[Flashback= John & Maximilian] Finding a Master

[John]

Timestamp: 39th , 511 AV It was going to be a long day. John had just woken up from his little corner in a dark alleyway, the wretched stink already permeating his very essence. It had been a week since he had run away from his previous master, unable to take his daughter's abuse any longer. For any Kelvic, smells these bad are a complete nightmare to bear, especially if you have a heightened sense of smell. He used some soap he had in his backpack, using the dripping, rusty, broken old pipe above him for water supply. As a Kelvic, nudity was no issue to him, but he knew better than to be nude other than for shifting while in public. Once done showering, he smelled himself. Although there was still a trace of bad smell on his skin, no human would notice, and he could attempt to ignore it. He decided to shift, hoping a human would take pity on him and give him his first meal of the day. He walked out of the alleyway, trotting on all fours towards the main market. Most people there had money they were already using to purchase things they wanted or needed, and he had a higher chance of getting food if he was in a large crowd. The bustling of the market was overwhelming, people always pushing, shoving, never noticing his small shape below their feet, often causing him to get stepped on. John kept walking around, begging for food wherever he thought he could find some. Nobody cared though, thinking he would follow them after they gave him comfort. As much as he hated to admit it, they were probably right, to some extent at least. He looked at his paws, already dirt from the grime of Syliras. The people stepping on his poor, delicate paws with their disgusting shoes not helping the fact at all. John noticed the mouth-watering aromas coming from the butcher shop, deciding to check the prices for a poor cut of beef. He might be homeless, but he needed to stay healthy, and it wouldn't be THAT expensive anyways. He wandered around, thinking he could come back later when he was hungry. The constant crowds in the market were starting to cause more and more claustrophobia though. "Everyone always needs to be....somewhere." he thought, longing for the prairies his mother used to speak to him of. To run free, the wind rushing in his face, was his biggest dream, but he remained in Syliras for now, well aware of the dangers in the wilderness. A young man accidentally stepped on his paw while he was distracted, causing John to yelp and bring his injured paw away. He forgot the stranger for now, letting his ears droop, and keeping his tail close, licking his paw. The constant throbbing in his paw was almost unbearable, making him feel as if his paw was growing three times in size. He looked accusingly at the stranger, hoping to get a snack out of pity.