Erin Hennessey

Free write #1

I rolled over in bed, pulling the covers up closer to my chin. My eyes clenched as the lights were turned on.

"Good morning everyone. I hope some of you get sold today." The shop keeper said as he walked across the room. I opened my eyes and looked around blearily. I saw the different types of animals that were in cages every where. I saw dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, and even snakes. But I knew I was different from them, for more than one reason.

The shop keeper came over to me and scratched me behind my ears. I smiled and made a contented noise. His eyes were kind and loving, but when he looked at me, even now after I had been in the shop for half a year, they showed wonder and amazement.

"How are you doing today, JB?" he asked me. I yipped, grinning at him. "That's good. Maybe today will be the day that you get a good home." He said, and he walked off to see how the other animals were doing. I looked around, and then decided to sit and stare out the window. It was only a few hours past dawn and there weren't many people walking the streets. But I knew that soon the streets would be filled with humans, and most of them would stare at me.

I wagged my tail when I heard the bell. It signaled that the door had opened. The shop keeper had just started handing out food dishes. We had water in our cages all the time. I wasn't in a cage, like the rest of them, though. I was in a section next to a window that was really just a bed a few feet off the ground. When I first got here I had been in a cage, but I had been here longer than any of the animals, so he trusted me to stay where I was supposed to.

The person who entered had started wandering around, through the maze of cages. He stopped at one with a large snake in it. The snake barely noticed him, content to just lay, curled up, and sleep. I whined loudly to try and get his attention, but he ignored me. I pouted, sitting down with my arms between my legs like a dog would sit.

The shop keeper came over to me with a brush and started pulling the knots out of my long dirty blond hair. I yipped when the brush caught on one. He whispered soothing words to me, and I quickly calmed down. Eventually the brushing started to feel good, once all the knots were out. He smiled, pet my hair, and walked off to help the customer.

"So Mr. Hagen, get rid of that mutant yet?" Asked a person who had just walked in. I growled lowly, and he looked over at me. "Obviously not. What do you plan on doing once she's been here a few more years? Take her home with yourself? Surely no one will run a pet shop with a mutant in it…" He laughed and walked over to me. I backed away from the man, growling, baring my teeth. He laughed again and reached out to pet me.

"Leave her alone!" Mr. Hagen, the shop keeper, shouted. But it was too late. I had bitten the man's hand, hard enough to draw blood. He cursed, pulling his hand away.

"Stupid demon!" He shouted at me in a rage. "You'll pay for that!" He stormed out of the shop and Mr. Hagen hurried over to me, patting me to calm me down.

"Don't mind him." He said. I blinked innocently. "He just wants to get in trouble. He was asking for it. But please don't do that again." He continued to pet me for a moment, and then he wandered off among the other animals.

I turned to look out the window. I could see my reflection in it. I knew I didn't look like any of the other animals in the shop. I looked more like the humans than anything. I was almost completely human, except my features were canine-ish, I had large dog-like ears, and a medium length tail. All were dirty blond, like my hair. I was wearing a loose shirt and pants, both of which were black. I had a purple collar around my neck, with silver studs around it, but it didn't have a name-tag. I scratched at it boredly, then curled up and closed my eyes.

"Awwe, look at her." A voice said above me. For a second I thought it was in my dream, but I quickly realized it wasn't. It was a male voice, and it sounded like the person was about 18 in human years. "She's adorable." I opened my eyes slightly and blinked the sleep out of them. I hadn't even realized I'd fallen asleep until just then.

"Yes, and she's been here for about 6 months." I heard Mr. Hagen say with a tone of pride in his voice. "She's extremely loyal to anyone she's learned to trust, she understands the human language perfectly though can't speak it, and is vicious towards anyone with bad intentions."

"Sounds like a perfect guard dog." The man said with a laugh.

"Yes, but she's a lover, not a fighter."

I felt a hand on my head and I looked up at the man who was petting me. He had bright green eyes, and dark hair that was nearly black. His hair was long, past his shoulders, and he had a smile on his features. I tilted my head at him, and he continued to pet me. I couldn't sense any bad intentions from him, so I leaned into his hand.

"Looks like she likes you." Mr. Hagen said. The man nodded, smiling even brighter.

"So it does. How much do you want for her?" He asked, looking over to him and removing his hand. I blinked up at him, and then up at Mr. Hagen.

'Am I being sold?' I thought, wishing I could speak like a human to ask. Mr. Hagen seemed to think about it.

"She is extremely rare, and I don't think I've ever seen another one. But you seem like a nice enough fellow. What do you offer?" He said. The man thought for a moment, and looked at me. I smiled at him like a puppy.

"I offer you a thousand dollars for her, and no less." he said. Mr. Hagen seemed taken aback at his offer. I didn't understand exactly how much it was, but it was a large amount. The other animals hadn't sold for nearly as much.

I scratched at my ear, and looked around at all the things I would be leaving behind. My best friend had already left. She had been a cat, all black but for a white spot around her eye. And my other friend, a wolf-like dog who was all black. She watched me, seeming to understand that I'd be leaving.

"That's quite a large amount of money." Mr. Hagen said, and the man nodded.

"But I'll pay no less for her. Here." He counted out the money from his wallet, and Mr. Hagen stuttered.

"But, no, I can't let you pay so much. Please, just take her for a hundred perhaps. Not-." He was cut off as the man shoved the money into his hands, pulling a leash off a rack nearby. He latched it to my collar, and smiled at old Mr. Hagen.

"I promise I'll take good care of your beloved half breed." He said. Mr. Hagen was still stuttering. He led me off the bed and started me towards the door. I whined, pulling against it. He paused, looking at me. "What is it, girl?"

I pulled towards the black wolf-dog's cage, and he nodded letting go of the leash.

"Sure, go say goodbye to your friend." I trotted over to her cage and looked in at her. She pushed her nose through the bars and I smiled slightly at her.

'I'll miss you.' I said in dog-speak.

'Maybe someday I'll find you.' She answered. I nodded and we touched noses. I crawled back over to the man and he smiled. I gave one last look at Mr. Hagen, then left with the man to start a new life. One I had never lived before.