Chapter One

A Dog’s Tale

I remember being born, that may seem a strange concept to humans but it isn’t really for Dogs. I remember being snuggled and warm then suddenly being pushed out into a very bright light. It wasn’t pleasant, and I was afraid but then a warm wet tongue began to clean me and a soft voice spoke welcoming me to this strange bright world and pushing me to a teat full of her delicious milk. Everything was blurry and muffled but I felt safe listening to the steady beat of my Mother’s heart through her soft flank. Those first few days were strange, I did very little except eat and sleep but I was aware of ‘something.’  I did not know what it was but I knew it was waiting for me.

That was four weeks ago and I’m not afraid anymore, I’m much bigger, my eyes have opened and my ears have cleared. I can hear my Mother when she talks to me [Although she speaks with her mind]. I have three sisters, who drive me mad with their chatter and arguments, all they want to do is play. They bounce around chasing their tails or each other without a care in the world they are happy because they know so little but I am different I know too much. When they try to get me to join in their games I remind them that as the only male, it is my duty to keep watch and protect them all. They do not understand me, which is unsurprising as I do not understand myself, yet.                                                                                       ‘Sirius, come here’                                                                                                                                          My Mother called me to her side,                                                                                                                      ‘I must warn you all that your new humans will be coming today, you will be going to live in their homes very soon. You must be extra nice to the humans who choose you especially if they have little humans with them. Remember always what I have taught you, it is the most important job that Dog has given us, to protect the little humans. Whatever else they teach you as you grow up that is the reason that Dog gave you life. He made us in His image to protect and love unconditionally.’                                                        My sisters sat next to me listening avidly, this was a great adventure for them but I already knew my purpose. I knew who I really was and I was very different from them, I lifted my head and looked up at my Mother,                                                                                                                                                         ‘Ahh Sirius, my little boy, your life will not always be easy, the path that Dog has chosen for you is very different to your sisters. I see their paths, I know what their lives will be but yours is hidden from me’             She licked me gently,                                                                                                                                    You are my little Lycanthrope, so clever and brave and Dog will walk beside you always whatever your future may hold. He will always protect you my little pup, so you must trust in your heart my Son, it beats strong and true and will never let you down’                                                                                                 She nudged me with her wet nose,                                                                                                            ‘They will all want you, these humans that are coming, you look so different, so handsome but you already know who your human is don’t you?’                                                                                                                 I understood what she was saying, my sisters were everyday black and tan German Shepherds like her but I was a throwback to our ancient wild ancestors, I was silvery white with blue eyes, and I was much bigger than my sisters, almost double their size. My legs were longer, my teeth sharper but our humans refused to acknowledge my true heritage it was clear to anyone who understood the bloodline of the true canine I was more Wolf than a dog. Settling down between her front paws I nodded my head sleepily,                         ‘Yes Mother, I have always known he will return for me one day’                                                                       I snuggled up to her and fell asleep my body twitching as I dreamed, this is how I had learned who I was. My dreams were vivid and colorful as my life was gradually revealed to me by Dog, His plans for me were clear they had never wavered. I wish I didn’t know what they were, I wish I was more like my sisters, carefree bundles of fluff who only thought about filling their bellies. I wanted to blend in, be an ordinary puppy, part of the pack but that could never be, I was different I was a powerful Alpha, born to rule and I always would be. There was nothing I could do to change my destiny, Dog had mapped it out since my first creation, and I had no choice, my story would play out and reach its own conclusion. There was no point in my fighting it, so safe and secure in my Mother’s paws I slept soundly listening to her comforting heartbeat pushing aside the doubts that crept into my young heart.  She woke us when she heard the humans beginning to arrive,     ‘Come on, have a drink and let me clean you they will soon be here’                                                          She pushed us to her teats and began washing us, we suckled sleepily and submitted to her grooming. When she was finished my sisters began playing together bouncing around the pen and pouncing on each other, noisy balls of fur, endearingly cute, their pedigree lines impeccable.  The humans that owned us had paperwork that showed my sister's bloodlines ran back to many Cruft’s Winners. Along with Champion Agility Dogs, highly honoured Police and Military Forces dogs, who had saved many lives. Our original Ancestors were purebred German dogs and bitches and could be traced back to those two original German Shepherds, It made my sisters so rare they had cost their new owners over £10.000 each, and all three had been sold within minutes of their birth, now their new humans would meet them for the first time.                 I did not play with my sisters, instead, I sat next to our Mother, head cocked, ears pricked, waiting and listening to the noise the humans made as they walked toward us. The door opened and one of our Humans came into the room, smiling and chatting confidently to the three couples who followed her,          ‘Here are your puppies with their Mother, they are only just four weeks old so you cannot take them home with you for at least another month. There you go,’                                                                                Leaning into our pen she picked up one of my sisters and handed her to the strangers who would become her new pack. My sister licked them as Mother had told us to do, that way we got their scent on us and marked ourselves as part of their Pack. The humans smiled with delight and made a fuss over my sister who snuggled into their arms happily, our humans passed my other two sisters to their families and they all sat together on the floor playing with their new fur babies.

One of the human males looked across at me,                                                                                              ‘My God, he’s a beauty, is he spoken for?’                                                                                                      He reached into the pen for me and I stiffened, he was not my human, and backing away from his hand I growled low in my throat. I could not help it, I knew where I was going and this human had no right to touch me.                                                                                                                                                             ‘I think you will find he belongs to me’                                                                                                          His calm, cultured voice stopped the other human instantly and strong hands quickly scooped me up. He stroked me gently, and lifting my chin with his finger he looked into my eyes. We knew each other instantly and I saw the happiness reflected in his gentle green eyes,                                                                              ‘I promised you, all those years ago, I promised that I would find you again’                                                He whispered kissing the top of my head,                                                                                                         ‘I am so sorry it took so long for me to honor that promise but I have found you at last and I make a fresh promise to you, that you are safe now and we will never be parted again’                                                        He held me close to his heart and I could hear its powerful steady beating, I leaned against him trusting him completely. He was part of Dog’s plan and I had missed him so much, now I dozed peacefully in his arms. The other humans chatted together wanting to know what their new puppies ate, which injections they would need, and all the other usual questions humans needed to know when they brought their new puppies home with them.   It is a huge responsibility taking on a young puppy, it will rely on you for everything, and it cannot survive without the care you give it. Humans domesticated dogs and made them completely dependent on them, in return dogs promised to protect and care for their human packs, and they still do that to this day.  My human said nothing, he did not join in with the others he already knew everything he needed to know. It was just a matter of waiting until I was old enough to leave my Mother. He took me out into the garden and let me investigate the interesting bushes that grew there, he did not say anything else to me until he handed me back to my Mother,                                                                     ‘I will return in four weeks when you will be old enough to come home with me, until then my little friend, stay safe’