Mated With The Beta

Chapter 8. J

Closing is never my favorite. Being the last one, the darkness, the silence, the ability to trip over escaped cats multiplying.

After putting the cats in their crates with food, water, freshly cleaned litter boxes, and sleeping blankets with cushions, I make sure they are all locked up, and happy. I turn on the small plug-in nightlight in the corner and close and lock the door, putting the
CAUTION: LIVE ELECTRICAL sign on the door. The reason to that is to keep catnappers from snatching them in the night. Yes, it has happened.

Changing my uniform, into my rainbow sweater, and black jeans, I lock up the front, shut the blinds, and clean the kitchen, sweeping the floor. I wipe down all surfaces, and stock the mini shop.

Once the chores are done, I leave through the back. Behind the line of stores the Cafe is on is dense forests. Because the chain-link fence, and the fact the Cafe is on the corner, I have to pass like 9 other stores to reach the sidewalk, turn right around a corner, use the crosswalk and go home. Easy.

I see the setting fall sun leave a chill in the drowsy air. I never liked the winter. I always get lightly depressed, the cold and darkness is awful.

Looking into the forest, I look around and stop in my tracks. Yellow eyes peering at me. I freeze. Terror filling my body. I can't run, I hate track, and I  can't fight. I should play dead. That should work? Right?

I fall down and just lay there, as I hear animalistic growling creeping closer to where I lay. Then, I hear the fence rattling, and claws clicking on the concrete

Tap...Tap..Tap...Tap

On my hand, I feel a wet, cold snoot boop me. My breath hitching. Moving my head slowly, I look at it. There's a large dog sitting there. Dark fur, and yellow eyes. I unintentionally looked under it and saw.. that the dog was a he.. he is too large to be any German Shepard.. maybe he's a fluffy English Mastiff. The size fits my theory, unless it's a wolf. Sitting up, I look at it. Nah.
Too cuddly.

" Hiya buddy you scared me, naughty boy. Can't believe I played dead. If you were a wolf I would have died. Why didn't my silly ass run? Whatever. "

I stand up, the fluffy puppy looking at me, wagging his tail, proving my theory.

He stops abruptly, looking around,, and bites my sweater sleeve, leading me down the sidewalk, walking me like a dog. Tch.

I try to pull my sleeve back while walking, and he growls in response to my disobedience towards the dog.

" Let go! We are fine! " Grrr, he replied.. wait replied? I notice we are passing the last building, almost going to the light-filled street, damn, he's fucking walking me. Listening to my surroundings, I hear a wolf howl, but not a melodic as it should be. It sounds rough, deep and dragged out, like the wolf hasn't howled in a while.

Hearing this reminds me of last night, a wolf howling.. or was it multiple? I can't recall.

I hear a small yip, and see the dog looking at me, pushing my arm with its nose. Looking up, I see my neighborhood.

" Uh.. thank you little puppy dog. " I reach down to pet him as he growls, offended.

" I'm sorry if you don't like your nickname, but maybe you should have told me your name. "

He looks at me unimpressed.

We hear the scratchy wolf howl once again, this time very close, being a small person it would be better for me to go home, though leaving the dog.

Wait. What do I do with the dog?

" ok, buddy, here's what's going to happen, I'm going to take you home for the night, if that bad wolf gets you, you would die! " I say to the dog, knowing he doesn't understand me.

I grab his scruff, and lightly pull him. He's definitely a pet, any other animal would freak out and kill me.

But here comes the tough part, how to bring him inside. Mom and dad would not let me bring in a stray, even if he would be a good puppy and not pee on the couch.. Looking at my phone, I see it is late.  Mom and dad watch TV in their room during weekend evenings. It's Ari I gotta watch.

Walking in, dog by my side, I close and lock the door. Separating the dog from the wolf outside.

The only way to do this is to act normally.

" MOM, DAD IM HOME! LEAVE ME ALONE! "

...smooth

Walking upstairs, dog by my side quickly I get into my room and close the door.  Whew.

Looking at my new companion, I can't say I'm not slightly excited! I've never had a pet of my own before, even if this is just for tonight, I'm still happy to not be alone.

Watching the doggo, he sniffs around my room, and when he gets to my bed, he lifts his leg.

" NONONONO- "

He puts his back leg down, startled with the noise. He looks at me, the bed, and back at me. He whines as a tiny doggy apology.

" Ok, I forgot about this part. Let's go to the bathroom, maybe you can pee in the drain.. "

I realize he might need something to mark, so I grab a scarf that was my sister's, but I borrowed on my school's theater night.

Walking the pup into the bathroom, I take the scarf and put it on the walk-in shower drain, and put the dog in the shower then close the door.

He looks at me, confused probably, and then sniffs the scarf.

" Come on buddy, sooner you pee, sooner you're done.. "

After I said that he looks at me again, ticked off, and then lifts his leg, not on the scarf, but on the crack in the door.

" ew.. " I look down at the pee on the floor by my feet, grabbing a wad of toilet paper, I soak it up, not wanting to get HIV from stray dog pee or something.

Grabbing the scarf, and the pup, I walked him back to my room, and look for a place to put not my scarf.

Looking back, I see the dog rolling around on my bed, marking it with his scent. Atleast he didn't pee again.

Noting the time, I decide to just go to bed. The dog is too tame to be stray, so maybe he just jumped his backyard fence or something.