The German Shepherd Diaries

Chapter 7

Author's Note: WOW.  It has been five years since I last updated this story, and I am very emotional about it.  My readers never knew this (I think? I don't even remember), but I wrote this short story in its entirety back in 2011, and I planned to upload it in seven parts to Wattpad.  So, in reality, it's been I don't know what ever happened; did life just get too busy, and somehow I forgot about it?  But at the time, this story meant a lot to me.  It took a recent Spanish presentation on an Ecuadorian feminist writer, Gilda Holst, to think about how much I loved to read and write as a kid.  I started to think about my own beginnings, and I realized that I had uploaded my story to Wattpad.  But something felt off, and that was when it hit me that I may never have finished uploading it.  It was that uneasy feeling you get when you know you've forgotten something, but you don't what it is that you've forgotten, so a Rememberall isn't going to help you there.  And this feeling has been fairly recurrent for me over the past few years as life has gotten more complex, when I've had to push aside things things that I used to love, like reading a book or two a day.  Or, you know, writing.  I initially wrote this story for a writing competition, and it was fun because then I got to go to a writer's conference with other young writers.  Obviously, since it's been seven years since I was in the mindset that I had while writing this, I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I started uploading it to Wattpad.  I already liked my story, so I'm guessing I just wanted to divert attention from the 2013 1D fanfiction craze and put up something I was proud of.  Could I go back and edit my grammar, minor plot details, etc.?  Yeah, but I'm not going to.  Maybe I trust my earlier self a little bit more than I do right now.  Besides, it's proof that I now know what dependent and independent clauses are :)  

To my readers (as if I haven't already been addressing you): I'm sorry.  I know how it feels when a Wattpad author doesn't update a story they've started, and how you feel betrayed because you've put time into reading it.  I'm sorry that when I was thinking about my story, I wasn't thinking that I would impact, even to a minuscule degree, someone else's life.  I will not take advantage of your kindness again, and I now recognize that sharing stories is a two-way street. 

So, on Wednesday, March 27th, 2019, I'm uploading the final chapter of this story, which is officially dedicated to you, the reader.  Thank you.  Also, I'm counting this as an upload before Friday at 3pm, so maybe it's not too late ;) 

(Would it be me writing if I didn't put a little snark into it?)

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I immediately set out to see Dylan and the rest of his little gang. My stomach growled, and I realized I had to eat something before setting out to look for them. I leisurely padded over to one of the many kibble stations. I eagerly scrambled to get my mouth into some of the food. It only took a minute or two for me to be satisfied. All of a sudden, my eyes watered. I smelled something awful as a fellow canine opened his mouth and snarled, "You will have three days, Ajax. That is when we will have another one of these days. You will see Rufus at noon then." He ended with his nose pointed up in the air, and pounced away. Just another thing I had to focus on. My mood soured instantly, and then I spotted Ivan. Galloping almost like a horse, he reached me in a few moments.

"We need to talk about what will happen soon", he whispered. "Now, follow me." He took off at a brisk pace, and I struggled to keep up. Eventually, we reached Dylan, Titus, Vito, and Mitch.

In a soft bark, Dylan explained to me what would happen. I would have to fight Rufus on my own without any help. If I asked for help, then he would automatically win, and thus Allegra would be his. No one knew what Rufus would do, what his plan would be. I spent the rest of the day talking over different strategies with Vito and Mitch, who were not exactly spring chickens and knew things about fights. But I realized later that I had struck gold when I talked to Titus. Titus was good about checking out another dog's appearance, seeing if they would strike immediately or not. By the end of the day, I was definitely feeling worn out, and I dragged my paws back to my crate.