Twitching ears catch the sound of an opening door. The familiar smell that emanated from the house filled Greyback’s nostrils. Temptation overruled his wary instincts.
As Greyback conspicuously entered the house, there was only one thought in his head. Warmth. All he sought, all he could wish for, he could find in this house, if only he could first rest a little inside. He had barely had time to get comfortable when he heard the door close, followed by light footsteps. Resigned, and fatalistic as he was, nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.
Upon seeing him, the woman froze; she let out a small gasp. He prepared himself for the resounding way in which he was sure to be kicked out, but he never was. Instead, a squeal of surprise was all he received at first. The woman tried to approach him, but wary as he was he growled for her not to come closer. She didn’t seem to understand, but she was deterred from her prior idea at least. She seemed to be thinking about what to do in this odd standstill. Suddenly, she pulled something out of her bag, prepared for the worst, Greyback stood up on all fours, ready to pounce. There was no danger though. She had taken out a piece of bread, still warm from the oven. The woman approached the surprised German shepherd, and offered him what he had sought, food.
Greyback couldn’t believe what was happening; he was all too used to being mistreated by the world. Still, he wouldn’t let the opportunity pass, he carefully bit the bread off the woman’s hand, and ate it with a feeling as close to joy as he ever had imagined could exist.
Sharing
She didn’t know where the dog had come from, he was gigantic though. She had done some research on what species he looked like and she had decided he must be a German shepherd, although enormous for his species.
She knew nothing about how to take care of a dog. She had always loved animals, but she had never had the opportunity to have one of her own. A thousand ideas and a million fears crowded her thoughts, for she had no idea what to do.
She had decided to keep him, for he seemed to be in need of a new place to stay, to say the least. At first he seemed resilient to her charms, but the moment he accepted her token of friendship, he had become a fully different dog. He no longer seemed dangerous, nor did he seem so anxious. He seemed almost happy, almost at comfort.
For a few days, they interacted in much the same way, until she decided that he severely needed a bath. He seemed to love the idea. Apparently, her new dog relished the feeling of the water, for he jumped at it the moment she set the bath up and called him. It was the first time he let her touch him so much since they met. After the bath, she decided to give him a special treat for being so compliant, and so Greyback received his first piece of meat.
Oh the pleasure! He had never had anything nearly as delicious in his life.to show her his appreciation, he wiggled his tail, and even barked a little.
She might not have understood what he was saying, but she understood the feeling, and thus it was that she started sharing all her meals with him, and he started softening up around her.
Heartache.
Reneé’s relationship with Greyback continued through the days, the weeks, the months and the years. Affection grew in between them, and no longer could either be happy without knowing the other one was alright.
It all happened one bleak day. Reneé and Greyback were walking in the park, when she saw strangely dressed man. Not new to strange things, she wasn’t hat surprised about the clothing; she was surprised that she didn’t recognize the man.
He was wearing a heavy hood, even though it was the middle of summer. She asked him what his business was, and his reply was as simple as they get. He raised a gun at her, unable to react in time; she was prepared for the worst when she heard the gunshot. She didn’t feel any physical pain immediately though. She opened her eyes; only to see a heart wrenching image. Her gargantuan dog had jumped in front of her, and received the shot to save her. It didn’t seem too bad, but he was bleeding heavily. She screamed, as she saw the man pointing the gun at her again, but just when he was pulling the trigger, Greyback flung himself at him once more, this time biting his hand and ripping off enough muscle and nerves that the deranged man had to drop the gun.
Out of strength, the once shaggy dog succumbed to the floor, unable to hold himself anymore. Reneé rushed to him, but to her dismay, when she reached him, he was no longer breathing.
He had protected her with all he had, for she had shared all she had with him, she had rescued him from the world, and he had returned the favor.
Not alone
Reneé was heartbroken, terribly so. He loved him so much more for what he had done, but hated him for leaving her alone. There was not much she could do though, and so, she continued to survive.
Time passed, and as all living thing eventually do, she left this world for the next. On her way to her soul’s resting place, she thought she saw a gigantic dog’s ghost, but when she checked again she realized there was nothing there. She continued her path, and upon arriving at her destiny, she didn’t see anyone to open up the gates for her.
She was unsure of what would happen next, so she came closer, cautiously. There was a plaque in the door, it read thus:
“This is the door of the Narune Hunt, it will open only to those worthy of this world. Think upon the single greatest thing you achieved in life, if it’s great enough, this door shall grant you paradise.”
Reneé thought this was a rather odd plaque, and an even stranger door. Still, if this was what she had to go through, it was rather simple. She began to think, what was the single greatest thing she had achieved? The answer came right away. She made Greyback happy. She accepted him, took him in, and took as much care of him, as he took care of her. To her, that was her single greatest achievement. Tears started flooding her eyes at the thought of him, heartache long ago buried within her started to come out anew.
Despair clung to her, for she still regretted what happened. She backed away, for even the gate seemed sinister within the light of her heart. She didn’t deserve paradise, and so, she walked away, forever to be forgotten.
It was not to be. She had barely taken a couple steps back when a mass of muscle and fur tackled her. She jumped away, scared into action. She was kneeling, ready to run away at the smallest move from the dog. He started coming closer, slowly, warily. Just when she thought this would be her punishment for letting Greyback die for her, the dog showed his face at her.
Surprise filled her eyes with tears, as he licked her face eagerly. The gate swung open in front of them. A new plaque had appeared, this time by Reneé’s feet.
“He never left your side, you were never alone. Enter now, for paradise belongs to those of your kind, to those who love.”