Black Blood
Hund - Bipedal canine species
A constant screaming filled the room. Everywhere you looked you'd see children screaming with joy, sorrow, or pain. It was a new experience
for the young fox cub. He looked around and wondered where his parents were. He tried his best to peer over the other children in the room,
but being only a few months shy of eight years he was quite shorter than many of the other children.
"Haven't seen you around here before..." The fox cub's body twitched slightly from the voice behind him. He gazed back at the Hund who was
much older than him. "Been a while since someone your age was dropped off here."
"Dropped off?" The fox cub asked with his ears flat against his head. He had no idea what was going on or even where he was. "What is this
place?"
"This is an orphanage, black collar." The kid smirked as he gazed at the black collar around the fox's neck.
The fox started shake, gazing at the white collar around the older kid's neck. "What's an orphanage?"
"It's a place where kids go who don't have parents."
"But I have parents..." the fox whined.
"Then where are they?" the kid replied.
"I don't know..." the fox whined. "I'm trying to find them."
The Hund shook his head. "Poor kid... Let me guess... your parents told you they were bringing you somewhere special, or that had a
surprise for you." The fox remained silent. "It's not uncommon, you know... parents abandoning their children at an orphanage..."
Tears started pouring down the fox face as he listened to the words of the older kid. "You're wrong!" the fox screamed. "My mom and dad
love me!"
"Do they!?" the kid shouted back. "What kind of parents would be happy with a black collar for a kid, huh? They probably saw you more
as a burden than anything else!"
"Stop it!" the fox cried out.
The Hund looked around and noticed many of the other children were now watching things unfold. He glared at the crying fox. "Shut up!"
The fox's eyes shot open and his body froze. He tried to say something, but couldn't open his muzzle. He could only look on helplessly
as the kid in front of him grinned.
"Sit!" the boy said smugly.
The fox tried his best to block out the voice of the kid, but no matter how hard he tried the command echoed through his body and caused
it to move on its own. All he could do was look down at the ground and stay silent as tears continued drop to the floor.
"Up to your old tricks again?" the fox's ears perked slightly when he heard an unknown voice behind him. Something about the voice was odd...
"This is none of your business, disease. Go back to your room and do whatever your kind does."
The fox expected whoever was behind him to walk away like the white collar ordered, but to his surprise, he heard him walk closer. He wondered
if the Hund behind him was also a white collar... or maybe even a red...
"Well... it is kind of hard to do anything when there's screaming and shouting going on, you know? Especially when it's you I'm forced to
listen to. Why is he bothering you, fox?"
Something felt odd for the fox. The more he listened to the voice behind him the more his body relaxed. He couldn't feel anything in the
voice that would force him to do anything.
"Tell him everything's fine, fox..." the older Hund said with a snarl.
The fox's body tensed up again. "Nothing's wrong..." he voice softly blurted out as he looked back down at the floor.
"Hey..." the fox's body flinched when he felt someone grab his shoulders. "I don't know what he's doing to you, but you don't need to
follow his orders..."
The fox felt his body relax. Listening to the words alone he could tell there was a command, or at the very least a suggestion in what he
was saying, but he couldn't hear anything in his voice that compelled his body to follow it. He wondered what kind of Hund could have this
kind of ability. He looked up at the kid in front of him. "Human?" the fox said softly.
The human holding on his shoulders smiled. "What's your name? Or would you rather I just keep calling you 'fox'?"
"Ren..." he said softly, still amazed he was face-to-face with a live human.
"Name's Tom. Tom looked back at the other Hund, and back at Ren. "Hey Ren, has that moron been bothering you?" Tom said with a smile
as he motioned his head toward the other Hund.
"Stay silent, black collar!"
Ren's mouth clamped shut. Tom sighed. "Ren, look at me. You don't have to do what he says. Just answer the way you want to."
"Yes..."
"Yes, what?" Tom asked.
"He won't leave me alone..." Ren said in a whisper so that only Tom could hear.
"Want to get away from him?" Ren nodded his head. "I'll take you to my room." Tom said as he helped Ren to his feet.
"Where do you think you're going!?" the Hund shouted. Neither Tom nor Ren answered as they walked off. "A black collar cannot disobey
a white collar! This is why you humans are a disease!"
Tom chuckled in response as he led Ren away from the crowd. "First time seeing a human?" Tom asked as he looked at Ren.
"Yeah..." Ren said as he gazed at the ground, tears forming in his eyes.
"Are you alright?" Tom asked as he and Ren stopped in the hallway.
Ren felt the floodgates opening again as the command ebbed away inside him. "He said... he said..." Ren tried his best to say what he
wanted between sniffs and moans. "He said my parents abandoned me!" Ren's knees started to wobble. Tom quickly grabbed Ren's arm and
steadied it around his neck. "He said my parents didn't want me!"
"Hey, don't listen to him; he's just a bully who enjoys messing with new kids like you." Ren's crying worsened. Tom's eyes widened,
wondering what he had said that caused that reaction. He looked forward and could see his room just a few feet away.
Tom slowly eased Ren onto the bed. He watched as Ren rolled on his side, facing the wall, and continued to cry. Tom sighed and sat down
on the bed. "Ren... I know it must be hard, this being your first day and all, but..."
"It's not true!" Ren sobbed.
"What isn't?"
"My parents didn't leave me behind! They couldn't.... They said they had a surprise for me..."
"Did... did you know what kind of surprise it was going to be?"
Ren sniffed. "No... the only thing my parents were ever talking about was that there was going to be a new addition to the family."
"New addition?"
"Yeah. My mom says that she's going to have another child..." Ren's covered his eyes and let out a whine. "They did hate me!"
"What!?" Tom asked with shock at Ren's sudden change.
"They're going to have another child who isn't going to wear a black collar, and... and... they're replacing me! He was right! They
never loved me!"
"Hey! Don't say that!" Tom said. "I'm sure your parents loved you!"
"Then why am I here?" Ren sniffed as he looked at Tom with red eyes. "Isn't that why you're here too?"
"No... I actually never knew my parents."pan>
Ren sniffed and sat up. "Really?"
"They died when I was baby, you know from that disease that only kills humans..."
"Oh..." Ren said as he wiped his eye. "Sorry..."
"Don't be sorry. I never got to know them, so I don't know how to miss them... like how you miss your parents."
Ren let out a little whine as he lay back down on his side.
"Hey, c'mon!" Tom said teasingly as he gently tugged Ren's arm, but Ren showed no reaction. Tom sighed. "You said your parents
love you, right?" Ren nodded weakly. "Then I'm sure they'll be back soon to bring you home!"
Ren's ears perked as he quickly sat up. "You really think so!?"
"Yeah! I'm sure they'll be back any time now and say it's time to go home." Tom smiled as he noticed Ren stopped crying and his tail
wagging slightly.
"I hope it's soon..." Ren said as he dried his eyes.
"Yeah..." Tom said as he looked away. "Hey, Ren..."
"Yeah, Tom?"
"Until your parents come back for you... I'll watch out for you."
"What?"
"I'll protect you from all the bullies until you're able to stand up for yourself."
Ren giggled. "Couldn't you just chase all of them away for me?"
Tom chuckled. "You can't rely on me forever, you know."
"Thanks, Tom." Ren said as the last of his anxiety vanished from his face. "You're the best person in this whole place."
Tom laughed. "That's not saying much when you only have one person to compare me to." After some more laughter Ren gazed around the room.
The room wasn't very large, but it was very spacious. The bed they were sitting on and a dresser were the only pieces of furniture.
The only other thing to note was a small stack of comics strewn about the floor.
"I'm the only kid here who has his own room." Tom said as he watched Ren gaze around. "Usually four have to share a room."
"Only you?" Ren asked with surprise. "Why do you get your own room?"
"Because I'm a human."
"I bet the others get jealous!" Ren giggled.
Tom thought about the idea for a while. "Maybe... but I think most of them prefer it this way; no one really wants to live in the
same room as me."
Ren's ears flattened against his head. "Does... no one like you?"
Tom laughed. "Are you kidding!? Almost everyone here admires me! They love how I'm able to stand up to what they call 'white collars'."
"Then why..."
"It's only admiration, Ren. They like what I can do, not who I am." Tom sighed. "They always have a sense of unease when I'm around for
too long." Tom lay back onto his bed and looked up at the ceiling. "So I mostly just stay in my room and wait for something to happen;
just like earlier."
"That's stupid!" Ren exclaimed. Tom glanced at him. "You don't deserve that..." Ren glanced away. "You stand up for someone and
then they..." Ren quickly focused his gaze back on Tom. "I don't feel scared around you!" Ren said with a smile.
"What?"
"I don't know why... but I feel better being with you than with other Hunds."
Tom smiled. "You're just grateful for earlier. You don't have say something to make me feel better."
"I'm not!" Ren huffed. "I don't why... but I feel calm when I hear your voice. It sounds nothing like a Hund's voice."
Tom chuckled. "I would hope not..." Tom paused as he pondered what Ren said. He always wondered why so many of the other kids kept
doing what the white collar told them to do. "I've been living with Hunds my whole life... but I don't know anything about them." He
asked many of the adults who worked at the orphanage, but all of them would just tell him it wasn't something he needed to worry about.
What does it mean to speak and hear like a Hund?
Ren watched curiously as Tom stared off into space. A sudden knock on the door made Ren flinch and bring Tom out of his trance.
"Coming" Tom shouted as he jumped off the bed.
Tom cracked the door open to see who it was. He looked up and widened the door. "Hello director. Is there something you need?"
"Thomas, my boy, have you, by chance run across an unfamiliar Fox Hund recently? I have the boy's parents with me..." the director
sidestepped, revealing two adult Fox Hunds.
A mix of surprise and disbelief filled Tom. He had heard stories like Ren's many times, but never has one ended like this... Tom
closed his eyes as he smiled with relief. He looked over his shoulder. "Hey Ren... your parents are here to pick you up."
Ren's ears perked up and he quickly jumped off the bed and ran towards the door. Tom opened the door more so Ren would be unobstructed.
His parents were unprepared for their son jumping into their arms. Tom chuckled as he saw Ren start to cry again.
"Oh Ren we're so sorry." His mother said. "The meeting went on longer than we had planned."
"I don't care!" Ren sniffed as he just cried into his mother.
Tom was pulled away by the director and Ren's father. "You're name is Thomas?" Ren's father asked.
"Yes sir." Tom said.
"Well I appreciate what you did for my son." Tom gave a look of confusion.
"We heard what happened from some of the other children." The director clarified. "It's a shame one's own collar is being exploited
at such a young age."
Tom looked at their necks. Both the director and Ren's father wore a blue collar around their necks. Tom looked back and noticed
Ren's mother wearing blu e as well. "I really don't understand what those collars mean..."
"It's hard to explain..." Ren's father said. "It's a type of class system..." Ren's father struggled to explain the concept to a non-Hund.
"I've only told him that white collars are more influential than blue collars." The director told the fox. "I didn't think I would
ever have to explain about black collars..." They glanced at Ren who was starting to calm down again. "Regardless... Mr. Renoir, is
there something else that you wanted to tell Thomas?"
"Dad!" Ren called out as he came running and hugged his father's side.
Mr. Renoir smiled as he ruffled his son's head fur. "Did the two of you get along?"
Ren looked at Tom and smiled. "Yeah!"
"That's good..." Ren father said as he let out a sigh of relief. "How would you feel if we adopted him as your brother?"
Ren and Tom's eyes filled with shock. "I thought mommy was already having a baby..." Ren said with confusion.
"She is, son. But she and I decided it would be good for you also to have a sibling around your age." Ren's father focused his
attention on Tom. "What do you say, Thomas, would you like to join our family?"
Tom's face was still filled with shock. "Why...?" he muttered.
"What's that?"
"Why me? There are so many Hunds around here that you could adopt..."
"While that's true..." Ren's father closed his eyes. He remained silent, looking as though he was contemplating what to say next.
"You don't want to my brother?" Ren face with disappointment as the silence continued.
Tom was taken aback. "No! I'm not saying that!" Tom became flustered. "I just think you'll be happier having a Hund brother or
sister instead of me..."
"But it seems Ren has already chosen you." Ren's father immediately interjected.
"But..." Tom started, but couldn't continue. He just stared at Ren and his father.
"Thomas..." Ren's mother said as she knelt down behind Tom. "We're doing this for Ren. Hund or human; it doesn't matter as long as
Ren is happy." She placed her hands onto his shoulders. "You don't have to fret over your species."
"That's not it..." Thomas said as he looked down at the ground.
"Please Tom..." Tom's head shot up when he heard those words. Standing in front of him was Ren. "Um... I think you'd be a great brother.
We could share a room, be able to talk and play all the time... you could still keep your promise..." Ren smiled as he tried to convince Tom.
Tom closed his eyes and let out a soft chuckle. "I sometimes wondered what it'd be like to have a family... but I never thought it
would actually happen..." Tom smiled and slowly nodded his head. His eyes shot open when he felt Ren wrap his arms around him with excitement.
"Well Thomas, I'm sure I'll be one of many who will be sad to see you go..." the director said with a soft smile. "But I'm glad you're
getting this chance."
Tom smiled as he softly patted Ren's back.
"We can leave as soon as you pack your things, Thomas." Ren's mother said.
"What!?" Tom said in disbelief. "I'm leaving today?" He looked at the director. "I thought the process took months."
"Yes... it does, but..." the director started.
"You said adopting humans is a special case right?" Ren's father stared at the director."
"Yes! Adopting humans requires no processing."
"Really?" Tom said, still dumbfounded. He thought it would be a slow transition, but here he was jumping from one place to another.
It was both exciting and scary to him. He looked down at the smiling Hund and felt a newfound motivation to look after his new brother.
He didn't know how effective he could be, but he was determined to try his best.
==============================
Later that night.
Tom gazed at the ceiling as he lay on a makeshift bed made of pillows. It wasn't his sleeping arrangements that kept him awake, though.
"It's so quiet..." he whispered. He'd been so used to the occasional late-night screaming and crying that silence made him uneasy.
Tom sighed as he got and walked towards the window that shined with moonlight. He gazed at the new sight; the ocean he never realized
was only a three hour drive from the orphanage. He was entranced by waves that shined silver.
"Tom...?" Ren's voiced softly. Tom could barely make out Ren standing beside his bed, rubbing his eyes. "What 'cha doing?"
"Watching the ocean." Tom said as he looked out the window again.
Ren slowly shuffled his way besides Tom and peered out the window. The two remained silent as they gazed outside. After a few moments,
though, Tom noticed Ren was starting to doze off. "Let's get you back to bed..." Tom said as he gently led Ren back to his bed. When
Ren was close enough he slowly climbed in and shuffled under the blanket. Tom smiled with heavy eyes. As he let out a soft yawn he
figured his body must finally be ready to fall asleep.
Tom shifted his body into a comfortable position as he found himself staring at the ceiling again. As his eyes slowly closed he wondered
how long it would be until he'd get used to this.
"Tom..." Tom's eyes parted slightly and looked over to see Ren holding a pillow and blanket in his hands. "You can have the bed..."
"I'm fine Ren..." Tom said as he watched Ren toss down the pillow next to him and lay down. Before Tom knew what was happening Ren
had covered himself with his blanket, was lying on his side, and now had a grip on Tom's right arm.
Tom chuckled. He wondered if this is what siblings did, or was it something Hunds did. He reached out his left arm and softly scratched
the top of Ren's head. Tom could hear a sigh of content echo of Ren. Tom chuckled. "I guess all Hunds like that..." Tom smiled as
he lay back and closed his eyes.
The last thing that went through his mind was that sleeping on the floor like this was much better than sleeping in that room alone.
