The Experiment of the Forgotten

Chapter Seven

Keesha's intense brown eyes gently fluttered open, a hazy glow shining through the openings of the small den. A cool breeze drifted through, buffeting her fur slightly to the side. It was definitely colder than the day before. Snow should be expected soon. She gaped her jaws into a wide yawn, exposing her pink tongue and sharp canines. She took a moment to analyze her surroundings. The den was still small and cramped, and the ground hard and uncomfortable. Noting that and not taking much time to laze around, she crawled out of the makeshift den, feeling the stiffness in her joints abating. Her nails scraped against the ground as she crawled up, though the frozen dirt was kept from gathering beneath her black nails. She shook out her flattened black, cream, and caramel coat, ridding it of any residue from the uncomfortable nights' sleep. She raised her head and brought her gaze to the sky momentarily, seeing dark gray clouds veiling the once bright blue autumn sky. Winter was surely coming, and it was approaching rapidly. It would show no mercy this year.

The felt the same icy breeze snake through her fur, making her body shudder slightly. She let out a small sigh, bringing her angular head back down from facing the sky. Then, at the corner of her eye, she saw swift movement from a dark shadowy figure she hadn't noticed before. She felt her muscles tense suddenly, and her ears swivelled back to face the figure, which was what she assumed another dog. She was able to see them still, at the corner of her eye. She exhaled quietly, crouching down slightly. Then, in one quick movement, she turned abruptly and leapt towards the canine, pulling her lips back to reveal her sharp teeth. She barely caught a glimpse of who the dog was or who they looked like, but it didn't really matter to her in this moment. She could feel the adrenaline surge through her veins, as it did every time there was some sort of scuffle. It was something she enjoyed, but also seemed to be sort of a nuisance at times.

To her surprise, the dog reacted in time and leapt out of the way. She landed on the ground where he once was with a thud before whipping around to face the dark canine, emitting an annoyed growl as she did so. Then, her brown eyes widened slightly without her meaning to do so. It was the black dog she saw at the white place, the large male that had a large and muscular build and body shape of a german shepherd, with tall pointed ears and a long tail. Although, he had the colouring of a rottweiler, with small brown spots above his eyes and on his muzzle leading a little way down to his neck, as well as some on his legs. He was much larger and stockier than Keesha herself, and stood with a calm, almost self-righteous seeming demeanor. She shook her head quickly, pushing her thoughts away.

I will not let myself be distracted. Especially by him, whoever he is.

He did not make the next move, only standing still and staring right into her eyes without moving a muscle. His dark eyes held her gaze, seeming to bore down into her soul. It was uncomfortable, and she let out a growl again. She made a leap for him once again, this time being quicker. Her paws were outstretched as she jumped, but even this time he was able to leap to the other side, batting his paw fairly lightly over her shoulder as she passed. She realized if it had been harder, it would have swerved her off balance, but he seemed to be keeping his blows light for some reason.

She landed on the hard ground once again with a thud, fuming with annoyance. She brought his gaze over to him again. He stood there with one paw lifted, even his stance just seeming cocky. She paused, taking just a few moments to analyze him. He had not been dodging in the same direction, but now his weight was only resting on one paw. This made his moves more predictable; he was going to push off of that one. The one that was off the ground would be the one he landed on to catch his balance. A small smile crept over her face as she noted that, this time bunching her muscles and propelling herself forwards using her hind legs and leaping in that direction. To her pleasure, he had not realized what she was doing until she had already reached him. She successfully bowled him over, and he let out a bark of surprise as he was flung backwards to the ground. Keesha pinned him down, with one paw on his chest and the other next to his head, a satisfied grin coming over her face as she did so.