Hello again,

This is a continuation of another story I posted: "The Sprint."

If you have not read that yet, I HIGHLY reccomend you do so before continuing with this piece in front of you. Otherwise, certain things will not make sense.

It's alright, I'll just wait right here until you do.

(Waiting...waiting...waiting)

...Done? Excellent! Now onto the long awaited second part!

BUT!

Before that, let's not forget the most anticipated section of every story:

THE Disclaimer: I do not own descendants or any of these characters (unfortunately). The idea for these stories is based on the movie Descendants. This is just a rewrite of a previously told story. The only thing I do own is my own thought out expansion of these previously created scenes.

Enjoy :)

The Dog

"Okay, Carlos, we are going to do some more sprints," Ben rambled on, as he tried to focus on the task at hand. "Are you ready to try this again?" He was having a harder time then he realized, letting go of the new piece of information he accidentally stumbled on. All those marks on his arms... Ben thought horrified, Surely, even villains love their children... don't they? The prince couldn't help but obsess over what he had just learned. Such things were unheard of here in Auradon and, until just a few minutes ago, he assumed it was true for all the lands, even those inhabited by villains. There's just so many. How could anyone... Ben paused his train of thought, pondering intently, Could the others also be harboring similar wounds? His mentation had taken full control now. It's not surprising, since the only evil Ben had ever faced where those in the books his mother had read to him as a child.

Looking back on his life, Ben was very fortunate: not just in wealth but in family. He came from a good home filled with so much love and support, that it's a wonder why it hadn't personified into a walking, talking being. At this point, Ben couldn't help but remanence on his own happy life: on all the ridiculous bed time rituals he had forced upon his parents, which they complied happily; on all the days spent talking about nonsense and playing board games together; on all the late afternoon family picnics huddled under a tree with a good book; on all the times simply spent together enjoying each other's company.

...And it was all taken for granted. Never once did Ben think such a thing was a luxury. Even small habitual actions-such as sneaking into his parents' room late at night, because he was scared of the monster under his bed-were now seen with different eyes. His parents loved him, and he was better for it. What would have happened if our lives were switched? Would I have become just as ruthless as all those criminals on the Island? If that is true, then isn't the real problem here a person's upbringing, not who their parents are? Could this mean evil was learned, not born?

So many thoughts crossed Ben's mind in a split second. He was doing what he did best: trying to take on all the problems of the world and hoping he could find the answers. Ben's compassion would make him a great king one day, but at the moment, all it was doing for him was creating a big headache and more stress then he was already under.

He lowered his head and sighed deeply. "Why couldn't things be as simple as the stories in my books? The characters always know exactly what to do," Ben mumbled quietly to himself.

"What did you say? I couldn't really hear you from this far away," Carlos had misinterpreted Ben's inner ramblings for his next set of instructions. As result, he looked up at Ben with a big, honest smile and replied, "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it, coach!" He was very energetic at having a second chance at running the 100m dash.

Ben couldn't help but smile at his new moniker. "I said, make sure that when you begin, to push off from your front, and don't forget to use your core. It's not all about the legs. Running is a full body workout," Ben played along.

Nodding intently, Carlos looked as if he was really trying to internalize these tips.

"Okay, Carlos are you ready?" Ben asked one last time as he checked his clipboard and readied the stop-watch. The white-haired trainee nodded in reply. And that's when it all began:

"Oh, AHHHHH! NO WAIT!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, Carlos zoomed by without the usual commencement ritual. As a result, Ben nearly missed starting the clock. To his great surprise, the young villain was running much faster than before.

"Sweet!" Ben replied excitedly. Carlos had just passed the 100 meter mark at 43 seconds. It still wasn't as good as his soon-to-be teammates', but it was a start. It was also a huge improvement on his other time. Just as Ben looked up from his watch to give Carlos the good news, he noticed that the other boy was still running down the field, past the goal post. His continuous screams could be heard clearly even from such a far distance.

"NO! AHHHH! NO! STTTOOOP!"

"Carlos?" Ben questioned in confusion, "You can stop running now."

He must be really enthusiastic about improving his speed, Ben thought. Then, understanding quickly dawned on him, and he shouted back, hoping to get the other boy's attention, "CARLOS!" The young prince, so used to the usual barking of the school pet, had overlooked the sandy-haired dog behind Carlos. He assumed that Dude was just running alongside their newest student in support, as the dog was known to do. He was a great asset in building player motivation and encouraging the team to try harder, since no one wanted to be outran by the little guy. What he hadn't noticed until Carlos refused to stop was that he might actually be scared of the animal, if his terrified outcry was any indicator.

"AHH! BEN! BEEEEN! HELP ME!" That definitely confirmed it. Ben, shocked by the turn of events yet again, ran after Carlos with a smile on his face. Geez, of all things to be scared of, Ben thought humorously, while following behind the other boy. At least, Dude is still the best incentive to make players run faster.

For that moment, Ben had completely forgotten what had happened only moments ago that had him so upset. Now, he was too focused on trying to control this humorous situation, before Carlos decided to hex his favorite school pet,... or whatever else villains do to unwanted creatures.

One thing was for sure, things here in Auradon would definitely never be the same again, and Ben was okay with that. Sometimes, change is necessary.

You have reached the end of the first chapter in this story.

And yes, you have interrrperted that correctly: there will be another chapter coming out, that will continue from where I left off. I would never leave you high and dry at the best part of this scene, not after I promised excitement. ;) I'm not that evil... unless my adopted characters are rubbing off on me.

Stay tuned for Chapter two of The Dog, when Carlos and Ben have their big revealing talk, and Carlos makes a new friend.

Until then, stay awesome!

:)