Hero, Raven, Rougue

– Here! – said Alex, throwing the bag next to Nay. – You can cook this in that big pot! It should be enough for all of you! I won’t be able to eat all of this in a year. And you can get more on the way…

The dogs looked at this, and Nay, as their leader, decided to express their collective point of view:

– Porridge is good, of course, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some meat with it…

– Well, you really need hunting for that, probably, – replied Alex. – Or you can steal something…

– Where to steal? – suddenly asked Boll.

– Maybe in some meat store, eatery, or restaurant, probably.

– Can you do that? – Nay asked.

– I can try if you want… But we definitely need someone to distract people because stealing something at night is too difficult due to everything being closed.

– We have Max! – Boll declared, seemingly smiling.

– Yes… Max will handle this very well, – Nay supported him.

– So, we’re robbing a meat shop? – another dog asked.

– The little human says he’s ready, – Boll answered.

While Alex was innocently nodding, one of the dogs asked in a menacing voice:

– So, does it mean that the hunt is canceled today?

– No, Spike! – Nay replied. – This plan may fail miserably, but if we need something, not trying to make it happen given such an opportunity would be stupid. So, some of us will go hunting, and some will go with me and the little human on this adventure! I was just about to appoint you in charge of our hunt today.

To which Spike responded with an angry bark and then went to gather those who were supposed to go hunting with him. Nay decided to ask the boy:

– Do you know any places where we can snatch a couple of pieces of meat?

– Quite a few! – licking his lips, Boll added to Nay’s words.

– There’s one place a few blocks away in that direction! – pointing to his right, Alex said.

– Great! – Nay declared. – While we’re getting ready and planning, Boll, go find Max!

– Okay! – said Boll and quickly ran off.

– Well, are you ready, little human? – Nay asked.

To which Alex, once again, nodded without hesitation.

After some time, Alex, Nay, Boll, Max, and several other dogs gathered near a solitary meat shop located on the ground floor of a four-story building.

«Well… As we agreed… We go in through the service entrance, and you and Max teach these simpletons lessons in acting!» Nay said.

After that, Alex and Nay headed towards an alley between two buildings, while the rest of the dogs went towards the main entrance. Meanwhile, one of the dogs stood guard, and another, holding a broken piece of a mop, ran around the smoking employee in the alley.

«What about him?» Nay asked the dog on guard.

«He’s almost finished smoking,» the dog replied.

«He’s leaving, he’s leaving!» Alex suddenly said.

At the same time, the dog next to the smoking employee leisurely followed him with the stick in its mouth.

«Oh no! No! Yuck! You can’t!» the man said to the dog, thinking it wanted to enter the shop with him. As the service entrance door usually closed by itself, he didn’t manually close it, allowing the dog to cleverly wedge the stick into the gap between the door frame and the door itself, preventing it from fully closing.

«Well done, Tucker!» the dog on guard muttered to himself, standing next to Alex and Nay.

«Excellent, forward!» Nay commanded.

After this command, Nay went towards Max, and then Nay and Alex approached the service entrance.

When they reached the dog named Tucker, Alex immediately grabbed the door and opened it so that he and Nay could enter smoothly.

«Good job, Tucker!» Nay praised the agile dog, to which Tucker nodded as if acknowledging the leader’s words.

«No one’s here!» Alex declared, peeking into the service area of the shop.

After that, Alex and Nay went inside.

«Watch the door!» Nay told Tucker after they entered.

Meanwhile, a real circus was happening at the main entrance. Max, being a rather affable dog, pretended to be the victim of a gang of evil stray dogs, which were cornered. Well, not exactly cornered… Max himself rushed inside the shop, and the other dogs began to bark furiously at him through the shop window. One of the shop employees immediately closed the door, thinking that by doing so, he prevented other dogs from entering the shop after their prey, Max. Soon, the entire shop staff gathered to witness this show.

«Poor little dog,» said one of the workers, stroking Max behind the ear.

«They cornered the poor thing,» remarked another.

The rest watched the hostile pack of dogs on the other side of the window. Someone even called the police. Meanwhile, Alex, in the office, struggled to open the refrigerator door, pulling on its handle without success.

«It seems you lack the strength!» Nei teased him.

«I know!» Alex replied, frustrated.

«We need to hurry! Max won’t last long!»

After a few futile attempts, Alex reluctantly accepted that he, being like he is, lacked the strength. After a brief moment of thought, he remembered something Remi once told him.

«A lever!» Alex exclaimed. «Fetch that stick!»

Nei brought the broken piece of a mop in his teeth, and Alex used it as a lever on the handle. With a little pressure, the door finally opened. Within seconds, a real treasure appeared before Alex and Nei, judging by their expressions.

«Look how big it is!» Nei exclaimed, seeing a massive piece of ham right in the middle of the refrigerated room.

Saying this, Nei immediately rushed towards the ham, biting onto the huge salty pork leg and pulling it out of the fridge. Meanwhile, Alex had the idea to roll a metal cart to the heavy piece of meat.

«Yes, you’re right! This will work better,» Nei said, surprised to see Alex with the cart.

«I knew you’d like it!» Alex replied.

After managing to load the meat onto the cart, they swiftly rolled it out of the office.

«Are you serious?» Tucker asked, seeing this.

«Inform the others quickly!» Nei told Tucker.

«Well, as you say!» Tucker said and ran to the main entrance of the store.

«Can you handle this cart?» Nei asked Alex.

As usual, Alex remained unperturbed and replied, «Of course!»

«Then let’s go!» Nei added. «We’ll amuse them a bit more here and catch up with you later!»

Alex naively nodded his head, grabbing the cart with both hands and ran away from the store, rolling the cart in front of him. Nei headed towards his companions.

Alex’s joy knew no bounds. Although Remi taught him that stealing is wrong, he managed to complete an extremely challenging task and even helped others like him – the homeless dogs. To his surprise, it warmed his heart. So, he joyfully rolled the cart with ham through the street, surprising passersby. Soon, his furry friends caught up with him.

«You did great!» Boll said, running up to the boy.

«What a huge piece…» Max commented. «And this little guy is not bad at all!»

«That’s true!» Nei added.

«Have you started drooling, Max?» Boll teased. «I remember you’ve already had your meal, so don’t think you’ll get an extra portion for your special talents.»

«Has Max had lunch?» Alex asked.

«Yeah!» Boll confirmed.

«Anyway, if we cook this together with porridge, it’ll be enough for all of us,» Alex suggested. «Let’s celebrate our victory today and feast to our heart’s content.»

«Well, okay…» Boll agreed. «Your plan is not bad either!»

«What’s your name, little guy?» Nei asked.

«Grandpa Remi named me Alex!»

«Alex!» one of the dogs said.

«Alex!» another one repeated.

«Alex, Alex, Alex…» echoed every dog around him.

«What’s going on with them?» the boy asked.

«Initiation into our pack…» Nei replied. «Now you’re a member!»

«And are you my leader?» Alex asked with a grin.

«Exactly!» replied Nei.

After that, Alex burst into laughter. The sight of a boy rolling a cart with a massive piece of ham through the streets of a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood surrounded by a pack of stray dogs was quite an amusing picture for the people they encountered on their way. Among these people were those who could be called real bandits, but even they dared not say a word to the boy, as no one wanted to deal with a pack of stray dogs. When they returned to the basement, it turned out that Spike and his team of hunters also managed to catch a whole beaver, which made the pack members even happier. However, Spike was a bit disappointed as the ham obtained by Nei’s team turned out to be larger than his catch. However, all grievances and troubles were forgotten when Alex, as promised, organized a feast for his furry friends.

From that point on, the life of little Alex slowly but surely began to improve. Occasionally, he and his pack embarked on similar adventures to procure various meat products, which improved over time. They sometimes even managed to get grains for free – the key was knowing where and when. And, of course, the pack never forgot about hunting. All this eventually allowed the dog pack to no longer feel the need for food and live a relatively happy and satisfied life. Alex decided not only to be content with what he had but also to give something to those who, in his opinion, might still need it. Often, the entire pack couldn’t finish all the food they acquired before it spoiled, considering that each pack member typically consumed the meat along with porridge. However, Alex tried to engage in such charity exclusively in the morning, when all the wandering people and animals were still asleep. This was necessary to avoid attracting unnecessary attention and potential problems. For all those whom little Alex helped in this way, the mysterious benefactor remained unknown. For a long time, Alex and his pack lived free from any hardships, but one day everything changed.

After another hunt organized by Nei, Alex arranged a real feast not just for friends but for his family, and the whole pack gathered in their warm basement for this grand dinner in the evening.

«And Alex isn’t that bad at hunting for a human!» Boll said with a smile.

«He’d make a good dog out of him,» another dog added, munching on something.

«I don’t know about you, but I think his hunting achievements today still can’t compare to what our Alex did a couple of weeks ago. Imagine biting that human on the hand so he drops the gun, allowing those weak people to escape. I just can’t forget that…» said the dog sitting next to the leader.

«I just did what you guys taught me…» Alex replied, after which some dogs burst into laughter together.

«Little guy has a real passion for good deeds,» Spike said as the dogs laughed. «One moment, he’s sharing his food with everyone, and the next, he’s saving people from other people…»

«I still can’t believe that such things are still happening on the streets of our city,» Nei said. «I remember being told that in five years, the police would completely eradicate such manifestations of crime in the city. And there was a time when I believed it…»

«Are you reminiscing about your police stories again, Nei?» Boll asked with a smile.

«Well, how can I not remember?..» Nei replied.

«I didn’t know that Max is also good at hunting,» Alex remarked.

«I’ve had this talent since childhood,» Max replied with a smile. «I just happen to be even better at begging for food from people!» he added and burst into laughter.

Suddenly, their evening meal was interrupted by a dog that rushed into the basement, barking loudly to get the attention of the entire pack.

«They’re here! The dog catchers! They’ve got a whole van!» he shouted, barking between words. «I overheard them saying something about ’putting to sleep’! They’ll put to sleep those they catch!»

At that moment, all the dogs panicked.

«What should we do?» Alex asked.

«Run!» Nei shouted loudly and dashed out of the basement.

Following Nei, every member of the dog pack moved in the same direction, and Alex was no exception.

When Alex ran out of the basement, a horrifying scene unfolded before him. Some members of his pack were already caught in nets. Among them were Nei, Boll, and even Max. Some dogs lay unconscious near the dog catchers for some reason.

The sight infuriated little Alex, and he rushed to the aid of his canine family members. He fiercely attacked one of the dog catchers, hitting him as hard as he could, shouting, «Let them go! Let them go!»

«What’s this little brat…» the dog catcher muttered, trying to push the enraged boy away.

However, in response to the catcher’s attempts, Alex began to bite like a dog.

«Help me get him off, Ray!» one catcher shouted to the other, and then both catchers tried to restrain the unruly Alex.

Meanwhile, the other two catchers loaded the captured dogs into the van. «No! Let go!» Alex screamed, still trying to break free. However, against two grown men, his attempts were entirely futile.

«He got you good!» one of the catchers, the most bitten by Alex, remarked to his companion. When all the dogs were loaded into the van, the bitten catcher, now angry, exclaimed, «Thought you were a dog, kid, huh? Fine! Then you’re riding with them!» He threw Alex into the van with Nei, Boll, Max, and the other dogs, slamming the van door in front of him. Meanwhile, outside the van, they could hear, «Did you go too far with the kid?» «No! A brat needs to learn some manners! Let him learn a lesson!»

Soon, the catchers got into the front cabin, closed the doors, and the van started moving. «How are you guys in there?» Alex asked. «I can’t see anything!»

«No better place to be!» Boll sarcastically replied.

«How did you manage to get caught?» Alex asked.

«How did you end up here?» Max countered.

«I tried to save you, and they caught me…»

«We tried to save others!» Max replied.

«Sorry!» a whimpering dog apologized.

«No point apologizing,» another dog said. «Can’t change anything now!»

«What about you, Nei?» Alex asked. «Why are you silent?»

However, Nei didn’t rush to respond, at least not initially.

«What’s there to say?» Nei said with seriousness. «The main thing is that most of the pack managed to escape. I fulfilled my duty, and that’s what matters. I’ve been running from catchers for too long… And fate finally caught up with me.»

«Why are you all so sad? We can still escape!» Alex exclaimed.

«Alex,» Max said, «don’t! You’re still too young, and you don’t understand much yet. There’s no escaping them. Everyone in this city knows it. No one has succeeded over the years. Getting caught here means the end for any dog. There are only rumors around the city about those who managed to escape. It’s impossible. This is the end for us…»

«No!» Alex suddenly burst into tears. «If I lose you all, then… I don’t know how I’ll go on living!»

«It’s okay, Alex!» Nei said. «You’ll find the strength. I know it!»

After those words, Boll even managed to smile for some reason. «And what?» Alex asked. «You’ll just give up?»

«Well…» Boll began, but suddenly the van jolted forward, as if it had collided with something while still in motion. Alex hit his head slightly and felt disoriented. Most of the dogs in the van were also recovering after the impact.

«What happened?» one of the dogs asked.

«Don’t know,» another replied.

«We clearly hit something!» Boll said.

Suddenly, footsteps of a lone person could be heard on the other side of the van, approaching from the front to the back. Inside the dark cargo space, nothing could be heard. Then, after a few more moments, the van door was forcefully opened by a huge and intimidating figure dressed entirely in black. The surroundings were too dark to see the face of this strange stranger. The dogs started barking loudly at the frightening person in black. However, in just a couple of moments, they all fell silent simultaneously. This terrified Alex, but it didn’t end there. A few seconds later, blood started to flow from the eyes of all the dogs, and one by one, they began to drop lifelessly around Alex. Witnessing this horror, a frightened Alex recoiled from the menacing stranger and pressed against the wall, afraid to utter a word. However, that wasn’t the end of it. A few seconds later, blood started flowing from the eyes of all the dogs, and one by one, they began to drop lifelessly around Alex. Witnessing this horror, a frightened Alex recoiled from the menacing stranger and pressed against the wall, afraid to utter a word.

As if by magic, all the dogs around Alex suddenly stopped barking. This unnerved Alex, but it didn’t end there. A few seconds later, blood started flowing from the eyes of all the dogs, and one by one, they began to drop lifelessly around Alex. Seeing this horror, a frightened Alex recoiled from the menacing stranger and pressed against the wall, afraid to utter a word.

«What’s happening?» one of the dogs asked.

«I don’t know,» another replied.

«We definitely crashed into something!» Boll said.

Suddenly, on the other side of the van, there were quite loud footsteps of a solitary person approaching from the front to the back of the van. In the pitch-dark cargo space, nothing could be heard. Then, after a few more moments, the van’s door was forcefully opened by a huge and intimidating figure dressed entirely in black. The surroundings were too dark to see the face of this strange stranger. The dogs started barking loudly at the frightening person in black. However, in just a couple of moments, they all fell silent simultaneously. This terrified Alex, but it didn’t end there. A few seconds later, blood started flowing from the eyes of all the dogs, and one by one, they began to drop lifelessly around Alex. Witnessing this horror, a frightened Alex recoiled from the menacing stranger and pressed against the wall, afraid to utter a word.

As if by magic, all the dogs around Alex suddenly stopped barking. This unnerved Alex, but it didn’t end there. A few seconds later, blood started flowing from the eyes of all the dogs, and one by one, they began to drop lifelessly around Alex. Seeing this horror, a frightened Alex recoiled from the menacing stranger and pressed against the wall, afraid to utter a word.

Then, through the van’s opened door, a mysterious and menacing figure dressed in black entered. The dogs, initially barking aggressively, suddenly fell silent in his presence. This figure approached Alex, reached out his hand, and, seemingly by sheer force of will, pulled him towards him. Alex, now unable to resist, was abruptly pulled towards the stranger, who grabbed him by the clothing. The stranger then silently dragged Alex away from the van.

«No! Let go! Please! No!» Crying and struggling in an attempt to break free from the stranger’s grip, Alex pleaded, but his cries and attempts to move in the opposite direction were entirely futile. Inevitably, the stranger continued to pull Alex away.

At that moment, a real panic attack overwhelmed little Alex. The stranger continued to move forward, dragging the terrified boy with him.

In those moments of despair, little Alex, overwhelmed by his own helplessness, didn’t know what to do. However, miraculously, he managed to find a spark of anger within himself, which he used to deliver a powerful blow to the stranger’s hand.

The chance that this would help him in any way after everything that had happened was minuscule, but at that moment, something truly incredible occurred. Upon contact with the stranger, Alex’s hand suddenly glowed brightly, and something remotely resembling a small explosion took place. Alex was thrown away, and the silent stranger was slightly staggered. Falling onto the asphalt, the boy, breathing heavily, tried to regain his composure as quickly as possible and ran away from the stranger as fast as he could.

Alex ran with all his might, wiping away his tears. However, suddenly, streetlights around him began to shatter one after another. No matter how much Alex tried to suppress his fear due to what was happening, it was impossible. It was horrifying.

Then, he realized that he was being magically drawn towards the stranger again. At this moment, little Alex started breathing as fast and deeply as possible. Indeed, the boy was slowly approaching the stranger against his will. He didn’t know what to do.

Suddenly, he noticed an old metal pipe fragment with a sharpened end in a pile of garbage nearby. Without much thought, Alex grabbed the fragment, hoping to defend himself somehow. Realizing that he couldn’t resist, the boy somehow found the courage to grip the piece of pipe, as if it were a sword. He understood that he had no other choice, so, against his will, little Alex took it upon himself to charge towards the stranger, who seemed completely unprepared.

As the boy rushed towards the stranger, something seemed to empower him. He didn’t understand why this was happening, but it didn’t matter. In the end, the boy collided with the one who, for some inexplicable reason, came for his soul and thrust the sharp end of the pipe fragment into him.

Alex closed his eyes when it happened. He could only hear the sound and feel how his imaginary sword plunged into the stranger. When Alex opened his eyes, much to his surprise, he saw a real sword with a golden hilt in his hands, not a piece of pipe. The little Alex, incredibly surprised that he had succeeded, first looked at the sword, then slowly raised his gaze, and finally looked at the face of the stranger he had struck. It seemed like everything was fine, but a moment later, someone with a disfigured face suddenly screamed, frightening Alex again. Then, from the wound of the stranger, a bright glow began to emanate. With each passing second, this someone seemed to be burning, and something radiant appeared in the place of what had burned. It illuminated the dark street around Alex more and more. Soon, instead of the dark silent stranger, someone radiant appeared in front of the boy. At that moment, the boy silently froze with fear and amazement. The radiant someone extended a hand to Alex, touched his forehead, said, «Thank you!» and then, seemingly faster than lightning, rushed towards the night sky, towards the stars, in the blink of an eye. After that, the light went out again, and silence fell. Alex, barely understanding whether he was in reality or in a dream, found himself alone in the middle of a dark street. He looked at the bloodied sword, fearfully threw it aside, and then fell to his knees, unable to believe what had happened to him.