World Of Fur: Not my world

Dogs

Adam POV

An hour later I find myself in one of the less pleasant parts of town.
The Student council president gave me a paper with a picture of a dog and a rough idea of where to find it.
According to the info on the paper one of the school more high profile students was jogging around this part of town when his dog managed to wriggle out of it's collar and run off.
The student, not wanting anyone to know he was in this part of town, contacted the president who in turn contacted me.
I have a feeling there's more to the story but whatever it is will have to wait till I find the dog.
As I walk around the neighborhood a thought comes to mind. Would it be weird for a canine Anima to have a pet dog?
Suddenly I remember when Grandpa told me where Animas came from.
Apparently they've been around just as long as humans, although humans only saw them as myths.
He's referring to the abundance of myths in which you find strange animals. Examples of such myths are nine tailed foxes, dragons and werewolves, all of which exists as Animas.
Mira, for example, would have been seen as a werewolf had humans still been around.
I'm abruptly jerked back into the present when I hear a dog barking.
Keeping in mind that it could easily just be a stray I run in the direction of the barking.
Surprise surprise I find the dog. It's a Jack Russell with the exact spot pattern as the one I'm looking for. Libri!
But I immediately notice that something's off. Libri still has his collar on.
Shrugging it off a simple oversight I walk up to the dog.
Just as I'm about to pick him up I see a shadow over my own.
I dive out of the way just in time to avoid a kick to the head!
By an African wild dog  no less!
"Can I help you?" I ask her. My voice sounds more threatening than I had intended.
"Sure. You can let me have that dog." she replies with a distinct South African accent.
"Sorry, but I have to get him back to his owner." I say, praying I can end this peacefully.
"Good luck with that." she comments.
My gut tells me to trust her, which I decide to partially do.
I straighten up, out of my fighting pose and say, "How about we discuss what to do with him." I nod at the dog who's just been staring at our exchange with his big dumb, and frankly adorable, eyes.
"It's better than causing a fight with the last human." she agrees straightening up.
An hour later the two of us are in the club room at school drinking coffee.
"I'm surprised you decided to come here of all places." she comments, sounding impressed.
"I have a feeling that dog is worth a lot of trouble. So I came to a public place were we won't be overheard." I reply.
"You're right, this guy is worth a lot of trouble." she says while ruffling Libri's fur.
"I'm Charlie." she greets, extending her hand. As I shake her hand I'm surprised at just how strong her grip is. "Adam." I say.
"So are you going to tell me why I almost got my head kicked off over a dog?" I ask her.
"Right. I should probably explain." she replies sounding a little embarrassed.
Her embarrassment doesn't last long, however, because once she starts explaining the situation she suddenly becomes very serious.
"My dad was a cop in Cape Town when everything started. Six years ago there was a shootout at some rich guy's mansion. I don't know exactly what happened that night, honestly I don't think I want to know. My dad was put in charge of the case. He became obsessed with finding out the truth. For five years it owned his life. Until last year when it took his life. The court said it was a suicide. You don't call three bullets to the brain a suicide. Either way, I moved on. Until last week when I got home and found a package in the mail. Inside it was a USB with encrypted files. The next day someone attacked my house. I moved here for safety. But a few days ago my house was attacked again. I attached the USB to Libri's collar and let him run off. I managed to escape with my life. And that brings us to today when I found you standing over my dog."
I'm shocked into silence by what she said. My gut tells me she's been completely honest this whole time and my gut has never been wrong yet.
"So, who sent you after my dog?" she asks, her eyes filled with rage.
"The student council president." I reply.
"Who sent you the USB?" I ask.
"My uncle." she replies.
"And who's your uncle?" I ask.
"Francoise van Zyl." she says.
I recognise the name instantly.