I am looking to adopt...
Picture:
Kennel number: Kennel 137
Name: Kalik
Breed: Timber Wolf
Why do you want this animal and what will you do for it?:
It isn’t often that a design with unnatural colours and design really catches my eye as I am really fussy when it comes to designs and characters, but this guy had me at first sight. The design caught my eye and is beautiful, flows together just perfectly, the colours all compliment each other through their different shades and the overall design is interesting and unique. it’s the perfect blend of colourful and elegant and keeps you looking at it.
I just want to give this lil guy a home with all the love and attention he deserves, I can’t wait to get started on his back story if I win him and already I can see him playing a very important part in my main writings. I can already see his personality developing and have such a good idea of his character, the more I look at him the more he seems to come alive in my mind, I just know he’d be a very important pup to me for the long haul and I already adore him hugely.
General Information
Mother: A loner wolf called Pips. Only staying with her little of pups until they were too old to feed from her she soon took off into the wilderness again, she seems to be a legend among wolves and with the help of his new friends Kalik hopes to one day find her and ask why she left.
Father: Suspected to be the Alpha of a roaming mountain pack. No one can be too sure.
Height: Est 24 inches
Weight: 65 pounds
Eye Colour: Light Green
Fur Colour: Mixture of purples with white and green markings.
Fur Texture: Long, soft and fluffy. Coarser over his shoulders.
Paw Size: Large paws. Bigger than usual for a wolf his size.
Favourite Food: Elk, he prefers the taste of large game over small game.
Favourite Place: The big grassy hill behind the den site
Favourite time of day: twilight, he likes watching the sun go down and the stars come up.
Personality:
Thoughtful
The world fascinates and amuses Kalik no end, so he tends to spend a lot of his alone time thinking to himself, trying to unravel and understand some of the mysteries of his home and the world around him. He can almost be described as whimsical but the more serious scientific part of his thinking keeps his thoughts grounded. Though he does love the mystery that the universe presents and loves things like watching the stars and clouds.
Quiet
Preferring to listen rather than speak Kalik keeps his thoughts to himself most of the time, listening to the creatures around him he thinks he can learn more about the world.
This little guy also figures that keeping quiet can help him avoid getting into any trouble, around strangers and such he knows that the less he speaks the less chance he has of offending them and landing himself in a fight. He tends to open up more to others once he knows them better.
Intelligent
Being a rather small wolf Kalik has always held fast to the theory being smart will help him over being strong where he to end up in some kind of confrontation. He knows that he wouldn’t be much good in a tussle against most of the bigger animals in the area and hopes his quick mind means he would be able to escape the trouble rather than face it head on.
He is quick to see solutions to problems which makes him invaluable to his friends and pack mates, he often leads them away from trouble and can find food in any shortage and water in any drought using his senses in the best way possible.
Shy
Part of the reason Kalik is so quiet is because he tends to be a little shy. After his life with his first owner and all that happened to him he can be rather wary around new people and is always worried about rejection.
Kalik is also incredibly shy with girls and tends to blush a lot, the art of speaking to females is lost on him and he stumbles over his words a lot. Its an endearing quality that makes others think him sweet though Kalik doesn’t realise this.
Cheerful
Though most don’t tend to realise it because he is such a quite sombre looking guy Kalik is actually incredibly cheerful. He has a sunny outlook on life and loves the world around him, rarely is he ever down or upset and he tends to look on life with a kind of enchanted enthusiasm that means he usually has a smile on his muzzle and a wag in his tail.
Those closest to Kalik will tell you what a happy guy he is once you get to know him and once friends with him people tend to stay close to him for the long run.
Kind
No matter who, what or where Kalik will be there to help anyone anytime. It doesn’t matter if you’re a friend of his or someone he doesn’t know, if he can help you he will.
He hates to see anyone upset and it tends to be the only situation in which he easily overcomes his shyness with strangers and girls.
Likes:
Stars
Nothing relaxes Kalik like laying on his back, on a cool clear night, in the soft plush grass on home and watch the stars twinkle above him. It calms any worried thoughts he might have and makes him feel all relaxed and peaceful about the world. He’d spend all his time watching stars if he could.
Water
Being a wolf that loves the cool Kalik spends a lot of his time on hot days splashing about in the stream near the den site, he loves being all wet and letting the wind and the sun dry his fur when he emerges. He likes to chase bubbles through the water and splash about with his friends, or just lay in the shallows and let the water drift through his fur.
His girl
Kalik loves his girl, she took him in when he needed her and he trusts her more than anything in the world. She never yells at him or tells him off but teaches him about the world gently and cuddles him close when he feels down. He would do anything for her and loves cuddling up to her or playing out in the meadow with her and the other dogs.
Company
Kalik does like his alone time but he much prefers knowing others are around him, he doesn’t like total isolation and even if he cant see the farm dogs he likes knowing they are around. He finds being with others makes him feel safe and he loves being around other canines and people too.
Dislikes:
The desert
After his stint in the hot dry badlands Kalik prefers to avoid anywhere dry and barren and prefers to stick to the leafy comfort of his forest home. The dry heat of it all makes his chest hurt so he wont venture back into the desert unless he absolutely has too.
Heat
Despite loving the sun and lazing about in it most afternoons Kalik prefers the cool to the hot. it’s the heat of the day where there is no breeze he dislikes and is thankful that its only the very height of summer that kind of weather hits his mountain home.
Arguments
A quiet loving little soul Kalik cant stand the noise and tension of arguments and will avoid them at all costs, he cant think of anything worse than fighting with one another and generally tries to keep the peace. He wont fight with anyone himself unless there is no other option to protect his loved ones, even then he hates every second of it and wishes there was another way.
History/Background:
Running through the long grass on stubby little legs, sharp teeth in his hind leg, quick yappy barks, tumbling over and over down small hills with his brothers and sisters tight on his heels, pouncing on his sister and tugging her ear in his mouth as yips and laughing sound all around him, the sun warming his soft fur in the breezeless hot afternoon.
The soft warm voice of his mother drifts on the hot air to call them back to her side, filling him with a feeling of love so strong he turns from the near irresistible fun and runs happily back to her, small tail wagging, heart pounding as he pants eagerly. Jostled in the rush of wiggling furry bodies he presses himself against his mother, her nose gently rubbing over his head to great him back. A sudden yawn stretches his mouth in a surprise wave of tiredness, slumping against his mothers foreleg and drifting slowly to sleep.
I groaned as my eyes flickered open, rudely awakened from my dream, the light outside my kennel seemed far to dull yet, surely it couldn’t be time to be awake? A door slammed in the distance and a shiver ran through me, waking me up at once and making me retreat to the back of the wooden structure I had come to call home.
My life had taken many twists and turns in the last few months, I should probably explain myself before we go any further into my story.
I was born in the mountains, beneath the sun and trees and wild winds of snow capped peaks, this was my home. I was only a few weeks old when my mother left me and my siblings to fend for ourselves, no one could call us old enough to survive alone out there being as we didn’t even have out adult teeth yet. The few of us eventually spread out, one by one we drifted away from our den site and nursery in search of life. I strayed far from the safety of my wild home and soon found myself in a quant little campsite on the edge of the forest, starving and weak I was drawn there by the smell of cooking meats, laid on the hot grills of BBQ’s with the smells drifting all across the tree tops.
A kind couple by the name of Muriel and Tom took one look at me and quickly made the decision to rescue me, cooing over me and encouraging me toward them with cuts of the meat known as ‘sausage’. It didn’t take much persuasion, I had wondered for a few days before finding them.
It was a happy two years I spent with them, playing the game known as fetch, bringing them the newspaper in the morning, eating delicious food and taking long walks through the woods and on the beach. I would have been happy there a long time sleeping in front of their fire on a thick dog bed by night and keeping the two of them company by day.
All was well until the next spring, the snow had melted and I spent much of my time out in the garden behind the house with Muriel as she tended to the freshly blooming flowers in the beds lining the soft green lawn. Tom would watch from the decking, sat with his paper and iced lemonade as the sun warmed the air around us, the smell of fresh dug earth and pine on the wind.
It was on one of these beautiful sunny mornings as we walked down the sands of a nearby beach, as I chased the surf across the grainy golden beachfront I heard Muriel cry out, as I skidded to a halt and turned I saw Tom fall to the ground with a groan.
The rest of the day was a blur, wailing noises and people scurrying around, their faces tight and drawn. I was taken away by the next door houses kid, a young boy who spoke softly to me and stroked my fur gently. I spent a lot of time that day pacing the walls of my house and whimpering softly.
A few days later and a man came to collect me, I had not seen my Muriel or Tom for days and I worried constantly about them, our quiet days had been disturbed and I didn’t understand why.
The next door lady who I guess was the mother of the young boy came to see him about me, I trailed back and forth only interested for news on my absent friends.
‘Do take care of Kalik wont you?’ the worried woman blustered, her hands wringing round each other.
‘Of course, he’ll be fine’
‘Muriel and Tom are so upset to see him go, they do worry about where he’ll end up’
‘I’ll look after him’ the mans voice was rough and deep, I looked at him confused ‘im sure they are having a tough time, the dog will be ok’
‘Ok. With Tom’s heart attack the doctors have warned him against having a dog you see, that’s why he has to go’
‘Its alright, no need to explain to me’
‘alright, well thank you. Bye’
With that she vanished leaving the tall man to clip a lead to my collar, I whined softly only registering that Tom seemed to be ill and this man was to look after me for a while. I didn’t like the way he smelled and I took a step back from the oddly sour aroma, my nose wrinkled in disgust. He tugged at the lead roughly and led me out the door, not pausing to collect my toys or bed.
That was the start of my trouble.
We drove a long while that day, I laid in the back of his truck and wondered at where we were going, I was still only young and as the night drew in my thin coat failed to keep out the worst of the cold. I gazed out of the bars at the back of the truck and watched the sky turn dark over the mountains.
Sleep came in uneasy bursts until we reached what seemed to be a deserted ranch, the sounds of barking dogs filled my ears and I lifted my head with hope. Maybe there would be friends for me here, when I was at home often I played with the neighbourhood dogs. It had been good fun chasing balls and sticks with them and the kids that had thrown things for them.
The man came to the back of the truck and led me out, as I hopped down onto the rough dirt floor he looked down at me and made an odd grunt. I wagged my tail slowly until he shook his head and grunted again.
‘Scrawny little runt aren’t you, better put on some weight or the others will eat you alive’
With those encouraging words I was led to a steel pen and locked in, a bowl of water lay stale in the corner and the concrete floor was rough and grainy under my paws. I looked around me once the man had left and noticed the steel bars went all the way round and above, there was nothing else in here but me and the water. I sighed and settled down in a cold corner, gazing above me at the stars to amuse and distract myself, such brilliance up there, twinkling little orbs of light just hanging there under the near full moon. I gazed upwards for a long time, a sense of peace coming over me, before hearing a low sigh to my right.
Getting to my paws I wondered over to the side of the cage and tilted my head to the side, squinting into the dim light ‘Hello?’
‘So you’re the new kid. Little small’ the voice was bored and clearly female, she talked with an easy drawl.
‘Oh, hi. I’m Kalik’ I could feel my skin flushing under my fur, I hadn’t had much to do with females and I always felt a little awkward with them.
‘Yeah yeah. The names Tiff. Don’t bother me and I wont bother you’ she paused and I tilted my head, still trying to see her ‘for as long as you’re here anyway’
‘What do you mean?’
A sigh came from in front of me and the next moment a white shape appeared ‘look kid, most of the dogs they bring in here aren’t around long. Don’t expect to be any different’
‘Um. Thanks’ I looked at her as she laid on the floor of her own cage, a sigh escaping her muzzle. Her long coat seemed to be white but covered in dirt, her bushy tail curled behind her and her ears pointed forwards. He wondered why she seemed so sad.
‘Don’t thank me. Look’ she turned her head to look me in the eye ‘your clearly from a nice home, brushed fur, nice smell. The dogs here aren’t from homes, we’re from the streets. They’re tough. Remember that’
‘Sure will’ I lay down as a sense of unease started to swirl in my stomach, the cold floor was uncomfortable and I wiggled slightly trying to get comfy.
A while later my eyes drifted shut and I fell into an odd uncomfortable sleep.
The next day dawned hot and uncomfortable, there was no breeze to ease the stifling heat and me and Tiff laid quietly in our adjoining pens. I wanted to ask her about herself but found my tongue too tied to begin each time I though of something to start with. Tiff never initiated conversation with me either so I kept my thoughts to myself and gazed out over the flat barren land in front of me. Off to the right lay a sprawling wooden house which looked as if it had seen better days, once I had seen the man from last night emerge and stride off round the corner but had seen or heard nothing since barring the occasional bark. The logical conclusion was there were other dogs somewhere and I was keen to meet them and find some new friends.
It wasn’t until later that lazy afternoon the man came to let me out of my cage, Tiff next to me was also let out and a short length of rope was tied between our collars. I looked wonderingly at her but she refused to meet my eyes.
‘Now don’t run off ya here. Tiff you know the drill’ with those few rough words the man turned and walked away, letting himself into the dark house without a backwards glance.
A tug at my throat distracted me and I turned to see Tiff waiting with an impatient expression ‘come on’ she sighed walking on again.
I followed her without a word, aware of her annoyance and now stuck for anything to say. Instead I kept quiet and followed her slow pace across the dirt in front of the house, the sun felt hot on my back and I wondered where we were going. A loud sigh from Tiff made me turn my head to look at her, she regarded me with something that looked like sympathy and I worried.
‘Ok’ she sighed shaking her head and speaking in a flat monotone ‘this is fight ranch, you have been brought here for the legendary sport of dog fighting. This is the masters house, you are never to go in there’ a shiver ran down my spine and turned my stomach cold as we moved on again ‘that there is the dog barn’ she indicated a big wooden barn over to our right ‘this is where you will live when the master feels the time is right. Now we will go inside an meet the other dogs. don’t annoy them’
I nodded mutely, fear having frozen my tongue to the roof of my maw. My paws seemed shaky as I followed her towards the big double doors of the barn, one of which stood open. The closer we drew the more I wanted to run, my blood skidded like ice through my veins and it seemed the sun had lost all of its warmth. I slowed as we reached the open door but an impatient tug from Tiff had me following her heels again. The smell of dogs hit my nose as we walked in, stale food and dirt made me whine softly desperate to back up and leave. A growl to my left drew my gaze and I stared open mouthed at a huge black dog with a missing ear.
‘Easy Raff, he’s new’ Tiff spoke in a soothing voice, turning to face the dog.
‘I can tell. Looks meek, no fun’ the dog grunted roughly, I flattened my ears very glad that the dog was behind bars and unable to get to me.
‘Yeah he’s just a kid’
‘Mm, easy win’
‘Alright that’s enough’ Tiff turned and led me away, as we wondered down the middle of the barn I looked in every door, dogs ranged from smaller than me to bigger, from thin and shaking to well fed and glossy, I couldn’t speak. Each step seemed to take a million years and buzzing rang in my ears as I followed Tiff, numb from the nose back. The air seemed to stiff to breathe and I had to concentrate on just getting enough air to not pass out. We made a full loop before leaving, a few of the dogs regarding me and laughing nastily as I padded past, I felt myself cowering lower under some of the intense stares.
Back in the light I almost ran towards my cage panting as if I had run a mile, glancing all around myself to see nothing but barren land, scrubby plants and bushes seemed to shimmer blurrily in the heat.
Tiff skidded to a stop behind me as we reached the cages, starting to pace I tried to unfreeze my mind knowing I needed to think, I needed to escape and get back to Tom and Muriel, but I couldn’t, Tom was sick, where would I go? Right. Calm.
‘Whoa, talk about freak out. Stop pacing your making me dizzy’ Tiff snapped biting the rope and yanking it till I stopped.
‘What? You think I should be calm?’
‘Of course. So many dogs have passed through here and they stay calm fine’ she shrugged and I saw something flash in her eyes ‘stop being a baby’
‘How many dogs have you seen come through here?’ I asked softly
‘Who knows. Enough.’ she turned her head away sitting down with a huff.
‘So how do I get out of here?’
‘You don’t. I’ve been here months and no one has ever left of their own free will’
‘How can you sit and watch it?’ I asked gently, trying not to make her angry but sensing that she held the key to my escape from this prison.
Flicking a glare over her shoulder at me I could tell this struck a nerve and bit my lip, wondering if I should apologise for my rash comment but not yet having the courage to do it. I waited a moment, watching as her tense posture seemed to radiate anger, every strand of fur seemed to stand on end with it. Just as I was working towards coughing up an apology I heard her sigh and she looked over her shoulder at me with a look I couldn’t decipher.
‘I don’t have a choice, I tried to run once before and I just got caught, beaten and caged back up here. Now I have to take care of all the new dogs that come through here’ she paused to growl low in her throat ’there is nothing out there! Nothing! Miles and miles of hot dirt and nothingness’ she got to her paws, pacing back and front past my nose ’I ran for days, as long as I could but eventually you have to stop running, there is no water or food or shade and the nights are so cold!’
Suddenly she slumped to the floor her eyes exhausted and shook her head, I moved closer to her hating to see her upset, an odd strangled feeling in my chest as she sighed sadly ‘I hate having to be the one that explains what happens here, especially to those as young as you’ she regarded me with those sad blue eyes ‘you cant be much more than a pup’
I looked down at myself and saw why she would assume that, my small frame belonged to an animal much younger than me ‘no, just over two years or roundabout’ I was slightly hurt but it was something I’d gotten used too, dogs often suspected me of being younger than I was.
‘Oh!’ her eyes flashed with surprise and she nodded wrinkling her nose ‘well, sorry. You see master wanted you here cause apparently you’re a wolf, I always assumed they were bigger than you’
‘Oh’ I sighed and nodded ‘I do come from the mountains, I guess I am small for my age’
‘I’m sure you’ll grow in time’ she said softly showing the first real hint of compassion and kindness.
I grinned and felt my tail twitch slightly in response.
‘So, how did you escape?’
‘Its better you don’t know, in case you decide to try’
At that moment the master came along preventing further conversation by untying us and after returning Tiff to her pen he turned to lead me away. As we went I turned to see Tiffs sad eyes on mine and realised I would not see her again the rest of the time I was here, but I would return for her if I ever managed to escape.
The master as Tiff had called him led me round the side of the house to a small chained yard, in the corner was a small wooden dog house with nothing but a bowl of water and a wooden stake in the ground outside it. I whimper softly I was tied up to the stake by a length of chain.
‘Right. Time to start toughening you up, you need to be tough for when you go up against the others, your fist fight is in a week. Don’t annoy me and we’ll get on fine. Annoy me an we wont’
I looked up into his hard sun tanned face, dark stubble covering his jaw didn’t hide a scar that ran from his chin to his cheek. This was a tough man and he terrified me already, I cowered back against the opening of the kennel wishing I could hide myself. Eventually he turned and left, banging the door on his way into the ramshackle house.
So that’s where my story comes to so far. A few weeks later and not much had changed for me, I was still in the kennel and hadn’t seen Tiff since the day I was led away from her. My plans for escape where never far from my mind but I hadn’t figured a way off the chain yet and pulling the stake up had not worked. Slowly I was trying to work on getting my collar off but for the time being staying quiet was the best option. The first night out I had whined softly until the master had come and hosed me down with freezing water before throwing a brick at me. I hadn’t made a peep since. Days passed in the same blur, feeding time and then hours to kill in the heat before nightfall and shivering in the cold. I knew I needed to get away soon, before it was time to fight one of the other dogs, I had heard a fight one night and I knew I didn’t want to end up in one, the noise! Howling, growling, yelps and squeals that made my skin prickle and my heart turn cold.
As the current day drew to a close and the heat started to fade from the dirt I lay and watched the sun go down over the horizon I waited for the light to go off in the house. I was pretty sure I could slip the collar off round my head if I started carefully and got my ears out first rather than trying to take the whole thing off all at once.
As night fell and the stars started to twinkle overhead I stood and padded to the front of my kennel, picking the chain up in my teeth so it didn’t clink noisily together. Padding out into the night I spread the coil out along the floor and laying down rolled on my back, using my shoulders to wiggle further away from the kennel, stretching out my neck and feeling the collar tighten round my throat, panicing slightly I wiggled frantically for a moment before a rip sounded loud in my ears. Breathing hard I jumped up and looked astonished at the small metal ring still attached to the clip of the chain, from the shinny round piece of metal hung the rest of the collar, the loop of leather making a dark mark against the lighter earth. I blinked in surprise, expecting the leather would have held tighter than that and feeling a brief rush of sorrow I was loosing all I have of Muriel and Tom.
A moment later a light flicked on in the house and I picked the chain up in my teeth, tossing it into the dark kennel before taking off across the yard, my heart slamming in my chest as I waited for the expected bang of the back door.
When none came I ran across the drive to where Tiff lay alone, pausing there I pressed my nose to the bars and whimpered softly to catch her attention. I watched as she lifted her head groggily and her eyes widened, taking me in with surprise.
‘What are you doing here!’ she hissed jumping to her paws and padding towards me ‘you’ll get yourself killed you silly pup!’
‘Hey’ I whimpered hurt by the angry tone of her voice ‘I can make it, I wanted to say I’ll come back for you’
‘You wont’ she said simply, turning her head away as hurt flashed in her eyes ‘or if you are it wont be to rescue me’
‘I will’ I said quietly, nosing the door to the next pen open and heading for the water bowl to drink as much as I could. I could feel Tiff watching me as I drank deeply, she wasn’t happy that much was obvious but I couldn’t let that stop me, I needed to get out of here and away to somewhere.
Turning I backed out of the cage and briefly pressed my nose to her cage, sadness filling me as I thought about leaving her here.
Tiff didn’t say anything before I took off, just put her paw under the edge of her cage and touched it to mine briefly, her eyes seemed to say good luck and she turned to lay down again at the back of her temporary home. I sighed and turned to leave, the now cool dirt under my paws skittering as I loped slowly from the cages, wary in case I was spotted. It didn’t take long before I came to a border fence which thanks to my small size I managed to wiggle under in no time, scraping my back on the rails as I struggled through to the other side, taking off across the flat expanse of dirt as soon as I was upright.
I ran until my heart pounded and I was panting hard from my efforts, I didn’t stop until I had to and the second I slowed I turned to make sure I wasn’t being followed and I was totally out of sight of the house. I had run further out than I thought and I couldn’t even see the fence I had wiggled under.
I waited for my panting to slow, looking round to see if there was anywhere that looked like a good place to run, but there was nothing. As far as I could see there was nothing, no forest or mountains just flat wasteland.
Staying calm I thought through my options, I could run and hope for the best, I could stay put until daylight and hope that revealed something new or I could use my head and try and figure a way out of this mess.
Right, there must be people somewhere out here, this couldn’t be the only place for miles around, or it could be but there must be some kind of life. Tilting my nose to the sky I sniffed deeply, with the heat gone from the land I hoped I might be able to smell something of use to me, sadly all I could smell was the dry arid scent of the desert.
Growling with frustration I took a deep breath, it was all about keeping calm and staying focused on getting out of here. The only option for the moment was to keep going and so I walked onwards.
And onwards.
And onwards.
Slowly the night started to bleed into day and the sky over the horizon lightened, with the creeping grace of a spider the heat came with the sun, my paws under me felt rough and sore as I hung my head and battled on.
I felt itchy and sore as I carried on, the daylight hadn’t bought any new revelations and the landscape was still flat and dry, the only change was the sparse distribution of looming cacti, their huge shapes providing tiny bits of shade which I gratefully rested in for moments at a time. The sandy dirt also gave way to harder cracked earth as I wondered forwards, pretty sure I was heading north and holding out hope that this direction would eventually lead me to the cool peaks of mountains.
It started to feel like I had been walking for hours as the night blessedly returned again bringing with it the coolness of dark, the thirst had started somewhere in the baking day and my throat felt scratchy and full of sand.
As I wondered across the sun cooked earth starting to wonder if I was ever going to make it off the desert and into somewhere with water and shade I noticed something that gave me hope. The smell of smoke, I lifted my muzzle to the sky with the first stir of hope I had felt all day.
The smell came from off to the left and I followed it eagerly picking up my pace and almost trotting along, the dull ache at the back of my throat becoming a distant thought as I moved across the earth, the burn in my sore muscles only spurring me on as I thought about finding food and shade and water, I knew that one day I would have to come back this way to find Tiff again but for now I had to concentrate on getting away.
As time flew by the smell got stronger and soon there were dim shapes in the distance, the faint outlines of what I was sure must be houses off in the distance, I picked up into a run, my paws flying against the earth now, becoming softer under me. A sure sign of water! As I drew closer spattered grass seemed to appear under me, not thick and lush as what I remembered from home but sparse and dry, it was still grass though and my heart skipped a beat with excitement.
I slowed at the lights of houses came into view and glowed softly in the night, trotting now as I panted keen to reach the houses, knowing I needed to be quiet. The smell of clean water soon reached my dry parched nose and I wondered closer, following my nose round the corner of a huge barn to a trough of water. Sighing with relief I plunged my nose deep into the cool liquid and drank until I felt I could fit no more water inside me, I felt full and sloshy but still dusty and uncomfortable. I dipped my muzzle back under the cold water, closing my eyes happily and enjoying the cool water floating between my fur to sooth my hot skin.
Pulling my head up out of the water I turned to survey my surroundings, it seemed I was in some kind of tiny town, made up of this barn which I stood in front of and then two rows of houses leading down away from it either side of a wide strip of dirt. It was like something out of the old cowboy films I had used to watch with Tom on a weekend.
Sniffing lightly at the air scents overwhelmed me, the smell of animals behind me in the barn, the smell of fires lit in the houses, of cars and more importantly, food.
Moving cautiously now more wary of humans than I had ever been I was reminded of the spring I stumbled across the campsite to find Muriel and Tom, it seemed so long ago and I wished I could go back to that time. Sighing softly I wondered where to go from here as the scent of a dog drifted to me, swerving to the right I headed for the smell, hoping to find a friendly face that could help me out.
The smell seemed to lead behind a house, I wondered down the side alley separating each wooden house from the other still sniffing lightly.
The next moment a flurry of angry barks followed a thump as a shape hit the fence next to me, rattling the posts and making the wood shiver, I threw myself backwards yelping, paws skidding on the dirt under me as fear flooded my chest.
A door slammed open behind me and I took off, running towards the end of the alley and planning to run as fast as my oversized paws could take me away from here. As I drew towards the end of the wooden tunnel something sharp hit my flank with a short popping sound, my head swam and my paws folded dizzily under me, sending me muzzle first into the dirt, dust swirling around me I struggled to get up and failed. With a soft sigh I lay my head down and closed my eyes.
Ugh, my head felt like it had been filled with dirt, come to think of it so did my mouth. My eyes flickered open as the world spun dizzily, flashing past me as if I was on one of the roundabout spinning things the neighbourhood kids used to push each other on. Stomach rolling I shook my head and blinked a few times, clearing the blurryness from my eyes and slowing the spinning down as I got slowly and shakily to my paws.
‘Whoa there boy, take it easy’
The voice came from behind me and cleared the fog in my mind quicker than anything else could have managed too, I spun round the last of the shakiness having left my muscles as my survival instinct took over and I backed against the wall behind me, ready to turn and run.
‘Hey its ok’ the girl crouched to the floor smiling softly ‘your alright here’
I regarded her with mistrusting eyes, the fear slamming my heart against my ribs subsiding slightly as she smiled at me, I watched as she sat herself on the floor across the room and watched me with bright blue eyes, as clear as a summer day after rain. Curious I sat down and tilted my head at her.
‘There’s a good wolf huh, no need to be scared of me boy, I’ve brought you up some din dins if you want it?’ she leaned forwards pushing a bowl filled with good smells towards me.
I stood cautiously, the bowl stood halfway between her and I, tempting me with what appeared to be steak, rice and gravy, a dish that made me think of Muriel, she would feed me it as a treat sometimes. Taking a cautious step forward my mind worked ahead of my senses, thinking through all the possibilities and quickly finding the easiest escape route should this all go wrong. As I watched the girl I figured it would be easy enough to get out, she didn’t seem dangerous though so I would stay cautious and eat the food as long as she stayed where she was.
Reaching the bowl in a few cautious steps I settled myself and took a small bite of the food, the rich taste making my stomach growl. I watched as the girl giggled and felt my tail wag slightly behind me, I felt more confident as I took the next bite and soon I had scoffed down the whole bowlful. The satisfying feeling of fullness settling in my stomach as I sighed gently and sat down, glancing about for a bowl of water.
‘Did you enjoy that huh?’ the girl smiled widley at me and sat forward with an empty silver dish and a bottle, she filled the dish with cool water and sat back to watch me drink ‘guess you wondering how you got here’
I lapped at the water, realising I hadn’t yet though of that, the last I remembered was being chased through that little alleyway, then nothing until I had woken up here. I fixed my eyes on the girl and laid down in front of her, just out of arms reach ears up and ready to listen, curious now.
‘Well, you were brought here by a lady that lives in a remote town, her names Sally, one of the last of the old west. She found you roaming around but knew you shouldn’t be out there, not with all those grumpy ranch men around, they’d have shot you for sure. Sally used to work for animal rights so she knew she had to move you, luckily she had her dart gun to hand. According to her she’s never seen a wolf of your colour, she didn’t know what to do with you then so she brought you up here. I run a rescue centre you see, for abandoned animals, she left you here so I could feed you up’ pausing the girl leaned forward to smile at him ‘when you feel better its up to you what you do, stay here or go back to the wild’ a frown creased her face as she sat back ‘where you came from is a mystery though, there aren’t any forests or anything down there, I’m a good three hours from where you were found I should think’
I watched as the girl shrugged, clearly confused about where I had come from, I yawned lightly and stood up, brushing my head against her hand as I did so, we looked at each other for a moment and the girl smiled softly, my tail wagged in response. I had somehow landed on my paws and had to be thankful to the woman who had brought me here, the girl stood up and stayed next to her, following her out of the room and into the warmth of the day, clearly afternoon it was warm but not overly, my first clue I was away from the desert.
As I looked around I felt my jaw hang open, the huge open fields in front of me swayed with long soft grass, I stood in a barnyard, a pond to my right, a huge barn to my left and the house the girl belonged to behind me. I padded forwards and the forest came into view, it went on for miles, only broken up by craggy mountain peaks in the distance, the trees seemed to surround everything for miles.
I took a deep breath, stunned by where I was. The girl smiled down at me and ran a hand over my head ‘its ok boy, your home now’
From the feeling in my heart I knew she was right and I licked her hand in agreement, a warm feeling settling over me. Contentment and happiness. This was my home now, one day I would save Tiff and me and the girl would stand side by side facing the world together, I looked up and met her eyes trust flowing through me as she grinned, resting her hand on my head.
My girl.
Rolling, jumping and running the barks and yips around me spurring me on as fluffy shapes blurred around me, someone pounced on top of me sending me rolling away down the hillside, laughter ringing through the warm summer air. Jostling bodies tumbled over mine and teeth playfully bit at one another, Tiff leaping on me to bite at my ears laughing softly.
My girls voice rang out across the hills calling me back to her side with a playful note, I broke away from the furry pack leaving them to wrestle and raced through the swaying grass, keen to be at her side once more.
Reaching the brow of the hill I barked happily to let her know I was on my way, tail waving behind me I paused as my heart swelled with joy before leaping down the path to the house, skidding to a stop at her side. Her fingers twined in my neck fur as she bent to hug me and I licked her cheek happily, this was my home, my human and my world. I couldn’t be happier.
Art: N/A (didn't finish the colouring in time, my art program died last night
)
other
Note: Italic bits are memories, the first one of Kalik as a pup and the second of is new life on the farm. Kind of like a prologue and epilogue.
The other dog in this story is Tiff my akita character. Currently without character page but I can provide info if needed.
Also I'm sorry if its seems a bit rough, had an emergency mid week so things got a bit frazzled but I couldnt miss trying for this lil guy
Picture:
Kennel number: Kennel 137
Name: Kalik
Breed: Timber Wolf
Why do you want this animal and what will you do for it?:
It isn’t often that a design with unnatural colours and design really catches my eye as I am really fussy when it comes to designs and characters, but this guy had me at first sight. The design caught my eye and is beautiful, flows together just perfectly, the colours all compliment each other through their different shades and the overall design is interesting and unique. it’s the perfect blend of colourful and elegant and keeps you looking at it.
I just want to give this lil guy a home with all the love and attention he deserves, I can’t wait to get started on his back story if I win him and already I can see him playing a very important part in my main writings. I can already see his personality developing and have such a good idea of his character, the more I look at him the more he seems to come alive in my mind, I just know he’d be a very important pup to me for the long haul and I already adore him hugely.
General Information
Mother: A loner wolf called Pips. Only staying with her little of pups until they were too old to feed from her she soon took off into the wilderness again, she seems to be a legend among wolves and with the help of his new friends Kalik hopes to one day find her and ask why she left.
Father: Suspected to be the Alpha of a roaming mountain pack. No one can be too sure.
Height: Est 24 inches
Weight: 65 pounds
Eye Colour: Light Green
Fur Colour: Mixture of purples with white and green markings.
Fur Texture: Long, soft and fluffy. Coarser over his shoulders.
Paw Size: Large paws. Bigger than usual for a wolf his size.
Favourite Food: Elk, he prefers the taste of large game over small game.
Favourite Place: The big grassy hill behind the den site
Favourite time of day: twilight, he likes watching the sun go down and the stars come up.
Personality:
Thoughtful
The world fascinates and amuses Kalik no end, so he tends to spend a lot of his alone time thinking to himself, trying to unravel and understand some of the mysteries of his home and the world around him. He can almost be described as whimsical but the more serious scientific part of his thinking keeps his thoughts grounded. Though he does love the mystery that the universe presents and loves things like watching the stars and clouds.
Quiet
Preferring to listen rather than speak Kalik keeps his thoughts to himself most of the time, listening to the creatures around him he thinks he can learn more about the world.
This little guy also figures that keeping quiet can help him avoid getting into any trouble, around strangers and such he knows that the less he speaks the less chance he has of offending them and landing himself in a fight. He tends to open up more to others once he knows them better.
Intelligent
Being a rather small wolf Kalik has always held fast to the theory being smart will help him over being strong where he to end up in some kind of confrontation. He knows that he wouldn’t be much good in a tussle against most of the bigger animals in the area and hopes his quick mind means he would be able to escape the trouble rather than face it head on.
He is quick to see solutions to problems which makes him invaluable to his friends and pack mates, he often leads them away from trouble and can find food in any shortage and water in any drought using his senses in the best way possible.
Shy
Part of the reason Kalik is so quiet is because he tends to be a little shy. After his life with his first owner and all that happened to him he can be rather wary around new people and is always worried about rejection.
Kalik is also incredibly shy with girls and tends to blush a lot, the art of speaking to females is lost on him and he stumbles over his words a lot. Its an endearing quality that makes others think him sweet though Kalik doesn’t realise this.
Cheerful
Though most don’t tend to realise it because he is such a quite sombre looking guy Kalik is actually incredibly cheerful. He has a sunny outlook on life and loves the world around him, rarely is he ever down or upset and he tends to look on life with a kind of enchanted enthusiasm that means he usually has a smile on his muzzle and a wag in his tail.
Those closest to Kalik will tell you what a happy guy he is once you get to know him and once friends with him people tend to stay close to him for the long run.
Kind
No matter who, what or where Kalik will be there to help anyone anytime. It doesn’t matter if you’re a friend of his or someone he doesn’t know, if he can help you he will.
He hates to see anyone upset and it tends to be the only situation in which he easily overcomes his shyness with strangers and girls.
Likes:
Stars
Nothing relaxes Kalik like laying on his back, on a cool clear night, in the soft plush grass on home and watch the stars twinkle above him. It calms any worried thoughts he might have and makes him feel all relaxed and peaceful about the world. He’d spend all his time watching stars if he could.
Water
Being a wolf that loves the cool Kalik spends a lot of his time on hot days splashing about in the stream near the den site, he loves being all wet and letting the wind and the sun dry his fur when he emerges. He likes to chase bubbles through the water and splash about with his friends, or just lay in the shallows and let the water drift through his fur.
His girl
Kalik loves his girl, she took him in when he needed her and he trusts her more than anything in the world. She never yells at him or tells him off but teaches him about the world gently and cuddles him close when he feels down. He would do anything for her and loves cuddling up to her or playing out in the meadow with her and the other dogs.
Company
Kalik does like his alone time but he much prefers knowing others are around him, he doesn’t like total isolation and even if he cant see the farm dogs he likes knowing they are around. He finds being with others makes him feel safe and he loves being around other canines and people too.
Dislikes:
The desert
After his stint in the hot dry badlands Kalik prefers to avoid anywhere dry and barren and prefers to stick to the leafy comfort of his forest home. The dry heat of it all makes his chest hurt so he wont venture back into the desert unless he absolutely has too.
Heat
Despite loving the sun and lazing about in it most afternoons Kalik prefers the cool to the hot. it’s the heat of the day where there is no breeze he dislikes and is thankful that its only the very height of summer that kind of weather hits his mountain home.
Arguments
A quiet loving little soul Kalik cant stand the noise and tension of arguments and will avoid them at all costs, he cant think of anything worse than fighting with one another and generally tries to keep the peace. He wont fight with anyone himself unless there is no other option to protect his loved ones, even then he hates every second of it and wishes there was another way.
History/Background:
Running through the long grass on stubby little legs, sharp teeth in his hind leg, quick yappy barks, tumbling over and over down small hills with his brothers and sisters tight on his heels, pouncing on his sister and tugging her ear in his mouth as yips and laughing sound all around him, the sun warming his soft fur in the breezeless hot afternoon.
The soft warm voice of his mother drifts on the hot air to call them back to her side, filling him with a feeling of love so strong he turns from the near irresistible fun and runs happily back to her, small tail wagging, heart pounding as he pants eagerly. Jostled in the rush of wiggling furry bodies he presses himself against his mother, her nose gently rubbing over his head to great him back. A sudden yawn stretches his mouth in a surprise wave of tiredness, slumping against his mothers foreleg and drifting slowly to sleep.
I groaned as my eyes flickered open, rudely awakened from my dream, the light outside my kennel seemed far to dull yet, surely it couldn’t be time to be awake? A door slammed in the distance and a shiver ran through me, waking me up at once and making me retreat to the back of the wooden structure I had come to call home.
My life had taken many twists and turns in the last few months, I should probably explain myself before we go any further into my story.
I was born in the mountains, beneath the sun and trees and wild winds of snow capped peaks, this was my home. I was only a few weeks old when my mother left me and my siblings to fend for ourselves, no one could call us old enough to survive alone out there being as we didn’t even have out adult teeth yet. The few of us eventually spread out, one by one we drifted away from our den site and nursery in search of life. I strayed far from the safety of my wild home and soon found myself in a quant little campsite on the edge of the forest, starving and weak I was drawn there by the smell of cooking meats, laid on the hot grills of BBQ’s with the smells drifting all across the tree tops.
A kind couple by the name of Muriel and Tom took one look at me and quickly made the decision to rescue me, cooing over me and encouraging me toward them with cuts of the meat known as ‘sausage’. It didn’t take much persuasion, I had wondered for a few days before finding them.
It was a happy two years I spent with them, playing the game known as fetch, bringing them the newspaper in the morning, eating delicious food and taking long walks through the woods and on the beach. I would have been happy there a long time sleeping in front of their fire on a thick dog bed by night and keeping the two of them company by day.
All was well until the next spring, the snow had melted and I spent much of my time out in the garden behind the house with Muriel as she tended to the freshly blooming flowers in the beds lining the soft green lawn. Tom would watch from the decking, sat with his paper and iced lemonade as the sun warmed the air around us, the smell of fresh dug earth and pine on the wind.
It was on one of these beautiful sunny mornings as we walked down the sands of a nearby beach, as I chased the surf across the grainy golden beachfront I heard Muriel cry out, as I skidded to a halt and turned I saw Tom fall to the ground with a groan.
The rest of the day was a blur, wailing noises and people scurrying around, their faces tight and drawn. I was taken away by the next door houses kid, a young boy who spoke softly to me and stroked my fur gently. I spent a lot of time that day pacing the walls of my house and whimpering softly.
A few days later and a man came to collect me, I had not seen my Muriel or Tom for days and I worried constantly about them, our quiet days had been disturbed and I didn’t understand why.
The next door lady who I guess was the mother of the young boy came to see him about me, I trailed back and forth only interested for news on my absent friends.
‘Do take care of Kalik wont you?’ the worried woman blustered, her hands wringing round each other.
‘Of course, he’ll be fine’
‘Muriel and Tom are so upset to see him go, they do worry about where he’ll end up’
‘I’ll look after him’ the mans voice was rough and deep, I looked at him confused ‘im sure they are having a tough time, the dog will be ok’
‘Ok. With Tom’s heart attack the doctors have warned him against having a dog you see, that’s why he has to go’
‘Its alright, no need to explain to me’
‘alright, well thank you. Bye’
With that she vanished leaving the tall man to clip a lead to my collar, I whined softly only registering that Tom seemed to be ill and this man was to look after me for a while. I didn’t like the way he smelled and I took a step back from the oddly sour aroma, my nose wrinkled in disgust. He tugged at the lead roughly and led me out the door, not pausing to collect my toys or bed.
That was the start of my trouble.
We drove a long while that day, I laid in the back of his truck and wondered at where we were going, I was still only young and as the night drew in my thin coat failed to keep out the worst of the cold. I gazed out of the bars at the back of the truck and watched the sky turn dark over the mountains.
Sleep came in uneasy bursts until we reached what seemed to be a deserted ranch, the sounds of barking dogs filled my ears and I lifted my head with hope. Maybe there would be friends for me here, when I was at home often I played with the neighbourhood dogs. It had been good fun chasing balls and sticks with them and the kids that had thrown things for them.
The man came to the back of the truck and led me out, as I hopped down onto the rough dirt floor he looked down at me and made an odd grunt. I wagged my tail slowly until he shook his head and grunted again.
‘Scrawny little runt aren’t you, better put on some weight or the others will eat you alive’
With those encouraging words I was led to a steel pen and locked in, a bowl of water lay stale in the corner and the concrete floor was rough and grainy under my paws. I looked around me once the man had left and noticed the steel bars went all the way round and above, there was nothing else in here but me and the water. I sighed and settled down in a cold corner, gazing above me at the stars to amuse and distract myself, such brilliance up there, twinkling little orbs of light just hanging there under the near full moon. I gazed upwards for a long time, a sense of peace coming over me, before hearing a low sigh to my right.
Getting to my paws I wondered over to the side of the cage and tilted my head to the side, squinting into the dim light ‘Hello?’
‘So you’re the new kid. Little small’ the voice was bored and clearly female, she talked with an easy drawl.
‘Oh, hi. I’m Kalik’ I could feel my skin flushing under my fur, I hadn’t had much to do with females and I always felt a little awkward with them.
‘Yeah yeah. The names Tiff. Don’t bother me and I wont bother you’ she paused and I tilted my head, still trying to see her ‘for as long as you’re here anyway’
‘What do you mean?’
A sigh came from in front of me and the next moment a white shape appeared ‘look kid, most of the dogs they bring in here aren’t around long. Don’t expect to be any different’
‘Um. Thanks’ I looked at her as she laid on the floor of her own cage, a sigh escaping her muzzle. Her long coat seemed to be white but covered in dirt, her bushy tail curled behind her and her ears pointed forwards. He wondered why she seemed so sad.
‘Don’t thank me. Look’ she turned her head to look me in the eye ‘your clearly from a nice home, brushed fur, nice smell. The dogs here aren’t from homes, we’re from the streets. They’re tough. Remember that’
‘Sure will’ I lay down as a sense of unease started to swirl in my stomach, the cold floor was uncomfortable and I wiggled slightly trying to get comfy.
A while later my eyes drifted shut and I fell into an odd uncomfortable sleep.
The next day dawned hot and uncomfortable, there was no breeze to ease the stifling heat and me and Tiff laid quietly in our adjoining pens. I wanted to ask her about herself but found my tongue too tied to begin each time I though of something to start with. Tiff never initiated conversation with me either so I kept my thoughts to myself and gazed out over the flat barren land in front of me. Off to the right lay a sprawling wooden house which looked as if it had seen better days, once I had seen the man from last night emerge and stride off round the corner but had seen or heard nothing since barring the occasional bark. The logical conclusion was there were other dogs somewhere and I was keen to meet them and find some new friends.
It wasn’t until later that lazy afternoon the man came to let me out of my cage, Tiff next to me was also let out and a short length of rope was tied between our collars. I looked wonderingly at her but she refused to meet my eyes.
‘Now don’t run off ya here. Tiff you know the drill’ with those few rough words the man turned and walked away, letting himself into the dark house without a backwards glance.
A tug at my throat distracted me and I turned to see Tiff waiting with an impatient expression ‘come on’ she sighed walking on again.
I followed her without a word, aware of her annoyance and now stuck for anything to say. Instead I kept quiet and followed her slow pace across the dirt in front of the house, the sun felt hot on my back and I wondered where we were going. A loud sigh from Tiff made me turn my head to look at her, she regarded me with something that looked like sympathy and I worried.
‘Ok’ she sighed shaking her head and speaking in a flat monotone ‘this is fight ranch, you have been brought here for the legendary sport of dog fighting. This is the masters house, you are never to go in there’ a shiver ran down my spine and turned my stomach cold as we moved on again ‘that there is the dog barn’ she indicated a big wooden barn over to our right ‘this is where you will live when the master feels the time is right. Now we will go inside an meet the other dogs. don’t annoy them’
I nodded mutely, fear having frozen my tongue to the roof of my maw. My paws seemed shaky as I followed her towards the big double doors of the barn, one of which stood open. The closer we drew the more I wanted to run, my blood skidded like ice through my veins and it seemed the sun had lost all of its warmth. I slowed as we reached the open door but an impatient tug from Tiff had me following her heels again. The smell of dogs hit my nose as we walked in, stale food and dirt made me whine softly desperate to back up and leave. A growl to my left drew my gaze and I stared open mouthed at a huge black dog with a missing ear.
‘Easy Raff, he’s new’ Tiff spoke in a soothing voice, turning to face the dog.
‘I can tell. Looks meek, no fun’ the dog grunted roughly, I flattened my ears very glad that the dog was behind bars and unable to get to me.
‘Yeah he’s just a kid’
‘Mm, easy win’
‘Alright that’s enough’ Tiff turned and led me away, as we wondered down the middle of the barn I looked in every door, dogs ranged from smaller than me to bigger, from thin and shaking to well fed and glossy, I couldn’t speak. Each step seemed to take a million years and buzzing rang in my ears as I followed Tiff, numb from the nose back. The air seemed to stiff to breathe and I had to concentrate on just getting enough air to not pass out. We made a full loop before leaving, a few of the dogs regarding me and laughing nastily as I padded past, I felt myself cowering lower under some of the intense stares.
Back in the light I almost ran towards my cage panting as if I had run a mile, glancing all around myself to see nothing but barren land, scrubby plants and bushes seemed to shimmer blurrily in the heat.
Tiff skidded to a stop behind me as we reached the cages, starting to pace I tried to unfreeze my mind knowing I needed to think, I needed to escape and get back to Tom and Muriel, but I couldn’t, Tom was sick, where would I go? Right. Calm.
‘Whoa, talk about freak out. Stop pacing your making me dizzy’ Tiff snapped biting the rope and yanking it till I stopped.
‘What? You think I should be calm?’
‘Of course. So many dogs have passed through here and they stay calm fine’ she shrugged and I saw something flash in her eyes ‘stop being a baby’
‘How many dogs have you seen come through here?’ I asked softly
‘Who knows. Enough.’ she turned her head away sitting down with a huff.
‘So how do I get out of here?’
‘You don’t. I’ve been here months and no one has ever left of their own free will’
‘How can you sit and watch it?’ I asked gently, trying not to make her angry but sensing that she held the key to my escape from this prison.
Flicking a glare over her shoulder at me I could tell this struck a nerve and bit my lip, wondering if I should apologise for my rash comment but not yet having the courage to do it. I waited a moment, watching as her tense posture seemed to radiate anger, every strand of fur seemed to stand on end with it. Just as I was working towards coughing up an apology I heard her sigh and she looked over her shoulder at me with a look I couldn’t decipher.
‘I don’t have a choice, I tried to run once before and I just got caught, beaten and caged back up here. Now I have to take care of all the new dogs that come through here’ she paused to growl low in her throat ’there is nothing out there! Nothing! Miles and miles of hot dirt and nothingness’ she got to her paws, pacing back and front past my nose ’I ran for days, as long as I could but eventually you have to stop running, there is no water or food or shade and the nights are so cold!’
Suddenly she slumped to the floor her eyes exhausted and shook her head, I moved closer to her hating to see her upset, an odd strangled feeling in my chest as she sighed sadly ‘I hate having to be the one that explains what happens here, especially to those as young as you’ she regarded me with those sad blue eyes ‘you cant be much more than a pup’
I looked down at myself and saw why she would assume that, my small frame belonged to an animal much younger than me ‘no, just over two years or roundabout’ I was slightly hurt but it was something I’d gotten used too, dogs often suspected me of being younger than I was.
‘Oh!’ her eyes flashed with surprise and she nodded wrinkling her nose ‘well, sorry. You see master wanted you here cause apparently you’re a wolf, I always assumed they were bigger than you’
‘Oh’ I sighed and nodded ‘I do come from the mountains, I guess I am small for my age’
‘I’m sure you’ll grow in time’ she said softly showing the first real hint of compassion and kindness.
I grinned and felt my tail twitch slightly in response.
‘So, how did you escape?’
‘Its better you don’t know, in case you decide to try’
At that moment the master came along preventing further conversation by untying us and after returning Tiff to her pen he turned to lead me away. As we went I turned to see Tiffs sad eyes on mine and realised I would not see her again the rest of the time I was here, but I would return for her if I ever managed to escape.
The master as Tiff had called him led me round the side of the house to a small chained yard, in the corner was a small wooden dog house with nothing but a bowl of water and a wooden stake in the ground outside it. I whimper softly I was tied up to the stake by a length of chain.
‘Right. Time to start toughening you up, you need to be tough for when you go up against the others, your fist fight is in a week. Don’t annoy me and we’ll get on fine. Annoy me an we wont’
I looked up into his hard sun tanned face, dark stubble covering his jaw didn’t hide a scar that ran from his chin to his cheek. This was a tough man and he terrified me already, I cowered back against the opening of the kennel wishing I could hide myself. Eventually he turned and left, banging the door on his way into the ramshackle house.
So that’s where my story comes to so far. A few weeks later and not much had changed for me, I was still in the kennel and hadn’t seen Tiff since the day I was led away from her. My plans for escape where never far from my mind but I hadn’t figured a way off the chain yet and pulling the stake up had not worked. Slowly I was trying to work on getting my collar off but for the time being staying quiet was the best option. The first night out I had whined softly until the master had come and hosed me down with freezing water before throwing a brick at me. I hadn’t made a peep since. Days passed in the same blur, feeding time and then hours to kill in the heat before nightfall and shivering in the cold. I knew I needed to get away soon, before it was time to fight one of the other dogs, I had heard a fight one night and I knew I didn’t want to end up in one, the noise! Howling, growling, yelps and squeals that made my skin prickle and my heart turn cold.
As the current day drew to a close and the heat started to fade from the dirt I lay and watched the sun go down over the horizon I waited for the light to go off in the house. I was pretty sure I could slip the collar off round my head if I started carefully and got my ears out first rather than trying to take the whole thing off all at once.
As night fell and the stars started to twinkle overhead I stood and padded to the front of my kennel, picking the chain up in my teeth so it didn’t clink noisily together. Padding out into the night I spread the coil out along the floor and laying down rolled on my back, using my shoulders to wiggle further away from the kennel, stretching out my neck and feeling the collar tighten round my throat, panicing slightly I wiggled frantically for a moment before a rip sounded loud in my ears. Breathing hard I jumped up and looked astonished at the small metal ring still attached to the clip of the chain, from the shinny round piece of metal hung the rest of the collar, the loop of leather making a dark mark against the lighter earth. I blinked in surprise, expecting the leather would have held tighter than that and feeling a brief rush of sorrow I was loosing all I have of Muriel and Tom.
A moment later a light flicked on in the house and I picked the chain up in my teeth, tossing it into the dark kennel before taking off across the yard, my heart slamming in my chest as I waited for the expected bang of the back door.
When none came I ran across the drive to where Tiff lay alone, pausing there I pressed my nose to the bars and whimpered softly to catch her attention. I watched as she lifted her head groggily and her eyes widened, taking me in with surprise.
‘What are you doing here!’ she hissed jumping to her paws and padding towards me ‘you’ll get yourself killed you silly pup!’
‘Hey’ I whimpered hurt by the angry tone of her voice ‘I can make it, I wanted to say I’ll come back for you’
‘You wont’ she said simply, turning her head away as hurt flashed in her eyes ‘or if you are it wont be to rescue me’
‘I will’ I said quietly, nosing the door to the next pen open and heading for the water bowl to drink as much as I could. I could feel Tiff watching me as I drank deeply, she wasn’t happy that much was obvious but I couldn’t let that stop me, I needed to get out of here and away to somewhere.
Turning I backed out of the cage and briefly pressed my nose to her cage, sadness filling me as I thought about leaving her here.
Tiff didn’t say anything before I took off, just put her paw under the edge of her cage and touched it to mine briefly, her eyes seemed to say good luck and she turned to lay down again at the back of her temporary home. I sighed and turned to leave, the now cool dirt under my paws skittering as I loped slowly from the cages, wary in case I was spotted. It didn’t take long before I came to a border fence which thanks to my small size I managed to wiggle under in no time, scraping my back on the rails as I struggled through to the other side, taking off across the flat expanse of dirt as soon as I was upright.
I ran until my heart pounded and I was panting hard from my efforts, I didn’t stop until I had to and the second I slowed I turned to make sure I wasn’t being followed and I was totally out of sight of the house. I had run further out than I thought and I couldn’t even see the fence I had wiggled under.
I waited for my panting to slow, looking round to see if there was anywhere that looked like a good place to run, but there was nothing. As far as I could see there was nothing, no forest or mountains just flat wasteland.
Staying calm I thought through my options, I could run and hope for the best, I could stay put until daylight and hope that revealed something new or I could use my head and try and figure a way out of this mess.
Right, there must be people somewhere out here, this couldn’t be the only place for miles around, or it could be but there must be some kind of life. Tilting my nose to the sky I sniffed deeply, with the heat gone from the land I hoped I might be able to smell something of use to me, sadly all I could smell was the dry arid scent of the desert.
Growling with frustration I took a deep breath, it was all about keeping calm and staying focused on getting out of here. The only option for the moment was to keep going and so I walked onwards.
And onwards.
And onwards.
Slowly the night started to bleed into day and the sky over the horizon lightened, with the creeping grace of a spider the heat came with the sun, my paws under me felt rough and sore as I hung my head and battled on.
I felt itchy and sore as I carried on, the daylight hadn’t bought any new revelations and the landscape was still flat and dry, the only change was the sparse distribution of looming cacti, their huge shapes providing tiny bits of shade which I gratefully rested in for moments at a time. The sandy dirt also gave way to harder cracked earth as I wondered forwards, pretty sure I was heading north and holding out hope that this direction would eventually lead me to the cool peaks of mountains.
It started to feel like I had been walking for hours as the night blessedly returned again bringing with it the coolness of dark, the thirst had started somewhere in the baking day and my throat felt scratchy and full of sand.
As I wondered across the sun cooked earth starting to wonder if I was ever going to make it off the desert and into somewhere with water and shade I noticed something that gave me hope. The smell of smoke, I lifted my muzzle to the sky with the first stir of hope I had felt all day.
The smell came from off to the left and I followed it eagerly picking up my pace and almost trotting along, the dull ache at the back of my throat becoming a distant thought as I moved across the earth, the burn in my sore muscles only spurring me on as I thought about finding food and shade and water, I knew that one day I would have to come back this way to find Tiff again but for now I had to concentrate on getting away.
As time flew by the smell got stronger and soon there were dim shapes in the distance, the faint outlines of what I was sure must be houses off in the distance, I picked up into a run, my paws flying against the earth now, becoming softer under me. A sure sign of water! As I drew closer spattered grass seemed to appear under me, not thick and lush as what I remembered from home but sparse and dry, it was still grass though and my heart skipped a beat with excitement.
I slowed at the lights of houses came into view and glowed softly in the night, trotting now as I panted keen to reach the houses, knowing I needed to be quiet. The smell of clean water soon reached my dry parched nose and I wondered closer, following my nose round the corner of a huge barn to a trough of water. Sighing with relief I plunged my nose deep into the cool liquid and drank until I felt I could fit no more water inside me, I felt full and sloshy but still dusty and uncomfortable. I dipped my muzzle back under the cold water, closing my eyes happily and enjoying the cool water floating between my fur to sooth my hot skin.
Pulling my head up out of the water I turned to survey my surroundings, it seemed I was in some kind of tiny town, made up of this barn which I stood in front of and then two rows of houses leading down away from it either side of a wide strip of dirt. It was like something out of the old cowboy films I had used to watch with Tom on a weekend.
Sniffing lightly at the air scents overwhelmed me, the smell of animals behind me in the barn, the smell of fires lit in the houses, of cars and more importantly, food.
Moving cautiously now more wary of humans than I had ever been I was reminded of the spring I stumbled across the campsite to find Muriel and Tom, it seemed so long ago and I wished I could go back to that time. Sighing softly I wondered where to go from here as the scent of a dog drifted to me, swerving to the right I headed for the smell, hoping to find a friendly face that could help me out.
The smell seemed to lead behind a house, I wondered down the side alley separating each wooden house from the other still sniffing lightly.
The next moment a flurry of angry barks followed a thump as a shape hit the fence next to me, rattling the posts and making the wood shiver, I threw myself backwards yelping, paws skidding on the dirt under me as fear flooded my chest.
A door slammed open behind me and I took off, running towards the end of the alley and planning to run as fast as my oversized paws could take me away from here. As I drew towards the end of the wooden tunnel something sharp hit my flank with a short popping sound, my head swam and my paws folded dizzily under me, sending me muzzle first into the dirt, dust swirling around me I struggled to get up and failed. With a soft sigh I lay my head down and closed my eyes.
Ugh, my head felt like it had been filled with dirt, come to think of it so did my mouth. My eyes flickered open as the world spun dizzily, flashing past me as if I was on one of the roundabout spinning things the neighbourhood kids used to push each other on. Stomach rolling I shook my head and blinked a few times, clearing the blurryness from my eyes and slowing the spinning down as I got slowly and shakily to my paws.
‘Whoa there boy, take it easy’
The voice came from behind me and cleared the fog in my mind quicker than anything else could have managed too, I spun round the last of the shakiness having left my muscles as my survival instinct took over and I backed against the wall behind me, ready to turn and run.
‘Hey its ok’ the girl crouched to the floor smiling softly ‘your alright here’
I regarded her with mistrusting eyes, the fear slamming my heart against my ribs subsiding slightly as she smiled at me, I watched as she sat herself on the floor across the room and watched me with bright blue eyes, as clear as a summer day after rain. Curious I sat down and tilted my head at her.
‘There’s a good wolf huh, no need to be scared of me boy, I’ve brought you up some din dins if you want it?’ she leaned forwards pushing a bowl filled with good smells towards me.
I stood cautiously, the bowl stood halfway between her and I, tempting me with what appeared to be steak, rice and gravy, a dish that made me think of Muriel, she would feed me it as a treat sometimes. Taking a cautious step forward my mind worked ahead of my senses, thinking through all the possibilities and quickly finding the easiest escape route should this all go wrong. As I watched the girl I figured it would be easy enough to get out, she didn’t seem dangerous though so I would stay cautious and eat the food as long as she stayed where she was.
Reaching the bowl in a few cautious steps I settled myself and took a small bite of the food, the rich taste making my stomach growl. I watched as the girl giggled and felt my tail wag slightly behind me, I felt more confident as I took the next bite and soon I had scoffed down the whole bowlful. The satisfying feeling of fullness settling in my stomach as I sighed gently and sat down, glancing about for a bowl of water.
‘Did you enjoy that huh?’ the girl smiled widley at me and sat forward with an empty silver dish and a bottle, she filled the dish with cool water and sat back to watch me drink ‘guess you wondering how you got here’
I lapped at the water, realising I hadn’t yet though of that, the last I remembered was being chased through that little alleyway, then nothing until I had woken up here. I fixed my eyes on the girl and laid down in front of her, just out of arms reach ears up and ready to listen, curious now.
‘Well, you were brought here by a lady that lives in a remote town, her names Sally, one of the last of the old west. She found you roaming around but knew you shouldn’t be out there, not with all those grumpy ranch men around, they’d have shot you for sure. Sally used to work for animal rights so she knew she had to move you, luckily she had her dart gun to hand. According to her she’s never seen a wolf of your colour, she didn’t know what to do with you then so she brought you up here. I run a rescue centre you see, for abandoned animals, she left you here so I could feed you up’ pausing the girl leaned forward to smile at him ‘when you feel better its up to you what you do, stay here or go back to the wild’ a frown creased her face as she sat back ‘where you came from is a mystery though, there aren’t any forests or anything down there, I’m a good three hours from where you were found I should think’
I watched as the girl shrugged, clearly confused about where I had come from, I yawned lightly and stood up, brushing my head against her hand as I did so, we looked at each other for a moment and the girl smiled softly, my tail wagged in response. I had somehow landed on my paws and had to be thankful to the woman who had brought me here, the girl stood up and stayed next to her, following her out of the room and into the warmth of the day, clearly afternoon it was warm but not overly, my first clue I was away from the desert.
As I looked around I felt my jaw hang open, the huge open fields in front of me swayed with long soft grass, I stood in a barnyard, a pond to my right, a huge barn to my left and the house the girl belonged to behind me. I padded forwards and the forest came into view, it went on for miles, only broken up by craggy mountain peaks in the distance, the trees seemed to surround everything for miles.
I took a deep breath, stunned by where I was. The girl smiled down at me and ran a hand over my head ‘its ok boy, your home now’
From the feeling in my heart I knew she was right and I licked her hand in agreement, a warm feeling settling over me. Contentment and happiness. This was my home now, one day I would save Tiff and me and the girl would stand side by side facing the world together, I looked up and met her eyes trust flowing through me as she grinned, resting her hand on my head.
My girl.
Rolling, jumping and running the barks and yips around me spurring me on as fluffy shapes blurred around me, someone pounced on top of me sending me rolling away down the hillside, laughter ringing through the warm summer air. Jostling bodies tumbled over mine and teeth playfully bit at one another, Tiff leaping on me to bite at my ears laughing softly.
My girls voice rang out across the hills calling me back to her side with a playful note, I broke away from the furry pack leaving them to wrestle and raced through the swaying grass, keen to be at her side once more.
Reaching the brow of the hill I barked happily to let her know I was on my way, tail waving behind me I paused as my heart swelled with joy before leaping down the path to the house, skidding to a stop at her side. Her fingers twined in my neck fur as she bent to hug me and I licked her cheek happily, this was my home, my human and my world. I couldn’t be happier.
Art: N/A (didn't finish the colouring in time, my art program died last night
)other
Note: Italic bits are memories, the first one of Kalik as a pup and the second of is new life on the farm. Kind of like a prologue and epilogue.
The other dog in this story is Tiff my akita character. Currently without character page but I can provide info if needed.
Also I'm sorry if its seems a bit rough, had an emergency mid week so things got a bit frazzled but I couldnt miss trying for this lil guy
