Steven

9. Steven

People are duplicitous. They're vile, inconsistent, fluid creatures, who can change in a moment for no obvious reason. Tom has always liked me. In return, I liked him. True, he is powerful, way more powerful than my past owner, but he never used it badly. He enjoyed petting me, feeding me, and walking me on a lead (though I prefer to go off lead). Like I was an object really. It was the same as Nick. But it wasn't malicious.

Not until now, at least. His eyes shifted to the puppy backing away behind me. I hadn't realised her fear. I had failed. Some sort of devilish shock went through him, his muscles tensed up, and he snarled. There was a burst of emotion from his as well: fear, sadness, anger, madness. Then his mouth opened, and out came a twisted message. Hard to understand, but i could just make out the word 'Myrtle', 'stupid dog', and that word, that damned word, 'death'.

Whatever caused him to jump was irrational emotion, whatever was suppressed in him leaping out, as he too leaped towards the puppy I had sworn to myself to protect.

I didn't want to hurt Tom. As powerful and dangerous as he was, I could tell that he was fragile, and hurt. But I could not let him get the puppy. So I did what I never thought I'd do as Tom moved past me.

I lunged up and bit his arse.

Tom bellowed as he turned around. One quick yelp from me should have told the pup to run. Tom swung his arm to hit me, and it made contact with my side. Memories I wanted to forget come flooding back, but not the times I'd been hit in to submissiveness, no. The first time I was ever hit by my old owner, I lunged forward to bite the crotch.

Muscle memory repeated the action. I jumped forward and bit Tom tight in that area.  Tom fell to the ground. Good. Then I ran, because that machine would get back up soon. 

I hear feet pounding behind me soon. I had to run faster.