The Canine Caper

By: ChocolateEclar

Disclaimer: Some characters belong to the magnificent authoress, Diana Wynne Jones. I just borrowed them for a while. She also owns the entire world she created (i.e. Ingary, Zanzib, etc.)

Claimer: I only own Wyn, Aidan, Nate, Nesta, Stephen, Oliver, Kamania and Chris Aprilian, Mr. Calypso, Professor Weph, Life, Death, Apocalypse, Rhys and Mackenzie. I also own the 'dog.'

A/N: This is a little piece that takes place after my stories: 'Phases of the Moon' and 'Between Hope and Death.' It's in one of my original character's POV. Can you tell who? ^_-

A/N 2: If you haven't read the other stories I wrote about HMC and CitA please go read them first! They introduce all my original characters!

A/N 3: I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the title though…

Chapter 1: In Which a 'Dog' Discovers a Strange Town

I groaned softly and opened my eyes. My throat felt as if someone had dumped half the Waste's sand down it and my thoughts were swirling around in my skull. I closed my eyes and rubbed my aching head. That was when I realized something was wrong.

My eyes shot open. Where I was sure normal human hands and arms should have been were two shaggy merle paws. I cried out and sat up. I discovered my whole body was covered in the bluish gray fur with huge patches of black. Why did I think this was so strange?! That was when I discovered something else. I couldn't even remember who I was! My comprehension made my jaw drop. All I could recall was that I was supposed to be human.

I studied my canine body again and sadly wagged my tail. I examined that too. It was the same color with whitish tufts of bushy fur sticking out at the end. I laid back down on the ground and finally gazed at where I was.

I appeared to be in the alleyway of a bustling town where people in tan or dark brown smock-like clothing and matching shorts were running about. It was terribly hot in my new coat and my tongue rolled out of my mouth. I sat there panting and watching others pass.

Eventually I tried to remember who I was again to little avail. My memories were fuzzy and all I seemed to think about were a strange dark castle gliding among fields of flowers, a painting of a woman in her mid-thirties with flaming reddish gold hair, and a teenage girl with mounds of flaxen curls glaring murderously at me. The images confused me and I soon fell asleep.

When I awoke again, the town was still lively but it was getting dark. I could make out the setting sun as I stepped cautiously out of the passage. It was getting cold, which I assumed meant the little community was in a desert somewhere. The ground was covered in dry sand that got stuck in between my clawed toes. I shook the sand that had collected on my fur from sleeping on it and analyzed the village even more.

Stalls lined the clay dwellings selling everything from food to clothing to potions. I trotted down the street until I came to a huge stone palace surrounded by a high wall. I peered through the gate and watched as a guard in a blood red uniform scowled at me. He shouted angrily in a strange tongue something that sounded like 'Fetek! Fetek!' I figured he wanted me to get lost so I sauntered away.

But soon I heard the gate clang out and saw several guards come running out. The same guard from before yelled 'Git ra!' which I presumed meant 'get him' or something. I didn't even have to think. By instinct my feet just took off. I ran down alleys and streets forever hearing pounding footsteps behind me. Finally, out of breath, thoroughly dehydrated, and so hot I was ready to die of a heat-stoke I collapsed in an pathway. My eyes closed and the last thing I remember was those damn footsteps.

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When I did awake, I was amazed I was still alive. I moaned and moved several of my body parts around, including making my ears twitch, to bring back feeling. (My ears were actually short and slightly rolled over at their tips.) I gaped at my environment. I seemed to be in a dim room lying on a bed. Besides the bed, the only other thing in the room was a young boy gazing at me with large blue eyes.  

He had russet colored hair, a dark chocolate-brown face, and was wearing a grubby version of the matching smocks and shorts I had seen earlier. The clothing was too big for the tot though for what should have been shorts and a thin sleeveless shirt were long baggy pants and a huge billowing top.

"Ya awake, doggy?" he asked, his English sounded a little unused and now I could tell he really was awfully young.

I dragged myself off the bed and over to the boy who unworriedly patted my head and rubbed my curled ears. "Good, doggy," he would mutter every once and a while and I felt total 'big-brotherly' affection towards the little toddler. But who was he? Where was I? And for that matter, who the heck was I?

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A/N: Do you know who my canine character really is? Remember the dog's one of my own old characters…Please take a guess at who it is in a review! I tried to leave little clues here and there.

A/N 2: Don't forget to review or I'll have to sick those mysterious guards on you! Hehe. Just kidding, but seriously please review! There will be more clues in the next chapter.