William on the head, she untied the knot, and adjusted it to a smaller size. She knelt down and skillfully placed the bandanna over Jet's damaged eye, despite his squirms. Once she was satisfied with her work, she stood back up and walked back towards the hoop.
Jet stared at William in astonishment.

        "But...William this is yours." William just smiled softly.

        "And now it's yours. Can you see clearly now?" Jet looked towards the hoop.

        "Yeah!"

        "Good, now go for it."

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        Jet stood perfectly still and stared with a single wide eye at Speakeasy.

        After the tackle, Speakeasy had gotten back up along with Jet, but Jet hadn't moved after that. He just kept staring quietly at Speakeasy, as if she had gone and grew an extra head in front of him. This sudden change had made Speakeasy hesitant about tackling him again. It seemed like any nudge might make him explode. Sure he had pissed her off, and she was still in a rather foul mood, but she'd never seen Jet this stone cold quiet before. It was just unnatural for him.

        "Jet..?" she asked quietly. His single orange eye moved a bit and very slowly his smile returned to his face.

        "You....you ripped....my bandanna."

        That's why he had gone into such a strange state? His bandanna? Speakeasy looked at the very small piece of red cloth that hung from her jaws. It was only the ends of one of the two pieces that stuck out from the knot. It wasn't as if she had ripped the whole thing in half. What was he so upset over?

        A sudden thundering of paws quickly got Speakeasy's attention as Jet ran full speed roaring loudly in rage. He tackled her with his his entire body, sinking his fangs into her shoulder, while knocking her completely off her feet falling towards the roots of the fallen tree. The next thing both of them knew, was they were weightless.