Animal

.:1:.

Present Day

"Shark!" I called up the stairs as I entered the house after my long day at school. "Sharky Shark!"

I heard morning, making me poke my lips out in a fake pout, confused as to why Shark wasn't answering my calls. She always did, if she wasn't waiting for me by the door when I got home.

Unless, of course, she was deciding to play one of her little games today. Those sometimes happened. I would come home, and she would somehow make me find a way to get her to come by tricking me. I've named these games the "The Sharky Stalk".

"Oh Sharky!" I sang, tilting my right shoulder to the side and letting the strap of my ever heavy backpack slide off. I then grabbed the left strap and pulled it off, heaving it onto the couch.

I whistled and walked into the kitchen, glancing around for any sign of Shark's white paws or gray and black fur. I padded to the cabinet under the sink and opened a can of Shark's favorite treats and sighed dramatically. "I guess I'll have to eat these Bow Wow Bones all by myself! Woe is me!"

I sat on my knees absolutely still and quiet, waiting for any sign that there was paws scratching against the tiled floor, or thumping against the carpet and wood, possibly even the dangle of her tags. But I heard nothing.

I sighed dramatically and opened the box, purposely rattling it around and messing with the plastic bag which held the actual treats.

I make a loud sniffing sound and yell out loudly into the seemingly empty house, "Oh wow those treats smell perfect! Too bad I have to eat them alone!"

That's when I heard the sound of running from upstairs. I smirked to myself and waited, which seemed like hours when it was really only a few seconds.

Just like that I was met with two sharp ice blue eyes. Her curled tail was wagging back and forth as she stared at me with her tongue lopping out.

I laughed and reached out, stroking her rough fur and kissing her head. "Hi, Sharky."

Shark stared at me expectantly, blinking her ice blue eyes and locking them onto me. I stared back before pulling out one of her treats and holding it out to her.

She laps the treat from my hands and licked the remaining crumbs. I scrunched my nose up and drug my palms across my jeans. "Gross," I grumbled, but smiled at her. "Need to go potty?"

Shark barked and leapt toward the door, staring at it and using her paws and scratch at the glass. She looked back at me as if to say, "Hurry up, I gotta go!"

I laughed and stood up, making my way around the island and unlocking the door. "I'll race you," I challenged, just like I told her every day.

Shark's lips curled back in a playful snarl, her ears flattening, and her tail whipping back an forth excitedly.

"I see you accept my challenge," I noted, my fingers wrapped around the door handle. "Very well. On the count of three."

Shark turned her head and stared intently at the door, concentrating it seemed.

"One.."

"Two.." I started to open the door, making Shark's tail wag rapidly back and forth and her glance at me.

"Three!" I jerked the door open and darted out of the house, Shark storming after with playful barks.