Cynophobia

☠₆☠

 I was just coming back from Roselyn's house. I liked to walk, few people still did. It was a nice night and why waste car electricity? I only lived three blocks away. I made it a block before I saw the golden lights. The car swerved, the last thing I could remember were the blinding headlights. After that, everything went black.

While I was in my coma, I had lots of strange dreams. I saw Rags, my favorite toy when I was a child. I don't remember much about Rags other then that he had messy fur from all the times I grabbed him. One of my first words were 'puppy', but my apartment didn't allow dogs. So my parents ordered a stuffed dog that moved for my third birthday from my grandfather.

I was in a dark room. I couldn't move, I was only able to see what was in front of me. A steel door creaked open, where was I? This place seemed so familiar, but it wasn't my house. A creature tottered in, I knew by its glitchy, rough, walk pattern that it was Rags. Rags came closer, the closer he got, he looked bigger. I guessed it was because when I was little he did tower over me. He wasn't the nicest looking dog, his brown fur was patched together in different colors, like my grandfather ran out and used a different kind. But I still had fond memories of him.

Rags did his abnormal walking pattern right up to me. It was like a gear was jammed or his legs weren't quite the same size.

I stared into his face, he had big black eyes. I got him when I was a toddler, back when attention to detail didn't bother me.

A split second later, they were yellow. I was staring into the eyes of the white wolf that attacked Rose earlier. There was a metal sheet bolted down over half of his muzzle. He opened his mouth to reveal three set of razors. I closed my eyes, it was the only part of myself I could feel. When I opened them, he was back to Rags.

I woke up, trying to catch my breath. Through the tiny entrance, I could see a faint orange light trying to light up the cave. It was dawn now, I was asleep for a long time. The others were still asleep, including Loki. I didn't know Cynoids had to sleep. Rose was stirring in her blankets, it was a good sign because it meant she was alive.

I sat up and propped my back against the cave wall. Loki's yellow eyes opened up, blinking curiously.

"I didn't know Cynoids had to sleep," I whispered, careful not to disturb the others.

"We don't really have to, but I like to rest my brain once in a while so I can think straight. We can walk while sleeping if we tell our legs to," he replied in a soft voice.

I couldn't stop thinking about my dreams. I had Cynoid nightmares all the time, we all did. But this one seemed so real, almost like a memory. I only saw the wolf that attacked Rose for a split second, but the detail I saw was extraordinary. "Loki, did you know the Cynoid that attacked Rose?"

His ears perked up. "Yeah that was Delta, the one that tried to kill me. He's Zeta's brother, Alpha's son. He is such a father's pet, he doesn't have a single thought of his own. Then again, he is only fifty percent instinctual."

"Zeta helped us, even though she is only forty percent instinctual. Shouldn't that mean she is more likely to follow orders than her brother?" I asked.

Loki arched his back as he stood up. "The power of love is amazing, isn't it? Zeta is strong willed, no matter what her percentage says. Her heart is one hundred percent instinctual."

"You sure are lucky to have her as a mate. Do you have any pups yet?" I asked.

"My Miner, Slate already delivered the precious ores required to reproduce. My Cutter, Dakota, had the pelt ready but Alpha chased her away," Loki sighed. "But I already passed my programming onto Zeta, all she needs is Dakota's fur and we are good to go."