Drinking in the lounge

Following the neon signs

Waiting for a roar

Looking at the mutating skyline

The city is my church

It wraps me in the sparkling twilight

- Midnight City, M83

The medium sized black with a white chested mutt, what looked to be a cross between a pit bull and border collie, roamed the streets of Jump City, tired and hungry, her head and fluffy tail low.

She had been wondering for nine days, and had just stumbled into the bay by chance.

She didn't know what was going on.

When she woke up for the first time Nine days ago in an alley, she was ashamed to admit that she had panicked. Ran right out into traffic, disoriented, and had been clipped by a car. She walked with a noticeable limp, her hind left leg. She was hungry, and overly thirsty. She had been living off what empathetic children and teens threw at her, which wasn't much.

A young boy, maybe eight, is walking down the sidewalk with his mother, a soft serve ice cream cone in hand.

"Mommy, look at the dog!"

"Yes, I see it," she glances up from her phone over the rim of her glasses.

She's laying next to a worn out bench. The boy stops in front of her, bending down and using his free hand to stroke over her ears. "Be careful," His mother calls. The dog allows the boy to pet her.

"Can we keep it?"

"No, your dad is allergic and I don't like the hair. Now come on, we're going to be late."

"Aaaaawwwww!" the boy croons. The dog lowers her ears as the two continue on their way. She sighs. This isn't working out for her one bit.

She pushes herself up, continuing to follow the smell of seaweed through the dirty smell of the city. She'd never noticed how dirty it smelt in cities before. Smog, burnt rubber, oil. It isn't very pleasant.

The seaweed and salty smell had been her saving grace over the last three days as she tries to find the source.

This city looks like San Francisco.

The artistically graffiti sides of buildings and numerous street vendor's, performers, and artists almost cemented it in her head. She'd only ever been there a handful of times, but something seemed different here. It didn't give the same vibe as San Francisco, and there are a lot less tall buildings. She'd also seen the slums, and they looked nothing like San Francisco's. San Francisco also holds more color, as simple as it sounds.

She waits for the walk light before crossing the street with a homely looking man and woman. The woman snickers at her behavior. The dog simply rolls her eyes.

Another block and there it is.

The ocean.

She trots as quickly as she can with her injured leg down the sloped street, darting across the asphalt before hopping onto the seaside path.

She inhales the salty yet clean smelling breeze. She looks down the bay, spotting piers, some docked with boats, others loaded with shops and restaurants.

She gazes out at loaded beaches, her eyes running the length of the far shore over sparkling water, hardly visible with how far away it is.

Boats and wind gliders litter the dazzling scenery.

Suddenly she freezes.

Her heart rate speeds up as she gazes out at the huge, metallic, sparkling T that is residing out on a small island.

She can't believe what she's seeing.

She suddenly felt like vomiting. Because THIS, is some fiction type shit right here. She isn't even in her own fucking dimension anymore.

Her dimension is the boring one where the only heroes are law enforcement and the military. Everyone is ordinary, and the only excitement people got out of life is movies, anime, comic books and cartoons. DC and Marvel dominate American comics, and absolutely everything that had to do with superheroes is just an exciting idea.

She's thrown through a loop, now half expecting the Decepticons to come swooping in to try to take over the city.

She sits on her haunches, staring out at the bay, which would be shrouded in darkness soon.

What could she do about this?

Well, realistically, nothing but wake up.

She lowers her ears with a growl.

The last nine days had drug on with no interruption.

So was this even a dream?

There certainly wasn't a haziness around her vision that would suggest this being a dream.

With a tilt of her head, she soon makes up her mind.

Tentatively, she makes her way down the slightly steep succulent covered cliff, and, sending a prayer Heaven's way, jumps headlong into the salty, possibly shark infested, water.

She's absolutely terrified of deep water, not because there is a possibility of drowning, oh no, she's afraid of it due to the possibility of something swallowing her whole, a ridiculous fear, but there all the same. At this point though, she believes she truthfully has nothing to lose.

She hopes she doesn't get run over by a boat.

She paddles like her life depends on it, and she quickly learns how far out Titans Tower really is from the mainland. It isn't like she could stow away on a boat, for crying out loud though. She didn't have a choice but to swim.

She panics slightly as the current makes her drift, and she fights it as hard as she can to stay on course to the island, and to even just keep her head above the swells.

The salty water stings her nose and eyes, filling her ears.

The genetics of the pit bull within her new body seems to give her the strength, for which she is thankful. The border collie the stamina. If she was still in her original body, she would have surly drowned by now.

She can't help but think how strange it is that she's even thinking that way.

Her mind becomes blank, focusing on just staying afloat, and breathing. After an hour, her paddles become more labored, her breathing ragged. There was no turning back now. And night had fallen. This was probably not the best course of action she'd ever taken. Damn her horrible judgment.

Another hour and a half passes of choppily treading the water, and the crescent moon is high in the sky. The only way she's even able to stay on track through the darkness is the light shining from the tower that she focuses on through her burning and bleary eyes.

She finally makes it to shore, pulling herself onto land with relieved huffs, her body aching. She can't even find the energy to shake herself out and get the salty water from her erect ears.

She forces herself to slowly walk up toward the tower, and into the little compartment box thing that contained the front door of the tower. She couldn't believe they had a legit front door, because it honestly didn't seem plausible. She thought this way when she had watched the cartoon, but disregarded it. She did the same now.

Not as if its overly important.

She collapsed into a corner, splaying herself out on her right side, her left hip still aching from being hit.

Water is running in streams from her short fur, her tongue lolling out, she lays still. She didn't even have a plan for alerting the Titans to her presence.

She supposed she'd tackle that rickety bridge later though.

She snaps awake. The motor of a boat passing by the island hit her aching ears.

She gives her head a shake, glancing around the afternoon light.

She'd slept that long?

Now what?

With a huff, she pulls herself up with a shiver. Her fur is still damp, the breeze not aiding her chilled body.

She ambles around, turning her gaze skyward.

What could she possibly do?

She lowers her left ear, sitting back on her haunches, before tearing loose with a baying howl.

What a sight she must be, a black dog howling up at Titan's tower.

It couldn't have been twenty minutes when a door swishes open. The dog snaps her head down at the sound, her ears erect, her eyes wide.

Was this really true?

Those...

Those really are the Titans!

"Dude, it's a dog. How is there a dog out here?" A slender green toned figure steps out into the sun's rays, kneeling down to gaze at her with eyes greener than his skin. The dog's heart is just about bursting through her chest.

"It looks like it swam out here, man." The largest figure crosses his arms, also bending down. "Think it's a trap?"

"C'mon dude, it's a dog. Since when do villains try to infiltrate our base with animals?" The first figure runs his fingers between her ears. "Now if it was a cat, that's a totally different story."

"I can not recall a time when such events have taken place," A third voice chimes, its owner's feet touching down by her left side. The dog looks at the slender girl, drowning in a friendly gaze of lime green.

"There's a first time for everything, Star," a colorful and caped figure stands further back. The dog twitches her ear at him, mixed feelings swimming in her chest.

"What is it, 'nyway?" She gives the green boy what she hopes is a pointed look as he leans over to catch a glimpse of her belly. "Tis a girl," he quips in a slightly british accent.

"No collar. Think she's a stray?" The metallic Titan raises an eyebrow.

"She's gotta be, she's skin and bone and smells horrible."

"She's friendly enough, though. I can scan for a microchip. If there's nothing the most we can do is put an ad up on Craigslist or Facebook and see if anyone claims her."

"And if no one claims her?"

"I guess we'll have to take her to the pound. We don't have the time to take care of her."

Them discussing her fate right in front of her bugged the poor dog more than she could describe. And the pound? No way in hell was she going there!

"But Richard! We can not take her to the prison of dogs and cats! That is unfair! We take care of Silkie just fine."

"Uh, Star. YOU take care of Silkie just fine."

"I would not mind taking care of another. It would certainly be no problem at all. Silkie is lonely enough to have a sister."

"Dogs are a lot different than an alien caterpillar, Kori."

"Rich? I honestly think if this isn't a trap, she'd be good for team moral. Cause honestly, dogs are always happy to see you when you get home. Hell, most dogs are happy to see you if you just walk into the room! Not to mention the chick magnet she'll be. You have to admit she's a cute one."

"Yes! Garfield's reasoning sounds glorious!"

A sigh. "Alright, we'll see. No promises. And I am not taking care of her. I think we should drop her off at the pound first thing in the morning, but I can already tell you two are going to fight me on it. I'll give it two weeks, and if she hasn't been claimed, or it doesn't work out, she's going to the pound."

Excited whoops.

"She needs a bath before she gets to stay in." Robin disappears.

"Y'all are crazy, but so am I. I used to have a chihuahua when I was little and I miss that little sucker. Go get her cleaned up and I'll go pick her up some food." The largest figure fallows the first.

"C'mon pretty girl, you're gonna be so pretty when we're done with ya!" The smaller figure kisses at her as he backpedals, obviously intending for her to fallow. The dog tilts her head at him slightly before pushing herself up. She follows them into the tower, her heart attempting to fight its way through her mouth. She wrinkles her nose slightly at the dusty smell this hallway holds, her body quivering with the amount of awe and disbelief contained within.

"She is such an interesting dog! Perhaps we can use the time Richard has allotted us to convince him that she is a worthy pet?" Star says happily to Beast Boy. The dog watches them both curiously as she limps after them.

"Already been thinking of a plan," he smiles mischievously. He glances back at the dog slowly limping after them as they enter the elevator. "She's got a pretty bad limp, doesn't she? I wonder what happened."

"I hope she isn't injured too badly," Star gushes, putting her hands on her knees as she bends down to face the dog as she sits at the two's feet. The ebony dog gazes up at the pretty Tamaranian. The elevator door closes.

"Do you know if Raven can heal animals?" Beast boy asks, looking thoughtful.

"That I do not know, but there is a strong possibility."

"We should give her a flea bath, but the shampoo we have in the bathroom will work for now."

"Why should we give her the bath of fleas? She does not appear to be scratching." Star looks confused.

"Precautionary. And I know from experience those things suck, pun intended," Beast Boy shudders. The elevator door opens, and the three step out. "Doesn't Raven have some expensive hypoallergenic oatmeal shampoo or something in the bathroom at the end of the hall that the rest of us never use?"

"If we don't use it, how are we supposed to know what friend Raven has in it?" Star jokes. Beast Boy laughs.

"I may or may not have used it once or twice when the other three were occupied. And ended up snooping." The dog rolls her eyes. Of course he did.

This seemed to be the level that all the bedrooms were on, and they walked past Robin's, Star's, and finally Raven's room before coming to the end of the hall where the bathroom was, not too far from Raven's room. The grey tones of the walls and carpet is easy on Apache's eyes after the brightness of the outside.

The dog drinks in the scents that waft from under the doors, filing them away for later use. It seemed to her like she would never get used to having such a sensitive nose.

Robin's room smells clean and earthy, with a hint of what could only be described as incense.

Star's room smells distinctly citrusy, with undertones of silk, autumn, vanilla, and... Saliva? Something certainly stunk, but she couldn't pinpoint what. The possibility of it being Silky dawned on her. It's a freakin alien worm after all.

Raven's room, now that was something completely different. It smelled like jasmine, earth, a sweet musty smell, sugar and something she could only describe as something similar to a... Pixie. That was the first word to come to mind to describe the smell, as silly as it is. It's a tangy and fluttery smell. She figured from all the fanfiction she'd read that Raven would have a sickening, unsettling, hackle-rising smell, that didn't seem to be the case at all.

The three walk cautiously into the bathroom Raven had obviously claimed, and Star flips the lights on.

The dog notices it happens to be a spacious bathroom. Granite countertops accent the navy walls perfectly, and the white tile shimmers pristinely. The dark stained oak cupboards match perfectly. The mirror, as most mirrors usually do, takes up the entire space above the counter, which contained the sink. Next to the light switch was a medicine cabinet that matched the cupboards, and the toilet sat on the other side of the cupboards, nearly hidden behind them. On the opposite wall of all of this is where the very large, black and white checkered tiled shower-bathtub combination resides. A black shower curtain hung from a rod, ready to be pulled over to box the shower in.

It smells clean and of soap and jasmine.

All in all a very nice bathroom. The three of them could easily move around and not be crowded.

Beast Boy starts the shower up, plugging the bathtub. "Hopefully she likes baths and won't be too much trouble. Think we should call Raven and see if she'll heal her before or after we give her a bath?" Beast Boy eyes the black and white dog, not liking at all how bad she's limping.

"I believe friend Raven will be most upset that we used her showering quarters without her permission." Star looks the slightest bit worried, not a fan of being under any of her friends wrath.

"Ah, don't worry about it. She'll get over it. And who knows, maybe this little girl right here will end up her best friend. You know Rich won't make us get rid of her if that happens." Beast Boy smirks mischievously, rubbing his gloved hands over the dog's ears.

"That would be most wonderful! I have heard that pets can make one live longer, and can bring a person great joy." Star looks pleased.

"That they can. We need to think of a name for her. We can't just keep calling her 'dog' and 'her'." Beast Boy remarks. The two decide to lift the dog into the tub, and she goes in without complaints.

The dog can't help the feeling of wanting to snap at the two as they lather Raven's special shampoo, which turned out to be for dry hair and dandruff, and was indeed expensive as well as very pleasant smelling, into her fur. She doesn't like being touched one bit. Yet she ignores it, as this is her first bath in nine days and she relishes in the beautiful feeling of the warm water.

Beast Boy carefully washed her face before Star rinses her short fur out, completing her bath. The amount of dirt that pours off her with the water is disgusting to say the least, and she wishes they would wash her out one more time to make sure they got it all, but her wish is not answered. They drain the tub of the brown water and dry her off.

She can't help but be relieved that she no longer smells like salt water and seaweed. She feels so much better that she didn't know it was possible. She forgot just how much she loves baths.

Her fur damp, she hops out of the tub clumsily, sitting on the tile and staring up at the two Titans expectantly. "We should probably be calling Raven now, the longer we wait the more likely it will be that she will be upset."

"Kori, she's already going to be upset, but I'm way ahead of ya, this will work like a charm," He pulls the bathroom door open, and in a blood curdling tone, screams, "RAVEN GET IN HERE WE NEED YOU IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"