Chapter 6: The Beast Awakens Finale
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Hunter is running through the streets of Camden searching for the transformed dalmatian, Dylan, while armed and somewhat ready to tackle the savage dog and bring him back home. The De Vil stops to catch his breath as he tries to pinpoint where could Dylan be in Camden.
“C’mon, Spots. Where the deuce did you run off to?” Hunter whispered to the night air.
But the boy suddenly spots a certain horse on patrol in the streets, Pearl, and quickly hid so she wouldn’t notice him being out during the curfew.
“If that glorified authoritative pony catches me, it’s game over.” The boy muttered to himself.
Hunter tries his utmost to stay out of Pearl’s sight while he looks for his transformed friend as he quickly ducks in and out the alleyways. Minutes became a few hours as the human has no luck in finding the spotted beast as he took a break beside the abandoned car until he heard a crash and peer from behind the vehicle to spot the very large ferocious spotted canine with gleaming red eyes walking out of the alleyway with his maw coated with blood.
“Please tell me he raided a butcher…” Hunter grimaced he watches the dalmatian, but saw a link of sausages hanging from his maw, which indicates that he did much to his relief.
Hunter saw Dylan eat voraciously and took this opportunity to take a photo via his phone and ready his net gun for a capture.
“Hunter, what are you doing?” An intelligent voice asked him.
“Catching a rogue dalmatian.” The boy answered plainly until he frowns in thought. “Wait a minute…” He turns around to see Dawkins and Dante glaring at him. “Shouldn’t you two be in bed?” The De Vil inquired with a raised brow in an annoyed tone.
“Not when our brother is in danger.” The genius pup declared.
“I have no idea what are you talking about.” The human stated, feigning ignorance as turns his attention to the savage dog.
“I am definitely talking about-” The genius pup had his outburst cut off as the human clamped his maw shut as the monstrous dalmatian suddenly perks up and sniffs the air a bit before going back to eating.
“Unless you want your monster of a brother to use us as his personal chew toys, I recommend being silent, mate.” Hunter lowly warned both the pups as he removes his hand.
“That can’t be Dylan…” Dawkins whispered out as he peeks from the car, seeing the ravenous dalmatian
“Look closer at his ears and tell me that’s not him…” The human motioned to the familiar spotted pattern on Dylan’s ears under the street lamp as he readies his net gun.
The pup is silent as he spot the Canis Major pattern on his elder brother’s right ear, and Dante wanted to shout his doomsday spiel as he too is heartbroken seeing his brother in a horrifying state, and as much as he is a fanatic of horror, the goth pup never thought his own brother would be a victim like this.
“Hunter… Is Dylan… What are you going to do?” The analytical pup meekly asks.
“I really don’t know… What I do know is we need to get Dylan get back home so we can solve this mystery.” The boy stated takes aim and waited for Dylan to finish his food.
Seeing the human take aim at his brother, the genius pup thought back on the callous words he mouthed off to Dylan, blaming him for Hunter first entering their home. Dawkins wishes he could take them back as his distrust of humans is what led him to say such things to his brother, who was right to call him out for lacking common sense with a heart. But Dawkins decides to make amends and help his brother by assisting the former enemy of the family.
“Hunter, wait… Let me…” Dawkins beckons for him to give him the net gun.
“Are you sure?” Hunter inquired as he glances at the sullen pup.
Dawkins sighs and tries to put on brave face. “Yes… Dylan’s my brother… Let me take a shot. Please.” He pleaded for the human.
Hunter gazes the savage dog who just finished eating and then back at the genius pup only to sigh.
“Try not to miss…” The De Vil stated as he gave him the net gun.
“Thank you…” Dawkins stated as he takes the weapon to aim at his transformed brother, who has his back turned to walk down the street. “Forgive me, Dylan…” The genius pup whispered as he calculated his aim and squeezed the trigger to shoot out a net at his brother.
However, Dylan suddenly sidesteps the net as it whizzes past him, much to Hunter, Dawkins and Dante’s horror and shock. Dylan slowly turns his piercing red-eyed gaze at them and snarls as Hunter slowly grabs the pups and quickly flees in the other direction with Dylan giving chase.
“He’s catching up!” Dawkins shouted urgently.
“No doy. You dogs are faster than us humans!” Hunter retorts while trying to avoid the snapping jaws of the dalmatian.
Hunter then ducks into the alleyways as Dylan follows but stops short and back off for the moment. While Hunter on the other hand fled deeper, but realized the savage dog didn’t follow to his confusion.
“What the deuce? Dylan didn’t follow…” Hunted stated the obvious.
“Maybe he’s prowling around, waiting to pick us off. We’re doomed to be a feast to our hungry brother!” Dante whined in fear.
“Will you simmer?! Dylan’s not the type to attack his own.” Dawkins nervously stated in denial.
“Then how do you explain him trying to bite our heads off?” The inverted pup retorts.
“He’s not in the right state of mind at the moment.” Hunter stated as he carried the pups to the other exit of the alley. “OK… I think we’re good now.” The boy stated as he was about to leave the narrow back alleys, only for Dylan to immediately jump out and lashes at the human and pups, only for the boy jump back and narrowly avoid the fangs. “Or not!” He exclaimed.
“H-He was lying in wait…” The genius pup exclaimed.
“Duh!” Dante chimed as he was right.
Hunter, seeing there’s no way past the frenzied dalmatian, set the pups down to reach for the bat in his pack and took it out. The De Vil inhales deeply to prepare his charge and goes for it to the pups’ shock as the feral dog lunges, only for the human to block the fangs with the bat.
“Hunter!” Dawkins panics as the boy holds against the dog.
“I’m fine! Go!” The human urged the pups to run.
"But…” Dawkins tries to start, but the boy commanded with an outburst.
“Now!” He told the frightened pups as they fled from the alley and down the sidewalk. “Sorry to do this to you, mate.” Hunter stated to the savage hound as he took out a pepper spray and blasts the dog in the face with a spritz, making Dylan howl in pain as he’s blinded for a moment.
Hunter then took the opportunity to flee from the savage dog, who quickly recovered his eyesight and began to chase the boy. The De Vil fled as far as his legs could take him until he ducked around the corner and hid behind the parked truck as Dylan rushes by, not noticing the hiding boy. Hunter breathed a sigh of relief as he tries to think up a way to capture the transformed dalmatian until he heard whimpering nearby and knelt to look under the truck with his phone light to spot Dawkins and Dante hiding underneath.
“I was wondering where you two went.” The human said.
“Hunter, maybe we should pack it in.” Dante fearfully suggested.
“And let your brother be loose on his terror spree? I think not.” The boy declined as he stood up to look around for an area to trap Dylan in until he heard some rustling nearby and saw a shadow in an alley while readying his bat and pepper spray.
The De Vil crept close and hugged the wall, and leapt to spray as he heard a pained scream. To his surprise, it’s Sid the squirrel whimpering and rubbing his eyes as he fell off the trash lid.
“Oi! Why’d you do that, boyo?!” Sid exclaimed in pain.
“Sorry, I thought you were… Never mind. What are you doing?” The boy inquired as he was changing the subject.
“I was foraging, kid.” Sid defended as he rubbed his eyes.
“Oi, Sid. Ya find anything good?” Big Fee asked the squirrel as she pops out of another trash can. “Oh, it’s the human.” The rat said, noticing the boy.
“Anyway, you lot are busy, so-” Hunter is cut off by a loud bark which made the human jump and a certain fox popped out of the bin.
“Yo, what was that?” Fergus wondered.
“Nothing.” The human quickly fibbed as he rushes to the source of the bark.
“H-Hey! Where are you going?!” The fox demanded as he hopped out to run after the boy, and spot Dawkins and Dante peeking out from the truck. “What are you two doing there?” He asked the pups.
“Stopping our br-” Dante is stopped Dawkins who clamped his maw shut.
“We’re doing just fine. Nothing to worry about.” Dawkins quickly fibbed.
A crash and scream is heard, alerting the animals as they rush to the noise to see Hunter readying a rope trap and saw a menacing shadow terrifying another. Sid was about to head in but Hunter stops him.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.” Hunter warns as he heads to draw the savage dog’s attention with a toss of a can to the dog’s head to make him turn his attention away from the cat he was close to killing. “Cats taste lousy along with their loyalty, mate.” The human teased as he runs off.
Dylan barks harshly as he chases the human and the beasts saw the angry disheveled dalmatian and follows the De Vil as Dylan chases them as well.
“Who in dog’s name is that?!” Fergus nervously demanded while running.
“You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” Hunter replied as he runs.
“I bet D-Dog would be freaking out if he saw this.” Big Fee chimed as she rode on Fergus with Sid.
“Well...see…” Dawkins tries to talk, but the human ushered to the closed park gate.
“Here. This is where we’ll trap him.” Hunter stated as he stopped.
“But the gate is locked and-” Dante is cut off.
“We’ll hold the line here.” Hunter said to the confusion of the animals as the savage dog stops to snarls as he’s ready to pounce.
“Uh, Hunter, what’s next?” Dawkins asked.
“Let him charge us.” The human stated smugly.
“Do what?! Hold the bone!” The genius pup screeched in protest.
“Here we are, you brute! Come and get us!” The boy dared in hopes to provoking him.
“It’s official, De Vil, you’ve lost your mind!” Dante bellowed in fear.
Dylan growls and charges at the sextet, but Hunter quickly grabs Dante, Dawkins, and Fergus with an extension of Sid and Big Fee and ducked under the savage dog’s strike as he misses and slams into the gate, knocking the locked gate open and fell to the ground.
“Well, that worked.” Hunter stated casually.
“Yeah, and used us as bait!” Sid complained.
“Yeah, well, I don’t see you coming up with anything new.” The boy remarked as he entered the park and ready his net gun.
The savage dog stirs and got up to turn to the human who took aim and shoots, which the savage dalmatian then dodges the net shots and charges at the boy and animals with pure bloodlust. Hunter and the animals moved out of the way to avoid the vicious fangs and claws, much to the dog’s frustration. Dylan turns to chase after the human who ran towards the tree while readying another rope trap as the dog chased him, but a rock is thrown, which made the dalmatian dodge per his instincts and shifts his attention to Dawkins, who threw the rock, and charged until a net shot ensnares Dylan, moments before he reached the terrified smart pup as the savage dalmatain gave a surprised yelp. Hunter smirked as he hooks the rope to the tree branch and then pulls the rope to suspend the captured dog in the air and finally ties the rope at the base as the beast thrashes about, trying to get free.
“Bagged and tagged.” Hunter smugly stated as took another photo.
“OK, who the cheese is that?” Big Fee demanded.
“Uh… Dylan.” Dante sheepishly answered with a grimace.
“What?” Sid asked, confused.
“That’s D-Dog? That doesn’t look remotely close-” Fergus stopped himself when Hunter casually shines his flashlight at the savage dog’s ears, revealing familiar constellation patterns on the right ear, which horrifies the Canal Crew. “What in the-” The fox whispered out.
“Yeahhh… Not a pretty sight, isn’t it?” The De Vil asked with a dull surprise.
“How is in the cheese is D-Dog a monster?!” Big Fee exclaimed as she glared at the human.
“The red moon from a couple nights ago happened.” The boy casually stated why.
“What?” The rat flatly asked.
“A tragic curse that took Dylan’s mind!” Dante whimpered.
“I...wouldn’t call it curse. Maybe puberty?” Dawkins denies that their brother is under such.
“Since when does puberty turn you into a monster?” Hunter asked as this left Dawkins unable to retort.
“So, what now?” Fergus asks as the sky is shifting into a morning dusk.
The savage dog was thrashing about until the sunrise made him shift back to his normal state as shrunk to his size to everyone’s shock.
“Huh? What…? Where?” Dylan groggily asked.
“Welcome back.” Hunter casually greeted.
“Hunter? Why am I in a net?” The teen dalmatian demanded in confusion.
“Oh, were a monster dog who tried to kill us.” Big Fee nonchalantly stated, trying to hide her fear.
“You might want to look at these.” Hunter showed him the photos on his phone of Dylan’s change the night before and this night earlier. “Also, you owe me a new sweater.” The human motioned to the slight tears on his jacket.
The Dylan is speechless that he transformed again as he remembers having a painful burning sensations in his being and blacking out as things vanishing in a red haze.
“Did...I…?” Dylan slowly started, but the boy chimed in.
“No. No deaths this this night, but we need to leave before-” The boy is cut off by an angry neigh, that frightened everyone.
“What the blazes are happened here?!” Pearl shouted as she scans the damaged lock.
“-the glorified authoritative pony catches us. Damn it…” Hunter finished with a mutter with a swear, knowing that they’re all busted.
“Relax, she has seen us yet.” Fergus assured him until the horse then glaces in their direction. “...Never mind. See ya!” The fox along with the squirrel and rat flee the scene.
“Great.” The boy facepalmed as the horse storms up.
“M-Morning, Pearl…” Dawkins nervously greeted.
“Mind telling me why are you lot are here and why is Dylan in a net?” The horse demanded, looking between the foursome.
“Oh, he was a horrifying-” Dante started, but his maw was clamped shut by the boy.
“...Nocturnal research?” Hunter and Dawkins chimed their fib in unison.
This made the police horse sigh in exasperation as she relents her authoritative expression. “OK… I’m letting you boys go just this once. Just don’t let me catch out late at night again. Now off with you.” Pearl sternly ordered, letting them off with a warning.
“Yes, ma’am!” Hunter, Dylan, Dante and Dawkins complied in unison as they quickly left with the park with the netted dalmatian in tow.
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Further from the park and nearing the dalmatian household, Dylan is walking alongside the three as he’s freed from the net, and struggling to piece together his horrifying ordeal.
“Am I...still me…?” Dylan questioned himself.
“For now, at least… But we’ll figure this out once we’re safely inside.” Hunter stated as they walked up to dalmatian home as Dawkins opens the door via the pawprint scanner.
But on other side of the door as it open, a certain figure was waiting as the four froze in horror at her, Delilah, and she’s not in a jolly mood.
“M-Morning, Mrs. Dalmatian…” Hunter meekly greeted as Dante hid behind him.
“Out on your other nightly ‘walk’ I presume?” Delilah stated accusingly as she pulls out a tape recorder and pillows as the De Vil grimaced that his illusion failed to pull the wool over her eyes. “Now what where you boys doing out so late?” The mother demanded.
“We’re doing nocturnal research… Curiosities of the night and what not.” The boy chimed his lie as the mother narrows her eyes as the boy sweats harder.
“It’s true, Mum… We were just exploring the nighttime events that happen her in Camden.” Dawkins added in, playing along as Dylan and Dante nods.
Delilah relaxes her expression and sighs. “Alright… You pups and your antics…” The mother stated, believing the tale. “Just come inside and get to your beds. We’ll talk about this later.” She urged them in as Hunter took his pillow and recorder back.
Hunter walks upstairs to return to the guest room to see Da Vinci still snoring away on the bed but still trembling. The De Vil felt guilty that the artist witnessed her brother’s transformation and fears her traumatization by the ordeal. While Dylan finds himself hesitant of going inside the room, where the rest of his sleeping siblings are, to his bed as he just stares at the door.
“Dylan? Are you feeling okay?” Dawkins asked his big brother, as the latter is silent. “Brother?” The genius shot a worried glare at his brother’s silent gaze.
“Dawkins… You and Dante just go in… I’ll… I’ll just be in the backyard…” Dylan despondently ordered as he got up to walk downstairs as Dante and Dawkins sadly watched their elder brother leave the second floor.
Dylan found himself in the backyard as he looked up to see the busted roof of his treehouse and wonder if he did that as he spotted the broken boards in the grass along with large paw prints indented in the ground. The teen dog compared his paw to the large print in his silent horror.
What’s happening to me…? Dylan thought as he gazes at his paw in wonder as the morning light grows brighter.
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The harrowing ordeal is over but Dylan is reeling from his transformation. And how will Hunter and the pups deal with this new development?
