Walking With The Outcast

Chapter 5 - Lucilia

"Ace was right. You stink." Big, innocent brown eyes gaze up at me, and a small pink tongue shoots out to cover my face with dog saliva. "Yuck! I don't know where you're tongue has been. Don't do that!"

A fall breeze slips through the front door right before I close it, and a shiver races up my back, making me shake my arms to get rid of the weird feeling. I look around the entrance, and the puppy scrambles out of my grip to go exploring.

His matted fur is grimy and plastered with mud. It sticks close to him, highlighting the ribs poking through his skin. Poor thing. He looks so sick. He waddles across the hardwood floor, nails clicking rhythmically. His tail is tucked slightly under him, and his nose is stuck high in the air. The puppy freezes with his back facing me, stands extremely still, and falls sideways.

I screech and run to him. Kneeling down, I lift him into my arms. Oh gosh! He's dead! He's dead! I'm panicking and hyperventilating, my breath sputtering out brokenly. With closed eyes, the puppy lays stiffly in my arms. He doesn't move, and I feel tears collecting in my eyes.

As the first tear falls, movement in the hallway draws my attention. A cat comes into view. It's Ares. I cringe back slightly as she approaches. My first instinct is to run from the evil feline, but then I remember the dead puppy in my arms. Ares strolls towards me slowly, tail flicking in an irritated manner. Oh, no. Nothing is worse than an angry Ares. She stops beside me, and calculating eyes glare at me, while her ears flatten against her skull. She looks at the German Shepherd in my embrace, leans forward, and sniffs him. I stare in horror.

She's going to eat him!

I crawl backwards, trying to be quiet. Ares's head tilts, and she raises a paw. I'm dead. Her paw flies forward at a fast rate, and I squeeze my eyes shut, anticipating the horrendous pain of cat claws. Nothing happens. No shredded skin. No piercing claws.

I open one eye. Ares is repeatedly whacking the puppy's head, causing it to bounce up and down. She's desecrating the dead! Right as I'm about to jerk the puppy away, his eyes pop open and he stares wide-eyed at the demonic cat.

"You're alive!" I squeal happily and hug him tightly. "You horrible little trickster! I almost had a heart attack." He peers up at me innocently and I coo at the cuteness. Then his focus switches to the feline when she steps on his scrawny tail. I glare at the action, but the puppy just starts to thump his tail excitedly. He hops off my lap and shoves his face into Ares's. I gasp in fear of her reaction, and my hands inch forward to rescue him, but they stop when Ares hisses at me.

The puppy yips at the feline, but she doesn't flinch. Instead, she shocks me by standing face-to-face with the pup, biting his neck scruff, and beginning to drag him across the wooden floor. My jaw unhinges, and I follow the weird cat to the living room where she tugs the dog to a blanket lying on the ground. My shock worsens when she starts to lick his fur. Well, then.

I'm flabbergasted by her motherly instincts, but when the surprise evaporates, I walk towards the duo to get the puppy for a real bath. As soon as I'm about to pick him up, Ares attacks. My hand shoots back to my side, four red lines marring the skin.

"Ow!" I watch as blood bubbles to the surface of my new battle wounds and whimper slightly. My vision turns to my enemy, and I say, "Fine. You win this one, Ares. However, I still need to feed him." She hisses and lets out an unearthly yowl, and I take that as my cue to leave.

Entering the kitchen, I open each cabinet. Hmm. What do I feed him? Well, if Ares isn't going to let me take care of him, then she can give him her food. I nod in agreement to my reasoning and fill a spare bowl with cat food. Better soften it some. So I turn on the faucet and moisten the food.