Hot on her heels, the dog catcher was merely inches away, staggering to keep up with Method and her intelligent maneuvers. She was gaining speed at a fast rate, weaving her way through alleys and streets, crossing one at the moment. In her jaws, she held a raw steak fit for a pack of wolves. It was heavy, but she could manage it. This forced her to breathe through her nostrils, however, and it was hard to do a simple thing such as get enough air to keep running fluently.

Her feet scraped against the asphalt at an alarming rate. Cars streamed every which way, reminding her that she had to be careful or she could get hit by one. She was nearly to the halfway point when bright yellow eyes blinded her momentarily. She realized they were lights too late. Something hit her full force, and she found the strength to keep from blacking out. However, Method was knocked off her feet in one swift movement, crashing against the street in a heart wrenching scene.

She tried getting up, but something burned near her stomach. A searing pain creeped into her bones, crawling to the depths of her strong legs, sending hurt everywhere across her body. Method tried her best to ignore it, but there was blood by the bucket load where she had felt the initial impact, and now turning her head upward, she blurrily made out the form of the dog catcher running towards her. She growled pathetically, warning him to keep his distance. “Get away!” She barked, but each time she tried speaking, her voice became hoarser. It came to a point where her bark was no longer even classified as a bark. It was merely a whimper now. She had been reduced to nothing, waiting for the human to pick her up and take her somewhere awful: the pound, a vet, who knew what else could have been waiting for her.

And yet, another figure loomed around the alley she had just shot out of. Method’s breathing pulsed rapidly, giving her very little time to inhale each breath. Every intake stabbed at her lungs while she was lying down, waiting for mercy to wash over her. Adrian smirked from across the street, watching Method with an interested eye. So this is who my dear brother is crushing on? He trotted over to her, ignoring the incoming animal control. Reinforcements. Pfft. Two burly men came out of the van, slamming their car doors to reveal nets in hand. They seemed to be slipping in the humans’ hands, right through their fingers. The men readjusted their grip several times.

Adrian turned minimally, as if just noticing them. He decided they weren’t much of a threat and continued onward. Method was shaking terribly. Who was this dog and why did he looks so remarkably similar to Grimm? Those butterflies hit her stomach again, as they did every time she thought of the chow-shepherd mix. She nearly doubled her muzzle over her paws at the sudden churning. This was a time when thinking about Grimm wasn’t a good idea; butterflies made the hurting worse somehow. She quickly shut down her thoughts, but she couldn’t help hating the feeling of vulnerability.   

She was used to being able to bolt. Instead, the meat she had been carrying lay pathetically next to her bleeding side – a reminder she had not gotten away unscathed this time. She looked down at it miserably, wishing desperately that she could escape. But alas, all things seemed to be going wrong for her today. Reality wasn’t kind today, and the other dog broke into her fragmented thoughts with a serene smile. “Who-?” He stopped her from speaking anymore, putting a paw to her lips gently. She shut up immediately, almost as if on command. She hoped he would hurry up with whatever he wanted to say or do. The dog catchers were advancing by the second, and they were causing her to tremble twice as fast. From the corner of her vision, Method saw a woman of the same uniform as the other three men. She carried a loop rather than a net, but she held it fiercely and without sweaty palms. Just the sight of the loop caused an itch to form near Method’s neck, bare if not for the fact that it carried a red bandana.

Adrian didn’t seem worried, just mildly irritated. “Hm, this’ll have to be quick,” he mused, as he craned his neck downward. Method flinched at the closeness, stopping him momentarily. A loop wrapped around his neck, causing Method to yelp in surprise. The female human grinned savagely and with triumph. The collie mix thought she could suddenly see fear in the stranger dog’s eyes, but whatever scared light that had entered soon evaporated as his expression morphed into anger. A snarl tugged at his lips as he curled his teeth back. He received a choking pull from the woman in response; this only seemed to drive him as he flipped on her, causing the woman to step back in shock.

Adrian was in mid-air now, a flash of teeth and black on tan fur revealed his death grip on the lady’s arm. It was the same one holding the loop, and as she screamed in pain, the pole fell with a metallic thud. Method could only stare as Adrian landed perfectly on his toes, with such grace and style you would think he was an acrobat dog. Turning to her swiftly after his stunt, in the time it took for Method to close her gaping jaw, Adrian bent his head and shoulders, slid her effortlessly onto his back, and made a mad dash for the alleys on the other side of the road.

Both were bleeding furiously, but Method most of all. Adrian suffered from newly engraved neck wounds, marred by the movement of his little stunt a few seconds earlier. “Thank you…” Method puffed out awkwardly, as she hung her head and slid into blackness.

~

Dodger was lounging on his favorite chair, newly refurbished as a favor to Fagin from Jenny. Turning to Tito, he asked lazily, “Hey Tito, what say we heard out?”

“No way man,” the Chihuahua answered in a heavy Mexican accent, taking a moment to lift his muzzle from a chewed raw bone. Dodger looked surprised, raising an eyebrow at his friend. “I’m hungry, Dodger! I can’t work on an empty stomach.” Dodger groaned loudly and turned his body belly-up on the chair. Grimm’s ears perked up as he picked up his head. He had woken a few minutes ago from a great nap to find a growling stomach and Dodger’s heavy sigh. “I’m sure she’ll be back soon…” Grimm said half-heartedly, heaving a hard time trying not to worry himself.

“Where is she?” asked Einstein, lugging his huge body from behind some curtains. He stretched as best he could, the tips of his paws rubbing against the wall. A few planks of wood creaked under his new combined weight as he gathered his legs and stood normally. “It’s her turn.” Tito shrugged simply, still gnawing on a bone that was half a size bigger than him. Einstein nodded, needing no further explanation. He trudged over to Grimm, nudging his shoulder with a huge wet nose.

Grimm looked up at him expectantly, but a few seconds later, rested his head on his paws again. Their gray tips stood no contrast against his blackened muzzle. Einstein’s gentle expression got through to him as he asked, “Something wrong, Grimm?” His voice was a clever disguise; most canines deemed him an idiot, but Grimm knew better. Einstein was much smarter than his appearance let on. “It’s nothing. Just…” He trailed off hesitantly, wanting to say what was on his mind but not sure how to word it.

Einstein didn’t waver. He simply sat on his huge haunches and waited. Grimm found the silence too awkward to leave put, and so, he admitted,“I’m a bit worried about Method.” Einstein chuckled softly but somehow gently at the same time. “Why, Grimm? She can take care of herself.” Grimm nodded hesitantly. “I know, but… none of us ever takes this long. Do you think…?” He trailed off, allowing his mind to wander into the past. He still remembered his brothers: Adrian, the one who would forever hate him simply because of an accident – something that had never truly happened. He remembered Alphonse, too – the one that had once stopped at nothing to defend the mean streets of New York.

Now, they were both out there somewhere. One hated him and the other he still talked to sometimes, and it ate away at him that neither was easy to locate. By the time he remembered Method again, it hurt his heart double time. He was a soft type of dog; he was the one who loved everyone. It disappointed and pained him to think that even one canine could possibly be bitter. What if…?

Rita interrupted his thoughts, causing him to realize that everyone was watching him. Dodger had been lazing around on his chair, however had been glancing towards their newest member every now and then. Tito had been staring absentmindedly, nearly ripping his own teeth by tearing into a bone that was too big. Francis and Rita had come out from behind Dodger’s chair. Rita was complaining about how he could listen to such a boring show. Francis was countering with a whole speech on how poetry was the future of language. Grimm zoned out their small argument, turning up to see Einstein still looking directly at him. “Uh…” He stammered. Einstein nodded, whispering. “It’s okay.” He stood up slowly, going to watch TV with Francis. It was a black and white version of a soap opera – something about Shakespeare.

Rita yawned, trotting over to the other side of the chair. Grimm noticed that she was beginning to speak to Dodger. After a few minutes, Dodger chuckled and hopped off of the chair. It creaked in response – everything in the boat was worn and old. Grimm was surprised when a few seconds later he heard his familiar voice so close. “Yo, Grimm. Wanna go for a run?” Grimm nodded fiercely, getting up immediately and following Dodger up the stairs and out of the boat.“So where are we headed?” He asked. Dodger looked thoughtful and shrugged. “Anywhere you want.”

~

Adrian’s vision was blurry. He groggily opened his eyes, closing them momentarily before deciding to finally wake up. What happened? He shifted his paws through on the blackened street, shielded by walls on either side. They were in a narrow alley way. He turned to his left and saw another dog there, still out cold. I must have fainted a few miles after… Then it hit him. He remembered everything in a flash, the way you do when you get up in the morning. Except now it was late afternoon. He gauged the sun’s position and figured it would set soon.

Getting up strangely, Adrian stumbled once or twice but managed to get a good hold on his legs and closed the distance between him and the female dog. He sat by her side, watching her to see if she stirred. She still had dry blood on her, which reminded him that he had some around his neck too. He needed to get that cleaned up. The only way he knew to help her from the blood loss was to either high tail it to the vet, or get something to eat, and since he had been stupid enough to leave her sausages behind, it was up to him to get some meat, fast.

He nudged her with his nose, attempting to get her up. “Hey, wake up,” he said in a mid-neutral tone. It wasn’t too loud and wasn’t too soft, but it also wasn’t showing much emotion. It just… was. Method groaned quietly. If Adrian hadn’t been so close, he probably wouldn’t have even heard her. As her eyes fluttered awake, she suddenly looked startled. She managed to calm down a bit, but Adrian could tell that she still looked a little freaked. “You… you’re…” She stammered, not sure how to finish.

She got up quickly, impressing Adrian at her speed. Collies were apparently faster than he had at first anticipated. She was taking quick, deep breaths, signaling that she was wary of Adrian’s presence. He ignored the unwelcome signs. “Listen, let’s go get some food, okay? You’re badly hurt…” He glanced at her side, matted with dry blood. She looked like she wanted to say no and run like a speeding bullet, but Method knew it would be idiotic to run. She couldn’t possibly make it back to the boat from here… wherever here was. She couldn’t even get food without being noticed. All the red was a billboard. Not to mention she was feeling faint. She nodded reluctantly, following Adrian with a cautious step.

It took almost half an hour, but finally the duo stumbled upon a dumpster. It was behind a fast food restaurant but hey, it was better than going hungry. Adrian dived into it excitedly, trying to find the best and least rotten food available. He grabbed a quarter eaten hamburger and grinned wildly, gripping it tight and throwing it over to Method, who was still outside of the dumpster. “Hey, I never asked you for your name before,” Adrian commented. Method shrugged, saying it quickly. “And yours?” Adrian replied it subtly, through a jaw full of French fries. He gulped them pleasantly, not having had a decent meal in two weeks.

He finally hopped down from the dumpster, scrambling a bunch of half eaten goodies all over the floor. Method and Adrian both took it in gratefully, delighting in the fact that they could eat in peace – for once. Usually dog catchers were on their tails. Although they had never known each other before, Method felt as if she knew this male… Adrian. Maybe he could be Grimm’s brother… although that seemed odd to her. Grimm had never mentioned having a brother before.

“Hey… Adrian?” She said a while later. He quickly swallowed a chicken nugget and looked up at her with a look that said ‘Shoot’. She pawed at the ground, mentally noting that she had to clean up somewhere… the blood was getting a little gross. “Would you happen to be a chow… shepherd mix?” Adrian nodded, almost positive where this was going. It was putting him on the defensive. Method was a bit surprised, but decided to take the next step, beginning to feel confident. “Do you… know a dog named Grimm…?” Adrian’s expression changed. He seemed irritated now, as if Method had just morphed into a pesky fly.

“Adrian?” She said a few minutes later. Adrian turned his body away from her entirely, ripping absently at a hamburger bun. “Yeah, I do. He’s my…” He coughed uncomfortably. “My brother.” Method couldn’t help but skip an intake of breath. “Your… what??” Adrian growled imperceptibly; Method didn’t catch it. Adrian spat out, “I’m not repeating it again.”

This took Method aback slightly, but she recovered in a matter of seconds, trying her hardest to get information without pushing her luck. “He never told me about you…” She began, attempting to get Adrian to finish off the sentence. He didn’t fall for the ploy because just then, he sniffed the air and snarled. There wasn’t even a warning growl – just a straight out snarl. Method jumped at first, thinking it was directed at her, but then she noticed that there was a figure behind her. “Who-” she began, but was cut off. Adrian stepped in front of her shouting, “What are you doing here, Alphonse?”

Another black, tan, and white dog appeared from the opposite end of the ally, not looking happy at all, however, not looking as hostile as Adrian either. “The question is, brother, why do you have her?” He pointed to Method with his eyes. Adrian looked back at her minimally, just as he had the dog catchers’ hours earlier. “That’s none of your concern,” he spat out harshly. Alphonse didn’t seem fazed.

He took another dangerous step closer, merely seven feet away from Adrian. “Are you still trying to get back at Grimm?” He asked without mercy. Adrian growled audibly. “Don’t say his name!” Alphonse leaned back on his paws. “Why not? Because you’re afraid you’ll remember that nothing ever happened between you two?” Method was watching these comments go back and forth. Alphonse, apparently the third chow-shepherd brother, was speaking with acid, yet somehow calmly. Nothing Adrian yelled at him seemed to concern his emotions. It was scary, but it seemed effective. He had earned Method’s respect for that. Adrian, on the other hand, seemed to be losing control by the second. Obviously, he was angry that Alphonse didn’t believe him… or wasn’t on his side or something like that.

“How could you say that?” Adrian snapped, biting back tears; he refused to cry right now – he refused to cry at all. Alphonse was now merely inches away from him; the two were invading each other’s breathing space. “What? The truth?” Alphonse barked. Adrian couldn’t handle it anymore. He went full speed at his own brother, blinded by rage that shouldn’t have been there. “How could you take his side?” He screamed, as he went for Alphonse’s neck. Alphonse quickly dodged, going for Adrian, but Adrian was quick too, and turned on his heel to escape his brother’s defense.

Alphonse looked annoyed. “Why can’t you see it?” Adrian narrowed his eyes, having a stare down with his brother. “There’s nothing to see. He abandoned me and that’s it. He’s going to pay.” Alphonse shook his head. “You’re so hard headed and stubborn! Grimm never left you, Adrian. If you’d stop being an idiot for at least two seconds, you would realize it!”

~

“How come we’re at the pawn shop?” Grimm asked, not sure where Dodger wanted to go or why he even wanted to go out in the first place. He had said it was just to stretch his legs, but Grimm wasn’t entirely sure he was being truthful. Oh well. He had decided to leave it. Dodger flicked his tail as he looked around at all the signs. When he finally saw the shop, he nodded to Grimm and headed in that direction. “’Cause I wanna visit a friend.”

Grimm knew who he was talking about, and it was pointless to ask, but he did it anyways. “Castor and Hera?” Dodger nodded. Grimm was a bit confused but could only guess that maybe Dodger was feeling sentimental today. After all, he had spent the last two days lying on his comfy arm chair. Maybe he wanted some exercise or someone to talk to besides the gang. It’s what Grimm would want himself.

“Yo, Castor! You in there?” Dodger yelled, knocking on the door with soft thuds from his paw. Castor appeared at the window, grinning momentarily before heading to the door and nudging it open. “Hey Dodger, hey Grimm. How are you guys?” Dodger smirked and said, “Great.” He wasn’t the ‘and you?’ kind of dog. Castor got that. So, he changed the subject. “What brings you here?”

Dodger admired his understanding. He seemed to get other dogs in a way that not many could; he also cut to the chase. Dodger began mildly, but as his sentenced continued, his voice progressed in seriousness. “We have a problem.” Castor thought about this and nodded. He looked back in habit for Hera, but remembered that she had gone out for a bit to get water. She would be back soon. “What kind of problem?” He said turning back to Grimm and Dodger.

The terrier mix in turn looked at his buddy, Grimm. Grimm was a bit confused but soon got that he was supposed to finish for Dodger. “Uh… we don’t know where Method is,” he said a bit awkwardly. Castor nodded silently. It was a signal to keep going, so Grimm hesitantly continued. “It was her turn to get food and she headed out almost a full day ago. We’re afraid something may have happened to her.”

Dodger cut in after this. “Remember last time?” Castor’s expression changed as he remembered Method’s incident before. A about a month and a half before Grimm had joined the gang, Method had just left him and Hera and had gotten caught by dog catchers. No one had seen or heard from her for that full month and week until she came back and announced her story. “… but are you sure, Dodger?” He asked doubtfully. Somehow, Castor had a hard time believing Method would be reckless enough to get caught again so easy.

He shrugged in response. “No, but something had to have happened.” Grimm was taking this all in slowly. He had thought he was getting paranoid for no reason; after all, he thought he’d been the only one worrying. Now that he saw that Dodger, the gang leader, was concerned for Method’s whereabouts as well, it eased Grimm more.

Castor looked troubled, as if he were between two places and had no room to move. “I really want to help, but I don’t think I can.” A frown was pasted on his lips. “I’m so sorry guys. It’s just… Hera will be back soon and I don’t want her to come to shop and see I’m not here. She might think something happened to me, ya know?” Grimm responded, “Don’t worry, Castor. Sorry we brought this on you.” Castor shook his head. “It’s fine. Although… I did see Alphonse not too long ago.” Grimm’s ears perked up as his head shot to look directly at Castor. “You did??” Castor replied, “Yeah, I saw him two hours ago. He walked by here with that ‘I’m on a mission’ face again. I didn’t know what was up with him but from the looks of it, he was in police mode again.”

Recognition dawned on Grimm’s face as reality came crashing – hard – into his own skull. Alphonse only got that way when there was serious trouble somewhere in the city. Like messed up gangs or serious and bloody fights. Or… his brother Adrian. “Dodger, I know where she is.” Dodger turned with a raised eyebrow. Castor looked uninformed, as if a private joke had just been spoken and he was clueless as to the meaning. “C’mon! We have to go. NOW!” He tugged Dodger’s bandana, pulling him out of the shop and beginning to sprint effortlessly.

Dodger wiggled out of his grip and matched his speed after a few seconds. “What was that all about?” He said through the wind whipping his face. Grimm shook his head furiously. “It’s my brother.”

“Alphonse?” Dodger clarified.

“No, both.”

“You have two brothers?”

“Yes,” Grimm said regretfully.

“How come you never told us?” Dodger asked calmly.

Grimm honestly didn’t know, and he didn’t care much to answer, but for the sake of not being rude, he did anyways. “I’m not sure. I just… forgot I guess.”

~

“Don’t be mistaken about my side. I am on no one’s side but my own. Grimm is a thief, always running around with his gang. And so is that female you have there with you.” Alphonse was referring to Method. “And you… you’ve been trying to get back at your brother for months because of abandonment issues? C’mon!”

Alphonse finally seemed to be cutting a few wires now. They had been brawling it out with words ever since the former cop canine got there, and Alphonse’s way with sentences had somehow gotten Adrian to calm down just enough to pay attention and listen; although that didn’t mean he liked hearing it. “Abandonment issues? Is that all you think it is? He left me behind to die!”

“No, he didn’t, Adrian.” Alphonse’s voice was somehow quieter now. He had lowered it purposely. It seemed to enforce its effect upon Adrian; it showed Alphonse’s intelligence and ability to understand higher than Method had ever known it could for anyone. She stared in awe as the meaner brother calmed down. Well… more of broke down. He collapsed onto his stomach and growled inwardly, obviously trying to keep from shedding a tear.

Alphonse padded over to him, sitting next to his side and brushing the fur of his neckline with his paw. It seemed that it had just occurred to him that the red on his brothers’ neck had been dry blood, and he looked up at Method, who had it caked all over her side. “Adrian?” Adrian looked up defiantly. He knew he was beaten. If he kept fighting with his brother, he would be reduced to nothing. Being the independent dog that he had been since his first and only pound incident, he refused to let that happen even as a last resort.

Alphonse figured this may be his only chance to ask, so he took it. “Why were you bleeding?” He was looking away from Adrian’s face. “And why is she?” He pointed with a single paw to Method. Adrian turned back to see where he was facing and didn’t answer for a few minutes. Dog catchers were a sensitive subject, as much as he would hate to and never would admit. Alphonse sensed a tense aura coming from him and dropped the question, knowing deep down what had happened.

“You escaped? Why didn’t you go to the-” He stopped himself, seeing Adrian visibly cringe before he had even gotten out the word ‘vet’. His brother had tried to hide it by pretending to shiver from a gust of wind, but Alphonse knew his brother; heck they had grown up together. He wasn’t affected by the cold; or at least… not easily. This was a much touchier subject. “Adrian… you two need help.”

Adrian scoffed. “Maybe she does, but I’m on my own.” He hopped up immediately, becoming defensive once more. Although Alphonse had only been trying to help, his intentions had backfired. Alphonse frowned, not sure how to approach his brother in a way where he wouldn’t feel threatened. “Why don’t I try and-” Adrian didn’t let him finish. He snapped at his brother’s muzzle, not intending to bite him, but definitely attempting to scare him. It worked only to a certain extent.

Alphonse recoiled, shocked that his brother would try to hurt him like that. “Adrian…” Adrian snarled, “Take her and go.” Alphonse didn’t say another word. He had a bunch of questions he would like to ask his crazed brother, but he knew that not even half could be answered correctly, never mind right at this moment. He nodded solemnly, swearing to himself that he wouldn’t give up on Adrian. For now, his mission was to find Grimm. Then he could deal with Adrian.

~

Method had gone hesitantly with Alphonse, not sure if she should trust another stranger, but deciding that Alphonse was more stable than Adrian. They were trotting side by side now. Alphonse had attempted to make side talk and chit chat, trying to make the walk less awkward. Method had happily answered and kept up the conversation, but the nerves in the air were too thick to allow breathing room. The scuffle with Adrian had been too intense for one day, and Method would have loved nothing more than to get back to the boat and plop down on her makeshift towels, fit for her bed.

It didn’t take long for Alphonse to completely bump into Grimm – whom had been running at top speed. Method managed to steer clear of Dodger, who skidded to a stop a few inches away from her, coming to a clean brake. “Well, well. Lookie who we got here, Grimm. Just who we’ve been looking for.” Method tilted her head. “You’ve been looking for us?” Grimm puffed out a breath, rubbing his head with a paw and giving a playful death glare to Alphonse. Alphonse smirked, almost forgetting his challenge with Adrian earlier. The two may not have gotten along spectacularly well all the time, but Method could tell that they still loved each other dearly, like brothers should. It made her wonder why Adrian was so different.

Something obviously was bothering him, and although Method knew a lot, she didn’t know everything. At the same time, she was conflicting herself. She wanted to get information and know the whole story, but she didn’t want to invade Grimm’s privacy either so, she left it… for now. “Of course we have! You’ve been gone too long.” Grimm smiled lopsidedly, making Method smile warmly in response. Everything he did seemed to have an effect on her.

“So, did you ever get anything to eat?” Dodger mused. Method nearly whacked him on the head; in fact, she made the motion as a playful gesture, and Dodger playfully moved his head out of the way, laughing hysterically. “I was just kidding! Relax, Method!” “I know you were,” Method replied, crossing her paws over her chest. “Seriously, though. What are we going to eat?” Although she had eaten earlier, she decided it wasn’t a good idea to announce it out loud. Who knew how Grimm would react – his brother had helped her when he didn’t have the chance. Besides, it wasn’t a big deal. The more food the merrier.

Dodger smiled savagely. “I think I know just the place. Hey, Grimm, up for going back to Castor’s place?” Grimm nodded excitedly. “Sure thing!” Dodger chuckled. “I’ll go get the rest of the guys. We’ll go eat at Castors, and we’ll get you cleaned up.” He gestured to Method. “You three head over there. We’ll meet you.” Method nodded gratefully. “Sounds awesome to me.”