"Mom, Dad. What's its name?" A little girl with electrifying pink hair holds up a baby golden retriever.

"We'll let you decide, Kotoko. It's your birthday after all." This mother looked like an older model of her daughter. Similar, but more refined and endowed in every way.

"By the way, he is a boy." The father said, different from the others. He was the one who brought the dog here.

All 3 circled around, adoring the newly purchased

"Did he cost a lot?" Kotoko glances at her mother. The father's expression tightens.

"Your father and I could never put a price on your happiness."

The pink-haired girl beams. "I'll call you...Chuck! Do you like that?"

'Chuck' responds with a yip.

"Hand him over for a second. I'll have him registered." 'Dad' reached for the collar on the puppy's neck, pressing down on an oval shaped, blue panel. A transparent screen flares from the light. Rugged fingers tap the five-letter word at the display.

"And…we're done. Welcome to the Utsugi household, Chuck."


This shelter...or mansion was a lot bigger than the last one. The unfamiliar walls stretched on without limit and between the mansion's size and his short legs, he tired quickly. Whenever his young owner saw this, she carried him and ran around the home.

Mom often scolded her for doing so. Sometimes gently, others loudly.

"He's still a puppy. Don't run around with him too much. Don't carry him all the time, either, or he'll never learn how to walk."

"Really!?" Kotoko stared, wide-eyed.

"Yes, so be careful…unless you want his legs to fall off." The Utsugi matriarch grinned. She sat on an ornamental chair. She motioned the two to approach with a wave of the hand. Chuck crawled into her lap, while Kotoko opted for resting her head on the side of the chair. Mom stroked both hair and fur with a gentle smile on her features.

She was in a fine mood today.


Kotoko didn't carry him as much after that, even if her hesitant glances gave her inner struggles away. Chuck was fine with it, since the mansion was getting smaller every day. Meanwhile he was constantly growing, and soon he was able to go for walks outside with mom and/or dad. The only downside were other humans. Anyone outside the family discomforted him, exemplified by excited barks whenever strangers drew close.

That's not to say the dog hated walks. Today, the women took him to visit the reserve. It was one of the few places to find these green strands called grass that grew from the ground.

Chuck's ears perk up at the rustling of the trees. A tiny, black animal scurries down the large trunk.

Bark!

"These are trees, silly." Kotoko answered him.

Chuck taps against the tree repeatedly, calling to the smaller, less furry creature.

It circled around the tree, jumped down and ran into the woods.

A tug on his leash prevents the dog from giving chase.

"You can't run off..." Kotoko held the strap with both arms until the golden retriever quit struggling. " What was that?"

The older woman's worn eyes catch the fleeing animal. Her features contort into mild surprise. "...A squirrel." Both heads turn to her. Mom narrowed her eyes at Kotoko. "Didn't you learn about them in school?"

Kotoko puffed her cheeks. "Mooom, you've been nagging a lot lately." She gets a flick to the head for complaining.

"Squirrels are endangered animals…They used to be common, a long time ago." She drifted off, deep in thought. "…So, they're still around. It must be a sign of good luck." She joked.

Kotoko brimmed with mischief. "Chuck...let's catch that squirrel."

"If you do, don't injure it." Mom called, as they left her behind.

There was one more reason the dog was eager to run after the squirrel: to get away from the lingering odor it detected in the clearing.


Chuck spent his days like this, playing happily with everyone. Kotoko told him he was around a month old. And to commemorate that age, she bought him a new collar, with a blue-quartz gemstone on its side. Noticeably, Kotoko had one too. Rose-colored, embroidered on a hairband with horns on the sides. Occasionally, Chuck could see Dad's too; a green-colored one. Only Mom's was distinctly different. A pendant with a glowing pink crystal encrusted on it; one with a sharper radiance than Kotoko's.

One day. he'd crawled onto her bed, where she'd been resting periodically for the past few days. He focuses on the necklace.

The older woman grimaced.

Chuck's tail ceased wagging. He lowered himself onto the bed with a whimper.

Mom's face softened at the sight. "Sorry, I'm sick, I think." One hand went to remove the necklace and set it down before him. The puppy sniffed at the gem, puzzled by how the stone's light grew dim once out of her reach. Chuck relies on the only investigative tool known to him – His mouth opens wide and tries to swallow it whole. The owner pulls the gem back just before he could and looked at him sternly. "Topaz will make you sick."

His whines.

"As long as you understand." He mewled as she rubbed between his ears, the pleasurable sensation taking priority over the minor discomfort of her cold touch. "It must be boring being cooped up in the house with me. Maybe when I'm healthy again, I can take you back to the reserve."

Chuck yelped happily at the mention of his favorite place.

Blissful memories are disrupted by hacking, unrelenting coughs. The unpleasant noise unbefitting the woman's normally appealing voice. They persist for nearly a full minute. At the final stretch, drops of pink fluid escaped her hands and fall to the bed. Chuck noticed the color was the same as her necklace.

Chuck's beady eyes shoot up. An intense pain, like needles pricking his skull, spikes. They were in fact pointed nails. She slowly cranes her fingers inwards, transforming the once tender caress into a claw-like grip on his head. Her nails dig roughly enough to rip off strands of fur.

She wears a dazed, far-off look, oblivious to her movements. Repeated pleas in the form of loud, pained barks and violent wriggling snap her out of the trance. The second her hold loosens, Chuck scampers from the bed and scrambles out of the room.

Once alone, she faces forward, her features warp into a mix of shock and fear. She dares to look down at her right hand, where her left gripped at her wrists to stop the shaking. She opens her palm to see lines of golden hair.


Mom went away. He'd first become aware of the permanence of her absence from the change in atmosphere in the family. Despite the periodic hysteria, there had still been a happier dynamic compared to after she left. Kotoko cried a lot. In contrast, Dad became much quieter after that 'doctor' person came. Soon after, they moved to a new mansion. Kotoko called it a house this time. It was small. Even though Chuck had never been here before, he ran through the whole place in no time flat.

...

"Dad told me it's an illness." Kotoko started, snuggling against the dog in her bed, not nearly as big as it once was. "It changes us, and it can happen to anyone. Dad, me, even you." She holds onto him tightly.

Chuck drags his tongue over her cheek.

"What am I saying? You'd never hurt me." She says with a distant look in her eyes.

Kotoko was always with him at home. Chuck couldn't get to go outside anymore. He stayed indoors, often embraced by the little girl whenever she returned from school. It wasn't fun. But it'd be even less fun to leave her alone.

One fateful evening, Dad asked if he wanted to go for a walk.

Chuck wagged his tail. Together, they left Kotoko behind, sleeping in her room. The dog noted the change in their environment. The pristine quality of the 'outside' had deteriorated. The area was dirtier, there were more people. More unhappy people.

Dad ribbed his fur when they sat by a bench. It felt like the last time Mom petted him "You're a good boy."

Chuck yipped, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Thanks for making Kotoko happy. But we-I can't afford to keep you." With a guilt-ridden face, he pressed down on the blue panel on Chuck's collar...

Chuck felt a spike in his neck. A needle extended from the collar and pierced his flesh. The effects were fast-acting. His body grew heavy, the world around him spun and color faded.


He wasn't sure when he awoke, only that he was alone.

His only companion from thereon was the cold wind.

Chuck howled to no avail. Eventually, he tired of waiting and tried trailing his way back to the house. His efforts yield no results. He'd once thought the outside was large, but he grossly misunderstood how expansive it really was. Not just in terms of distance, but in height. The clustered high-rises stretched on forever, daring to reach for the sky. It made him dizzy.

That wasn't to say he was alone. Far from it. There were too many people in this city, and that agitated him. If there were less, he might've been able to distinguish humans he knew from the ones he didn't and find a way back home. Instead the countless unfamiliars (including other animals) were in the way. He growls at any who got too close. Which was thankfully rare. Everyone minded their own business, seldom sparing more than a glance to a stray…

The sun had come and gone lots of times. Chuck learned to seek shelter during the night; that's when it was coldest. But sometimes, he couldn't find anything resembling cover. Those times were the worst…and tonight was one of them.

It was cold, and he was frightened. That too passes as night comes and goes. Again, and again.

It wasn't a surprise when he'd gotten sick. The first signs were the violent coughs. The next was increased anxiety. The last was when he started spitting out a thick, eerie blue fluid. It tasted like iron.

Walking around was harder than when he was only a newborn. Still, humans passed him by. Chuck takes his last steps before crumbling near a statue. He'd adjusted to the cold and the feeling in his body had numbed. All that remained was fatigue. If he closed his eyes, he probably wouldn't have the strength to open them again.

One last time he whimpered, assured nobody would respond. And surely, none did. Having given up, Chuck lazily drifts to sleep...

"You alright there, little guy?" A serene voice rang out. It was entirely unfamiliar but carried a hint of affection. It reminded Chuck of the first time he'd met his family.

The dog weakly raises its head, thinking it must have misheard...however, this human was clearly looking at him. A man, much older than Kotoko but not nearly as old as Dad. His hair was a messy brown. He had golden eyes hidden behind glasses. During better times, Chuck may have been curious about the crooked strand of hair sticking out.

"I got this for you...here." The human reached into his pocket and unwrapped a brown-colored bar. "I'm not really sure what dogs eat, but I think peanut-butter bars are edible. Maybe." He sounds unsure of himself.

Chuck sluggishly stands. He grits his sharp teeth and growls at the man. It doesn't have the intended effect, clearly, judging by how the man doesn't leave.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a detective, a good guy." He crouches closer. Bad idea. With strength surprising Chuck himself, he leaps and bites the outstretched hand.

The candy bar slips and falls to the ground.

Normally, the golden retriever wouldn't attack humans. It didn't like them, but that didn't mean it wanted to hurt them. A surge of anger spurned him to attack, defying his own bodily limitations. To put in human terms – he wanted to throw one last punch.

Fangs sink deep into flesh. The bite isn't very strong, but enough to draw blood quickly.

Chuck quickly releases the hand. With inexplicable curiosity, his tongue falls and licks the bodily fluids. Slowly at first, then he picks up speed, lapping up the blood like it were water. That is, if water had been the most delicious thing the puppy had ever tasted.

A hand falls atop Chuck's head. The animal's gaze flies upwards to see the bespectacled man offering a pitying smile, not nearly as wide as before he'd been attacked. His features are soft, but no longer unassuming.

There's pity, nonetheless. "You must have been out here for a long time...Do you have a home?"

Chuck yips energetically. It runs around the man, stops and stares in every direction. He remembered he was lost. Still, his earlier exhaustion feels like a bad dream. Chuck returns his attention to the strange human and…and…and stiffens as his body is wracked by pain. There's no origin point or warning, pain explodes everywhere, like his insides were lit on fire. The contents of his stomach spill onto the floor.

The detective massages Chuck's back with slow circular motions. "It's alright…I'm not mad," He says. He says, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a piece of cloth to wipe the vomit from the dog's mouth "But you shouldn't bite people. You'll get sick."

Chuck's ears fall forward as he whimpers.

"Apology accepted." Unexpectedly, the brunette slides his hand underneath the retriever's chest and picks him up.

"Good thing you're not grown yet." He remarks as Chuck's fur grazed and tickled his chin. He was seemingly unworried about his now dirtied suit. "Let's get you somewhere warm, then we'll find your owner."

The pain fades as quickly as it arrived. That implicit promise evoked an emotion once lost. Hope. Amidst cold of night, this human was warm like the rising sun.