Puppy Love - Chapter One
Puppy Love
Chapter One
Cederwyn Whitefurr
February, 9th, 2009.
All Rights Reserved.
A beautiful spring day dawned over the farm, and Todd yawned, slowly lifting his brush of a tail away from his eyes, then uncurled himself and stretched languidly, his russet fur rippling in the first rays of sunlight that slanted in through the eastern facing window. Yawning, he revealed sharp canines, in his short, triangular snout teeth that on a normal fox would be used to puncture and slice prey. His ears pricked forwards, and he glanced around, feeling lazy and still half-asleep, but he knew soon enough, the farmhouse would be awake and a new day would bring untold adventures.
Todd only had his genetic memories, passed down through the generations of his ancestors, to remind him of what life was like in the wilds, but here, he had settled into domestication well as a young, orphaned Kit, he had been found by the farmers wife, who had adopted this orphan despite her husband's angry outbursts, saying you could not domesticate a fox, and the only *good* fox, was one hanging from the fence with its throat cut.
Despite her husband, the elderly woman had raised Todd, and he had not only survived, but thrived under her love and affection. Truly, the woman had a heart of gold, and Todd had long ago, wrapped her around his furred paws knowing she could not resist his cute, begging gestures gestures, that often resulted in him receiving delicious treats and occasionally something extra special.
He yawned again, stretching and frizzling out his large brush of a tail, as he blinked sleepily and glanced towards the closed bedroom door. Soon enough, he knew the woman would awaken, and give him his breakfast, and if he was mindful, she'd sneak him a few tit-bits from her own breakfast. As Todd heard the birds outside begin their morning chorus, he rubbed his eyes against his legs, and then stretched again, feeling his vertebrae crackling along his spine, before he shook himself off and rose from his comfortable basket and blankets.
Todd enjoyed living inside, the warmth of the basket near the wood-fired kitchen oven, the smells of cooking food, and the sneaked treats he managed to pilfer, when his adoptive mother wasn't watching him they most of all were what Todd felt made life worth living.
*
Copper lay under the verandah of the house, on a dusty old torn horse blanket he'd managed to drag from the stables, his soft snores puffing up little spurts of dust that danced and gyrated in front of his nose. As a young hunting-dog, Copper often did his best, but his master was often quite exasperated by the young dog and its confusion as to when to be quiet, and when to do as his master asked of him. An older hound-dog, the boss' of the farm, thought Copper was a fool, who would never grow up. He disdained Copper, knowing that if Copper ever outgrew his puppy-like ways, he would become a threat to the older hound-dog. Copper cared nothing for hunting, even though, like Todd, genetic memory tickled the edges of his young mind but Copper just enjoyed the love of being young, and the joyous pleasures of running wild in the woods with Todd. Their friendship had taken time to grow, but now, with both Copper and Todd as a year old well, Copper knew his whelping-date, his master kept telling him even though Copper didn't care one way or the other. Todd's whelping-date, well Copper didn't care one way or the other for that either.
*
Todd leapt up, and snagging the handle of the door with his jaws, he swung on it a few times, until he heard the click of the lock. He dropped back onto all fours, then with a dexterity his human parents' would have never believed, he slid one paw under the door and carefully pulled it open. Blinking owlishly, Todd walked out onto the verandah, his triangular ears pricked forwards and nose twitching as he and the elder hound-dog had an unpleasant history' and Todd's last encounter with that hound-dog, had been a terrifying and agonizing experience one, Todd was sure never to forget. Carefully, his claws clicking against the dusty wooden verandah, Todd used all his cunning and stealth, to sneak out and risk a glance off the verandah. Sure enough, over near the old oak, lay the lump of the old hound-dog, both eyelids closed but Todd knew how cunning that old dog was. Steeling himself, Todd leapt down onto the ground, his foot paws exploding little puffs of dust, then like a russet lightning strike, he darted under the house and hid himself in the comforting shadows.
Just as his eyes began to adjust to the dimness under the house, he heard the unmistakable footfalls of the farmer's wife upstairs. Todd sighed a human trait he had learned from her then streaked back upstairs and into the house, just before she turned around.
"My goodness Todd " She exclaimed, the slightly dumpy woman resting a hand against her ample breasts, which were covered by an apron and dress below that.
Todd had often wondered what she would look beneath that dress she always wore, and then shook off the mental thoughts. He rose onto his hind paws, his brush spread out behind him, and adopted his begging' pose, tongue lolling from the left of his muzzle, and he gazed up at her with adoration. She stared sternly at him for a few moments, even thought Todd's muscles began to ache from holding this unnatural position, and then she chuckled and relent.
Turning away from him, she put a small kettle on to boil, then as Todd watched, she reached up above the sink and pulled down a human babies bottle. Todd could barely hold himself, as of all her treats and other things a nice warm bottle of milk, was the highest of his guilty pleasures. He knew he was no longer a kit, and should stop such things, as wanting a bottle of milk but old habits were hard to break, and it felt so nice, to lay on his back as she fed him in her lap, her holding the bottle and he resting his front paws against it, whilst her free hand would tenderly stroke his velvety soft white stomach fur.
He dropped back to all four paws, and then sat himself down, folding his brush around his hind paws, as he waited patiently. His ears pricked as he heard a gunshot belching from the bedroom, then the door slammed open hard enough against the walls, to rattle the plates in the sink strainer. Todd yelped and hid beneath the woman's dress, peeking out between her ankles, as the farmer belched again and scratched his crotch, before stumping his way across to the table. His eyes fixed on the wide-eyed stare of Todd, and then he snorted and grunted.
"One day fox " He smirked, then made a throat-cutting gesture.
Todd did not understand this gesture, but the farmer's vocal patterns spoke volumes. He did not hate the farmer not yet, as he'd never done anything to hurt Todd physically, but had come close many a time. Thankfully, Todd had always stayed close to the farmer's wife, who idolized the young fox and protected him against the farmer's aggression and sullenness.
"You leave him be!" Snapped the farmer's wife. "I'll not have you threatening Todd, do you hear me?"
"Todd?" Snorted the farmer contemptuously. "One day woman, he'll turn on you and bite the hand that feeds him, and I just hope I'm there to see it, for I tell you you may think you've domesticated him alright but he's a fox, and the only good one, is a dead one!"
Gently, the woman picked Todd up, then laid him on his back and held the bottle of warm milk and its teat to his furred lips. Todd shivered in anticipation, then snuggled into her warm embrace happily, as she poked the teat past his lips and rested her right hand on his chest and began tenderly stroking him.
"Bah, that's just...unnatural," Grunted the farmer, as he glared at Todd. "That fox deserves what the rest of his kind gets a load of shotgun pellets at best...me, I like to trap them, make them scream as I..."
A deafening slap sounded, as the farmer's wife slammed her palm down against the table, making Todd's ears ring, and he cringed back against her, not understanding their strange, garbled utterances but his excellent nose detected emotions he found distressing.
"Speak not of that!" Snapped the woman, her eyes blazing like hot coals. "I'll not have you speak of such...filth...in my kitchen. You're upsetting Todd, and I don't like that, now get you hear me? I hear old Bessie crying in the barn, and she won't milk herself, you know that!"
With an angry outburst barely held back, the farmer rose then stomped out of the house, slamming the door hard enough to shake the dishes in the sink strainer again. Todd blinked, and then rolled his eyes up to look into the tearful gaze of the woman. He frowned as she began to weep silently, her salty tears sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto his muzzle. Todd didn't understand the human's language, but he understood their emotions plain enough, so he gently stretched out and licked away the salty tears on the woman's face, until she managed a weak smile and stroked the young fox's head. She sniffled, then used the hem of her apron to dry her eyes, before once again offering the teat to Todd, who gratefully accepted it and began suckling, his eyes closed in pleasure.
*
Some time later, Copper crawled out from under the house, and shook himself off dust, cobwebs and the occasional annoying flea flicking from his coat as he stretched and looked around the farmstead. Copper saw the old hunting dog watching him, then with the innocence of youth, he bounded over, but when he drew close, dropped to his stomach and crawled in the dirt, showing submissiveness to the older dog, who was notorious for his short temper.
"Good to see you learning your place pup..." Chief snorted derisively; as he blinked his bloodshot eyes then idly scratched himself. "Maybe boy, there's hope for you yet."
Copper wagged his tail cautiously, feeling pleased by the praise from someone he viewed as a mentor.
"Now don't let that little bit of advice go to your heard whelp," Chief grunted, as he stared balefully at Copper. "Heed my warning well boy for you would do better at your lessons with the master, if you didn't waste your time with that...flea bitten Fox!"
Copper blinked, stung by the hurtful words, and he started to let his anger build, his hackles on the back of his neck raising. With a savage swipe, the elder dog bowled Copper head over tail, plowing his nose into the dirt and mud.
"When you think you're worthy...pup..." Growled Chief, as he rose and stood over Copper. "You come for me, I'll be waiting, but until that day you respect your elders!"
With a whimper, Copper submissively lay before the elder dog, acknowledging his authority.
"Now boy, listen up the master is...displeased...with you. He's starting to wonder if you'll ever make it as a hunting-dog, and in some ways, I'm inclined to agree." Mused Chief.
Copper opened his mouth, but the elder dog's baleful stare made him shut it with a snap.
"Good, you're learning don't interrupt me boy." Chief sniffed, and then shook his head slowly. He rolled his eyes and tried to re-gather his thoughts.
From the barn, came the bellowing of the cow, Bessie, followed by a loud crash and the disparaging language from the farmer. Copper lifted up an ear, and Chief moved forwards, and then pressed his paws against Copper's ears, muffling the sound.
"Trust me boy, in time, you'll grow to hear such words, but the master well such language isn't fit for a youngster like you." Chief sighed, and then shook his head. "Anyway, listen to your master, obey him, learn what I teach you, and if you don't want to end up being sent away and believe me pup, there are places far worse than this you *will* stop hanging out with that Fox. His kind is nothing but trouble, and he'll lead you astray if you let him."
Copper squirmed, trying bravely to blink back the tears in his eyes, as Chief's words stung him worse than any bite.
Chief let him go, then snorted and turned about, then retreated back into his kennel. Copper lay where he was, then Chief's words and Copper's emotions overwhelmed him, and he fled into the woods that bordered the farmstead running until he felt his little heart would surely burst, and each breath was like his throat was lined with broken fragments of razor sharp glass. He eventually tumbled head over paws, rolling through a patch of blackberries, and ending up with his rump lying in the shallow creek. He dragged himself out of the water, and then lay on his back, before giving himself up to the painful thoughts, of what Chief had told him.
Copper didn't want to be a hunting-dog he abhorred the idea and give up his friendship with Todd? Copper thought he'd sooner die, than do that as Todd had been his playmate since his earliest memories, and nothing Chief said, could take away the memories of the happy times, Copper and Todd had shared and if Copper had his way, they'd share even more. Sniffling back his tears, Copper laid on his back, staring up at the sky, then he closed his eyes and just wept silently, wishing he knew who to trust and above all someone to turn too...
To Be Continued