A Shocker

I was swinging the shopping bag with glee, skipping towards the market, while keeping a lookout for any peepers. Wearing a glove on my right hand, I picked up a small chunk of meat and rolled it around on my fingers.

"A pity that this one would be mine," I said out loud and plopped it into my mouth.

The jealous beast ran towards my legs, knocking them so that I fell to the ground, laughing, and teethed and tore through the hem of my pants with its canines. It shoved or punched the bag out of my hand with its tiny paw and pounced on it.

"Wait!" I whisper-shouted, carefully trying to guide its head out of the bag before it tore the bag, spilt its contents and got me into enormous trouble. "Wait, you greedy beast!"

I scooped it up in my arms and held it with my left, gloveless hand. But the thing wriggled so much that it kept slipping out to try and get to the bag. I pulled the back with my elbow, coping with keeping it and the wolf pup at two opposite ends.

"WAIT!!" I yelled and it froze in its tracks. Its ears still twitched and its tongue hung out from the excitement of seeing food displayed in front of it.

"Bad pup!" I chided it and it dropped its ears in a cute way of showing its sorrow.

'Don't fall for that,' my brain reminded me. 'It is just trying to grab your attention.'

But I couldn't pay any heed to it when it looked that adorable. My heart was overflowing with love for it, though it was going to make it turn into a spoiled pup.

I picked up one chunk of meat to feed it, only for it to drink it down without nibbling or chewing it. I stared at it in disbelief and brought out a few more in my gloved hand. This time, it made sure to chew it, as though it was one big piece of juicy meat.

"Strange creature," I said as I fed it out of my hand without making it play any tricks. I didn't want it to bite off my finger just yet as I wasn't yet used to seeing its sharp teeth.

Checking my watch for the time, I knew I would be screwed or caught hanging around too long if I didn't hurry with the shopping. After placing the little bowl-like tray on the floor in a well-hidden spot between the bushes, I left it to eat peacefully in its safe haven as I jogged away to buy the things.

The roadside was flooded with water as the water system had wet the sidewalk as well as the roads. So any passing car was bound to wet me, whether they went at the normal speed or a little faster. Hence, I detoured my route and used a lonelier alley to get to the market.

The alley was best avoided unless it was raining or snowing really hard that the footpaths became full of snow, making one sink knee-deep in it. As the sidewalk was flooded with water all the way until the major turn to the market, I decided to not get my shoes wet, as I didn't want a scolding, and took the nearest exit.

The alley, for some reason, gave off eerie vibes as some darkness seemed to loom above my head. I was sure that there was no cloud in the sky as the entire morning had been clear. It was only when I looked up that I realised that the clear night sky had given way to a dark grey cloudy sky.

'And of all days, I had to forget to check the weather forecast and bring my umbrella today,' I cursed at myself. 'You brainiac.'

I turned through many corridors, wondering if my path was right or if someone was following me. I was sure that as I took the turns, I saw, from the corner of my eyes, a hooded silhouette immerge through the dully lit aisles. I quickened my pace, thinking that I was hallucinating.

But he appeared to be following me for every turn I took, he was somewhere far behind me but still visible. I didn't take to running as I didn't want to trip as I marched towards my destination.

'Don't overthink it,' I told myself. 'He's probably going in the same direction and the same place as you. He's not going to harm you. Such things don't happen in Denaria.'

That was mostly true as Denaria has always been a safe place with very low crime rates. At least, the abduction crime rates in the country were low and even lower in our town, Nadia.

I hadn't gone far when I heard sharp barks. They seemed distant so I thought it to be someone's dog who was probably barking for attention in the dark alley.

That was until the sharp barks sounded right next to me, startling me. I turned back to see where they were coming from or what they were about. Then I gave out my loudest shrillest scream in my whole life.

The man had been right behind me and I hadn't heard him at all step so close to me. Before I could get my senses back to react to the situation single-handedly, something white and grey pounced on him and tore his sweatshirt and the hems of his pants.

"AH!" he screamed until the echoes came hurtling back. "Get the dog out of me! PLEASE ASMAH!"

I was going to pick up the nearest rod in instinct as I couldn't believe how the man knew my name. He was stuck to the wall and couldn't get up from where he sat nor shove the little beast, which had turned out to be my little pet.

As I raised the rod to hit him, his hands came forward, crossing themselves to protect himself. He continued to scream, "It's me, Asmah, IT'S ME! SPARE ME!"

The hood automatically fell back with a sudden jerk of his body as he pushed my furious pet off with great effort. And then I saw who the whimpering boy was. Sam, the hooded figure who had decided to dress up like a thief in his dark clothes.

I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. To see him, a person of strong wits, get so afraid of a soft canine was the most hilarious scene I had seen in my life. But then, it wasn't his fault for feeling frightened at a small, smart and naughty creature, who was not even the span of his forearm, baring its teeth at him and tugging at his tough clothes, creating subtle holes.

"Layla, come away," I managed to breathe out after many gasps of air to stifle my laugh. "He's a friend of mine. You don't have to be so cruel."

I had somehow gotten to verify its gender and what name to give it this morning. And the first time I said its name, it seemed to jump with joy. A day had become enough for us to enjoy each other's company and become good friends, something I was afraid of latching onto as it could be a dangerous thing.

I was already becoming afraid of losing her due to my wrong decision, though I knew she was going to grow into a beast. But the tiny creature had more chances of being hurt as she was still only a pup. And for a moment, those thoughts kept running around my head, making me feel overwhelmed.

"Ashma, are you alright?" he asked me in a soft voice. "You seem to be very dazed."

When he brought me back to my reality, I looked at him and snorted. He was a complete mess, thanks to the way my pup had handled him. And the fact that he was asking me how I was, when I should be asking him that, made me blush pink. But he had become a pretty good friend of mine for me to have forgotten that such a boundary existed.

I had another good snicker as the little creature kept showing its sharp teeth and the poor boy could only send a glare that was filled with terror and fury. I pressed my lips hard and even bit them to stop trembling from laughter.

"You're encouraging the little beast," he said, staring at it so hard that I was sure he wanted to rip its neck apart for the scare.

"I'm sorry," I said and giggled again. "But it's totally not my fault that your screech was hilarious to make anyone laugh."

"Yeah, yeah. This thing has got quite a few sharp canines. Who knows if I'll contract rabies from it or not?"

"That is for dogs. This is a wolf pup. If you look closely, you'll see the difference."

"It doesn't make any difference for me when — Achhooo!"

That increased my concern. It looked like he was highly allergic to animal fur and their dander.

"Didn't you were an asthmatic?" I exclaimed as I remembered the danger signs he always had when we used to play at the beach. "Where's your inhaler?"

"Never thought — ACHOO — to bring it for — Achee —," he responded with a bigger sneeze than before.

"Let's get you home this instant. You're an idiot for not worrying about your safety."

"Look who is talking."

And then it started to pour.