Into the Great Unknown

[Frost]

"Whoa," Randy said. When he had tipped over his box he had expected to find something new, but he had never imagined anything like this. His nose was now accustomed to the strange smells, but he was not accustomed to the strange sights that met his eyes. As he looked around, he saw more humans than he'd ever seen in one place before, strange looking dogs and little pointy-eared things that made sounds that Randy had never heard before. He was fascinated by the little things, they had fur like dogs, but the didn't look or speak like dogs. There were also roaring giants that sped past on almost abandoned strips of black ground. There were large boxes with yelling humans behind them and good smells coming from them.

There were so many new things to see, but Randy was hungry. He tried to go to the good-smelling boxes, but the human behind it kicked him away. He almost went to get a piece of meat that was lying on the ground, but a bigger dog took it and ran off with it. Randy was starting to realize that maybe this strange world he found himself in was not as nice as it seemed. He continued to look around for food, then he saw one of the small furry creatures with a piece of meat that was nearly bigger than the creature. He knew that he could get the meat from it, so he ran over and grabbed one end of the piece of meat.

Unfortunately, the little fuzzy creature wasn't as nice as it looked. Randy soon found out that it had claws, but he held onto the meat and wrenched it away from the strange creature, growling a warning to it. Eventually, the now hissing, furry creature walked away. Not wanting a bigger dog to do the same thing to him, Randy quickly took his piece of meat to his box. His first bite was heavenly, it was the best food he had ever tasted, he'd seen his mother eat food like this every once in a while, but he'd never tasted it. He savored the taste, chewing for as long as he possibly could before swallowing and eating up the rest of the meat ravenously.

After eating, Randy walked out of his box to find that the strange creature he'd taken the meat from had brought some of his friends, more scratching creatures. Glaring at the creatures, he tried to look tough, but he was scared. He was trying to think of that tough phrase that he'd seen on one of the human's... what was it called again? Oh yeah movies when the dog had been attacked by a human, if only he could just remember that phrase.... Then he remembered it.

"Bring it on," Randy said, then the furry creatures attacked.

[Leonardo]

Leonardo Ricardo Mancini was spending a relaxing hour with his friends on 86th street. All of them were pretty old, the average age being around 7 and they were all generally large, so nobody messed with them. Almost all of them were immigrants, they were all mobsters at one point of their lives before retiring, and all of them spoke a common language:

"Il tempo è stato molto più fresco ultimamente, no?", Leo stated casually.

"Sì. Ma vorrei che fosse ancora più freddo." Said another old ex mobster. "How's Vinny doing?"

"Eccellente," said Leo with a smile. "He's grown so much since I found 'im at tha docks. He's a man now."

"Heh. We'll see how much of a man he is when he gets married. I've nevah been to da vet a day in my life. Yet aftah havin' 3 wives, I feel like I've been fixed for life."

The group of elders laughed for a good long time.

Leo got up and excused himself. "I've got to be goin'. You boys 'ave a pleasant evenin', alright?"

"See ya, Don Leo. Don't get into too much trouble, here?"

The big rottweiler smiled ominously. "C'maan. Wouldn't dream of it."

*******

Leo was strolling down the sidewalk of 86th, when he literally smelled a rat. He stumbled upon a small box that smelled like puppies, whenever he heard a low growling sound. Following the sound, he came upon a scene where a young dog was facing an entire family of rats. He barked once, hoping to scare the creatures off so he could get a better look at the dog.

[Frost]

When Leonardo barked, most of the rats scrambled for the shadows and away from the young doberman they'd been fighting. Randy had sustained a few scratches, but he had also killed one of the rats and another was slowly dragging itself away with his back legs broken. Looking up at the dog who had scared away the rats, Randy wondered if the large rottweiler was friendly.

"Hi," Randy said, smiling to show that he wasn't going to attack if the rottweiler didn't. "Thanks, those furry things were mean," he used his limited vocabulary to thank the older dog after remembering what his mother had taught him about manners. He also remembered that his mother had told him not to talk to strange dogs, but he was sure that in this instance it would be okay.

Standing tall so that he would appear older than he was, Randy hoped that his strange size would be enough to intimidate the big dog if he was hostile, but not if he was nice. Being taller than most puppies his age, but smaller than other doberman puppies usually wasn't something he liked to think about, but he hoped that it would help him now.

[Leonardo]

Leonardo stared at him thoughtfully, and then walked over to the rat with it's back legs broken, quickly ending it's life and sweeping it under the dumpster. No need for it to live the next 16 hours in pain and starving agony. Better to put it out of it's misery. He came back over to where the young dog was and sat down, eyeing him down again.

"Those furry things was rats, maschio. If at all possible, avoid tangling with them. They carry diseases, an' can be the end of you." He raised an eyebrow and walked closer to him, looking at his form and confirming his breed. "Yous ain't a year old yet, son. I can see it in your eyes. And your muscles." Leo knew he was a type of doberman, but that was irrelevant. He recognized the scent on this pup. It was from the box. "Was you dropped off in dat box? Did someone leave you in dat box?"

Leonardo was very concerned about this, and he was also very upset. If this dog would have died, it would been a heartbreaking tragedy and the death would have been surely pinned on him and his associates. Plus, were humans just abandoning young and innocent dogs to the harshness of the streets? What kind of creatures....

[Frost]

Randy made sure that he paid attention to what the large dog said after seeing how easily he'd killed the rat. Noting the way the older dog carried himself, he decided to try and walk the same way. He was thinking so deeply about this that he barely heard when the older dog asked him a question. He replied quickly to make up for almost missing the question. "Yeah, my brothers and sisters was left in there too, but..." Randy hesitated before going on since he felt like a reject now, as he thought about it, his tail and ears drooped and he looked down at his paws. "They got tooken by some humans, I think they got new homes now," the way he spoke was strange, obviously a very young dog's way of speaking, it was much like the way a human three-year-old would talk.

Suddenly curious about the older dog, Randy looked back up again. "You got a home and humans? Do ya gots a name? Do you has any brothers and sisters?" He asked, his ears perking up a bit as he forgot about being a runt and a reject.

[Leonardo]

Leonardo slowly wrapped his mind around what the young dog said. Not because he was hard to understand, but because Leo was thinking about other things. Like what to do with the doberman. He surely couldn't leave him to fend for himself, and he didn't know if it was a good idea to bring someone so innocent into his lifestyle. Still, he needed to let the pup know that he was in safe hands.

"So yous was left up for free? What we call fashionably abandoned." He shook his head in disgust. Humans could be so cruel sometimes. He didn't understand what motives people could have for trashing young bundles of life, but he'd seen deranged mothers kill or abandon their pups. Maybe the humans were crazy then? Who knows. "I 'ave a home, yeh. But I don't 'ave 'umans, an' dat, my boy, works just fine fuh me. My name is Leonardo Mancini. My brothah's and sistas are in Italia, an' I haven't seen them since I was a pup. When's da last time you've eaten, son?"

[Frost]

Randy had never paid as much attention to anyone as he did to Leonardo Mancini. Maybe it was because he was the first dog outside of his family that he'd met, maybe it was because Leonardo was the type of dog whose very presence demanded attention, maybe it was because Mr. Mancini had saved his life, or maybe it was all three of those things, but whatever the reason, Randy's short attention span stretched beyond its normal limits as he absorbed all of the information he received, making him feel much smarter than he felt a few minutes ago.

"I ate just before dose rats attacked me," Randy replied to Leonardo's query. "I don't know what kind of meat I ate, but it was delishushus," he struggled to say the word his mother used to say after eating really good dog food. As he thought of his mother his tail began to droop again, he really did miss her, but he also felt like she couldn't have wanted him if she let him be put out in the box outside.

[Leonardo]

Leonardo's lip curled into a smile and soon he was laughing warmly. He even sat down to finish his deep chuckle, and shook his head. "D'licious, eh? Well, per'aps I'll do you a favah. You need someone to show you da ropes if yous gonna survive in Brooklyn, kid. Luckily, you found da right guy. Or, shall I say, the right guy found you. C'maan."

Leonardo turned to leave without waiting for an answer from the young dog. When he caught up, Leo would continue his conversation. "Here in Bensonhoist, an' in all of Brooklyn, you need to rememba one t'ing. Trust NO ONE until dat person gives a reason to be trusted. Da fact dat I'm helpin' you out know shows dat I actually give a damn, see? But othas who walk by you an' ignore you in ya time of need, an' den try t' be friends wheneva yous' doin' good for ya'self...stay away from dose punks. Today Imma teach you 3 valuable lessons dat yous gonna use throughout da rest of ya life. An' you may hate me for it today, but you'll thank me for it wheneva you're 9 yeahs old an' on ya death bed."

[Frost]

Randy hurried to keep up with Leonardo, his short little legs moving quickly as he ran and then settled into a brisk trot alongside the older dog. He nodded as he looked around to see if there were any dogs nearby who were ignoring him and then sped up again as he started lagging behind. Considering how valuable lessons could affect his life and what they might be, he began to wonder what could make him hate the dog who saved his life today. He also thought about how long it would be until he was nine years old and he wondered if all dogs survived to be nine years old, he wondered if a dog could be older than that. One thing he really worried about was what a deathbed was, and whether it would be comfortable.

"I can learn," Randy said confidently, then he asked something that he felt was important to know. "Why would I hate you?"

[Leonardo]

Leonardo shrugged. "You may or may not want to do some of the deeds we will perform within the next hour." Leon strode down the sidewalk, deciding to talk about where they were. "Dis is 86th St. It's da heart of Bensonhoist, an' da hub of all things food. Population: too many, main religion: "fight or flight". It's what yous gonna 'ave to learn as a pup if yous gonna survive. In odda words, you gotta figure out when it's time to stand ya ground, or to run to live anotha day. It changes as ya get oldah, but everyone's comfort zone is different." Leon stopped walking. "Lemme know if you need me to clarify something, maschio."

Not too far away, there was a small pack of large dogs sniffing around some bushes for food or trash to root around in. All of them where young and pretty well built, and they all seemed like they got into trouble very easy. Perfect.

"We's gonna start wit somethin' dat's natural to ya mind." Leo gestured towards the big dogs. "I'm gonna start a lil conversation wit dose dawgs. Somethin's gonna 'appen. Do whatever comes natural to you. Rememba, da right choice is not always what you WANNA do. But da WRONG choice can get you killed, capiche?"

[Frost]

Randy's eyes darted back and forth between the odd new things he was seeing and smelling, and Leonardo as he struggled to pay attention to what the older dog was saying. He almost ran into the larger dog when he stopped and it took Randy a few seconds to register what Leonardo had been saying. He nodded quickly, but by that time the older dog was talking again.

Listening carefully, Randy pondered the meaning of the instructions he was given and wondered how exactly it would help him survive, whatever that meant. He had actually never heard the word survive before, but he had a feeling that surviving was very important. He did understand that he would have to do whatever he felt like doing when whatever happened would happen. Wondering how what he wanted to do could be different than what the right thing to do was, he tried to answer with the same word Leonardo had used at the end of his sentence.

"Capeesha," Randy said as well as he could. "I'ma ready."

[Leonardo]

Leonardo nodded and then approached the small pack of young dogs. As he came closer, he quickly identified the youthful leader of the group, a medium sized bull mix who went by the name of "Dino". His companions--4 of them-- were solemnly rooting through dumpsters and bags for any signs of food. They were all pretty thin, except for Dino, who was average. He too, busily ripped through trash cans and made an awful mess. It was quite an eyesore. Not only that, Dino was obviously aiming to kick off his own street gang and begin organized crime. This would make him a competitor to Leonardo, and of course the big Rott hated rivalry. He usually admired young people, but Dino always smelled of trouble while he was on Leo's turf.

One of Dino's thugs spotted Leon, and then motioned to the others to square up. Dino saw, and told them to back away. He stepped up to talk to Leonardo himself.

"We don't want no trouble, Don Mancini."

Leonardo hated the sound of Dino's voice. Normally, the term "Don", an attribute regularly paid to him, was one of respect and love. But this one dripped of sarcasm and emptiness. Putting all of this behind him, Leon forced a smile. "I thought I told you boys dat rippin' through trash makes da place look bad? You put a bad name an' bad rep on stray dawgs, not to mention my turf an' my organization--"

"--But we ain't patta yous organization. I don't see da prollem."

Dino had the way of speaking that made him seem like he was chewing bubble gum. Leonardo despised bubble gum. "That's not the point. The point is you are a dog. A dog on my turf. And--" He stopped himself. Why waste breath? "--Look, neva'mind. Dat ain't why I'm 'ere. I 'eard about ya involvement in Cane's murdah."

Dino's thugs' eyes widened with surprise and they all looked to him in shock. Dino himself gasped and spat. "What? Wait what? I ain't got nuttin' to do with dat an' you know dat! You killed Cane!"

Leonardo stepped to quickly and put his face against his. Growling menacingly but quietly, he said: "Don't ever make accusations you can't prove, kid. I never said you killed Cane. I only said I HEARD yous was involved. Watch ya little mouth, or you may find it suddenly 'ard t' speak."

Dino was afraid for a moment, but quickly shoved away from Leon and put back on his forced tough guy persona. "An' what? You got evidence?"

"Bettah. I's gotta witness."

"What? Impossible! He's a lyah! I ain't done nuttin'."

"I dunno, Dino. E's pretty vivid in 'is description. Why wouldn't a young 'ot-eaded thug like ya'self wanna take out competition to ensure future success? Eh? I mean, I suppose old Leonardo might want to, but den again, what's a young punk like you or Cane t' me? I've got bettah things t'do den muddle around in petty murdah, right?

Dino swallowed. Leonardo had a lot of contacts. He could make a lot of bad things happen for him. All of which could be done by bribery. Cane had an uncle in the Bronx who was very prominent and very easy to reach. If Leon presented a witness who was blind, illiterate, and dumb, that may be enough for Cane's uncle to send 4 mercenaries after Dino. And that wouldn't bode well. He hadn't been directly involved in the murder of Cane, but he used to do a little work for him, and he made an anonymous tip on his whereabouts the night before the murder. In a way, he was vaguely involved, and the witness could very well know that.

Leon grinned. "Look I'm civilized. I even brought the witness with me today. I wanted you to know I'm not bluffing."

Dino whipped his around to see a young Doberman in the distance. He growled angrily. "Shit! Get 'im! Take him out!"

And with that, the group of dogs went in a beeline, angry and snarling, ready to rip the young dog apart. Now it was time for Randy to do what his instincts told him. He had three choices. 2 specifically. If he chose the wrong option, he would die, and would not prosper in Brooklyn. But if he made the right choice, he just may live to see another day....

[Frost]

Randy had been sitting patiently, watching Leonardo speak with the group of dogs that had been rooting around in the trash cans. It seemed like they were hostile, but they didn't make a move to hurt the older dog. As he watched, the puppy wondered what they were talking about, since the leader of the group seemed to get more and more nervous as the conversation went on.

Becoming bored, Randy started to look at the tall buildings all around, it was then that he heard a loud bark from where the trashcan dogs were. Turning in the direction of the dogs, the young pup's eyes grew wide and his legs took over as he saw the large menacing garbage gang heading towards him, their lips pulled back in snarls.

Randy ran as fast as his little legs would go, but in his panic, he had started to run towards the angry dogs. Realizing his mistake, the young Doberman made a sharp turn to his left and darted away, but he knew that his small legs couldn't outrun those of the larger dogs, so he looked around for a small crevice in a wall, or a tall fence with a hole in it he could squeeze through, any way he could escape.

The thought of turning around and fighting crossed the small pup's mind a few times, but his common sense overruled his thoughts of bravado.

[Leonardo]

Leo grinned as the dogs high tailed it after the young doberman. He was even more happy when seeing the panicked reaction of the pup. "Bello, bello, my young friend," he whispered to himself happily. Humming a soft tune, he went after them, but then averted at the last minute...

********************

Dino lashed against the crates and garbage cans around him, trying to scare Randy out into the open. "WHERE the HELL is he? He can't just disappeah like dat!" He pushed one of his men, violently nipping him in the shoulder. "You was out front! Where did he go, Joey? Or so help me--"

Joey cowered."N-n-no L-look bawss I'm shuwah he couldn't gone fahr. He's prolly in dat wooden box up ahead. Yea...Yeah I saw 'im go ovah theah I sweah it!"

Dino glared at him. "Well let's go check it out. And get a move 'ahn, I wanna rip this lil' mutt apart an 'ave time to mess with those girls on the docks.

********************

The old Rottweiler had taken a shortcut to Randy, and he poked his head around the corner, whispering quickly but firmly. "Ay, ay kid! Ovah heyah. I gotta shortcut. Follow me!" He then shuffled back in the direction he came, scooting under the fence and back into the public sidewalk.

[Frost]

Randy almost jumped out of his skin when he heard Leonardo's voice, but he relaxed a little when he realized who had spoken. He quickly followed the older dog, eyes wide and heart pounding. As soon as they were out on the sidewalk, the young Doberman looked around quickly, when he didn't see anyone dangerous, he relaxed to almost the point of normalcy, but he stayed alert.

"Why did dose dogs try to attack me?" He asked the large Rottweiler. "I didn't do nuttin' wrong... did I?" He looked up at Leonardo expectantly, wanting answers, but not quite sure if he would like the answer.