Cotton pulled and tugged at the ribbon that was wrapped around her neck, trying to rip it off. But despite her strength, the best she could do was tear the ends off. 

Giving up, she laid on her back, staring up at the late May sky. She thought about all that had happened over the past few hours, but the one thing she couldn’t wrap her head around was why she hadn’t escaped as Sonja dropped her into the bathtub? 

She could’ve easily knocked her out, broken down the door, and got out of there, but she didn’t. She couldn’t. Sonja had been so nice to her and she couldn’t hurt her like….

She shook her head. ‘Get a grip of yourself Cotton!’, she yelled internally, ‘Don’t tell me you’re warming up to that wench!’

Sighing, she rolled over onto her stomach. “Don’t kid yourself. She may be showing you kindness now, but she’ll want you gone the longer you stay. And you don’t need that kind of baggage weighing you down”

She looked up at the house, thoughtfully. Tonight. She would wait until tonight to make her escape.

“Hey Angel!”

Her head snapped downwards to face Oli running towards her with a bone in his mouth.

“Wha-… What did you just call me?!”, she stammered, confusion laced with annoyance.

“It's one of the names Sonja thought of giving you”, he answered.

He laid down on the ground next to her as he began gnawing at it.

“I know that’s not your real name, but I think it sounds cute”

Cotton scoffed. “It's more inappropriate if you ask me. I’m far from being an ‘angel”, she said, looking towards the street. “Besides, I already have a name”

“And I was about to ask!”, Oli chuckled. “What is your name?”

“You’ve probably heard of me by now”, she said with bravado. “Im quite infamous in this part of the hood”

Oli looked at her with curiosity. 

“They call me the Golden Flash!”

“That sounds lame”, Oli blunted, causing Cotton to lose balance.

“LAME?!”, she barked. “How does it not sound cool!?”

“It's also not your name”

Cotton glared at him. “And how would you know that?”

Oli dropped the bone from his mouth and looked up at her.

“When someone lies, their heart rate increases”, he began, “And it doesn’t matter how good of a liar you are, your subconscious knows you’re not telling the truth. The increase in heart rate is your body telling you to be more honest”

Cotton opened her mouth to speak, but her voice was trapped in her throat. She had never been confronted like this before, and normally she would’ve cursed him out. But, something inside of her told her she could trust him.

“It's okay. I won’t tell if you’re shy about it”, said Oli, as if reading her mind at that moment.

Cotton sighed in defeat. “C-Cotton”, she whispered, looking away as she did.

Oli only looked at her with confusion.

“I-It’s Cotton, okay?!”, she snapped, looking back at Oli, as her cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

“Cotton?”, Oli repeated, as if taking in every letter in her name. And then, he burst into laughter.

“Stop laughing!”, she barked, becoming even more flustered. “Look I know it's lame okay! It's not like I had any choice in getting that name!”

“I-Im sorry”, Oli said through bursts of laughter, “It's just….the contrast between how you act and your actual name…”

Oli continued to laugh as Cotton growled at him.

“Sorry, sorry” Oli gasped, his laughter subsiding, “You don’t need to kill me, I’ll stop”

Cotton puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

“But honestly, I think ‘Cotton’ suits you”, he smiled. “Sure, it's not the most badass name but it feels right. And I think you know it too”

She looked away, suddenly overcome with shyness.

“That name must mean a lot to you, even though you pretend it’s not”

Cotton looked down at the ground and sighed.

“It was given to me by my mother”, she muttered.

Oli gasped. “You’re mom?”

Cotton grimaced and growled, having enough at this introspective conversation.

“You know what? Forget it! Not like it matters now!”, she barked. “You’re getting no more answer’s from me, alright?”

Oli’s ears hung low in shame. “I-Im sorry”, he replied.

“It's fine”, she sighed, before turning to face him. “Now’s my turn to ask questions. Like, what’s your deal?”

Olis’ ears perked up at this? “Oh okay!”, he said as his stubby tail wagged, “Well, for starters, I was born about a year ago. My old owner then sold me and my sister on a website called craigslist… whatever that is. Anyways, Sonja’s uncle bought us, but he died, and he ended up giving me and the house to her. As for my sister… well he gave her away because he couldn’t afford to keep us. While I do miss her, I’m glad he bought us in the first place because our old owner tried to make me and my sister have kids. I know it sounds weird but he figured that because we were born from different mothers that-”

“OKAY OKAY OKAY THAT’S ENOUGH!”, Cotton shouted, waving her paws in the air. “I really didn’t need to know that stuff! Especially the part with your sister…”

She gagged, trying her best to get rid of the mental picture.

“And besides, that’s not what I was asking about”

Oli tilted his head.

“I can't explain it, but I get the feeling you’re able to read exactly what I'm thinking or feeling without me verbalizing it”, she said, placing a paw on her temple. “Like, how are you doing that?”

“Ooooooh that’s what you meant!”, Oli said. “Well, I just read your aura”

Cotton cocked an eyebrow. “My what?”, she asked.

“You’re aura. It told me you were very angry and wouldn’t hesitate to kill the first person you saw”, he explained. “You didn’t say it out loud technically. But somewhere inside you, you did”

Cotton squinted, not understanding a single word of what he meant. Oli continued, gazing across the street.

“I don’t know how to describe it but as far back as I can remember, I’ve been able to see people’s auras in the form of a cloudy haze surrounding their body. Just by looking at them, I can gauge what someone’s feeling, how strong they are, and what their intentions are. Its never spelled out for me word for word, and I just know what someone’s vibes are just by looking at them”

His eyes landed on a man getting out of his car and walking down the pathway into his home, talking hurriedly on his phone

“Take Mr. Kresge from over there”, Oli began, “His pregnant wife’s been recently hospitalized, and he’s scared he’ll lose her and their baby”

Cotton gave him a doubtful glare, but out of curiosity, she tried to focus on the phone conversation Mr Kresge was having.

“I don’t know Mick. If I lose Barbera and the baby to some damn infection, I don’t think I can continue to live anymore…”

She gasped in surprise. “You’re right!”, she exclaimed. “And you were able to get all that just by looking at his aura thingy?”

Oli nodded silently. “People never realize how much of themselves they’re giving away without saying a single word”

Just then, they heard a voice.

“OH OLI BABEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!”

Oli froze in shock before slowly turning his head. Watching them, resting her paws on the hedge separating Sonja’s yard from the neighbor’s yard, was a large poodle.

“H-Hey Lola!”, the schnauzer stammered. “L-Lovely weather we’re having, aint it?”

“Lovely weather indeed!”, she howled, her southern accent sending chills through Oli’s spine. “But I've just been so lonely lately. What with that handsome saluki and his owner having moved away a week ago. I would love of it if you could join me for a cuddling session tonight”

She flirtatiously winked at him. “Don’t worry! My owner will be out drinking so we won't get caught”

Oli shivered. “I-I-I-I-I’ll….t-think about!”, he stammered out.

“Okay Oli”, she said, getting off the bush and strutting back towards the door of her home. She stopped and turned back at him. “I hope you’ll decide to come”, she said, giving her another wink before trotting back into her home. 

Cotton looked at him with a confused look. “Who was that weirdo?”, she asked.

“Her name is Lola”, Oli said, feeling queasy, “She’s taken an especial interest in me”

“What did you get from her aura?”

Oli gasped. “W-Well….”, he paused, “I think it's better if I whispered it to you”

Cotton silently nodded as she leaned in, giving Oli the go ahead to lean and whisper. It only took a few words for her to reel back in horror. “SHE’S GOING TO WHAT?!”, she gasped.

“Yeah”, Oli nodded.

Cotton’s fur stood up on end, staring at him wide eyed. “You’re gonna say no, right?”, she asked.

Oli looked at his paws. “I can’t…”, he answered.

“What do you mean you can't?”, she questioned, her tone sharpening.

“I mean…you saw how big she was compared to me! Even if I said no, she wouldn’t take it as an answer”, he whined. “And trust me, you don’t want to see her when she’s angry”

Cotton’s ears lowered as she began to get annoyed at Oli. “So you’re just going to let her walk all over you? Is that it?”, she growled.

“Uhhuh”, Oli said truthfully. “It's what I’ve always done honestly. Just do as your told and everything will be alright”

Cotton snarled. “That’s the one thing I’ve always hated about you house pets! You’re spineless! All of you! That may be how it works behind the leash but not out in the real world!”, she barked. “You gotta stand up for yourself! Even if you’re small, you can’t stop fighting! And trust me, I know what it's like being picked on for your size!”

Turning, she stomped her way back towards the doggy door, leaving Oli to contemplate what she said. She then stopped and turned to face him.

“Why did you attack me earlier?”

“Because….you bit at Sonja”, he said. “I didn’t mean to do it but I just don’t like the thought of someone hurting her. I really care about her and Tommy”

“Well”, Cotton began, “Imagine if someone as big as Lola tried attacking them. Would you let her tear them to bits, or would you stop her?”

And with that, Cotton walked back into the house. Oli stayed in the front yard, looking down at his paws in deep thought, thinking about what she had told him. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt something.

“So this is where she’s hiding?”, he echoed.

Slowly looking up at the tree that stood in the front yard, he saw a black cat sitting on one of the branches. When he spotted him, the cat climbed down and disappeared into a bush. Oli wasn’t sure what that cat had in mind, but judging from his aura, he knew it wasn’t good.

Butch grunted in pain as he crashed into the wall. Shakely standing up, the battered and beaten Doberman mix slowly up at the large coyote wolf mix standing in front of him.

“I gave you one job, Butch”, he snarled. “One friggin job! And you’re telling me you couldn’t bring her here?!”

“I-I-I tried Rex!”, he stammered. “But she was stronger than I realized. Much, much stronger!”

Rex glared down at him. “Are you implying she’s stronger than me?”

“N-NO, OF COURSE NOT!”

Rex leaned in close, staring into Butch’s terrified eyes. A crowd had formed around them, dogs and canines of every sort watched as Butch was being put into his place. They knew what would happen if even one of them got their leader angry, regardless of what rank they were. At last, he blew air from his nostrils into the scared dog’s face.

“You better not”, he huffed, “If you’re smart”

Spotting a lone brick on the ground, he walked up to it.

“May I remind you what happens to anyone crosses me”

He grabbed it with his teeth, resting the brick between his teeth. And then, bit down.

CRUNCH!

Within a single bite, the brick exploded, sending bits and pieces flying across the warehouse. The ones that hadn’t, he spat out before proudly grinning, showing off his shiny, enormous canines. Silence hung over the crowd.

“So, the rumors are true!”, muttered one, “His teeth are as hard as diamonds”.

Another nodded. “The boss’ killer technique. His Diamond Crush”.

“We may share the same father, Butch, but that won’t grant you any favors under this roof. It doesn’t matter who you are, anyone who can’t do as they are told all end up the same. Under the weight of my bite!”, he boomed, not only at Butch but the entire room. 

Turning his direction back to Butch, he snarled, “and you know, my teeth are craving something more tender than that brick”.

Butch whimpered as he slowly began to back away. Just then…

“Rex!”

The coyote mix looked up around and saw a black cat resting on a balcony. He groaned in annoyance.

“Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something, Bertie!?”, he growled.

“Is it more important than knowing the location of the Golden Flash?”, Bertie said as he raised an eyebrow

Rex’s eyes widened. “You found her?! Where?!”

“She’s set up base in some home in the West Midwood neighborhood”

A smile began forming on Rex’s face as he began to laugh silently, before erupting into a loud cackle.

“At last!”, he roared. His laugh eventually subsided as he turned back towards Butch.

“Actually”, he began, a sinister grin plastered across his face, “How would you like to redeem yourself?”

A/N: Hey guys! I do apologize for this chapter's tardy release. Ive had a bad habbit of not proof reading a chapter until the day before its scheduled release, which came back to bite me because I never got to proof read this chapter at all on Thursday. It was my first day of class so I was more focused on that by the time I got home, I didnt feel like doing anything. Its also because of school that Im dropping out of the Action Fantasy competition. As much as I would love to continue, this series is secondary when it comes to my main comic and with school now in the mix, the last thing I want to over extend myself. So following chapter 11, this series will go on a bit of a hiatus until I find time to continue. Its also why Im typing this author's note here instead of in the description. Cant worry about a 2300 word limit if Im not in the comptetition right? Anyways, Chapter 7 will come out tomorrow as scheduled without any delays!