June 1st, 2017

     "Today I present to you the first version of the new mechanically modified wolf hybrid - the Wechs. 'W' for 'wolf' and 'echs' for 'mechs' which is short for 'mechanical'. These new animals will be eligible for alleyway patrols and for military combat. Their legs and muzzle are mechanically enhanced to make it run faster - 90 miles per hour to be exact - and to increase bite power. They will not be kept as pets due to their hostile nature, but may be registered as guard dogs at your local police station."

     September 1st, 2017

     "I proudly introduce the next version of the Wechs, which will now be called the Afterlight due to their old enhancement versions and physical differences. These new models will be called the Upgraded because of their new software and physical design and modifications. They are almost completely mechanical for a lighter frame which translates to faster run speeds, which is now up to 120 miles per hour, and for overall strength. The only parts that aren't mechanical are the necessary organs, paws, and head skin. The bones and skull have been replaced with steel moulds to increase durability and the heart has been modified to keep up with the fast run speed. The ears have been replaced by satellite-level hearing and the teeth have been replaced with metal to keep up with the enhanced bite force. The eyes have been replaced with cameras so that we can monitor and target potential threats. Their paws have metal detectors in them, so they can walk through mined areas and potential terrorist bombing sites and be able to pick up on explosives without any humans getting hurt. These mechs will be used in the same way that the Afterlight were used. Afterlight can still be purchased at a cheaper price."

     November 18, 2017, Present

     Itasca was surrounded by large cities despite the fact that it's in the middle of nowhere, so there was little trees to be evasive in. I'd have to move strictly at night, as dog catchers would be on the prowl. All of this was new, but I'd have to adapt.

I wandered through the forest a bit more, the scents of fierce Imperial wolves raiding my nose. After the anxiety filled walk felt like it'd never end, I could see the dark green metal roof of the Itasca lobby and the slate color of the oversized parking lot. I stayed behind the tree line as I made my way around the edge of the lot and onto the pebble infested road.

The road was gradually getting sketchier and sketchier as it got darker. There were sparse street lights scattered every half mile or so, creating a bright checkpoint. Crickets and frogs chirped into the thick fog and the moon was nowhere to be seen. It was one of the darkest nights I'd ever seen, but by far the most unsettling with the help of the fog and the eerie Imperial pack howls that were just loud enough for my hackles to stiffen. Anxious as I was, every bush rustle and stick snap made me jump clear of the road. By around 1:00 am, I was well out of Imperial territory.

"My own personal torture," I grumbled with my ears dancing on my head to pick up on every sound. I was so on edge that if an ant coughed I'd hear it. "Who needs to be slowly eaten alive? This is torture in its purest form."

"You're an awful long ways out here, aren't you?"

I jumped so much I thought I was going to pass out.

"Where are you? What do you want?" I snapped but didn't want an answer. I could see a street light around a small corner. If I could see what was talking to me, then it couldn't sneak attack. If it really wanted to do something to me, then it would follow me.

"Where're you going?"

I dashed to the light and stood in the middle of the road in the open. I stood in a hunched over battle stance with my lips fighting back a snarl.

"Come out so I can see you," I grumbled and heard a branch squeaking. I looked up to the source of the sound and saw two glowing eyes. An owl.

"Take a chill pill, I'm not a wolf," the voice soothed and landed on a branch further down the tree.

"What do you want?" I ordered an answer.

"Where are you going to?" The owl countered.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I can help you."

"Help me with what?"

"To get to where you're going faster."

"Why do you care about me, anyway?"

"Because you're interesting. And I'm bored."

"... I'm trying to go North."

"Well I suppose you already know to follow the North Star?"

"Yes, so leave me alone."

"Do you know how you can get there faster?"

"How?"

"Head to the Minnesota railway and get on one of the cars. It goes North, so just get off when you think you've gotten to where you want to go."

"Where's the railway?"

"That's how I can help you. There's no star to follow, but I know the streets. I can take you there."

I considered the option while drumming my claws on the pavement. "Fine. How long does it take to get there?"

"For an owl, it only takes half a day. For a wolf, however..." I flinched at being called a wolf. But considering that I was going to be living the life of a lone wolf soon, I rolled with it.

"We can do it. If you don't mind, I mean," I tried to bring my best manners to the table because this owl could save me loads of time if I could get on this train.

"Oh, sure. I've stocked up on food for me to last a week. Even if I do get hungry, there's always restaurant trash cans," I was repulsed by the sound of eating someone else's food. I could supply for myself, I didn't need to scavenge.

"If we're gonna travel together, what's your name?" I asked and looked closer into her eyes. They were a bright gold and had flakes of brown near the iris.

"Speck. That's it, just Speck."

"Kamikaze. Kami for short."

     "Alright then, Kamikaze, let's go."

Having someone else around really helped take away from the eerie silence of night. However, I was traveling with an owl, so I couldn't hear the sound of its wing flaps. Occasionally I would look up and see those vibrant eyes surveying in between the towering pines for a potential meal. Speck must've seen my pace gradually get slower and sloppier as it neared 4:00 am.

"You look beat. Do you want to sleep?" She hooed from above.

"No, I'm fine. I need to reverse my sleep schedule to fit yours. What time do you go to sleep?" I asked and tried to look more alive.

"Around ten," she replied and cleaned a bug from her wing mid-air.

I sighed and prepared to be awake for 25 hours straight.

--

     Two days of sore legs, running on eight hours of sleep and my grumbling stomach later, we arrived at the Minnesota railway at six in the morning. I was beat. I looked like the dog equivalent of being hungover. But now we were finally here and I could sleep for the entire day-long train ride.

The railway was busy as we approached the long train carriages. While Speck simply flew overhead and landed in the open door train car, I threaded through the waiting-to-be-loaded cars. I stepped up onto the hollow wooden floor of the carriage and collapsed onto a bed of hay.

The train station was a bit elevated from the rest of the surrounding city so I watched as the many cars bustled around on the roads in attempts to make it to work on time. Angry horn blasts and screaming breaks accompanied the sight of the rising sun.

"You hungry?" Speck asked as she snuggled into a nest she made on the bale of hay above me.

"A little," I admitted, but didn't let on that I was starving.

"I don't believe you," she growled and leaned to hover over the floor in front of my face. I heard a hacking, gurgling sound and then a loud "splat" as she coughed up a half-digested mouse.

"I'm not eating that," I grumbled, turning my head away from the steaming pile of fur and meat to avoid the stench.

"Your appetite says otherwise."

She was right, like she always was from the time I'd met her. I reluctantly slipped up the mouse and secretly wished there was more.

"I told you so," she smirked and settled back into her nest.

I rolled my eyes and looked into the dirty alleyways of the city. Something caught my eye. At first, all I saw was a white wolf with glistening grey legs and muzzle. But as I looked closer, I could see that it's legs and muzzle were made of metal and it looked very strong.

     "A sad thing, what they do to those wolves," Speck saw the hybrid as well. She must've seen me staring at it.

     "What are they? They don't look alive," I shifted to get a better look at the animal.

     "You don't know what Afterlight are?"

     "What's an Afterlight?"

     "I guess that answers my question. Afterlight are..."

     --

     I was shocked to hear what the humans were doing to these wolves. Breeding them in puppy mills made specifically for wolves, not putting them to sleep before replacing their organs and everything a wolf was but instead temporarily paralyzing them without any numbing serum, brainwashing them in training camps and their eyes being replaced with cameras so the humans can see what they see... It was more awful then I could ever imagine. I looked away from the mechanical animal and fell asleep, dreaming nightmares of being paralyzed and watching my organs being scooped out of me.