A distant bark interrupted Kendra from throwing food to the clucking chickens that swarmed at her feet. She eyed the edge of forest then swiveled to look towards her house. A beautiful,ancestral looking house. It was a light shade of blue with shutters in pastel blue. A wraparound porch with white railing and rickety stairs,that also had been painted white. Well, all of the house was rickety and old but the house came at a reasonable price. It had been a bit run down when she bought it but there's nothing a bit of paint and a nail or two cant fix. Plus, it wasn't haunted, even though the real estate agent claimed the opposite. The backyard was just as lovely. Beautiful green grass wrapped all around before letting place to the tree line. Where her sanctuary for wounded animals was held. The cages concealed by the lush forestry, giving the animals inside the right amount of sunshine and had bought that house on a whim but she never regretted a single cent that spent on that house or on the animals. It gave a sense of well being when she took care of the wounded animals that she found. From the tiniest minx to the giant bear. Plus with a vetenarian diploma under her belt , she could take care of the animals herself unless they needed surgery or that it was something out of her field of expertise.
Kendra went back to feeding the chickens , who were impatiently pecking at her rubber boots. She bended to make a small pile for the group of chicks,warding off the over hungry,bigger chickens who tried to steal their food away.
'go away you rascals, let the little ones eat' She chastisied playfully, plucking up the chirping chick that decided to sit on her boot, its body light and warm in the palm of her hand. She petted its head with a gentle finger tip, its chick fluff downy soft to the touch.
The bark sounded again, this time followed by three other barks. Kendra sighed in annoyance and gently set the chick down, who proceeded to follow her as she made her way out of the henhouse, her boots scruffing up the dirt as she went. However the chickens decided to follow the chick's exemple and followed her. She chuckled and rattled the bucket and poured the rest of its content in an arch infront of her. The winged devils took off after the food.
'everyone for themselves!' Kendra cried,quickly making her way out and shutting the gate behind her. Kendra moved briskly through her back yard when the barks sounded again. The stray dogs she had taken in seemed very protective of their new home and didn't hesitate to bark at the cars that made their way down the long winding road to her house.
She quickly hung the bucket in her shed and wiped her hands off on her already dirty jeans. She jogged around the house to the front yard. True enough, a couple of dogs were running and barking alongside a truck that made its way down the dirt path. An all too familiar truck.
Kendra tried to hold back a grimace as it stopped beside her own,run down truck. The dogs swarmed around the car, their barks never letting up. Kendra whistled sharply which had all the dogs looking at her.
'heel'she said sharply with a snap of her fingers. They all calmed at once,slinking towards her with their ears back, probably wondering what they did wrong. One of then pressed itself into her side. Her dear Half wolf half dog named Perridot. She patted her head gently,earning a lick to the wrist. Kendra had found the hybrid searching in her trash at night. The little one had clearly been abandonned due to its heritage. She had been sickly thin and agressive to boot but Kendra earned the pups trust and affection slowly but effectively. Now she was much livelier and had a pack of her own. All the other strays seemed to listen to her.
'Ive always admired the way you've tamed those dogs so effortlessly K' came a voice that had her looking up, trying hard to keep her mouth from sneering. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning her weight on one leg.
Kevin,Kevin,Kevin,Kevin. Her ex. Her piece of shit ex.Dangerously sexy with his swept back brown hair. His god-like body that had,emphasee had, Kendra drooling. Everything encompassed inside a three piece navy suit.Their story lasted a full year and a half before he grew tired of her always spending time with her animals. But it was what she did, because it was her job and her passion. She often offered to bond over her practices but he always refused, claiming he didn't went to spend time with her stinking animals. He really was papa's rich boy. He couldn't possibly understand that the world didn't solely focused on him and his own little belly button. He couldn't understand what it felt like to grovel in the mud and the dirt. To take splinters out of sore fingers when the porch and wobbly shutters needed to be fixed. To cry your heart out after hours of surgery on an animal, only for it to die on the table of operation.
He had grown distant three months before their initial breakup, Kendra didn't put much mind to it, god bless she was so busy but he really took the cake when she found him, in their bed, with another woman. She had to admit he had guts to bring in someone else while she was in their backyard minding her own business while he was plowing that loose whore. He sure could run fast when held at gunpoint too. It seemed a bit extreme at the time, but she had seen red and pulled out her hunting rifle, their naked ass making their way out the front door in record time, just before she shot a warning shot at them. He didn't dare come back for his clothes, she burned the 3/4 of them and recycled the remaining pieces to make cat hammocks and little sweaters for some her tiniest dogs.
' What do you want Kevin?' Kendra retorted, trying to keep the venom she wanted to spit at him inside. The man chuckled breathlessly, tucking his hands into his pockets, looking at her through his eyelashes, bewitching blue eyes peeking at her. Once upon a time, she would of swooned at this look but now,she could barely hold back her urge to vomit.
'Awww come on K, can't we do this like actual adults' The man said, pouting childishly, spreading his arms out in exasperation. ' No need to get your panties in a bunch'
Kendra clenched her fists, her jaw tensing. If he only came here to mock her, she will send him out on his ass faster then you can say Texas.
' Then pray tell, what are you doing here, as you already know, I've got stuff to do' Kendra said, no longer holding back the annoyance from coloring her tone, shifting from one leg to the other. Kevin took a deep breath and let it out like a horse would, rubbing the back of his neck.
' My old man wants to buy your piece of land' He finally said, suddenly looking serious. Kendra held back a laugh as she pursed her lips in thought.
' and why would your' Old man' want my land uh, let me guess, the cliche he wants to buy your land to build a mall type of shit?' Kendra mocked, hearing a distant sound of laughter in her head at that very moment.
'Yeah something like that' He said, but avoided her gaze while scuffing his shoes in the dirt, the signs that told Kendra that he was being dishonest. She suddenly felt apprehensive, wondering why his rich old man wanted a supposedly haunted house.
'I'm afraid that'll be a big,fat,no' Kendra answered with finality, watching as Kevin took out a pile of checks out of his suits rolled her eyes at him so shamelessly flaunting his money like an asshole.
'perhaps'The brunette and gorgeous asshole started, taking out a pen from his suits pocket,popping off the cap with his perfect white teeth.'this will change your mind'He smirked confidently,carefully ripping the check from it's stack and handed it to her with a wink. She took it with her thumb and index, as if he was handing her something foul.
'Shit thats alot of zeroes...' She thought,carefully schooling her features so he wouldn't see her surprise. His old man was giving her half a million dollars for her land when she only paid for 1/4 of that. However, Kendra wouldn't be swayed by the sheer amount of zeroes that were on that check. This was HER land and no one was go ing to take it away from her,not even a shit load of money.
She walked over to him, grimacing as he smirked his stupid,confident smirk again,thinking that he won her over. Poor little innocent Kevin, he never learned...
'still no' She said firmly , tucking the check into his jackets breasts pocket and patted it mockingly, smiling when his confident expression crumbled.
'are you insane woman?! Do you not know what you could do with that money?!' Kevin shouted, his controlled mask cracking piece by gave a small'ruff' of warning when the man took a step forward. Kevin glanced down hesitantly at the hybrid, he knew perfectly well what would happen if he showed any sign of agression towards her mistress. The man took a deep, cleansing breath before sweeping back his hair and straightened his jacket.
'I do believe I do Kevin, I just don't care, I have all I need here' Kendra said, a touch of affection touching her words as she reached a hand to pet Perridot on the head, the dogs tongue lulling out in pleasure'Now scram , I've got stuff to do' Kevin went to protest but his mouth closed with a click as he saw the firm,deadly look in his ex's eyes. He nodded,adjusting his jacket compulsively and turned on his heels, the gravel crunching under the sole of his expensive leather shoes.
'I'll be back K' He promised over the bed of his truck,pointing a finger at her. She rolled her eyes, blowing a stubborn strand of hair out of her face.
'Right, I won't be looking forward to it!'She called, watching as he backed up his truck, re-arranged himself so he could move forward down the road, dust flying behind the wheels of his truck as he took off.
'I knew I should of peed on his shoes'A distant voice resounded in Kendra head , the voice sounding dissapointed and Kendra smiled,looking down at Perridot.
'he would of used you to make himself new shoes'Kendra chuckled, petting Perridot's ebony fur and gave her a scratch behind the ear. The dog looked up at her with adoration in her heterochrome eyes,one golden brown and the other ice blue.
'yeah you're probably right or maybe he would've of pouted about it, he's such a spoiled baby' Perridot's voice continued, the mutt trailing along as Kendra made her way back to the back yard.
'awww as if you're not spoiled yourself, you big house dog' Kendra accused playfully, ruffling Perridot's ears,the dogs inner voice let out a squawk of protest but didn't comment,because she knew that she was a lazy house dog.
Kendra was happily munching on her chicken sandwich when she heard the distant barks again. She stopped chewing for a few seconds, listening closely as well as keeping and eye on Munchkin, the glutton chihuaha who was resting in her lap,e yeing her sandwich hungily. He was explicitly fed inside since he couldn't find it in himself to eat with all the other bigger they accused her of doing favoritism...
The barks came again, finally catching Munchkin's attention,who barked and bolted down from her lap and out the doggy door. The door slapped shut with a low clap. Kendra frowned and set her plate back onto the counter and stood up, dusting off her gands to get rid of the stray crumbs of bread.
The brunette padded over to the livingroom, whose window gave a perfect view of the road that led to her house. She kneeled over the couch and parted the curtains to peer outside. There no one making their way down so it only meant...the forest. Kendra practically bolted out of the house, putting on her combat boots, nearly tripping over herself in her grabbed her hunting rifle and flash light and stepped outside after turning on the porch light.
It wouldn't be the first time that teenagers came onto her land to fuck with the animals in the cages, which made them absolutly postal and left Kendra to cope with the aftermath. Or worse, hunters or poachers that tried to steal them away, even if hunting was forbidden on this part of the land.
Kendra wasnt above shooting warning shots to the fuckers that messed with her animals for shit and giggles. The tiny barks of Munchkin led her to the edge of the sanctuary. The animals were clearly distressed, their yowls, cries and chirps filtered through her ears, her brain deciphering what they were saying immediatly. Once she left the viscinity of the porch light, she took her flashlight and turned it on,lighting up a sinewy cobblestone pathway that branched out to the various cages of the aninals.
'theres a disturbance mistress! Perridot says that theres intruders!' Munchkin exclaimed, his voice a rapid fire of words that often left Kendra overwhelmed by the speed of his speech. She took off,fast walking as soon as she heard the word intruders, the tiny dog following closely, the medal of his collar jingling softly as it swayed back and forth. Kendra held her flashlight infront of her stiffly,her other hand holding her rifle like a vice. She shone the light at every cage to make sure that all the animals were accounted for. The two bears were huddled together, the mother holding her son, ready to defend him even if she had a mangled leg.
The great horned owl flapped his good wing in a sign of intimidation, feathers ruffled making him seem like a huge puffball. The racoons had seeked refuge i to their empty tree trunk, small beady,nocturnal eyes reflecting the light from the flashlight. She saw distant beams of light further away,which meant that whoever it was ,was getting closer.
'dont you fucking dare'She hissed under her breath and ran towards the beams of light.
Kendra saw that her dogs had paused, barks gone silent, their ears tilted back wearily. Something wasnt right, whoever was lurking out there, it affected her dogs, she had every right to be weary. She turned off her flashlight when she heard branches break and hushed voices. Two small blue light danced in the air a few feet frowned as she squinted, the two blue lights connected to two heavily shadowed individuals. She could barely make out their features in the dark.
'bloody hell, why did it have to be us doin this stuff' she heard one grumble, his british accent clear.
'Cuz we are da brawn stupid'The other answered in a nasally brooklyn accent. They seemes to continue arguing back and forth , not suspecting that someone was waiting for them.
Kendra clicked on her flashlight as soon as they started approaching her spot. She shone it into their eyes, making them cry out in surprise,immediatly shielding their eyes,effectively dropping a small crate to the forest floor with a audible crack, huge black,was that a rocks?
She finally saw the source of the blue glow, they had wands in their hands.
Wizards.
No doubt her dogs had stopped in their tracks, they could feel and smell the magic, which normally made their fur stand on end, the magic feeling like tiny pinpricks of electricity as one of her older dogs once explained to her.
'Good Evening gentlemen'Kendra greeted,lowering the light from their eyes, but still kept it on their person. 'May I ask, what are you doing here? This is a private land'Kendra added firmly, a faint trace of annoyance lacing her tone.
'I-is she talking to us?'One of the crooks side whispered to his companion. Kendras grip tightened further around her rifle, even if she knew that they could disharm her with a simple flick of their wand. She was clearly at a disavantage here. They were colossal, big men with bulging muscles, that made her brain scream,'go!run while you still can' but Kendra was pretty stupid when it came to her animals and would lay her life down for them.
'of course ya dummy!'the other hissed, one of his eyes sealed shut by a nasty scar that ran from his hair line, over his eye and down to his chin,dissapearing under his massive jawline.
Kendra cleared her throat,cocking her gun defensively. They both turned their eyes on her again.
'j-just passing through there little lady, we were-Petrificus Totallus!'Kendra didnt know what hit her until she found herself completly paralyzed on her back on the forest ground. The dogs whimpered and barked as the men got closer to their mistress. One of the older,sturdier dog,Rufus, a Mastiff,snapped out of his daze and snatch one of the men's leg making him cry out in pain, shaking his leg to dislodge the dog which ended up being fruitless.
'Obliviate the broad and let getta 'a here' The american howled,growing weary when all the other dogs seemed to come over their initials discomfort and snarled at them, showing sharp, pointy teeth.
The british crook nodded shakily, pointing his wand at the lady on the ground. That was too bad, she was pretty too. However he yelped when a border collie gripped his wand with its teeth, shaking his head to try and rip the wand out of the mans hand. The wand started to crack under the pressure of the dogs teeth and the brit jnew that it wouldn't hold out forever agaisnt the dogs viscious assault.
'O-obli-obli'The british crook said shakily, his arm being shaken by the dog broke his concentration'Obliviate!' The dog whimpered as the wand crackled with magic, it immediatly released it and backed away with its tail between its legs. The spell floated over to the woman, he quickly casted a lumos toake sure the spell made itself home in the woman's brain. He watched with satisfaction as the womans eyes grew glassy.
'lets go Jimmy'The british crook called after his partner and both apparated away, completly forgetting their big black rock...or was it?