Hello people of Earth. In this chapter, Jaden makes a new friend. You will find a link to what he looks like at the bottom of my profile page.

Chapter 14:

Buddy

Jaden woke with a start. He had had that particular dream for the past week now… and it wasn't even a dream. Somehow, his ability over time was training itself while he was asleep; revisiting moments of the past like it was trying to tell him something.

With a yawn, he looked up at the sky and, pulling his sheets around him to get away from the cold wind that blew through the trees, discovered that the sun was just about to rise. Today was the day. He was going to do something that no demigod had ever done before – place his life in the hands of a power stronger than the gods of old. Gathering his things together, he made his way back to the church that he had seen the day before.

But it was as he was about to sit on the steps of the church that he heard it. It was the sound of barking and growling coming from around the back of the building. Curious about what it was, but scared at the same time, Jaden prepared himself for a fight and followed the sound. What he saw shocked him.

Right in front of him, completely ignorant of his presence, was a pack of feral dogs. If he had to guess, there was a Rottweiler cross, a mastiff of some sort, a Dalmatian, two beagles, some strange mix breed and a Chihuahua. And it looked like they were picking on another dog. Without thinking, Jaden grabbed the largest stick he could find and charged the dogs.

It was stupid, he knew it. There were enough dogs there to tear him to shreds if they wanted to. But for some reason, the bullies saw him coming and ran. In shock, Jaden turned to the injured dog that the others had left behind. Despite all the blood that the animal was covered in, he could clearly make out the fact that it was a young pit bull… and a very scared one at that. With a sigh, Jaden threw the stick he held away from the dog and began to leave.

" There you go. Those other dogs shouldn't bother you for a little while. But you should get out of here just in case." He sighed before making his way back to the front of the building and to his abandoned suitcase.

Little did he realise, but the pit bull was following him. It was only as Jaden was taking out an apple and a slice of bread that he heard the dog's hungry and pain filled whimper. With a sigh, he threw the bread at the dog and dug into the apple. At the first bite of the fruit, Jaden's stomach instantly demanded more food. And one look at the dog that was sitting in front of him with wide brown eyes told Jaden that he wanted more, too.

" Listen. I don't have enough food for the both of us. I don't even have any meat for you or a proper bowl to put water in for you. You're better off leaving me alone, just like everyone else." The boy growled.

Either the dog didn't understand any of what it had been told or else it was being ignorant because it stayed where it was. Jaden tried a different tactic.

" Go home, you mangy mutt!"

Still the dog stayed where it was. With a sigh, Jaden figured the dog was as homeless as he was and so decided to give the animal another slice of bread. There was no way that this dog was going to leave him in peace. When it came to fresh water, he decided to sacrifice the ashtray he had stolen when he had first arrived in the town. He had originally planned on using it as either a bowl for himself or a water scoop for when he had to wash, but he decided the dog needed it more than he did. Besides, he could always steal himself another if he really needed it.

It was while the dog was drinking that Jaden was able to get a proper look at him. The dog was a blue brindle male with a white head and a blue brindle patch over his left eye. He also had white down most of his left front leg and chest, one of his hind paws and on the tip of his tail. A chain hung loosely around the dog's neck, but there was no tag.

" Well, buddy. I guess you weren't loved either." Jaden whispered, watching as the dog's ears flicked towards him in recognition of his voice.

As the morning sun began to shine over the two, the dog nudged the ashtray towards Jaden, looking for some more water. Instead, Jaden took one of the rags from his bag and wrapped it around the ashtray.

" Sorry, buddy. That's all the water I can give you." He said, warily holding out his hand. " Hey, you wouldn't tell anyone a secret, would you? What am I saying? Of course not, you're a dog. Anyway… I'm the son of an ancient Greek immortal who could control time. Do you know what that means? It means that I might be able to heal your wounds for you. Do you trust me enough to do that for you, buddy?"

For an answer, the dog limped up to him and pressed its head into his hand. Its fur was smooth but course at the same time. The shock of having the dog trust him that much was enough to freeze Jaden in his tracks. But, closing his eyes tightly, he began to will the dog's wounds to heal over, quickening the time it would usually take with the powers that he was born with.

He had never done anything like that before in his life. When he opened his eyes, everything around him was tilted to the side and out of focus. But the main thing was that there were no more wounds visible on the dog's body. The next thing that happened, though, was that the dog began whimpering and barking at him before everything went black.

Jaden woke to something that sounded a lot like a camp counsel. At first, he thought that his banishment had been only a dream… then he heard the whimpering of a dog beside him. Confused, he rolled over… and fell off the bench that he had been lying on. This led into silence around him and an unexpected weight on top of him. Finally opening his eyes, he came face to face with a brown eyed, blue brindle and white dog.

" Down, buddy. I'm okay." He mumbled, sitting up.

The dog rolled his tongue out of his mouth in what Jaden could only assume as a happy smile before sitting down at his feet. Jaden took that time to notice that his suitcase was also by his feet and that he was inside the church. Come to think of it, a lot of people were inside the church… and each one of them had a book in hand. At the front of the church was a wooden cross. Suddenly, Jaden felt like he once more was an insignificant insect.

" Are you okay there, son?" The man at the front of the assembly asked, going over to Jaden to make sure that he was okay. " We found you unconscious in front of the building. Your dog alerted us that something was wrong."

" He… he did?" Jaden whispered, unable to raise his voice any higher. " Thanks, buddy. And thank you, sir."

" The Lord is always willing to help those around him. Stay with us for a little while. We may still be able to help you."

After a nod from Jaden, the man went back to the front of the church and continued with what he had been doing. Jaden still didn't understand any of what was going on, so he sat on the bench he had been lying on and turned to the pit bull. The dog was wagging its tail and looking at him like it expected him to reward him for possibly saving his life.

" You did good, buddy. You did good." The boy whispered, patting the dog on the head and earning a thorough hand wash courtesy of the dog's tongue. But he seemed to notice something shine in the dog's eyes when he spoke. " Do you like the name Buddy?" Again the dog licked his hand and demanded more pats. " That's what I'll call you then. Buddy."