Fairy Tales Don't Always Have Happy Endings

Chapter 1: The Loss of a Puppy

"What happened? What's wrong? Why isn't she moving? Mom? Mom what's wrong?" I asked as I ran up to my mother who lay on the ground. "Mom… mommy… are you ok?" I asked as I licked her face. She didn't move. She just laid in the red snow. She was cold and the look in her eyes, there was no more life in them. "Mom?" I asked again hoping she'd look at me but her eyes didn't see me, they just sat there lifeless and cold.

"What's that?" I heard a male voice from behind me.

"I think it's a dog," I heard another voice and turned to see two men walking toward my mother and me.

"Look, there's another dog there too. That little black one is probably its pup," one of the men said.

I didn't know what to do; all I could think about doing was getting away from them.

"Hey, where's it going?" one of the men, the shorter one asked his friend. His friend was much taller then he was and he smelled of beer and smoke, "It's getting away," he said as they watched me run into the woods nearby.

"Who cares? Let's just take this one and skin it. I know we can get a good price for that fur," the taller man replied as he eyed my mother with a greedy smile.

"Right," the shorter man said, "I'll go get the truck."

"Good," he said as he bent down to look at my mother. Her once beautiful white and silver fur was stained with red blood.

I stood in the trees watching as a big old black truck pulled up not to far from my mother.

"I wonder what happened to her?" the shorter man asked as he got out of the truck.

"Looks like she got shot. Probably was trying to kill some farmer's chickens. Come on help me put her in the truck," the tall man who was next to my mother replied.

"We were lucky to find her this early. Her body hasn't started decomposing yet," the shorter man said as they both lifted her up and onto the back of the truck.

"Yeah, come on. Let's go back to town and find someone who can skin it for us," the taller man replied as they got into the truck.

"Mom?" I asked as I saw the truck start up and begin to drive away with my mother in the back of it. "Mom!" I yelled as I ran out of my hiding place and began chasing the black truck. "Mom, come back! Mom, don't leave! Mom, wait please! Mommy!" I cried as I tried to keep up with the truck, but it was a lot faster then I was. "Mommy, wait for me!" I cried again as the truck kept getting farther and farther away. "Mommy, don't leave! Please…" I cried as I slowly stopped and sat on the white snow-covered road that the men drove off on. She's gone… my mom is gone… I said to myself as I sat there and stared at the truck, which was no longer in view. I'm all by myself. What do I do now? I asked myself as I began to howl. I really didn't know why I was howling. I had never done it before. I just had this strange urge to howl hoping my cries would bring my mother back to me. Mom, why did you leave? I just kept asking myself. I don't know how long I'd been sitting on that cold lonely road. It had to have been awhile because it was getting really cold and the sun was setting. I didn't care. As far as I was concerned I'd sit there until my mom came back. She knew I'd be waiting for her somewhere in this area and I was sure she'd come back for me. "Mom, please hurry up… it's getting very cold out here and I'm so hungry," I said as I waited for her. It was very dark now; the sun had gone down a long time ago. "Mom, where are you…" I asked as doubt began setting in. It was morning now and she still hadn't returned, "Mommy, why aren't you coming back for me? Was I bad? Do you hate me? What did I do to make you hate me? I don't understand. Please Mommy, don't leave me here all alone. I don't want to be alone. Please come back… Mommy... please come back…" I began to cry again as I lay down on the road. I was so tired I couldn't sit up anymore. Once my little black nose neared the ground the smell of oil, smoke, and my mother's blood filled my nostrils.

"Hey, kid," I heard someone next to me say. "Hey, wake up."

"Huh?" I replied as I sleepily looked up to see a big brown and black German shepherd dog standing above me.

"You ok?" he asked as he stared down at me.

"Where's my mom?" I asked as I sat up.

"Your mom?" he looked at me puzzled.

"Yeah, she left yesterday. On the back of a big black truck. Where is she now?" I asked again.

"On the back of a truck?" he replied.

"Yes," I answered, "Two men took her. One was short and the other was tall and smelled like smoke."

"I see," he replied. "Which way did they go?"

"They went down this road. I was just waiting here for my mom to come back and I must have fallen asleep."

"They went to the city then, huh?" he replied as he sniffed the ground.

"Umm I dunno. They just went down this road. I tried chasing the truck, but I couldn't keep up with it," I said as I watched him. He looked to be about 7 or 8 years old. He looked very strong for his age… I mean 7 or 8 isn't old-old, but it's getting up there. He also had about 100 different smells on him. He must have traveled a long way.

"Can you take me to the place where your mom was when they put her in the truck?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was back this way," I replied as I led him back to where my mother had been lying in the snow.

"What is your name?" he asked as I led him back to the spot.

"Name? Well lots of different things I guess," I replied.

"Lots of different things?" he asked somewhat confused.

"Yeah, I only lived with my mom. She called me lots of different things not just one. Oh and some other big dogs… I wasn't supposed to be with them. They where really mean to my mom. They called me different things too."

"Like what?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not to sure what the names meant, but my mother said I was never to use them because they meant bad things…" I answered.

"I see," he replied

"They called me names like 'brat' and other bad words like that…. I don't want to say them all the list is too long... but there are two names they used more then any others."

"I get what you mean you don't have to say them," he said as we walked.

"My mom just called me names like 'my Daughter' and 'my cub'. You know that type of thing… she wasn't very much for names."

"O…k… I haven't heard of someone not naming their own child, but ok I guess," he said a little confused.

"What's your name?" I asked as I looked up at him.

"Oh sorry, my name is Jack," he replied.

"Jack… that's a name I've never before," I said.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "Hey, what's that thing hanging around your neck?" I asked as I looked at his neck. There was this strange black band hanging around it and on the black band were a couple of tags that had weird markings on them.

"Umm it's a collar…" Jack replied.

"A collar?" I asked again.

"Yes, you know those things that your human puts on you so when you get lost the person who finds you can look at the tags and see what your name is and where you live."

"We have humans?" I asked kind of confused.

"Oh I see, you're a stray, huh?" he replied.

"Umm yeah, I guess so," I said. I still wasn't to sure what he was talking about. "And you're a stray too?"

"Me? No way, I have humans," Jack replied.

"Where are they?" I asked noticing he was alone and out of the hundreds and hundreds of smells on him there was no sent of humans at all.

"Well, I don't know. They moved away and left me behind. I'm trying to track them down."

"You came all this way?" I asked. I couldn't believe any dog would travel so far just to find a human. Who wanted one in the first place? All they do is beat you.

"Yeah," he replied.

"How long ago did they leave you?" I asked.

"About five years ago," Jack replied with some sadness in his calm gentle voice.

"Five years… wow, I haven't even been alive that long. Are you sure they still want you?"

"Yes, well at least Tony does."

"Tony?" I asked again.

"Yeah, he was my human. He was six years old when they left me. I have to get back to him. He needs me," Jack told me with great determination in his voice.

"Is he in trouble with someone? Is that why you need to protect him?" I asked.

"Yes, his parents aren't the nicest people. He has mental and physical problems. He isn't what his parents wanted in a child and they often beat him because of it. I bit his father one night and that's why they moved and left me behind."

"Oh I see," I replied feeling sorry for that boy. It was a very strange feeling. I had never felt sad for a human before in my whole life.

"How far is it back to where your mother was?" he asked, "We've been walking for awhile now."

"We're almost there," I replied. I knew I'd chased that truck for a long time, but I didn't know it was this far away.

"Good," Jack said, "So if you don't have a name what should I call you?"

"Whatever you want I guess… everyone else does," I replied sniffing the air for my mother's sent.

"Hmmm…. ok…. I'll just call you one name once I figure out what to call you. I'm not much for switching all the time," Jack said.

"Ok," I replied. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you come with me? I mean we don't know each other, and Tony needs you, so why are you coming back here with me?"

"Hmm… I don't know," Jack replied, "To tell you the truth. I really don't know. There was just something inside me that told me to help you. I could tell something wasn't right. I mean you're just a cub. You shouldn't have been all alone on a road. You know what I mean?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't say I do." I replied, "But I do know that you're very different from most dogs I've met."

"How so?" he asked.

"Well, you helped me for one. You didn't call me any bad names or bite me or make fun of my mother or anything like that," I replied.

"Dogs do that to you?" Jack asked.

"Oh yes. Isn't that what other dogs are supposed to do?"

"No," he replied.

"Oh."

"You said they bite you as well?" Jack asked.

"Well yeah. There are three of them, all males, and all big and strong. If my mother or I were spotted by them they would just run up and attack us."

"Do you know why? Did you do anything to them?"

"I don't think so… they said I was a disgrace because I was a 'half-breed'. They also called me a 'wolf'."

"I see," he replied.

"What's a 'half-breed'? And a 'wolf'?"

"It's nothing," he replied, "Those dogs are the ones who are a disgrace not you. They aren't dogs, they are monsters."

"Ummmm…. Ok…" I said not really understanding what he was trying to say.

"Do you know where they are?" Jack asked.

"No, I avoid them as much as I can," I replied.

"Well, if they come around just come get me, ok? I want to meet these dogs," Jack said.

"You don't have to really," I replied, "You don't have to do this at all you know. I mean if you're only helping me because you're afraid I'll think something bad about you that's not the case at all. It wouldn't even cross my mind if you would never have stopped to wake me up."

"What do you mean?" he asked as we continued to walk.

"Well, I mean. No one else ever helped my mother and I before. It seemed like our place in this world was only to amuse others. That we were here for them to poke fun at and be used by them. You not attacking me would have been enough for me. I would have enjoyed that very much; not being attacked by another dog would have made me feel very good. But you even stopped to help me. I'm sorry that I can't understand this whole thing, but I guess it's because no one has done it before."

"Sorry, but I really don't know what to say to that. All I know is those dogs are all jerks. They don't deserve to be called dogs and like I said, if they ever try to hurt you just come running and I'll put a stop to it, ok?" Jack said as he looked down at me.

"So is this what a friendship is like?" I asked him.

"Yes. We are friends now."

"Ok, I just wanted to make sure… I've never had a friend before. I wanted to make sure we were friends before I said or did something that would make you mad."

"I see," he replied. "You've never had a friend before? Not even one?"

"Nope, the only dogs I've met are the ones who attacked me and my mother and I have never gone to the humans."

"I see," he said with a sad look in his brown eyes.

"Hey, look there's the spot," I said as I took off running to where the truck and first picked up my mother.

"Wait!" Jack called after me.

"What?" I asked as I stopped and looked back at him.

"You shouldn't take off like that. You don't know what's around here. Could be a bear or something."

"A bear?" I asked.

"Yes, don't you smell that blood? Could be a bear."

"You're silly, Jack. That's not blood from a bear, that's my mother," I replied as I took off again to where the snow was red and the tire tracks that sat nearby. "See right here," I yelled to him as I stood by the big red spot.

"Is this all from your mother?" he asked as he saw the red snow.

"Yes," I replied.

"Did those dogs do this?" Jack asked me as he stared down at the snow.

"Ummmm… well could have been I suppose, but one of the men that took her said she got shot."

"What else did they say? Anything about her fur?" Jack asked with a worried look on his face.

"Ummmm… yeah, I can't remember for sure, but I think it was the tall man who said that they were lucky to find her so early on because she hadn't started decomposing yet... and they were going into town to skin her…" I replied. "Jack, what does that mean? Are you ok? Is something wrong?" I asked as I saw a look on his face that I'd never seen on a dog before. It looked like it was full of hate, sadness, and a little fear all rolled into one.