Writing set #1
Starting wordcount: 14,267
Ending wordcount: 14,966

This was filler for Chapter 3 in which he is attacked by the dogs, and then they head out to the fish warehouse where his is attacked by the Hind and Hindsman. Not a good night, all things considered. 😛

———–

They gave him a moment to recover and then they started moving towards the door. Three of the dogs walked right through it, but the fourth, the one from the job site stopped and turned to look back at him. [Jon abruptly decided to call her Akela because just calling her ‘the dog’ was getting really tiring. He decided to figure out later just how he knew it was a she, because he hadn’t been paying attention previously.] She looked at him expectantly, which was a little disconcerting because she’d mostly faded out again expect for her eyes.

“What?”

There was another echo bark and she looked from him to the door and back again. It was a classic ‘follow me’ in canine, but he wasn’t at all interested.

“You want me to follow you? No way!” Jon shook his head, backing away from the door. “Are you nuts? Go away, leave me alone!” He almost tripped over the bat as he backed away, and reached down to grab it.

Akela blinked, then barked again, this time more insistent and much less friendly.

“No.” He raised the bat, prepared to try defending himself again. It hadn’t gone all that well the first time, but he figured it couldn’t hurt to try.

When she realized he wasn’t going to move the started walking towards him, teeth bared and stiff-legged. The fur on her back bristled and her tail horizontal and barely waving. Which he was very much aware in canine meant ‘do what I say or I will beat the living daylights out of you’.

“Fine, fine!” He still held the bat defensively. “Just promise me you’ll leave me alone once I do whatever it is you want me to.”

She stopped growling, but her stance was still aggressive. After a moment she finally relaxed somewhat and turned back to the door. Which wasn’t really an answer to his ultimatum, but he decided silence meant ascent. Because he really wanted them to go away and he’d take any slim hope offered.

He didn’t feel like it was worth arguing that it was the middle of the night and he had work tomorrow. After all he was pretty sure the concept of ‘job’ was going to be beyond the reach of a dog, and the dogs apparently could care less what he wanted. He grabbed a jacket, his keys, and the bat and headed out the door, locking it behind him.

The dogs were surrounding the Frankencar and he figured that meant it was time for a ride. The thought of driving the dogs anywhere was not one he was happy with, but when he got in the car they stayed outside. For a moment he thought the metal might be protecting him, but one of the dogs walked through the car to get to the other side, so apparently not.

The dogs started off down the street and he followed slowly, only to find out that once they started running he was easily going forty just to keep them in sight. Akela paced his car, but the other dogs didn’t seem to care if they left him behind, slowing down only when Akela snarled at them. Which explained how the dogs had followed him home from the worksite. They seemed to have no speed limit, easily keeping up with him on the sections of road where the speed limit was well over fifty.

Eventually they led him down a side road, stopping by one of the mile markers. He pulled the car over onto the shoulder, and they started heading into the forest.

[& random stuffs to make snippits meld together]