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Mornings are the worst for Scrap. His phone’s alarm sprung for the third time, though he had already slept through the first couple. His upstairs neighbor stomped on the floor to shut him up. It did the trick… Scrap rose and let out a big yawn. He shook his head and mumbled to himself, “Morning sucks…” He yawned again and reached for the phone and saw the time. “Ugh…” He groaned and fell back to his bed. “Why did I agree to do this…” He said, but it was painfully obvious to him. "'YOU NEED THE MONEY, DUH?!""
So begins his routine: A quick five-mute shower with what little soap and shampoo he had, a quick breakfast consisting of the remaining poptart left in the box, a hunt to find something decent to wear, but always ends up wearing his normal wear. Half an hour later, Scrap was ready to leave. The journal hadn't been active for the last couple of days, normally he would bring it everywhere, but it will be safe on his nightstand for now. Best not to worry about it now… All he needed to do was make a good impression with Mr. Cray. Since he was going to be working in his vineyard today.
It was… no going to be a journal free day. No monsters he had to face. No weird happens or out-of-this world crisis Scrap would have to deal with. It was back to his normalcy. There weren’t any cars out and about this early in the morning, but it didn’t stop his resourcefulness. His quick thinking and knowledge of the short cuts through his hometown made it to the vineyard in no time.
The sun barely peaked past the hills and fields. The morning sun risen and blanket the vineyard with it’s warm welcoming rays. They reached Scrap toes as he walked down the gravel road. The cricket climbed out of the tall grass and chirped their melodies as he marched towards the vineyard. Scrap smiled and whistled along. A few cars drove by, but that didn’t stop the crickets or Scrap from their playful melodies. They parked ahead and most of them quickly got out. The workers had arrived and begun heading into their fields. Some looked and spotted the mutt. He waved to them, but they didn’t wave back. They headed to work. Scrap lowered his arm as if he wondered if he had done something wrong. “Um… Well…. That’s some kind of welcome.” He commented and continued his way.
Mr. Cray never mentioned where they were supposed to meet. His vineyard was a vast place. The manor alone was huge. Scrap looked up at the place. Noticed there were so many windows. Why would one wolf have a huge manor like this… and yet so many empty windows. It's weird… Scrap couldn’t stop looking at them. It felt kind of… odd. For every window it felt there were at least a pair of eyes watching him.
He shook his head and put away the thought. It wasn’t the time to be weirded out by this. He had to get to work. He ran to the door and rang the doorbell. A nice melody ranged and echoed through the home, but no one came. He tried the bell again, but to no avail. “MR. CRAY!” Scrap shouted as the melody ceased. “Mr. Cray?! I’m here!”
“"GO TO THE SHED!”" Scrap yipped and slapped his ear. He quickly turned around thinking was just behind him. That whisper was so clear. Someone had to have said it, but there was no one. There had to have been someone. He swore he felt someone’s breathe brush against his chipped ear. "“NOW BOY!”" The whisper shouted in his ear. Scrap yipped like a scared pooch and raced down the road. He spotted what looked to be a shed, rand down that way and quickly headed inside.
Scrap burst in and tripped on his own two feet. He panted and huffed a bit. “You’re late!” Scrap looked up and gasp. Mr. Masson Cray stood in front of him. His arms were crossed together like a wall. His face had a painted scorl, his fangs rested on his lips. He let out a small disappointing growl. Scrap eyes immediately widen and he leaped up on his feet. “Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” he muttered, but his words sounded like they were all thrown together. “I’MSORRYIDIDN’TKNOWWHEREIWAS--” He stopped midway realizing what he said. He then coughed and cleared his throat. “--I mean… I didn’t know where I was supposed to m-m-meet you. I tried your home, rang the doorbell, but I wasn't getting any answers.” He paused and took a huge breath in. Sweat was streamed down his head profusely. This wasn’t going as he planned and now wasn’t making a good impression. He bowed his head to the wolf and constantly apologized.
“That’s enough!” Mr. Cray stated, Scrap immediately ceased. “I suppose that is my fault for not giving you further details. What’s most important is that you’re here and we can start.” He looked at the mutt, paced around him and rubbed his chin. “Please tell me, this isn’t what you planned on wearing today?”
Scrap looked at himself, “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He twirled himself around thinking there was something he was missing or even there was a new torn on his pants or something. There were no new cuts. It was the same as he always wore. He gazed at the wolf and checked out his wear. He appeared to be only wearing overalls.
“Don’t have any other scraps to wear?” He asked, but Scrap didn’t answer. Though the answer was clear to him anyways. Masson slapped his cheek and grumbled, “Doesn’t matter… It will have to do. Here” He said and reached over to grab a pair of overalls. “Change into this quickly! He demanded. “I’ll see you outside.”
Scrap gulped and nodded. Masson walked out and slammed the door to give the mutt some privacy. Quickly, he followed his orders.
“Be Quiet!” Scrap suddenly stopped. He peered in the direction of the door. Sounded as if Masson was talking to someone, but Scrap could barely make it out.
“Don’t tell me things, I already know…” He answered back. A lot of mumbling followed after. “Mhm… Yes… I’ll take care of it.” He stopped for a very long time and the mumbling proceeded. It sounded like there were more people talking. Scrap tried to listen in, but couldn’t make anything of it. “I said… I’ll take care it. Leave the mutt to me!--”
Suddenly he knocked on the door. “MUTT. Are you done?” Scrap jumped and grabbed his mouth to hold in his yip. Masson knocked again impatiently. This time Scrap did yipped and hurried up. A few seconds later Scrap burst through the door and tripped on his feet. “I’M READY!” He yelled back.
Masson glared and snorted. “This way.” He said and walked down a dirt road. Scrap gulped and quickly followed him. They passed by a few workers. Some of them greeted the wolf and bowed their heads in respect. He acknowledged and greeted them with his version of a “hello”. Basically a gruff and a nod. they went back to work. They didn’t even say or greet Scrap as he walked with him.
The pair stopped as some of the workers approached the wolf, carrying what looked to be baskets of berries, grapes and flowers. They didn’t look like the normal kind of fruits Scrap would see at the grocery store. Some appeared to have spikes, a few were shriveled up like raisins and others were as stringy like ribbons. For a minute, Scrap thought they had brought Mr. Cray some candies.
He nodded to them and stated, “Well done,” then he moved onto the next bushel and replied, “These aren’t ready for harvest. I said to pick only the sun dried ones. These are still plump. Set these aside and go collect the correct ones.” His works back away, with sweat and nervously twitching in their faces. They didn’t talk back. They just nodded and frantically head off. ""Jeez…"" Scrap thought, ""Is he a hardass or what?""
Masson stopped and halted Scrap as they came across a paved road. Suddenly a truck came up to them and parked. A blue painted dog came out of the car and handed the wolf a set of keys. “There you go, boss, she's all ready to go.”He stated.
“Thank you, Warren.” the wolf replied and quickly got in. the painted dog looked at Scrap and he looked at him. Suddenly the painted dog smirked and chuckled. Scrap tilted his head and wondered what he was laughing at. “Get in Mutt!” The wolf commanded. Scrap yipped and immediately jumped on his feet. He ran over to the passenger door and opened it. He crashed into the seat and quickly fixed himself up.
Masson drove to a new area of the vineyard. It was pretty shady, with lots of trees and tents covering some of the vines. Masson kept his eyes on the road, while Scrap in his seat, afraid to move. He held his arms together like a little kid who knows he is in trouble. He tried to open his mouth but the moment he does, Masson gazes his way and he quickly shuts it tight.
An awkward 10 minutes later they had finally arrived at their destination. “We are here.” Mr. Cray stated. Scrap peaked out of the window. His curious nose took a couple of whiffs. There were scents of wild flowers and other weird smells Scrap wasn’t so familiar with. “This is where we will be working today.” The vines looked to be very well taken care of. The grapes and berries were displayed out and ready to be picked.
Scrap shrugged and thought, ""Well this doesn’t look too bad."" He walked down and approached one of the rows.
“I should warn you, mutt.” He said and looked towards the mutt, but stopped when he saw Scrap walking into the rows. “WAIT MUTT!”
Scrap quickly turned around, but it was too late for the wolf warning. Suddenly he felt a tug on his leg. When he looked down. He yipped as a thick vine slithered around his leg like a python. He jumped, but immediately was slammed down with great force. He hit the ground and suddenly was yanked into the bushes like a Yoyo. Scrap screamed in terror and yelled out for help. He tried to break free, but more vines wrapped around him and tossed him around the rows. He tried to crawl to Masson, but immediately was thrust back into the fields.
Masson sighed, “turn on the water.” His shadow began to morph and spread out like a pool of water. It then shot towards the fields like a snake and wrapped around one of the water valves. The red wheel quickly blackened and began to turn.
“"Your pet reacted the same way,"” the whisper said to the wolf. “Warren, is not my pet. You know that. He went through the same troubles and he came out strong. You know that.” He replied back to the whispers.
"“Different Dog… yet the same routine. Though this pup… is no good. This job is not fit for him. Why send him here?""
He didn’t answer back, but his attention never left Scrap. Scrap continued to fight off the vines as they slowly slither up his body. He reached down and grabbed the bite and ripped them off with his chompers. Even grabbed some loose stones and beat the vines as they slithered towards him. Masson could have stepped in and saved the mutt, but he still watched him. At least for another few more minutes. Suddenly the sprinklers came on and sprayed the whole area. The vines let out a loud hiss and began to untangle themselves. They released Scrap and he immediately backed away. He crawled out of the field and bumped into Masson. He looked up, completely shocked and out of breath.
“Next time… wait for my instructions.” He stated, but it felt more like a scolding. The water valve turned the other way. The shadow left the valve and returned to Masson side unbeknownst to Scrap.
He grabbed Scrap by his collar, hoisted him up and shoved a barrel in his arms. “Now… let’s get to work before these vines dry themselves.” Masson headed into his row while Scrap walked into his. He immediately started picking the grapes and berries. “Better get started pup, these vines dry up quickly.” Scrap stood there bewildered, but it quickly snapped back into state. He grabbed his barrel and approached the entrance to his row.
Listen to my instructions, Mutt.” The wolf stated. He held up a particular cluster of grapes. “I expect you to learn this quickly. These are the grapes I need. Look at the colors and feel them around.” He passed them to him, they grapes felt rather soft, but the skin of them was so loose. If he didn’t handle them carefully they could instantly rip apart. The colors weren’t the normal grape colors. Rather they had a pink and blue shade with them. “They are very easy to pick, but are very delicate. I need them intact. Smooshed or ripped won’t do. Now this is another one I also need.”
""PAY ATTENTION…"" Scrap yipped and jumped. He gazed around for whoever said that. It didn’t sound like Mr. Cray, rather it sounded deep and raspy. No one else was in the fields. It was just them.
He held up a cluster of berries, though they had the same colors of the grapes, but they were oddly shaped, Some appeared to be spiked, while others appeared to be long wiggly lines. “You’ll find these on the tougher branches. It will take a couple of pulls to break these off. Observe.” He demonstrated though for him he only did 2 tugs and they came off. “It’s quite a workout. But it should take you at least three tugs for them to come out. Now… This is another one I need.”
The wolf ducked down and pulled out a vine that looked to be blooming some estranged flowers. He held up the vine as if he was holding a trophy. “I need you to pick these flowers. As you can see.” He pointed to one flower with black pedals. “Pick only the black pedals.” Then move over another, “The black pedals with the red veins, leave them alone. They are not ready. They are very similar. But to a trained eye you can catch the difference. Now these vines happened to be deep inside the bushes, so I suggest you wear gloves for these.” He showed more of the vine and it appeared that they happen to have prickly thorns on them. “I recommend you do this for last. Right now, I’m more interested in these grapes and berries. Do you understand, Mutt?”
He turned around and spotted the mutt gazing somewhere else like something out in the yonder fields was more important than his instructions. This made him give a solid growl, Scrap’s ears immediately picked up and he stood up straight and faced the wolf. The wolf approached him and towered over the mutt. The mutt face had reached his pecs. He huffed and repeated. “Do I make myself clear, MUTT?”
Scrap backed away for a second, tried to remember the instructions, but his mind went blank for a minute. Suddenly it came back. ""That’s right! Get the grapes with the thin skin and weird colors. The spiked ones, the long wiggle berries, and the black petals with red veins… NO THE ONES WITH NO VEINS."" Scrap smiled nervously and nodded.
"“SAY IT MUTT!”" the whispers hollered in his ear. He yipped, but caught his mouth as the yip was coming, but instead cleared his throat as he tried to hide it. “Um… Y-yes Masson… I mean, Mr. Cray.
He glared at him. Scrap ears lowered themselves as if he was expecting a backlash. But Masson didn’t say anything. Instead he walked past him and continued his work. Scrap let out a long sigh, “Okay… not the best start but don’t let this get to you.” He told himself and ran into the field. Unfortunately he ran into his first problem. The ground was too wet. His foot submerged into the mud and went up to his ankle. “UGH…” He groaned. He looked over to see Mr. Cray was looking back at him. He smiled and waved back at him awkwardly. The wolf shook his head and continued to work.
""How is he able to walk through these rows with ease?"" The mutt wondered, but smacked his head. “No… NO! You can do this... “ He told himself and took another step. His foot submerged again, but after a few more tries he was able to move around.
Just as Mr. Cray said the grapes were easy to collect, but what was difficult was not squishing them and finding the right ones. He prayed whatever he collected were the right ones. A few bushes in, Scrap managed to fill his bucket halfway with just the grapes. The swiggle and pointed berries, which is what he called those, proved to be even harder than what Masson described. Especially the pointed ones.
Mr. Cray demonstrated how easy they were to pluck. In one, two, sometimes three plucks they came out. How did he expect him to do this? Scrap tried the three tugs, but to no avail. He tried even a big tug; but, the branch snapped with no berries and Scrap fell back into the mudd.
“UGh… Oh man…”He grumbled into the mud.
“I ain’t paying you to play in the mud. Get back to work!” the wolf stated. Scrap jumped back up and nodded a frantic yes.
“Okay… Okay… You can do this.” He said to himself as he tried again, but it kept ending back in the mud. One the last attempt, Scrap gripped the berry with both hands. “One…” He tugged, “Two…” another tugged, “THREE!” Just like that. The berry snapped out of its stem. Scrap held it up high in victory and shouted “I GOT IT!”
“Quit you’re yippin, pup. Back to work!“ The wolf shouted and killed his joy. His words were rough, but it brought Scrap back to realization and the task at hand.
It took a while, a long time per say, but Scrap has gotten the hang of the task. He’s even avoiding the slithery vines as they come. His buckets were coming along. Mr. Cray had finished the lines. Noticing the vines are starting to get lively, he turned on the sprinklers. Scrap yipped and tripped on one of the sprinklers as they sprayed the vines and bushes. The wolf shook his hand and growled. “Don’t stand there. KEEP PICKING!” Scrap quickly got up and nodded. He shook some of the water off and continued. Thank god for this wet resistance fur. He thought to him.
Masson watched Scrap struggled, but he noticed how persistent he was. Most workers he had working this job always quite halfway or the vines usually scare them off. So far him and Warren were the only ones who had stay and tried to finish the work. A grin was starting to rise on the wolf face, but was immediately cut by the whispers.
His shadow came alive and flung his arms around as if it was arguing with the wolf. "“Ugh… you’re painted pet does a better job than this mongrel. Why keep him here?”"
“I have my reasons.” The wolf said in a low, but a demanding tone. His shadow back away for a second, but eased his way back to him.
“"Sometimes I hate what you’re thinking.”" He didn’t answer. ""It’s all worth keeping that mutt around. You know how dangerous he can be."" He didn’t answer again.
It has been some tiresome work, but the job was finally done. At least the row he was one. Barrels and baskets full of the berries, grapes, and the petals lined up against the entrance. Most of them were done by Mr. Cray. Scrap may have at least filled up one or two. As Scrap brought up his other basket to the other pile. He dropped and laid flat on the ground, panted heavily, his tongue dropped down like a yoyo, his paws twitched and ached from all the picketing. His feet, ankles and the bottom legs of the overall were covered in dried mud and berry juice. His shirt was stained completely with bit of mud, water and his sweat. His muscles throbbed like a heartbeat, each thump was a pulsating sore.
“Fine work, pup.” The wolf said as he wrote something on a clipboard and placed it in the pickup truck. He then grabbed his barrels and began to load them into his truck. He stopped and gazed at Scrap’s pile. “Hmm…” he said as he examined his work. “Didn’t expect you to do so well on your try.” He then grabbed Scrap’s barrels and loaded them into his truck. “You did well, pup. Take a break while I deliver these. I’ll be back.”
Masson gets into the truck and quickly takes off. A few of the berries fell form the truck and landed close to Scrap. He reached out and grabbed a couple and examined them further. “What’s all the big hype for these?” He said. He brought them to his nose and sniffed a couple of times. They gave a rather earthy scent. “How are you supposed to eat these?” He wondered. Their skin was rough. Not even his claws could scratch the skin. He tried to break it in half, but ended up ripping the fruit. The juice exploded out all over his overalls. The seeds splattered around. The juice was so sticky, but it tasted so bland. He thought maybe it was the seeds you’re supposed to eat like a pomegranate. But like the juice it was bland. “Ugh…” He groaned and tried to scratch the seeds and juice off his tongue.
He tried the swiggle berries next. Now those were delicious. He took a bit at the end and the juicy gushed out like a slushie through a straw. He was greeted with wonderful flavors. “OH MY GOD… WHY HAVEN”T I HAVENT I EVER EATEN THIS FRUIT?” He shouted, thinking he was saying it too himself. His cheeks flustered a bit and he grabbed a couple more fruits and placed them to the side. “HOPE HE DOESN’T MIND ME TAKING SOME FOR MYSELF. I’LL PAY FOR THEM… SOME DAY.
Mr. Cray hadn’t returned, Scrap wondered where he could have gone. The vineyard was a big place, so there was plenty of places he could go.
The heat was coming down on him. Scrap took refugee under a shady tree, but it wasn’t enough to stop his panting breath. He wiped his brawl and shook his head. His sweat flung off his fur. He gazed over and spotted a couple of other workers in the distance. They continued to work despite the harshness and the heat. ""How does everyone do this job? My fingers are still aching."" He turned his attention back to the rows. The vines were still slithering around like active snakes. His face cringed a bit. ""I wonder if the journal would make things easier… maybe at first, but how much do you wanna bet it will turn it into a Body Snatcher situation?""
He shook his head. “You know what!” He said and slammed his fist against his paw. “I can do this! I don’t need the journal. I didn’t need it back then. And I don’t need it now!” He got up and approached the sprinklers.
""Wait for the wolf."" Scrap turned around as he thought someone had said something to him. Still no one around. Scrap gulped and felt a little uneasy everytime he heard that whisper. Couldn’t shake the thought that this time the whisper sounded just like him.
He turned on the sprinklers, the whisper said again. Wait for the wolf, but Scrap shook it off. “I can do this. Mr. Cray will be impressed with what I can do!” the sprinklers sprayed the rows. The vine gave a little hiss and backed away into the bushes. A rainbow appeared over the fields. Scrap smiled and wagged his tail. He reached and grabbed some of the empty barrel. Turned off the sprinklers and walked into the fields and began harvesting the crops.
Scrap repeated the instructions Mr. Cray had instructed. At first, they weren’t working. He kept squishing the grapes and berries. The flowers he managed to take, most of them had the red veins on them and the ones he wanted were extremely hard to find. The whispers kept echoing in his head. ""Wait for the Wolf. You’re ruining the crop. Stop it Mongrel!"" All of them sounded extremely negative as if they were trying to put him down, but Scrap kept going… until finally he managed to do it right!” Halfway through the picking, his first barrel was filled. “Alright!” He shouted and went back to work.
A while later the truck had finally arrived. The barrels and basket were emptied and ready to be filled. Masson parked the truck and got out. He grabbed some of the barrels and barrels and placed them by his side. He let out a sigh and combed his hair back with his paw. “Okay… Mutt.” He huffed, picked up some of the barrels and headed into the fields. “Your break is over! Time to head… back… to… work.” He dropped his barrels. His words slurred as he reached one of the rows. They were completely picked.
They’re were five small barrels, baskets, even canisters and other miscellaneous items used to store the harvest. Bits of juice seeped through dn trailed down to the ground forming small puddles. His ears peaked and he turned to the side only to see Scrap limping out. He groaned and huffed with a raspy voice as he tried to place another makeshift barrel next to the others. Once he placed it down, Scrap collapsed and rolled over to Masson feet.
His tongue rolled out a like a red carpet and flopped over to his side. He gazed up and met the wolf's gaze. He tried to lift up his paw, but it flopped back to the ground. The pup was dead tired, he didn’t have any strength left to even lift a finger. “T-there… Y-Y-You… Go!” He huffed out a couple of wheezing words. Every word took a big inhale to say. “I… J-J-Just… Need-d… A… Few… M-M-Mor-re to… G--” He couldn’t finish that sentence.
Masson gazed at his done. The Mutt had worked hard, rather did an impressive job, though there was still more to be done, but there was no way He could do it all. “That won’t be necessary.” He stated. He grabbed his empty barrels he dropped and walk passed him. The sprinklers turned on themselves and as soon as the land was good and wet they shut off. “Sit this one out.” Scrap huffed and rolled onto his stomach. He tried to stand, but could barely find his balance.
“Wait…” He said, but he sounded more like a wheezing pant. “I can keep going…”
HE turned around. His eyes beamed with a halting stare. Scrap suddenly stopped and backed away. “There no doubt in my mind that you are capable of progressing; however, your body tells a different story. Scrap took a step forward, but suddenly felt his feet clamped to the ground. Like something had shackled his legs. Suddenly he was pulled away and tossed to one of the benches. Scrap tried to move, but found that his body wouldn’t respond. Something was keeping him there.
Masson coughed and said to himself. “Don’t let the mutt enter the fields.” His shadow nodded as he appeared behind Scrap, his limbs had clamped his legs while his other arms held his shoulders down. Scrap muttered and tried to break free from his invisible hold. He can feel whatever was holding him down digging into his fur.
""STOP MOVING OR I’LL RIP YOUR ARMS OFF."" Scrap yipped and shut his mouth. The whisper, though it sounded like Scrap. It was more meaner and demanding. ""You will do as the wolf said. You will stay here until the wolf says otherwise. Nod if you understand."" Scrap was afraid to move, but his body moved on his own. He nodded frantically.
""Good!"" The whisper ended and seemed to had vanished.
It didn’t take too long for Mr. Cray to fill up his baskets and barrels. He did twice the work Scrap did, and he didn’t seem any tired at all. He loaded the barrels and basket inside his truck. Scrap was about to say something, but he just got in his car and left. Scrap let out a soft groan and lowered his head. "“Did I do something wrong?”" He wondered.
The sun had reached the mountain side. Meaning it was already 6:00 PM. The workers, from the far fields had gathered their supplies and gears, stored their harvest in the warehouses and containers, and the rest had left for the day. The evening was here. The outdoor lights had turned on. ”Oh great…” Scrap muttered to himself. “How am I going to get home?”
His legs were sore and trembling, Standing up proved to be a problem even if he was able to move. “Ugh… I can’t believe this.” He tried to stand, but felt a sudden push back to the bench.
""ORDERS WERE TO WAIT HERE, TILL THE WOLF SAID."" the voice had returned more louder than before. Scrap whimpered and covered his ears. He grumbled to himself and gazed at the field. Masson had left a while ago, to deliver the last harvest he had collected. He worried that he had forgotten about him.
In the distance, Scrap spotted Masson’s truck approaching. This time there were barrels or baskets. He seemed to be coming to pick him up. The car approached the bench. “Let him go already.” He said, though Scrap had no idea what he meant, but immediately he felt whatever was holding him down suddenly released him. His body jumped suddenly, as all the pent up energy he held back suddenly was released. and he fell face first into the mud. Masson huffed and said, “Ride in the trunk. No way you’re dirtying my truck.”
Scrap got up and shook himself. The mud flew off and some had splattered against his car. “M-M-MASSON… I MEAN MR. CRAY!” he ran and bumped into the truck. He quickly picked himself up and got in the truck. “I’mallreadyforthenextjob!ifyouneedme.”
The wolf didn’t reply. Instead he started the car and proceeded to drive off. Scrap opened his mouth, but fell back as the car took off. The car drove quickly through the vineyard. Every time Scrap tried to say something the bumps on the road kept cutting his words.
After what seemed to be a quick ten minute drive they had arrived at the manor. Masson parked the truck next to the shed and got out. Scrap grumbled and tried to say something again, but the wolf already left and headed inside the shed. “Wait! Mr. Cray!” He fell out of the car and quickly ran into the shed. “MR. CRAY!” He shouted and entered, but was thrown out and the door shut.
“WAIT YOUR TURN MUTT!” The wolf screamed back at him, seeing that he was undressing out of his overalls.
Scrap stood by the entrance of the shed. His fingers tapped together as he waited for Mr. Cray to leave the shed. Moments later, the door opened and Masson walked out. Dressed in his white button down shirt and black slacks. He looked over to the mutt said, Scrap gulped and opened his mouth but immediately was cut by him.
“You’re done for the day, pup.” He said and adjusted his shirt. “Clean yourself up and report to my manor to receive your payment.
“What?” He said, but then felt something grabbed him and pulled him into the shed. “Wait,” Scrap grabbed onto the door handle and tried to pull himself free from the invisible grasp. What the hell is up with this place. He thought. Suddenly his paw lets go and he was thrown into the shed.
Scrap got up, but the door instantly shut tight. “MR. CRAY!” Scrap shouted and pulled the door. ""GET OUT OF THOSE GARMENT AND INTO YOUR WEAR. YOU HEARD THE WOLF."" Scrap yipped and jumped back away from the door. Scrap gulped as his body trembled like a chihuahua. Seeing that there was no choice, He does what he was told.
It took longer to change out of his overalls. The mud, juice and watered down parts really weighed them down. And his arms still stiffened and pulsated with aches and pains. His panting had increased dramatically. The work had left a toll on his body, but he knew if just made it home and rested for a couple of hours he should be back and ready to work again. The overalls were finally off and Scrap flung them towards a hamper. They hit the hamper with a heavy splat. “Alright…” He huffed and leaned against the door. Still huffing and panting. “Now I’ll just… head over.
He opened the door only to see Masson standing right infront of him. Scrap huffed and raised his head ready to say something, but Masson suddenly handed him something.
“Here.” Mason he said. In his hands happened to be one of his water bottles.
“Huh?” Scrap muttered and tilted his head.
“What are you waiting for, Mutt. take it!” He said and shook the bottle. Scrap, still bewildered, accepted the bottle. It was cold to the touch. “You need to stay hydrated.”
He fumbled for a bit as he tried to open it, but it eventually popped open. His curious nose took a whiff of the water as if he expected there was something funny about it. But he couldn't smell anything. He shrugged and took a couple of sips. Right then, Scrap’s eyes widened and his pupils dilated back. It was so delicious… the best water he had in ages. What was strange… his body felt rejuvenated. Like all the aches and pains he bore suddenly vanished. His energy swooped back in and was fully charged. He was ready to take on the world again. “Woah… this is good and I… feel great.”
Masson brought out one of his berries, the spike one. “Snapperback berries, is what I called them.” He cracked it opened and pulled it apart. “Their pretty bland if you eat it as it is, but mixed with water, or any other liquids… tends to give it a rather energetic boost. Mixed together with these,--” In his other hand he held the ribbon berries. “--Stranners, I call them, make a very delicious taste. These here taste exactly like candy as I know you know.” Scrap gulped and chuckled nervously seeing that his pockets were stuffed full of the two and the other grapes. ""I am going to pay for them…""
“Um…” Scrap said and scratched the back of his. “T-Thank y-you sir.” He stuttered nervously and took another sip of his drink. Before he knew it he had finished the whole bottle.
“Don’t mention it.” he firmly said. He stretched back, a few of his joints popped like little snappers. “For a scrawny mutt, you did a good job. Just like my right hand man when he first did this.”
“So… is there anything else you need?” Scrap’s tail thumped excitedly, hoping he could still work another few hours.
“No.” that shot down his happiness.” That’s all the work I needed you for. I’ll make sure you’re compensated for your time. Meet me at my office in a few.” Scrap gulped and nodded. “And mutt. If I find out you dragged in mud into my home. I’ll make sure you won't hear the end of it. Do I make myself clear?” Scrap gulped, but coughed raspy as the chunk of air went down the hole. But he held up thump to let him know he understood.
“Good.” Masson ended and headed over to the manor.
Scrap swallow a huge gulp of air. His body trembled as he went up and ready to knock on the door, but suddenly was greeted with a weird family whisper. "“Enter PUP!”" Immediately Scrap yipped and fell back off the steps. He backed away and looked around for whoever had said that. It was then, he spotted what looked to be a speaker box right next to the door. “Do’ooh… man he nearly gave me a heart attack.” He said and approached the door.
When he entered his home, Masson wasn’t around. Rather no one was. This home would be big to fill his whole staff. Though it doesn’t make sense why the wolf would live alone. He stepped a few step and suddenly was greeted again. "“TO HIS OFFICE!"" The whisper suddenly hissed. "“NOW PUP!”" Scrap jumped again from the sudden surprise. He ran and took a left, but hit his knee against one of his coffee table. “OW!: He muttered and hopped down the hallway until he bumped into someone.
“OOF…” he said as fell back and rubbed the back of his head. The other person let out a small groan. Scrap looked and immediately gasped. The painted dog from before. He groaned a bit, and stood up. He looked his way and extended his hand to help the pup up.
Scrap apologized frantically, but the other dog stopped him. “It’s alright, man. Just watch yourself next time.” Scrap ceased and nodded. The painted dog scratched his head and said, “I’m guessing you’re here to see Mr. Cray.” Scrap didn't say a word but nodded to every question. “Calm down, man.” He said and placed his paw on his shoulder. “His office is just up the stairs to your left. It’s not that hard to miss.”
“Oh...umthanks.” Scrap stopped and cleared his throat. “Thanks again… Um…”
“It’s Warren.” he said and patted his shoulder again. He smiled and said, “You can call me Warren. You don’t need to be so formal with me. I’m not Mr. Cray” He laughed and walked pass him. “By the way… Good job today. Boss told me how you did today. Not bad for a rookie. Especially working in those fields.”
A grin drew on the mutt face. His tail wagged a bit, but suddenly was cut when a sudden whisper screamed out, “"QUIT DAWDLIN! MOVE MUTT!”" He yipped and raced to his office. Scrap burst in and blurted out. “I’M HERE! I’M HERE!” Like before, as he burst in he bumped into a small coffee table. It dropped and clattered to the floor. Thankfully nothing was on it.
Mr. Cray grunted and sighed, his shadow darted under him to the table and it lifted up back to its normal spot like magic. Scrap didn’t even notice it. “This better not be a habit of you mutt” He gets off his seat and walks over to his desk. He pulls out a wine bottle and serves himself a glass. “If you break anything in my home, you better be prepared to pay for it.” Scrap gulped and nodded frantically. “Take a seat boy,” he said and Scrap quickly scurried to the first chair he saw. Masson took a big sip of his wine and let out a sigh. “Now… for your compensation for the day.” He walked back to his desk and pulled out a checkbook. He wrote something down, ripped it, and handed it over to Scrap. “This should cover it.”
“Wait… WHAT!?” Scrap gasped at the numbers written on the check. He turned to the wolf and said, “Um… T-This can’t b-be right? I mean this is more than I normally get doing other jobs. Heck, more than I make at the Library.”
“Is there a problem?” The wolf stated. Scrap jumped, clutched his mouth and shook his head. “Good. Now be on your way.” He said and turned himself away.
Scrap looked at the check, but there was a feel of guilt ridden in the back of his mind. Part of him was happy to receive this payment, but the other part of him felt the opposite. All the harsh looks and weird vibes Masson had given throughout the day. The mutt felt like he really didn’t deserve this. “Um… C-Can I ask you something… Mr. Cray.”
“Are you still here?” The wolf replied with a slight annoyance in his voice. He stood up and walked over to his large view window. The wolf finished his glass of wine.
Scrap felt the tension tightened, it suddenly felt like a heavy weight was just dropped on him. “W-W-W-Well… ahem… I know we don’t really meet eye to eye, sort of say…” His words immediately began to stutter. Masson turned his head, raised an eyebrow to the pup. His heart dropped and nervously began to sweat profusely. He suddenly turned around to face him again. All of a sudden Scrap forgot what he wanted to ask. He looked up and gazed into the wolf’s red eyes. He felt so small compared to him, he never realized how tall he was. But it was those eyes that told a different story. He felt so scared like the wolf was ready to attack and snap his neck.
“Mutt.” He said, Scrap immediately yipped and jumped back from his seat. “My thoughts of me and of what I think shouldn’t matter. I am hard on everyone, because I see potential in all. Just like your former employer Mrs. Jenner saw in you. Though I still can’t see why she insisted on me keeping you. Though I’m starting to see it bits by bits. But that said… I cannot treat you differently than anyone I employ.
Scrap sighed and felt a huge relief lifted from his shoulders. The room didn’t feel so heavy any more. “As so… You did a good job, pup.” Scrap looked up. Masson served himself another drink and said, “You managed to follow my orders and exceeded my expectations.” Scrap smiled a little, his tail wagged against the chair. “However,” His tail stopped, “the only issue I've seen is that you don’t pace yourself. These jobs in the fields demand labor. If you don’t watch yourself you’ll end up becoming nutrients for my fields.” He took a sip of his drink and then walked back to his seat. “I can’t have that on my property.”
“Oh… right.” The mutt lowered his head and sighed a bit. “Well thanks for the clarification. I guess I’ll see you next time then--”
“Mutt.” The wolf said. Scrap yipped and stood up straight like a pencil. “Be back here first thing on Friday.”
“Huh?” He said bewildered. “B-But ain’t I scheduled to be at the library that day?”
“Don’t worry about your shift mutt. I could use more helping hands around here than in the library. I can pay you the same amount if you prefer. Unless you have something else planned that day?” The wolf turned his face slightly and raised an eyebrow to him. His eyes gleamed a bit, Scrap gulped and thought about it for a moment, but nothing came to mind.
Mr. Cray smirked, “Then it settled. Come to the vineyard on Friday. Don’t worry about your shift at the library. We’ll get someone to cover it.” Scrap opened his mouth, but immediately shut it as if he had nothing to say. All he could do was nod in agreement.
Scrap walked out of his office. Down the stairs he went, but stopped for a second. The hairs on the back of his head started to rise. He turned around expecting to see something behind him. He didn’t see anyone, but noticed a shadow peeking from upstairs. It dart back into the hallway, leading into Masson’s office. It was a large shadow, very similar to Mr. Cray, Scrap for a second thought Masson was looking at him. He shrugged and then headed towards the door.
Scrap left the manor finally. He looked up and noticed the stars were starting to dazzle. “Can’t believe I’ve been here that long.” he took out the check and examined it one more time. One day… he made that much. Mr. Cray must have been very generous today. A little grin started to form, but stopped. There appeared to be something written on the back of the check. "“How did I miss this?”" He thought for a second as he read what was written.
“Wear proper attire next time you come. There is enough money for you to buy some quality attire.”
-- M. Cray
Scrap sighed and put the check back in his pocket. “God… what is wrong with what I’m wearing?” He said and headed back home. It was a long walk, but a nice stroll down the road could be nice.
Though unbeknownst to him as he walked down the road back home. Masson stood out of his balcony. He watched the mutt leave his property. A smirk wanted to rise, but he remained with his same serious gaze. He gripped tightly on the balcony rail as if he was ready to break it off. His other hand held his glass of wine and gently swung it around.
“ARRGH!” Something screamed behind him. He didn’t turn around. Instead kept watching the mutt as he left. Suddenly there was a big crash as if something flew across the room and smashed against the wall. A rush of air thrust behind him as if something was trying to get his attention. “WHY!” it shouted again, his shadow. “WHY BRING HIM BACK!” The shadow screamed and pestered him. Though the wolf didn’t answer him. He tossed another thing towards Masson. It missed and smashed against his wall. “YOU WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT MUTT. YOU WHAT YOU WANT. WHY ARE YOU PROLONGING THIS CHARADE.”
Masson kept ignoring his banter. He then took a sip of his drink. A piece of furniture flew pass him and crashed outside. Scrap was far away to hear the crash. Masson growled and turned to face the shadow as it engulfed the room and grew so big it nearly pushed Masson out.
“Pick that up.” He ordered the shadow. It just growled back. “I will not have your pathetic tantrums ruin my home.” It snarled and snapped back like a vicious monster trying to scare a little kid. It didn’t work. It then grabbed him by his neck, ready to squeeze it tight, but Masson again showed no fear to that shadow. “Pick that up and fix it!” He ordered again… his eyes beamed that red glow. His shadow leaned to him and flashed his bright eyes to him. For a long time they stared into each other, but eventually the shadow back down and let him go. The broken furniture soon was surrounded by a black mass and then disappeared into it. It turned to the room, morphed around as if it was good as new.
“Now…” He coughed a second. “Calm down. Return to your normal state.” He ordered… the shadow backed down, the room returned to normal as the shadow began to recollect itself. The broken furniture, vases and other things that had been thrown around were absorbed into the shadow, but were placed back to their original spots like nothing had happened to it. The room returned normal. Masson sighed and coughed a couple of times before finishing his drink and leaving his balcony.
“The mutt’s power is too unpredictable. You know that… Why keep him close.” The shadow demanded in his whispers. Masson walked out the room and headed towards his bedroom. “Let me take control of him… Let me have his body!”
“Answer me!” The shadowed in his ear. “I am getting tired of waiting!”
“Patience, you.” He said as he walked into his room. He slowly started to undress and hang up his clothes. “In time, I will have the mongrel’s power.” He slipped into something else.
“I can take it with ease. You just have to say the word.” It said with a large hiss in each of his words.
“I know what I’m doing. It’s not the first time I’ve dealt with an Author… And it won’t be the last.”
---
Long awaited story featuring Scrap and Masson. Art was done by
Basch
Scrap and Masson belong to me
Scrapbook
Mornings are the worst for Scrap. His phone’s alarm sprung for the third time, though he had already slept through the first couple. His upstairs neighbor stomped on the floor to shut him up. It did the trick… Scrap rose and let out a big yawn. He shook his head and mumbled to himself, “Morning sucks…” He yawned again and reached for the phone and saw the time. “Ugh…” He groaned and fell back to his bed. “Why did I agree to do this…” He said, but it was painfully obvious to him. "'YOU NEED THE MONEY, DUH?!""
So begins his routine: A quick five-mute shower with what little soap and shampoo he had, a quick breakfast consisting of the remaining poptart left in the box, a hunt to find something decent to wear, but always ends up wearing his normal wear. Half an hour later, Scrap was ready to leave. The journal hadn't been active for the last couple of days, normally he would bring it everywhere, but it will be safe on his nightstand for now. Best not to worry about it now… All he needed to do was make a good impression with Mr. Cray. Since he was going to be working in his vineyard today.
It was… no going to be a journal free day. No monsters he had to face. No weird happens or out-of-this world crisis Scrap would have to deal with. It was back to his normalcy. There weren’t any cars out and about this early in the morning, but it didn’t stop his resourcefulness. His quick thinking and knowledge of the short cuts through his hometown made it to the vineyard in no time.
The sun barely peaked past the hills and fields. The morning sun risen and blanket the vineyard with it’s warm welcoming rays. They reached Scrap toes as he walked down the gravel road. The cricket climbed out of the tall grass and chirped their melodies as he marched towards the vineyard. Scrap smiled and whistled along. A few cars drove by, but that didn’t stop the crickets or Scrap from their playful melodies. They parked ahead and most of them quickly got out. The workers had arrived and begun heading into their fields. Some looked and spotted the mutt. He waved to them, but they didn’t wave back. They headed to work. Scrap lowered his arm as if he wondered if he had done something wrong. “Um… Well…. That’s some kind of welcome.” He commented and continued his way.
Mr. Cray never mentioned where they were supposed to meet. His vineyard was a vast place. The manor alone was huge. Scrap looked up at the place. Noticed there were so many windows. Why would one wolf have a huge manor like this… and yet so many empty windows. It's weird… Scrap couldn’t stop looking at them. It felt kind of… odd. For every window it felt there were at least a pair of eyes watching him.
He shook his head and put away the thought. It wasn’t the time to be weirded out by this. He had to get to work. He ran to the door and rang the doorbell. A nice melody ranged and echoed through the home, but no one came. He tried the bell again, but to no avail. “MR. CRAY!” Scrap shouted as the melody ceased. “Mr. Cray?! I’m here!”
“"GO TO THE SHED!”" Scrap yipped and slapped his ear. He quickly turned around thinking was just behind him. That whisper was so clear. Someone had to have said it, but there was no one. There had to have been someone. He swore he felt someone’s breathe brush against his chipped ear. "“NOW BOY!”" The whisper shouted in his ear. Scrap yipped like a scared pooch and raced down the road. He spotted what looked to be a shed, rand down that way and quickly headed inside.
Scrap burst in and tripped on his own two feet. He panted and huffed a bit. “You’re late!” Scrap looked up and gasp. Mr. Masson Cray stood in front of him. His arms were crossed together like a wall. His face had a painted scorl, his fangs rested on his lips. He let out a small disappointing growl. Scrap eyes immediately widen and he leaped up on his feet. “Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” he muttered, but his words sounded like they were all thrown together. “I’MSORRYIDIDN’TKNOWWHEREIWAS--” He stopped midway realizing what he said. He then coughed and cleared his throat. “--I mean… I didn’t know where I was supposed to m-m-meet you. I tried your home, rang the doorbell, but I wasn't getting any answers.” He paused and took a huge breath in. Sweat was streamed down his head profusely. This wasn’t going as he planned and now wasn’t making a good impression. He bowed his head to the wolf and constantly apologized.
“That’s enough!” Mr. Cray stated, Scrap immediately ceased. “I suppose that is my fault for not giving you further details. What’s most important is that you’re here and we can start.” He looked at the mutt, paced around him and rubbed his chin. “Please tell me, this isn’t what you planned on wearing today?”
Scrap looked at himself, “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He twirled himself around thinking there was something he was missing or even there was a new torn on his pants or something. There were no new cuts. It was the same as he always wore. He gazed at the wolf and checked out his wear. He appeared to be only wearing overalls.
“Don’t have any other scraps to wear?” He asked, but Scrap didn’t answer. Though the answer was clear to him anyways. Masson slapped his cheek and grumbled, “Doesn’t matter… It will have to do. Here” He said and reached over to grab a pair of overalls. “Change into this quickly! He demanded. “I’ll see you outside.”
Scrap gulped and nodded. Masson walked out and slammed the door to give the mutt some privacy. Quickly, he followed his orders.
“Be Quiet!” Scrap suddenly stopped. He peered in the direction of the door. Sounded as if Masson was talking to someone, but Scrap could barely make it out.
“Don’t tell me things, I already know…” He answered back. A lot of mumbling followed after. “Mhm… Yes… I’ll take care of it.” He stopped for a very long time and the mumbling proceeded. It sounded like there were more people talking. Scrap tried to listen in, but couldn’t make anything of it. “I said… I’ll take care it. Leave the mutt to me!--”
Suddenly he knocked on the door. “MUTT. Are you done?” Scrap jumped and grabbed his mouth to hold in his yip. Masson knocked again impatiently. This time Scrap did yipped and hurried up. A few seconds later Scrap burst through the door and tripped on his feet. “I’M READY!” He yelled back.
Masson glared and snorted. “This way.” He said and walked down a dirt road. Scrap gulped and quickly followed him. They passed by a few workers. Some of them greeted the wolf and bowed their heads in respect. He acknowledged and greeted them with his version of a “hello”. Basically a gruff and a nod. they went back to work. They didn’t even say or greet Scrap as he walked with him.
The pair stopped as some of the workers approached the wolf, carrying what looked to be baskets of berries, grapes and flowers. They didn’t look like the normal kind of fruits Scrap would see at the grocery store. Some appeared to have spikes, a few were shriveled up like raisins and others were as stringy like ribbons. For a minute, Scrap thought they had brought Mr. Cray some candies.
He nodded to them and stated, “Well done,” then he moved onto the next bushel and replied, “These aren’t ready for harvest. I said to pick only the sun dried ones. These are still plump. Set these aside and go collect the correct ones.” His works back away, with sweat and nervously twitching in their faces. They didn’t talk back. They just nodded and frantically head off. ""Jeez…"" Scrap thought, ""Is he a hardass or what?""
Masson stopped and halted Scrap as they came across a paved road. Suddenly a truck came up to them and parked. A blue painted dog came out of the car and handed the wolf a set of keys. “There you go, boss, she's all ready to go.”He stated.
“Thank you, Warren.” the wolf replied and quickly got in. the painted dog looked at Scrap and he looked at him. Suddenly the painted dog smirked and chuckled. Scrap tilted his head and wondered what he was laughing at. “Get in Mutt!” The wolf commanded. Scrap yipped and immediately jumped on his feet. He ran over to the passenger door and opened it. He crashed into the seat and quickly fixed himself up.
Masson drove to a new area of the vineyard. It was pretty shady, with lots of trees and tents covering some of the vines. Masson kept his eyes on the road, while Scrap in his seat, afraid to move. He held his arms together like a little kid who knows he is in trouble. He tried to open his mouth but the moment he does, Masson gazes his way and he quickly shuts it tight.
An awkward 10 minutes later they had finally arrived at their destination. “We are here.” Mr. Cray stated. Scrap peaked out of the window. His curious nose took a couple of whiffs. There were scents of wild flowers and other weird smells Scrap wasn’t so familiar with. “This is where we will be working today.” The vines looked to be very well taken care of. The grapes and berries were displayed out and ready to be picked.
Scrap shrugged and thought, ""Well this doesn’t look too bad."" He walked down and approached one of the rows.
“I should warn you, mutt.” He said and looked towards the mutt, but stopped when he saw Scrap walking into the rows. “WAIT MUTT!”
Scrap quickly turned around, but it was too late for the wolf warning. Suddenly he felt a tug on his leg. When he looked down. He yipped as a thick vine slithered around his leg like a python. He jumped, but immediately was slammed down with great force. He hit the ground and suddenly was yanked into the bushes like a Yoyo. Scrap screamed in terror and yelled out for help. He tried to break free, but more vines wrapped around him and tossed him around the rows. He tried to crawl to Masson, but immediately was thrust back into the fields.
Masson sighed, “turn on the water.” His shadow began to morph and spread out like a pool of water. It then shot towards the fields like a snake and wrapped around one of the water valves. The red wheel quickly blackened and began to turn.
“"Your pet reacted the same way,"” the whisper said to the wolf. “Warren, is not my pet. You know that. He went through the same troubles and he came out strong. You know that.” He replied back to the whispers.
"“Different Dog… yet the same routine. Though this pup… is no good. This job is not fit for him. Why send him here?""
He didn’t answer back, but his attention never left Scrap. Scrap continued to fight off the vines as they slowly slither up his body. He reached down and grabbed the bite and ripped them off with his chompers. Even grabbed some loose stones and beat the vines as they slithered towards him. Masson could have stepped in and saved the mutt, but he still watched him. At least for another few more minutes. Suddenly the sprinklers came on and sprayed the whole area. The vines let out a loud hiss and began to untangle themselves. They released Scrap and he immediately backed away. He crawled out of the field and bumped into Masson. He looked up, completely shocked and out of breath.
“Next time… wait for my instructions.” He stated, but it felt more like a scolding. The water valve turned the other way. The shadow left the valve and returned to Masson side unbeknownst to Scrap.
He grabbed Scrap by his collar, hoisted him up and shoved a barrel in his arms. “Now… let’s get to work before these vines dry themselves.” Masson headed into his row while Scrap walked into his. He immediately started picking the grapes and berries. “Better get started pup, these vines dry up quickly.” Scrap stood there bewildered, but it quickly snapped back into state. He grabbed his barrel and approached the entrance to his row.
Listen to my instructions, Mutt.” The wolf stated. He held up a particular cluster of grapes. “I expect you to learn this quickly. These are the grapes I need. Look at the colors and feel them around.” He passed them to him, they grapes felt rather soft, but the skin of them was so loose. If he didn’t handle them carefully they could instantly rip apart. The colors weren’t the normal grape colors. Rather they had a pink and blue shade with them. “They are very easy to pick, but are very delicate. I need them intact. Smooshed or ripped won’t do. Now this is another one I also need.”
""PAY ATTENTION…"" Scrap yipped and jumped. He gazed around for whoever said that. It didn’t sound like Mr. Cray, rather it sounded deep and raspy. No one else was in the fields. It was just them.
He held up a cluster of berries, though they had the same colors of the grapes, but they were oddly shaped, Some appeared to be spiked, while others appeared to be long wiggly lines. “You’ll find these on the tougher branches. It will take a couple of pulls to break these off. Observe.” He demonstrated though for him he only did 2 tugs and they came off. “It’s quite a workout. But it should take you at least three tugs for them to come out. Now… This is another one I need.”
The wolf ducked down and pulled out a vine that looked to be blooming some estranged flowers. He held up the vine as if he was holding a trophy. “I need you to pick these flowers. As you can see.” He pointed to one flower with black pedals. “Pick only the black pedals.” Then move over another, “The black pedals with the red veins, leave them alone. They are not ready. They are very similar. But to a trained eye you can catch the difference. Now these vines happened to be deep inside the bushes, so I suggest you wear gloves for these.” He showed more of the vine and it appeared that they happen to have prickly thorns on them. “I recommend you do this for last. Right now, I’m more interested in these grapes and berries. Do you understand, Mutt?”
He turned around and spotted the mutt gazing somewhere else like something out in the yonder fields was more important than his instructions. This made him give a solid growl, Scrap’s ears immediately picked up and he stood up straight and faced the wolf. The wolf approached him and towered over the mutt. The mutt face had reached his pecs. He huffed and repeated. “Do I make myself clear, MUTT?”
Scrap backed away for a second, tried to remember the instructions, but his mind went blank for a minute. Suddenly it came back. ""That’s right! Get the grapes with the thin skin and weird colors. The spiked ones, the long wiggle berries, and the black petals with red veins… NO THE ONES WITH NO VEINS."" Scrap smiled nervously and nodded.
"“SAY IT MUTT!”" the whispers hollered in his ear. He yipped, but caught his mouth as the yip was coming, but instead cleared his throat as he tried to hide it. “Um… Y-yes Masson… I mean, Mr. Cray.
He glared at him. Scrap ears lowered themselves as if he was expecting a backlash. But Masson didn’t say anything. Instead he walked past him and continued his work. Scrap let out a long sigh, “Okay… not the best start but don’t let this get to you.” He told himself and ran into the field. Unfortunately he ran into his first problem. The ground was too wet. His foot submerged into the mud and went up to his ankle. “UGH…” He groaned. He looked over to see Mr. Cray was looking back at him. He smiled and waved back at him awkwardly. The wolf shook his head and continued to work.
""How is he able to walk through these rows with ease?"" The mutt wondered, but smacked his head. “No… NO! You can do this... “ He told himself and took another step. His foot submerged again, but after a few more tries he was able to move around.
Just as Mr. Cray said the grapes were easy to collect, but what was difficult was not squishing them and finding the right ones. He prayed whatever he collected were the right ones. A few bushes in, Scrap managed to fill his bucket halfway with just the grapes. The swiggle and pointed berries, which is what he called those, proved to be even harder than what Masson described. Especially the pointed ones.
Mr. Cray demonstrated how easy they were to pluck. In one, two, sometimes three plucks they came out. How did he expect him to do this? Scrap tried the three tugs, but to no avail. He tried even a big tug; but, the branch snapped with no berries and Scrap fell back into the mudd.
“UGh… Oh man…”He grumbled into the mud.
“I ain’t paying you to play in the mud. Get back to work!” the wolf stated. Scrap jumped back up and nodded a frantic yes.
“Okay… Okay… You can do this.” He said to himself as he tried again, but it kept ending back in the mud. One the last attempt, Scrap gripped the berry with both hands. “One…” He tugged, “Two…” another tugged, “THREE!” Just like that. The berry snapped out of its stem. Scrap held it up high in victory and shouted “I GOT IT!”
“Quit you’re yippin, pup. Back to work!“ The wolf shouted and killed his joy. His words were rough, but it brought Scrap back to realization and the task at hand.
It took a while, a long time per say, but Scrap has gotten the hang of the task. He’s even avoiding the slithery vines as they come. His buckets were coming along. Mr. Cray had finished the lines. Noticing the vines are starting to get lively, he turned on the sprinklers. Scrap yipped and tripped on one of the sprinklers as they sprayed the vines and bushes. The wolf shook his hand and growled. “Don’t stand there. KEEP PICKING!” Scrap quickly got up and nodded. He shook some of the water off and continued. Thank god for this wet resistance fur. He thought to him.
Masson watched Scrap struggled, but he noticed how persistent he was. Most workers he had working this job always quite halfway or the vines usually scare them off. So far him and Warren were the only ones who had stay and tried to finish the work. A grin was starting to rise on the wolf face, but was immediately cut by the whispers.
His shadow came alive and flung his arms around as if it was arguing with the wolf. "“Ugh… you’re painted pet does a better job than this mongrel. Why keep him here?”"
“I have my reasons.” The wolf said in a low, but a demanding tone. His shadow back away for a second, but eased his way back to him.
“"Sometimes I hate what you’re thinking.”" He didn’t answer. ""It’s all worth keeping that mutt around. You know how dangerous he can be."" He didn’t answer again.
It has been some tiresome work, but the job was finally done. At least the row he was one. Barrels and baskets full of the berries, grapes, and the petals lined up against the entrance. Most of them were done by Mr. Cray. Scrap may have at least filled up one or two. As Scrap brought up his other basket to the other pile. He dropped and laid flat on the ground, panted heavily, his tongue dropped down like a yoyo, his paws twitched and ached from all the picketing. His feet, ankles and the bottom legs of the overall were covered in dried mud and berry juice. His shirt was stained completely with bit of mud, water and his sweat. His muscles throbbed like a heartbeat, each thump was a pulsating sore.
“Fine work, pup.” The wolf said as he wrote something on a clipboard and placed it in the pickup truck. He then grabbed his barrels and began to load them into his truck. He stopped and gazed at Scrap’s pile. “Hmm…” he said as he examined his work. “Didn’t expect you to do so well on your try.” He then grabbed Scrap’s barrels and loaded them into his truck. “You did well, pup. Take a break while I deliver these. I’ll be back.”
Masson gets into the truck and quickly takes off. A few of the berries fell form the truck and landed close to Scrap. He reached out and grabbed a couple and examined them further. “What’s all the big hype for these?” He said. He brought them to his nose and sniffed a couple of times. They gave a rather earthy scent. “How are you supposed to eat these?” He wondered. Their skin was rough. Not even his claws could scratch the skin. He tried to break it in half, but ended up ripping the fruit. The juice exploded out all over his overalls. The seeds splattered around. The juice was so sticky, but it tasted so bland. He thought maybe it was the seeds you’re supposed to eat like a pomegranate. But like the juice it was bland. “Ugh…” He groaned and tried to scratch the seeds and juice off his tongue.
He tried the swiggle berries next. Now those were delicious. He took a bit at the end and the juicy gushed out like a slushie through a straw. He was greeted with wonderful flavors. “OH MY GOD… WHY HAVEN”T I HAVENT I EVER EATEN THIS FRUIT?” He shouted, thinking he was saying it too himself. His cheeks flustered a bit and he grabbed a couple more fruits and placed them to the side. “HOPE HE DOESN’T MIND ME TAKING SOME FOR MYSELF. I’LL PAY FOR THEM… SOME DAY.
Mr. Cray hadn’t returned, Scrap wondered where he could have gone. The vineyard was a big place, so there was plenty of places he could go.
The heat was coming down on him. Scrap took refugee under a shady tree, but it wasn’t enough to stop his panting breath. He wiped his brawl and shook his head. His sweat flung off his fur. He gazed over and spotted a couple of other workers in the distance. They continued to work despite the harshness and the heat. ""How does everyone do this job? My fingers are still aching."" He turned his attention back to the rows. The vines were still slithering around like active snakes. His face cringed a bit. ""I wonder if the journal would make things easier… maybe at first, but how much do you wanna bet it will turn it into a Body Snatcher situation?""
He shook his head. “You know what!” He said and slammed his fist against his paw. “I can do this! I don’t need the journal. I didn’t need it back then. And I don’t need it now!” He got up and approached the sprinklers.
""Wait for the wolf."" Scrap turned around as he thought someone had said something to him. Still no one around. Scrap gulped and felt a little uneasy everytime he heard that whisper. Couldn’t shake the thought that this time the whisper sounded just like him.
He turned on the sprinklers, the whisper said again. Wait for the wolf, but Scrap shook it off. “I can do this. Mr. Cray will be impressed with what I can do!” the sprinklers sprayed the rows. The vine gave a little hiss and backed away into the bushes. A rainbow appeared over the fields. Scrap smiled and wagged his tail. He reached and grabbed some of the empty barrel. Turned off the sprinklers and walked into the fields and began harvesting the crops.
Scrap repeated the instructions Mr. Cray had instructed. At first, they weren’t working. He kept squishing the grapes and berries. The flowers he managed to take, most of them had the red veins on them and the ones he wanted were extremely hard to find. The whispers kept echoing in his head. ""Wait for the Wolf. You’re ruining the crop. Stop it Mongrel!"" All of them sounded extremely negative as if they were trying to put him down, but Scrap kept going… until finally he managed to do it right!” Halfway through the picking, his first barrel was filled. “Alright!” He shouted and went back to work.
A while later the truck had finally arrived. The barrels and basket were emptied and ready to be filled. Masson parked the truck and got out. He grabbed some of the barrels and barrels and placed them by his side. He let out a sigh and combed his hair back with his paw. “Okay… Mutt.” He huffed, picked up some of the barrels and headed into the fields. “Your break is over! Time to head… back… to… work.” He dropped his barrels. His words slurred as he reached one of the rows. They were completely picked.
They’re were five small barrels, baskets, even canisters and other miscellaneous items used to store the harvest. Bits of juice seeped through dn trailed down to the ground forming small puddles. His ears peaked and he turned to the side only to see Scrap limping out. He groaned and huffed with a raspy voice as he tried to place another makeshift barrel next to the others. Once he placed it down, Scrap collapsed and rolled over to Masson feet.
His tongue rolled out a like a red carpet and flopped over to his side. He gazed up and met the wolf's gaze. He tried to lift up his paw, but it flopped back to the ground. The pup was dead tired, he didn’t have any strength left to even lift a finger. “T-there… Y-Y-You… Go!” He huffed out a couple of wheezing words. Every word took a big inhale to say. “I… J-J-Just… Need-d… A… Few… M-M-Mor-re to… G--” He couldn’t finish that sentence.
Masson gazed at his done. The Mutt had worked hard, rather did an impressive job, though there was still more to be done, but there was no way He could do it all. “That won’t be necessary.” He stated. He grabbed his empty barrels he dropped and walk passed him. The sprinklers turned on themselves and as soon as the land was good and wet they shut off. “Sit this one out.” Scrap huffed and rolled onto his stomach. He tried to stand, but could barely find his balance.
“Wait…” He said, but he sounded more like a wheezing pant. “I can keep going…”
HE turned around. His eyes beamed with a halting stare. Scrap suddenly stopped and backed away. “There no doubt in my mind that you are capable of progressing; however, your body tells a different story. Scrap took a step forward, but suddenly felt his feet clamped to the ground. Like something had shackled his legs. Suddenly he was pulled away and tossed to one of the benches. Scrap tried to move, but found that his body wouldn’t respond. Something was keeping him there.
Masson coughed and said to himself. “Don’t let the mutt enter the fields.” His shadow nodded as he appeared behind Scrap, his limbs had clamped his legs while his other arms held his shoulders down. Scrap muttered and tried to break free from his invisible hold. He can feel whatever was holding him down digging into his fur.
""STOP MOVING OR I’LL RIP YOUR ARMS OFF."" Scrap yipped and shut his mouth. The whisper, though it sounded like Scrap. It was more meaner and demanding. ""You will do as the wolf said. You will stay here until the wolf says otherwise. Nod if you understand."" Scrap was afraid to move, but his body moved on his own. He nodded frantically.
""Good!"" The whisper ended and seemed to had vanished.
It didn’t take too long for Mr. Cray to fill up his baskets and barrels. He did twice the work Scrap did, and he didn’t seem any tired at all. He loaded the barrels and basket inside his truck. Scrap was about to say something, but he just got in his car and left. Scrap let out a soft groan and lowered his head. "“Did I do something wrong?”" He wondered.
The sun had reached the mountain side. Meaning it was already 6:00 PM. The workers, from the far fields had gathered their supplies and gears, stored their harvest in the warehouses and containers, and the rest had left for the day. The evening was here. The outdoor lights had turned on. ”Oh great…” Scrap muttered to himself. “How am I going to get home?”
His legs were sore and trembling, Standing up proved to be a problem even if he was able to move. “Ugh… I can’t believe this.” He tried to stand, but felt a sudden push back to the bench.
""ORDERS WERE TO WAIT HERE, TILL THE WOLF SAID."" the voice had returned more louder than before. Scrap whimpered and covered his ears. He grumbled to himself and gazed at the field. Masson had left a while ago, to deliver the last harvest he had collected. He worried that he had forgotten about him.
In the distance, Scrap spotted Masson’s truck approaching. This time there were barrels or baskets. He seemed to be coming to pick him up. The car approached the bench. “Let him go already.” He said, though Scrap had no idea what he meant, but immediately he felt whatever was holding him down suddenly released him. His body jumped suddenly, as all the pent up energy he held back suddenly was released. and he fell face first into the mud. Masson huffed and said, “Ride in the trunk. No way you’re dirtying my truck.”
Scrap got up and shook himself. The mud flew off and some had splattered against his car. “M-M-MASSON… I MEAN MR. CRAY!” he ran and bumped into the truck. He quickly picked himself up and got in the truck. “I’mallreadyforthenextjob!ifyouneedme.”
The wolf didn’t reply. Instead he started the car and proceeded to drive off. Scrap opened his mouth, but fell back as the car took off. The car drove quickly through the vineyard. Every time Scrap tried to say something the bumps on the road kept cutting his words.
After what seemed to be a quick ten minute drive they had arrived at the manor. Masson parked the truck next to the shed and got out. Scrap grumbled and tried to say something again, but the wolf already left and headed inside the shed. “Wait! Mr. Cray!” He fell out of the car and quickly ran into the shed. “MR. CRAY!” He shouted and entered, but was thrown out and the door shut.
“WAIT YOUR TURN MUTT!” The wolf screamed back at him, seeing that he was undressing out of his overalls.
Scrap stood by the entrance of the shed. His fingers tapped together as he waited for Mr. Cray to leave the shed. Moments later, the door opened and Masson walked out. Dressed in his white button down shirt and black slacks. He looked over to the mutt said, Scrap gulped and opened his mouth but immediately was cut by him.
“You’re done for the day, pup.” He said and adjusted his shirt. “Clean yourself up and report to my manor to receive your payment.
“What?” He said, but then felt something grabbed him and pulled him into the shed. “Wait,” Scrap grabbed onto the door handle and tried to pull himself free from the invisible grasp. What the hell is up with this place. He thought. Suddenly his paw lets go and he was thrown into the shed.
Scrap got up, but the door instantly shut tight. “MR. CRAY!” Scrap shouted and pulled the door. ""GET OUT OF THOSE GARMENT AND INTO YOUR WEAR. YOU HEARD THE WOLF."" Scrap yipped and jumped back away from the door. Scrap gulped as his body trembled like a chihuahua. Seeing that there was no choice, He does what he was told.
It took longer to change out of his overalls. The mud, juice and watered down parts really weighed them down. And his arms still stiffened and pulsated with aches and pains. His panting had increased dramatically. The work had left a toll on his body, but he knew if just made it home and rested for a couple of hours he should be back and ready to work again. The overalls were finally off and Scrap flung them towards a hamper. They hit the hamper with a heavy splat. “Alright…” He huffed and leaned against the door. Still huffing and panting. “Now I’ll just… head over.
He opened the door only to see Masson standing right infront of him. Scrap huffed and raised his head ready to say something, but Masson suddenly handed him something.
“Here.” Mason he said. In his hands happened to be one of his water bottles.
“Huh?” Scrap muttered and tilted his head.
“What are you waiting for, Mutt. take it!” He said and shook the bottle. Scrap, still bewildered, accepted the bottle. It was cold to the touch. “You need to stay hydrated.”
He fumbled for a bit as he tried to open it, but it eventually popped open. His curious nose took a whiff of the water as if he expected there was something funny about it. But he couldn't smell anything. He shrugged and took a couple of sips. Right then, Scrap’s eyes widened and his pupils dilated back. It was so delicious… the best water he had in ages. What was strange… his body felt rejuvenated. Like all the aches and pains he bore suddenly vanished. His energy swooped back in and was fully charged. He was ready to take on the world again. “Woah… this is good and I… feel great.”
Masson brought out one of his berries, the spike one. “Snapperback berries, is what I called them.” He cracked it opened and pulled it apart. “Their pretty bland if you eat it as it is, but mixed with water, or any other liquids… tends to give it a rather energetic boost. Mixed together with these,--” In his other hand he held the ribbon berries. “--Stranners, I call them, make a very delicious taste. These here taste exactly like candy as I know you know.” Scrap gulped and chuckled nervously seeing that his pockets were stuffed full of the two and the other grapes. ""I am going to pay for them…""
“Um…” Scrap said and scratched the back of his. “T-Thank y-you sir.” He stuttered nervously and took another sip of his drink. Before he knew it he had finished the whole bottle.
“Don’t mention it.” he firmly said. He stretched back, a few of his joints popped like little snappers. “For a scrawny mutt, you did a good job. Just like my right hand man when he first did this.”
“So… is there anything else you need?” Scrap’s tail thumped excitedly, hoping he could still work another few hours.
“No.” that shot down his happiness.” That’s all the work I needed you for. I’ll make sure you’re compensated for your time. Meet me at my office in a few.” Scrap gulped and nodded. “And mutt. If I find out you dragged in mud into my home. I’ll make sure you won't hear the end of it. Do I make myself clear?” Scrap gulped, but coughed raspy as the chunk of air went down the hole. But he held up thump to let him know he understood.
“Good.” Masson ended and headed over to the manor.
Scrap swallow a huge gulp of air. His body trembled as he went up and ready to knock on the door, but suddenly was greeted with a weird family whisper. "“Enter PUP!”" Immediately Scrap yipped and fell back off the steps. He backed away and looked around for whoever had said that. It was then, he spotted what looked to be a speaker box right next to the door. “Do’ooh… man he nearly gave me a heart attack.” He said and approached the door.
When he entered his home, Masson wasn’t around. Rather no one was. This home would be big to fill his whole staff. Though it doesn’t make sense why the wolf would live alone. He stepped a few step and suddenly was greeted again. "“TO HIS OFFICE!"" The whisper suddenly hissed. "“NOW PUP!”" Scrap jumped again from the sudden surprise. He ran and took a left, but hit his knee against one of his coffee table. “OW!: He muttered and hopped down the hallway until he bumped into someone.
“OOF…” he said as fell back and rubbed the back of his head. The other person let out a small groan. Scrap looked and immediately gasped. The painted dog from before. He groaned a bit, and stood up. He looked his way and extended his hand to help the pup up.
Scrap apologized frantically, but the other dog stopped him. “It’s alright, man. Just watch yourself next time.” Scrap ceased and nodded. The painted dog scratched his head and said, “I’m guessing you’re here to see Mr. Cray.” Scrap didn't say a word but nodded to every question. “Calm down, man.” He said and placed his paw on his shoulder. “His office is just up the stairs to your left. It’s not that hard to miss.”
“Oh...umthanks.” Scrap stopped and cleared his throat. “Thanks again… Um…”
“It’s Warren.” he said and patted his shoulder again. He smiled and said, “You can call me Warren. You don’t need to be so formal with me. I’m not Mr. Cray” He laughed and walked pass him. “By the way… Good job today. Boss told me how you did today. Not bad for a rookie. Especially working in those fields.”
A grin drew on the mutt face. His tail wagged a bit, but suddenly was cut when a sudden whisper screamed out, “"QUIT DAWDLIN! MOVE MUTT!”" He yipped and raced to his office. Scrap burst in and blurted out. “I’M HERE! I’M HERE!” Like before, as he burst in he bumped into a small coffee table. It dropped and clattered to the floor. Thankfully nothing was on it.
Mr. Cray grunted and sighed, his shadow darted under him to the table and it lifted up back to its normal spot like magic. Scrap didn’t even notice it. “This better not be a habit of you mutt” He gets off his seat and walks over to his desk. He pulls out a wine bottle and serves himself a glass. “If you break anything in my home, you better be prepared to pay for it.” Scrap gulped and nodded frantically. “Take a seat boy,” he said and Scrap quickly scurried to the first chair he saw. Masson took a big sip of his wine and let out a sigh. “Now… for your compensation for the day.” He walked back to his desk and pulled out a checkbook. He wrote something down, ripped it, and handed it over to Scrap. “This should cover it.”
“Wait… WHAT!?” Scrap gasped at the numbers written on the check. He turned to the wolf and said, “Um… T-This can’t b-be right? I mean this is more than I normally get doing other jobs. Heck, more than I make at the Library.”
“Is there a problem?” The wolf stated. Scrap jumped, clutched his mouth and shook his head. “Good. Now be on your way.” He said and turned himself away.
Scrap looked at the check, but there was a feel of guilt ridden in the back of his mind. Part of him was happy to receive this payment, but the other part of him felt the opposite. All the harsh looks and weird vibes Masson had given throughout the day. The mutt felt like he really didn’t deserve this. “Um… C-Can I ask you something… Mr. Cray.”
“Are you still here?” The wolf replied with a slight annoyance in his voice. He stood up and walked over to his large view window. The wolf finished his glass of wine.
Scrap felt the tension tightened, it suddenly felt like a heavy weight was just dropped on him. “W-W-W-Well… ahem… I know we don’t really meet eye to eye, sort of say…” His words immediately began to stutter. Masson turned his head, raised an eyebrow to the pup. His heart dropped and nervously began to sweat profusely. He suddenly turned around to face him again. All of a sudden Scrap forgot what he wanted to ask. He looked up and gazed into the wolf’s red eyes. He felt so small compared to him, he never realized how tall he was. But it was those eyes that told a different story. He felt so scared like the wolf was ready to attack and snap his neck.
“Mutt.” He said, Scrap immediately yipped and jumped back from his seat. “My thoughts of me and of what I think shouldn’t matter. I am hard on everyone, because I see potential in all. Just like your former employer Mrs. Jenner saw in you. Though I still can’t see why she insisted on me keeping you. Though I’m starting to see it bits by bits. But that said… I cannot treat you differently than anyone I employ.
Scrap sighed and felt a huge relief lifted from his shoulders. The room didn’t feel so heavy any more. “As so… You did a good job, pup.” Scrap looked up. Masson served himself another drink and said, “You managed to follow my orders and exceeded my expectations.” Scrap smiled a little, his tail wagged against the chair. “However,” His tail stopped, “the only issue I've seen is that you don’t pace yourself. These jobs in the fields demand labor. If you don’t watch yourself you’ll end up becoming nutrients for my fields.” He took a sip of his drink and then walked back to his seat. “I can’t have that on my property.”
“Oh… right.” The mutt lowered his head and sighed a bit. “Well thanks for the clarification. I guess I’ll see you next time then--”
“Mutt.” The wolf said. Scrap yipped and stood up straight like a pencil. “Be back here first thing on Friday.”
“Huh?” He said bewildered. “B-But ain’t I scheduled to be at the library that day?”
“Don’t worry about your shift mutt. I could use more helping hands around here than in the library. I can pay you the same amount if you prefer. Unless you have something else planned that day?” The wolf turned his face slightly and raised an eyebrow to him. His eyes gleamed a bit, Scrap gulped and thought about it for a moment, but nothing came to mind.
Mr. Cray smirked, “Then it settled. Come to the vineyard on Friday. Don’t worry about your shift at the library. We’ll get someone to cover it.” Scrap opened his mouth, but immediately shut it as if he had nothing to say. All he could do was nod in agreement.
Scrap walked out of his office. Down the stairs he went, but stopped for a second. The hairs on the back of his head started to rise. He turned around expecting to see something behind him. He didn’t see anyone, but noticed a shadow peeking from upstairs. It dart back into the hallway, leading into Masson’s office. It was a large shadow, very similar to Mr. Cray, Scrap for a second thought Masson was looking at him. He shrugged and then headed towards the door.
Scrap left the manor finally. He looked up and noticed the stars were starting to dazzle. “Can’t believe I’ve been here that long.” he took out the check and examined it one more time. One day… he made that much. Mr. Cray must have been very generous today. A little grin started to form, but stopped. There appeared to be something written on the back of the check. "“How did I miss this?”" He thought for a second as he read what was written.
“Wear proper attire next time you come. There is enough money for you to buy some quality attire.”
-- M. Cray
Scrap sighed and put the check back in his pocket. “God… what is wrong with what I’m wearing?” He said and headed back home. It was a long walk, but a nice stroll down the road could be nice.
Though unbeknownst to him as he walked down the road back home. Masson stood out of his balcony. He watched the mutt leave his property. A smirk wanted to rise, but he remained with his same serious gaze. He gripped tightly on the balcony rail as if he was ready to break it off. His other hand held his glass of wine and gently swung it around.
“ARRGH!” Something screamed behind him. He didn’t turn around. Instead kept watching the mutt as he left. Suddenly there was a big crash as if something flew across the room and smashed against the wall. A rush of air thrust behind him as if something was trying to get his attention. “WHY!” it shouted again, his shadow. “WHY BRING HIM BACK!” The shadow screamed and pestered him. Though the wolf didn’t answer him. He tossed another thing towards Masson. It missed and smashed against his wall. “YOU WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT MUTT. YOU WHAT YOU WANT. WHY ARE YOU PROLONGING THIS CHARADE.”
Masson kept ignoring his banter. He then took a sip of his drink. A piece of furniture flew pass him and crashed outside. Scrap was far away to hear the crash. Masson growled and turned to face the shadow as it engulfed the room and grew so big it nearly pushed Masson out.
“Pick that up.” He ordered the shadow. It just growled back. “I will not have your pathetic tantrums ruin my home.” It snarled and snapped back like a vicious monster trying to scare a little kid. It didn’t work. It then grabbed him by his neck, ready to squeeze it tight, but Masson again showed no fear to that shadow. “Pick that up and fix it!” He ordered again… his eyes beamed that red glow. His shadow leaned to him and flashed his bright eyes to him. For a long time they stared into each other, but eventually the shadow back down and let him go. The broken furniture soon was surrounded by a black mass and then disappeared into it. It turned to the room, morphed around as if it was good as new.
“Now…” He coughed a second. “Calm down. Return to your normal state.” He ordered… the shadow backed down, the room returned to normal as the shadow began to recollect itself. The broken furniture, vases and other things that had been thrown around were absorbed into the shadow, but were placed back to their original spots like nothing had happened to it. The room returned normal. Masson sighed and coughed a couple of times before finishing his drink and leaving his balcony.
“The mutt’s power is too unpredictable. You know that… Why keep him close.” The shadow demanded in his whispers. Masson walked out the room and headed towards his bedroom. “Let me take control of him… Let me have his body!”
“Answer me!” The shadowed in his ear. “I am getting tired of waiting!”
“Patience, you.” He said as he walked into his room. He slowly started to undress and hang up his clothes. “In time, I will have the mongrel’s power.” He slipped into something else.
“I can take it with ease. You just have to say the word.” It said with a large hiss in each of his words.
“I know what I’m doing. It’s not the first time I’ve dealt with an Author… And it won’t be the last.”
---
Long awaited story featuring Scrap and Masson. Art was done by
BaschScrap and Masson belong to me
Scrapbook
Category All / General Furry Art
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1280 x 720px
File Size 291.6 kB
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