Toby Part Seven: Broken Memories 

           ‘I really should do this more often,” thought Luna as she trotted along a path through the woods. She was idly hoping to run into Loki, the wolf cub she and Toby had helped out just a short time ago. It didn’t look like that was going to happen, but the quiet stroll was nice all the same.

           Suddenly she froze, sniffing the air and turning her ears every which-way like radar dishes. There was a deer nearby, although the snow was deadening the smell too much to tell anything else about it. But the scent of deer alone was enough to stir the wolf’s blood in her, even though she had no interest in actual hunting.

           She slowly crept through the woods, slinking from tree to tree until she saw the deer- a doe, now that she was close enough to get a better scent. She studied the animal, toying with the idea of chasing her a short distance.

           Above her head, a small branch dropped its load of snow onto an old, dead branch already loaded with snow and beginning to crack. The extra weight was too much for the limb, and it gave way with a loud crack and a louder crash. The doe, startled by the noise, bolted away into the woods.

           Luna never saw the deer run. The branch had landed on her head, knocking her out cold instantly.

           About an hour later, a man came along following the tracks of what he thought to be a wolf. With him was his dog, a husky named Pete. “Another day, another hide,” the man grinned. He stopped. “And it looks like this one‘s going to be our easiest yet, huh boy?” he chuckled, seeing a furry form lying crumpled beneath a downed branch. He approached the body cautiously, then stopped as the animal began to stir. In a flash he had his gun shouldered, cocked, and pointed straight at his victim’s head. But as the “wolf” slowly rose to its feet, the hunter spied a collar around its neck.

           “Aah, false alarm,” he muttered as the dog rose to its feet. “Darn. I coulda’ sworn those were wolf tracks. Okay, pooch, let me see who you belong to.”

           Luna sat up in a daze as the hunter brought her tags around where he could see them, but Pete recognized her right away. “Is there anywhere I can get away from you and that mutt?” he grumbled.

           Luna stared at this strange dog. “Who are you?”

           Pete scowled. “Okay, skip the games.”

           Luna struggled to figure out who the hunter and dog were, and why she had such a headache, but her whole memory before waking up was a blank. She shook her head. “No, seriously. I can’t remember.”

           Pete looked at her skeptically. “You don’t remember me?”

           “I don’t even know my name.”

           Pete remembered all the times Toby and Luna had gotten in his way. It was less than two weeks since he’d been kicked out of his gang because of them. And then there was losing to Toby in the race to see who would be on the mail team, not to mention getting shown up shortly thereafter when Toby came back home a hero for saving the team from a bear. Why should he help out any friend of Toby, especially Luna?

           Then another thought hit him. This situation could be just what he needed to get back at both of these pests. “Your name is Luna,” he told her.

           Luna furrowed her brow. “Luna…” she said slowly, trying it out. “I guess that fits. Do I…I mean, should I know you?”

           Pete pretended to be surprised and concerned. “Well of course you should,” he said. “I’m your boyfriend.”

           Luna followed Pete and his master back to town, then up and down several streets as the man tried to find her address. “Ah, here you are, girl,” he said as they stopped in front of Luna’s house. “Now you’d best stay here until your owners get back.”

           Luna obediently sat down on the steps. “See you later, I guess,” she said to Pete.

           “Yeah, catch you later,” said Pete. His mind was clicking away at a frantic speed. He decided to go tell a friend or two about this. Sneaky and conniving as he was, he needed a few ideas if he was going to pull this off…

           “Hi, Luna.”

           Luna looked to see a brown dog coming in her direction. Aside from the color he looked similar to Pete, but his nose was a little bigger and his fur was a bit smoother. “How’s it going, Luna?”

           Luna stared blankly at him. “Do I know you?”

           The dog blinked. “Of course you know me, Luna. I’m Toby, remember?”

           “Sorry, but I hit my head this morning and now…”

           “Hit your head? Are you alright?”

           “Yeah, I’m fine. I just can’t remember anything, that’s all.”

           “Huh. That’s weird.” Toby looked at the ground as if it held some answer to this problem. After a moment he looked up. “Any idea what might fix it?”

           “No…” she started to say when a thought hit her. “Hey, maybe if I saw something familiar, it would jar my memory.”

           Toby nodded. “I think I know a place or two that might do the trick. Come on.”

           For at least an hour, Toby showed Luna everything he could think of. But none of it worked. The closest anything came to actually jarring Luna’s memory was when he showed her the supply lot where the used to play as puppies. Despite her efforts to remember anything at all about the place, all she got was a headache and a vague notion of pain in her back and legs. “I appreciate the effort, Toby,” she said at last, “but I’m not remembering any of this.”

           “Luna!” called a distant voice.

           Luna shrugged. “Sorry, I have to go.”

           Toby had been thinking so hard he had missed the call. “Huh? Why?”

           For some reason, Luna didn’t want to say straight out who was calling her. “Someone’s calling for me.”

           “Really? Who?”

           Luna started trotting away. “My boyfriend.”

           “What?!”

           “Hey, gorgeous, where were you?”

           “Sorry,” said Luna. “I was being given a tour of my hometown.”

           “Oh really?” asked Pete. “So who was your tour guide?”

           “He said his name was Toby.”

           Pete growled. “Not him again.”

           “What’s wrong?”

           “Stay away from Toby, Luna. He’s bad news.”

           Luna laughed. “Bad news? Him?” She found it impossible to match up the dog she had just met with any notion of “bad.” “Are you sure we’re talking about the same Toby?”

           “Oh, I’m sure.”

           “Brown fur, smooth coat, slightly big nose?”

           “Yeah, a nose that he’s stuck into my… I mean our business one time too many.”

           Luna thought about it. Toby seemed nice enough. He acted like a perfect gentleman, and that largish nose of his was, in her opinion, kind of cute. Still, there was that odd notion of pain in her back legs that she had felt when he showed her the lot where they had supposedly played together so often. Was it some kind of vague memory? No, that was silly. How could such a nice dog have been responsible for anything like that? And yet somehow…she suspected he was.

           “Anyway, let’s not worry about that little pest. I want to introduce you to the friend of m… ours, who I told you about before. He knows you almost as well as I do, and he‘s really good with cases like this.”

           Pete led her to an alley, where they met a brown malamute. “Hey Reggie,” Pete greeted the dog. “Luna’s been having trouble with her memory. Think you could help us out?”

           Reggie smiled. “It would be my pleasure.” The malamute proceeded to tell Luna that she had grown up in an abusive family. Her father used to beat her up, her mother called her names, and no one was safe near her siblings. As for Toby, “Stay as far away from him as you can,” advised Reggie. “He’s never been anything but trouble.”

           Luna found this all a bit much to take in. “But he was so nice to me this morning. How could he be trouble?”

           “Must be faking. He probably heard about your little accident and decided to make use of the situation.”

           Luna nodded slowly. “I guess that makes sense.”

           Pete grinned at her. “Just stick with me and you don’t have to worry about a thing.”

           Luna smiled. “Thanks, Pete.”

           For the rest of the day, Pete and Reggie escorted Luna around the neighborhood, giving her their own version of her life’s story. By the end of it all they had her believing that they were the only dogs in Nome who had ever been nice to her.

           When she got home that night, she didn’t feel very hungry. She just stared at her bowl, trying to figure out what was wrong with her head.

           “What’s wrong, Luna?” asked her owner, Connie. “Why aren’t you eating your supper? It’s your favorite.”

           “I wouldn’t know,” muttered Luna, grumpily eating a few bites. If it hadn’t been for her confused state, she would have enjoyed the food. But she couldn’t really enjoy it when her mind was so full. After a few nibbles, she began to wander aimlessly around the house, looking and sniffing at everything.

           “What has gotten into you, Luna?” asked Connie’s mom. “You’d think you’d never seen this place before.”

           Then at bedtime she curled up on the rug with her back to the fire. “Luna, you coming?” asked Connie.

           Luna stared at her in confusion.

           Connie just shrugged and turned to her mother. “Mom, do you think something’s wrong with Luna? She always sleeps on the bed .”

           Luna yawned. ‘I’m too tired for this,’ she thought to herself as she got up and started to head upstairs, only to remember that she had no idea which room was Connie’s. She watched and followed where the girl went, dropped herself onto the foot of the bed, and was out like a light

           Later that night, Luna heard a scratching sound at the window. She crept over and looked out into the darkness. There was Toby, sitting on the roof and looking so worried that Luna could hardly believe it was really an act. “Go away,” she hissed.

           “Luna, what’s going on?” asked Toby. “Why did you say you were going off to meet your boyfriend? I thought I was your boyfriend.”

           Luna snorted. “Yeah, right. Pete and Reggie told me all about you, Toby. You’re nothing but trouble.”

           “You actually listened to Pete? What landed on your head, a mountain?”

           “Why shouldn’t I listen to my own boyfriend?”

           Toby almost fell off the roof. “Boyfriend? Luna, he’s practically old enough to be your dad. How can he be your boyfriend?”

           “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because he and Reggie are the only dogs in town who’ve ever given me a chance.”

           Toby sighed. “Luna, just try to remember. Pete’s a bad dog. A really bad dog. He refused to help me find you when your life was in danger back when we were kids. We saved a wolf cub from him and his gang just a couple of weeks ago. Then we got Pete kicked out of the gang so he couldn’t give us as much trouble. Reggie’s the only one in the gang who still talks to him. They’re both bad news.”

           “Get lost, Toby. I’m not interested in listening to somebody who just comes to my window at two in the morning telling me to ditch my boyfriend.”

           “Luna, for crying out loud he is not your boyfriend. He never was. He’s just taking advantage of your…whatever you have. He’s doing this to get back at both of us.”

           “Oh, so the only reason a guy would want to hang out with me is because he’s cooking up some kind of revenge plot?”

           “Luna, that’s ridiculous. I told you the reason Pete’s doing this is that he knows I’m your boyfriend, so that obviously means that there is a guy who really cares about you. Me. Pete‘s trying to break us up by telling you lies about me. Ask your dad, your mom, anyone.”

           “My parents? They’re terrible. They beat me up and yell at me and let my brothers and sisters…”

           “Luna!” Toby practically yelled. “Pete’s been telling you lies about them too. Your parents love you. Your brothers are great, and even your sisters are okay if you overlook all their nonstop gossip. Pete is telling you lies so you’ll stay away from anyone who might tell you the truth!”

           Now the truth was that by now Luna was beginning to have her doubts. What Toby said did make sense. And it seemed odd that a faker would be able to keep up a worried act for such a long time instead of losing his temper. “I’ll sleep on it,” she promised at last. After all, if Pete were a fake she’d find out sooner or later, right?

           Toby just sighed. “All right,” he conceded. “Goodnight, Luna.” And he trotted down the roof, onto the shed, down the woodpile, and away into the darkness.

           Toby didn’t go home right away. Instead he headed for his dad’s house, hoping to get some answers about Luna’s strange problem.

           He got no answer when he scratched at the door, so he slipped inside. His father was asleep on a rug by the fire. “Dad?” Toby asked, nudging the bloodhound.

           “Uh? What is it, Terr…” Rex trailed off as his eyes opened. “Oh, Toby.” He yawned. “This is a little late to drop by, isn’t it? Usually the only visitors I get this time of night are your mother dropping by to chat or somebody calling for me and the chief to track someone down.”

           “Sorry,” said Toby. “I need some advice.”

           “Luna again?” asked Rex.

           “As a matter of fact, yes.”

           Rex smiled knowingly. “Does this have anything to do with what she said after that incident with the wolf cub?”

           “Hardly,” answered Toby. “She’s forgotten who I am, and now she’s going out with Pete!”

           Rex stared at him. “This is a joke, right?”

           “It’s no joke, Dad. I showed her all over town, and she doesn’t remember anything.” He filled Rex in on everything that had happened that day. “She thinks her parents were abusive, I’m her worst enemy, and Pete and Reggie are the only dogs in town who’ve ever been nice to her.”

           Rex frowned. “Has she suffered any head injuries lately?”

           “Well, she did say something about hitting her head this morning.”

           Rex nodded. “I thought so.  Luna has amnesia.”

           “What’s amnesia?”

           “Amnesia is a problem some people get that makes them lose their memories. It happens sometimes to crime witnesses if they’ve been hit in the head.”

           “Oh, great,” groaned Toby. “So now Luna is convinced that I’m the crook instead of Pete?”

           “Unfortunately, yes.”

           Toby sank to the floor. “Is there any way I can get her to remember?”

           Rex thought for a moment. “I’ve only encountered a few cases, but as far as I know it tends to wear off eventually. Whether it does this time remains to be seen, but she’s sure to figure things out eventually. Until then, I suggest you watch from a distance and let her get through his on her own.”

           Toby couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re asking me to leave Luna on her own?”

           “No, I’m telling you to do what you can to make sure it doesn’t get worse, and let Luna’s head heal itself.”

           “Dad, do you have any idea how hard that is?”

           “Admittedly, no. But if you have any better ideas, I’d be happy to help.”

           Toby sagged. “No, I guess it’s you’re plan or nothing.”

           Rex smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. When the time comes to step in, you’ll know.”

           Toby nodded. “Thanks, dad. I think I’ll go home now.”

           Rex smiled. “Godspeed, son.”

           Luna awoke the next morning with bleary eyes. All night she had dreamed about Toby. First when they were puppies-she remembered him knocking a pile of crates on top of her and sending her to the hospital. Then she remembered a time she had seen him yelling at a wolf cub about…what? She couldn’t remember. And then there was the time when he had run off without even bothering to say goodbye to her, just because the sled team wanted him… ‘Wait a minute,’ she thought. ‘How could that have bothered me if we were never friends? Maybe I’m still dazed from that blow to the head.’

           She shook herself and headed downstairs. ‘Maybe he turned his back on me and that’s when I became friends with Pete?’ she wondered. ‘Or it could all just be a dream.’

           Toby did as Rex had suggested and followed Luna and Pete around that day. Several times he was almost caught, but each time he managed to avoid detection. It wasn’t easy, though. There was Pete, escorting Luna all over town, copying virtually every step of Toby and Luna’s first date! ‘If he even tries for the storage lot, I’m going to hurl,’ thought Toby. It was then that he realized that there was only one way Pete could have such a complete memory of that day. ‘He was spying on us!’ Toby thought with a snarl. ‘I’ll bet he was the reason things kept going out of whack!’

           The imitations were weak at best. Even though the places were the same (ignoring the fact that Pete missed half the places), Toby could tell from a distance that Luna was uneasy with Pete’s egotistical air and pushy attitude. It was all Toby could do not to intervene, and by the time the two of them split for lunch, he was at the end of his patience. He watched as Pete “escorted” Luna to her front door.

           “Mind if I come in for lunch?” he asked.

           ‘He’d better not…’ thought Toby.

           Much to Toby’s relief, Luna shook her head. “No, my owners might not appreciate a strange dog.”

           ‘Yes!’ Toby silently cheered. ‘Way to go, Luna!’

           “Oh, don’t be silly,” smiled Pete beguilingly. “Your owners know me like I was their own dog.”

           Toby started to panic. ‘Don’t, Luna,’ he begged. ‘Don’t listen to him.’

           “No, Pete,” answered Luna. “Frankly, I’d like a little space right now.”

           “Oh, Luna, I’m hurt. I‘d let you come in if it were my house.”

           “No.” Luna entered through the pet flap. Pete tried to follow, but only got as far as his head. As best Toby could figure, Luna whacked the dog door down on top of Pete’s nose. Whatever happened, Pete yelped and quickly backed up. Luna stuck her head out, wearing “that” look- the kind that told you with all the subtlety of a grizzly bear that you were in treacherous waters and had better change course. “Pete,” she growled, “If this is how you are when someone says no, consider yourself dumped.”

           Toby was practically dancing. ‘She finally came around!’ he thought. ‘Dad was right!’

           Pete’s tail tucked itself between his legs, and his chin and ears drooped until they touched the ground. “Aw, I’m sorry, Luna,” he said in his most apologetic tone. “I didn’t mean to be a jerk, honest. It’s just hard having someone who means so much to me not remember who I am.”

           Toby’s heart sank as he saw Luna’s expression soften. ‘Looks like Pete’s acting has improved,’ he thought.

           “Tell you what,” Pete went on. “Let me make it up to you. How about you meet me in the boiler room tonight at eight. I’ll have dinner all set up.”

           Toby knew what was coming. If Luna had one fault, it was her willingness to forgive a friend. The very thing that had enabled them to stay friends so long was now pulling them apart. “All right,” Luna conceded. “Tonight at eight.”

           “Great,” grinned Pete. “See you then.”

           “Oh, by the way,” Luna called as Pete turned away.

           “Yes, sugar bowl?”

           Luna grimaced. “First of all, don’t call me that. Second of all, last

chance.”

           Toby decided that now might be his last chance to talk some sense into Luna. As soon as Pete was out of sight, he crept up to Luna’s front door and scratched at it.

           “Pete,” grumbled Luna’s voice, “I said I’d see you to-” she stoped short as she stuck her head out and saw Toby. “Oh, it’s you.”

           “Luna, please listen. Did any of that date seem at all familiar?”

           Luna kept up her stony glare. “As a matter of fact it did. Why?”

           “Pete was copying your first date with me. About three months ago, when we first went out, Pete was following us, trying to mess everything up. Like the ice cave? He tried to scare us by howling at the cave mouth while we were inside. And when we went to the beach, he tripped me with a rope to make me knock you into the water. You pulled e in after you when I tried to help you out. We finished the date at the storage lot where we first met. That‘s when we had our fist kiss.”

           Luna’s head was spinning. Part of her mind was struggling to remember, and indeed it was so close she could hardly take the strain until Toby mentioned the strage lot and brought back the previous night’s dream. “Now that you mention the storage lot,” she said, “I do remember you knocking those boxes on me when I was a puppy.”

           “Luna, please, that was an accident. You’ve got to believe me.”

           Luna turned her back to him. “Just go away, Toby.”

           Toby sighed in defeat. “All right, but only on one condition.”

           “What?”

           “At dinner tonight, mention spaghetti and meatballs if he doesn’t bring any.”

           “Why?”

           “Just trust me,” pleaded Toby. “If you won’t do it for me, do it for yourself to test Pete.”

           Luna nodded. “Alright, I will. But only if you go away right now.”

           Toby sighed. Luna was the world to him, so having her tell him to go away was like a punch in the stomach. “Alright,” he agreed.

           Luna went back inside. Something inside her felt wrong. The facts-or at least the facts she remembered- all seemed to add up, and yet nothing made sense. ‘What on earth is happening to me?’

           Toby waited for Luna to leave her house, then followed her at a distance. He tried to remind himself that, for the moment, he was not dealing with his girlfriend. He was dealing with a girl who had lost her whole grip on reality. Moreover, he was dealing with a girl who was part wolf, which would be very dangerous if she got mad at him.

           Luna went into the boiler room, where she found Pete sitting at a crate with a large ham (probably stolen) in front of him. “Hey, Pete.”

           “Hey, Luna. How’s our head?”

           “Fine, thanks.” She looked at the “table.” “What, no spaghetti and meatballs?” she queried.

           A look of surprise crossed Pete’s face, but disappeared so fast that Luna would have missed it if she hadn’t been looking for it. “No, why?”

           She shrugged, wondering how to interpret the look of surprise. Was he surprised she had asked, or surprised that she seemed to remember? ‘This is getting more confusing by the minute,’ she thought.

           Despite the cold outside, Toby watched through a crack as Pete and Luna ate the ham. “If they do the same thing with that ham as Luna and I did with the spaghetti, I’m gonna hurl,” he muttered.

           Luna seemed to be thinking more or less the same thing. While Pete ate with gusto, she ate slowly and avoided eating anywhere near Pete’s muzzle. She was also eating very slowly, as if she was beginning to sense that something was wrong.

           At last all the meat was gone. “So, who gets the bone?” asked Luna.

           Pete grinned. “Well, how about we each take an end…”

           Toby couldn’t take any more. He barged through the door with every hair on his body standing on end. “Alright, Pete,” he growled. “Enough is enough.”

           Pete’s head whipped around and he bared his teeth. “Not you again, pipsqueak.”

           “Pete, this has gone too far.”

           “Grow up, kid. Luna doesn’t want to talk to you. Deal with it.”

           Luna cleared her throat. “Pete,” she interjected, “I can speak for myself, thank you very much.” She turned to Toby. “Toby, I have done as you asked and given the matter some thought. Now please leave me alone.”

           Toby put his foot down hard. “No, Luna. I’m not going anywhere until you remember me for who I am, and not who this phony wants you to think I am.”

           Pete snarled deep in his throat. “Go away,” he ordered. “Or I will make you go away.”

           Toby stood defiant. “If you do that,” he replied, “your little act is over. If there’s any of the real Luna, the Luna I care about, she wouldn’t let you hurt me unless I directly attacked someone.”

           “Boys!” snapped Luna. “If you’re going to argue over me, at least do it someplace where I don’t have to put up with listening to it.”

           Pete grinned. “Fine by me. Come on, pest. Let’s settle this outside.”

           “I’m not going to fight you, Pete. I just want Luna back.”

           Luna glared at him. “Now, Toby.”

           Reluctantly, Toby left the room, followed by Pete. “Look, Pete,” he said slowly, “I know I got you kicked out of your gang, and I can’t say I’m sorry. But if you want to get back at me, leave Luna out of it.”

           Pete laughed. “Don’t treat me like an idiot, Toby.”

           Toby resisted an urge to retort that doing so was perfectly fitting.

           “We both know perfectly well that Luna had as much part in that as you did.”

           ‘No I didn’t,’ thought Luna, listening to their conversation. ‘Or did I…?’

           “Pete,” Toby growled. “Luna and I have been friends since we were puppies, and you’ve been trying to split us up almost as long. Now once and for all, back off.”

           Pete laughed. “Don’t you get it?” he asked. “I didn’t take her away from you. She chose to ditch you because she doesn’t remember all your little games, or your dates, or Loki…”

           As Luna listened to Pete’s taunts, it was like someone was running up and down the hallways of her brain, throwing open doors. In a flash, she remembered her puppyhood games with Toby, his many visits to her in the hospital, their search for her mother when Steele came back to Nome…

           Luna gritted her teeth. ‘Nobody takes my self away from me.’ She strode out the door and sidled up to Pete. “Hey, big boy,” she said in a sing-song voice. Then she slammed her head into his chin, sending him reeling. “That’s for lying,” she snarled. She drove her full weight against him, knocking him into the snow. “That’s for using me. And this…”

           Pete cringed, unable to take the surprise assault. But Luna just turned her back to him, kicked some snow in his face, and trotted over to Toby. “This is for not giving up,” she said with a peck on the cheek.

           Toby smiled. “Looks like the show’s over, Pete.”

           “How did you…?” asked Pete.

           “The next time you blab your plans,” Luna cut him off, “try checking to see who’s listening first. Now get out of here before my real boyfriend and I make you.”

           Pet rolled to his feet and stalked away. “Next time…”

           “Pete, if you don’t get out of here, there won’t be a next time,” said Toby. As soon as Pete was gone, Toby turned to face Luna. “Man, is it good to have you back.”

           Luna smiled. “Once I knew what Pete was up to, and heard him mention some of the stuff you tried to tell me, things started to click,” she explained. Then she made a face. “Now if only I could forget that I ever dated him.”

           Toby grinned. “Maybe we should try to give you amnesia again and hope that part never comes back.”

           Luna shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t be worth it. Besides, I still can’t remember everything. Just enough.”

           “Oh,” said Toby, looking t the ground. “Is there any way I could jog your memory?”

           Luna wrinkled one corner of her mouth and stared upward for a moment. “Well, I can think of one thing that might help. Come on.”

           She led him to the storage lot. “Do you think you could lead us to the exact spot you told me about?”

           Toby shrugged. “I guess so.” The two of them wandered around a little until Toby stopped. “I think it was here,” he said.

           Luna stared around. “No,” she said sadly. “Not ringing any bells.”

           Toby frowned. “Oh,” he sighed. “Well, you’ll remember sooner or later.”

           Luna nodded and smiled just a little. “Yeah, but until then..." she trailed off.

           "What?" asked Toby.

           "Well, you could always refresh my memory a little."

Toby, Luna, Pete, Reggie, Rex © Dragon Tamer