Even before I had come to Nome, I knew I wouldn't like it. Whenever one of my owners spoke of the place, the words 'snow' and 'cold' always wormed their way into the conversation. I had been living with a nice family in Oregon at the time, playing outdoors nearly every day with my owner's two daughers, Rey and Lexa. They were nice girls, who played with me often, teasing me with chew toys and sticks. I loved my life in Oregon. The air was always fresh and crisp, with the occaisional stray leaf that rode the breeze.
So, when it was time to leave, I was greatly saddened. I'll never forget the day when a couple of men took all the furniture into a large van and drove away with it. No matter how much I barked, the family didn't seem bothered by the men coming and stealing their things. I couldn't make sense of it all until, a few days later, the word 'moving' came to my ears. I stared at Lexa, who had spoken the dreaded word. Surely we couldn't be leaving this wonderful place? Surely Lexa was just joking, as she oftentimes did?
But Lexa, for once, was being serious. For the next day, when I awoke, everybody was already up. This was strange because I was usually the first to wake, waiting patiently for somebody to let me outside. Everything was in turmoil, the excitement in the air. The occaisonal "Where's my coat?" or "I can't find my toothbrush!" was exchanged between members of the family. Finally, everything seemed to be ready, and I was led (reluctantly) outside to the vehicle the family owned. After that, it was a long trip to Nome. Even now, I remember the many hours spent on the suffocating car, not knowing where we were going to end up.
Every few hours, the girls would begin to grow cranky, and we would stop for a bite to eat, or to just stretch our legs. We slept in the car, the adults switching control of the wheel so the other could get some rest for his or her next turn. After a while, it seemed as if there was less and less visible ground and more and more snow covering it. As soon as the white stuff began to appear, Rey and Lexa pressed their faces to the car windows, looking at it all with wide eyes. I personally grew bored of the snow after an hour or so.
Finally, we had arrived at our destination: Nome, Alaska. The town had a quaint feel to it, with wooden houses and shops lining the streets. And the snow-there was tons and tons of it, everwhere. It felt like this place was permanently set into Winter. The kids begged to be let out and explore, but their parents wanted to get to the house first. When we did come to the house (Allen, Rey and Lexa's father, kept getting lost),Renee (their mother) exclaimed at how beautiful it was. I didn't see what the big hullaballoo was, it was, after all, just a house. Inside it was warm, a huge contrast to the weather outside (which I hated) with two bathrooms, three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. A dog bed was set up for me in the corner of the kitchen, and I flopped down onto it gratefully; I hadn't gotten much sleep on the drive there. I closed my eyes, and drifted to sleep.
I awoke the next morning, thinking that the past events had been nothing but a dream, a long and horrible dream. But it wasn't until I had my eyes completely open that I realized that I was truly in Nome, where I didn't belong. Rey and Lexa were already outside, playing in the snow. I decided to get up and go outside, with the help of a doggie door. Outside it was very cold, and I shivered. If there was one thing I knew about Nome, it was that there were a lot of huskies. Big black ones, smaller red ones, and even brown dogs dotted the streets. I sighed. How was I ever going to fit in here? It seemed as if the only breed of dog here was a husky, besides me, the German shepherd.
I was sitting on the porch, thinking about how I could get one of the many dogs to speak to me, when I saw three dogs (a dog that looked different from the others, and two huskies walking on either side of him) striding towards me. I perked my ears to let them know they weren't going to surprise attack me.
"Hello" the dog in the middle said to me as soon as he had come whithin earshot.
"Hi" I answered, looking at him. He was a tad bit bigger than myself, with light gray fur that had black, white, and brown splashes all over it. His eyes were different colors, one an icy blue, and the other a warm brown.
"Who may you be? And if you don't mind me asking, what in the world is a German shepherd doing in Nome?" he said, apparently holding back a snort.
I glared at him. How could one dog be so...rude!?
"My name," I said through gritted teeth, "is Lucy. And to answer your second question, I'm not sure why my family decided to come here, it's none of my buisness."
"But you obviously don't like it here. Why did they move here if they knew you would be miserable?"
More rudeness. This dog hadn't grown up with a nice family, that was for sure. I flattened my ears, scowling at him, and looked away, hoping he would leave. But no, he walked around to face me, smirking.
"My name's Oso, if you care," he said. I was just about at the end of my rope with him, "I'm a shepherd too, but an Australian, not a German. It's nice to meet you."
I didn't buy his act. He knew he was getting on my nerves, and he was having a good time, too. I gave him a frustrated sigh, and began walking away when I heard one of the huskies say to him, "Smooth."
I just snapped then. I whirled around, grabbed a bunch of that stupid Oso's fur and slammed him into the ground. He yelped in surprise. His husky friends ran off, yelping in terror. I growled, loud enough for him to hear me.
"It's a fight you want, is it?" I heard him whisper before he kicked my stomach, forcing me to let go. He sprang up, and tried to bite onto my neck. Months of tussling with my brothers and sisters suddenly became useful, and I dodged, his jaws closing on air. In that small second of surprise that he hadn't bitten me, Oso froze. I used that to my advantage, biting down on his furry neck. He yelped in pain, squirming. I let him go, after squeezing my jaws together, as tight as they would go. Once he realized that he was freed, he bared his teeth at me, but ran away. I sighed. I wasn't making a lot of friends here.
~*~Two Months Later~*~
My life in Nome was becoming easier. My fur grew thicker, until the cold was actually bearable. Renee (along with Lexa and Rey) took me on walks daily. We even walked with no leash, just a collar. I was free to roam as I pleased, knowing that if I got too far, someone would call me back. Occaisionally I saw Oso, but no words were exchanged. However, a lot of growls were passed between us. It was on one of these walks that Renee happened to pass a shop that caught her eye. She dragged the reluctant Rey and Lexa into it, telling me to sit outside the shop door.
As I waited, I was aware of a large black husky sauntering over to me.
"Well, hello there. Aren't you a pretty thing?" the husky said, smiling at me. His smile, though, didn't reach his eyes, wich looked hungry, and not for food.
"Hello" I said simply, trying to ignore him as he came closer.
When he came a little too close for comfort, I edged away, my heart thudding in my chest. What was I going to do? There would be nobody to stop him from what I thought he was planning to do; the streets were unusually empty.
"What're you doing here, all alone? Don't you know it's not safe?" he brushed his tail against my throat. I gulped.
"M-my owners are inside." I said, trying to remain calm. My voice, however, broke.
"No need to be nervous, miss. I mean you no harm." he circled to my backside, and I braced for what I knew was going to come. I had heard plenty of stories where dogs had mated with other random dogs on the street. I felt him on top of me, and I let out a tiny sob of fear.
There was a sudden growl, and I felt the weight suddenly lift from my body. I opened my eyes. The black husky was several feet away, blood on the white portions of his pelt. I whirled around, to see who had saved me. I gasped when I saw Oso, his teeth bared in a huge snarl. The black husky got to his feet, and snarled back.
"Leave us alone, I got to her first!" he yelled to Oso. This seemed to only make him angrier, because he yelled even louder to the husky.
"You disgusting-GET AWAY FROM HER!!" he screamed, leaping into the husky as he tried to get on top of me again. I scrambled out of the way, yelping. The horror of what I had just experienced left me shaking, my eyes unseeing of the scene before me. Oso was snarling viciously, trying to bite the husky.
Finally, he managed to grab the husky's neck. He bit down, hard as he could. I remembered the battle we had had. He must have learned a thing or two. Meanwhile, the husky was yelping loudly. I closed my eyes-it was all too much to watch. I could hear the snow bieng kicked up by the struggle. To be honest, I was surprised that Renee and the kids hadn't come outside to see what the commotion was about.
Then, suddenly, there was a loud snap, and the noises of struggling dissapeared. I opened my eyes cautiously, to see the husky, gone strangley limp, in Oso's jaws. I crept forward slowly.
"O-Oso?"
He looked up. I looked from him to the husky and back, then said,
"Is...is he-?"
"Yeah," he said, dropping the now dead husky, "I...never expected to kill him. It was an accident...But I couldn't help myself, after what he did to you...I couldn't bear to see you..."
"You...you were...worried about me?" I said, shocked. Scince when did he, of all dogs, care about me?
"Of course I was. Why do you think I attacked him?"
I frowned. "It's just that...you never acted like you...like you cared about what happened to me."
Oso blinked twice. "Are you saying you would rather have had me not save you?"
"No, it's not like that...But...I just can't explain it. I'm very grateful that you saved me. Really."
He squinted at me, searching my eyes. He sighed. "So...where are your owners? It's unusual for you to be out here all by yourself."
Inside I was relieved at the change in subject, but outside I let no emotion cross my face. "They're inside the store. I'm not sure when they're coming out."
Oso nodded, looking at the husky's carcass. "I suppose I'll have to hide this." he then picked up the body, and looked at me.
"Du yu wand do cum wish ee?" he said through the fur.
I was preparing to say no, but then I thought about what the husky had nearly done to me, regardless of the empty street. I nodded, and was preparing to follow when the shop door opened. Oso grinned at me before running off, turning a corner as soon as Rey ran out of the shop, apparently glad that she wasn't in the shop anymore. I stood up, wagging my tail and panting, despite what had happened in their absence.
When we got back to the house, the sun was beginning to sink lower and lower into the sky. I ate my dinner of stale kibble, then laid down on my bed, thinking about Oso and how he had saved me. I was still confused about why he had rescued me from...I didn't permit myself to think of that. Eventually, a few hours after everyone else had gone to bed and were well asleep, my battle with my heavy eyelids was lost, and I drifted to slumber.
When I awoke, nobody was up yet, so I went outside, not expecting to see anyone. But, as I shook my fur, I saw Oso sitting not too far away, smirking at me as if he had been waiting for me to come out.
"Hello." he said, his smile brightening when he saw me.
"Uh...Hi." I said, surprised, "Um...What're you doing here?"
His smile faded slightly, not by much, but enough for me to notice.
"Would you rather have me leave?" he said, his eyes hurt. I stumbled for the right words.
"No, it's not that...What I meant to say was...Ugh!" I was beginning to get frustrated with him. I tried pushing my way past Oso, but he just stepped in my way. I sighed, defeated, as I tried to pass several more times, and he continued to block my path.
"All right, what do you want?" I said, scowling at him. He grinned, then shrugged.
"I dunno. What're you doing today?"
"Well, if you keep getting in my way, nothing."
He snorted, then took a few steps to the left, finally clearing my path. I didn't remove my scowl, however, and shoved past him. I felt his gaze as I walked farther and farther away, not really sure where I was going, until I crashed headfirst into a wooden pole. I heard Oso snigger behind me, and (once again) I snapped. I whirled around, my fangs bared. Oso's grin immediatley vanished, and he leapt out of my way. I slid to a stop, then whirled around to face him.
"What is your freakin' PROBLEM!?" I exploded in his face, "Can't you act like a decent person for five seconds?"
He frowned back at me. "I waited for you, didn't I? And besides, I'm a dog, not a human."
"UGH! You. Are. Impossible!" I yelled, stomping back into the house. I threw myself on my bed, muttering curses about Oso. Eventually, I exhausted myself, succumbing to sleep. That was the first night I dreamed of Oso.
A German shepherd lies in a huge clearing, blood running out of a serious wound. The snow around her is stained red, and she can barely move. Snow turns to water in her pelt, which his rapidly losing body heat. Her breathing is shallow, rattling breaths, as if she's clinging on to life. Suddenly, a warm body is next to her, warming her, and giving her strength.
I woke up panting, as if I'd run a mile in my sleep. Why in the world was I dreaming about-I shuddered as I thought of his name-Oso? Why should I, after I hated him so much?
~*~One Month Later~*~
It had nearly been half a year since we had moved to Nome, and I still didn't like Oso. He waited for me outside every day, perking up as soon as I came out of the doggie door. Maybe it was because he was so nice to me, and me alone (I once saw him growl at another husky for no particular reason), but I began to feel sorry for being so mean to him. After all, he had saved me from a lifetime of sadness. What right did I have to treat him like I did? I was even beginning to look forward to seeing him in the morning.
One morning I came outside and was about to apologize for being late (I overslept that morning, something I rarely did) when I saw Oso snarling at a black husky that looked strangley familiar, but different in a certain way. The husky's ice-blue eyes were aflame, hatred and rage overflowing in them.
"What-?" I began, but I was cut off by Oso, who was pointing his tail at me.
"That's her. That's the dog that your father tried to...to..." he said, seeming to become angrier with every word. The husky then snorted.
"I don't care what my dad tried to do to her. I only care that you murdered him! My dad may have been really messed up, but I still cared about him!"
"How could you care about him, after what he nearly did to Lucy, and probably did to hundreds of other dogs?" Oso snarled back.
"Look, I'm sorry that he did what he did, and if he traumatized her or something, but you still killed him. I can never forgive you for doing something like that."
"So you decided to wait a whole month to tell me this?"
"It took a while to find his...his body, okay?"
Oso snorted, then turned, pushing me away from the husky.
"Oso, what-?" but I was silenced once more by the look he gave me.
"Be quiet for a minute. Please?"
I nodded, walking in the way he was pushing me. Oso's body blocked my view of the husky, but I could hear him snarling, much more than was probably needed. When I was a few feet away, Oso turned, snarling back at the husky.
"At least let me avenge my dad's death." the husky whispered, his voice barely reaching my ears. Oso snarled even more, accepting his challenge.
"I warn you, though. You won't leave unscathed." Oso said to him, taking a few steps forward.
"And neither will you!" the husky yelled back, charging forward. The two dogs clashed together with a sickening crunch. The husky snapped at Oso's neck, while Oso grabbed on to the husky's ear and pulled. Really hard. The husky yelped in pain, and grabed Oso's neck, the tip of his muzzle lost in the shepherd's thick fur. Oso growled, shaking his head violently, the husky's ear nearly ripping off. The fight was so gruesome, I found myself not being able to breathe. The husky responded to Oso's attack by biting down on his neck. Oso yelped, letting go of the husky's ear, which now had a huge chunk of it missing.
Blood began spilling from both Oso's and the husky's wounds. Despite of his injury, the husky held on, shaking his head like Oso did. Even more blood spilled, staining the snow with splashes of deep red. Oso yelped, and tried to grab on to the husky again. But the dog was quick. He dodged Oso's jaws again and again. The battle went on like that for several more minutes, but it seemed like hours.
'I have to go and help him!' I thought. I lifted my paw to take a step forward when I remembered how Oso had pushed me back.
'He knew that the husky wanted to fight him. So he moved me to a safe area. He didn't want me to get hurt.' I realized. But, still, I didn't want to see him get hurt! What I wanted to do and what I knew was right clashed inside of me. After a few seconds of fighting with myself, I came to a decision. I couldn't bear to see Oso in pain. I would have to help him. I raced forward, and clamped down on the husky's back leg. He let out a surprised yelp, and Oso managed to free himself. The husky whirled around, preparing to bite my neck. I shut my eyes and braced for the impact. But instead of pain, I felt something furry brush against my body. A loud scream of agony erupted from what seemed to be everywhere.
I opened my eyes to see Oso, his neck in the jaws of the husky. Oso was the one yelping, blood pouring down his fur.
"Let him go! He never meant to kill your father;it was an accident! He doesn't deserve this!" I screamed at the husky, tears sliding down my cheeks. He looked at me for what seemed like years. He sighed, and dropped Oso to the ground. He turned and walked off, his figure getting smaller and smaller. I watched him leave, then crouched down to look at Oso. His injuries didn't look too serious, but enough to have me worry.
I remembered a place that I had stumbled upon a couple of weeks ago; a large, warm room that most dogs called the Boiler Room. I slid my muzzle under Oso's belly, putting him on my back, then started walking to the boiler room.
About halfway there, I felt Oso stir, and I heard his voice, weak from the battle he had just had.
"...Lu...Lucy?"
"I'm here, Oso. It's okay, the fight's over."
"Where are...we going?"
"To the boiler room. Those wounds of yours need to be cleaned, and you have to get warmer." I answered.
"Lucy?"
"Yeah?"
There was a short silence before he continued, "Thanks. I owe you."
I smiled, then said, "Well, technically we're even. You saved me, remember?"
I felt him shaking with laughter. "Yeah, I guess we are even."
In the boiler room, I set a thick blanket that I had found on the floor, gently laying Oso on it. I laid down next to him, beginning to lick the dust and grit out of his wounds. Occaisionally he would shiver, or wince when I started on a new wound.
When I was finished, I sighed, and got up, preparing to leave. I heard Oso lift his head, and I turned to tell him to sleep when he said,
"Where are you going?"
I blinked, confused at what he meant.
"Uh...Home?"
"What, you're not going to stay here?"
"...You...want me to stay?"
"Yes, of course! Where has your mind been? And...," he gave me a small grin, "You still haven't thanked me for saving you."
I smiled back at him, then walked back over, laying down next to his warm body.
"Thank you, I guess." I said, burrowing my muzzle in his thick fur.
"You're welcome."
"Was that husky really the son of..."
"Yeah. I didn't manage to kill him though, did I?"
"M-hm. He only dropped you because I asked him to."
"More like yelled."
My eyes flew open. "You heard-?"
"Yep. It wasn't that hard to hear. You're scary when you yell."
"Sorry." I heard him laugh.
"Seriously, you could scare off pack of grizzly bears if you wanted to."
There was an awkward silence following Oso's comment. I wasn't sure what to say, and Oso seemed to be deep in thought, so I remained silent. Several minutes passed in this way, until Oso sighed.
"What's the matter?" I said, looking up.
"It's nothing. I...I guess I'm kinda happy, you know?"
I nodded. "Happy about what?"
"Happy...that...," he blushed, the words struggling to come out, "Happy that you're here."
It was my turn to blush. He was happy bieng with me? I looked away, taking a few deep breaths before turning back. Oso was smiling, at me in particular. He sighed again, then closed his eyes. A few minutes passed until I heard his soft snoring. I felt tired, as well, and laid my head back down, asleep within the hour.
I woke to Oso's voice.
"Wake up, sleepyhead! Sheesh, I thought you had died!" he teased. I countered with a blind paw swipe, which he, of course, dodged. I opened my eyes at last, allowing time for them to adjust. Oso was standing, his wounds from yesterday notably healing well. I stood as well, stretching. Oso's smirk vanished after I was done, and he said quietly,
"Your owners must be worried."
I laughed. "I stayed outside all the time at my old home. They're not going to be worried after one night."
"Still, I think it's about time you got back." He said with mock sterness.
"Yes, sir. Right away!" I said, nodding seriously. Oso led the way outside, the bright sunlight blinding me for a second. Blinking, I smiled at him, then trotted off, towards my house.
When I got back, as I suspected, my night away didn't come as a shock. In fact, the only person in the house was Allen, and he was cattering into the telephone, growing excited. I, eating the dry bits of kibble that had been left for me only heard small bits of what he was saying.
"Yes, sir, she's a purebred German shepherd. What? Oh, no, never. Uh-huh. Yep. Well, I'm not sure. I saw her out there with him, but he and Mr. Byrd's dog, Oso, or something like that, but they had a bit of a tussle. No, she wasn't hurt. Neither was yours. He won, naturally. Australian shepherd. M-hm." There was a long silence before he continued, "Well, I'm sure she'll take quite nicley to him. She's around three or four. Nope, never. No.," Another pause, "Well, okay, then. Bring him over, and we'll see what happens. Sure. Alright, then. Bye." He hung up the phone, and jotted something down on a slip of paper. He patted my head before going out the door. I watched him go, curiously.
He had mentioned Oso's name, and by the sound of it, had been talking about the fight he had had with the black husky's son. Perhaps Oso had gotten into trouble. I hoped not. After all, he had saved me. Surely Oso wasn't going to be punished for that?
After an hour or so, a truck pulled up next to our house, and a man with a large hat came out. Allen rushed out, shouting a greeting. The man shouted back, and they hugged. Allen showed the man inside the house, and soon they were talking away, with the occasional laugh. After about half an hour, the man with the hat went outside again, and this time I followed him, stopping at the open doorway. The man opened the door of his truck, the one I couldn't see. The truck shook slightly, as if something had jumped out. The vehicle blocked my view, however, and I couldn't see what had jumped out until the man rounded the corner...
I let out a small scream. It was him. The husky that had battled Oso just yesterday.
"No." I said quietly. He couldn't be here. Not him. "NO!" I screamed, going into hysteria. The husky stared at me, a slight smirk on his face. Allen was now outside, talking with the man. He laughed once, then looked down at me.
"Meet your new mate, Lucy!" he said, excitedly.
My world exploded right then and there. Everything was wrong. He wasn't my mate, he was a dirty peice of fox dung. Worthless. I had no feelings for him. Why did Allen presume I would like him? Why?
I backed up, shaking. This wasn't right. I couldn't go crazy here. Not here. Allen might think that there was something wrong with me. After all, in he had never witnessed what that dog's father had done to me. No. This wasn't right at all.
Allen gave me a tiny push forward, mistaking my fear for shyness.
"Don't be afraid, girl. He won't bite."
'Oh, he won't bite. He'll do worse.' I thought, planting my feet. The man called out, a loud, bark-like yell,
"Go on, Zephyr. Show her you're safe to be around."
With that, both men laughed. I hardly thought it was funny. Zephyr smirked even more, then stepped forward.
"Get away from me, you husky scum." I said, in a whisper that would only be auditible to him. His smirk only got bigger, and he took another step. We were now face-to-face, and Zephyr reached out his head and nuzzled my cheek. I let out a tiny growl, but the men didn't seem to hear.
"Aw, he likes her already." the man said. Zephyr pulled back, his smirk bigger than I ever thought possible. "I hope you enjoyed that." I snarled, again, quietly.
"Well, I better get goin'. See you tomorrow, Allen." the man said after a few minutes. He went back into the truck, taking Zephyr with him.
The man had said 'see you tomorrow'. They were coming back. He was coming back. I looked up at Allen, and whined, hoping he would get the message.
"Aw, don't worry, Lucy. He'll be back."
Okay, so Allen wasn't the best at deciphering my troubles. But Oso was. He would never let Zephyr near me.
But where was he? He hadn't been outside like he usually was every morning. Allen turned, going back into the house. As soon as the door was closed, I trotted down the street, snow crunching under my paws. Something was wrong. Oso was never late. For anything. I looked everywhere, starting with the boiler room, where I had seen him last. There was nothing but his and my faint scents. I even searched in the outskirts of town, but still not a trace of him. The day passed swiftly, and soon I found myself walking in the dark. I flopped down on my bed once I got in the house, sick with worry. Sleep didn't come easily that night, and I often got up to look out the window, hoping he would be there.
The next morning, I jumped up, gulped down my breakfast at breakneck speed, and hurried through the doggie door, nearly too afraid to look. But there he was, glowing in the morning sun.
"Well, good morning. You're early."
I rushed out, nearly slipping in the snow. And, without even thinking, without even knowing what I was doing, I buried my muzzle in his fur.
A few seconds passed. Finally, he spoke.
"I'm guessing something's wrong, and it's not that I wasn't here yesterday."
I nodded, backing up to look at him. Oso frowned, then snuffed at my cheek, where Zephyr had nuzzled me. I heard a growl rise in his throat.
"What happened? What did he do?" he fired the questions at me. I took a breath, trying not to cry. Tears, however began to fall down as I recalled the horrible experience.
"He-he came in his owner's truck, and...and his owner said that...that...I-I was g-gonna be his...his..." the words fell apart. I couldn't finish the sentence, bursting full throttle into tears. I could tell Oso was shocked, without even looking at him. I heard him take a few steps toward me, and he placed his head over mine, allowing me to cry into his fur.
I wasn't even sure how long I cried, but after I was finished, I pulled away, feeling embarassed.
"I-I'm sorry..." I began.
"No, it's alright. It's okay to cry sometimes. I understand how you feel about him. I understand what he reminds you of. And I know that you're scared. I'm sorry that your owner forced you into this. And, because of all that, I am NOT going to let him anywhere near you again."
His little speech stunned me. Oso was going to protect me. He hated Zephyr because of his father. Maybe that wasn't entirely fair, but I hated him, too.
The familiar sound of a truck I dreaded slowly made it's way to me ears. I froze, shaking slightly. Oso took a step in front of me, fangs bared. The man hopped out of the vehicle right when Allen came out of the house. They exchanged a few words, laughing every now and then. Allen then turned to where I was still shaking, and called my name. For the first time in my life, I disobeyed him. I remained rooted to the spot, refusing to move. He called my name again, with some force behind the voice. I made no move to tell him I had heard.
He was now growing angry. He tramped over, grabbing my collar, while kicking snow at Oso. Oso backed away a few paces, snarling. Allen lead me over to Zephyr, and clipped on a short leash to my collar. Zephyr's owner did the same, and Allen tied both leashes to the truck.
Zephyr took a step forward, but was stopped by Oso's quick, powerful bark.
"Stay away from her, you worthless excuse for a dog!"
Zephyr smirked, then took another step.
"What're you gonna do about it? You move one inch, and I'll bark, and the Master'll come and shoot ya.," the husky then grinned evilly, "Or worse," he whirled and clamped down on my neck with huge force. I yelped in surprise and pain.
'Why is he attacking me!?' I thought frantically.
"I can kill her very easily. The Master specifically asked her owner if we could be mates. That's what humans do. They pair purebred dogs so they can have pups."
'Pups!? Allen expects me to have pups with him!?'
"NO!" I screamed, "I am not having pups with a crappy, stupid, worthless-" Zephyr had squeezed his jaws more tightly together, making it so that I could barely breathe.
"Stupid, am I? I wouldn't say that if I were you. Not with your very life in my jaws."
I let out a cough, trying to breathe and save oxygen at the same time. He truly was going to kill me if I made a bad move. Struggling was out of the question, he would only tighten his already painful grip.
A shadow fell over the husky, and suddenly Oso was biting viciously at Zephyr's back and lower neck. Zephyr screamed, releasing me to turn and try to remove Oso.
The husky managed to grab ahold of the shepherd's back leg and bring him down, laughing.
"You couldn't beat me last time, and you still can't!" Zephyr bit onto my leash, and dragged me so that I was in an awkward sitting position.
"This is what our owners want. You are not going to disobey your owner again." he whispered, his voice silent but deadly in my ear.
And, for the second time in my life, the husky got on top of me, squishing me into the snow. I froze, horrible memories flooding back.
"NO!" I somehow rolled over, kicking him off of me.
"I TOLD YOU, I AM NOT HAVING YOUR PUPS!!!" I screamed as loud as I could. "I don't care what my owner says, you will always be the same b*st*rd your father was!" I went insane, biting and ripping at his neck, leaving marks that would probably be there forever, a living reminder of my hatred for him.
Zephyr screamed as his own fur was stained red with his own blood. He tried to run, but I wouldn't let him. Suddenly, for some reason, I stopped, taking control of myself. Just that space of time was enough for him to snap up and once again bite into my neck, only this time his intention was my death. He let go of my fur for an instant, to start biting at what seemed to be every part of my body. My vision started to get blurry, and I felt dizzy from blood loss. The only thing I remembered was a flash of brown and cream before everything blacked out.
Everything everywhere hurt. Bad. I groggily opened my eyes. There was a sort of reddish light coming from a roundish thing that glowed bright yellow. My vision cleared, and I realized I was in the boiler room, my head resting on a thick cushion.
"Oso?" I whispered quietly.
"I'm here." said a voice near my head. I turned to see him, a few drops of dried blood in his head.
"What...What happened?" I said, trying to remember.
"Well, while the husky was attacking you, I very nearly killed him. He ran away, the coward. Then, I noticed you on the ground, not moving, so I panicked, picked you up, and took you here. You've been asleep for a few hours now."
"It...It happened again, didn't it? He was just like his father..."
Oso nodded slowly.
"I only wish I could've killed him sooner. This would've never happened, you wouldn't have been hurt again..."
"It's okay. I got my revenge."
"What, with his neck? You basically pulverized that. He might have breathing problems later."
"I don't care. He deserves it."
Oso nodded again.
"He certainly does."
I was about to say something when a glint of light caught my eye. It was then that I noticed a small, square tunnel that lead underneath the hospital the boiler room was connected to.
"Huh?" I got up, wincing.
"Lucy, what are you doing? Do you want to re-open your wounds?"
I paid no mind to his comment, instead squeezing through the tunnel entrance. The underside of the hospital was dark and gloomy, spiderwebs everywhere. Light filtered down from a grate in the floor of the hospital, hitting a pile of broken glass bottles that projected...
"Oso! Come here! Quick!"
He hurried over, confused.
"Look!" I said excitedly, pointing with my tail at the wall. The light from the grate illuminated the bottles which sent an array of colors on the wall, like a miniature version of the Northern Lights.
"Woah. It's pretty. I never knew it was even here." Oso said, clearly amazed.
"Yeah. Somebody must have put those there." I said, nodding to the bottles.
"Mm." Oso's eyes were unfocused, so I stayed quiet, letting him think.
"Lucy?"
"Yeah?"
He gulped nervously, and he shifted slighty.
"Um, well...I, uh..."
I blinked. "Oso, spit it out. You can tell me anything."
He smiled a little, even laughing.
"Im sorry," he said, his smile dissapearing,"It's just that...What I want to tell you...It's kind of hard to say."
I was beginning to get annoyed. "Well, if it's so hard to say, don't say it!" I got up, and began trumping over to the tunnel entrance, ready to go back home.
"Wait, Lucy! Just...Just listen!" I slowed a little, wanting to ear what he was going to say, if he said it.
"I, um...I..."
I began walking normally again. He obviously wasn't going to say it, whatever 'it' was.
"I love you."
The shepherd froze in mid-step, unable to move. A tiny shiver went through her body. He loved her? She turned her head a fraction of an inch, trying to read his expression. He looked relieved, happy, and hopeful at the same time. He took a breath, as if to continue his sentence.
"I...I love you. And...I would like it very much if you would be my...mate."
My eyes widened. No way. He...hadn't just said that, had he? No, he couldn't possibly...I must have heard wrong...
But I hadn't. I was sure of it. Oso had just asked me to be his mate. How could I answer him? Was I even ready for this? One thing I did know was that I suddenly felt very happy, and I realized something. I loved him, too. I hung on to that single thought. If I loved him back, I must be ready for a mate.
I turned my full body so that I was facing him. Slowly, a small smile broke out across my face, betraying my feelings.
I ran over to him, burying my whole face in his furry neck.
"So, what is that, a yes?" he said, trying to crack a joke.
I nodded, not moving from my position. I don't know why, but I seddenly felt a storm of emotions rage through me, all of them positive. I had a sudden urge to run, to get the newly-found energy under control. I pulled away suddenly, playfully jumping around and yipping, brushing my tail under his jaw. He grinned and got the act, chasing me through the tunnel entrance, out of the boiler room, and into the cold outside, where dawn was breaking.
We leaped around, stopping to lick or nuzzle one another. Finally, we stopped to enjoy the pink sunrise that was slowly giving way to morning. I couldn't belive I had ever been sad about leaving Oregon. Nome, along with Oso, was where I had belonged my entire life.
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I hope you liked the story! It sure took a long time to write XD
Characters and story (c) Spirit_wolf12