I seriously got this idea when I was just sitting with my dog and eating a sandwich. I was just talking to him and laughing at his reactions to me eating the sandwich and thought...what if Fakir had found Duck as a duck and was doing the same thing.

THEN I thought about a drawing I had seen where the four main characters were drawn as their respected animals. Duck was a duck (duh), Mytho/Sigfried was a swan, Rue was a raven (again, duh) and Fakir was a black golden retriever looking dog.

I thought...what if Fakir was turned into a dog somehow and Duck found him. She would talk to him and snuggle and stuff and eventually find out he was a guy the whole time who didn't know how he was turned into a dog.

Hope this turns out the way I had imagined it. Have fun reading it.

Oh, and this would take place in modern times and Mytho and Rue are Duck's parents. (Just go with it)

Ahiru was walking home from school the usual way and was softly humming to herself. She was a really cute little red head who usually wore her hair back in a long braid and she was almost always in good spirits. She could always find the good side of things and even found the good side to the nickname given to her: Duck. Her friends always called her that seeing how Ahiru meant duck in Japanese and it slowly grew on her, even her parents called her Duck.

She passed the empty lot she always did but it wasn't empty on that particular day and she looked at the strange group of people there from the corner of her eye. She didn't pay much attention to them until they started shouting at her. She ignored them but within seconds they were right behind her.

She started to walk faster as her heart began to race but they just stayed on her tail. She was about to break into a run when one of the strange men grabbed her and threw her to the ground. She looked up at him with fear and she tried to back away but didn't get too far when her back bumped into a nearby fence.

The man was yelling at her. Just yelling. His words were so slurred she couldn't understand a thing he said but she knew he was very dangerous. He stepped closer and raised his hand. She closed her eyes in anticipation but instead she heard a loud bark and fur brush against her arm.

She opened her eyes to see a large black dog that looked like it was a golden retriever standing in front of her and growling at the yelling men. Its look was fierce and its growl was even fiercer. Its ears were laid back and its teeth were bared. If any of the men took a step closer the dog would snap at them and bark ferociously. It wasn't long before the men decided to run off and the dog chased them a good three yards.

Duck was very surprised. This dog had just appeared out of nowhere and possibly saved her life from those strange men. He looked very strong but skinny and he looked as if he had been hurt or beaten recently.

He trotted back to her and began to sniff her face and body. For some reason he didn't even try to hurt her, almost like he knew her but from the smell he'd never been near her before. He looked at her and tilted his head, he green eyes looking at her questioningly.

She stared back at him and also tilted her head in confusion.

"Why...why did you do that?" she asked.

The dog just looked at her.

"I've never seen you around here before. Are you lost?" she asked, slowly reaching her hand to his head. She scratched behind his ear and he seemed to enjoy it, like any dog would. She looked for a possible collar but didn't find any. "Do you have a home?"

She stopped and he pushed his head under her hand so she would keep scratching.

She laughed and said, "Aren't you a sweet thing? Thank you for helping me but I need to get home."

She stood up and the dog looked at her in confusion again.

"What? I have to go home. You know, home. You have one too right?" she asked and he sat down. "You don't?"

She knelt down and patted his head, his long fur making him even softer than he looked. He looked at her with sadness in his eyes and she smiled.

"Aw, how could I leave you out here alone? Especially after you saved my life," she said and stood up. "Come on. I'll take you home."

The dog also stood and wagged his tail as she patted her leg as a signal to follow.

As she walked home with the big black dog trotting next to her she began to think out loud.

"I wonder what I'll call you. You were really brave and stuff and you're also really kind. What would be a good name for you?"

He just looked up at her. He didn't quite understand what she was talking about but he knew she meant no harm, he could hear it in her voice.

"Hm...would Moses work?" she asked and looked at him. "Nah. That's too...not right. How about Thor?"

The dog just looked at her like 'really? You're going to name me after a demi-god?'

"Okay, not Thor," she said and thought silently for a while. "Ooh! I know. Lohengrin! Like from the story Lohengrin's Sword. It's perfect. How do you like it?"

He wagged his tail slightly and she patted his head.

"It's settled. You are now Lohengrin," she said and walked the rest of the way home talking to the dog.

It wasn't long before she got home with the dog and she had to somehow get him to her room without her parents noticing. She wasn't sure how they would react to a dog and she was afraid her mom would call the pound. However, her dad, Mytho, was sitting in the living room and he saw her walk by.

"Duck, what are you doing?" he asked with one eyebrow up.

She stopped and smiled at him like nothing was wrong. She tried to hide the dog behind her skinny legs but it wasn't working.

"Oh, nothing. I was just walking to my room," she said.

"Where did you get that dog? You know your mother won't allow it unless she gave you distinct permission," he said and smiled at her. "Now, I wouldn't mind a dog, as long as you took care of it but you'll have to try and convince Rue."

"I know, but he saved my life today and I just thought that..."

"How did he save your life? What happened?" Mytho asked, suddenly very worried.

"I was just walking the way I usually do when these guys who were probably drunk or high or something started yelling at me and one even looked like he was going to beat me up but this dog just jumped in there and stopped them. I still don't know why he would do that but it happened and I really like him," Duck said and hugged the dog. "Please, can I keep him?"

"You'll have to discuss that with your mother," Mytho said.

"Discuss what with me?" a voice said as a door closed.

Rue walked in, her long brown hair was tied back loosely into a pony tail and there was a rake in her hand. She hand been outside doing yard work and had come in for some water when she heard Duck and Mytho talking about her.

"Mom, this dog saved my life today and I was wondering if I could keep him?" Duck said quickly. "I'd take care of him and stuff. I'd feed him and give him baths and take him for walks and let him outside when he needs to go and he could sleep in my room and..."

"Duck, do you know how much work a dog of that size would take?" Rue asked then suddenly realized what Duck had said. "He saved you? How...were you hurt?"

Duck re-explained what had happened and Rue shook her head thoughtfully.

"Oh dear. I don't know if you could trust a dog like that. Who knows if it'll turn on you or..."

"I swear I'll take good care of him and he won't turn on me. He saved me, why would he turn on me?" Duck asked and looked up at her mom with her big blue eyes. "Please."

Rue looked at her for a few seconds and soon gave in.

"Fine."

"Yes!"

"But if you don't do what you promised then he's going to the pound, got it?" Rue said and Duck rushed the dog to her room.

"You've got a home now Lohengrin. How do you like it?" Duck asked as she opened her door.

The dog trotted in and looked around, sniffing at the desk and the bed and the closet. He found some old chips on the ground and backed away. There was no way he was eating those.

"Oops. I'm kind of a mess," she said as she picked the chips up. "Sorry, but other than the mess do you like it?"

He looked up at her and if dogs could grin then that was exactly what he was doing.

For about two weeks Duck and Lohengrin were inseparable. Where Duck went, Lohengrin would follow and no matter what she was doing he was nearby, just watching. She would go for walks with him every day and they would just hang out at the park. He would lie next to her when she was watching T.V. and when she did her homework he was always there for her to pet or hug randomly. Every night he would curl up on the foot of her bed and before Duck fell asleep he would crawl and lay next to her where she could wrap her arm around his neck.

Duck's friends seemed to notice how much time she spent with the dog and wondered what could possibly make that dog so important and great. He was just a dog whose only purpose was to just be there and be a hassle. Duck didn't agree. Lohengrin was her best friend and she would never forget him or abandon him just like he would never abandon her.

One day as Duck and Lohengrin were walking home from the park it began raining. It wasn't just raining, it was pouring and within a few minutes both of them were soaked. They ran the rest of the way home and as they ran up the yard Lohengrin's paws were completely covered in mud.

Rue was standing at the door waiting for them and shook her head in a disapproving manner.

"That dog is not going to get on any furniture or walk on my carpet until he is cleaned up. Is that understood?" Rue asked sternly.

"Yes Mom," Duck said and looked at the black dog.

"Take him in through the garage. At least if he gets mud on the tile it will be easier to clean up than on the carpet. Well, get going," Rue said and pushed the red head to large white door.

Duck waited as the door opened and looked at the dog with a grin.

"Well, looks like bath time for both of us, huh?" she asked.

Her red bangs were matted to her forehead and her braid had lost its shape. Her clothes clung to her skin and it showed just how petite she was. She would have felt really awkward if any boys saw her like that but since it was only Lohengrin...

She carefully guided him through the house and into the bathroom. She turned on the water and waited for it to fill up the tub as she took off his collar. She was about to put him in the bath when she noticed something else around his neck. It looked like it was another collar but it was as black as his fur and it seemed to be tangled up in it too.

She grabbed hold of it and asked, "Where did this come from? Has this been here the whole time?"

The dog looked at her questioningly as she tried to find the clip and take it off. She had just barely pushed in the sides when her mom called.

"Duck, you had better get out of those wet clothes or you might catch a cold!" Rue said. "You can worry about the dog after you take care of yourself."

"Okay Mom!" Duck called back and stood up. "I'll be right back. You just stay here."

He sat down and looked at her.

"Good boy," she said with a grin and left, closing the door behind her.

He just sat there and looked at the door. He was still wet and the second collar seemed to suddenly itch him. He lifted his foot and scratched at the black band until the itch was itched. He then stood and shook his body violently, making the already loosened collar fly off.

It hit the wall and it fell to the ground, making him shrug. Wait, he shrugged? Dogs don't shrug. Their shoulders don't work that way. It took him several seconds to figure this out and he looked down at his body. There was no fur! There were no paws! He had fingers and tan skin and hands and feet and...hair! He pulled a strand of hair in front of his eye and looked at the thick strand with surprise.

He struggled to his feet and looked into the mirror. He didn't see the face of a dog staring back at him but the face of a teenage boy about 17. He had long black hair that fell over his face and shoulders and he was really skinny but still well built. He also had the same piercing green eyes and the jet black color in his hair but he wasn't a dog anymore.

"I'm a human," he whispered. "I'm a human. Oh my god, I'm back to normal."

"Yeah Mom. I've changed," Duck said outside the door.

He looked at himself and realized...he was naked. If Duck saw him like that...he would just feel really embarrassed.

"I'm going to give Lohengrin a bath now. Yeah yeah, I know. I'll be careful not to get water everywhere," she said and the doorknob turned.

He looked around and saw the towels hanging from a hook. He tried to grab it quickly but he wasn't used to his own feet yet and he slipped, falling backwards into the tub with the towel falling on him as well.

The door opened and Duck walked in wearing some shorts and a loose shirt that showed her mid-drift. She stopped as she saw the strange boy laying in the tub with his feet hanging over the side of the tub and a towel as the only thing between him and complete nudity. She just stared at him. Who was he? Why was he naked? Where did he come from? How did he get into her bathroom and where was Lohengrin?

None of those questions came out of her mouth but instead, "What the hell?"

He looked up at her, his hair covering the top half of his face, and he blushed.

"Uh, hi," he said.

She was frozen at the door but as soon as she realized it would be even more awkward to have her mom see a naked guy in the bathroom, she closed the door and leaned against it.

"Who are you?" she asked quietly.

"Loh...Lohengrin," he said, trying to form the word right.

"Lohengrin? That's my dog. Who are you?" she asked.

"I am your dog."

Her mouth dropped.

"No way. How are you my dog when you're so obviously a...guy," she said and blushed.

He couldn't be her dog. He was completely human. He had skin, not fur, and he had hands, not paws, and he had…the same green eyes that would look at her with care every day. She blinked and looked closely at his face. OMG! His hair looked just like her dog's fur and he even had the scar that ran down from his right shoulder to his chest that her dog had. Was he really her dog? If he was her dog then he'd seen her change, he'd heard her sing, he'd slept next to her, and she'd...she'd kissed him. She'd kissed a strange boy!? What if he turned into a boy every night and was sleeping with her? Her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth.

"Oh my god. You...you can't be my dog," she said.

"I can't believe I was a dog," he said looking away from her.

He was also very embarassed for he remembered seeing her do things and say things that she would never do in front of anyone else. He felt a bit ashamed for invading her privacy but for some reason, as a dog he couldn't remember actually being a human. If he did then it was more of a dream than anything else.

"What do you mean?" she asked in a whisper.

"Now that I'm human again I can remember that I was normally a human but when I was the dog… I couldn't remember that. I actually thought I was a dog," he said then looked at her. "Fakir."

"What?" she asked.

"I can remember that my name is Fakir," he said staring at her.

She mouthed the name and slowly thought about what was happening. Her dog was a boy, a really hot boy, who was sitting in her bathtub naked and telling her he couldn't remember being human as a dog. Yep, she could definitely feel her sanity slipping away but who said you can't embrace insanity? So her dog was a hot guy. What was the big deal? It's not like it happened every day and who knows, maybe this could work out really well for her.

"How did you become a dog?" she asked, finally calming herself.

"Some old guy. It was wierd. The last thing I can remember was that this old man put some sort of collar around my neck and the rest is history," he said and shrugged.

"It must have been because of your human self that you decided to help me," she said, stepping closer.

"I guess because I haven't had an urge to go help random people recently," he said and she giggled making him grin. "Sorry to have startled you but the truth is...I kinda startled myself too. You wouldn't possibly have any extra clothes or something would you?"

"I don't know. My dad might have something but I can't promise it will fit. You're so skinny," she said when her mom knocked.

"Duck, who are you talking to?" Rue asked through the door.

"Just..." she looked at Fakir and he mouthed Lohengrin. "Lohengrin. I'm talking to Lohengrin."

"Are you sure? It sounds like an actual conversation in there," Rue said and turned the knob. "Why is the door locked? Duck, open the door, I'd like to see your progress."

"Uh, hold on. I..." she looked for something to hide Fakir with when he pointed to the black collar. "I have soap on my hands. I'll be right there."

She grabbed the collar and put it back around Fakir's neck making him turn back into a dog almost instantly.

"Well, hurry up," Rue said.

"Okay," Duck said and opened the door. "I've just barely started. I haven't gotten very far."

"I can see that. It looks like you haven't started at all," Rue said looking down at the dog. "Now why is my visitor towel in the tub? This isn't supposed to be used for washing a dog."

"Sorry, it just fell in," Duck said and scratched her head.

"It just fell in. Well, hurry up and finish with him. Some of us would like to have the bathroom back for human use," Rue said as she began to walk out of the bathroom. "Now I'm going to have to wash this. Great."

Duck waited for her mom to leave before closing the door and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the dog and thought. Should she take the collar off again and risk embarrassing herself or should she wait until she had some clothes for him?

"Lohen...I mean Fakir, do want me to take the collar off now or after I get you some clothes?" she asked softly, hoping her mom wasn't still outside the door.

The dog just blinked. How could he answer? He couldn't talk and he had no way of telling her what he wanted except by looking at her.

"Um, do you want to wait?" she asked.

He lifted his head up and down.

"Okay," she said and walked over to him.

She knelt down in front of the tub and patted his head. She knew he was a boy and she knew he was probably thinking she was a complete fool for even doing half the stuff he had witnessed her doing but she didn't care. He was still her best friend and she loved him...as a dog of course.

"It's gonna be kinda awkward to give you a bath now isn't it?" she asked with a grin.

He just wagged his tail and nudged her shoulder with his nose. It was all he could do to show he agreed and she felt her heart jump as she imagined the boy in the tub doing that, not the dog.

"Well, better finish it up," she said and gave him a pretty quick bath.

A bit of shampoo and some quick rinsing off was all it took before she was able to get him out of the tub. Once he was out of the water, he shook his body off again, spraying her with water and getting the entire bathroom wet. She couldn't help but laugh and it was all he could do not to lick her face. Even after a few minutes with the collar on he started to forget he was a boy and he began acting like a dog again.

Duck was beginning to get confused about what to call him. Was it Lohengrin or Fakir? How should she treat him? Should she treat him like an intelligent human or as a dog? She thought of those things as they walked to her room and he got comfy on her bed.

"Stay right there. I'll look for some of my Dad's old clothes," she said and left the room.

He did as he was told and it wasn't long before she came back with some clothes.

"Okay, I don't know just how well they'll fit but at least they're something," she said as she put the clothes on the bed. "I'm going to take the collar off and I'll close my eyes, just hurry and get dressed."

She didn't have any idea if Fakir could understand her or not but she did what she said she'd do and stood in the corner, her hands covering her face. He looked around confused for a few seconds then put the clothes on quickly. They were a bit big but like Duck said, at least they were better than nothing.

"Okay. You can turn around now if you want," he said pushing his long hair out of his face.

"Wow, you make my Dad's clothes look cool," she said with a grin and realized just how tall he was. "Man, you make me feel short."

"Cause you are?" he asked with a grin. He pushed his hair back again and asked, "You wouldn't possibly have something to hold my hair back with? It's getting really annoying."

"Yeah. I've got a hair-bow here somewhere," she said and looked on her desk. "Oh, here's one. It's black so you probably won't be able to see it in your hair."

"Thanks, it'll work," he said and pulled his hair back into a loose pony-tail.

"So, do you have a family or something?" she asked, sitting on her bed and looking at him.

"Uh, I don't know. I can't remember much before being a dog," he said.

"Do you know your last name cause if you knew that then we'd be able to look you up," she said, her feet swinging.

"No, I have no idea what my last name is. I guess I'm just lost now," he said with a shrug. "No biggy. If bad goes to worse I could just be a dog for the rest of my life. You would be my family."

"But, you'd forget who you are if you stayed a dog. Don't you like being a human?" she asked.

"Of course I do but if being a dog is an easier way of living then so be it. I can deal with it if I had to," he said.

"Oh. I don't know how I would react if I had a choice of being a dog or a human. I would probably miss being able to talk to my friends or sing or tell people how I felt or..." she just couldn't think of being a dog. How could he be so cool with it? "How long have you been a dog?"

"I think about a week or two before you found me. It's hard to tell as an animal with no sense of time," he said.

"You must have gotten into some trouble cause you looked hurt before I found you, er...you saved me," she said and blushed. She'd never dreamed of ever saying something like that to a guy before and it felt like a fairytale to her. Maybe, just maybe this was meant to be.

"Yeah, a group of stupid kids were throwing stuff at me and beating me. They finally stopped when I bit one of them but..." he stopped and hung his head. "I must look like a big loser to you, huh?"

"Oh no. I'm just amazed at how someone like you could be so calm about being a dog," she said.

"Sure. I guess it grows on you," he said, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his borrowed pants.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Why not?" he said and looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"When you were a dog, do...do you remember me k...kissing you?" she asked and blushed.

His eyes widened in surprise and he looked up.

"What brought that up?" he asked.

"I was just wandering if you remembered," she said.

"Yeah, I remember," he said and blinked to hide his surprise.

"Was it annoying?" she asked.

"I was a dog. I didn't know what it meant. All I knew was that it was something you did to show you cared about me or something," he said. "It didn't really cause a reaction from me. Just thought it was some sort of...I don't know, normal."

"But now that you know what it meant...would you say it was annoying?" she asked.

"Not really. You mostly kissed me on the head but it wasn't really annoying. It's just something that people do with dogs," he said and shrugged again. "It's understandable."

"Did you know what it meant when I said I loved you?" she asked.

"Again no but I do now and again it's something that people say to dogs," he said.

"Fakir, what if I meant it?"

"What?"

"What if, even now that you're a human, I meant I really did love you?" she asked as she got off her bed.

"Why do you keep asking me these things? I don't understand," he said as she walked up to him.

"If you want I could tell you in a way I'll know you'd understand," she said and blushed as she got closer to him.

"What...what's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

He saw the look on her face and stepped back. It seemed very different from the Duck he'd been following and playing with and she seemed like she was up to something, something that was making him nervous.

"I could just show you what I mean," she said and he hit the wall.

"Now look, I...I'm your dog. Whatever you plan on doing isn't right. You should just..." he stuttered as she got even closer.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you," she said like he was a dog again.

She brushed away some of his hair that was still in his face and put her other hand on his shoulder. She wrapped her other hand around the back of his head and kissed him...right on the lips. Her very first kiss and it was with her dog, how...romantically challenged.

His eyes went wide in surprise and at first he tried to get away but soon the dog in him disappeared and the human reflexes kicked in. His eyes closed, he tilted his head down towards her, and his arms wrapped around her waist. He soon realized that the feelings he felt for her as a dog were even more powerful as a human and he knew at that moment he was in love with his owner.

The End...or is it? Dun dun dun!