Archive of Our Own

(If you are reading this on any PAY site this is a STOLEN WORK, the author has NOT Given Permission for it to be here. If you're paying to read it, you're being cheated too because you can read it on Archiveofourown for FREE.)

When they brought the kid in, Howard wasn't sure at first what it was. The kid was skin and bones, and ragged clumps of dull yellow fur. He didn't smell sick, though, so Howard licked his mustache into order and came over to introduce himself while his people watched.

The kid stood tall and brave for a moment before flopping on the kitchen floor. He gave Howard an indignant look while scrambling awkwardly back to his feet.

Howard liked the kid's guts. It wasn't easy coming into someone else's territory, especially when you were so weak. He grinned. "Wait'll they wax it, then we can really fly." He went over to his cabinet, nosed it open and found the round thing that holds snacks. "I'm Howard," he muttered around the thing as he brought it over to the kid who really looked like he could use all the snacks he could get. He dropped it in front of the kid and pushed it around until a treat fell out.

The kid gulped the treat down. His tail gave a tentative wag. "I'm Steve."

Steve got all sorts of special chewies and powders and stuff on his food. Howard thought it all smelled great and would have liked some himself, but even when he sat up and folded his paws and looked incredibly adorable, his people said only Steve could have it. Some kind of experiment.

That was the downside of having veterinarian people. If Howard so much as sneezed it was temperature taking time.

The experiment worked really well for Steve. His eyes stayed puppy blue, but over the next few months the rest of him grew really, really big and his coat filled out thick. Howard heard his people saying Steve was probably a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Siberian Husky.

Steve looked sad when he overheard them saying that it was a shame he couldn't have papers. Howard sniffed. "Papers are for puppies. Big dogs use the yard." Then Howard went to the door and lifted his leg, waiting until his people noticed he wanted to go out. He had them fairly well trained, except for the not sharing the special goodies. Steve ran around the yard with Howard taking shortcuts to keep up with him, until Steve flung himself down, panting.

"I don't care that I'm a mutt," Steve growled. "That doesn't mean I'm worthless."

"Of course not," Howard replied, sniffing to see if maybe a couple crumbs of the special food were caught in Steve's ruff.

"That doesn't mean they can just throw us to the Red Skull!" Steve got up and ran some more, before Howard could ask what he meant.

Steve got taken out to show off how well the chewies and powders worked. He always came back and told Howard it was boring and stupid. He wanted to do something useful! For a while Howard sympathized, then finally he snapped. "How do you think I feel? I'm a genius, and what does it get me? I get to sit here and watch television while you're gone. Animal Planet shows all these dogs having exciting lives and I never get off the property!" Howard went to his bed and laid down for a good sulk.

After a minute Steve came over and nudged him with his nose. "Wanna make a break for it, Howard?"

Howard rolled his eyes at Steve. "I said I was a genius. That means I'm too smart to starve on the street."

"Not forever, Howard." Steve eyed him in appeal. "I just... want to find my old friends."

Howard's ear twitched. "What old friends?"

"The ones who lived with me in the kennel. The bad place." Steve was quiet for so long that Howard almost fell asleep. "Where they fed us to the Red Skull."

Howard flipped over onto his feet. "What?"

"The people there... they want dogs that fight. That kill other dogs. The Red Skull's crazy. Even the people are afraid of him. I think he'd kill people if he could."

Howard sat down and scratched his ear. "You don't just want to find your friends, do you?"

Steve smiled at Howard. "Will you help me, Howard?"

Howard stretched and licked his 'stache smooth. "Why not? It sounds like fun."

Steve grumbled as Howard tugged on the straps of his harness. "I don't know why we have to wear these."

"It's all part of my cunning plan," Howard muttered around a mouthful of leather. "There." He spit out the soggy strap and grinned. "Didn't you ever notice that we get zapped if we try to go out of the yard without our people?"

"Sure. But it's not that bad. I could still get out."

"Yes, we all know how brave and strong you are." Howard sat and scratched at the small piece of metal on his harness. "But with these on, it won't hurt at all."

Steve ran out of the yard. "You're right!"

"Of course I am." Howard trotted after Steve. "Now, which way do we go?"

Steve turned around a few times, sniffing, before he nodded. "That way. I can smell Peggy."

"Maybe I should invite her to fondue."

Steve looked at Howard. "She's not the type."

"Everyone likes fondue." Howard followed Steve across the street.

"How far is it?" Howard sat down, panting desperately. His legs weren't long enough to keep up with Steve at full gallop. Steve stopped and turned back to Howard.

"Not much farther."

"You have no idea, do you?"

Steve's ears drooped. "No, but I can tell we're going in the right direction. The scent is stronger."

"I've seen you sniff out one treat crumb across the yard. Buried in a can." Howard licked his sore footpad. "You might be able to run all day, but I can't."

"I'll come back for you."

Howard looked around and his gaze locked onto some people sitting at a bus bench. "I have a better idea. Follow my lead." He went over to the bench and sat down beside it, looking straight ahead. The people were reading newspapers and didn't notice him.

Steve sat down next to Howard. "We're not moving, Howard."

"We will be. When that big car stops here, the people will get on. Try to get on with one of the people wearing sunglasses."

Steve flicked an ear, uncertainly. "Are you sure this will work?"

"It does for the dogs on Animal Planet."

After the second bus driver refused to take them on, Steve gave Howard a look of deep disappointment.

"Of course, the dogs on Animal Planet got the people wearing sunglasses to hold their harnesses."

"And how are we going to do that, Howard?"

Howard whined. He hated it when an experiment failed. Just then another bus pulled up and two young men who'd been sitting on the bench watching Steve and Howard repeatedly fail to get a ride got up and took hold of their harnesses. Howard looked up to see the man holding his harness put on sunglasses and grin down at him. He wagged his tail. They got on the bus, all four of them.

Howard didn't know how Steve kept track of the scent while they were on the bus, but after quite a while, long enough for Howard to thoroughly wash each of his aching feet, Steve whined and tugged at his harness. The young men obligingly made the bus stop and they got off with Steve and Howard. Steve barked a polite thank you and shook himself free and was off like a rocket. Howard sighed, whuffed until the man holding his harness let go, and followed Steve at a determined trot. Behind him he could hear the men laughing.

They were in a very different place from home. Howard's nose wrinkled. No trees or grass or anything interesting at all, just big, ugly buildings that had hardly any windows. The occasional dog they saw was rough and mean-looking, and locked up behind ugly metal fences around the ugly buildings. Howard stuck close to Steve, so close he bumped into him when Steve stopped and sniffed loudly along the edge of a door.

"This is the place."

"This is it?" Howard is surprised because Steve had called it a kennel. He'd come from a kennel and sometimes had to stay in another one when his people went away. None of the kennels he knew were anything like this. He moved close to sniff. "Dogs. Many dogs. And a lot of mess. And... blood." Howard's hackles rose.

Steve was whining softly in frustration as he pawed at the door, even getting on his hind legs to chew at the knob. "Can't... can't get in." He growled and threw himself against the door. Howard flinched.

"Doors are harder than dogs, Steve."

"I have to get in! Peggy is there! And Bucky! And..." Steve looked around wildly. On the side of the building there was a metal platform with a metal ladder going down a little way.

Howard followed Steve's gaze. "You can't reach that!"

"Watch me!" Steve ran and leaped, his jaws clamping shut on the bottom rung of the ladder. He dangled. The ladder moved down an inch or so and then stopped.

Howard gathered up his strength and jumped as high as he could. He got a mouthful of Steve's tail and hung on. The ladder suddenly clanged down to the ground, knocking Steve and Howard off. Before Howard could catch his breath, Steve was climbing the ladder, up the platform and inside the building. Howard said, "Well, I'm not staying out here by myself!" and struggled up after Steve.

Howard's fur was bristling all over. This place smelled bad, really bad. Worse than being sick or dirty. It was dark, with the only light coming from thin breaks in the metal walls up high. He could hear his own claws ticking slowly on the cement floor. He could hear Steve running ahead of him. Steve could see better than Howard, too. Then Howard began to hear the dogs. Whines, and whimpers and slow howls of absolute misery. He really didn't want to go closer. But he had to. Steve was there.

And then there was a noise that Howard didn't think a dog could make. It was more like a lion's roar. He swallowed hard, and barked to get up his own courage, bouncing a few times before the fear was pushed back and he was running, running as fast as he could and then there was light. A big light hanging down from someplace so high he couldn't see it, not that he was looking up because what was on the ground was so horrible he couldn't look away. It was a pit, round, with seats for people all around, and beyond that there were stacks of cages with dogs, but in the pit... in the pit there was a red dog chained to a heavy stake driven in the center of the pit. And the red dog was roaring and... Howard hoped it was a very strong chain because the dog was insane and all bone and muscle. He looked strong enough to take on a lion, and certainly crazy enough to try.

Then Steve jumped down into the pit, shouting, "Bucky!"

Howard yelped. "Steve! No, don't go near him!"

"He killed Bucky!"

And yes, there was a dead dog in the pit. Dead and... partly eaten. Howard's ears went back and he whined as Steve met the red dog, fangs against fangs, forelegs tangling, hind legs pushing each other. "Get the others out!" Steve shouted between snarls.

Howard hesitated a moment, then went to the cages. Oh, he could do this. Lift this with his teeth, pull sideways, push down. A skinny dog sprang past him, running towards the front of the building. He worked as fast as he could, trying not to be distracted by the increasing pain in his jaws, or by the horrible noise coming from the pit, or by the rush of confused dogs running into him as often as away. He pulled the last latch and turned again to the pit. Steve was streaked with red, but still raging and fighting the Red Skull.

And then the chain snapped. The Red Skull rolled over and over in reaction, stunned when he slammed into the wall. Steve snarled and moved towards him. Howard shouted, "Steve! Your friends! We have to get them away!"

Steve paused. His ears went up. "Someone's coming! Everyone, by the doors! And be quiet!"

They all crouched in the darkness near the thin edge of light around the double door. They could hear a man cursing the Red Skull, and threatening to beat some sense into it. And then the doors opened and all the dogs ran out, through the man's legs, over him, knocking him down and trampling him.

Howard looked back in time to see the Red Skull leap on the man, who pulled a knife. Howard ran faster. Ahead of him, Steve yelped in surprise, and Howard bared his teeth, prepared to fight. He skidded to a stop when he saw the two men who'd helped them get a ride. They were petting Steve and exclaiming over his wounds, and then the rest of Steve's friends were there, milling about, whining. One of the men looked at Steve's ID tag and pulled a cell phone from his pocket.

Howard sat down and smoothed his mustache. He had a feeling he'd have to look extra adorable to get out of trouble this time.