Saving Doser

Yesterday was a hectic day. I called Ana later at night to check on her. She was alright. Matt called her twice since the incident which was really sweet of him. I was more than glad for what he did for Ana. If anything was to happen to her, I wouldn't be able to live. She was my sister more than she was my friend along with Beth. Since our childhood, we had been facing everything good and bad together. Once when we were in kindergarten, Ana stood up to my bullies for me even though she was the most sensitive and sweetest girl in the school. That day I knew I couldn't be weak anymore. I had to be strong. She was the reason I could look people in the eyes now without cowering away.

Today I decided to explore the library. I had been waiting for this since the day I first stepped foot into this heavenly place. 

Political section... historical section... business section... accounting section... journals... The heck! Are you joking with me? No romance? No adventure? No fantasy novels? Who the heck was in charge of this library? I gotta give them a piece of my mind on how to give life to a dead library.

Grumbling, I turned around to leave when my eyes fell on the far left corner of the room, a small bookshelf occupying it. I approached the direction and leaned down. The books on the shelf looked old and untouched for years. I picked up a green covered book and blew the dust off. A round of coughing left my mouth. Ah! The person in charge was about to learn an effective lesson, and I would make damn sure of it.

I observed the scribblings on top of the book. 

'The call of the wild... by... Jack London' 

My heart jumped in ecstasy. I read that book when I was in eighth grade. It used to be my favorite back then. I could read this book over and over again without getting bored. Oh and would you look at that? This was the original copy. 

Searching the room, I found a sill by a small window, and made myself comfortable in the spot. I turned the cover and lost myself in the magical world called books. 

I was almost halfway through the book when loud barks broke my concentration, following it came a crashing sound and then Donna's shouts. Putting the book down, I sped out the library, my heart pounding in my chest. 

A gasp left my mouth when I stepped into the dining room. It was a mess. Boomer and Doser sat on the floor, the silk tablecloth in-between their teeths being yanked from two sides. Food and broken plates were scattered all over the place. 

The lunch food...

Naughty fluffers, very naughty fluffers.

Donna and the old cook stood there with their hands on their heads, a horrified expression coloring their faces. I felt bed for poor John! He would have to cook all over again.

Someone gasped from behind me making me spin around. Bella had a hand clamped over her mouth, the same expression laced on her face with a bit of guilt. 

"Bella! You were supposed to keep an eye on them. What were you doing?" Donna grouched, hands on her hips and brows furrowed. I had never seen her like this before. She looked quite scary. 

"I-I… I'm so sorry, Donna! I went to drink some water. I didn't know they would... I'm sorry!" Bella pleaded, tears brimming the corners of her eyes.

Closing her eyes Donna took a deep breath, then called other maids to clean up the dogs and the mess on the floor. She took John to the kitchen, promising to help him cook the lunch once more. 

A sniff sounded beside me, and I turned to Bella. Tears were flowing down her cheeks like waterfalls. Immediately my hands shot up to hold her. "Bells, no, no, don't cry. It's alright."

She pointed to the mess and parted her lips, no sound came but a hiccup. 

"Nope. That's not your fault," I assured her.

"B-but..." 

"How about taking the dogs out for a walk? That way we can have some fun too." 

Wiping her face, she nodded. "O-Ok." 

***

Two tails jogged forward, wiggling through the park. They had been playing and running around for an hour and still seemed energetic. Whereas we were panting like dogs from running after them.

Little cute devils!

They reminded me of the dog, Buck, from the book I was reading. He was a pampered pet of a family until the day he was stolen to slave as a sled dog and suffered terribly. My heart ached everytime I read about him. Hopefully no dog would ever suffer from such fate. 

"So... how is it going with you and young sir?" Bella asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"...Huh? Ah... well?" 

"Well?"

Memory of that night in the kitchen came into my mind and my cheeks flushed. "Yes! Well, very well." I gazed at my phone. "Bells, let's get back. It'll be lunch time in 20 minutes," I added hastily, not wanting to talk about the previous topic.

"Oh, ok. Let's go then." 

After two minutes-

I closed my eyes and breathed a lungful of the fresh air. Mhm, a normal day fina- 

"Ember! Doser..."

Frowning, I spun around. Bella's lean barbie-like figure came running towards me. Wait... Wasn't she right behind me? 

"What?" 

"Doser-" she uttered, leaning on her knees and panting, "-Doser ran away." 

"What!" My heart skipped a beat and not in a pleasant way. 

"Another dog scared him an-and he ran away. I-I tried to catch him, but he was too fast. I'm really sorry…" Her eyes widened as colors drained off her face. "What do I do now, Ember? Hunter will kill me!"

"Bell, calm down and tell me where he went." I held her shoulder, panic building in me as well.

She raised a shaky finger. "There. That way."

"Go, inform the park authority," saying that I bolted to the direction. "Doser!" Where was he? Where could he go? "Doser!" I checked around. Left. Right. Behind every bush. But he was nowhere.  

"Excuse me, sir! Did you see a white husky with blue eyes?" I asked a man passing by. 

"No, Miss. I didn't," came his wide-eyed reply.

I asked another person. Then another. Then another lady. But in vain. No one saw him. No one knew where he was. The muscles in my legs burned from all the running, and my lungs felt empty. Stopping, I bent down holding my knees and gasped for air. "Doser..." I lost him. Why didn't I be more careful?

Hunter's angry face popped into my mind, following it came Buck's story. 

I swallowed a big lump formed in my throat. No, no, no, I'll find him. I just gotta calm down and keep looking. I told myself. He had to be here somewhere. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. With that newfound determination, I ran again.

"Doser!"

Unknown's POV~ 

I smirked in satisfaction as I watched the girl running around in desperation. Then she stopped, hands on her knees, and cheeks flushed from all the running. The pained expression on her face just added to my happiness. Mhm, I was loving it. The more she struggled the more I was at peace. "You made a big mistake. Now, you're going to pay for it."

She took off running again.

Not a quitter, is she? We'll see just how long she can keep up.

"Run, Ember, run for I'm coming after you. Your doomsday begins. Tick tock tick tock." I let out a laugh. 

"Grmph grmhm," came a whimpering sound from below. 

"Shut it, dog!" My hold around it's mouth tightened. "Let's watch our naive little Ember struggle a bit more." 

Ember's POV~

I approached the store room of the park. I thought I heard some sounds from inside. 

"Doser? Are you here?" 

Nothing...

I held the rusty old handle and pushed. The door opened with a creak. The moment I stepped inside, the back door of the room slammed shut indicating someone just went outside.

"Wait!" I ran to the door and pulled at it but it wouldn't budge. The door was jammed shut. No, no, no. I needed to know who that was. What if they had Doser? I pulled the door again with more force, and it snapped open, knocking me off balance. I fell back on my butt, my hand grazing against the concrete floor. Groaning in pain, I got up and ran outside. There was no one. I was late. Whoever it was, they were gone. Oh no! Doser! They could have Doser. I was about to run again when a whimpering sound from Inside the room halted me. I rushed back in, and squinted my eyes, trying to look around in the dark.

From the far corner, two bright blue eyes stared at me and snarled.

"Doser." I knelt down before him, not wanting to scare him even more. "It's ok, boi. It's me, Ember," I spoke softly. "Hey! I won't hurt you, okay?" 

The snarling stopped, and he approached me. His head cocked sideways as if calculating me. 

I stretched my arms. "Come on, boi. Come on!" 

He drove right to me, nuzzling his head in the crook of my neck and licking my cheek. My hands snaked around him. "I'm here now. I won't let anyone hurt you." 

Who could have been so heartless to scare him like that? 

Boomer came running as we reached where Bella awaited us. He jumped on Doser, licking him as they both barked happily. 

"You found him! Oh, thank goodness! Is he alright?" Bella bent down and patted Doser, but the poor animal flinched away. 

"Hey, it's alright, Doser. It's alright! It's just Bella. She won't hurt you." I knelt down and hugged him, rubbing his back. Something wet pushed on my arm. I looked up, and a chuckle left my mouth. "You want a huggie too, Boomer?" This time I snaked my arms around both the dogs and hugged tight. I'd protect them from whoever that was. 

Pulling the blanket over the dogs, I bent down and kissed them both on the head. Doser fell asleep, but Boomer kept tossing and turning, somehow still in the mood to play. A smile crept up my lips. I did miss my lunch and got scolded by Julia, but at the end of the day, seeing these two healthy and safe filled my heart with happiness and relief. I glanced up to see Donna nodding at someone behind me. I turned my head and met with someone's retreating back, more specifically, Hunter's retreating back.