Getting It Together

A Willing Captive

Sela snuffled as her tail sleepily smacked down against the bed she was lying on. Lights travel through the room as a car passes by, suddenly clicking off as the car perked. Sela's ears twitched and she rears her head, looking over at the window.

Whining, Sela jumps down from the bed and sniffs at the floor below the window. Moving over to Giovonnie's bedroom door, she scratches and paws at the door. Falling back to the floor, she paces back and forth.

Something was wrong!

Letting out a yapping back, she nudges Giovonnie's hand, which hung loosely off the bed.

"Wake up!" She barks, licking at the hand. Giovonnie groans, rolling over in bed.

Sela's ears perk up again at the sound of a car door opening, and she trots over to the window.

Something was wrong, something was wrong!

"Kai!" She howls. "Gio, wake up!"

"Sela?" Giovonnie mumbles, squinting to see her in the dark and letting out a sleepy yawn. "Why are you barking? Everything's fine."

"Something's wrong! It's not fine!" Sela noses his hand again. "Get up, get up!"

Giovonnie lets out a low whine, standing and trudging over to the door.

"Do you want to go out, girlie?" He asks softly, pushing open the door.

Sela races down the hallway, out her doggy door, and out onto the dew-dropped lawn.

Parked by the curb on the street was an ominous van, with a figure leaning against it, watching the house.

Sela growls, lowering her stomach to the ground, her ears pinned back.

"Stay away from my boy!" She threatens.

"Shh, Sela. It's me!" Pascal chirps. "Don't you remember me? Be quiet please, I don't want them to wake up."

"Do you remember these‽" Sela bares her teeth, jumping towards him and snapping her mouth shut warningly. "Leave!"

"Sela!" Pascal gently smacks her nose.

And Sela snaps.

The next thing she knew, blood was dripping down a bite mark on Pascal's arm, and there was a leash around her neck.

And Giovonnie.

Her boy, her pup, the one she would never stop protecting, standing on the porch. Timid and small in his thin pajamas, his big hoodie engulfing him.

"Sela?" He says tiredly, staring at the man and dog like a puzzle he couldn't solve. "...Dad?"

"Gio, stay away from him!" Sela orders.

Pascal smiles, holding out his arms. Giovonnie rushes towards him, his eyes glassy as he allows Pascal to pick him up and swing him around.

"I missed you, little oreo." Pascal hums, running his fingers through Giovonnie's hair. "I missed you so much when I was stuck in that awful place."

"Missed you too," Giovonnie says, almost robotically.

Sela snarls, snapping at Pascal's leg. Pascal ties her leash onto the porch railing, carrying Giovonnie over to the van.

He places him inside and drives away, Sela straining to chase after him.

"Kai, Kai!" She yelps, barking madly. "He took him! Have to save my boy!"

Giovonnie shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the van sped off, looking at Pascal in the rearview mirror as his dad looked back at him with a grin.

"Still my good Gio." Pascal praises.

Giovonnie shrinks into his hoodie, his bangs falling in front of his eyes as he watched the scenery pass from the window.

Stela howls, straining against the rope binding her to the porch. The rope snaps and she bounds down the street after the van.

Have to stay with Giovonnie, have to protect Giovonnie!

Barking loudly, she howls as a few bedroom lights start to turn on. "Help, help! He's taking my boy! Someone, do something!"

Giovonnie sighs quietly as he begins to fall back asleep, his head lolling as he rested against the window. Pascal hums to himself as he continued to look at his son.

"Where you going in such a hurry?" Another dog drawls, crawling out of his doghouse. He starts running, quickly catching up to Sela.

"He took my boy!" Sela huffs, careening after the van.

"Who cares about kids?" The boy dog scoffs. "They pull on your tail and try to ride on your back."

"I have to protect him! He's my pup!" Sela growls at the dog. "So stay out of it!"

Sela panted as she looked down at the small wriggling puppies softly nuzzling her, and wriggling around.

She had made them.

"Say hello to the world young ones." Sela smiles, nosing at the closest pup. "It's so big and bright, you're going to love it."

"Pa! Rosie had puppies!"

Sela looks up at Hannah, her girl.

Hannah's father Jo walks over, his boots clumping against the wooden barn floor as he peers down into Sela's small pen.

"Hannah, go inside and do your homework." He gruffs out.

"Why, where are you going?" Hannah swings her legs back and forth on her stool, chewing at one of her braids.

"Just go. You got school in the morning." Jo tells her.

Hannah hops down and runs off, and Sela looks down at her pups again proudly. Jo grabs a sack and reaches into the pen, grabbing a pup and placing it inside.

"What are you doing?" Sela yaps, looking up her master.

Jo grabs the six other pups and places them into the sack, getting into his truck and starting it.

She would not lose this pup.

"Pascal! Stop!" Sela yaps, barking as Pascal stops at a red light.

Running up to his door, she shoves away her pride and sits down, whining up at Patton.

"Aww, hello Sela." Pascal giggles, opening the door for the pup.

Sela jumps into the car and barrels into the back, barking and licking Giovonnie's check.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Sniffing her boy anxiously, checking him for bruises and cuts. He lets out a small noise, slowly petting her, not bothering to open his eyes.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sela lays down on Giovonnie's chest.

He was okay.

Words: 990