{"sf1_id":500687,"sf2_id":"5nzWbR61","title":"Evolution Part I: Chapter Five","author":"Shalion","words":1919,"posted_at":"2013-02-13T00:05:00.000Z","tags":["Collie","Dog","Fat","German Shepherd","Golden Retriever","Mobility","Obese"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/500687-evolution-part-i-chapter-five","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/5nzWbR61","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/78/31/78314cd0-8795-46af-98a6-ad12f9bc8b56","description":"#5 of Evolution Part I\n\nOne of the dogs is taken from the yard","content":"It happened quickly and with not a lot of warning, but it could have been easily avoided had I been more careful and had a little more sense in my head. \u0026nbsp;Unfortunately, at that time in my life, I was light in both of those areas.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe day was warm, going on hot and it was long enough past breakfast for me to have regained some vigor, though it was still not quite noon. \u0026nbsp;I had basically the whole day ahead of me and was wandering around, waiting for something to catch my attention. \u0026nbsp;And indeed, something came along. \u0026nbsp;A trio of of new puppies chasing each other ran into me, at least one of them slamming into my legs and nearly knocking me over.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI growled and snapped at the closest one, asserting myself, but he got out of the way, blatantly ignoring my body language as I had done so many times myself. \u0026nbsp;I stepped forward and snapped again, to me these rascals were still more rivals than cute infants. \u0026nbsp;The round pup danced away. \u0026nbsp;I didn't know it yet, but I was already getting a little slow for all the pudge I was accumulating. \u0026nbsp;I didn't notice that my dancing, biting friend's companions had already left him behind, moving to romp with another dog behind me; whether he liked it or not.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTo this day, I don't know what that dog had been doing or what those two other puppies did to get him so riled up. \u0026nbsp;When I would think of the incident later, I would think that one of them must have bitten the tender sack where his testicles must have only recently dropped, but really, I was only guessing.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI turned just as the two puppies running around the much larger dog realized that he was past playing. \u0026nbsp;I saw him growl and snap, to similar effect as my own and then our eyes met. \u0026nbsp;Dog's don't look at each other's faces when we communicate; in fact we more frequently look at each other's tails. \u0026nbsp;Eye contact was a challenge. \u0026nbsp;I should have averted my eyes, but I didn't. \u0026nbsp;I was young and full of bullheadedness and besides, I was flush with my string of victories against my now smaller brother. \u0026nbsp;So no, I didn't look away.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe antagonized dog with the intense stare didn't look away either, though and really, why should he have? \u0026nbsp;He was another lab mix, but had a pretty heavy snout and was wide at the shoulder; not accounting for the fat padding, mind. \u0026nbsp;I may have been as large as an eight month old, but the dog I was staring down was ten months old at least. \u0026nbsp;His legs were longer and he had to have 20 pounds on me. \u0026nbsp;He was taller and carried most of his weight on his fleshy forequarters. \u0026nbsp;His tail lifted high and forward and he wagged it. \u0026nbsp;Far from indicating friendship, the tail wagging told me things were escalating rapidly.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI went stiff and the hairs raised on the back of my thickened neck. \u0026nbsp;I lifted my tail as well. \u0026nbsp;Not showing submission was all it took to set him off. \u0026nbsp;Suddenly the lab mix rushed me.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nNeither of us were athletes, not by a long shot, so I saw him coming, watched the skin rippling on his blobby shoulders as he charged. \u0026nbsp;But I had no experience fighting myself. \u0026nbsp;All I had known till then was puppy wrestling. \u0026nbsp;But my opponent had no intention of rolling on the ground with me. \u0026nbsp;I'd realized just how serious things were a few moments before he lashed out at my neck. \u0026nbsp;I back away, but like my opponent, my body was slower than my thoughts, and of course, I didn't know how to dodge.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe brown lab's teeth collided with my fleshy neck mid turn. \u0026nbsp;He got a mouthful of flabby golden fur and chomped down. \u0026nbsp;It was painful, but not nearly as painful as when he shook me like I'd shake a cloth toy. \u0026nbsp;The skin tore at four points where the canines dug into me and I felt my blood run for practically the first time. \u0026nbsp;Now, I was scared, but I was also brash and stupid. \u0026nbsp;My mouth gaped, ready to give back what I was getting. \u0026nbsp;The lab was clinging to my throat, his floppy ears slapping \u0026nbsp;against my cheek. \u0026nbsp;I didn't want to back up, so I pushed forward, chest against chest and snarling, I reared up.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe brown lab came with me, our forepaws batting at each other and my teeth still searching for something to latch onto. \u0026nbsp;Some fur flashed against my whiskers and I bit down as hard as I could. \u0026nbsp;I ground my teeth, let go and bit again and again. \u0026nbsp;Still the lab had me by the neck. \u0026nbsp;Seemingly, the brown lab sensed that he didn't have a very good hold on me. \u0026nbsp;He let go, but before he could get another hold, I jumped down. \u0026nbsp;Our reprieve lasts about a second after my forepaws touched the earth. \u0026nbsp;It was enough time to realize that this was the most intense exercise I'd known to date and I was already winded. \u0026nbsp;My opponent was too, and his belly where it hung even with his chest heaved up and down., but his tail was still high and forward. \u0026nbsp;The sight of it enraged me and I ran ahead, leaping as I came upon the brown dog. \u0026nbsp;Our chest collided in midair, harder than I would have thought. \u0026nbsp;My leg slid into his armpit and I staggered against the pure physical mass pushing against me. \u0026nbsp;Our mouth snapped, teeth flashing. \u0026nbsp;The brown lab was taller than me standing and his neck seemed thicker and more powerful. \u0026nbsp;He was bleeding from his ear and the side of his face where I'd bitten him.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWe dealt each other a few more nicks and scratches as our fangs caught on each other before I stumbled a bit with a hind leg and the brown lab threw me down.\u0026nbsp; I might have caught myself before tipping over... but then I was really fat and heavy myself, making for a much smaller center of gravity even on four legs.\u0026nbsp; I went down and the brown lab was on me.\u0026nbsp; Still I didn't give up and that made things worse as he reacted against my pawing and my snapping.\u0026nbsp; He grabbed my leg, ripping the skin and tugging till he'd wrenched it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nNow I was hurting pretty bad.\u0026nbsp; The fight went out of me like a snuffed candle and I relented, going limp and showing my wide, round belly.\u0026nbsp; When I looked up, all I could see were the heavy round shoulders of the lab panting over me.\u0026nbsp; Thankfully, he let go of my leg, which retracted to my chest like a bird's wing.\u0026nbsp; He was growling, but didn't immediately make another move.\u0026nbsp; I was stock still and even more fearful now that the fighting was done and the adrenaline was flowing out of me, leaving me feeling fragile as a glass bauble.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIf the lab had been a completely normal dog, he probably would have been satisfied with that.\u0026nbsp; But he wasn't, just as I wasn't.\u0026nbsp; I suppose that was the reason why after a moment staring at me, the dog who'd left me bloody on the ground then head butted me hard, right in my wide pink gut.\u0026nbsp; I gasped and clenched up like a dying spider, then rolled slowly onto my side, crying softly.\u0026nbsp; The lab left then and even the puppies kept their distance.\u0026nbsp; It would be a while before the pain subsided even enough to move.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI would move, however, and just as soon as I was able too.\u0026nbsp; For dogs, displaying weakness is in itself a reason to attack.\u0026nbsp; That might be an alien concept to understand for a human, but its not alien to your species.\u0026nbsp; The sight of a leper with sickness and open sores was enough to inspire not only disgust but hatred in the people of the past.\u0026nbsp; It's a similar reaction with us.\u0026nbsp; Nevertheless, I was in pain and it was hard to hide it.\u0026nbsp; I held my bleeding leg up as I walked and it hurt at my shoulder when I put any weight on it.\u0026nbsp; My neck wasn't so bad, though it was bleeding.\u0026nbsp; But my belly hurt where I'd been punched much more and it pained me a bit when I breathed too deeply.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI stalked off to hide in the concrete shelter despite the increasing heat of the day and the fact that it'd be stuffy in there.\u0026nbsp; I rested with my back against a wall and curled up and licked my wounds.\u0026nbsp; A large purple bruise had begun to show on the pink of my tummy when the black lab made an appearance in my refuge.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe stepped in quietly for such a heavy fellow.\u0026nbsp; At first, I was frightened.\u0026nbsp; The scent of my blood had already spread throughout the shelter and I didn't want to arouse the ire of an opportunistic attacker.\u0026nbsp; But the lab didn't become aggressive, nor did he even seem nonplussed at the sight of me and my jagged, unkempt and dirty fur.\u0026nbsp; I cringed as he stepped closer.\u0026nbsp; And either because our friendship was already stronger than I'd supposed, or because he was just that way, he crouched down and began to lick me.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe lab was still bigger than me, and nearly double my weight with his generous heftiness rounding out his figure and I flinched when his tongue touched me, afraid of more bites, afraid of more fighting.\u0026nbsp; But dogs can soothe as well as injure with their mouths.\u0026nbsp; He licked the blood from my neck where I couldn't reach.\u0026nbsp; I wasn't in a position to complain, but after he started, I began to appreciate his company.\u0026nbsp; The black lab smoothed the spiked fur on my neck while I cleaned my injured leg.\u0026nbsp; My belly was not so round nor far away that I couldn't reach it with my tongue, but the lab helped me with that anyway.\u0026nbsp; The bruise there was hot an angry and hurt with a deep, dull pain that approached my stomach.\u0026nbsp; If it had been a little higher up, I'd have lost my breakfast.\u0026nbsp; As it was, it just felt like my intestines were bruised.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSilently the lab asked me if I was feeling better.\u0026nbsp; I told him that I was, but that I wasn't in the mood for playing.\u0026nbsp; My leg was still hurting me.\u0026nbsp; The lab then told me that I might find it better outside with some sun and fresh air.\u0026nbsp; I hesitated, but he invited me to join him.\u0026nbsp; He left out the opening and after a few seconds, I followed.\u0026nbsp; The lab was resting a short distance away on a patch of green.\u0026nbsp; I limped over to him and rested my chin on his ample tummy.\u0026nbsp; It was warm and inviting.\u0026nbsp; When the lab sighed\u0026nbsp; and laid his head on the ground, I knew that I was free to rest with him for the meantime.\u0026nbsp; I would find that after that day and that nap with my head on his belly, things would be a little different between the two of us.\u0026nbsp; I would find also that I was a little different as well.\u0026nbsp; But I think that was for the best.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Evolution Part I","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/500686-evolution-part-i-chapter-four.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/500689-evolution-part-i-chapter-six.json"}}