Two hundred Hunds sat in silence as the lights overhead started to dim, signaling the beginning of the performances to come. Tom, his parents, and his grandmother sat near the back next to the aisle, so as to not cause any discomfort among those around them. Tom looked down at the pamphlet in his hands. Five classes would be putting on their own little play, each about twenty minutes in length, and a ten-minute intermission between each. Luna's class was third in the program.

The first play drew inspiration from human history from another continent. The set showcased a castle made of stone, most of the kids using props to replicate metal armor and weapons, and most who had speaking roles spoke in a rather exaggerated, old-fashioned dialect. It made Tom, along with most of the Hunds in attendance chuckle in amusement at times. The story was about a group of knights banding together to take down their corrupt king. The king was played by a white-collar wearing a rather gaudy outfit. Despite this being a play, and all the kids were wearing costumes, they were each still wearing their collars which could be seen clearly. After some sword fights, the knights reach the king. The king lambasted the knights as traitors before one of the knights drove their “sword" through him, causing him to let out a grunt. Tom smiled as other Hunds around him chuckled their approval of the climax's conclusion. When it ended, the audience applauded.

The second play was a light-hearted mystery. Set in what appeared to be a luxurious mansion owned by one of the blue-collars, the rest of the blue-collar kids and their one white-collar were party guests. All of them were wearing formal attire. After a bit of laughter and having an enjoyable time, the owner started freaking out that their most prized possession, valued in the hundreds, had been stolen. The white-collar starts to accuse some of the other party guests, but as the play progresses, the party members slowly dwindle down the number of those who could have stolen the item. Eventually, they realized it could only have been the white-collar who stole the item. The  white-collar tries to make a break for it, but some of the blue-collars tackle him to the floor. Tom thought that must have hurt a little bit as quite a few audience members started to cheer from the action. The play ended with the item being returned and the  white-collar being arrested. The audience applauded.

As the intermission started and lights turned up again, Tom stood up to stretch. He looked around and could see many Hunds talking to their neighbors or standing up for a stretch as well. Near the front, where it seemed all the white-collar parents were sitting, Tom could see looks of annoyance on their faces. Tom chuckled, figuring that they weren't happy their children weren't coming out as the victors in their respective plays.

The third play started. Tom could tell there was a mystical or fantasy element to this story as it was made clear early on that magic exists in this world. Five adventurers arrive at a village and discover that a curse has been set upon it. The villagers tell the adventurers that two witches have been turning townspeople into mindless drones who then flock to the witches. They ask the adventurers if they can deal with witches. They agree and make their way to the witches' cave. The mood becomes a little uneasy as the lights are dimmed even further as they traverse through the cave. When they arrived at the end the adventures discover the two witches, played by Luna and another  white-collar, have complete control over the other townspeople.

“Well, well, sister… it looks like more travelers have been tricked into entering our lair!" the other  white-collar said with a snicker. With a wave of her paw more of their drones appear behind the adventurers, cutting off their escape.

Luna stepped forward and put on her most devious face. "And now that we have you trapped, you will stay here forever! Muhahahaha!" Luna cackled as the drones started approaching the adventures.

Tom smiled, remembering overhearing Luna performing that for Irena. Despite having heard it before, Tom couldn't help but let out a small giggle from Luna's evil laughter. To his confusion, he could hear groaning from many of the other Hunds around him. Tom shook his head, annoyed that they were being a bit too critical on five-year-olds.

The adventures told the witches they were no mere travelers. As most of them held of the advancing drones, one of the adventures motioned his hands in manner to indicate he was casting a spell. Suddenly the two witches fell to their knees and all the other Hunds appeared to regain their free will.

“Curses!" the other  white-collar said. “Sister, they've broken our spell!"

“Why couldn't you be good and just follow us!?" Luna shouted. Suddenly all the Hunds who had been under their spell started charging at them. Both of them shouted “No!" as they were swarmed by the others. They exaggerated their arms and legs to make it seem like they were punching and kicking the witches out of revenge. Luna and the other  white-collar shouted out exaggerated cries of pain.

“Poor Luna…" Tom said with a soft smile, thinking she played her part well.

“Ow!" A shout came, catching Tom's attention. He could tell it was from Luna, and unlike what had proceeded, that didn't sound like an overexaggerated cry of pain. Tom wondered, was Luna actually being hit by the kids? Tom looked to his left towards his parents and grandmother. He could tell from their facial expressions that the same thought was on their minds. They didn't have looks of concern or confusion, theirs were of anger and frustration. Tom knew Hunds had much keener senses than him. His parents knew that cry of pain was genuine. Tom looked back at the stage as the curtain started to close. There was cheering all around him. Tom sat there in silence. If his parents knew… all the other Hunds must have known as well, and they were cheering.

Tom didn't focus too much on the plots of the remaining two plays, but they shared the same premise as the other three; the blue-collars work together to take down the  white-collars. Each time they seemed to be placed in a scenario to get injured. When each ended, Tom could only clap passively as he wondered how rough the kids had been on the  white-collars in the plays. While none of them had been as vocal as Luna, Tom figured each must have felt something. Guilt started to fill Tom as he realized that not only did he cheer for it earlier, but also for realizing he had no issue doing so until it was Luna who was affected.

After the final play was over, the lights brightened and all the kids from each play come onto the stage. Everyone in the auditorium started to stand and cheer. Tom stood up after his parents and started clapping as well. He could see Luna standing near left end, smiling and waving. Tom increased the tempo of his clapping, for her.

The kids were released to their families in the play order. The family would stand and the children would go to them and leave the auditorium with them. When Luna's class was released, she came running down the aisle towards us. Sera was the first to greet her as she swept Luna up in her arms and nuzzled her cheek. “You did wonderful, Luna!"

“Thanks, mommy!" Luna said with a smile as she wrapped her arms around Sera's neck.

Todd came up to them and briefly rubbed the top of Luna's head, eliciting a giggle from her. “You've got quite a talent, Luna." Luna looked towards her father and gave him a large smile.

“I'd expect nothing less from my granddaughter" Luna giggled as she was given a quick nuzzle on the cheek by her grandmother.

Todd looked around. “We should leave before we start blocking the other families." Sera gave a quick nod before they started towards the nearest exit.

As they walked through the parking lot Tom noticed Luna waving faintly to the side. Tom peered over and realized it was the other  white-collar who had played the second witch. She was giving Luna a more energetic wave, but when she realized Tom was looking her she stopped waving and just glared at him. Tom sighed with a slight shake of his head as he focused on walking to the car with his family.

Tom sat in the back seat, waiting while his father helped Luna in her seat next to him. His mom and grandmother were chatting near grandma's car a few rows down.

“It's a disgrace that this school allows things like this to happen" Sera's mother said.

“Mother, you've been well aware that this has been a thing since I was a child" Sera said with her arms crossed.

“Doesn't make it any less infuriating to see it happening to family!"

Sera's ears twitched when her mother finished that line. “I don't like it either, but where was this outrage five years ago when Tom was sent to the hospital?"

Sera's mother looked at her, dumbfounded, for a few seconds before she sighed in disbelief. “Are we really going to argue this again, Sera? I haven't done one thing around him to make him feel as though I don't want to be around him."

“And you haven't done anything to show that you care about him either!" Sera gripped her arms. “Five years, mother, five years and you still can't treat Tom like you do with Luna or Ren."

“Dear, you know it's not that simple…"

“Yes it is, mother, you've just been choosing to see him as something not worth your attention."

“Why should I try to attach myself to something that's only going to -"

“Don't you fucking dare finish that sentence" Sera said with a growl, her ears standing straight up and her eyes glared into her mother's. Sera's mother was slightly taken aback. “Whether you like it or not, Tom is my son and your grandson. You may think that simply tolerating him is all the effort you need to put in, but I had hoped with all the years that have gone by that you would have warmed up to him, even in just the slightest and not keep referring to him as a thing" Sera closed her eyes and breathed out slowly to calm herself. “Tom has had to endure  white-collar bullshit for nearly thirteen years. In all those years only one  white-collar has ever shown any kindness to him and it's his own sister." Sera opened her eyes, slightly tearing. “I just want him to feel as much love as he can while…" Sera clenched her teeth. “I don't know how much time he has left."

The ears of Sera's mother lowered slightly when she saw her daughter's distress. “It's already progressing?" Sera gave a short nod. “A bit early isn't it? How is this going to affect Ren?"

Sera's mood snapped back to being serious. “Of course that would be your main concern!"

“Don't take that attitude with me!" Her mother shot back.

“What attitude is that, mother?" Sera said with a glare.

“You know what I'm talking about. Don't pretend as though the thought hadn't crossed yours or your husband's minds. You know very well the risk Ren might be in if Tom dies so young."

“We're taking care of it" Sera said, gazing back at her car. She noticed Todd was now waving that everyone was ready to go. “We'll talk another time…" Sera didn't wait for her mother to respond before she left, leaving her mother to watch her walk away. Her mother sighed before she entered her own car.

“Have a good talk?" Todd asked as Sera sat down in the passenger seat.

“More of the same from her" Sera said as she closed the door and buckled her seatbelt."

Todd chuckled. “Some Hunds never change, huh?" Todd started backing out of the parking spot.

“Guess not" Sera said with a small shake of her head. She peered over her shoulder towards Tom and Luna. She smiled when she realized that Luna must have been tuckered out as she was asleep in her seat. Near her mouth was Tom's left hand, no doubt from one of her playful nibble sessions. Tom was looking out the window before he realized Sera was looking back at them. Tom turned his head to face his mother. “Love you" Sera said with a soft smile.

“Love you too, mom" Tom said with a smile before his attention was drawn towards Luna. Sera figured it must have been an unexpected lick or nibble.

Sera turned back around to face forward as the car started down the street.

When they arrived home fifteen minutes later Sera went around the car to get Luna out of her seat. “I'll get her ready for bed" Sera said to Todd as he was closing the car door.

“Sounds goods" Todd said as he gave Sera a quick nuzzle on her muzzle. When Todd noticed Tom coming around the car he looked in his direction. “You feeling tired?"

“Not really" Tom said, despite letting out a soft yawn.

“I see" Todd chuckled. “Go ahead and get ready for bed anyways. Make sure Ren does as well."

“Alright" Tom said as he walked ahead of his father into the house. As Todd walked towards the house he pulled out his phone and realized he had missed a call during the play. It was a local number, but it didn't have a name attached to it. The number had left a message. Todd stopped and opened his voicemail.

Inside Tom walked up to his room. When he opened the door he noticed Ren sitting at his desk, engrossed in something. “Reading something compelling?" Tom asked as he slowly walked to his bed.

“No… just informational" Ren said as he finished reading the last paragraph on the page. He let out a long yawn as he turned the page. He looked to his right to see Tom lying down on his back. “How was Luna's play?"

“It was really good" Tom said as he remembered how adorable the acting of Luna and the other students was. Tom opened his right eye when a thought came to him. “Were you in a play when you were Luna's age?"

Ren's ears stood straight up for a moment before going limp again. “Yeah…"

“Oh?" Tom asked as he opened his left eye and turned to his side to face Ren. What role did you play?"

“I was a butler for the villain."

“What did you do as a butler?"

“I buttled." Ren said with a soft smirk. Suddenly, Tom started laughing, surprising Ren. “I thought that might be funny, but I didn't think I'd get that much of a reaction."

“Is that even a word?" Tom asked, calming down.

“It is" Ren said with his own chuckle.

“Well…" Tom said as he caught his breath. “I bet you buttled very well." Tom tried his best to hold his laughter in.

Ren couldn't help laugh when it was Tom who said it. When Tom heard Ren's laughter Tom stopped suppressing his own and laughed along with his brother.

“Boys…" a voice said from the door, causing both of them to stop and gaze across the room to see their mother peeking through the door. “Luna's in bed now, please try to keep it down."

“Will do mom" Tom said as he remembered what his dad had told him. As Sera pulled away from the door Tom turned towards Ren, who seemed a little tense. “Dad wanted me tell you we should start getting ready for bed."

Ren relaxed. “You go first, I got a few pages left to read."

Tom gazed over the desk to see the large textbook Ren was reading. “One of your honors classes?"

“Yeah…" Ren said as he started reading the beginning of the new page.

Tom said nothing else as he stood up and stretched, pulling his head back. His eyes went wide when he felt a sickening sensation in his head. Suddenly the room started spinning and his sense of balance failed him. He stumbled momentarily before falling forward. His head and chest managed to fall onto Ren's bed, causing Ren to turn around in surprise. “Are you alright?" Ren asked with a bit of panic in his voice as he got out of his chair and kneeled next to Tom.

Tom took a deep breath. “I'm fine… just got lightheaded all of a sudden." Tom slowly pushed himself to his feet and stood still for a moment. Ren watched closely to make sure Tom didn't fall again. “I think I'm good now" Tom said with a smile.

Ren let out a sigh of relief. “Maybe you just stood up too fast. Be careful, alright."

“I will" Tom said as he started walking to the door. “Sorry to distract you."

Ren let out another sigh of relief as he sat back in his chair. His heart was still beating rapidly to the point he could feel it pounding in his chest.

Outside the room, Tom rubbed his head as he walked to the bathroom across the hall. He knew this wasn't the first time he had felt that dizzying sensation, but it was the first time he had stumbled like that. Inside the bathroom he turned on the sink, waiting for the water to warm up. He placed his hands palm-down on the counter. He looked up at the ceiling. When he felt the dizzying sensation returning he immediately lowered his head and shook it slightly. “Guess don't look straight up…" Tom swallowed hard as the sickening feeling faded away.
--------------------------------------------------

After saying goodnight to Tom and Ren, Todd walked into his bedroom and noticed Sera was in bed reading. “Got a call from the hospital." Todd said as he softly shut the door behind him.

Sera immediately stopped reading and placed the book down beside her. “What did they say?"

“They said they finally received several units of Red-Collar blood."

“That's wonderful" Sera said with a sense of relief.

“Yeah" Todd nodded his head as he sat down on the bed. “They said it's up to us when to schedule Tom's transfusions. I was thinking we could do the first one the same day Ren has his follow-up."

“That sounds good to me" Sera said as she sat up and positioned herself to the right of Todd. She could tell from Todd's expression that something was on his mind. “What's wrong?"

“They also mentioned how much a single blood unit transfusion would cost…" Todd let out a groan. “Depending on how much blood Tom needs and how often he needs it, our savings will only last maybe two years."

“The request for a Red-Collar was already approved by the city council" Sera said as she lightly rubbed Todd's back. “That should lower the cost."

Todd sighed. “Only if the Red-Collar agrees to donating blood."

“Well…" Sera stopped rubbing Todd's back as she stared at the floor, pondering. “We'll figure out something if it comes to that…" Todd gave a soft nod as he wrapped his right arm around Sera, pulling her slightly closer to him.

-------------------------------------------------

The next afternoon Tom and Ren stepped off the school bus. Ren started walking on ahead while Tom waited on the sidewalk near the bus. A few seconds later Irena stepped off, and they followed after Ren. The Renoirs and Chiennas had agreed that Tom could go home with Irena on Mondays and Irena could do the same on Fridays. Any other visits would have to be agreed upon ahead of time by both sets of adults.

“Doing anything special this weekend?" Tom asked Irena.

“Don't believe so" Irena answered softly. “My parents have been discussing having your family over for dinner, but they are having difficulty making sure both their schedules allow it."

“That would be nice" Tom said with a chuckle. “I think Luna would be the most excited to see that happen."

Irena let out a soft laugh. “Well, compared to her room, I don't think I'd have much to offer her in terms of entertainment."

“Luna can make her own entertainment. She looks forward to seeing you every week now."

“She probably enjoys having someone similar to her to talk with."

“You're saying she likes you more because I'm not an actual Hund?" Tom asked with a raised brow.

“I was actually referring to us both being girls, but you do bring up a point you phony Hund" Irena said with a smirk.

Tom let out a chuckle. “I'm not a phony. I'm just a Hund who doesn't wear a collar… or have a tail… or the ears… or paws… or fur…"

“I get it" Irena said an exasperated shake of her head as Tom laughed a little more. Irena looked up at the sky, momentarily before she looked to Tom. “Don't think I've ever asked, Tom, but do you actually feel like you're a Hund, or is it purely a fun fantasy?"

Tom shrugged his shoulders. “I'm not really sure. I like the idea of being a collarless Hund."

Irena smiled. “So if you had the choice to turn into that Hund right now, would you do it?"

Tom slowed down his pace as he contemplated Irena's question. “If I was a Hund, I'd still have that second voice, right?" Irena nodded. “I wouldn't be able to help Ren if that were the case."

“What if that wasn't a factor?" Irena added. “If the change didn't negatively affect those around you, would you want to be a Hund?"

Tom stopped walking as his thoughts deepened. Irena took an extra step forward before she stopped herself and turned to face Tom. “It would make life less difficult for me, wouldn't it?" Tom asked with a smirk as he looked at Irena.

“Maybe" Irena responded.

Tom took a deep breath as he rubbed his fingers together. “I don't know…" Tom said with a sigh. “The idea sounds nice, but… I don't mind being a Human, despite all the headaches that come with it." Tom smiled.

“Well, Human or Collarless Hund, your personality is definitely your best trait."

“Is that just your way of saying I'm ugly?" Tom asked with another raised brow.

Irena gave Tom an unamused look. “I'll say that you're the best-looking Human I've ever met." Irena turned around and started walking.

Tom let out a soft laugh before following after her. “I'll take it." Once Tom was walking side-by-side with Irena again he looked to her. “You know it's stuff like that why Luna still thinks we might actually be a couple."

“She just loves the idea of two of her favorite individuals being together" Irena said as she looked at Tom. “You have your Collarless Hund, she can have us being a couple."

“Yeah…" Tom said as he thought for a moment before smirking at Irena. “Just be sure to hide how much I annoy you."

Irena laughed. “No promises."

“Yeah, that would be quite difficult" Tom said with his own laugh as the two drew closer to his house.

The front door was already unlocked, courtesy of Ren having already arrived ahead of the two. When Tom closed and locked the door behind them, he and Irena set down their bags. A click drew their attention to the hallway across from the front door as his mother came out of the office. “Hi mom" Tom said.

“Welcome home" Sera said as she approached Tom and gave him a hug. As she released Tom she looked towards Irena. “Hello there, Irena."

“Hi" Irena said meekly, with a quick nod of her head.

“Are you picking up Luna today, mom?" Tom asked.

“Yes…" Sera said as she checked the time on her phone. “I was about to leave in a minute or so."

“Guessing Ren went upstairs?" Tom asked as he glanced at the upper floor.

“Yes" Sera said as she followed Tom's gaze momentarily. “By the time I noticed him coming through the front door he had already started rushing upstairs."

“He probably has a lot of homework to do…" Irena said softly, catching Sera's attention. “Because of honors classes…" Irena continued as she turned her gaze away from Sera's.

“Well, better to tackle it as early as possible then" Sera said with a smile as she slowly made her way past the two teenagers. “I'm heading out now for Luna" Sera said as she twisted the door handle and pulled. “Be sure to behave while I'm gone."

“Will do, mom" Tom said as he waved his mother goodbye as she closed the door behind her shut. A few seconds later Irena let out a heavy sigh, as though she had been holding her breath. Tom gave her a look of concern. “Are you scared of my mom?" Tom had noticed how much Irena tends to tense up when his mother is around.

“She just… make me nervous" Irena let out a softer sigh.

“More than my brother?"

“Not even close" Irena said with a soft chuckle. “But it just feels like she's always analyzing me."

“Well, she can be pretty perceptive" Tom said with a smile. “Or at the very least… is able to figure things out like me always going to your house." Tom briefly scratched the back of his neck thinking about it, unsure whether to focus on his mother's prowess or the fear he felt because of it. “Anyways… I don't think she's like that because she suspects something of you; she just likes details."

“Hope so…" Irena said as her ears picked up Sera's car leaving the driveway and starting down the road. “So… what should we do until she returns with Luna?"

“Could watch tv" Tom shrugged his shoulders.

“Nah…" Irena said as she looked around. She paused when her gaze fell on the front door. “How about we just go for a walk around the neighborhood?"

“Sure" Tom said as he approached the door. “I know a route we can take."

Once Tom locked the door behind him, he and Irena started walking down the sidewalk they had been travelling on a few minutes ago. Irena would take the time to take in the surroundings while Tom mainly stared forward. “The houses around here are really nice" Irena said.

“Your house is much bigger and nicer than these" Tom said with a chuckle.

“I guess, but it also really stands out in the neighborhood" Irena said as she looked around. “All these houses look equally as nice as one another and…" Irena paused and gazed at the bay. “Look at that view!"

“Yeah…" Tom said as he stopped next to her. “I think I'd rather have this than a larger house." Tom continued walking.

“Well, with a family of your size you might get more use out of it" Irena said as she quickly caught up with Tom.

“Have your parents ever thought about having another child?"

“Another…?" Irena asked softly. “I mean… I've heard them discussing it from time to time, but they're just always a bit too preoccupied with work and making sure their lives are stable…" Irena's gaze drifted downwards. “It's a wonder that they were willing to have me…"

“Hi!" Tom and Irena's attention were drawn by a young voice coming from the other side of the street. A young male blue-collar Hund, maybe eight or nine was waving excitedly in their direction.

“Hey there!" Tom shouted back with a wave of his own, eliciting a larger smile from the young Hund.

“Who is he?" Irena asked as she gave her own little wave.

“I don't know his name, but he waves at me every time he sees me. Believe he's been doing it since he first saw me five years ago."

“And you've never actually met?" Irena asked, surprised.

“Well…" Tom's smile faded when the front door of the house the kid was waving in front of opened. Out came what appeared to be the kid's father, who motioned him to get back inside the house. He stared at Tom and Irena for a moment, gave a half-hearted wave and went back inside. “That…" Tom said with a sigh.

“How stupid…" Irena said, glaring at the door. “Blue-collars should love you by default."

Tom closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. “I'd have a lot more friends if that was true." Irena's ears flattened out of guilt from saying that. Tom smiled and opened his eyes. “Their loss though, right?" Tom ended with a chuckle.

Irena smirked. “Indeed. Can you believe that Hund is denying his son the chance to have you as his babysitter? He'd probably want to adopt you as his brother"

“I've got two siblings already, and that's plenty for me" Tom said with a smile as he and Irena continued walking down the street, the bay growing ever larger.

They eventually reached a three-way stop. Tom pointed to the street intersecting from the right and noted that street went into town, while continuing down the street they were on would bring them to the beach. As they continued down the street Irena noticed that the housing line suddenly stopped a few blocks from beach and had been replaced with scattered trees and other foliage.

They stopped when they reached another three-way intersection, this time the street they were on ended. It had been quite some time, but Tom was still familiar with the sight of the beach in front of them. Irena looked around. After noticing how nice the water looked, she noted how remote this area was. She couldn't see any buildings down the left on this road that seemed to go nowhere. “Do you know where this road goes?" Irena asked.

“It actually circles the entire peninsula." Tom said as he stared down the street. “Mom said that before Humans started dying off there were a bunch of fishing piers and shops along this road. The Hunds didn't want to take over the fishing and shops, and they didn't want to leave a bunch of abandoned buildings, so they thought it best to just tear everything down." Tom smiled. “Would have been interesting to see if there had been a larger demand for seafood."

Irena involuntarily stuck out her tongue in disgust.

“Want to head onto the beach?" Tom asked.

Irena's ears stood straight up. “Oh, no, no thank you."

“Typical Hund reaction" Tom said with a laugh. “Want to just watch the ocean from here for a while?"

“We can do that" Irena said with a nod.

For the next fifteen minutes or so Tom and Irena watched the crashing waves from a distance. The gentle sea breeze coupled with the absence of any sounds aside from the waves could have lulled either of them into sense of sleepiness if it weren't for a random van that drove past them heading left. The two then jumped slightly when they heard loud honking from behind them. They quickly turned around and were greeted by his mother staring at them with a slight glare.

“Thomas… come here" Sera said. Tom swallowed hard and approached the car with Irena not far behind. When Tom was standing outside of his mother's window. “Why didn't you tell me or your brother where you were going?"

“It was just a spur of the moment…" Tom said.

“Spur or not, you do not just leave the house without telling someone where you are going, and you certainly don't refrain from answering your phone when I'm calling you."

Tom's eyes widened when he took his cell phone out of his pocket and realized he had four missed calls and an unread text message from his mother, asking where he was. “Sorry… my phone was still on silent from school…"

Sera let out a deep sigh. “What is the lesson from all this?"

“Make sure my phone isn't on silent, and let you know where I'm going."

“Good" Sera said with a nod of her head, content with the answer. She motioned her head. “Now get in, you two."

As Tom and Irena buckled in, Tom asked his mother “So how did you know where to find us?"

Sera smirked. “As long as you keep your cell phone on you, I can find you anywhere. So don't you ever forget to bring it with you."

“Alright" Tom said as he looked down at his phone.

“Let's just make a u turn… after this person passes…" Sera said as she stared to her left. Four seconds passed before a van passed by.

“I think that's the same van that passed in the opposite direction" Irena said.

“They probably made a wrong turn onto this street" Sera said as she pulled the car forward and drove it one hundred eighty degrees. “They probably just turned around instead of going around the entire peninsula."

“Guess they didn't notice the small parking lot" Tom chimed in, turning around to look at the beach as they drove away.

--------------------------------------------------

Irena later found herself sitting in Luna's room. The little Hund was noticeably excited thanks to her tail. “So…" Irena said with a smile. “I heard your play went very well."

“Uh huh!" Luna said with a great smile. “I didn't mess up any of my lines, and I even added more effort in my evil laughter."

“Oh, I'm sure the other kids were terrified of you" Irena said with a soft laugh.

Luna responded with a giggle of her own. “Too bad you couldn't come"

“I'm sorry" Irena said with a soft smile. “The next time you have another performance, I'll do my best to go to that one. At least Tom and your parents got to see you perform, right?"

“Yeah" Luna said with a few quick nods of her head. “Tommy even asked how I felt."

“How you felt?"

“Uh huh. I said I was a little nervous, but had a lot of fun." Luna tilted her head slightly as she continued to remember. “Tommy then asked if I had been hurt during the play."

“Why would he think that?" Irena asked, concerned.

“I think because my class was really rough at the end. It was the part where they were killing the witches."

“Well, did it hurt when they were doing it?" Irena asked.

Luna's ears limped a little. “Kind of… I wasn't expecting to be kicked in the stomach."

“They actually hit you!?" Irena kept herself from exclaiming too loudly."

Luna gave Irena her own concerned look. “Well… yeah… happened all the time during rehearsal. I just wasn't expecting that kick."

Irena gave Luna a sad look. “That not okay, Luna…" Irena sighed. “Does Tom or your parents know about what happened during your rehearsals?"

“No…" Luna said as her ears flattened against her head. “…Did I do something wrong?"

“No, no, no" Irena said with a shake of her head. “You did nothing wrong. It's those kids who had no right to physically hurt you." Irena groaned. “And I'm betting your teacher did nothing about it, huh?"

Luna slowly shook her head.

“Why didn't you tell them to stop hitting you?"

“I just thought it was for the play…" Luna's eyes began to water. “Were they just being mean to me?"

Irena realized she was pushing the issue too hard. “I'm… I'm sure they just got carried away, but that's still no excuse for you to get hurt. If what they do hurts you, you should tell them to stop."

“But Tommy says telling them what to do might make them hate me more…"

“Well… in the end, it's up to you to decide how you act" Irena gave Luna a reassuring smile. “I know you want to make friends with them, but don't let them take advantage of you, alright?"

“Alright…" Luna said with a slow nod of her head.

“But for now…" Irena said as she reached for a few sheets of paper on Luna's table. “Want to draw something?" Luna nodded with a smile as her tail began to sway again.
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The following Monday was the day of the week agreed upon by both families for Tom to go to Irena's house. Upon arriving Tom called his mother to let her know that he had made it there. She thanked him for the call and let him know that either she or his dad would be calling Tom when either one of them are on their way to pick him up.

Once Tom finished his call with his mother he gazed around the house while Irena was taking out her things onto the table. He let out a chuckle. “What's funny?" Irena asked as she took a seat.

“Just realizing this house really is huge for just three Hunds."

“Well, better to have too much space than not enough" Irena said as she motioned towards an empty chair next to her. Tom, taking the cue, took his seat next to Irena and pulled out his own school material.

After thirty minutes of doing individual homework assignments, both closed their textbooks, knowing what came next. “What do you have for me today?" Tom asked with a bit of excitement, having not been able to do this with Irena since their encounter with her parents.

“Well… I learned a little fun fact relating to Human culture" Irena said as she pushed her books to the edge of the table.

“Oh, what?"

“Apparently some Human cultures in Asia believed that the blood type of an individual is what determined their personality."

“Really?" Tom asked with a chuckle. “Were they right?"

“Many of the believe in it, but for the most part it was just a superstition" Irena said, following with a smirk. “I think it had better application regarding Hunds instead of Humans."

“Why?" Tom asked as he thought about it for a moment. “Do all blue-collar Hunds have the same blood type?"

“Yep" Irena said with smile.

“Oh really?" Tom said with surprise, having just made a guess. “So it's the same with all collar types?"

“That's right. I told you that the color of a Hund's collar is dependent on the strength of their second voice compared to the sensitivity of their second hearing. It all stems from blood type; it is the root of what kind of Hund they become."

“Wait…" Tom thought about it for a moment. So… say if we replaced all the blood in a black-collar with blood of a blue-collar… would that make them a blue-collar as well?"

“It's definitely not that simple…" Irena said with sigh. “Even if you happen to change the blood type in their body, it doesn't change their physiology… they'll still have the same second voice and hearing that they were born with." Irena chuckled. “It'd be like saying replacing all your blood with that of a Hund would then make you transform into a Hund as well.

“Well I'd be that much closer to being a collar-less Hund then" Tom said with a chuckle of his own. “Is that even possible though?"

“What is?"

“Could I even have Hund blood in my body?"

“Only if it's blood from a Red-Collar."

“Why only from a Red-Collar?" Tom asked, curious.

“Well, imagine it like this…" Irena said as she tore out a sheet of paper from a notebook. “You know about the four collar colors…" Irena wrote the word 'Black' then 'Blue' above that, then 'White' and finally 'Red'. “This diagram not only demonstrates which Hunds can control others, but it also has medical practicality." Irena drew upwards-facing arrows from one word to the one above it. “In terms of transfusing blood or transplanting organs, Hunds can accept from those who are the same, or one level below."

“So… white-collars can take blood from blue-collars, but not the other way around?" Tom asked.

“That's correct."

“Seems a bit unfair" Tom said as he looked back at the example Irena drew.

“Maybe, but blue-collars have a wide pool of donors that they never need to rely on blood from any other type… though I guess the same thing sort of applies with white-collars; they can rely just on blue-collars."

“So what about the red and black-collars?" Tom said as he pointed between the two. “Does it loop back around; red-collars give to black-collars?"

“No" Irena said as she started writing something to the left of the collar colors. “There's one more link in that chain…" Irena said as she finished writing 'Humans'. “When it comes to cross-species transplants and transfusions, this is the only way." Irena drew an arrow leading from 'Red' to 'Human' and then one from 'Human' to 'Black'. “From the perspective of Humans, red-collars and black-collars act as their universal donor and universal receiver, respectively; any Human can receive red-collar blood, and black-collars can receive blood from any Human."

“Cool…" Tom said as he followed the arrows that produced a complete circuit. “So only from a red-collar, huh?"

“Yeah" Irena said as she gazed at the example herself. “Red-collars are the rarest color out there, so the odds of you ever having the chance of replacing all the blood in your body with a Hund is near impossible, or at the very least it would cost a fortune for a temporary thing."

“Why only temporary?"

“The blood cells in our bodies are recycled after so long and replaced with new cells produced by our bone marrow. Within a few months all the Hund blood in your body would be replaced by your own Human blood again. You'd have keep getting blood transfusions to maintain the ratio."

“That's no fun" Tom said with chuckle. “Not a huge fan of needles."

“Neither am I" Irena said with a nervous laugh.

“Wait…" Tom smirked at Irena's response. “You want to be a doctor when you grow up and you're afraid of needles?"

“Doesn't mean I have to like them!" Irena said defensively. “Getting them and seeing someone else getting them just makes me…" Irena's body shivered for a moment. “Can we just change the subject, please."

“Sure, sure…" Tom chuckled as he thought about if there was anything else to ask Irena that may gain him some insight to helping Ren. “I've witnessed Luna being quite demanding at times" Tom let out a laugh. “She recently told mom and dad to bring her to see this house."

“She wants to come here?" Irena asked with a soft laugh.

“Yeah. She will say, 'Let's go to their house, take me to their house.' Mom tells her that we'll go someday when they aren't busy. She'll then huff and then run to me and Ren and say the same thing." Tom starts laughing. “I swear if I didn't say anything, and if Ren knew where you lived he would have taken Luna here by himself."

“Not sure what I would think if they both just showed up at the door…" Irena thought about it for a moment. “Is there a word for being both pleasantly surprised and horrified at the same time?" Irena laughed a little.

“I'd have to ask Ren for an answer to that…" Tom said, not joining in the laughter. “However, it got me thinking about something. “Why can't Luna order our parents around? At first I thought parents were just immune to their children, but then I remember her telling your parents to do things when they visited. Are adults immune to orders from children?"

“To a degree, yes." Irena said with a nod. “When an adult recognizes there is a child of a higher collar color, they involuntarily put up a mental shield. This prevents them from following any orders that child may send their way."

“Is it possible to control that mental block to prevent following orders from anyone?" Tom asked.

“Some Hunds are able to control their own mental block, like your mom, but for the most part it is something we don't actively control, and it doesn't work all the time…" Irena thought for a moment. “Let's use Luna as an example. Let's say you and her were walking behind an adult blue-collar. If Luna decides to give an order to that blue-collar they will most likely follow it."

“Their mental block wouldn't work?"

“Right. Our brains can't automatically distinguish an order from a child from that of an adult unless it can clearly perceive the Hund. Two factors must exist for this mental block to work; the first is recognizing the one giving the order is a child. The second is recognizing the child is wearing a collar higher than their own. Going back to the Luna example, if the blue-collar knew a child was giving an order, but didn't realize she was wearing a  white-collar, their mind wouldn't put up the mental block. However, in any case, once the blue-collar turns around and recognizes both factors, their brains will react."

“Geez…" Tom said, rubbing his head in mental confusion. “And… there's no way to replicate this?"

“No. It happens automatically in our brain. Plus… it only works for one level of separation…" She looked at Tom for a reaction. Tom stared at her with confusion, not fully understanding what she meant. “It means that this mental block only works against Hunds directly above you. If Ren was an adult right now, and Luna gave him an order, he'd still be compelled to follow it."

The revelation seemed to drain the energy from Tom as he slumped forward onto the table and released a long sigh. “Irena…" Tom said, staring out at nothing. “Why is it so unfair for black-collars…?" Irena only watched in silence as Tom let out another sigh as he closed his eyes.

“It's just…" Irena paused momentarily. “It's just a roll of the genetic dice… Ren, Luna, and I… if things had played out slightly different we'd all be normal blue-collars. It's not fair, but you make do with what you got…"

Tom opened his eyes and gazed at Irena. “Know what I think…?" Tom said in a soft voice. “I think you being a Verund is cooler than being a regular blue-collar."

Irena smiled momentarily. “In terms of practicality… it is definitely useful, but…" Irena sighed and decided to lie her own head on the table, facing forward rather than to either side. “You don't understand how much strain it puts on my mind. If I could just announce what I am to everyone, without fear of repercussions, I'd do so. However…" Irena closed her eyes. “It's not that simple… I'd be viewed and treated different by everyone. White-collars, of course, would do their best to make my life harder, but if blue-collars knew I doubt they'd trust me."

“Oh come on…" Tom chuckled as he slowly sat himself back upright in the chair. “I'm sure they wouldn't have an issue with what you are."

Irena chuckled while keeping her eyes closed. “Blue-collars find it hard to trust anyone who doesn't fall neatly in their group…" Irena opened her left eye to look at Tom. “You've noticed it with blue-collars at school… they'll approach you out of curiosity, but they tend to avoid you afterwards…" Irena closed her eye again. “Luna, the sweet child she is, hasn't been raised with any of the teachings of white-collars, and is still mistreated by blue-collars just because of what she wears around her neck. “Life is unfair for a lot of us, but at least Ren and Luna have the benefit of having you for a brother." Irena kept her eyes closed as smile began to form on her muzzle.

Tom smiled back. “And we have each other as friends."

Irena opened her eyes halfway. “I really wish I had someone like you at my other school… someone I can really trust."

“Oh…" Tom said as he rubbed the back of his head. “If it means anything, I also trust you."

Irena didn't say anything as she closed her eyes and let out a slow exhale. “Now you're making me feel bad…"

Tom was taken aback. “Was I not supposed to say that?"

Irena chuckled as she slowly rose off the table. “You're fine… It's just…" Irena let out another sigh. “You want me to help you find some potential technique or something to help your brother, but… I feel like the more facts I tell you the more disappointed you get. Part of me fears that I may end up disappointing you so much that you won't want to be around me anymore."

“Well don't" Tom said with a smile, causing Irena's eyes to open in surprise. “Helping Ren is my main goal, but I'm not going to start avoiding you just because you're not giving me what I want." Tom smirked. “You may find this hard to believe but I do enjoy spending time with you."

Irena smiled. “Thanks…" she said as she leaned back in her chair, tilted her head back and stared up at the ceiling. “Still wish I could give you what you're looking for."

Tom watched for a moment. “Do you ever get dizzy looking straight up?"

“Hasn't happened to me" Irena said as she straightened herself back to a normal posture. “You?"

“Yeah. It's been going for a while now" Tom said as he tried to think back to the first time it happened. “A few months I believe… any idea what it may be?"

Irena crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she tried to recall anything that may result in that symptom. “There are many things that can cause dizziness, but I think what you described is akin to something called vertigo."

“How do you treat it?" Tom asked.

“I'm not completely sure" Irena said with a soft shrug of her shoulders. “I believe it goes away on its own after a while, but I couldn't tell you if that is what you actually have. It could just be a matter of you having low blood pressure, but unless you see an actual doctor you won't know for sure."

“Eh… I'll wait it out" Tom said as he leaned back in his chair. “It only becomes a problem when I look straight up, then I get really dizzy."

“Well…" Irena said as she stood up. “If it gets too bad, then definitely get it checked." Irena gazed down at her phone for the time. “Looks like we've got about half an hour before you have to go. Anything you want to do until then?"

Tom thought about it for a moment. “We could just lounge about and listen to music."

Irena chuckled. “Just be lazy, huh?"

“Well… could always spend thirty minutes telling jokes instead" Tom said with a smirk.

Irena stared unamused. “I'm choosing the music" she said as she started searching for something on her phone.

“If you insist" Tom said with a smile as he stood up and walked towards the living room. He settled onto the couch and relaxed as he watched Irena still messing with her phone. Eventually she set the phone down on one of the sofa cushions. Soft music started playing as she took a seat on the other side of the couch so the phone was between them.

Neither of them said anything, just listened. There were no lyrics, just instrumentals playing soft, relaxing music. Tom let out a content sigh as he closed his eyes to relax. “Lazy is good…"

Irena chuckled as she too just relaxed back into the couch. “Yeah…"

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That Thursday evening Tom and Ren were in their room. Ren was finishing up the last of his class work while Tom lied on his bed, listening to some of the tracks Irena had played earlier in the week. Not wanting to break the concentration of his brother, Tom used an internal set of headphones.

Ren sighed as he scribbled the last answer on the paper. He checked to make sure there was nothing else he had missed. Confirming he was done, Ren let out a long, wide yawn. Curfew wasn't for another hour, but he was already mentally exhausted. As he closed his books he looked to his right to see Tom staring forward at nothing in particular, his head slightly shaking side-to-side. He appeared to be engrossed in whatever he was listening to.

“Tom?" Ren said. It hadn't been loud enough to pierce through Tom's headphones. “Tom" Ren said a bit louder, but again it hadn't been loud enough. Ren didn't want to yell out so instead he started motioning with his right arm. He extended it out into what he hoped was within Tom's field of vision. After a few seconds of shaking his arm Tom's eyes shifted to his right.

“Huh?" Tom muttered as he removed the headphones from his ears.

Ren smiled. “You're like me with a good book" Ren laughed. “It's funny seeing it from the outside looking in."

Tom chuckled. “Yeah, yeah…" Tom said as he set his phone and earphones onto the nearby desk. “I've found I really enjoy listening to a certain kind of music."

Ren looked at the headphones and could faintly hear music echoing off them. Ren pointed towards them and asked “Is it alright if I take a listen?"

“Sure, go ahead!" Tom said with a smile as he pushed the headphones closer to Ren.

Ren took one of the earbuds and brought it closer to his ear. He listened for a moment. “Huh…" Ren said as he continued to listen, his ear twitching slightly. After listening for nearly a minute Ren pulled the earpiece away. “I think this is called ambient music" Ren said as he placed the earbud back on Tom's desk. “Sounds nice."

“Yeah" Tom said he unlocked his phone to stop the music. “Irena introduced me to this kind of music. She sent me many of her favorites."

Ren's ears went slightly limp. “You two… just listen to music when you go over to her house?"

“Oh no" Tom chuckled. “Usually only during the end of my stay, if we have time for it."

“Oh? So what do the two of you do before that?"

Tom stayed silent for a moment. “Oh… just doing homework…"

“Just… homework?" Ren asked, confusion in his voice, as he recalled that Tom never came back from Irena's house with all his homework done, and sometimes he hadn't even started. “Nothing else?"

Tom sighed. “We hang out and discuss a project we're working on" Tom's eyes slightly widened from realizing what he was saying. “for class" he added.

“You can't seriously be working on the same class project months later…" Ren stared in disbelief.

“No, it's a different class project" Tom said, averting from Ren's gaze.

“How many projects does your class have?" Ren asked with wide eyes.

Tom chuckled. “Quite a few…" Tom said as he kept avoiding his brother's gaze.

“Oh…" Ren said before his own gaze drifted downwards as he started fidgeting his digits. “You… you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but…" Ren looked back up at Tom with pleading eyes. “could you at least stop lying to me about it?"

Tom's attention went back to Ren. “What?"

Ren swallowed. “Just be honest with me, Tom…" Ren took a deep breath. “…even if the truth is you don't want to tell me."

“Ren…" Tom said as he straightened himself on the bed. “I'm not…"

Ren held up his right paw between them to cut off Tom. “Just…" Ren said as he stared straight into Tom's eyes. “I'll ask this one last time, and whatever answer you give me I'll accept, alright?"

Tom swallowed and nodded.

“What is it that you Irena do at her house?"

The question echoed in Tom's mind. Tom didn't enjoy lying to Ren, but he couldn't forget the promise he made to Irena about not letting Ren know what the two of them were meeting for. He wondered what would happen if he did tell Ren. Would he approve or be against it? What would Irena do if she knew he told Ren? Would she feel betrayed and not want to have anything to do with him?  Tom recalled what Irena told him on Monday. Tom groaned internally from having the trust of two individuals he cared for on the line. “I…" Tom said with a stutter. Ren was still staring at him with eyes half-expectant, half-pleading. Tom slumped his shoulders. “I can't tell you…"

Ren let out a soft exhale as he closed his eyes. “Alright… I won't pry anymore." Ren slowly stood himself up. “I'm going to go brush my teeth…" Ren said as he opened his eyes and turned towards the door.

Ren let out a yawn as he entered the bathroom and turned on the hot water. He placed his left paw resting underneath the running water, waiting for it to start to warm up. He had felt a minor sense of relief when Tom had ceased the lying, but he hoped for more. He pondered what it could be Tom didn't want to tell him. He wondered if it was something Tom didn't trust sharing with him. Ren's ears flattened against his head at the thought that he had disappointed Tom to get to that point.

Ren's paw felt a warm sensation washing over its pads as the water temperature reach the desired temperature, but Ren didn't move it. His mind was still contemplating the situation. As much as he wanted to know what Tom was hiding, he promised he wouldn't pry any further, and he intended to stay true to his word on that. Ren didn't want this to turn into another argument like the one a few weeks ago; he didn't want to potentially create anymore tension with Tom regarding Irena.

As the thought crossed through his mind, Ren's attention was suddenly pulled away by the slight burning sensation as he finally realized the water had surpassed his desired temperature by quite a margin. He pulled his paw away and stared at the damp fur spread over it. He felt a beating sensation in his chest. He brought his wet paw to his chest and could easily feel his heart beating slightly rapidly. He figured it must have been a rush of adrenaline from the hot water, or perhaps it due to anxiety. Regardless, he reasoned he should finish what he came in for.

Tom was lying down on his bed in silence, staring at the ceiling. He had given Ren an honest answer, but it only made him feel more guilt. Perhaps it was because Ren knew he had been lying prior, or maybe it was because Ren was now aware he was hiding something from him. Tom slowly closed his eyes halfway. He started wondering if all of this was even worth it now.

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The next afternoon Tom noted the familiar bus stop coming up. It was Friday, something by itself should have made him excited, not to mention it being the day of the week Irena comes to his house. However, Tom had been devoid of excitement since the morning. He woke up not in a very talkative mood, instead he was lost in his own thoughts. He was slightly thankful that it didn't seem to have that much of an impact on those around him; neither Ren nor Irena had really made an effort to socialize with him all day.

Ren was the first to exit the bus, followed by Tom and Irena shortly after. By the time the latter two disembarked the bus Ren had already started walking down the sidewalk towards home. Tom and Irena stood in place where they had stepped off and watched as the bus closed its door and started driving off a short distance before turning.

“Mind if we take a walk…?" Tom asked as he turned to face Irena.

“That sounds fine…" Irena said softly.

Tom pulled out his phone and sent a quick text message to Ren letting him know the two of them were heading down to the beach. When he put the phone back in his pocket he started walking in the opposite direction of his house. Irena immediately followed. For three minutes the only sound that could be heard was the ocean breeze flowing past their ears as they remained silent on the descending walk. “You have something on your mind too?" Irena asked as she maintained the same pace as Tom while staying to his right.

“Yeah…" Tom said as he took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. He glanced at Irena. “Is yours why you've been a little distant since Monday?"

Irena nodded her head.

“Want to talk about it?" Tom asked as he faced forward.

“I don't know…" Irena said weakly. She cleared her throat. “I'm sure you want to talk about something though, right?"

“Yeah" Tom said as he kept his focus on the ocean growing larger ahead of them. “Something's been on my mind since last night. I think we should…" Tom paused for a few seconds. “I think we should stop this research project."

Irena's ears stood straight up in surprise, her stride slowing down slightly. “Alright, this is really sudden of you. What happened last night to bring this out?"

Tom smiled softly. “Do you remember not long after we met I said that Ren and I are a team?"

“I do" Irena said with a soft nod.

Tom chuckled. “Well, last night I realized I wasn't doing a good job doing just that." Tom glanced to his right to look at Irena. “Ren knows I've been lying about what I do with you. He doesn't know what it is, and he said he won't try to find out, but…" Tom glanced downward momentarily. “It made me realize I hate lying to him."

“So you're going to tell him what we've been doing?"

“No…" Tom said with a soft sigh. “I promised you I wouldn't tell what we were meeting up for. I think the best compromise would be to just end it."

“I see…" Irena said as she looked away from Tom, not wanting him to see her look of disappointment. She took a deep inhale before exhaling out her nose. “So… we're just ending this, huh? No more going to each other's houses anymore?"

A smile crept onto Tom's face as he stopped walking at the intersection before the beach. “Who said anything about that?"

Irena stopped shortly afterwards. “What exactly are we stopping? Just you coming to my house?"

Tom shook his head. “I didn't say that."

Irena looked at Tom in confusion. “So what are you proposing is going to change?"

“We're just going to stop doing the research" Tom said with a slightly entertained look at seeing Irena like this. “I'll still come over to your house every Monday."

“How does this resolve your internal conflict with your brother?"

“Because if he asks I won't have to lie to him anymore. I can just tell him I'm having fun with a friend at her house."

Irena stared dumbfounded at Tom. After a few seconds of her brain processing what Tom had said, a laugh echoed from her throat. She closed her eyes and started laughing louder. She brought her right paw to the side of her head where she was feeling a slight headache. “You had me thinking this was going in a completely different direction…" Irena let out a sigh. “All of that just to say we're changing our Monday activities." She let out another short laugh as she opened her eyes. “You can be so melodramatic…"

“Don't know what that word means…" Tom said with a shrug. “But I feel better getting it off my chest…" Tom smirked. “… and getting you to laugh this much."

“No…" Irena said with a smile as she caught her breath. “You did not intentionally make this funny, so don't try to take credit for it!"

“You sure?" Tom asked with the smirk still on his face.

Irena's eyes widened slightly. “There's no way… you didn't, did you?"

Tom said nothing as he continued smiling at Irena. “No you're right" Tom chuckled. “It was nice making you laugh regardless, though." Irena let out another set a laughter. Tom smiled, knowing that those were his own doing."

Their attention was caught by the sound of a vehicle driving by at a fast speed, catching Tom and Irena's attention. “That's the same van from last week…" Tom noted as they watched it drive away.

Irena took one more deep breath. “Maybe there's something they're working on down there?"

“I don't know" Tom said as he turned to face Irena. “So, do you want to start walking back?" Tom motioned his head back towards the hill.

 “Um…" Irena gazed to her right towards the beach. “There's something I want to talk to you about…"

“The thing that's been on your mind?"

“Yeah…" Irena sighed. “It might be a bit of long discussion, so…" Irena nodded towards the beach. “Want to head over there this time?"

“I'm fine with that" Tom said with a smile. After checking to make sure no cars were coming they crossed street. “This your first time on a beach?" Tom asked as the soil turned to sand underneath them.

“Yeah…" Irena said as she looked down with caution. “It's never really been on my to-do list."

“Don't think's it's on any Hund's list" Tom said with a chuckle.

“Yeah…" Irena said as she slowly came to a stop. Tom stopped a few steps behind her. They were halfway between the street and the water, the sand beneath them was dry and loose; the kind Tom knew his family tried their best to avoid getting in their fur. “This is so different from where I used to live…" Irena said softly, her voice almost hidden by the breeze and distant waves. Irena slowly took off her backpack and gently set it down on the sand. She let out a soft sigh, trying her best to hide her anxiety.

Tom shifted his own backpack off his shoulders and let it fall down. He wasn't too concerned about the fall damaging any of the books or notebooks in there. “So…" Tom said as he stared out at the horizon beyond Irena. “What's on your mind?"

Irena inhaled slowly. “There's something I want to tell you…" Irena let out a nervous chuckle. “It's something that I didn't think I would tell you, but…" Irena took another deep breath as she felt her heart rate rapidly increasing. “After our conversation on Monday… something inside me changed and…" Irena's body started to shake. “I want to tell you, but…"

Tom could see Irena was shaking from behind now. “If it's causing you this much pain, you don't have to say anything."

“No…" Irena held her paws together tightly. “I want to tell you… I just don't know how you'll react. You're the only friend I have around here and I don't want to ruin that by potentially saying the wrong thing…"

“Irena…" Tom said with concern as he started reaching his right hand towards her left shoulder. He suddenly felt a buzzing sensation in his pocket. “One second, my phone is ringing…" Tom reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Before he could see the caller ID, Tom suddenly felt something strong and furry tightening around his face. His eyes went wide as he suddenly found it difficult to breathe, his alarmed protests muffled. Without thinking, Tom swung his arms up to pry whatever was on him off, releasing his grip on his phone which flung forward past Irena.

The harder Tom tried to pry himself away, the more the grip tightened. He could feel himself being pulled back against someone. He couldn't move his head in any direction, leaving only his eyes to wander. He suddenly felt a sharp stabbing pain on the right side of his neck. He once again tried to pull himself free, but slowly he found his body becoming weak. He felt his arms and legs going limp. Suddenly whoever was holding him from behind was now the one keeping him from falling down. Tom's breathing slowed and his vision started to become slightly blurry, and his hearing distorted.

In front of him he watched as Irena started to turn around, confused by him throwing his phone past her. He watched as her eyes widened in confusion and shock. She looked as though she was about to scream, but to Tom's horror another figure quickly clasped her muzzle shut and shoved her to the ground.

Tom tried to shout, but he couldn't muster the strength to let out a call of any kind. The arm wrapped around his face loosened slightly, allowing him to breathe easier, but he had lost the ability to put up any kind of struggle now. He could only watch in horror as the Hund on top of Irena pulled out a cloth and swiftly shoved it into her mouth to stop her from screaming. He then shifted his knees onto her elbows to prevent her from struggling. Irena tried to wiggle her arms out from under the larger Hund, but the sand made it difficult to move. She tried using her legs to kick at the adult from behind, but she didn't have the flexibility to reach. Tears started flowing from her eyes as the adult reached out to the Hund behind Tom to hand him something. Tom was carried like a ragdoll as something was placed into the outreaching paw of Hund on top of Irena. It was thin. He popped the cap off it, revealing a needle. Tom realized that must have been what was used on him. The assailant used his left paw to steady Irena's head while he used his right paw to jam the needle into her neck.

Irena's body jolted from the sudden stabbing. She started struggled harder before she suddenly felt her entire body going limp. She could no longer move her arms, her legs, or even her head at this point. It was only then that the Hund got off her. Tom's mind was starting to become hazy as the two unknown Hunds started saying something. He couldn't make out the words, but that was far from the most pressing matter. Whoever had their grip on Tom slightly raised him. Tom's legs dangled loosely above the ground as they turned around.

Tom could only look straight ahead as he and whoever was holding onto him were moving forward. Despite his blurry vision, he could see where they were heading. It was the van, that same one he and Irena had seen drive by earlier and the week prior. The back doors were open, and Tom soon found himself being placed on the floor of the van. He still couldn't move any part of his body. A few second later Irena was placed the floor opposite of him. They stared weakly at one another as one of the Hunds got into the back with them and closed the doors.

The van slowly drove off the beach, onto the street, and beyond. All that was left on the beach were two backpacks and a phone buzzing in the sand. The caller ID flashed “Mom".

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Stay tuned for continuation coming soon