Helluva Boss: ''Helluva Human Kid''

Ch.143 - 👦🏼 A Boy and His Dog Reunited 🐺

FLASHBACK:

Five years earlier, a big German shepherd laid down on the fake (and rather clean) green grass of an old kennel in the No-Name Town Pound. She was middle-aged and laid in a position that proved she was clearly 'female.'

She had a TV in her kennel to keep her company, like all the others, which was currently playing Aardman's 'Creature Comforts' as she slept.

But every now and then, she'd look around at all the other kennels to see... or hear, just about anything.

She saw a wide-eyed Bernese mountain dog grooming a smaller puppy... before accidentally eating it. She even saw a corgi clawing its enclosure as if it saw Blaze the Cat on its TV.

It was clear in the shepherd's flabbergasted expression that she didn't feel comfortable being behind 'fences.'

But it was better than the outside world.

*FERAL BARKS!*

Whimpering at the barks outside the pound, like she knew them, the shepherd rested her head back onto her paws and slept once more.

...Until every dog started barking as the kennel doors open.

As sensitive as her ears were to the buzzer, she could only muster a little energy to bark as she sat up.

"...Thanks, for the offer." A male human said from afar. "But it looks like we're more of a mutt family."

"Even our little baby boy can agree." added his wife, before cooing to the toddler. "Don't you, Balin?"

Yep, whilst the catcher showed Raven and Elton around, the shepherd was soon interested to see three-year-old Balin waddling through the kennels. In all his adorable curiosity, standing up or sitting down, the toddler stared at each gentle giant he saw for a few seconds; each of them staring curiously back themselves, before walking away to see the next one.

He was about to see some big maned poodles that his parents were looking at, ...until he looked back at the shepherd's enclosure.

Sitting up in the dark, she looked up at him with more intrigue than ever before. Balin quickly saw she looked miserable. And at 3-years-old, he already seemed to grow a little compassion for her, hearing the words from the TV.

So following his compassionate gut, he walked over to take a closer look at her. This attracted the grown-ups' attention.

"Huh... Looks like he may suggest now." Elton said, looking at the shepherd with uncertainty.

"Oh, he's M-U-T kid, alright, mate." replied the catcher with a raspy bogan accent. "Ol' Shiela here magically abracadabra'd into this pound months ago, like she wanted to come here. True story..."

As the catcher said 'true story...', the shepherd remembered that one night from long ago. Or at least, the sounds of claws scraping against the wall and angry barks from a pack of wild dogs.

Feeling a little hesitant, Elton asked the catcher to open the kennel door to let the shepherd approach the boy.

But after a few seconds, Balin took a couple steps into the kennel first.

"J-Just be careful, hon." Raven softly warned him.

Hearing his mommy's words, Balin stopped and soon sat down in front of the shepherd, hoping it would get a reaction.