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Generations By SDerkins (c) 2008 All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: This is my own original work and may not be duplicated, copied, or reposted without my written consent. A printout is fine for personal enjoyment as long as the Author, title, disclaimer, warnings, and copy right remains on the printed copy. Warnings: This story contains adult themes with sexual content, strong language, and occasional violence. If you are a minor or if it is illegal for you to view this story then please refrain from doing so. This is rather different for me but I hope you like it. I don't remember much of my early years but then again, I understand humans have the same problem recalling their early childhood. Bits and pieces remain with me but how much is imagined and what is real is hard to determine. One memory that I have is my mother telling me the humans and their strange ways. How she came to these opinions I'll never know since she died when I was still a pup, barely weaned and left in the care of my sire. He grieved over her death and blamed the humans for abandoning their deep pits after digging them. That's how my mother had died. She had fallen through rotting wood covering the opening to an old well. She had drowned in the water-filled hole, alone and unable to scramble up the mossy slick stone walls. She didn't have time for changeover and the waters overcame her. My sire took over my education, teaching me how to judge the scents on the wind and how to track prey. I wasn't large enough to do more than stumble over my own large paws like the clumsy child I was. His laughter over my missed pounces and frustrations of escaped field mice weren't cruel so I wasn't angry. I would grin back at him and try again, looking for a new opportunity to practice my skills. The world was a huge playground for me with endless new experiences and wonders to observe. My sire always stayed nearby unless he was hunting. He said there were dangers I was too young to understand in these woods. I sensed his worry over something and saw his pale blue eyes stare off as his mind traveled in a place I couldn't follow. In my youth, I wasn't aware of the fear many of our kind felt. Humans were spreading fast, taking over our hunting grounds and clearing away our forests. Although we lived in the hill country and mountains we would often come across signs that people had been there. Many of our cousins had moved on to more isolated lands, choosing to avoid mankind rather than risk being discovered. True wolves were also growing fewer in numbers. They had not the ability to avoid human traps and poisons. We grieved over their losses even though we weren't truly related. Their kind reminded us so much of ourselves that we couldn't help but consider them family in spite of their inability to co-exist with mankind. then again, mankind often had problems co-existing with themselves much less other living beings. In spite of our isolation from the humans, word of their conflicts reached us. A great war had been fought across the waters, leaving many families without sires to provide for them. For a while the encroachment of the humans slowed down, leaving us in peace until the local men began building their smelly metallic things in our woods. My sire said they were called 'stills' and produced a clear liquid that looked like water yet was foul in scent. So many of these things began showing up that my sire could no longer contain his curiosity. He told me to remain hidden in the brush while he went into changeover. I whined as he cried out in pain for the metamorphosis was agonizing I was told. I never experienced it since I hadn't reached puberty yet and that wouldn't be for many years. He writhed on the ground until his shape took on human form and his beautiful coat shed from his body, leaving him nearly hairless. If he hadn't been suffering from so much pain I would have laughed at his appearance. After remaining on the ground, panting in exhaustion, he managed to wobble to his hind legs. It had been a long time since he last stood upright and it took him a while to regain his balance. I watched him as he removed dirty overalls that had been draped over a tree limb and put them on, covering his nakedness. He gave me a reminder growl to stay hidden then began digging through items left behind by the humans, looking for clues. An old and yellowed newspaper was found in the tinder box and he read the words there. He would occasionally read me a line or two that he found interesting. I wasn't sure I understood half of what my sire told me. What was a 'Prohibition' or a 'Depression' anyway? Then the wind brought us the scents of human kind, males who smelled of the same foul liquid as the still and wood smoke. I let out a worried yelp, knowing my sire's ability to smell was hindered by his human form. Two humans entered the small clearing, armed with their killing sticks and angry voices. One of the men, a huge bearded man raised his stick and before my sire could utter a word, aimed his weapon and fired. No longer concerned at remaining hidden, I stumbled out to my sire. I was horrified and went to him, praying he had only been wounded and wouldn't be lost to me as my mother had been. I licked his face but his eyes stared up at the sky sightlessly. I could only cry as my parent remained at my feet, dead by the hands of a human. The bearded human and the other were shouting at one another, his friend angered by his killing someone. I ignored them as I curled up next to my sire, feeling the still remaining warmth of his body and wept. My world was destroyed and the despair I felt was powerful. I would have stayed where I was and died next to him except the bearded human began pulling my sire deeper into the woods while his friend carried two long-handled tools. They buried my sire in a shallow grave. Neither men spoke a word but the other man, a man with hair like autumn red leaves, picked me up and left the bearded man behind. I was too emotionally exhausted to care where he was taking me. All I knew was that he felt warm and his touch was kind. Unable to deal with my grief any longer, I fell asleep. * * * * * I high pitched squeal woke me from my nightmarish dreams and I felt myself being squeezed roughly by small arms. A new scent hit my senses. "Pa! He's so cute!" a female voice said, making me wince from the volume. "It's a bitch, Honeybee. I found her in the woods and thought you'd like her." "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I always wanted a puppy!" "I know that. That's why I brought her home with me. Whatcha gonna call her?" The female holding me held me up under my arms and stared at me. I had to admit for a human she was rather cute with big green eyes and strawberry blonde hair. She couldn't be much older than I was, probably around five years old. "Hmm, I think I'll call her 'Elk', Pa." "Elk? What kind of name is that for a dog, Honeybee?" I think I was offended. This girl wanted to call me a name of a creature I ate? The girl looked stubborn and pulled me to her. "Elk," she repeated and walked away from her father. Damn, I was adopted by someone as stubborn as a moose in the middle of a berry field. I bore my captivity with forbearance, tolerating her dressing me up in rags and forcing my body into tight chairs for tea parties. At least I was fed scraps and wasn't starving. Caroline even allowed me to sleep on her bed when the nights grew chilly. I suppose she wasn't so bad. She was kind of dumb at times but I think she was trainable. At least I hoped she was. It took her a long time to understand me when I wanted outside. How many times must one whine to get a human's attention? She ignored me too many times one day and I grew tired of begging so I made puddle on the wooden floor. Her pa wasn't too happy and she and I both got a beating over that. I can't complain, I deserved it, but I felt sorry for Caroline and tried harder to teach her. After all, she and I were alike in some ways. She was being raised by her sire just like I had been. She was left alone quite often and I was her only playmate. Rarely did anyone come to visit except 'Aunt Gertrude', her sire's sister who fussed and complained about his living in the woods without sending his only child to school. "And that pup you brought home, Will, looks more wolf than dog. How do you know it won't attack Caroline when it gets older? Wolves turn mean, you know." "It's got the wrong coloring for a wolf. Maybe part wolf with those blue eyes maybe," he ventured. "Wolf is wolf. I say get rid of it before it turns on you." I knew he'd ignore her but I couldn't help the grumble that escaped past my teeth. Gertrude looked at me and pointed. "That dog is unnatural, Will. I swear it understands every word I say. Do you know Elk tried to trap me in the outhouse? I was sitting there and heard dirt hit the door. If my Nathan hadn't come to my rescue I would have been trapped in there!" "Yes, you told me that many times already. I told you the pup was just digging, that's all, just coincidence is all." Gertrude wasn't convinced but I tried to look innocent and puppyish. She eyed me nervously and left, walking back up the path that took her to her cabin. One day I just might bite her but I'd have to think about it hard since she smelled funny. It wasn't much longer that Caroline turned six and had to attend school. I would walk along side of her to the small building. I wanted to make sure no one bothered her on the way. I would meet her when school got out for lunch and she'd share her meal with me. I was the only dog there and got good at begging from all the children, getting bits of food from most of them. Later I would be waiting there when school ended for the day and walked her home. Time passed slowly and I grew even slower. Our kind didn't shoot up the way dogs did. Even though I was now six years old, I looked like a gangly puppy of six months of age. I knew I wouldn't hit my full size until I was nearly ten years old. Soon after puberty would arrive and I'd have to decide what to do with my life then. But I didn't want to dwell on it right now, choosing instead to enjoy my time as a 'pet' to a human. Caroline was getting better at learning what I wanted and even managed to learn a few things with the minimal of lessons. In the year of 1933, things changed. The Prohibition was lifted and many of the moonshiners closed up shop, Caroline's sire included. He couldn't make enough money in moonshine to support the two of them and the Depression was getting worse. Will and Caroline packed up what few belongings they had and left behind their cabin. Will thought he'd might be able to find work in the city or at least hoped to do so. I thought they'd be better off in the woods since at least there he could hunt for food. I had to admit I was afraid of this city he spoke of. We walked for hours that day along a dusty and rutted dirt road then camped under a makeshift tent at the side of the road for the night. Dinner was a can of cold beans heated next to the tiny campfire and eaten with spoons. Caroline gave me a spoonful of beans but it did little to satisfy my appetite. Once she and Will fell asleep, I snuck out into the night and hunted, finding a fat rabbit for my dinner. Then I hunted down another one and brought it back to the tent. At least my humans would have something for breakfast. I settled in next to Caroline with a sigh, knowing that dawn would be here all too soon and I needed some sleep before then. Next Chapter |