Sorry for all the random late night one-shots. Writing helps me fall asleep.

The dreary rain had turned the clouds gray, yet somehow it had also effected the entire city. The rising buildings, the passing cars, the faces of the people hurrying about the streets, all void of color.
Those somber faces, Makaio felt, were mocking him. He could see them clearly, make out distinct characteristics; he was able to distinguish the features of strangers, yet his memory refused him the privilege of the faces of the ones he cared to see. It was his own mind that was betraying him.
Makaio took another bite from the liver wurst سینڈوچ that now tasted like cardboard in his hand. It wasn't much, but he had to be careful with the money he had from the various jobs he had taken up. Most were odd jobs that he obtained from hanging around the Happy Harbor docks: repairing fishing nets and running errands for anyone willing to pay a small fee.
His main job was a bag boy at the سپر مارکیٹ who's steps he now sat at. The awning gave him enough covering to eat his meal before heading home. The warehouse was a lonely place and Makaio wanted to stall getting home, which is why he had chosen to eat his رات کے کھانے, شام کا کھانا outside in the rainy weather.
A whimper made Makaio look up. Sitting before him was a small dog that could be described as nothing مزید than a mutt. It had tan فر, سمور that was dappled with grey and around his eyes black, giving the impression of a mask. The eyes were something to note, as one was gold, the other a light blue. The mutt, seemingly oblivious to the rain around it, stared at the boy expectantly.
"Hi," Makaio greeted, not sure what it was expecting. The کتے blinked back. "What?" Of course, it had no way of answering, so the blue-gold stare was all the response he got.
"Alright, get out of here," he said, making a shooing gesture. As he did so, the dog's eyes followed the half-eaten سینڈوچ in his hand.
"Oh, this?" Makaio held it up. The mutt wagged his tail excitedly. The boy sighed. "Fine. Just a little, though. I worked hard for this food." He tore off a bit of the سینڈوچ and tossed it to the dog, who caught it and swallowed it whole without chewing.
"Hungry, aren't ya?" The pup whimpered. "Yeah, me too, buddy." Makaio tore off another chunk and gave it to the starving animal. He ate the final bite, then stood, slinging his pack over his shoulder. As he flipped up the ڈاکو, ہڈ of his کوٹ and stepped into the street, the کتے stared after him. Five blocks later, Makaio got the feeling that someone was following him, and glanced over his shoulder. Surely enough, not twenty feet behind, weaving it's way through the crowd, was the mutt.
Makaio sighed and waited for it to catch up. "No," he told it as it reached him, wagging its tail enthusiastically, "You can't come ہوم with me." The dog sat at his feet, not getting the message. "I can't afford to feed you!" Makaio protested. "Scat!"
With that, the boy turned on his heel and continued his way home. He hung his head as he heard the splash of footsteps through puddles following behind. He whirled around, the pup nearly running into him. "Stop following me!" he told it.
When he turned back around, Makaio walked a few steps, then starting jogging. Soon he was running, hoping he would be too fast for the young animal to keep up. سے طرف کی the time he reached the alley that lead to the warehouse entrance, Makaio thought he had lost the mutt.
He pushed the door open and slid it shut, dead bolting it behind him. The building was only slightly warmer than the rain outside. Makaio had patched up the broken windows with slabs of wood he found littering the floor of the warehouse. It protected him from the elements, despite the tin box being a terrible heat conductor.
Makaio kicked off his shoes and slipped off his jacket, then carried them to the corner of the building he used as a bedroom. He left his shoes beside his bed, a makeshift futon کی, futon constructed of a hole filled mattress he has found lying out back, a mound of blankets from a thrift shop, and a تکیا from the سوفی, لٹانا that had been in the building when he found it, lying on its side and possibly housing a few grotesque rats.
Exhausted from the day's work, Makaio exchanged his soaked clothes for a pair of sweats, then slid under the covers.
He hadn't been laying there for a full منٹ before a scratching sound caught his attention. He drew the blankets over his head, hoping it would blot out the noise and it would eventually go away, but ten منٹ later the incessant scratching had not ended and was now accompanied سے طرف کی whimpers.
Makaio groaned and slid from the covers, knowing he would never get a wink of sleep until he put an end to the noise. When he reached the door and pushed it open enough for him to see outside, something rushed through the gap, nearly knocking Makaio off his feet.
The کتے yipped at him excitedly, as if to say, "I found you, friend! I win!"
"You have to be kidding me," Makaio muttered. He slid the door shut to keep any مزید of the heat from escaping, then turned to the dog. It wagged his tail happily, گلابی tounge hanging from its mouth.
"Okay, fine, آپ win. But don't expect me to feed آپ my breakfast." The mutt stood up and shook the water from its fur. The boy tried to shield himself with his arms. "Ah! must you?"
Makaio retrieved a ragged towel, that he thought was clean, and used it to dry off the pup. "Okay, little guy," he said, scooping it up in the towel like a baby. "Or.. Girl," he corrected himself upon glancing down. "I'm tired, so we are going to bed."
He laid the dog on the bed, tossed the towel into the hamper, then crawled under the blankets, relishing on the warmth. A moment later something cold and wet nudged his face.
"Ugh," Makaio reopened his eyes to see a snout too close to his face. "What are آپ doing?" he groaned, propping himself up on his elbow. The کتے wriggled into the covers through the opening created. She turned around to face the opening, then laid her head down اگلے to Makaio.
"Fine, I guess its cold. But it's the best we got." The boy laid back down beside the pup. He stroked the فر, سمور between her ears and her eyelids slowly drooped shut. "We mutts have to stick together, huh girl?" Makaio pulled the covers up around them and was fast asleep سیکنڈ later.

P.S. I wanted the pup to be a boy, but my little sister, who read over my shoulder the duration of the writing of this مضمون and pointed out every single typo, insisted she be a girl. True story.