Meditations of Despair

I do not know what drove me to rejoin the resistance, not under these desperate circumstances at least. DKs blacken the skies, and canine/human civilization seems to be no more. On nights when the moon hides behind the clouds, the land seems to be blanketed by a roiling darkness with no beginning or end, punctuated only by the cries of DKs in the distance. These monsters always meowl together, as if by communal instinct, and while a single kitten's cry may be endearing to some, by the hundreds it sounds like a naked, shrieking plague being slowly regurgitated from the bowels of hell. I do not know how much longer I can go on like this. And yet...

"Josh, stop scribbling in that book and help me with these ropes." Mireille said. She was a human knight, one who had ridden with Reverend Rex's free Dog Riders at the bloody Siege of St. Bernard's. During the battle, Mireille's telepathic linkmate/mount Scraps had been killed, leaving her deeply traumatized, and thoroughly scarred across one side of her face. Now, she was Josh's only friend and guide to the hideout of the Resistance."

"Oh. Sorry." Josh said, putting down his diary and carefully jumping out onto the wharf. "So this is Shepherd's Bay?"

"Yes." Mireille said laconically, letting Josh help fasten their jetty to the quoy.

"How did this place keep from being overrun by the DKs for so long?" Josh inquired.

"Its far from the citadel, and nearby water, which the DKs hate. But the effects of the war can be felt here as well, as you will see."

Josh retrieved his diary, and followed Mireille from the docks to the main part of town. Soon he understood what she meant. Once, Shepherd Bay had been a thriving trade port. Now, all the merchant stalls stood smashed and gutted, as bloated flies hovered over decaying fruit. Mangy, flea-bitten puppies and dirty, barefoot human children played among the piles of garbage. A few gathered to throw rotten tomatoes at Josh, but one look from Mireille's scarred eye sent them fleeing.

"This is terrible." Josh said. Doors were bolted and windows slammed shut as they passed. Mireille said nothing. She led Josh through several dingy alleyways, down a flight of steps and to a faded yellow door. She knocked - once softly, twice loudly, and then three times just a gentle scratch.

"Enter." came a muffled voice from the other side of the door.

Mireille pushed open the door and they entered. Josh had to squint to adjust his eyes to the dim lighting here. A large map of the island covered a table in the center of the room. Weapons hung from the threadbare walls, and the only light was from candles and incense. Three devil-dogs sat around the table.

"Ugh!" sniffed one of them, a tall handsome Afghan Hound. "What the hell is that stench? Mireille, have you been rolling around in raw sewage?"

"Sorry..." Josh said embarrasedly.

The Afghan growled and drew two curved steel swords. In a single fluid motion he was behind Josh, leveling one of the swords to his face.

"Stand off, Renelarcus." Mireille said. "This man's stench is his greatest weapon. He walked across Borzoi Plains all alone and was never once touched by a DK."

"Yes, but with allies like these, who needs enemies?" Renelarcus said. "You forget how sensitive our canine noses are, Mireille!"

"Leave him alone, or you will have me to deal with." said one of the others at the table. It was Yo. "I know this one."

"Yo!" Josh grinned. "You survived again! Allright!"

"Bah, you think too much of yourself, crossbreed bitch." Renelarcus said, but he sheathed his swords. He then dragged himself along the floor for a while and started scratching behind his ear.

"If you are all done playing." said the third, a massively built bulldog mastiff. "Then I believe we all have business to attend to."

"Ah yes, Lord Angus." Renelarcus said, dragging himself toward a chair. "How rude of me."

"That's Lord Big Beef Angus to you, boy." Angus glared. "Now, I believe we shall do this in the standard way. Everyone shall introduce themselves and present a plan for dealing with the DKs. Then I shall overrule all of your plans and present my own, which has no chance of failure and will certainly destroy the DK scourge."

"Sounds good to me." Mireille said.

"If its all the same..." Josh said. "Could I use the bathroom first? I've been holding it in since the boat trip..."

"Yes, yes hurry up." Angus said. "Second door in back."

Josh ran to use the bathroom. Countless thoughts were swirling through his head. Could this Resistance really beat the DKs when so many others had failed?

Josh finished up, washed his hands, and turned to leave the restroom. But just as he was about to turn the knob, he heard screaming outside. Glancing out quickly, he saw Mireille, Renelarcus, Angus and Yo being devoured by a horde of demon-kittens. Somehow he kept from screaming and slammed the door shut.

"Damn it." Josh said, shivering. "They didn't even wait for the episode to end, this time. Damn it!! Is there really no hope? Are the DKs really a superior lifeform, one that we cannot hope to combat? Are humans and devil- dogs doomed to become extinct?"

1. Josh runs outside to try to help the Resistance.
2. Josh jumps screaming through the bathroom window and runs down the street with his pants around his ankles.

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