A/N: After what seems like forever, I'm back people. Hard to believe, but a series of events occurred and I just HAD to get back to writing. Anyways, this story is for two purposes, to get rid of my writer's block and just to, uh, show a few people that despise pitbulls that they are complete morons for hating the breed. Also, give this story a shot; It has a different prospective, and I have no clue if this is how things actually went for Sara out in the desert. I'm only using what's in the previews, all right? And uh, one "major" swear along the way. Nothing you can't handle, right?
Disclaimer: We all know this line... Do I HAVE to claim what you already know?
An Unexpected Hero
By: MC New York
I hate the cold...
The desert nighttime temperatures chilled me to the bone, and possibly even a little deep than that. My short and slick fur provided hardly any warmth. My unprotected nose took it the worst; There was nothing covering it. Shaking toothpicks were what I was walking on, both from the cold and from the strain of walking miles upon miles, or so it felt.
At this point, I was wishing to be back on the beach in California, back in the heat, but I'd been wishing that from the moment I whatever place this was. Being homeless in California wasn't all that hard, from a dog's point of view. I had an ocean view from the rock cove I had right along side the beach underneath a pier and there was always food to be found practically everywhere. If you had your wits about you, you could make it as if you were living in a normal house with an actual family.
Just with more freedom.
Actually, there were a lot more perks to being homeless than there was to have a pack of deceitful humans look after you. Long story short, I trusted and I got kicked to the curb after they moved. That bastard of a husband took the woman I was getting attached to and left.
The rhythm of this city was foreign to me and in my attempts to get away from it, I ended up on the other side of the coin to this city. In a place where there was no artificial rhythm. Just a natural one. A barren wasteland.
And there wasn't a damn place to hide from the rain.
I heaved a sigh, holding back my legs from forcing me to continue, knowing it took more energy to go on than to stay put. This empty place seemed to suck the life right out of me. I couldn't see the glass half full, but I could see it half empty. The idea of laying down was becoming stronger and stronger with my body dropping lower and lower. My mouth opened in a smile as my paws were relieved of their duties. Rolling onto my back, I stretched my sore legs out, yawning as my whole body relaxed.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, wishing for rain to sooth my dry mouth, a hard wind blows and I catch a whiff of something that makes my spine tingle. Not only could I smell human, but there was something heavy to it; Distressed. Fear. Pain.
I shrugged it off uneasily, rolling to my side and covering my muzzle with my paws. As my perky half flopped ears began to relax, yet another wind passed, carrying delicate pleas.
"Someone, please help me. Gil, please find me." There were coughs and gasps mixed together.
I amend my statement: I hate the wind.
Humans... Probably deserves to be stranded out here... I growled. They're all the same...
After all, from what I heard, they want to get rid of my own kind. Why try saving something that's going to just kill me in the end?
What about that woman? She wasn't the same. My conscience told me. What if this human isn't the same either? C'mon.
My paws screamed at me as I rolled up to a standing position, refusing to obey when my paws told me to lay back down. My ears strained to pick up on even the smallest of noises and I sniffed the air in every possible direction.
Go straight. That's where both winds came from. I thought as I trotted off.
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Every gust of wind brought this woman's smell to me, and it was always straight ahead. The longer I walked, the more I considered turning back. I was a pitbull... No human likes pitbulls. What would make her any different?"Please help me..."
My determination brought me yards away from an overturned car, and that's when I heard the coyotes call out.
Shit... I couldn't help but think to myself.
I was off in a flash as I spotted an approaching and lone coyote, from what I could see, with a gleam in his famished eyes. The closer I came, the stronger the smell of lavender became, and the faster I sprinted as the coyote bared his teeth in a snarl.
Music floated to my ears the moment I heard him yelp as I plowed into him, tackling him to the ground, hovering above him like a god. The desperate coyote managed to kick me off of him after a few snaps at each others faces, sending me rolling backwards directly in front of the human I was so fiercely protecting.
Squaring my shoulders and digging my nails into the crunchy ground, the coyote and I stood off with each other, bearing our teeth and snarling for good measure. Blood dripped down my face, some soaking into my fur and some hitting the ground. Then his dream and my nightmare came true at the same time; Backup had arrived in the form of two smaller coyotes coming up on either side of him. Two alphas and a beta up against a pitbull.
Not my idea of a good night.
There was a lot of pain and ululations from both the coyotes and myself as I took the three of them on, getting pinned down and ganged up on by my supposed ancestors. All this for a person I'd yet to even see... But there was that smell... It was her smell. It was inviting and loving. Anything for her, no matter how much blood was lost.
Seeing the three coyotes stumble off, I kept my head low and advanced closer at a snail's pace so I didn't frighten the trapped human. Our two pairs of dark eyes connected, and hers just seemed to drag me down to the ground on my stomach and crawl the rest of the way toward her. A low sympathetic whine came out of my throat, my muzzle a short distance from hers. To my guilt, my only reply was a held back sob, caught in her throat. Flattening my ears, my tail curled close to my back legs and underneath me.
I ducked my head into the car and licked to the right of her face, determined to clean the cuts and the dry blood around them. Contrary to popular belief, licking things isn't the highlight of a dog's day. This was out of sympathy, and a bit of empathy. She was a long way from home I could only imagine, alone and in a rough spot.
Maybe we can cut the 'alone' part out of that equation. I thought as I got to my feet once more, ducking out of the car. If I can just get her out...
"Someone's mocking me now..." She cleared her throat. "I'm in a life or death situation and my death bed companion is a dog?"
The words stung, but I brushed it off. I'd already withdrawed to survey the car's position. Surely it had to be pressing down hard on the human. I wasn't an expert on human appearance, but her right forearm didn't look normal... Like the bones were dented. Crushed.
I put my entire body weight against the side of the car, hoping to lift it up and off the woman some. I heard a sigh of relief from inside when I managed to lift it just a bit. I held out for as long as I could, past the point where it hurt for me, before I had to put it down.
"FUCK!" She screamed out. "Oh shit...Damnit!" A groan of utter pain and the gritting of teeth were just a couple of the things my ears picked up on.
Think, think... Improvise.
Head down in thought, I caught sight of the knot of the bandanna the woman had given me when she first found me. Damn us dogs for being color blind; I still didn't know what a 'red' bandanna was.
Wrestling the bandanna off, I dropped it to the ground and ducked into the car again to pull the arm that wasn't crushed out. Stuffing the bandanna into the free hand, I barked once, twice at her as I took the other end into my mouth.
"Now isn't a time for tug-of-war." There was dry humor that had my eyes rolling. Why do humans think we have a one-track mind?
I growled in aggravation as she released my bandanna, pretty much giving up on her life as she did. It was beyond frustrating not being able to communicate with her. Dropping my half of the bandanna as well, I moved directly next to her, taking a hold of her vest and beginning to tug. The outcry was enough to stop me just as I was beginning to make progress.
Freeing her vest from my mouth, I got onto my stomach again and simply stared into her eyes and waited for the realization to dawn on her. Yipping, I licked the side of her face as a reassurance as she forced a grin through her clenched mouth.
"You're trying to get me out."
Smarter than the average human.
"Smarter than the average canine."
Damn straight.
Getting back to the task at hand, we both took up our ends of the bandanna. This time around, she held onto it with all she had, but the idea that this would actually work was becoming dubious. It wasn't until about two minutes of tugging I realized the ground was too dry to slide her out. I felt both of our hope levels drop below zero as we let go of the tattered bandanna.
Off in the distance, the coyotes continued to howl, sending out threats to the two of us. Me in particular. I found I couldn't care... She was my new human, and any other animal that wanted her was going to have to go through me first.
I crawled underneath the car and huddled next to her to give her warmth from the desert chill and prayed for a miracle.
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Miracles did exist... And came in the form of rain.
Crawling out from the cramped space and stretching, enjoying the feeling of the beating rain on my fur, I turned when I saw the groggy human – known as Sara from her one-sided conversations – wake from her sleep. A whine escaped from me as her outstretched and pinned arm dug at the slushy ground, like she was trying to pull herself out. Short spurts of breath were heard as she coughed the water and mud out of her mouth. Scurrying to redirect the water away by digging a canal away from Sara's mouth, I eventually heard a sigh of relief emit from the car.
I returned swiftly to her side, inspecting her status when I saw that frail gap-toothed smile. How she could even think of smiling in a time like this I couldn't understand, but there was hope in it. I'd figured in my years of wisdom, smiling could bring nothing but good.
A flash of light burnt my retinas, yelping out in pain as I rubbed my eyes with my wrist, shaking my head clear of the sharp pain. Thunder crashed, breaking the moment as my head whipped in the direction due East of us.
"Oh shit..." I heard Sara mutter with her grin made a vanishing act.
Growing frantic, my mind raced. There wasn't a chance the bandanna would work; Far too thin I'd come to find out. I could lift the car up like I had before but who would help pull her out? Tugging her out by her clothes wouldn't do any good; Her arm was still pinned between the car and ground.
That's when the sound of rushing water entered my ears. It was from afar, I could confirm that much, but just how far? And why in the Hell was there a large body of water out here?
Stop being ridiculous... My mind scolded. You're hearing things...Water WOULDN'T be out here. Not sounding like the ocean at least...
Sure enough, just like so many times before, I was proven wrong.
Caught between remaining loyally at my new human's side and ensuring my safety so I could save her later, I watched with wide eyes as a large mass of water came pouring toward us. Sara's eyes dilated.
She'd be safe under there, right? I begged to ask whatever was listening to me. She can't get hurt when there's something holding her there... Right?
Water knew no speed limit.
In a split second decision, I leaped on top of the overturned car and dug my claws into whatever gaps there were for dear life. I was jerked backwards and would've gone flying off if I hadn't been holding on. Mystery on top of mystery was piled on as I went from wondering about the origin of the water to how the water could get so powerful that it could shift the car as violently as it had.
Standing up once more, I never hesitated as I jumped into the water went under in the process, back to Sara. There was uncertainty in whether to be nervous or glad that the car was no longer pinning her to the ground. Now it was just a question of, "Where is she?"
Fighting against what I was surprised to find a current, I got back underneath the water filled car and automatically bumped into Sara, cheeks puffed and fully alert as she floated up. Thinking twice before I opened my mouth to grab her and drag her out, I recalled the most important underwater rule: You can't breath water. Instead, I brushed the back of my densely furred neck against what I believed to be her good hand. An arm looped around my neck and I made for the surface.
There was a joined intake of air as we broke the surface and I paddled for the top of the car. She transferred her grip from me to the car and pulled herself partially on top, releasing the car to snatch me by the scruff of my neck to hoist me up before I completely lost my grip. Scurrying up, I brought her up with me after I took a mouthful of her vest and lifted her light weight.
Situating herself, Sara took in deep breaths before looking at me with atheistic eyes. Knew she wouldn't be groggy after this.
Sara's lips moved as if she was going to say something, but when the adrenaline died down, her body lowered. I gently pawed at her side to question what was wrong, but got no verbal response. Kissing her face, I picked up on the salty quality.
"They're never going to find me, Andras." Is she talking to me? Andras... Nice ring to it. "I'm never gonna get to see them again... Not Gil, not Greg, or Nick, or Hell... Even Catherine or Hodges."
You can't give up yet. I yipped. You're gonna make it. I let out a sigh. We just gotta make it.
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Sara had long since grown weary of walking and I'd taken it upon myself to carry her on my back. She was just lucky that I was built for jobs like this, or else I would've collapsed after the first five feet.
Her rising and falling chest pressed against my back while I backtracked, hoping to get her back to her own kind... Back to the city. Nature sure as Hell didn't know how to take care of her, and she was in no position to take care of herself. I had to get her back to this... Gil she kept talking about.
The sun was up and the desert was bone dry once again. My tongue hung out lazily and the only thing that was keeping me going was the labored breathing and occasional scratch behind the ears from my new human.
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The hackles on the back of my neck stood at attention as a sandstorm swirled around us, dust irritating my eyes as engines roared and metallic doors slammed. Once the dust finally settled, images of a pack of humans raced forward, right at me and my human. My lips curled back to reveal my fangs and squared my shoulders, making the two humans that led the pack falter in their advance.
I'll deal with them just like I did with those coyotes... I told myself, eyes shifting from the alpha female to the alpha male. I didn't come all this way to have Sara taken from me just yet.
The female backed off eventually, backtracking to the side of another man. Must've been a beta considering his size. But the alpha man remained where he stood, a feeling of fortitude overtaking over him. Everything about him screamed unkempt. Not so much on the outside as it was on the inside. He reeked of desperateness. Bullets of sweat streamed down his face and his hair was as wild as his eyes, shifting his eye sight from Sara to me. The baseball cap he held in his hand was quickly tossed off to the distant side, hitting the hard ground with a hollow thud as he got on one knee and extended his hand to me.
"Here boy..." His voice cracked, all water evaporated from his mouth. "C'mon boy, bring her here. We're not here to hurt her."
"What are you doing, Grissom? You're going to get yourself mauled!" The alpha female called from behind him. "Get back here!"
Quiet mumbles were heard right by my ear. It was only a few moments later that the sound got louder and more coherent. "Gil..."
"Sara, honey, I'm right here." The man's voice cracked for a different reason this time. "I'm right here."
Gil... He must be who she was talking of. I said to myself, considering the man in front of me with wary eyes. The look was certainly there. The look I saw in every humans' eyes that had walked on my beach during the sunset, holding hands, not able to tear their eyes off of each other. It's time to give her up.
Concealing my teeth once more, I stood up tall and took deliberate steps forward, suspicion lining my eyes. The closer I came, the more frenzied the man's look became until finally I was face-to-face with him. I stared him down, but his gaze never averted. It was almost like we had an understanding.
I turned sideways to allow him to lift Sara with more ease. Excuse the pun, but a burden had been taken off my back. Rejoicing, the alpha female and beta male embraced, tears streaming down their faces and another larger man even further behind pulled out his cellphone to place a call, wetness in his eyes as well. And as I watched the alpha male, Gil Grissom, cradle my human in his arms, tears falling from his face, I knew my mission was accomplished.
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Sara's POV:
Flowers were placed against a small handmade tombstone at the top of an oblong patch of turned up dirt. It warmed my heart to see a box of dog treats and finger painting of a dog and a small little girl with her arms around its neck, hearts bordering it the picture. A photo was taped to the top of the tombstone; A thick haired pitbull with a six-year-old brown haired, blue eyed girl sitting on his back as he laid down. I sat beside him, arms wrapped around both my daughter and Andras's neck, head rested atop of his with a beaming smile. Gil kneeled on the other side of him, one hand on his daughter's back and one covering the white patch of fur on Andras's chest.
It had been seven years since I'd been rescued, and only a year ago had my savior been killed by a man with a vendetta against pitbulls. No true reason behind taking his car and deliberately driving into our front yard where Andras and our daughter Leyla played innocently, running over Andras when the pitbull had shoved Leyla out of the way. Gil and I had been right there on the porch to see it all too. The reasoning behind the man's random attack?
He claimed all pitbulls deserved to die because they were "vicious monsters".
How vicious could a dog be when he devoted a whole six years of his life to protecting a little girl from when she was a newborn until she entered first grade, putting up with having his tail stepped on, yanked, and ears pulled in the meantime? Would a "monster" save the life of a child? Would a monster trudge through pouring rain and boiling heat just to save the life of a complete stranger he'd found stranded in a desert?
He'd been sentenced to one year prison time and a truck load of fines afterward, but we, along with everyone at the lab, thought he deserved the death penalty.
"We miss you, Andras." I sighed, resting a hand upon where his head would be underneath the soil as I got on my knees. "We had a memorial in the lab today held in your honor. More than we expected paid their respects..."
My other hand searched within my jean pockets for a tattered and dirtied red bandanna, holes and rips with memories in every single one. A tear rolled down my cheek and dripped into a crevasse in the neatly folded bandanna.
"Smarter than the average canine." I mumbled, draping it over the tombstone, wiping more tears away. "Thank you for a second chance at life."
As I stood to leave, I re-read the quote on his tombstone for the millionth time.
"The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible."
The End
A/N2: R.I.P. Andras. Miss you everyday.Please read and review :)
Peace out, one love,
MC New York