Sonnie woke up with a start. Sitting up on her couch, the Beast scanned her small apartment for the source of the sound that had snapped her out of slumber. Her TV was on, but it was always on. A fan in the corner rattled as it rotated back and forth, dispersing some of the heat of the summer night. She dismissed them as the cause when the sharp noise came again. A dog yelping. From outside.
Rising from the couch, she went to the open window and leaned her head out, now listening intently. There were all the usual city sounds. Car engines and horns, the occasional siren, the murmur of pedestrians. With the approach of Independence Day, fireworks were not unexpected, but Sonnie knew an animal when she heard one. There it was again. A dog crying in fear, preceded by an angry human voice.
Scowling, she pulled on some jeans and headed out of her building. It wasn't quite midnight yet, but still solidly dark out. Crossing the street, the Spring Courtier tracked the location of the whining dog sounds down to a back alley a couple buildings away. There, in a makeshift yard of sorts, she found the animal in distress. She couldn't see him yet, as the pooch was hiding in a large wooden crate someone had dropped into a corner as a lazy attempt at a doghouse. A steel chain trailed out of the dark interior to a nearby metal post. The whole area stunk of garbage and dog shit.
Keeping her distance, Sonnie crouched down in the shadow of a dumpster and watched the scene. Was the dog okay? She was careful about approaching it. There was movement in the large crate, and she heard a building growl emit from inside the doghouse. The canine warning was cut short when a rock crack across the top of the crate, eliciting another yelp.
"Shatup you fuckin' mutt! That's the last time I'm gonna warn you!" came a curse from above. Looking up, Sonnie spotted a silhouette retreat back inside a third story window, before it slammed shut. She glared at the window for a moment, then at the crate again. She noticed there were food and water dishes, little more than old pie tins, laying empty and dirty near the crate. When was the last time this dog had been fed or watered?
After a moment of thought, the Courser returned home. About ten minutes later, she came back to the alley, this time with supplies.
Keeping an eye on the looming window for signs of movement, Sonnie knelt in the middle of the yard. Careful not to get too close, as she heard a soft growl in response to her arrival, she laid out her gifts for the unseen canine. A bowl into which she poured a bottle of water, and a paper plate holding some leftover meatloaf. The offerings placed, Sonnie retreated to the shadows.
It took several minutes before the hidden dog finally emerged. Hunger and thirst made him less cautious than he might normally have been of a stranger. After a few test sniffs, the animal chowed down.
Sonnie made no move to approach. She just studied the creature now that she could see it clearly.
Even if he was in prime condition, the dog would have been ugly. A mutt of such heavily mixed ancestry, Sonnie couldn't phantom a guess as to what breeds were in there. He wouldn't be winning any dog shows, or even be allowed in the ring. It was worse, however. He was filthy and malnourished. The chain, wrapped around his torso like a harness and closed with a padlock, had rubbed a good deal of his fur away. It had obviously been a long time since he'd been free of it. If the numerous tiny bulbs along the back of his neck were an indication, the poor boy had a serious tick problem.
The Changeling was no Iron Spear. Rage did not come easily to her, nor did it suit her. There was a reason she was a dedicated member of the Spring Court. But this? This enraged Sonnie. Animal abuse should infuriate any decent person, but for her it was a touch more personal.
Every Beast had been the target of animal abuse at one time. Sonnie was no exception. For her Seeming, there were few greater crimes.
Her eyes rolled up to glare sheer hatred at the third story window as her hands curled into fists.
Sonnie knew what she had to do.