Cecily POV

I searched frantically for Art and Alpha.

I ran around the park, shouting their names and showing the picture I had just taken of us to strangers in hopes that they had seen them.

As soon as I was feeling like it was futile and was about to search elsewhere, a woman arriving at the park recognized my dogs and said she had seen them with a man. After she pointed me in the right direction, I thanked her about a hundred times before going the way she had indicated.

For the first time in my life, I didn't think about the exhaustion or the sweat running down my neck and back. All I could think about were the dogs who had become important to me in such a short period of time. Maybe the connection had formed when I named them. Or it could have been when we fell asleep together, gorged on movies and popcorn. All I knew was that I wasn't ready to let them go now that our bond was growing. I had few people in my life—my parents and Sophie were the only people I could talk to and be my weird, quirky self with. With Art and Alpha, I was myself from the very beginning, and them being weird dogs themselves, never once gave me those judging looks I had seen on too many pairs of eyes.

I ran, looking in every alley, and hoped I was going in the right direction. After what felt like an eternity, my limbs were shaking from a combination of fear and exhaustion, so I decided to take a minute to catch my breath—my lungs were feeling like they were on fire every time I took in a breath of air.

I was about to shake myself off and continue searching when I noticed a blur of dark brown fur racing in my direction. I froze, both my body and heart stopping as I stared at the figure that got closer and closer with every passing second.

"ART!" I shouted, finally snapping out of my stupor as I lurched forward and closed the distance between us. I held the panting and violently shaking dog to my chest, feeling tears lining my eyes as a wave of relief coursed through me.

After a minute, I pulled away and looked around for Alpha.

"Art, where's your brother?" I asked, my worry increasing the longer I realized Alpha wasn't with him.

Art whined, gently grabbing my hand with his mouth, and tugged me in the direction he had come from. It was then that I realized his leash was missing.

"Is he that way?" I asked, standing up and following Art as he raced the way he had come.

As we rounded a corner, I spotted Alpha running toward us from the other side of the street. Art barked, crossing the street in a heartbeat. Mentally thanking fate that we were on a relatively empty street so I didn't have to worry about us getting hit by a car, I followed behind him.

"Alpha!" I exclaimed as I drew closer. I momentarily felt relief knowing we were all together again before gasping in shock, my fear once again escalating.

Alpha was injured.

Badly.

"Oh my gosh! What happened to you!?" I cried as I looked over him, too afraid to touch him in case I hurt him. His fur was matted with blood and I could immediately see three major wounds. My mind felt like it was racing, yet going nowhere as I tried to come to grips with what was happening. Who would dare do this to him!? How could I let this happen!?

Alpha sniffed Art before nudging him forward. As soon as Art started walking the way we had just come, tail and ears down as a low whine escaped him, Alpha gently nudged my thigh and followed his brother. Still reeling from shock and concern, I found myself following them.

"W-we need to get you to a hospit- no, a vet!" I said, frantically trying to recall where the nearest vet was despite never having needed to visit one.

At this, Alpha turned back to look at me and let out a low growl.

I took this as a 'no' and grabbed my head with my hands.

"You need a vet. You're bleeding so much! I-I'm not equipped to handle this!" I begged, feeling my slim grip on my composure breaking as I saw blood drip onto the cement as we walked.

"Y-you shouldn't be walking right now!" I said, but he had no leash for me to stop him with and I was not about to physically stop him with all the wounds across his back and body—not that I could overpower him even if I tried.

Alpha ignored me.

If he didn't want to go to the vet, what else could I--... "That's it!"

I whipped out my phone with trembling hands and immediately dialed Sophie. She was studying to be a veterinarian and even if she hadn't graduated yet, she would know more than I did.

She answered on the third ring. "Why if it isn't my best friend who has abandoned me for her two dogs," Sophie said playfully.

"Sophie!! I need your help! It's an emergency!" I said, not even bothering with a greeting in my panicked state.

"What's wrong? Are you okay!?" Sophie immediately asked, all the lightheartedness gone from her tone.

"It's Alpha, my dog! The big one! He's- he's hurt bad and I don't know what to do. It's all my fault and he's bleeding and what if—" I rambled before being cut off.

"Cecily. Calm down. Where are you?" she asked, all business, as I heard shuffling on the other side of the phone.

I took a deep breath and gathered my bearings. "I'm in front of Sam's Convenience Store in the emptier part of town near the park," I told her as I stopped walking.

Alpha and Art noticed my pause and they stopped as well. Alpha immediately looked all around us while sniffing the air before seeming to relax and laying down by my feet. Art curled up near him, only his muzzle touching Alpha's uninjured cheek.

"I know where you are. I'm on my way with my med kit. If he's bleeding bad, run into the convenience store and get a bandage to help stop the bleeding," she instructed.

"And Cecily, it's going to be okay."

As soon as she hung up, I turned to Art and Alpha. "I'll be two seconds while I run into the store. Don't move!"

I rushed into the store and bought bandages at record breaking speed before carefully applying pressure on the wound near his lower back. Were those... teeth marks?

"Alpha, I-I'm so sorry..." I whispered as I tried my best to help him until Sophie arrived.