Streak

Streak was born during the year 1621, and abandoned as a small pup. She lived in the woods alone, scraping by with whatever she could find. Whenever she attempted to introduce herself to a home, Streak was chased away without the slightest mercy. She grew very depressed, and her willingness to fight became a great issue in her life. That is until the day...

Streak trotted through the forest trail, swishing her tail in agitation. She hadn't eaten at all today, and it was past noon. She wasn't about to try an beg, no, they always chased her away. But perhaps she could hunt something. Streak began to sniff about, hoping to find a small deer or at the very least a mouse. She followed her nose to a small clearing, where she saw what appeared to be a duckling with deers horns. It was alone.
"May as well. It's food.", she thought, and began to stalk towards it, her stomach growling. It began to squeak loudly, but didn't seem to notice her as she crept through the grass. "All most there...", she growled to herself, baring her fangs.
Streak let out a ferocious snarl and bounded towards the duckling. It let out a startled squeal and began to try to escape. Streak's paws tore across the grass, she was much more powerful than her quarry, and soon overtook the strange animal.
Her jaws were open to snap the morsel up, when suddenly Streak was rammed in the side by another animal. She was thrown off balance and rolled roughly across the dirt, her headband was thrown from her head. Before she could even gather her wits, the attacker leaped at her again, snarling ferociously. Streak barely managed to pull her neck away from the deadly jaws that attempted to clamp upon it. She was in shock, realizing that her new enemy was another canine. She fought to regain her footing and stand some chance against the foe, growling as darkly as she could. Her fur stood on end as she clawed at the dogs face. The attacker was relentless, but Streak finally managed to break away and get a good look at the dog.
The other dog's fur bristled, it's neck was so fluffed up that it looked like a lion's mane, and every muscle was poised to spring. There was a venom in it's eyes. It had somewhat long fur, with a curly tail. The fur was a chalky black, with dark brown markings on the feet, snout, chest, and underbelly. It wore a strange necklace that was decorated mostly by beads and feathers. "What are you doing!?", snarled Streak. The dog pulled back it's lips even further, showing sharp white fangs. It's eyes narrowed, "Stay away from Coda." The voice was feminine. Steak pricked her ears, but kept herself prepared to attack, "Who are you? Who's Coda?"
The small duckling appeared from behind the dog's legs, shivering in terror. Streak's jaw dropped, "You're protecting that BIRD?" The dog growled, "Yes I'm protecting the duckalope, and you will keep well away from him if you know what's good for you, wolf." Streak knew that if she hadn't been hit by surprise, she probably could have defeated the dog, but she wanted to know more about her opponents strange behavior. "All right mutt. I'll ask you again, who are you?"
The dog eyed her suspiciously, "It's considered common courtesy to introduce yourself before you ask for another's name" Streak swallowed her surprise, with some difficulty, "I'm... Streak." The dog began to relax, but only slightly. "My name is Keely."
Streak pricked her ears curiously, "Well, Keely. What reason could you possibly have for protecting a duckling?" Keely snorted, "I've known him since he was barely able to walk. I don't kill for pleasure, there are plenty of places where I can get food." Now Streak was extremely interested. "Really? And where might you find food besides what you can hunt?"
Keely began to smile slyly, "I have my ways." Keely herself was beginning to think that the wolf could be reasoned with. Streak relaxed her muscles, hoping to entice the dog to become friendly, and help her, "Show me! I'll leave your horned duck alone!" She smiled at Coda, hoping that it wasn't too late to make amends. This could be the opportunity to begin a new life that she had been praying for. The Duckalope seemed to grow pale, and he ducked behind Keely.
"What should I do?", prayed Keely inwardly. She began to feel that the best choice would be to bring Streak with her to where she and Coda were going. Streak laid down, showing that she meant no harm, "Please. I just need to prove I'm worth something." Keely's fur began to lie flat, "Well... there is one way you could prove yourself trustworthy." "Anything!", yelped Streak. Keely smiled, "Coda and I have found out there's a Pirate ship anchored out on the beach to the west. We're going to sneak in and take the loot back."