It was cold again.
It was always cold now. Keesha couldn't remember the last time she felt sunlight on her back. Being a stray dog in the tiny Glaze city didn't pay. The tattered dome was falling to pieces. Snow fell through the holes in the derelict roof, creating a fine white blanket over the streets. The buildings, the letterboxes, the whole dome itself, were painted a depressing grey; Keesha wondered vaguely why the humans painted everything that saddening colour. It was like they'd given up the hope to live.
Well, Keesha wasn't going to curl up and die. She was well suited to her environment. She had long white fur that cloaked most of her appearance. A single grey streak ran down her spine and to the very tip of her bushy tail. Her blonde ears were large for picking out muffled sounds in the snow. Her legs were strong and could make small distances very quickly, but she quickly ran out of steam. Having no idea what breed she was, or even who her parents were, she lived in isolation on the streets of the dying city. And she was probably doomed to live here forever
Well, so she thought.
Until, one fateful day, her life changed.
Forever.
"Get him!"
Kemo panted heavily as he ran, paws churning up snow as he forced them to keep moving. Behind him, two soldiers ran, wearing protective clothing, and with axes in their hands.
"That way!"
Kemo rounded the corner, into another street. And another. And another… Did this place go on forever?
What he didn't know was he was going round in circles.
"What…?" His exhausted yip sounded more like a wheeze. He skidded to a stop. "Damn!"
Dead end. Now what?
Keesha pricked her large ears at the sound of running paws and feet. She was instantly awake, all senses switched on. It wasn't often something happened here. Sometimes she would growl at a human child just to cause a commotion for a while. But nothing like this. She watched as a brown dog ran past, chased by two human fighters.
"Why are they chasing him…?" she muttered. Her voice was deeper than her strong yet elegant form suggested. Her blue eyes shimmered as she joined the chase, anxious to see what would happen.
"Now, be a good Wolf and come quietly. If you don't struggle it'll be over quickly…" The human chided, eyes hidden behind a pair of thick shades. Kemo drew his lips back in an ugly snarl, but he knew in his exhausted state he was no match for the two of them. Suddenly, the two humans gave a surprised yell and turned. Behind them, her fur bristling stood a furious Keesha.
"Well, it's another one. Looks like we got lucky today!"
Before they could speak again, the two dogs leapt into action. Keesha bit into the shoulder of the nearest soldier, her teeth puncturing the armour he wore. She paused for a second, surprised at her own strength. The human used this as an advantage and brought the axe down heavily across her back, the blade flat against her fur. With an agonized yowl, she dropped to the floor.
"Hold it!"
Keesha's eyes opened, her vision slightly blurred. Kemo had fallen also, plus it was a feminine voice, so it couldn't be him. She glanced around, looking for the stranger. It was a little bit of a shock. Talk about being saved by the most unlikely character.
Standing at the entrance to the alley was a smallish human, Keesha guessed she was around twelve or thirteen, and even if she was, she was small and still had the childish look on her face. Her light brown hair fell free around her face, held in place only by a pinkish-silver hair band that reflected the light of the streetlights. On her small figure she wore a loose red jumper and plain blue jeans. Her brown eyes glowered with rage, and looking into them made Keesha feel extremely dizzy. The humans didn't look fazed, however; they simply laughed.
"Sorry, we don't take orders from kids"
"Leave now if you know what's good for you" Her voice was so full of confidence Keesha half expected them to run away in fear, but they laughed even harder,
"And you're gonna make us, are you?"
"Don't say I didn't warn you" She leapt high over their heads, and before they could react, had landed behind them. One fell with a scream from a huge wound across his back. Keesha gasped silently at her strength. She was surprisingly agile… Wait, how did she jump so high?
"Y…you're a wolf!?" The human stuttered. NOW he was scared.
"Leave now"
He didn't need telling twice. He dropped his weapon and ran. The empty clanging echoed around the alley. Keesha sighed with relief and let her head rest on the pavement. She didn't know how or why, but she was safe.
"Hey, are you alright?" She heard her ask. Forgetting the odd scene she had just witnessed, Keesha replied,
"Urgh… yeah" She heard the girl getting closer,
"Who are you?" Her voice asked.
"My name…Is…Keesha"
"I'm Red; it's nice to meet you!"
Keesha grunted and tried to stand but the wound on her back made her fall once again.
"Don't try and move a minute…" She felt breath on her spine, and turned to see not a young girl, but a magnificent red Wolf. Keesha yelped in shock.
"Don't worry, it's still me. I'm a wolf."
"Then…How come you looked like a girl just a minute ago?"
"You don't know…? But aren't you a wolf yourself?"
Keesha had just managed to pull herself into a sitting position, but after Red's words she nearly fell again, "I'm no Wolf!"
"… You are. Keesha, listen to me. Have you ever wondered why you're bigger than other dogs, why the humans are so terrified of you, or why those soldiers attacked you? You're a Wolf. I can sense it."
"N…no way! There's no way I could…I mean… I'm just a dog…" Keesha spluttered.
Deciding to change the subject swiftly, Red asked, "Who's the other Wolf?"
He's a Wolf too? Oh damn it, why'd I have to run into these two! "No idea. I just came to see what was happening." She growled.
Red nudged Kemo, "Hey? Hey, are you ok?"
Kemo's hazy blue eyes opened. He stared up at Red, "Um, yes… Who are you?"
"Red. And this is Keesha" She flicked her tail at the white and grey dog, "You are?"
"Kemo"
"Well Kemo, don't you know it's dangerous to go around the city in your wolf form? You're going to get a lot of attention if you do" She said softly. Since Kemo was smaller than her, she spoke to him as if he was younger.
"Hey, I'm as old as you, you know, so don't speak to me like that" He growled, "Besides, I hate my human form."
Human form…? Wolf form…? What the hell?
"Come on, we should find somewhere safe" Red murmured. Kemo nodded,
"Are you coming, Keesha?" He asked.
"No thank you. I'm a dog, and I want nothing to do with Wolves."
"Oh come on, Keesha, please!" Red whined, looking at her with huge, shimmering brown eyes, "I need someone to help me support Kemo anyway, he looks weaker than you."
Keesha tried to divert her gaze away from Red's eyes, but found herself frozen.
For what seemed like forever, neither moved.
Then, "Oh, alright!"
"Thanks Keesha!" Red yipped, nuzzling her fur. Keesha shifted on her paws uncomfortably,
"Uh… Come on then, let's find somewhere… I think there's a small cave just outside the dome"
"Perfect, come on!"
Red peered into the darkness,
"Well, it's dry and warmer than outside, at least." She shivered, padding inside. Kemo stretched out on the floor, while Red sat right at the back. Keesha sat by the entrance and stared out at the falling snow. Her life had been hard, but oddly peaceful… Was it ending now? Would she be with these wolves forever?
She sat there for hours, until night fell. The snow still fell, but not as hard. Stiff, she turned and looked behind her. Kemo was fast asleep, and Red had once more taken the form of a human and was leaning against a rock, hands clasping at her jumper. Being a red wolf, she guessed the poor thing must be terribly cold in this weather.
Am I really a Wolf?
She glanced over her new 'friends' again. Wait. That was it! If she was a wolf, she'd be able to appear as a human, right? She wandered outside into the snow, and closed her eyes. What would she have to do to appear as a human? Imagine herself as a human? Wish that she couldn't be recognised by humans? She opened one eye experimentally. She didn't feel any different… Then she looked down.
"Argh!" She screamed. She was standing on two human legs clad in thick, dark jeans. Over her arms and back was a black jacket that flapped loosely in the wind. A grey T-shirt with the pattern of a leaping wolf in white on the front confirmed her fears.
"I AM a wolf…" She muttered, inspecting her new form. Her hair was long, down beyond her shoulders, and was a light brown colour. She still felt like she was standing on her paws, it was such an odd sensation, it made her feel dizzy. She sighed and walked inside the cave. Kemo was still asleep, as was Red, but she was shivering violently as her chest rose and fell. Keesha felt a pang of pity for her; being a thick-furred wolf used to these conditions, she didn't feel the cold as much, but Red had short, cropped fur that wouldn't keep out the harsh wind. She sighed and sat down beside her, sheltering her from the strong, cold winds that ran through the night. After all, she'd been saved by her already.
Kemo's heart pounded as he twitched and whimpered in his sleep. His dreams were haunted by the sensation of falling, a beautiful scent… And Paradise…