Animal Cruelty

The darkness was complete, as if an all-encompassing blanket lay over the world, cushioning the sleeping beings with comforted thoughts and sweet dreams. Even the twinkling lights in the city seemed less numerous, that night, and less sure in their ability to pierce the night skies with unnatural flickering light. No sound was to be heard either, only the occasional twittering of a bird, quickly silenced by the disapproving glares that seemed to hang in the moonless skies. It was a sound of a car engine that finally broke the deep silence, spluttering and growling like a wild beast, and in select beds around the suburbs of Bristol, people murmured, turning over in their sleep, or fumbled for a light switch, cursing the man who had dared to shatter the peace.

The vehicle gave a final cough, before settling into a smoother, though still stuttering drone, and a large dog quivered excitedly on the rear seat, its darkly hued pelt near black under the sparse starlight. With a harsh stamp from its driver, the car jerked into motion, trundling up the cul-de-sac lane before turning and setting off at a swift and steady pace along the street.

The main road was devoid of life but for the old vehicle and its bad-tempered driver, and the only witnesses to them the few sleepy-eyed livestock that raised their heads blearily, before returning them once more to a relaxed position. With an agitated whimper, the canine placed its sizeable fore-paws on the window, honey coloured eyes peering through reflections on the glass, eagerly drinking in the unfamiliar settings, and the sky, as black as the well of a weasel's eye still. A harsh yell from the front seat caused it to recoil as if physically struck, jumping back from the window and readjusting his position, placing it's head on the worn leather with a sigh.

The dog's name was Blitzen, a cross-breed between a German shepherd and something indistinct that his owners could not recall. He was one now, and the endearing features for which he had been impulsively bought had faded. He was no more than a discarded toy now, as each member of the household shunned their duties until finally, one of them had made the decision that was going to change Blitzen's life, forever.

The landscape around became more urban then, though Blitzen did not recognise it. He had risen to his feet once more, though he knew better than to resume their position on the glass, that would be asking for trouble, in any case, he had a good enough view from where he sat, watching houses flying past, a satisfyingly ghostly sight, lit with flickering street-lamps. He whined, tiring of the journey, and anxious to know it's end.

With an unsettling jolt and a final wheeze, the vehicle halted. The residential areas they had travelled through had faded now, and the only witnesses to the scene below were the stars, glimmering anxiously in the sky. The man swung open the door, slamming it shut with a force that made the canine jump and tremble. Rough hands fumbled around his neck, as his owner removed the thick leather collar, replacing it with a length of cord.

Blitzen's excitement was waning now, replaced by a fearful apprehension, something wasn't right, something had gone wrong. He felt a jerk on the rope and leapt from the car, tasting the chilling night air with flared nostrils. There was another yank then, and another, but nowhere to move to, and then the man moved away, the makeshift leash no longer in his hands.

Confused, Blitzen tried to follow, but something held him back, something that made the twine dig cruelly into his neck, something that stopped him from following his master. He yelped in surprise, pulling again, just to receive the same painful sensation. Slowly, it dawned on him, and his eyes filled with dismay, as much as he feared the man, he couldn't leave him here! He barked loudly as the car rumbled into action once more, and an angry voice met his, a command that registered itself vaguely in his mind, and he sat.

As the motor faded into the darkness, Blitzen realised it was too late, but he could not give in. He lunged forward, ignoring the twinge as the rope bit into his flesh, struggling against the cord as if it were a living beast, yelping, barking and biting, until it rose in a cacophony of sound above the city. Nobody woke.