Username: Ludens
Name: Målingen || Boghound's Twin Flame
Name Meaning: Malingen was a crater caused by an asteroid approximately 485 years ago. It was formed at the same time as the Lockne crater.
Gender: Female
Prompt:
Rain wasn't anything new, but it was never a good omen when a litter was being brought into the world. The poor collie had been labouring for almost a day now and the first three puppies had been stillbirths. There was little hope left for her remaining puppies, but they would wait it out. They didn't have any other choice. Thunder boomed, rumbling the earth below them. The sweet bitch, Mama, pressed her head up against her whelping box in upset and pain.
Another stillbirth. And a second, right after it. She heaved a sigh of relief; it was finally over. Her cursed womb was empty at last. She turned to look at the still little puppies, just as the ground shook again. One of them moved, and then the other! She excitedly began to lick them clean and help them to her milk. Two little girls: her little Lockne and Malingen. Mama was so happy to have her two girls she didn't question a single thing, and fell into her role with ease.
Collies of the swamp knew such a bad birth was an omen. They chastised Mama for letting the two survive the whelp. "They'll be runnin' their whole lives, Mama. They'll be runnin' from the reaper. He'll always be on their heels. Ain't nothin' good ever gonna come to them pups."
It didn't take a dog half as intelligent as Mama to know something was keenly wrong about little Lockne. Her smaller, weaker sister, Malingen (she'd taken to calling the dear Mali) had somehow gotten a start ahead of even her in life. It became obvious and apparent what exactly was wrong the minute their eyes opened - in tandem, as the two pups often did everything at the same time. The two girls were like one soul sharing two bodies, except one of those bodies was faulty. Lockne's eyes were milky white and without a pupil. It was no issue, though, the twins told their mother - Mali would simply be her eyes, and Lockne would be Mali's teeth.
The two girls grew up tough and they grew up mean. Lockne, despite her disability, had a promising career as a guard dog. Malingen, ever her sister's shadow, followed in her pawsteps. She showed promise in bitework, and for the first time since they were born the twins were separated. The two dogs turned from confident creatures into anxious wrecks; like two ships adrift at sea with no anchor. This would be the last time Malingen would ever see Lockne. Lockne ended up washed from her program - a shell of the guard she had once been without her eyes in the dark. However, Malingen - now given her chance to shine - did the opposite and instead flourished under her newfound freedom in the weeks to come.
Malingen went on to be trained up as a personal protection dog. She found herself placed with a sweet young woman who lived a dangerous life alone. Things went fairly smoothly for the pair. Mali was a beloved pet as much as she was a weapon of mass destruction. She enjoyed sleeping in the same bed as her human, accompanying her almost everywhere, and being fed entirely too expensive meals. She kept up with her bitework, going every now and then when her human had the free time. It always felt like there was something just out of her reach, though. Something around the corner, watching and waiting; something calling out to her just within reach. Malingen knew whatever nipped at her heels had come for her sister in their youth, and now? Now it waited for the moment to get her.
Malingen had gotten so far from her birthplace in the swamp, but the storms followed her into the city. Since she had been a pup it'd always drawn up an anxiety in her chest. "Karma, we've gotta get going. I know you hate the rain, but we'll put your coat on!" Her human cooed, reaching out to fluff up her short coat. She let out a soft whine of protest; usually not one to do it. "I know, I know.." she mumbled, starting to situate the raincoat on her frame. Malingen swallowed hard, her throat dry. Something was waiting for her, just outside that apartment door. She could almost feel the fingers of this stranger running through her coat, hear their intelligible whispers in her ears. She tried to ground herself as her human got ready. She had a job to do. This was an important meeting for Callie, her human. She had to pull herself together.
"Here, sweetheart," Callie hummed, tossing Malingen a treat. She hopped up into the air and caught it, swallowing it without chewing. She didn't understand why she was getting a treat, but it was delicious and she wasn't going to turn it down. It wasn't long before they set out, into the setting sun beyond the stormy clouds.
Half way into their trek and it happened. The reaper caught up to little Malingen after all of the years she'd evaded him. Or, to be more accurate, the reaper came for Callie. Malingen didn't question her training for even a fraction of a second. She brought the assailant to the ground, snarling and thrashing and being a menace in any way the smaller than average dog could. She didn't relent no matter how roughly the attacker hit her, nor when the worst feeling in the world came over her. He'd sprayed something in her eyes, her eyes, oh god her eyes. She cried in pain as she continued to thrash the man, until:
"Out! Karma, out!"
Her release. She let go, blinking her pained eyes. Had she actually let go? All she could see was the darkness of the man's coat, still. She gave a noise of confusion, before giving in and finally rubbing at her eyes. The pain was immense, and it consumed her all at once. She could faintly feel those unfamiliar fingers rustling through her fur, traveling up to her eyes. She was never meant to have her eyesight; it'd been decided long before she was born. The reaper had come and taken it back at last.
Malingen would go on to retire her protection work, and Callie was happy to keep her as a best friend and companion. She moved from the highly stressful city back to work with Boghound, inadvertently bringing the collie back where she had been born. Mali now helps guard Boghound's property, and her owner works at Boghound. Mali may be blind, but she says she feels at peace with it - as if she and Lockne are one now.
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