6. Break Away

I snarled and tugged at the leash, desperate to pull it away from Belial so that I could escape; when he jerked the leash sharply towards him, I dug in my paws and refused to allow myself to be pulled forward by him. I bared my teeth and growled at him, knowing that he'd no doubt punish me if I continued to resist him; I didn't care, though. I was finally out of Hell at the moment and it was the perfect opportunity to escape…to break free.

He jerked the leash again and I staggered forward, stumbling slightly; I pulled away again, determined not to let him win this battle of wills. I had to escape, had to; if I escaped, it would give other Hellhounds--give my brother--hope that they could do the same. If I escaped, I could prove to Belial, to demons, and to Hellhounds that we weren't just mindless beasts, but people deserving of freedom and respect…

I felt my legs begin to buckle, trembling; I couldn't give up, couldn't allow myself to be dragged back to the kennel again. I can't face the others knowing that I've failed to escape, especially not my brother; all these years I've spent telling him that we matter, that we don't have to be slaves to our cruel master…if I failed to escape, to obtain freedom, I just wouldn't be able to face him, to face his disappointment and anguish…

I felt the collar around my neck begin to burn as it tried to bring me back under Belial's control, but I ignored the pain and continued to fight against the leash; I could feel myself growing weaker, becoming fatigued by the fight, but I couldn't just give up. I needed to break free not just for me, but for other Hellhounds…for my brother.

Suddenly, the collar was gone and I was running; I didn't bother to think of why the collar had broken, which should have been impossible. Really, I didn't care why it had broken, just that it had and I was free. I could escape from him, hide out on Earth, and find a way for my brother to escape as well…

I'd just have to find a way to mask my scent from demons and their Hellhounds until I can figure out a way to rescue my brother. For now, though, that could wait. For now, I could just enjoy the fact that I'm free…I'd finally managed to break away from my master.