#negative-speedforce

It was a scrappy thing, all matted sand-colored fur and bones sticking through the skin. With its long and slender snout, and the way its tail curled in a circle over its back, it reminded Eris of the old mongrels she'd seen on the streets of Themyscira. The oldest of the warriors had once trained war dogs, but as their fighting styles grew apart from the use of animals, the beasts and their families grew to roam the alleys as strays instead.

He had named it Remus.

"Here you are," he said, tossing the dog a scrap of lunch meat and the heel of a stale loaf of bread. Some days he took a bit more, but a Squad mission had made he and Rick late on their usual grocery trip.

The dog crept forward cautiously, then gave a sudden lunge for the food. He dragged it back into the shadows of the alley, looking at Eris warily as he ate.

"Little beast," she murmured, ignoring how the dog flinched at the sound of her voice. He still did not trust her, not yet, and perhaps he never would. But she was content just to keep him from starving.

"I know what it's like. To be promised a home, trained from birth to be what they want. And then to be cast out to the street for showing your teeth."

He tossed a second scrap of meat, then wiped the grease from his hands. The dog seemed a bit less fearful of this morsel, though he still dragged it back to the safety of the shadows before he ate.

Eris dared to reach out, knowing it was a mistake, and the dog snapped at their hand. They pulled back before his teeth could find purchase, and calmly stared at the beast as it growled.

"All dogs have teeth," Eris mumbled, more to himself than the animal, "You, mongrel, you eat because you must. You bite because you are scared. What did you do, to get yourself thrown from your home? Or did you do anything at all?"

The dog ceased its growling a moment later, and the spines of fur smoothed down from its hackles. It ate its second scrap greedily, fearing the food might be snatched away.

A dry twig snapped somewhere off to the left, and the dog and Eris stiffened in unison. Within moments, the dog had disappeared into the shadows, and Eris swiveled in the direction of the sound.

"You scared him."

"I didn't know you liked dogs." Rick said, and tilted his chin towards the alleyway, "I'd have bought him real food."

"I don't like-" Eris started, though he ended it with a huff, "There were dogs on Themyscira. Dogs like him. It's memory and nothing more."

"Is it?"

"He doesn't trust me." they continued, "And it's no use wasting your money on food. A starving dog will feed on scraps and steaks alike. If it keeps his belly full, he'll eat anything."

"Hm."

Rick sounded unconvinced. Eris sighed and got to his feet.

"He won't let himself be seen now that you're here. Skittish thing. He trusts nobody." she said, "He'll bite if you get too close. Come on. Let's go back inside."

"If you insist, doll."