Sage woke in a haze, slowly blinking to rid himself of the sleep induced dream-like state but he couldn't get it to clear. He lifted his head and realized he had somehow fallen asleep without shifting back. It wasn't the first time it had happened but he didn't remember returning home or making the decision to just curl up as his dog. He tried to sit up and was met with a painful ache throbbing through his entire body and pooling in his hind quarters.

"What the heck did I get up to last night?" he thought and tried to stretch out his cramping leg. Something was restricting his movement, though, and he turned his head in the darkness to see what looked like a heavy cast weighing it down.

He immediately started to panic and look around at the surroundings that he realized were unfamiliar. The smells weren't right either and his whole body was on alert. He tried to get up again and groaned with the pain that made his body flop back onto the ground but then he realized it wasn't the ground at all. He was at least comfortable on what seemed to be a large pillow. There was the scent of another human around him and he followed it until his eyes landed on the person who appeared to be asleep on the sofa not far away. His night vision was sharp and after a moment he realized that the profile was vaguely familiar.

Fragments of his memory started to surface, bits and pieces of the harsh smell of chemicals and bright lights, of pain and anxiety and eventually he had enough to figure out at least why he was there even if he didn't know where that was. The haze he was in had to be the drugs he thought he remembered being given which would also explain why his stomach was churning.

The girl, Macy, was still asleep so now was his chance to shift and sneak away so he concentrated and tried to pull himself up onto two legs. Even thinking about the change had him exhausted and he groaned at the weakness he felt overwhelming him. He couldn't even gather strength to attempt the shift and the realization made him begin to tremble with anxiety. He'd never been in a condition where he wasn't able to shift, not from animal to human anyway. Anything could happen when he was this vulnerable, unable to defend himself in either form if this human had brought him here for sinister reasons.

He couldn't help it when he started to cry, the only thing his overwhelmed state would let him do. The pain was intense and uncomfortable and all he wanted was his own bed and someone to comfort him until he was able to be human again. His sobs came out as long pitiful whines in this body but he did nothing to stop them, too distraught to even care what that human thought about it. Part of him wanted him to wake up and be annoyed, wanted to dump some of his misery onto him keeping him a prisoner here.

"You okay buddy?" Sage heard a voice asking him and he cried harder. This person didn't even know what he was. Didn't know who he was.

"It's okay Saber, I've got you," Macy was crawling over to him now and she was probably around Saber's age, not the old sadist that Sage had imagined her to be when he had woken up. "Shhh, you're okay," the voice hummed gently and hands started to pet over his head and around his ears. He wanted to hate it, to pull away from the touch, but instead leaned into the small amount of comfort it brought. He just wanted someone to make it better.

"Shhh Saber, I've got you," Macy cooed and Sage sobbed harder.

"It's Sage," he wanted to scream but of course it only came out in a pitiful howl.

"I'm sorry," the voice sounded choked up and Sage thought maybe that Macy was crying too as he felt her warm body wrap around the curve of his spine, cradling him to her chest. Macy nuzzled her face into the fur just behind Saber's head and the emotions surrounding them were anything but threatening. It felt nice to just be held and his whines slowly tapered off as he concentrated on the hands delicately moving over his fur. It had been so long since someone had pet him and he had forgotten how wonderful it actually felt. If he were a cat, he'd probably start purring instead his tail lightly thumped on the pillow below him.

Just then, Tommy came in with a loud yawn. "What's going on? I heard Saber. Is he okay?"

"Warming up to him a little?" the boy, Tommy, asked softly, nuzzling his nose into the fur of Sage's neck. "I could get used to this, you know? I already don't want to give you up when we find your owners."

Maybe these people weren't holding him here against his will at all. Maybe they honestly thought that he was just a lost dog. Sage tried to be optimistic, relaxing the last of his muscles that had been tensed in fear. He would just wait until he was strong enough to shift and then maybe leave these people a nice note about taking care of his lost dog. He'd figure it out in the morning.

"I know, Tommy. But Saber belongs to another family. They're probably worried sick about him," Macy replied, petting the soft dog's fur. "If anything, maybe the owner will let us see him for a visit in the future."

Just because Macy didn't want to be attached to the dog, it didn't mean she never wanted to see him again. Not to mention would are seeing her little brother unhappy.

Hot. Sage's first thought as he started to wake was that everything was too hot. His body, the bed, the sun shining directly on him, the furnace that seemed to be wrapped around him. He whined and tried to get away from the heat, to throw his covers off, but his movements didn't work the way he wanted them to. He tried to thrash around onto his back but nothing seemed right and the covers came with him and… no, it was just his fur. Why did he have fur?

His eyes flew open in a panic, panting as he tried to survey his surroundings. Everything came back in slow pieces again and he flopped his head back down with a groan. He had hoped that it all had been a bad dream but the ache in his body was too real to ignore. The bodies still curled around him from behind was too warm now that the morning sun was shining on them through the window and he whined as he tried to put some space between them.

"You're okay," the voice behind him said, cracking with sleep, a hand following to pet slow calming lines over his shoulder. "Do you need some more pain meds? It's been a long time since your last dose."

The mattress shifted beneath him as Macy got up and headed out of the room and Sage took a moment to look around. He was on a big dog bed, he now realized, and the room wasn't as intimidating as it had seemed in the darkness. It was actually very homey and normal, nothing like the psychopathic torture chamber environment he thought it might be. It looked lived in though there appeared to be a few half unpacked or half packed boxes sitting next to the bookshelf and another stack off to the corner.

He winced through the pain as he pushed himself to at least hold his head up, turning to take a closer look at the damage done to his body. The cast on his leg looked heavy and thick, fully encasing the limb nearly all the way up to his hip. He could see that his fur had been shaved around the top with another bare section low on the side of his stomach. There was a long incision that was stitched closed and with its position, he made a quick check to assure that his manly bits were still attached and unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief to find that at least that was okay.

"You seem perkier today! That's a good sign!" Macy returned, sitting down again near his head. "Okay I put it in some more of those pepperoni things again so open up."

"Please stop feeding him my Lunchable." A sleepy voice said from behind Sage.

Sage glanced at his side finding a sleeping Tommy behind him before looking down at the little rolled up bundle held out between her fingers and hesitantly sniffed. The bitter scent of the medication was still detectable around the fatty meat but at least he had been told it was there. Macy seemed trustworthy enough and he prided himself on being a good judge of character. With one more calculating glance at his face, he flicked his tongue out and swallowed the offered medication without chewing.

"Good boy!" she ruffled the fur on Sage's head and he pulled away with a small roll of his eyes. He wasn't a goddamn pet but he guessed Macy had no way of knowing that. A water bowl was pushed closer to him and he hadn't even registered how dry his mouth felt until he saw the liquid sloshing in front of his face. He dove in to lap some up, not even caring how desperate he probably looked.

A food bowl was pushed forward next as he was licking the water clear of his mouth and wetting his nose and it immediately made his stomach churn. He could play pet for a few things but there was absolutely no way he was going to eat dog food. He could smell all the ground up and fatty miscellaneous animal parts and artificial dyes that were somehow meant to make it appealing to dogs. There was no way he was eating that. Absolutely not.

His stomach was rumbling and cramping with hunger but what he really wanted was a big plate of eggs on toast with a side of bacon and maybe some orange juice. He needed the type of meal that would soothe a hangover in his state.

"Come on, the vet said I needed to make sure you started eating," Macy pushed the bowl closer to his face and he twisted his neck to get further away from the offending smells. There were parts of Sage that did feel bad. Macy was obviously just trying to help, just trying to take care of him, but no. He wasn't going to eat the dog food just to make him happy.

He was saved, at least for a minute, when the woman's phone rang.

Macy answered it. "Hello? Oh, hey, Tina! How are you and Amy doing?" she asked, sounding a lot better than before to hear her friends again. "...Good, glad to hear things are going well for you two. My stay here has been a total bummer before you called me,"

Sage used the distraction when Macy turned to continue her conversation to push the dish away with his paws, stretching through the burn to make sure it slid completely off the dog bed. Maybe he would be left alone long enough to shift and raid the kitchen before figuring out where he was and how to make it back home.

"Yeah, I don't know. He just ran out in front of me and I'd hit him before I knew what was happening," Sage perked up and actually started listening. So that was what had happened. "I freaked out and drove him to some emergency vet. No, he didn't have a collar or a microchip. He doesn't seem like a stray and he seems really well behaved. It's almost like he understands me. It freaks me out a little with how intuitive he seems." Macy laughed out loudly, shaking his head as he turned to look down at Sage, sliding her hand over his fur.

"No I'm not saying I picked up a werewolf from one of your books! I just got up here, I've barely even met anyone yet! Those kinds of isolation induced hallucinations won't start kicking in for months. But when I do start seeing werewolf hunks in my backyard I'll be sure to let you know."

Sage watched her laugh off the idea as absurd and he wondered if he should give Macy a little shock when he was ready to leave just to mess with her mind a little bit.

"I posted a few things but I figured if I can't find his owner that I'd find one for him. I'm already kind of getting used to having him around. It has been kind of nice just to have someone else here in this big house. I wouldn't trust a shelter or something to take care of him and I already feel too guilty about hurting him that the least I can do is take care of him till someone better comes along."

Sage sighed and rested his head down between his front paws. He didn't want to hurt Macy but knew he would probably do the same if the situation were reversed and he couldn't fault her for that. At least she was trying and hadn't just left him out on the side of the road.

"Yeah yeah, I'll talk to you later. Bye." Macy ended her call and turned her full attention back to Sage.

"Did you push this away?" Macy asked with a small laugh, picking up the bowl filled with dog food and placing it right in front of his nose again. All Sage could do was pull his face away in disgust. Tommy who had woken up from the commotion scooped a few up into the palm of his hand and held it up to his nose like having a bigger whiff of them would make him want to chow down. He whined and pulled away, trying to push himself up by his front legs to remove himself from the situation.

"Okay, okay, but you're going to have to eat at some point today or I'll have to take you back to the vet for them to force feed you," Tommy set the bowl back down and ruffled the fur between his ears. Sage wasn't sure which option sounded worse but he was leaning towards the kibble ranking higher on that scale.

"Do you need to go out? You haven't gone out since yesterday so you probably need to, don't ya boy?" Sage rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Let's go out and then I have to run into town to get some supplies for flyers. Maybe I'll pick up some treats for you if you're good."

Sage huffed out a sigh and tried not to nip at Macy while she helped him to stand. It was very uncomfortable and painful but knew it was good for patients to walk after surgery in human form so he probably needed to as well. Especially since he wasn't even sure what they'd done to him. It was awkward to hobble with his entire back leg heavy and immobile but he reluctantly let Macy and Tommy help him along until they were standing outside on his patio.

"Man, he weighs like a ton! Almost as much as your butt, Sis," Tommy teased.

"Don't push it, Tommy," Macy gritted her teeth on that remark. "Otherwise, I'll end up putting you in a cage and have the vet examine you for a brain transplant,"

"We'll stay up here like before. Go do your business," Macy motioned out towards the lawn and if Sage were able to blush in this form, he would be. He didn't remember doing this before but the idea of being made to relieve himself outside was humiliating enough without those two standing there to watch him do it. It wasn't like there was another option, though. He wouldn't be able to use a toilet like this anyway.

He glanced back at Macy and Tommy wearily before shaking his head and limping his way over to the bushes by the corner of the house. Macy appeared to be giving him some illusion of privacy, thankfully, turned away while still keeping him in her peripheral vision, probably so he wouldn't try to run away. It took him a few tries to balance enough so he wouldn't leak all over himself but got the job done and slowly returned to Macy's side.

"Do you think you'll be alright if we run into town for an hour or so?" Macy asked him once he was settled back on the dog bed. It was probably no more than thirty feet to the back door but he felt exhausted like he had climbed half a mountain. He couldn't even muster the strength to be excited that he was going to be left alone.

Macy stroked his fur for a few minutes, probably to make sure he wasn't going to pass out from how heavily he was breathing, before disappearing into another part of the house. Sage waited until he heard the door and then the sound of the car starting up and pulling away to take any action. If he wanted to be long gone by the time Macy and Tommy came back, he'd have to get as much distance between himself and the house as he could.

Macy couldn't stop thinking about how awfully smart this dog was. It was like she was talking a human being but in the form of a dog. And normally, Macy always thought that her brother was part dog, too. Especially with all the messes he causes and attitude of a small cub going through a sugar rush.

They stopped into an office supplies store picking up paper and pens, along with thick plastic wrap covers to keep the signs dry. On their way out Macy heard the telltale sound of her brother's stomach.

"Macy, I'm hungry. Can we eat?" Tommy asked.

Macy groaned, already grabbing a granola bar out of her pocket and giving it to him. "I told you not to skip breakfast. Here, eat this."

Tommy grumbled. "Seriously how about some actual food. I think I saw a fast food place on the way in. Besides its eleven, lunch should be started by now."

"Okay, fine. Let me put these away in the car and we'll check it out," Macy rolled her eyes.

Meanwhile Sage stretched out and took slow, calming breaths to relax his body. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the force within him that he used to shift. It had seemed dull and weak, probably partially due to the effects of the medication, and he had to focus to summon it when it usually came so naturally. It took a long time before it was humming close to the surface but when it felt ready, he pushed through it, ready to finally feel human again.

He broke through the first layer and, where he usually slipped right through the rest of the transition, something was tugging him back. He pushed harder, struggling to get through but got stuck like his hips were too wide to fit through a small window. It was his leg, a wall of steel stopping him just at that point. He could feel his other leg pulling through, the vibrations buzzing through him everywhere but below that one point just below his hip. He thrashed and fought against it, straining until it seemed to implode, snapping back into him like a strong rubber band.

He collapsed back onto the bed, panting heavily and feeling light headed and weak. That had never happened to him before. There had never been a force keeping him in one form or the other. Every part of him felt drained, mind and body, and he couldn't even keep his eyes open long enough to ponder what had happened. There was no other choice but give in to sleep.

Noises from another room slowly roused Sage from slumber, groggy as he looked around. Macy and Tommy were back and he was no closer to getting home than he had been before. He was stuck and, while the anger surrounding that fact was festering within him, he didn't have the energy to entertain it.

Instead, it was irritation that was strong enough to surface. Sage was tired, exhausted, starving, aching in pain and just wanted to be at home surrounded by familiar scents and the comforts he had taken for granted. He wanted to make the new chicken lasagna recipe he'd been meaning to try, he wanted a nice big glass of soda and some fake reality TV drama.

"Hey there Saber! Did you get into much trouble while we were gone?" That was also grinding on his nerves. He'd scream his name in their faces if he were able to. He wasn't a sword.

Macy and Tommy sat down on the couch with their fast food bags full of bad choices and the whole room was filled with the glorious smells of burgers and fries. It was absolutely torture to be taunted with the aroma of fried food while his stomach clenched and growled at him in anger. He usually wasn't a fan of fast food, he tried to eat as clean as possible, but would order everything off the menu right then if he could.

Tommy flipped on the TV while he held a partially unwrapped burger, bacon and cheese oozing out from under the bun, and his mouth was watering so much he could feel himself drooling. He whined out for it, trying to crawl closer. He wasn't above snatching it directly from his hand and running. Well, maybe not running, but snarfing it down before it could be stolen away.

He had pulled himself halfway off the dog bed by the time Macy noticed but Sage couldn't even be bothered to care that Macy was onto him. The burger was probably reflecting in his eyes, the sole focus of his entire mind. He licked at his chops and could almost taste the greasy meat on his tongue.

"This is probably bad for you but we won't tell, will we?" Tommy said with a smile

He watched as Tommy ripped the burger in half, tearing off a piece and holding it out in his hand right in front of his nose. He didn't even hesitate as he lunched forward, snarfing down the bite and then licking every remnant clean from Tommy's palm and fingers while Tommy giggled. He was beyond the point of feeling any shame about his actions. Plus, in their eyes, he was a dog and he figured that was normal dog behavior. He whined until Macy was also breaking off a piece, section by section disappearing into Sage's stomach until he'd been allowed to eat the whole half. It was just a cheap fast food burger but he was sure he had never eaten a better meal in his life.

"That's probably enough people food for right now. I wouldn't want you to get sick." Macy wiped the slobber from his hand with a napkin before taking his own bite of the other half. Sage was still hungry but was satisfied enough to not tackle Tommy down and shove his nose into the bag like some sort of wild animal. Plus, he was sure it probably wouldn't be pretty to overeat on whatever medication he'd been given. He wasn't even sure how animal medication would interact with his body but so far it seemed to be working just fine.

He shifted himself back onto the bed, flopping down onto his side and relaxing now that his stomach was no longer screaming at him. It was amazing how much just that had taken the edge off, able to think more rationally about his situation.

Obviously the cast had something to with his inability to shift. He'd never heard of something exterior not allowing a shift but then he supposed this was a bit of a unique situation. He would just have to wait until the cast came off or figure out a way to get it off himself. He'd deal with that later.

"Not a word to mom and dad," Macy told Tommy.

"Obviously," Tommy said.

As Saber was licking his chops from his small meal Macy noticed once again his eyes they were warm yellow almost gold. As she stared an odd wondering thought came to mind but she instantly blew it off.

"Make any new friends at school?" Macy asked as she pulled out her laptop.

"Sure did! Two, at least. They're names are Andy and Marcus. We easily got along at lunch," Tommy answered.

"That's good. They tell you about any clubs or activities that you can do around here?" Macy asked.

"Well, we were actually thinking of coming up with our own club. Like a mystery solving club," Tommy answered.

Macy shook her head. "How about baseball, or maybe summer camp?"

"Nah. The whole point of creating a club is to have something totally different. And since the three of us all appreciate mysteries, we figured why not do a club about that?"

Macy rolled her eyes. "Just stay out of trouble. I don't want to have to go looking for you like that time at Central Park."

"Oh, relax. This will be different and better than Central Park," Tommy replied.

"Please consider the summer camp when it's warmer." Macy said before turning to her computer.

"I'll talk to Andy and Marcus about that,"

"So you been looking up more on the Beast of the White North?" Macy asked motioning to Saber.

"You could say that. I already informed Andy and Marcus about him. Even send pictures. So far, they've never seen nor heard of a dog like Saber. And Andy still didn't seem convinced that he's a regular husky,"

"Oh and what proof is there that he isn't?" Macy questioned

"Well, according to him, Saber's body features seem more from the Canis Lupus family and similar to some legend called Wolfbloods,"

Sage, who had been mildly dozing, had his ears perk up at the change of conversation.

"Wolfbloods, huh? What's the legend wolves that drink human blood to become human or vice versa."

"Wolfbloods are creatures that transform from human form into wolves," Tommy explained. "Often perceived as werewolves. They're considered stronger, faster, and more graceful than humans and possess heightened senses, among other supernatural abilities. We think it's possible that Saber might be one of them."

"Well, if he a Wolfblood, why doesn't he just turn back human right now?" Macy remarked.

"That's what I asked Andy. He mentions that a Wolfblood needs to be fully healed and restored before changing back. Otherwise, it will cause great pain and make him stuck in between forms,"

Macy looked at Saber for a moment before laughing hysterically.

"Tommy I think Tina let you borrow one to many werewolf romance novels." Macy said before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

"Ew! You know I'm not into gross stuff like that!" Tommy hollered.

"Uh huh. Look Saber's just a dog and as soon as I've finished with the posters his owners will come and get him and that will be the end of it.

"Ugh, fine," Tommy replied.

Later that night, Macy had turned off the TV and tucked in to sleep on the couch when Sage heard it. He was still wide awake and bored out of his mind but there wasn't much he could do about it. His ears perked and there was no mistaking the long drawn out howls though they were faint. He whined at the soft chorus of calls barely penetrating the walls of the house. They were looking for him. HIs family was looking for him.

He sat up and gave a long howl in response though it knew it was useless. They were miles away. They would never be able to hear him. The calls were already moving further away. He whimpered at the thought that they might never be able to find him. He had heard rain spitting against the window earlier, no doubt washing away any scent he would have left behind and he was sure he was far from any path he usually traveled.

Mr. Monroe and Mrs. Monroe ran out into the living room scared and angry at the abrupt howling.

"You're kind of a night owl, aren't you?" Macy croaked, peeking over the arm of the sofa to look at him while she rubbed at her eyes. Sage ignored her and turned towards the window again, pointing his nose towards the sky while letting out another long pathetic howl. He didn't care that he was disrupting this family's sleep that thought himself Sage's superior. He wasn't a creature that could be owned, he was a person being held captive no matter what Macy's intentions were. He felt he had a right to be at least a little obnoxious, especially when it might mean being found.

"Macy put a muzzle on him. We all have to get up in the morning." Mr. Monroe said sternly. Macy groaned as she got up and grabbed the muzzle quickly putting it in place. Sage growled and tried to push it off with no luck. "Back to bed everyone."

"I'm sorry you're sad," Macy said gently and she sounded so genuine that Sage turned to meet his eyes. For once it felt that Macy somehow understood his distress and the sorrow on this girl's face was comforting in a strange way.

"You probably miss your home and your owners but I don't know how to find them. I'm so sorry."

Macy climbed off the couch and came to lie beside him as she had the night before, stroking Sage's fur until he finally laid back down himself.

It might be days or even weeks until he would be able to contact his family. He'd never felt so helpless in his life but he still couldn't stop the soft spot he had started to develop for the family and the thought maybe they could have been friends if they had met again under different circumstances. If this experience was something that was destined to happen to him, something fate would have thrown his way no matter what, he found that he was glad it had been Macy and Tommy to find him.

The next day, Macy already began setting up the posters and placing them up all over the town.

"Hopefully, I made enough for someone looking for Saber," Macy said to herself, turning around to notice that some of the previous posters she put up have mysteriously disappeared. "What in the name of insanity?!"

Meanwhile, back home, Tommy's friends arrived to get a better look and observation on both Saber and their intel on Werewolves.

"And you said that he kept howling late the other night? Like there was a full moon?" Andy asked, still searching.

"Positive. We had to put a muzzle on him so he'd stop," Tommy explained. "And I think it's more than just a moon he was howling about."

"Maybe he was calling his pack," Marcus guessed.

A few more days later, Macy and Tommy were making their way back to school with the car.

During those days, Macy noticed that Sage has not shown up since her first day. He didn't seem like the kind of guy to just skip school like that. She only wondered where Sage might be.

"Here's my stop! I'll see you later today, sis! Bye!" Tommy replied, already getting off the car when it paused and hurried over to see his friends waiting for him.

Before leaving, Macy noticed something in her own brother's backpack. Along with his friends' bags. They looked like rollups of the missing poster signs she tried putting up in town.

"So that's whose been stealing all the posters! I should have known!" Macy nearly yelled in the car, slowly moving forward. "Oh, when this day is over, I am so gonna have a major chat with Tommy and his friends!"

It had been days and Macy still was no closer to finding Saber's owner. She'd spent hours searching Facebook posts, Craigslist, even the local newspapers. As far as she could tell, no one had reported missing or lost dog and she couldn't understand why. Saber was a beautiful, well behaved animal, and she could think of no scenario that wouldn't have his owners wanting him back.

She stood at the stove with several chicken pieces sizzling in a pan, checking the Googled cooking instructions on her phone again to make sure she wasn't overcooking them. She didn't trust himself to know when they were done. It was probably horrible behavior to encourage, but Saber had refused to touch the dog food in his bowl from day one. It was never just disinterest but instead, outright refusal.

Saber had been much more alert and interactive since the first day which made his behavior over the food more than just a side effect of the anesthesia. Saber also was quick to eat up any of Macy and especially Tommy's food they offered, even the apple slices she'd bought pre-cut in a bag. It was extremely odd to her but she also didn't want the animal to starve. Her final choice had been made once she had read the ingredients on the dogfood and one didn't seem better than another.

So she had done some research on what dogs absolutely shouldn't eat and also some homemade dog food recipes and had helped load up the fridge and freezer with things the family could at make for the all of them. It definitely seemed to be the more expensive route but if Saber was eating then she guessed it was okay. The family was also probably doing their own bodies a favor as well instead of living off frozen pizzas and take out for the next handful of months.

Tonight was chicken and brown rice and so far she had managed to not burn anything. Yet.

She poked her head into the living room to check on Saber and Tommy finding them engrossed in whatever was playing on TV. It was strange that Saber seemed to watch TV just like she would, almost as if he understood everything that was happening. Just the night before she could have sworn Harley snorted out a type of dog laugh at the same punchline that had Tommy laughing to tears. She had joked about it but she honestly wondered if the isolation really was going to her head. She couldn't even call it isolation yet since she had been into town so many times so if that's what was affecting her, it was definitely not a good sign.

The two ate their supper down on the floor with Saber, something oddly domestic about sharing a meal with someone she was starting to see as less and less of a pet. She'd never seen a dog eat so carefully or politely and, while Tommy chattered on, it almost felt like Saber was actively participating in the conversation.

She found herself doing more of her work on the floor closer to Saber as well. She asked his opinions on homework or posts sent over by her friends, or just about anything her day had entailed. It was like living with someone and the idea of having to give Saber up was becoming harder to swallow.

Moments later, Macy went over to where her dad was working privately in his room office.

"Hey, dad. Any luck with information about Saber's owner?" Macy asked.

"Nothing yet. I'm starting to wonder if maybe that dog was abandoned." Mr. Monroe said looking up from his computer.

"Yeah...I hate to say it, but you might be right. Which got me thinking. If Saber really doesn't belong to anyone, should we even consider having him as part of our family?" Macy questioned.

Mr. Monroe turned to look at Macy. "Do you not like the dog?"

"He's not bad. Really. Despite the first meet, Saber seems to be a very understanding friend. He seems to be the only positive thing being here. That, and Tommy seems to like him a lot to a point that he doesn't want to give Saber up,"

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Mr. Monroe asked sarcastically with a smile, knowing full well how much his son wanted to keep the dog.

Macy chuckled a bit. "I can name a few reasons."

Mr. Monroe sighed. "Alright I'll make you a deal however we keep this between us. I don't want your brother getting his hopes up. We'll give it two weeks after the dog gets its pins removed. Once that time has passed we'll know for sure then we'll make it official that he's part of the family."

"Sounds good to me. And believe me, I'm not saying anything," Macy assured.

"Honey, I am sorry that this move was so sudden but it was an opportunity that I had to take. I didn't do this to hurt you or our family. You know that right?" Mr. Monroe said taking his daughter's hands into his.

"Of course, I know that, dad,"

"Then can you give this place a chance, for me. I want you to love this place if not for anything other than your family is here and we love it."

"I'll consider it," Macy smiled lightly.

Mr. Monroe smiled kissing her forehead. "Thank you baby bear. Now when is the next vet visit?"