WMMAP - [S2] Shelter You

33: Mirage

Athanasia propped both on the sink and she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Though she could hardly see herself with all the water splashing all over it.

She wiped the mirror with her palm. The burning sensation on Athanasia's body gradually decreased over time after she spent a solid five minutes rinsing her face.

"That guy is just... Unbelievable," she spoke aloud to herself as she grabbed the towel nearby and started drying her face.

She turned to her dog who was waiting in front of the door; his tail wagging happily.

"Right, Raven?"

As a loyal companion, the dog barked once, agreeing to whatever his mother said just now.

Athanasia stepped out of the ground-floor bathroom door. She knelt and rubbed the dog's pointy ear.

"Alright. Now go check on your Daddy."

Lucas especially trained the dog to understand this phrase perfectly. One way or another, Raven would go to either his mom or dad according to the command. But this time, the dog whined and nudged his snout to Athanasia's hand instead.

"He's awake. Don't you miss him?" She asked, but the dog kept going further into her arms.

Athanasia hugged her dog as she stroked his head. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Then suddenly, they both heard a ruckus followed by a familiar voice.

"Alright, I'm done playing, Athy. Come eat a peaceful morning breakfast brunch or whatever together."

If anyone knew the dog better in terms of Raven's animalistic behavior, then it would only be her boyfriend. Right now, there was something off with her dog.

"Lucas!" She shouted. "Come check on Raven! I think there is something wrong with him!"

"Where are you?" he asked.

His voice seemed distant. He must have gone the other way to look for her.

"We're over here! Next to the back exit!"

"Let him come to me," he said, followed by a whistle.

Usually, Raven would have run toward the sound of the whistle, but what she saw made her anxiety spike a little.

Raven's hair started rising. His fur stood up, from his back to his tail as he dug all his paws toward the sound of the footstep.

"Hey, hey, it's just Daddy," Athanasia told her dog. "Not baddies. Just Daddy."

The closer the footstep got, the louder the growl. Maybe Raven hadn't detected the smell of his dad which explained the sudden aggression, Athanasia thought.

"Raven," she called her dog. Her hand latched on his collar tightly. "Sit down."

Tried as she might, but the dog wasn't having it and Raven started to tug forward, as if he wanted to finish what he left off.

This isn't good. She thought as her strength started to fail the grip on his collar.

Raven dragged forward every now and then with every bark and growl he let out. He was a Huge dog after all.

As Athanasia's boyfriend came into view, the collar snapped and the dog leaped forward, fangs bared, and Lucas was hindered at the sight in front of him.

How in the world did this dog go so feral for no reason? Lucas didn't have time to find out.

He stood resolute. He thought it would have stopped Raven on his track if he had asserted his dominance, but the dog's huge paws pushed him so hard that Lucas lost his balance and tumbled down.