Fhilcar Faunillani 
The dog’s eyes, clouded and unseeing, searched the air. His ribs pressed sharp against his skin. He lay on the cold floor, trembling, his small body barely five pounds. Richie, they called him now. His world had been hunger, a chain, a life unloved. I knelt beside him, my hand hovering, unsure if touch would …
The warehouse was dark, its corners heavy with silence. A tiny puppy, barely a shadow, curled up alone. Her eyes flickered, tired and small, searching for something—someone—to care. I drove through the pre-dawn chill from Pagsanjan to Parañaque, my heart tight with worry. Three in the morning, and her fragile life hung in my thoughts. …
Elvis lay in the dirt, his breath shallow, eyes wide with fear. The world had been cruel, but he didn’t know why. His fur was matted, thin as an old blanket, barely covering the bones beneath. The chain around his neck had worn a wound so deep it seemed to swallow hope. Flies buzzed around …
The rain fell hard, soaking the cracked pavement outside the factory. A pitbull lay there, her belly swollen, her eyes fixed on nothing. She was waiting. Maybe for someone who never came. Her chain, rusted and heavy, hung loose around her neck. My friend’s photo, sent two days ago, showed her there—alone, pregnant, abandoned in …
Lucinda’s eyes gleamed through the tar. They begged for someone to see her. The landfill stretched wide under a merciless sun. Trash smoldered, sending sharp, acrid smoke into the air. Lucinda, a small dog with matted fur, had wandered here for days, nosing through scraps for something to eat. Her ribs pressed against her sides. …
Ekan lay in the grass, his fur matted, his eyes searching the empty yard. The old woman’s laughter, once warm, was gone. Her house stood silent now. Its windows, once bright with her humming, stared blankly. Ekan’s world had been her soft hands, her gentle voice, her plate of scraps after supper. She was gone, …
Her eyes were buried under matted fur, dull with exhaustion. Sprout staggered through Chicago’s streets, carrying a weight no creature should bear. She moved slowly, each step a struggle against thirty pounds of filth and neglect. Her fur, once soft, was a prison of urine and excrement. Food was a distant hope, her body too …
The dog lay curled in the grass, his ribs sharp against his skin. His eyes, heavy with loss, watched the world pass by. Cars roared along the highway. None stopped. His friend, lifeless nearby, was a shadow he couldn’t escape. I knelt beside him, my heart sinking. His tail flicked once, a faint plea. I …
The dog lay on the cold street, his jaw locked in a silent cry. A woman’s soft sob echoed nearby. She carried him to the shelter, her hands trembling with care. His tag glinted faintly, a reminder of a forgotten home. His tail hung stiff, unmoving, like a broken promise. The woman whispered he’d been …
Her eyes begged silently. A greyhound, thin as a whisper, lay in a cage too small for her bones. The metal bars pressed against her sides. Hunger gnawed her ribs. She was Coco, forgotten by time. She was meant to be a friend to children. A puppy adopted for laughter, for chasing balls in the …
The kitten was a speck of gray fluff, shivering on the cold ground. Ahe’s heart caught at the sight. She’d been walking her dog, the late afternoon sun heavy on her shoulders. The dog tugged at the leash, nose to the earth, but Ahe stopped. There, near the curb, was a bundle no bigger than …
The cat circled the narrow alley, her steps slow and endless. Thin ribs pressed against matted fur, eyes dim like forgotten windows. She turned again, body trembling under the weight of hunger. No one paused in the crowd, their footsteps echoing past. Hours slipped by in that busy place. The cat waited, as if for …
The kitten lay still on the cold concrete, small and fragile, its fur matted with glue. Johnny’s heart sank, a quiet ache spreading as he knelt beside it, unsure if it was too late. He glanced across the street. A woman stood there, snapping photos, her camera clicking like a distant heartbeat. The kitten stirred, …
The kitten trembled in Sarah’s hands, its tiny body barely heavier than a whisper. She felt its frail ribs, sharp under matted fur, and her heart sank. Beauty, her sleek black cat, had darted into the bushes during their morning walk. Sarah followed, expecting a squirrel or a leaf. Instead, Beauty’s green eyes locked on …
The cat’s eyes glistened with tears, tucked in a shadowed corner of the city street. Her faint meows trembled, a plea too soft for the rushing crowd to hear. She was small, her fur matted, her front legs twisted from some unseen hurt. Maybe a car, maybe something else. No one stopped to wonder. The …