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Yay! I finally finished it. Sorry it took so long, but i had exams this week which i had to study for. Well here it is. Ive got everything to my liking, everythings ready. . .ok, now lets get to Chapter 2 shall we? Enjoy
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Chapter 2
The distorted image of the houses contents, through the semi-transparent plastic sheet of the dog door, cleared once Kodi stepped through. Knowing that the dog door always squeeked when it swung on it's hinges, he was careful to lower it slowly with his tail. Just as a precaution to make sure that, if Dusty was asleep, she stayed that way. Since he was too busy with the task at hand(or paw), Kodi didn't notice Dusty, who, had curled up and fallen asleep on one of the sofas in the den. When he finally did spot her, he gasped and, accidentally, let his tail fall. Allowing the dog door to swing shut and squeek several times. Wincing, he put a foot to the door to stop it and shot a glance at Dusty to see if she'd awoken or not. But he couldn't tell because her face was hidden underneath her tail. Frozen stiff so as to not cause anymore noise, he shut his eyes and, not moving a single muscle, prayed Dusty hadn't heard the noise and awoken.
But it was in vain. He heard movement and several grunts come from Dusty. He frowned and waited several seconds before opening his eyes and looking towards Dusty. She was still asleep but now she lay on her back. Her paws in the air and her tail hanging over the end of the couch. She looked at peace with everything, like she didn't have a care in the world and all her problems were over. In short, she looked happy.
Letting out the breath he'd been holding since he had spotted her, Kodi lowered the sheet to it's resting position then walked slowly and quietly towards the second sofa across from the one Dusty slept on. In Dusty and his home, their master had two sofas facing each other. In between the two sofas, was a glass topped coffee table. Once Kodi had reached the couch he bent down and jumped up onto the cushioned seat and, once he'd finally gotten into a comforable position, layed down on his side with all four of his legs bent upwards towards his chest, he looked straight ahead at the husky across from him.
How could i have done something like this to her? Dusty of all dogs! If anyone didn't deserve something like what i've done, it's Dusty. She's always been a peacemaker. For as long as i've known her, i've never seen her hurt anyone except me. Which I deserved though. Hell, that time she growled at me was the first time i've seen her upset like that. He shook his head sadly as he looked at her. He felt bad that, while he loved her and knew he deseved it, he'd been the first she'd growled at or hit. Just seeing her so peacefull made Kodi decide he couldn't tell her about the pups. He refused to cause her anymore pain. But what about Asher? It's not like she's the bad guy here. I can't just ignore her, pretend i don't even know her, and leave her to take care of the pups on her own. Im going to be there for my pups. . .even if they were a mistake. It's not their fault and they shouldn't have to suffer because I made a bad decision. That means im going to have to spend most of my time with Asher. . . Dusty and I would hardly ever see each other. The few times she might see me, im sure i'll be worn out.
There was absolutely no answer for this one without hurting someone. If he didn't tell Dusty, they'd be seeing less and less of each other and she'd think the whole time he was gone, he was cheating on her again. Which would upset her. If he did tell her, she would be heart broken. Upset. Ignoring this problem wasn't the answer either, He'd be hurting Asher. She'd think he didn't care about her anymore. Upset. This would in turn effect the pups. They would eventually learn about their father ditching them before they were even born, causing them to think that they weren't important enough for him. Upsetting them.
He closed his eyes and shifted his position. Now laying on his stomach, his head rested on the sofa cusion between his paws. This was one whopper of a mess he'd gotten himself into. The only answer Kodi was drawing was that he had to tell Dusty. He figured, mainly hoped, that once she got over the shock of the news, she'd become depressed that she'd lost him. Kodi didn't know about this part though. Maybe when he told her he'd gotten Asher pregnant, she'd hate him and never speak to him again. He really hoped this wasn't what would happen but he wouldn't be surprised. That period of time when Dusty had refused to even acknowledge his presance when he tried talking to her had been some of the worst weeks he'd ever had. Even when he had had her attention, she refused to listen to him. Though, with the way he was getting treated now, he was sure it would soon be pushed down to second place.
The memory of her slapping him still stung his cheek everytime he thought about it. He had known he deserved it, but being slapped by Dusty had been. . . painfull, and shocking. Both his cheek and his heart had hurt after this, and he was not eager to relive the memory either. He wanted to enjoy some time with Dusty before breaking the news to her. Yet he knew it was only going to get worse the longer he waited to tell her. . . but who wouldn't want to spend time with their love before having to give them bad news? Bad news that could permanently end their relationship.
Outside the window, the moon steadily dropped down the sky in the east. It would be too long before the sun rose on the west side and lit everything up, eliminating all darkness. It hadn't been long before Kodi started to felt fatigue take him to dreamland either.
He felt himself leave his body behind on the sofa and, like an explosion, everything turned white then vanished, he now found himself running along dirt roads that went on as far as the eye could see. He didn't know why, but he had a powerful urge to find Dusty. This was why he was running. He couldn't explain why he was looking for her but neither could he explain how he knew where she was. To him, it wasn't a I-think-I-know-where-she-is idea. He was positive of where she was, it was solid fact. He ran on, trying to get to her before it was too late. He knew she was in trouble and every passing second brought her closer and closer to a horrid fate. After only a few minutes of flatout running, his legs were already beginning to get tired but he still had some distance to go. So he pressed on, determined to reach Dusty before time ran out. No matter how exhausting the effort was. He feared the worse and some how knew she wasn't alone. She was in the company of. . . a male dog. It was like suddenly, Kodi was telepathic and could just absorb things he needed to know from the very air around him. After a flash of red light so bright he was rendered temperarily blind and his vision returned, Kodi suddenly found himself infront of Dusty's home. He had no idea what had just happened but wasted no time thinking about it. He ran up the three porch stairs and dove through the dog door. Upon entering he heard several gasps and Dusty's voice. It sounded shocked, surprised, and scared "Kodi!"
What he saw was too much for him to take in. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. There was another male dog with Dusty. She lay on her back in a submissive position, the male dog standing over her. Well . . . at least that's what Kodi thought at first, Dusty was on her back with a dog over her, but he had his jaws around her neck, a small stream of blood running down it. Slowly but surely he could see the life leaving her eyes. A slight gurgle came from the the albino dog as he growled. His teeth sinking deeper and deeper into her throat, cutting off her oxygen supply.
Horrified, Kodi stood frozen to the spot, watching the dog move it's paws to Dusty's throat as well and laying them on top of the jugular vein. Realizing what the dog was about to do, Kodi tried to run to knock the dog off her. To save her. But he found he couldn't. His legs seemed super glued down and they wouldn't budge. He then found out he couldn't move at all. Not even to turn his neck and look away. He was going to have to watch the love of his life die. His vocal cords weren't working either. He was unable to say a single word. Everything was silent except the gurgling growl from the albino and the whimpers from Dusty, but inside Kodi's mind he screamed DUSTY!
The dog started pulling its head up, stretching the tissue and muscle he had in his jaws to the point where it ripped. Kodi couldn't believe what he was seeing. This dog had just ripped the throat out of Dusty! Dusty! The person in the room who least deserved such pain and suffering. The bloodflow increased drastically, now pooling out of her throat. Within seconds Dusty lay in a massive puddle of her own blood. Kodi who was stuck in this position saw the blood reach his paws, soaking them. His eyes dampened, with nothing to look at but the gaping hole in Dusty's neck. Now all he could think was, why? Why Dusty? Why kill someone so peacefull, instead of someone who'd two-timed both the best looking dogs in Nome? Why did the price for his sin have to be Dusty? Why couldn't it have been him?
He tried again to move, hoping that maybe Dusty still had a chance . . . it was a long shot . . . but maybe she could still live. Even if he could never hear her voice again. With an effort, as if by some miracle, his legs lifted from the blood-soaked ground and with his eyes pratically streaming at the sight before him, he ran towards her. Blood splashing over his paws, legs, and underside on every step.
Though the room wasn't that big and he was running as fast as his legs could carry him, Dusty seemed to only get further and further away. Try as he might to reach her. Then, not knowing how, he heard Dusty's voice call for him. A scared, pain and tear filled, and distant call. This call was only more reason for him to get to her. If there was anyway she could be saved. . . Now the amount of blood had increased so much that it now rose high enough to soak his belly, staining his already dark red fur. Finally, it got to the point where he had to dog-paddle just to keep his head above the surface. The thought that he was swimming in Dusty's blood toar at his heart. Tears fell as he struggled against the current of this sea of blood. Dusty's blood. . ."If there is a god, please let him save her. . ."
She couldn't die. Not now. He still had to make up to her for his mistake. He didn't want his last memory of her to be that, because of his mistake, someone had decided to punish him by taking her away.
While he paddled, he began to get the curious sensation of falling. Begginning to panic, he thought to himself surely this blood isn't increasing any more. He never knew the dog's body could contain so much. Suddenly, out of nowhere he felt a terrible pain in his head. It came so suddenly, that Kodi stopped paddling. Resulting in him starting to sink, The red liquid rising up his neck and skull until he had to point his head straight up to maintain his breathing threw his nose. His entire head was submerged with only his muzzle remaining above the surface, allowing him to breath.
"Kodi?"
He had no idea what he had just heard but whatever it had been, it had had the voice of. . . Dusty!
Kodi's eyes snapped open, and he found he was no longer in a sea of blood, meerly, a pool of blood. The incredible agony ripping his head open still lingered and though he was soaked, it was not with Dusty's blood. It was persperation, sweat. It had all, thankfully, been just a dream. A nightmare fright. Well, at least most of the dream. The pain in his head, his soaked fur, the blood. It was all real but the blood. . . it hadn't been Dusty's. It was his own.
"Kodi!"
Dusty stood over him, staring wide eyed down at him. Those deep purple eyes of hers filled with a mixture of fear, worry and even a tear. Sure the pain in his head was almost enough to bring him to tears, but Kodi was over joyed that Dusty was alive. His dream had shaken him and now he was doing his best to calm down. Telling himself that it was a dream, none of it was true and he should get a grip. But he did do one thing before he could stop himself. He put a paw to her chest, testing to make sure she was really standing over him and that he wasn't imagining her. He was assured it was her when his paw touched the warm fur of her body and the solid frame of her chest bone, easily felt underneath her skin. Closing his eyes, he uttered one word in a weak and quiet tone "Dusty."
The one thing that scared him now worse than anything was that the dog that now licked sweat from his face had had her throat ripped out in his dream by a dog that he now recognized. It had been the Anatolian Shepherd he'd been attacked by earlier that night.
Fifteen minutes later, Kodi lay unconsious on the cushion that had been originally made as a bed for Dusty. A Piece of cloth, folded over and covered with a patch, now stuck to the back of his head where the bleeding had been. Over the course or these fifteen minutes, Dusty had made so much noise that the owners had awoken to her barks and whines thinking she just had to go to the bathroom. They were not sure why she didn't just go out the dog door, it was left open for them almost all the time so that they could come and go as they pleased.
The wife, Monica, was the first to get up. Moving slowly in her sleepyness. After all, this was well past two in the morning. Once she reached the door and turned the doorknob, Dusty fell from the door and back down onto all four paws. Looking urgently up at her, she backed up, giving her a very scarred look, and ran down the stairs into the den again. Monica followed behind her thinking maybe her husband had closed it on accident or something. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was a little annoyed when she saw that the dog door was still open and sucked her teeth. "Dusty, you know the door is open if you have to go so bad"
She said this as she turned into the den, looking for Dusty. But what she saw was not what she'd been expecting. Gasping, she saw their newest member to the family, the rust red colored heir to the town's hero and mail dog lay on the floor in a pool of crimson blood. The sight made her heart skip a beat and her breath caught in her throat. Frantic, she ran over to the dog. The adrenaline flowing threw her veins now had awoken her completely. Falling to her knees when she'd reached the dog, she looked over him and threw his fur. Searching for the bleeding. The white fur of his underside was basically clean, so she assumed this blood wasn't coming from there. It had to be somewhere on his back. But it was in a much worse place than what she'd expected.
She ended up locating it on the back of his head after lifting his heavy body up, the fur on his back entirely soaked with the red substance, the blood flow dribbled down the husky's fur. Soaking it even further. Worried and scared, she trembled as she went to work to stop the bleeding. Not being a doctor, she did her best. She didn't know much about this kinda thing but she hoped she knew enough to save Kodi. After she'd put a handcloth folded over twice against the wound and pressed it down, the whines Kodi made were almost enough to bring her to tears. Holding them down, and after putting a patch over the cloth, she placed a bandage over it to hold it in place. She now did have tears in her eyes and while she rubbed her hand up and down the side of Kodi's bloody, furred neck, running her fingers threw the fur, she kissed him between the eyes saying "you're going to be okay. You're going to be okay Kodi, don't worry." Taking care to be as gentle with him as she could.
Now with Kodi's blood all over her hands, her arms began to shake and tremble too violently for them to be of any use. Hurridly she rinsed her hands in the sink before she cleaned the blood from Kodi's fur. After carring him gingerly to the bathroom and setting him down in the tub, she used a sponge to gently rub his fur, washing away the blood. This bath wasn't as hard as it usually was to wash Kodi. His hatred of water had always made it difficult to wash him completely and everytime she always seemed to get cleaner than Kodi by the time the bath was done. When she finished, she used a towel to rub his fur dry. She had to go pretty easy on Kodi and though it took awhile, she got his fur dry before gathering Kodi up in her arms and carefully carried him to the cushion Dusty normally slept on. She wasn't about to let him sleep on the sofa again. She had found what had caused the injury. Aparently Kodi had rolled over and off the couch. While he fell, his head hit the corner of the coffee table, cracking the glass top and causing him to black out while blood poured out of his head. Kneeling down, she laid him slowly upon the soft cushion and, bowing her head before Kodi, she said a silent prayer for Kodi.
Dusty, who had gone unnoticed since she had shown Kodi to Monica, sat watching the female nurse Kodi until his bleeding had stopped, then pitched in a bit of her own help when washing Kodi by licking his face. Kodi, be strong like you've always been. You can recover from this, i know you can. Just don't die on me, im not ready to lose you! Dusty thought hesitantly, sitting beside Monica. Both praying for the dog before them.
After sheding a tear, Monica sniffed once then kissed Kodi's cheek before raising to her feet. Her frown morphing into a smile when she saw Dusty lick Kodi right after her kiss. Bending back down she wrapped her arms around Dusty's neck, hugging her. "try not to worry about him too much girl"
With that, she planted a kiss on Dusty's head and turned to head back to bed. Just before leaving the room, she looked back at the two dogs. She had to smile at what she saw. Dusty had curled herself up behind Kodi and now rested her head on his shoulder. She licked Kodi several times before settling down and closing her eyes. Her chin laying against the soft cushion of fur, and relaxed muscle of his shoulder.
Looking away, she turned back toward the stairs and walked back up them one by one. Both exhausted and worried. She wasn't sure if she would get much sleep, but she was too tired to remain awake all night. She would get fired from her job tomorrow for sure if she showed up half asleep. It was either get some rest, or guzzle down about two liters of soda. Since she really wasn't too fond of caffine, she preferred the sleep. "Healthier"
She'd have to try and put Kodi out of her mind. As well as make a mental note to re-arrange the furniture in the den. Monica wasn't up for having this happen to Dusty next either. To her slight surprise, when she layed her head down on the soft pillow on the bed, she felt sleepy. Letting the sleep overcome her, she closed her eyes. Drifting off to sleep.
Little did anyone in that house know that something much worse than hitting her head on a coffee table would soon happen to Dusty. . .
Total Word Count: 3,602
Author's Note: Hopefully, Chapter 3 wont take quite so long but once again, i can't promise any specific date. JL, please to hassle me about when ill have Ch. 3 in. It only slows my progress. I appreciate your enthusiasm for this but it helps when i don't have so many email/PM's asking me when the next bit will be done.
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Check out what I'm working on!
https://m.fanfiction.net/u/9391012/kalgornthehunter
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