Entry for Contest 11!
Username: Black Dog Haunting
Kennel Page: Grimhaven
Collie Entering: Grim (TH)
Entry: Option A
[Disclaimer that another name is used for Grim for most of the entry]
In this world there are some creatures that seem to be born under a mysterious star — beings that would otherwise be the species they were born as with all the normal traits of such are given something unusual, something more that defies what most consider reality to be. Often, this strangeness isn't immediately known to the beings themselves, nor to their kin. For some, it surfaces over time as a natural progression, and for others, it may spark all at once upon encountering the right catalyst.
For Grim, it was a little bit of both.
———
Three puppies entered the world on an unremarkable spring day, born upon a pile of old blankets tucked away in a barn. All three pups were healthy, as was their mother — a stroke of good fortune for the stray dog and her young. All three little ones were similar in size, shared identical dark brown coats that would likely shift some with age, and all had the same hearty appetites. Their mother loved them all equally, and watched over them with eyes full of pride, wondering just who her children would grow up to be.
As time passed, the trio grew little by little. Their ears opened as did their eyes — revealing the grayish-blue eyes of young puppies. Eager to explore, they crawled around their blankets until gradually they built the strength to try to stand, and eventually to toddle on their little legs under their mother's keen gaze and occasional guidance. Their milk teeth grew in, and it wasn't long before they were attempting to explore outside of their bounds.
The puppies' temperaments began to show themselves as they developed — Mei was eager and excitable, always curious about the world around her. Kai was friendly and cheerful, quick to socialize with the kind humans that would bring food for the dog so she could focus on her puppies. Gin was both curious about the world and interested in others, though he was far more thoughtful and quiet in both traits than his brother and sister. While his sister sought out mysteries and his brother sought out companionship, Gin would appear to be lost in thought, and when asked what he was pondering, he would simply say "something distant" — he had no words to describe the sensation that he sometimes felt pulling at him, like one of his siblings distractedly tugging at one of his ears, but fainter, and more ambiguous. His siblings and mother would easily accept that and move on — after all, that's just how Gin was. It wouldn't be until the puppies were nearly a year old that it would become apparent to the whole family just what that unusual sensation was.
———
It was January. The winter was cold that year, and as was often the case, the dog family was curled up together in the warm bedding that the humans had brought them. Gin was on the verge of dozing while listening to his sister musing on about why she thought the sun disappeared at night when the distant tug he often felt turned into something indescribably sharp that wrenched him right to his feet. Absently, he registered the surprised calls of his name from his siblings and mother as he whipped his head around, the tug growing more insistent still. His black fur stood on end, the pale stripes his siblings lacked catching the light of a lamp kept in the barn as his entire coat rippled.
"What's wrong?" his mother urged, also on her feet now.
Another shiver rippled through Gin as the sensation grew stronger. "'Something distant' has become something near," he grit out, his very teeth tingling with the desperate sharpness.
Like a snapped rubber band, he was off, racing through the dog door of the barn, not noticing the sounds of his family hot on his heels. Gin wasn't sure what he was racing towards, but he instinctively knew that it was important to be faster than the dread nipping at his heels that was chasing him in one particular direction. His feet led him to a human dwelling, one that looked perfectly normal on the outside, one without lights on that sat quiet in the winter night — however, Gin knew instinctively that this quiet would shatter in the worst way, and he had to do something to keep that persistent dread from becoming a permanent bane on his soul.
Taking a deep breath, Gin let out a howl — one he'd never before uttered that would raise the hair of any creature that heard it, one that was louder and carried further than should have been possible. Lights flickered on in one window, then in another. With his pricked ears, and hearing better than is usual for a dog, Gin heard human curses and grumbling quickly turn to shouts of alarm. Four humans tumbled out the front door, chased by wisps of smoke, and the dread that had been chasing Gin finally abated into the usual distant tug.
While the man frantically talked into some human contraption, Gin hurried to wrap his body around one of the trembling kids. Taking his cue, his family quickly jumped to do the same for the other child and the adult woman, helping to soothe away some of the cold and the stress until sirens could be heard approaching. As the sound got closer and the smoke rising from the house increased, Gin gently disengaged from the child, and with his family close behind him, he dashed off for their home.
By the time they reached their comfortable nest, all four were exhausted and lost in thought. "So the 'something' you often think about are things that might happen?" Mei mused in a mumble, breaking the silence for the first time since they'd left their home in such a rush earlier.
"I don't know, it could be. This time it felt like dread was going to haunt me for the rest of my days if I didn't do something to prevent it," said Gin, his eyelids drooping closed.
As sleep claimed him, he missed the glances full of knowing, love, and acceptance his family shared around him, all silently vowing to support him, even if he was born under a mysterious star.
———
After the night of the house fire, Gin became a bit of a local celebrity. He was greeted warmly on the street, and often given delicious treats. He remained his usual self — friendly, if lost in thought, though quick to slip away if too much attention was cast on him. The sense of "something distant" remained distant for a long time following, though with some careful introspection, Gin realized he could get a vague sense of the events each tug was tied to. Most were fleeting, perhaps just "possibilities", moments that could have been concerning, but had been "nudged" out of the way by a different action than was predicted. While that was just his theory, it would eventually prove itself to be fact after years of experience.
As time passed, Gin found himself wondering if his Sense (as he and his family had dubbed it) was limited by distance. If he tried to follow a thread before it became a sharp, desperate tug, would it feel stronger? Were there even more things he could prevent? This curiosity followed him through his average days, and finally, his mother called him out on it.
"What is it that's eating at you, Gin? Does it have to do with your Sense?" His mother's soft voice gently guided him out of his reverie back to the present. His brother and sister were also gazing at him curiously, their brown eyes so different from his own intense orange.
"Yes. I was wondering if following the fainter tugs would lead me to those who are close to disaster," he admitted.
Mei's eyes sparkled in interest. "Ooo, do you think you might be able to save more people that way?"
"That's the hope." Gin's voice was hushed, a bit subdued in both hesitance and hope. He had only just realized that his Sense had a purpose, and that had both thrilled and terrified him. On the one hand, he could help others, in a way he hadn't realized he'd been longing for until he was able to. On the other hand, that might mean there were times he couldn't help, where that horrible dread caught up to him and stuck to his soul. It would likely mean he would have to part with his family, even though he didn't want to. Their life here was peaceful, with humans that cared about them and helped them to the point that they were less strays and more community dogs.
"Whatever you're agonizing over, you're always welcome to return home to us, you know," Kai pitched in. "We'd go with you in a heartbeat, but knowing you, you're probably worried about upsetting our lives or something similar."
His sister and mother chimed in their agreements, and a surge of love for his family rendered Gin speechless. It took several minutes of his family nuzzling him in comfort before he found his voice again. "I need to think about it for a little bit longer, but I think a short trip to chase a tug would be a good idea."
Gin's mother swiped her tongue over his ears affectionately. "Take what time you need. Two eternal truths are that we love you and we're here for you."
Across the many, many, many years that would follow for the collie born under a mysterious star, his family's love and support would remain his dearest treasure.
———
Gin left home not long after to emotional see-you-laters from his family, and many cheerful greetings from humans that didn't seem to have any idea that he wouldn't be back as promptly as usual from his around-town wanderings. Gin latched onto a faint tug, and let his feet carry him, paying careful attention to the intensity level of the feeling as he went.
In his journey to learn more about his Sense, he drifted through towns and forests alike, putting the survival skills his mother had taught him to good use. He found that his physical senses and stamina were also significantly better than most dogs — something he had suspected from time with his family, but hadn't seen enough of the world to truly declare. His growl could frighten off predators much larger than himself with relative ease, something about the pitch telling all their instincts that Gin wasn't to be messed with. His black coat was perfect camouflage at night, allowing him to melt into the shadows — something more literal than he himself realized.
Sometimes, while exploring the distant tugs — which were indeed possibilities, as he'd suspected — the sharp dread would chase him to where he was truly needed. In most cases, his unnerving howl accompanied by his ominous appearance would do the work for him, but sometimes he'd find himself tugging a child away from a road or body slamming an adult away from a rushing river.
Word spread among the area that if you were to hear an ominous howl that shakes your very soul and see a large black dog, you must pay attention, because your imminent end is breathing down your neck. Some spoke this legend with fondness, some with awe, and some with fear — largely colored by their own experiences, but everyone could agree that the creature seemed benevolent. As time passed, someone coined the term Grim Chaser for this dog of legend that would chase away the Grim Reaper, which naturally settled into a shortened version. If spotted in town during the day, humans would slip him treats and talk to him warmly, many knowing someone who knew someone who was saved by the dog called Grim.
Periodically, Grim would return home to his family, to his warm mother, excitable sister, and cheerful brother, with more stories of his adventures at the ready. Eventually, when his siblings set up families of their own, Grim was delighted to pass his stories on to them as well.
Despite being born under a mysterious star and set apart from his species in many unfathomable ways, nothing could ever erase how dear his family was to Grim — to Gin — or how dear he was to them throughout their time together.
[2,059 words]
