Bloodlust

It was only a matter of time before Bloodlust ended up in this hellhole. Taking to the streets in broad daylight wasn't the wisest thing. Any dog could testify for that. Still, Bloodlust had done so fearlessly. Wallowing around like she owned those streets. In reality, she had no right to them. And humans had proved that. After three weeks of galloping around, fighting for survival in the fast-paced, hazardous city, the humans had captured her. Now, she was locked away in the pound.

There was a sign on her door with her information. Two weeks, and she's be euthanized. With so many animals coming into the facility, they couldn't have a dog here for so long. If someone didn't want it, then that was too bad. Perhaps death would treat them better.

Bloodlust paced about her cage, the wolf-dog growingly nervous. She wasn't mean (well, unless it was required). Just frightened. She wanted to be free again. She wanted to be with someone again. She regretted leaving her human, the place of free food and endless, abundant. But they wouldn't come to her rescue now.

Bloodlust was stuck here.

Dimitri Volkov

Dimitri didn't know how long it was since he had seen Bloodlust. By this time, he was sure he'd never see her again. Zarya and Kodiak really missed her; they never gave up, but they never thought about leaving. They were just much too attached to their owners.

The pound was a good place to look for guard dogs; dogs that had seen their share of troubles, dogs that could be nurtured back to being a dog again, ones that could become loyal and do anything for their master. That was why Dimitri was here today. His bastard of a father was dead, thankfully killed by his girlfriend before he could do any more damage, but there were still plenty of threats out there. So Dimitri needed a tough dog who could protect Hunter and their children. Shaine, their first little girl, and then their unborn child. And he wanted to get a dog for Shaine; her very own dog.

Upon entering the dog pound, Dimitri expected to find a recently captured or turned in dog. He never expected to find a familiar face. As he wandered the halls, he stopped at the wolf-dog's cage and gazed at her, suddenly remembering her face. "Bloodlust?..." The man asked in his thick Russian accent, kneeling down and watching the dog whim he was sure used to be his. "Could it be true?"

Bloodlust

The white-faced wolf-dog heard the fellow pound dogs whispering that a foreign human was wandering the halls. The first rule she had learned about the pound was that the cute dogs went first. Listening for the drum of feet against the cement aisle, Bloodlust sat forward in her kennel, sitting with her hindquarters folded up and her front paws extended before her. Laying her tail down, the grizzle gray dog looked every bit adorable. When the human's shadow fell upon her, she gazed up with golden eyes and wagged her tail cautiously.

Of course, she stopped with awe. She gazed into the face of someone way too familiar. Bloodlust blinked, trying to register this to her brain. In the next second, Bloodlust was on her paws and had jumped against the fence that separated her from Dimitri.

She barked loudly, her bushy tail wagging rapidly. He had come! He had come for her!

Shasta Wild-Volkov

Then suddenly I was out of harm's way
Forgetting the desire to remember
Trans tourist vanished
Finished damaged playback
I felt myself unraveling at a racetrack
I felt myself unraveling at a racetrack

Dimitri had been having a bad few years; he and his girlfriend had been the victims of a madman, who happened to be his father, Damian. That is, until Dimitri's girlfriend killed Damian. He didn't know how he was supposed to feel... the man was evil, but he was his father. He felt relieved, but at the same time, he felt empty. He would go home to Hunter and Shaine at the end of the day and be with his semi-happy family, but he was afraid of upsetting them with all his drinking and distant behavior.
However, he was ecstatic about finding an old friend here. Shaine had never met Bloodlust, and Dimitri couldn't remember Hunter ever seeing the wolf-dog either. Bloodlust might just be able to get him out of the rut he dug himself into.
"Good girl." Dimitri said, smiling genuinely and friendlily. He reached through the bars to scratch Blooodlust between her ears, then grabbed the handle of the gate and opened it. "Come here, Bloodlust." He wasn't going to force her to come out. No, it would be her choice whether or not she came home with him.

At that moment, Shasta wandered past the kennels, looking in at the dogs. She appeared to be looking for somebody in particular. Dimitri, seeing his sister-in-law who had recently married Adrian, looked up at her from his kneeling position. He didn't say a word, but his expression was a questioning one.
"Scout is missing." Shasta said, her voice quavering. Her young twin girls were at home under the care of Adrian while she searched for the missing corgi. He wouldn't just run away like this and not be back home by now. "I thought I'd find him here - when he does wander off, he goes into the city and gets taken to the pound, but one of the volunteers here said that they had a report of a dog that appeared to be him at Sanguine Lake." She lowered her head. "I'm not sure how long he'll survive out there."
Listening intently the whole time, Dimitri nodded, then looked down at Bloodlust. "You and me and Shasta are gonna go find a missing dog." He knew she couldn't understand him, for the most part, but speaking to a dog felt therapeutic. He patted his knees, a signal for his pet to come to him.

Bloodlust

There was no hesitation. The wolf-dog bounded forward, skidding out of the cage with a burst of glee. Wagging her tail, Bloodlust danced a jovial circle around Dimitri. She jumped up, placing her paws on him. There was something about Dimitri that was off. Bloodlust cocked her head with confusion, gazing up at the man with a soft gaze.

At Shasta's arrival, Bloodlust hopped down from Dimitri and stood dignified beside him. She panted lightly, filling with exuberance. They tossed around a careful conversation, ending with Dimitri addressing her. Bloodlust gazed back with the eyes of a loyalist, knowing she was in business right now. There was no hesitation when Dimitri summoned her forward. She would do whatever she was asked.