Of huskies and dreams
This was for a commissioner on FA :3
It was another ordinary day for him; life was nice, life was beautiful, but it was something he couldn't see right now; beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say, but to catch it, one must feel the desire to do so. He wasn't in the mood to contemplate the universe in front of him; there was so little about right, that reality itself seemed almost pointless to this point. Maybe it was a form of depression, maybe it was the spleen; he didn't know, but he knew the reason of his discomfort and more he thought about it, less his grip on reality seemed clear.
«Still thinking about her? »
It was a comforting voice he heard, the voice of his girlfriend; a beacon of reason in his sea of nonsense when he was drifting. But there was nothing comforting with what she said; she was right, as the thoughts were still haunting him.
He wasn't thinking about a relative or close friend; or maybe it could be considerate a close friend, with the number of years they lived together. The death of a family animal is never an easy thing, but he had a thing for huskies; sure, it was a while that she left this world, but he could still remember the time he passed with her, playing, petting her, making her happy. Sometime, when he was with her, he wondered how it was to be a husky; to run outside, to be a playful pet... he wondered a lot these days, but now, these interrogations were harder on him
The sadness wasn't the same now; before, when he lost her, he remembered shedding a few tears as he buried her, trying to deal with the pain as he could at the moment. But now it was different; he wasn't really sad, just... depressed, tired of thinking and trying; there so much he did and so much he didn't want to do anymore. Maybe the weight of the memories was too much for him to bear right now, or maybe it was the realisation that he couldn't do anything to change the past.
«Maybe I am, but I shouldn't waste my time doing so, right? It's not like she would be coming back, after all»
She looked at him and smile; even though he had difficulty seeing the good side of life now, he was a great person, the one that she wanted to keep around her. Making him get over his phase would be a great thing, but she was unsure if she should do it or not; after all, maybe the consequences could be permanent... but again, the positive would have much more impact than potential negatives impacts.
«You know, I have a little something for you... I think you might like it»
He looked at her; she was holding a small box, without any particular signs on it. She was smiling, the same warm smile that always made him realise that he was a lucky person to have found such a wonderful person to share his life with. But that didn't stop him from wondering what was in the box; it wasn't his birthday and it wasn't their anniversary... so, what could explain the gift?
«A gift? For me? But for what?»
«Because I can and I want to, silly»
He took the box in his hands and held it for a while; it was light, soft, but nothing of the ordinary. There was something... familiar about this box, or maybe about the content of the said container, but the thought that formed in his mind died, replaced by a more pressing interest; he wanted to see what inside the box, but he didn't to spoil the fun of opening it, taking his time removing the lid and the little bow that was keeping it in place.
It wasn't something he was expecting; by looking at the content, he realised why he had that feeling of déjà view. In it was an old collar, of a dull brown color, the marking of time clearly visible on it. It wasn't any old collar; it was the same that was on his husky, before she passed away. He could have sweared that he tossed it away, when he tried to get rid of the desire that was still living in him. He could even smell the old days that were still lingering on it; it was a blast from the past that he welcomed, but he wondered if that would only be a temporary boost in his morale, before he sinks again in his contemplation of the futility of his own endeavor.
«Do you like it? It took me a while to find it, after you threw it away; I thought it would end up in a landfill, but luck was our side. I found it in a small shop, were the owner seemed to care a lot about it... she talked about the power residing inside, memories and so much more.... Maybe she was a lonely old widow that needed attention, which she could explain why she talked so much...»
He looked at the collar; it was nearly a miracle that it was still in such a good shape... maybe that shop owner decided to treat in a special matter, to preserve it from the passage of time. Or maybe it was pure luck; after all, he couldn't simply give all credits to one person without knowing her implication. It was still soft, like the first day he bought it; he could remember the occasion, the time he took choosing the good collar, the hesitation and his decision, only to see that his decision was only following his own standards since she didn't care much about it.
«Maybe you could try it; who know? Maybe it would fit you»
He looked at her; it was an idea that sounded silly at first, but he wasn't against it at all; there something attractive about wearing that collar, about wearing a dog collar in general. Maybe he was a dog in another life, or maybe he was jealous of them. He chuckled as the idea; him, jealous of a dog... but again, was it really that bad? He wasn't free from his thoughts and each time he tried to make his life simple, something else came to make him realise that his attempts were futile.
«Maybe you are right; maybe it could fit me; just don't tell me our friends about that, ok?»
«Don't worry, nobody will know about it; there's nothing wrong about having a little fun from time to time, you know?»
He smiled; as always, she was able to make sense without even trying to argument with him. As if she could read his mind... but maybe it was due to all the time they lived together.
He could feel the sensation of worn leather rubbing against his skin when he placed it around his neck. It still had that particular smell, of leather, dog fur and grass, smell that he enjoyed when he used to take his husky outside; there was something simple about these times that he liked and maybe he would want to relive... if he could, one day...
A strange sensation filled him; it was if he started something out of his control... but that would be pure paranoia to think such things, he thoughts, trying to remove the collar, only to realise that he wasn't able to do so anymore, for it seemed like the lock was now fused with the rest of the leather, making it impossible to remove by normal means; he could try to cut it apart, but he would hurt himself in the process.
He could feel his body burn, as if he was melting... changing into another form. He looked at his hands, only to see that they weren't hands anymore; the fingers were now partially fused together, as if they had reduced in length. He could see and feel fur growth out of his skin, covering what used to be his hands, reducing in size at each passing moment; almost as if there was supposed to be paws...
He didn't look at his feet, but he could the same pain that he encountered with his hands. He started to think; if his hands and feet were now paws that would now mean that... He thought for a moment, feeling his skin itches while the same black and white fur was covering him. He could hear and feel his bones crack, reshaping inside of him, forcing him to the ground, his newly formed paws supporting his weight. His lower back hurt him even more, when he felt his spine realigned to support a newly rising tail, bushy, fluffy and half the length of his body... or was it really? He couldn't be sure, since his vision was a little altered by his new position.
He wondered why his body was changing, but his head was untouched by the process; maybe it was the limit of his transformation, or maybe it was something else... and he soon understood why, when he felt his ears tingling, the external structure changing, from his human ear to a model more closer to an husky ear. He tried to whimper, but the sound died in him, when his face started burning, his jaws advancing and shortening, his vision getting blurry; the shock of the transformation made him dizzy.
He shake his head; it was strange to see the world from a husky point of view, his fours paws holding him but just barely; he didn't how to move and was afraid to take a step forward, a step that could make him trip on his newly formed paws.
«Don't be afraid; take a few steps, girl»
Girl? Surely she was mistaken... or was she? Did the transformation also alter his sex? Was he his old husky, reborn in some obscure way? Or was he a different husky, influenced by some element of the collar? Affected by memories? There was so much he had to think about...
«Do you want to go outside? It's nice and fresh outside»
She wagged her tail; the appeal of going outside, to play in the sun was stronger than any thoughts she could have at the moment; she didn't understand why, but she didn't want to resist it either. There were things in life you just want to live for what they are, without truly catching their real essence.
The sun was indeed beautiful outside, as it shined on her fur; it felt so good to lay there, basking in the warm rays, soaking up the heat, feeling the grass under his paws, being able to recognize so many odors he thought didn't exist before...
«Do you want to catch the ball? Go catch it, girl»
She ran after the ball, making one with nature; there was neither doubt nor hesitation in her mind anymore. She was glad he was a husky, free at last... and there was so much more she could do, she thought, running after the ball, hoping that her mistress would throw it away again, so she could run after it again; but she getting hungry, and there was nothing to eat in sight...
«If you do a trick, you will get a treat; come on, roll over, I know you can do it»
She looked at her; at normal times she would have been insulted, but there something almost pleasant to follow that order, as she rolled on the grass, whimpering and barking.
«That's a good girl; here's your treat»
The treat itself was nothing more than a dog biscuit, but it was the most delicious food morsel she ever tasted in his life; she couldn't understand why he wasn't eating these cookies before since the flavor was that pleasant.
Even thought he had a snack and the sun rays on him, she felt tired; the transformation strained her a lot, requesting a lot of energy from her. She need to rest, but she didn't know where; could she simply take a nap here? Right in the middle of this soft, comfortable, sun soaked grass? More she thought about it, more he wanted to do it; and, without hesitation, turned a couple of times on herself before curling to sleep, feeling the hands of her mistress petting her fur, wishing her a good night...