Hey guys, so this is the prequel to Karma. I hope you all like it.
Enjoy!
Rebecca
Aspen
Her paws hit the ground hard and dirt sprays away as she sets off. She hears it, the shriek of fear in the distance. Yes, she may be an animal, a large wolf even, but if there is someone in need, she will always help. Her dark pads hit the forest floor and she jumps over a bush. The screams aren't far off now and she can hear fighting. Jumping over a last bush, she assess the situation and notes a little animal in danger.
Her aim is perfect and her body collides with the animal as she closes her front paws around him. They fall out of the way of the broad axe swinging down and into a lush green bush, hiding them from view. The animal shrieks and she places her paw over its mouth to silence it.
The fighting goes away from them and she releases the animal, looking it over for injury before licking a few scratches clean. The animal, which is some sort of raccoon dog, pushes her away with its hoofs. She whines, but soon her eyes widened as it speaks.
"Thanks for saving me," it says.
She lets her mouth fall open and she stares in shock, eyes wide. The animal frowns and then chuckles.
"I'm Tony Tony Chopper, nice to meet you. I'm a reindeer by the way."
She can't believe her ears and paws at them for a while, trying to figure out if she had gotten hit. Nope, not hit, maybe she is dreaming.
You can talk? she asks.
The reindeer nods. "Yeah, I ate a Devil Fruit."
She nods her understanding and stands on all four legs. The reindeer follows and she stares in awe as he transforms. He looks like a regular reindeer right there. He motions for her to follow him and she does, her white fur a stark contrast to his brown.
She blinks and suddenly they are back in the battle again. She avoids the same broad axe and dances to the side, stumbling into a girl with red hair and a bow-staff. The girl looks down and shrieks, drawing the attention of the white furred wolf. She yelps as the staff is swung at her and dances away again.
She doesn't know what to think of this and runs off in a fright, dancing between battles and slashes of swords. A boot kicks and she jumps in fright, getting slashed by a sword in the process. She hears Chopper yell, but it's too late, darkness has taken her.
o-o-o
When her eyes open, she feels the swaying of a ship and hears the ruckus of a pirate crew somewhere. She whines and struggles up, out of the comfy nest of blankets under a hanging bed. Her paw is bandaged and she sees stains of red, but it feels great. She pads around for a while, looking for a way out of the room. She notes a door and walks to it, shouldering it open and looking outside. There's a grass deck and she knows she's on open ocean the moment she smells the air.
She can't believe it. Her dream came true. She on the ocean.
With a happy yip, she darts out of the room, falling on the grass and spreading her paws. She feels like a rug, but the grass feels too nice to care. It's soft and lush and smells wonderful. She wonders how a ship can have grass on it's deck. She nuzzles the grass and sighs, rolling her tongue out of her mouth.
"Looks like she likes the deck," she hears.
Not letting people know she heard them, that she does a lot, so she ignores it and goes back to loving the grass. A few murmurs more draw her attention and she looks up, seeing people looking through the port hole above her. She barks at them, and they disappear.
"Chopper!"
The door bangs open and she winces at the sound, it's loud. The reindeer from before rushes down the stairs and starts scolding her, she wonders why. She sits up, tail wagging as the reindeers continues in an uncertain rage. She looks over the people in the doorway. It's the red head and a blonde haired man whose looking at her a little fondly.
She likes him.
She stands, ignoring the reindeers tirade and trotting up the steps to sniff at the man and woman. It's the same bunch that were fighting so she guesses they are the pirates. They seem nice though, dressing her wound and giving her a bed.
The reindeer follows her and sighs, talking to the woman. She ignores them and sniffs the man. He crouches down and strokes at her fur. Her eyes close, she's been so long without a touch. She misses her owner a little. She pants into the man's pats and nuzzles into his chest. He chuckles and scratches behind her ear.
"What's her name?" the man asked, his voice smooth and rough at the same time.
The reindeer turns to him. "I don't know, I haven't asked."
He doesn't need to really. She sits and licks the man's hands gently.
Aspen.
The reindeer looks startled, but then smiles at her. She smiles back.
"It's Aspen, she says."
The man nods. "Do you want something to eat, Aspen?" he asks.
She licks his hand gently again, a clear yes sign. She hasn't eaten much lately and she could use some grub. The blonde man leads her into the room, which appears the kitchen. Aspen can smell heavenly food and she can't help but drool.
She eyes the people at the table and notes a boy stretching so far his hand snatches a sausage from the other end of the long table. Her eyes pop out of her head and she makes a terrified yip in the back of her throat, freezing to the spot.
All eyes go to her and she curls in on herself. The blonde man comes back and lays a hand on her fur softly. She eyes him, still terrified, but his warm smile relaxes her and he coaxes her behind the bar, into his working space. There's a bowl filled with water and another with steaming meat in it.
Her eyes go wide and she looks at the blonde man once again. He gives a nod and she storms to the bowl, lapping at the water and taking a bit of the meat, lying down to savor it. She hears the man chuckle as he goes back to his cooking.
The conversation in the kitchen and the eating of food also continue.
"Luffy! Get your paws of my food!" a rough voice says.
A shout is heard and Aspen tilts her ears in that direction. She listens to the people and can't help but smile. They're a rowdy bunch. Aspen savors her meat and when she is finally done, the people are still eating. She laps up some more water and makes her way out behind the bar. She slips under the table and lies down beside one of the stands.
It's soothing, the swaying of the ship, the laughing of the crew and the bickering. She likes it. A lot.
She guesses breakfast, or whatever it was, is over as the crew leaves the room. Aspen is content under the table and stays there, head on her paws and a sigh going through her body. Footsteps come and go and she falls asleep, occasionally waking to hear something directed at the person doing the dishes.
She doesn't know how much time passes, but when she wakes, the blonde man is poking her and holding a bone in his hands. She opens her eyes and glances at the bone. The man coaxes her from under the table and gives her the bone. Aspen takes it and chews on it, lying in the middle of the kitchen.
The man steps over her as he does things around the kitchen and Aspen ignores him for the most part, content with the bone in her jaws. Suddenly, a different pair of hands is on her and she looks up at a green haired man. He's petting her softly, a gaze on her she notes isn't often on his face.
She nuzzles into his hand and stands, dropping the bone in his hand. The man pulls a disgusted face and she barks a laugh. The door is open and as soon as she spots it, she's out. Aspen trots down the stairs, the green haired man on her heels, and flops down on the grass. It's warm from the sun and she loves it.
The man sits next to her and drops the bone, wiping his hand on his green jacket. Aspen sits up and sniffs him, he smells like booze and steel. It's a nice combination, though a little weird. He also smells strongly of animals, nature and power. He's practically radiating with it.
She lays her head in his lap and whines. He rolls his eyes and pats her head, weaving his fingers through her matter fur. It makes his eyebrows raise and he uses his other hand to untangle a bit. It sticks and matts to his fingers.
"Hey Chopper!" the man yells.
The reindeer comes into view again with a worried look. Aspen ignores it in favor of focusing on the hand stroking her head. The man speaks to the reindeer then.
"Her fur is disgusting, think we could give her a bath?" he asks.
Aspen stiffens at that, what's a bath? She looks up, fright in her eyes. The man looks down, his only remaining eye gentle on her. He smiles, and she relaxes a little. They may have rescued her without her consent, but they don't mean any harm. She can smell it off them. It's radiant.
Aspen stands and wags her tail a little, nuzzling into the man's slacks as he tries to stand as well.
"Agh! Aspen stop!" he yelps as he falls back.
Aspen yips with laughter and flops on him. She's a wolf, a big one at that. She is two meter's in length and eighty centimeters from shoulder to the ground. That is rather tall for a female wolf. And of course she weighs a lot.
The man let's out a groan as she doesn't move. He shoots her a glare and she huffs, unimpressed.
You can glare all you want, human. I am not scared.
The man freezes, as does the reindeer. Aspen looks up and wonders what it is as she sees all the crewmembers stare at her.
Why are they staring, Chopper?
Chopper lets out a laugh and dances around in happiness. "They can hear you!" he yips.
Aspen tilts her head and frowns. That is not-? What? How?
"That's what I'd like to know," the man under her grunts and pushes her off.
Aspen licks his hand in apology. What's a bath? she asks.
The man looks at her and she sits down, wagging her tail. "It's were you get clean," he says.
She nods her head and stands, trotting around him in circles. Can I have that? she asks happily.
Chopper smiles and nods, "Yeah sure. Zoro, you won't mind right?" he asks the green haired man.
Aspen now knows his name. Zoro, cool. Zoro leads her to a room where they have to climb a ladder. Which she can't, obviously. The man picks her up and carries her up the ladder. When they arrive up there, the red headed woman comes out of the door, steam and heat wafting out of the bathroom.
Aspen sniffs it and finds that she likes the smells of the shampoo's and different soaps. The woman smiles and Zoro let's her take over.
"I'm Nami, nice to meet you Aspen," the red head says.
Aspen nods and trots into the bathroom. There's a large bath and a few stools with showers by them. She turns back to Nami to see the red head is undressing and going for the showers. Aspen follows her and watches as Nami showers. The red head beckons her forward and starts to wash all the dirt and filth from Aspen's fur. It's a nice feeling.
After a while, her fur is clean and smoothed down. Nami gasps as Aspen's fur is clean and shows her what it really looks like. There are thirteen stripes on her fur, black as night. They go from her snout to her back and make her look like a tiger. A black patch of fur covers around her left eye and gives it a contrast that is nice though weird. Her right front leg has an ankle sock and her left hind leg has a smaller sock, all black. Her eyes though, Nami can't get enough. They're such a nice light blue they seem to radiate.
Nami smiles and Aspen shakes the water out of her fur. Nami drops a towel on the wolf and dries her off. Then she lets Aspen out and goes to shower on her own. Aspen feels nice and clean now and she barks down the stairs, confident that Zoro is still there. And he is. He comes up and helps her down, admiring her clean fur as he goes.
"You're so soft," he comments.
Aspen licks his hand and grins. That's nice.
Zoro smiles and sets her down again. Aspen bounds down the stairs and flops down on the soft grass again, rolling around in it.
"Oi, we just cleaned you," Zoro yells at her.
Aspen stops rolling, pouts and trots over to the cabin she had been sleeping in. It's a little dark and she can hear people talking. There's a large man with what she guesses are metal parts and a raven haired boy. They both look at her, smiling.
"Hey Aspen!" the raven says. "My name is Monkey D Luffy and I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates. Wanna join my crew?" he asks.
Aspen stares at him for a moment. Then she says, Well, I can't go back to where I was, so I guess yes.
Luffy smiles and laughs, petting her now clean fur with a stretchy hand. Aspen finds it a little strange, but doesn't mind it. The larger man walks up to them and he also pats her, softly though.
"I'm Franky, it's SUPER to meet you Aspen," he says.
Aspen smiles and slips from their grasp, walking over to her new bed, the nest of blankets. She falls on them, a sigh slipping past her muzzle and her tongue lolling out of her mouth. She falls asleep almost instantly, dreaming of a field with flowers and her previous owner. The man had been kind and loving, had loved her with his whole heart.
But then one night, he left. And Aspen had never seen him again. She misses him and wonders where he has gone to. Wonders if he is still alive.
Voices wake her up again and the male crew walks into the cabin, probably to sleep. Aspen stays on the ground, lying comfortable. Zoro plops into the bed hanging above her and lets his hand roam over her fur. Aspen rumbles contently and nuzzles into his hand.
"Chopper," Zoro mumbles, close to sleep already.
The reindeer hums, signaling he is listening.
"You better teach her how to fight," the swordsman grumbles.
Chopper snorts, but hums his agreement before falling asleep. Aspen smirks, gums showing in the darkness. She waits until they all fall asleep and stands, sniffing all the people in the bunks. There's a lanky man with curly hair and a long nose. He smells nice and Aspen likes it. She climbs into the bunk with some trouble, but once she manages, she scoots next to the man and snuggles into his warmth to fall asleep comfortably.
o-o-o
Zoro and Aspen are resting on the ship when a sudden cling of metal makes her perk up. She sits up abruptly, and Zoro's head swings to the side to avoid getting pierced by a knife. Aspen growls, tail brushed up and her body lowered to the ground. Zoro's eyes widen as he sees the knife, and his hand strokes through Aspen's fur. The ship is quiet, the rest of the crew is on the island for the day. Aspen yips and stands straight, sniffing the air.
"There's a bastard on the ship, huh?" Zoro mutters.
Aspen trots over to the railing and looks down at the waves that lap at the Sunny. It's calm and quiet, but Aspen senses human's around. She growls low in her throat and walks back to Zoro, fur on end and snarling.
"Down girl," Zoro says.
But… Aspen begins.
Zoro shakes his head and stands, walking to the railing and jumping off. He calls her name and she follows him onto the island, trotting beside him as her guard dog. They approach three people. Aspen growls again, but with a gesture from Zoro, stops and lays her ears flat against her head, showing her anger ass he shows her teeth behind her lip.
The three men look smug and Zoro cocks his head at them. Aspen is so lost in her thoughts that she does not hear what they are saying, and she doesn't care. She's only here to protect Zoro.
"Who's the mutt?" one of the men asks.
Aspen snaps at him and snarls loudly. Zoro smooths down her fur and she calms slightly.
"She's part of the crew, she's going with us, or I won't come with you," the swordsman says.
Aspen snarls, and takes up post right beside Zoro's leg. She's his security line. If something goes wrong, she knows she has to get the crew. Zoro motions for the men to go ahead and they both follow them to a building with multiple marines in it.
Aspen snarls at them, but keeps to Zoro's side, never leaving him. The man waiting for them has a grin on his face and Aspen doesn't like him. She doesn't listen to their conversation, but she does once Zoro draws his sword and springs from his place to attack the man. The marines come into action, and a short battle is all it takes for Aspen and Zoro to take them down.
"Where is she?" she hears Zoro snarl.
Who? She asks.
Zoro turns to her. "Karma," he says in a deadpan voice.
She cocks her head, then shrugs and snaps at the ankles of the man Zoro is holding. The guy shrieks and spits out the location of something Zoro wants to know. Aspen is curios to who Karma is, or what. She will wait, wait until she knows.
Zoro takes her up a hill and then pulls something from his pocket. It's a piece of cloth, it looks like a scarf, for dogs. She cocks her head in question, but Zoro lets her sniff it and asks for the way. She nods and tracks the scent of another dog to a cave. Zoro runs in and gets lost a few times before Aspen gets him.
Where are we going? She asks him.
"To see a friend, save her," he states.
Aspen nods and they reach a steel door. Zoro slices it in half and peers inside. Aspen sees his face go pale and she peeks in. Shock stills her body and her eyes go wide as she looks at the largest dog she has ever seen. No, scratch that, it's a wolf. She forces her body to step forward and into the fault.
"K-Karma?" Zoro's voice is a tremor and a whisper.
The wolf lifts its large, bloodied head and recognition flashes in her eyes. She growls and only Aspen understand the hello. Zoro lets out a breathless laugh and falls to his knees. He ghosts his hand over the wolfs snout and Aspen sniffs her.
Who are you?
The wolf looks at her, large yellow eyes regarding her for a moment. Then she smiles a little and drops her head in Zoro's lap.
Thought I smelled a new crewmate. Welcome to the Straw Hat Pirates, runt. The wolf says.
Aspen blinks a few times, then gapes in shock. You're part of the crew?
The wolf nods slowly, licks Zoro's fingers and nudges him in the direction of a bowl with water. Then she looks at Aspen and licks the white wolf's face a little, cleaning it of blood splashes.
Don't be scared, little one. I may be big and scary, but I got a soft heart. You'll know more later, now go get our friends and get the hell of this island.
Aspen can only smirk in reply and shoots out of the cave with an assembly howl they had agreed on. The reply she hears comes in the form of fireworks and a thundercloud somewhere above the island. With that, she shoots off to the Sunny. She can't wait to get to know the other wolf, because something is intriguing about her and it's gonna be an awesome adventure.