A Poodle in the Pond

Tuesday 6:00 PM

Cassandra looked at the horizon and fidgeted with the watch on her wrist. Peggy said she'd found Mr.Fluffy and that they would meet at sunset. It was sunset and Peggy was nowhere to be found. Cassandra didn't like being stood up. Peggy would definitely get fired for this.

The sound of a hover craft echoed to the right of Cassandra. She looked at the dark blue exterior and noticed the insignia of her father's private army. Great, they were out looking for her. It's not like she was missing, they could track her every movement with the stupid watch on her wrist. GPS tracking wasn't enough for her father, he wanted eyes on her at all times. Just because they were wealthy didn't mean people were going to kidnap her, she rolled her fingers together and waited for the guard to step out of the vehicles.

After a few seconds Cassandra watched as real Italian leather shoes stepped onto the slightly damp grass. It was her father. She hadn't seen him in several weeks so this was about the get interesting. The sun sank lower in the sky and Cassandra felt a chill to the air. If she didn't know better she would have thought the wind was cursing her, but the wind being alive was just scary tales kids told each other. 

"Cassandra, my child, what have you gotten yourself into?" Mr. Lennard asked as he walked towards her.

"I'm not sure what you mean, daddy? I just bought the prettiest dog I could find, you told me to do just that." Cassandra pushed out her lip and looked at her father as he crossed his arms.

"Peggy, informed me that you bought a child of Anakos? Is that true? Don't you know the danger you put us in by trading in beings from above? Peggy has sorted it out and thank goodness. You're life could have been forfeit!" Mr. Lennard said as he reached for Cassandra and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm 18 years old, I'm not a child. Please don't act like you believe in Anakos. The kids stories are just that, stories for children." She said as she pulled away from her father.

A whooshing sound came from their left and then the brightly colored dog appeared. He was bigger than when Cassandra bought him. More of a dog then a puppy. "What happened to you, Mr. Fluffy?"Cassandra said as she looked at the multicolored coat of the dog. She went to step closer but the dog let out a low growl as her father held her arm to keep her from going towards the dog.

"Cassa, darling, the dog isn't a fan of you. Here, Peggy, is coming around the corner of the building. She can explain." Mr. Lennard said as the older woman hustled towards them. She wasn't a small woman but she wasn't all fat either. Beneath the stout form was probably muscles from the years of caring for horses and goats.

"Good, maybe I can get an answer now."She said as she looked at the grass at her feet.

"Hello all, I see Mr. Knightly has decided he wants to be present for the meeting and trial. The representative from Anakos is here as well. I apologize for being late." Peggy took a deep breath and looked at the tree behind Mr. Fluffy, there were several branches swaying despite the lack of wind.

"Who is Mr. Knightly?" Cassandra asked as she looked at Peggy and then her father. Peggy's lips were in a tight line, her father's face was pale and devoid of color. All the secrecy over a dog. Cassandra felt her ire rise and she stomped her foot.

"Right then, Cassandra Lennard, you went to a black market for pets on Sunday, is that correct?" Cassandra nodded "Right, during that time you met a breeder who offered you a rare rainbow colored poodle, correct." 

"Yes, but what is going on?" Cassandra looked at everyone and felt her annoyance rise. 

"The breeder you bought Mr. Knightly from illegally bred her standard poodle to a canine of the Anakos realm. The puppies are half Anakos and have all of the rights and guarantees of all citizens of Anakos. One of those is protection from being bought or sold as slaves or as a way to make money. The penalty for anyone who buys a being from Anakos is death. Due to the fact that you didn't know the canine was part Anakos the representative from the realm of the clouds is willing to offer you a warning. You are however, banned from Anakos and from ever owning another animal from Anakos." Peggy took a deep breath and looked at Cassandra. Cassandra looked at her father and her father looked at Peggy. 

"Very well. We will make the modification to her watch this evening. Again, we are so sorry for the confusion." Mr. Lennard said as he nodded towards the hover vehicle. Cassandra hesitated but then went into the plush vehicle without a second thought. Who needed pets anyway?