I already know that it is weak in comedy. That isn't exactly my strong suit. Also, I am horrible at writing, so my storu is just a little simplistic. Anyway, just be kind, this is my first literary venture in quite a while.
2
“Not now, Kevin!” Fido said, regaining some of his composure.
King, meanwhile, was sitting motionless, a look of complete terror on his face. He couldn’t believe that he could say something so stupid to a bunch of dogs. It was no wonder they were all staring at him like he was an alien. If only he could just wake up in a prison bed, once again human, everything could work out. If only a magical jerk hadn’t come into his life and try to teach him some ambiguous “lesson” that more than likely didn’t even exist. If only he hadn’t tried to kidnap Fox in the first place, then maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t be in this mess.
Say something king……. No! Just run home! Nothing could be worse than this……. Run to the bathroom and try to escape through the toilet. They’ll probably think you’re just getting a drink!....... Why didn’t I use that as my ‘I have never’ turn!?....... Why don’t they just look away?....... All of these thoughts raced through his head in an instant, giving him a headache to top it all off with.
He knew he had to do something fast, but his overwhelming fear kept him motionless. But as he looked at the faces of the dogs left around him, a strange sensation took hold of him. It started in the pit of his stomach and began to move into his throat. Before he knew it, this warm feeling exploded out of his mouth in hysterical laughter. He was clutching his sides, afraid that he would fall apart from the force of it. As tears started streaming down his sides he heard a voice, quiet but firm. It was Fox.
“Uh, King? Are you okay?”
After a few minutes, his laughter subsided and he was finally able to respond to the now concerned faces of Fox, Fido and Sgt. Ralph. Kevin had decided that the game was too boring, so he shuffled off to play “surprise tackle” with a few unsuspecting police dogs.
“Hahahah… I’m sorry, Fox, but the look on your faces when I said that was Priceless! I kind of wish I had a camera.”
“So, wait, you were kidding?” said Fido, looking slightly relieved.
“You really shouldn’t joke like that. I almost had a heart attack with that one!” Sgt. Ralph said, a smile starting to form on his muzzle.
“Oh no,” king said with a completely sincere expression on his face. “I was telling the honest truth just then. I never have sniffed anyone’s rear end before, and I don’t plan on doing it anytime soon.”
That bout of laughter was magical. It completely erased all of the fear and anxiety that he had felt just moments ago. He knew that he must be in shock or something, but he really didn’t care. This feeling of relief was giving him renewed confidence, and he was finally able to think clearly. He knew the inevitable question was coming, but he wasn’t expecting it to come from where it did.
“Wait, how is that even possible!?” The little mouse named Spo said. “I mean, I thought that that was half of what dogs did. I’ve been stuck on this one’s head for a few weeks now, so I know that dogs do it whenever they see each other. They can’t help it.”
“Well, little morsel.” King all but growled, baring his teeth for Spo to see. “It is possible if you were stuck inside a house most of your life with no other dogs to interact with.”
“Wait a minute, King. Pete is bad, from what you say, but he lets you out all the time.” Fox said. Inwardly Fox was full of anticipation. He had waited for King to open up about his past for a while now, and he saw this as the perfect opportunity.
“Well, Fox, I have only been Pete’s dog for a little while. I was referring to Pete’s mother when I said that. But I don’t want to boor you all with my life story, so why don’t we just drop it.” He said, not wanting to lie to Fox any more than was necessary.
“No way, this is too weird. I have to know how you could go through your entire life without sniffing even a single rear end.” Sgt. Ralph said, perplexed.
Fido shot him a look. “Maybe we should just let it go. King must be pretty hungry right now. I doubt that half a Pay Day will fill him up.”
As if on cue, Officer Bill stuck his head out of the kitchen.” Meat’s done. Who wants a burger?”
Dang, So close! Fox thought, as he watched king barrel past all of the police dogs to the table. He was always trying to get king to open up, and when he was finally about to say something, he gets interrupted! It was infuriating, to say the least. He couldn’t let this opportunity just pass him by. Tonight was the night that he would get King to talk if it was the last thing he did! Well, I better get a burger before the others gobble them down. He got up slowly, a plan already forming in his mind.
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“You cooked this?” King asked Officer Bill, poking the bleeding meat that was stuck between a couple pieces of bread.
“Yep. Go ahead and eat up, King, you’ve got to be hungry.” Officer Bill said.
King nervously took a small bite of the nearly raw meat. His taste buds exploded as his entire mouth went into a state of Nirvana. A groan of pleasure escaped from his mouth, and all he could say was “wow!” King hadn’t eaten real food since Pete had taken him, and even then, he had been stuck with prison food. He hadn’t eaten a good meal in weeks, and he welcomed the chance to finally eat some real food. He wolfed down the first two burgers in a matter of seconds, and was reaching for the third when he noticed everyone staring at him. Again.
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just been a while since I had real meat.” King laughed nervously, his hand still reaching for a third hamburger. “Is there a set number for everyone? I’d hate to take away from anyone…”
Officer Bill just chuckled softly for a moment before answering. “It’s okay, King, there’s plenty to go around. We’re just amazed that you can fit so much in that little body of yours. Well, that and you inhaled those burgers faster than I could blink!”
“Yeah, you eat faster than Mr. Tackle over there!” Spo said before Fido could stop him.
“Do you want something to drink with that?” Fox asked King, trying to change the subject. He could see that King didn’t like being the center of attention.
“Sure what do you have?” king asked.
“You okay with Orange Soda!?” Fox yelled from the kitchen.
“Why don’t you just bring the cooler out here? I’m sure everyone else is going to want one.” Officer Bill shouted to his pet.
Fox drug the blue cooler filled with ice, orange soda, and a few beers for Bill out to the table. He passed orange sodas down the line until everyone had one, gave Bill a beer, then got King some water before sitting back down. King had opted for water because he didn’t want a sugar rush. The conversation had already drifted away from King, and had entered the category of “varied,” with everyone splitting off into separate groups of conversation. King found himself stuck with Fido on his left, and Sgt. Ralph on his right.
Fido was trying to strike up a polite conversation with King, but King was busy wolfing down his fifth burger. Ralph was never much of a conversationalist, but he too was trying to get King to talk. This corgi was too mysterious for Ralph. He was the leader of the K9 unit, and he couldn’t get a word out of King. This dog is harder to read than a criminal mastermind! That was the moment when Sgt. Ralph knew just what to do about King.
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After King unceremoniously ended the lunch with a loud belch, followed by a hurried apology, his cheeks a deep crimson , he found himself on the couch, more content than he could ever remember being. All he could do was try to keep his eyes open. He was so content, in fact, that he didn’t even care that Sgt. Ralph, the head of the K9 unit, had sat down beside him.
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Sgt. Ralph stood at the doorway to Officer Bill’s study, a couple of orange sodas in his hands and a look of resolve on his face. He didn’t think he would ever need to interrogate a fellow canine, but he just had to check this King out. He was way too suspicious, and his revelation earlier in the day had only served to heighten the sergeant’s misgivings. He knew what to do, and he intended to get the truth out of that dog.
Okay Ralph, just go over there, strike up a friendly conversation, and get things started; that’s all you need to do. Remember, he won’t remember a thing if all goes right. You’ve been trained for this, so just go over there and do your job! With that little pep talk out of the way, Ralph went to the couch and sat next to a sluggish little dog.
“Hello, King, how are ya feeling? I hope all that food isn’t upsetting your stomach.”
“I’m fine, Sgt., just a little tired. I can barely keep my eyes open!” King said, managing a smile.
Here’s your in, Ralph. If he’s never sniffed a butt, he may not know other things about dogs. “Well then, King, how about an orange soda? Oh, and you can just call me Ralph.” Ralph asked, offering one to the little dog next to him. He tried to contain his excitement as the corgi took the offering.
“Thanks, Ralph. The sugar rush should really help!” King greedily chugged half of the soda before stopping to take a breath. He sighed before turning back to Ralph, “So, is there anything you wanted to talk about? I kind of assume that you do, since there’s no other reason to talk to me.”
“King, don’t be so hard on yourself! You are the new dog, and I’d like to get to know you better. I am the head of the K9 unit after all. Just consider me part of the welcoming committee. Hahahah!” Ralph tried his best to hide his true motives from King. He was just biding his time until the soda started to take its toll.
After what seemed like an eternity of small talk about various neighborhood happenings, Ralph noticed that King had started to act differently. His eyes glassed over and he started to get a slight slur to his speech. This was the moment that the Sergeant had been waiting for “Hey King, everyone is wondering what your story really is. Why don’t you tell anyone?”
“SHHH! That’sh shuposed to be a shecret. I ain’t tellin’ anybody.” King said with a smile as lopsided as his ears.
“Oh come on, king, aren’t we friends now? You can tell me.” Ralph said with the sweetest tone he could muster. “Why don’t we go find fox and you can tell us both. I know he’s as curious as the rest of us; he’s just too polite to admit it.”
At the mention of Fox, King suddenly got a depressed look on his face. “I really hope that Fox doesn’t find out about me and that I love you Joel.” His voice was dripping with rage as he spoke his former name.
Ralph, meanwhile, was struck dumb by what King had just said “ Wh- Joel!? The guy who kidnapped Fox and escaped from prison Joel!?” He looked around to make sure no one else was around before adding in a harsh whisper that was seething with rage “How do you know him!?”
“I-I knew him in a former life,” King managed to mumble. Even with his mind swimming in orange soda, he knew that he had screwed up. Oh god, why did I mention my name!? He’s going to find out about me! The whole neighborhood will know!! Fox won’t want anything to do with me! Oh god, Fox!!!
King was in a state of panic by now, his train of thought and the effects of the orange soda only making things worse.
“Ralph, please! Please, please, please don’t tell Fox! I can’t lose him as a friend! He’s the only one I have!! Tell me you won’t let this slip to Fox! Tell me!!!” King was on the verge of tears at this point, desperately clinging to Sgt. Ralph’s fur. He had a pleading look in his eyes, and a tenor of pity had permeated his voice as he whispered a final, desperate plea for silence.
Just one look told the German shepherd that King had broken down completely. He put on a look of compassion and rubbed King’s shoulders soothingly, saying “ It’s alright King. I won’t tell fox. Just calm down. You are still tired, right? Well, why don’t you go to sleep?” It was then that he made an almost imperceptible movement, and pinched a nerve between the smaller dog’s shoulder and neck, sending King into blissful unconsciousness.
“Sorry little fella, but I need you to forget what happened.” The police dog whispered. He got up, grabbed the empty orange soda can from King’s paw, and walked slowly away. His normally grim expression gone, replaced with one of suppressed rage as he went to join the party in the living room. I have to keep an eye on that dog. If he really does know Joel, he may try to contact him. I have to be ready when that happens.
3
“King…”
There was darkness everywhere, but it felt oddly relaxing to King. He knew that he could relax in the pitch black forever. There were no worries, no police dogs, and definitely no Pete. But, as always happened, he got interrupted by a familiar voice.
“King!” It was louder now. He tried to ignore it, but he knew he couldn’t for much longer.
“King! Wake up!” He felt a paw gently shaking his shoulder. He quickly opened his eyes, but shut them just as fast as a blinding light burned his retinas.
“Augh! Fox turn off that light, would ya!?” King was cringing, trying to block all light from his already closed eyes.
“Well, I don’t know about you, King, but I don’t have the power to turn off the sun.” Fox said wryly, a smile cracking his muzzle. “Now come on, I’ll walk you home.”
King looked a little annoyed at that last statement. “Wait… you’re taking me home now? I thought you were going to keep me here and force me to interact with everyone.”
“The party’s over King. It’s been over for a while now. Everyone left about an hour ago. Now come on, the sun is setting and I want to get back home before dark.”
They walked silently for about ten minutes, each lost in their own world. As they rounded a corner, however, Fox suddenly stopped midstride. King, who was too deep in thought to notice, ran right into the husky’s back. He fell back with a little “oof!” escaping from his mouth.
“Hey! Could you give me a little warning ne-,” But King was cut off before he could finish.
“King, we need to talk.” Fox had a grave look on his face, and King knew that it must be serious. “When we played that game, you said that Pete wasn’t your original owner. You said something about his mother instead. Now, king, I have been very patient, but you need to tell me about your past. If I’m going to help you, I need to know what you’ve been through.”
King just stood there for a second. He knew this was coming, but he had hoped that Fox would just give up on it. He enjoyed Fox’s friendship too much to lie to him. Yet as he looked at those piercing blue eyes staring him down, he knew he had to, otherwise Fox would never let this go.
“Ugh, Fox, are you sure about this? I mean, I don’t want to bum you out or anything, but my life has been pretty boring.”
“King, I don’t want excuses. I want to know what made you this way.”
Swallowing his regret and putting on his usual scowl, King began to speak. “Fine, Fox. I’ll tell you my life story if that’s what you want. I was born in Wales, on a breeding farm near Cardigan, just over the border of Pembroke shire. I was born with a rare disease, and was sick for the first six months of my life. The only contact I had with dogs was my mother. She would visit me for a few minutes every day before going out to take care of all of my brothers and sisters. The disease permanently messed with my balance and speech. That’s why I am so clumsy, and you don’t know this, but I didn’t say a word until I was two years old.”
“King, I’m so sorry, I had n-,” Fox began, but it was his turn to be interrupted.
“Please, Fox, don’t interrupt me until I have finished.” King took another breath and continued. “Now, during this time, all of the other pups my age were getting homes and families. My mother would tell me how happy they were to be getting new families and I began to dream of the day when I would be adopted out to a nice couple. It was the only thing that kept my spirits up.
Now, as I said before, the sickness lasted six months. When my fever finally broke and I was able to walk, the owners let me go outside for a few hours each day. By this time it was autumn and most of the puppies my age had been adopted out, and those who were left were scared to come near me, thinking that I would get them sick. It didn’t help things that I couldn’t even bark, much less carry out a normal conversation with anyone. I would just walk around, happy that I could finally feel the warmth of the sun on my face.
During my sickness and subsequent isolation, I learned how to read. I got lost in the world of literature, imagining myself as the most famous of heroes. I had no idea what the truth was. In hindsight I guess I should have known. It was so obvious.
The truth was I was a sickly pup that couldn’t talk, was constantly falling over, and had no social interactions with other animals. I was a nonentity, and the owners of the breeding farm knew that I was nearly unadoptable. That is, until they got a call from America.
The old spinster who called was named Amelia. She was the typical aging southern belle, except for her obsession with perfection. Everything had to measure exactly to her standards, and if they weren’t, she would force it to match them. She called the breeding farm because she decided that a proper woman of her age needed a proper dog, and if corgis were good enough for a queen, then they would suffice for her.”
King stopped at this point to take a breath. He noticed that Fox was waiting with bated breath for him to continue. He was about to smile at this, but remembered where he was in his story, and that he needed to act the part he was playing. He added a tone of sorrow and resentment into his voice as he continued.
“She called the farm and asked if they had any mute dogs. The breeders thought this was an odd request, but they also thought that this American might be their only hope for adopting me. They told her that they did indeed have a well- read and calm young corgi that happened to be mute from a disease he was stricken with as a pup. They negotiated a price, and on the next day, I was in a crate in the cargo hold of a plane, on my way to America. I was a year old at the time.
I don’t really remember that much of the actual plane trip, other than being scared out of my mind, and going to sleep about halfway through. What I do remember is arriving at Ms. Amelia’s home. A tall man opened the cage door, picked me up, and carried me to a drawing room. I was excitedly looking everywhere I could for my new family. I found it really weird that there was no one in such a big house. The tall man, whom I would find out later was the butler, told me to sit down in a chair and wait for “Ms. Amelia.” I was curious, so I did what he asked without question. About five minutes later, she arrived.
As soon as I saw her, I was amazed. Amelia was an old woman, probably in her eighties when I first met her that day, but the thing everyone noticed about her was her imposing demeanor. She commanded and got respect with nothing more than a wave of her hand. In short, she was a scary woman. I had never met anyone like her, even before she opened her mouth, I was expectantly waiting to listen.
When she did speak, my hopes of a happy household were crushed. Her first words were “Your name is King,” She said it without emotion, just staring at me, making sure to keep eye contact. Those were also the nicest words she ever said to me. I’ll never forget what she said next.
“From now on, King, you will be taught how to act properly. I asked for a mute dog because you will never back talk, bark, or growl at me. When I ask for you, you will come; when I give you a command, you will obey it; when I tell you that you are doing something wrong, you will correct yourself immediately or you will be punished. These are my rules, King, and you will obey them.”
With that speech out of the way, she got up and called the butler back in. She told me to follow him, and he would teach me proper etiquette.
I was supposed to be her dog, but I was really just an errand boy. I would satisfy her every whim so that the household staff could work their everyday jobs. I was a prisoner, stuck inside that house at all times. Sometimes at night I would look out of the window and wish that I could go outside. If I did even the smallest thing wrong, she would smack me with her cane, telling me what I did wrong and how to correct it. I hated that woman, fox, but I thought that this was normal. I didn’t know any better.
I finally got up the nerve one night after she had made my nose bleed from her beating. That night I opened a window, snuck out through the garden, and started walking on the sidewalk of the unfamiliar territory that was my neighborhood. I had only gone a few feet, however, when I heard a growl behind me.
“Hey, little pup, what are you doing out so late?”
I looked behind me and saw a large Rottweiler standing behind me. He had a jacket on and a menacing look in his eyes. I tried to communicate with him, but I don’t think he understood my signing. I still couldn’t talk at that point, so he started to get angry. He called a few more dogs over, and started threatening me. I was scared to death. He was saying that he was a police dog, and that he was going to throw me in the pound. I couldn’t talk to them, and I couldn’t disappoint “Ms. Amelia”, so I did the only thing I could have done. I ran.
I ran through the hedge of Ms. Amelia’s home, through the garden, and practically jumped through the window before slamming it shut. That was a mistake. Within a minute, the butler was in the library, staring at me. I was still breathless and panting. He pretty much guessed what happened, but didn’t say anything to me. He just followed me to my bed.
Over the next few months, I started to get my voice. It started out as a whisper, but got stronger until I was able to speak in the voice I have today. I didn’t dare tell that woman about my voice, afraid that she might get rid of me if I did. I started having conversations with the other staff members, though, and they taught me how to talk normally. I was around three by the time my conversational skills were up to par.
It was also around this time that I found my only escape from that prison, and that was the internet. I found out about the internet from a young human who worked as a maid in the house. She showed me how to use a computer, and even guided me through the pitfalls of the internet. I now had the world at my fingertips, and I enjoyed every minute of it, even though I could only go online at night after Ms. Amelia fell asleep.
It went on like this for a couple more years. I would go online at night to look at every piece of information I could find, and during the day, I was physically and mentally abused by that spiteful old woman. It was then another life changing event happened. Ms. Amelia died.
After the funeral, her will was read, and everything she owned was left to Pete, on condition that he took good care of her “beloved” corgi, King. Pete immediately fired all of the staff, sold everything in the place, and finally sold the house itself. After a week, Pete had carted me off to Babylon Gardens, and I am only now getting used to his, uh, “unusual” ways of taking care of me. I guess that he resents me, since we were not only raised the same way, but he is being forced to take care of me against his will, but that still doesn’t give him the right to do what he does.
Well, Fox, that is my life story. It’s not all that long or interesting, but you asked for it.”
King finished his story at this point. He had a look of disappointment on his face, but it wasn’t an act. He was disappointed in himself for having to lie like that to Fox, the one person who genuinely cared about him.
“Wow, King. I just don’t know what to say to that. I mean, I knew your life had to have been hard, but I didn’t know that Pete’s mother was so cruel. I’m glad you told me, this explains a lot.” With that, Fox started off towards King’s house, doing nothing more than motioning for king to follow, he was so engrossed in his own thoughts.
They reached king’s house just as the street lamps were coming on. Fox shivered in his bomber jacket, but he didn’t want King to know. He just wanted to get home to think about everything he just heard. “Well, King, I suppose this is goodnight. I’ll see you again soon, okay?”
“Alright, Fox, goodnight. Oh! And thank you for making me stay. Those burgers were amazing! I had a really interesting time. Give my regards to the K9 unit next time you see them.” King gave Fox a quick hug before heading inside the house he shared with Pete. As he closed the door shut, however, He heard the only voice that could make his skin crawl.
“Did you have a good time at the party?” Pete asked with a knowing grin on his face.
“Like you don’t already know!” King shot back.
“I know that you are quite an accomplished liar. That little autobiography you gave to Fox was truly inspired. You should try getting it published, you know!”
“I have to be a good liar to live with you. I had a choice between being crazy or being pitied, and I chose the better of two evils. Besides, you knew I was a good liar before you even transformed me. That’s probably one of the reasons why you picked me in the first place. You knew that I could cover my tracks.” King’s mood was just getting sourer by the minute.
“Tut, tut king. If you don’t control your temper, I might think twice about giving you a surprise.” Pete was looking awfully pleased with himself as he saw King’s ears perk up.
“What kind of surprise?” King asked, eyeing the gryphon suspiciously.
“Why it’s ipecac, of course! You are on a special diet King. You can’t have all of that rich food in your system. Who knows what damage it could do?” Pete was almost laughing at this point.
King’s face drained of color as he stared horrified, at Pete. “Wh-What?”
“Now don’t struggle, King. It’ll all be over soon.” Pete said as he grabbed the struggling corgi’s arm before he could run away and started dragging him toward the bathroom.
Clawing at anything he could reach, King could only yell “NO! PLEASE! FOX, TAKE ME WITH YOU! PLEASE!
Fin
Why can't I push myself from reading to writing? :headdesk:
