Shadow

by Aris Austin

  “We really had a puppy in mind, but this guy is awesome. I’m going to talk to my fiancée tonight and see what she thinks. Maybe I’ll bring her to meet him next weekend.”

  Excitement bubbled up in Shadow’s chest. This man seemed like a wonderful person to go home with, and he was more than ready to get out of the shelter. Three long months spent in a kennel can certainly wear on a dog, and Shadow’s joints ached from the lack of motion. Boredom was a problem too. It plagued him almost every day, although daily walks and the occasional visit from Annie helped. He’d gotten a new ball recently too, and that offered some entertainment. Still, the shelter wasn’t home. Shadow wanted to go home.

  “We’ll leave you a number so you can call about him once you make a decision,” said Kim. “What did you say your name was?”

  “Adam.”

  “Well Adam, I think you and Shadow would be wonderful together.”

  Kim led Adam out of the kennel and closed the door behind them. Just before they disappeared through the door at the end of the hallway, Adam smiled back at Shadow and gave him a wave.

  To Shadow, that wave was as good as a belly rub. It meant friendship. A promise to return. A new family. Warmth spread throughout his entire body, suddenly even better than a belly rub. Home. He was finally going home!

  Shadow snatched up the new ball on his way back to the bed and chewed gleefully for the rest of the afternoon. The tennis ball, as Annie called it, had recently been added to Shadow’s kennel in addition to the plastic toy he’d been chewing on for the last few months. The ball was better than the old toy in almost every way. It took Shadow some time to fit it into his mouth, but the reward was worth the effort when he finally did. Every time he clamped down, the ball pushed back, almost like it wanted to play with him. Bite down, spring back.

  Shadow settled into a delightful rhythm with the ball, working his jaws all around it until the fuzzy surface was completely matted with saliva. Bite down, spring back. Bite down, spring back.

  A soft bark made Shadow look up. The dog with messy brown fur had gone home, so a new dog had taken up residence in the kennel across the hall. The new dog—a lab with pale yellow fur—gave Shadow a soft whine, apparently wanting to play with the ball.

  Shadow was more than willing to share, especially with younger dogs. After all, a young dog had a much greater need for chewing than an old dog did. However, two chain link gates stood between them, and not even a tennis ball would fit through those. Shadow dropped the ball and rested a paw on it in case it tried to bounce away. Then he gave the lab a sympathetic whine, unsure of what else to do. Maybe he could sneak the ball into the common room someday. Then they could play together, and this new dog would become his friend!

  The lab stared at the ball and bit at the gate that held him back. He whined and paced the floor, but gave up after only a few minutes and fell asleep on the hard concrete. This amused Shadow. Why would the lab choose to sleep on concrete when he could choose to sleep on a significantly softer bed?

  Seeing the lab sleep made Shadow realize he was tired too, so he carried the tennis ball over to the bed. He decided to hide his face beneath a blanket, since the sun’s angle made the kennel too bright to sleep comfortably. Arranging the blanket wasn’t an easy task. Shadow had to push his nose under the tangled fabric and lift it into the air, then race to stick his face beneath it before it fell back to the bed. That last bit was the hard part.

  The blanket fell in a silent heap just in front of Shadow’s nose, which did nothing to block the light. He snorted at the blanket’s defiance, then tossed it back into the air. In the past, any humans who caught Shadow digging his way under a blanket had always made a scene, loudly cooing about “how cute” he was. Fortunately, his third attempt was successful and he plopped onto the bed before any humans noticed. The tennis ball slipped out of his mouth and bounced across the kennel, but he was already too sleepy to retrieve it. Warm air quickly filled the space beneath the blanket, and thoughts of going home with Adam filled Shadow’s mind. Sleep came within a matter of minutes.

  The dissonant barks that normally echoed down the hall were unusually quiet, so Shadow slept soundly all afternoon. Long after closing time though, his ears registered the telltale click of the latch on the hallway door. Down the hall, barking dogs rushed to the front of their kennels to confirm the presence of a visitor. Shadow rushed to the front of his kennel too, hoping to see Annie. Who else could it be? None of the other workers ever came back as late as she did.

  He heard Annie long before he saw or smelled her. He’d memorized the sound her feet made on the concrete floor; the gentle clack of the fork on her wrist hitting the doorknob; the fruitless shushing of the barking dogs as she made her way down the hall.

  Annie greeted Shadow with a whispered “Hey buddy!” and stepped into the kennel. Shadow would have jumped for joy, if jumping didn’t hurt his knees. Instead, he settled for dancing around in place and sniffing Annie’s hands.

  “Want your ball?”

  In the dark, Annie’s nimble hands placed the tennis ball right under Shadow’s nose. He gladly accepted it, and then went back to sniffing. Annie smelled of lilac soap and the man, Hunter. And food! Shadow’s nose led him straight to the scent’s source, which came from the pocket of Annie’s jacket. As soon as he was certain about the food’s location, he let the ball drop with a dull thud. Shadow sniffed again, prodding Annie’s pocket until she laughed and gave his face a gentle push.

  “Hold on, hold on!” Annie took an eternity to sit next to Shadow’s bed, and another eternity to unzip her pocket. When she finally reached inside, she produced exactly what he’d been waiting for: a small paper bag, containing slightly less than half of a breadstick.

  Shadow sat down so fast it hurt his butt. Sitting in the presence of human food was a reflex, developed from a lifetime of begging for a bite. He hadn’t eaten human food in months!

  “Yep, just for you!” Annie said. “Shhh. Don’t tell the other dogs. I don’t think I’m allowed to give you this.”

  She tossed the breadstick to Shadow, and he snapped it out of the air immediately. It was gone within seconds, leaving traces of its salty, flaky goodness all over his mouth.

  Annie laughed. “Hey,” she teased, “that’s the fastest I’ve ever seen you move.”

  She patiently waited for Shadow to hunt down any crumbs that had escaped to the floor. When he finished and plopped down on the bed, she scratched the back of his head.

  “I’m so glad to see you buddy! Hunter lives just off of Oak, so the shelter’s right on the way home from his place. I thought I’d stop by and see you since I haven’t been here in a few days! How are you doing?”

  Shadow wanted to tell Annie how bored he was, but couldn’t think of a good way to put it into terms a human would understand.

  “I bet it gets pretty boring in here, huh?” said Annie.

  Shadow licked her face. Somehow, Annie always understood. It was one of the many things he loved about her.

  “Don’t worry, soon the weather will warm up and you can go hang out in the dog run! Then you’ll get to be outside for longer. And you’ll get to be around the other puppies more!” Annie had a way of calling dogs puppies no matter how old they were.

  “Are you excited for spring, Shadow? I tell ya’ buddy, this snow stuff isn’t for me. I don’t like driving in it, or walking in it. And if my hands get too cold, my fingers turn all white, starting right here at the second knuckle. Then it takes forever for me to be able to even feel them again. I guess I should move somewhere warmer. Someday when I’m rich, right?”

  Shadow couldn’t understand why Annie complained about something as fun as snow so much. He loved the little things she told him though, so he listened anyway.

  “I have tomorrow off too and I’m going to spend it with Hunter, but I’ll be back on Tuesday! I got lucky and landed three days in a row off this week, so I’ve been spending lots of time with Ollie and Cam and Hunter. I wish you c
ould meet them. I think you’d like them all.”

  She paused and looked at Shadow. “How silly of me! I’ve never told you that much about any of them besides Hunter, have I?”

  Shadow wagged his tail, eager to hear more about Cam and Oliver. Annie was so thoughtful, always sure to keep him in the loop. Every other human talked to him like a dog, but Annie talked to him like she was talking to another human. Never mind that he didn’t understand half of what she said. He loved her for it anyway.

  “Both Cam and Ollie came from here. Oliver’s five, but he still has a lot of puppy energy. If it’s still light out when I get home, I usually try to run him so he doesn’t chew up my stuff. He sleeps in bed with me, and always burrows through the blankets down to the very bottom of the bed.”

  She laughed. “Then he farts all night and I have to hold my breath when I get up in the morning!

  “Cam’s a little older. He’s actually a lot like you. He’s patient with Ollie and he’s starting to slow down a little bit, but he’s a happy guy. I don’t know what kind of dog he is, but he’s big. And of course he always wants to sit on my lap. Big dogs always seem to want to do that.”

  Annie laughed. Then she sighed and said, “I wish I could take you home to live with us, buddy. My landlord limits me to two dogs, which is actually the most I’ve been able to find in any apartment around here. She’s so strict about it though, and she’s so suspicious of me. Always doing random property inspections to make sure ‘my dogs didn’t wreck anything.’ ”

  “But you know what, buddy? I’m going to talk to her about it anyway. Maybe she’ll make an exception for you, since you’re so well-behaved. In the meantime, we’ll keep looking to find you a home!”

  Shadow gave Annie that open-mouthed smile, which lasted long after the conversation shifted away from homes and to the man, Hunter. He seemed to find a place in nearly every conversation, but Shadow didn’t mind. Annie’s perpetual smile somehow grew even wider when Hunter came up, and if she was happy, Shadow was happy.

  “Your breadstick came from Nonna’s—that’s where Hunter took me for dinner tonight. It’s this little Italian place just off of Cherry Street. It was so good. I was so excited when I found out that the breadsticks were just glazed with oil instead of butter, I think I ate a whole basket! But I made sure to save a little for you!

  “After dinner we went to his house and watched Empty Whisper. Have you ever seen that one? I didn’t like it much to be honest. Everyone said it was great, but I guess I’m just not into horror movies. I can’t even watch them unless I’m with Hunter.

  “Tomorrow we aren’t going out. Probably just a few drinks at his house. I’ll let you know how it goes!” Annie paused. “Hey, Hunter’s pretty good with Cam and Ollie… Maybe he could take you home! That would be cool, right? Then we’d all get to be together.

  “You know what? I’ll talk to him tomorrow, for sure! I’d be the happiest girl in the world if he gave you a home, and I don’t see a reason why he couldn’t. I know you haven’t met him, but don’t worry, I’ll scope ‘im out and report back!”

  She gave Shadow a mock salute and stood to leave. He followed her to the kennel’s gate, and she smiled. “I should probably get home to Cam and Ollie, but I’ll see you on Tuesday, alright buddy?”

  Shadow licked Annie’s hand, and she bent down to kiss the top of his head. Then she stepped out of the kennel and disappeared down the hallway, shushing the few barking dogs who were still awake. Shadow watched her go, and then returned to his bed still wearing that open-mouthed smile. Annie’s visits always left him with plenty of questions, such as where Cherry Street was, but there was no question about why she made him smile. She made his heart feel warm, and going to bed with a warm heart always made for the best nights.

  Bit by bit, Shadow was breaking his vow to never love a human again. He knew it was happening, but had given up on fighting it. He had tried to hold out over the months, but he was only a dog, and a dog’s heart is made to love. How could he not love a human who cared for him so much?

  With the realization that he loved Annie came the realization that he still loved his old family too. That hurt, but the pain seemed to disappear whenever Annie was around. Perhaps it was time to stop letting his old family keep him from being happy.

  For the rest of the night, Shadow couldn’t help but think about going for a walk with Annie on Tuesday. And then there was the idea of meeting this man she talked about so much. Two possible homes, all in the same day.

  His tail didn’t stop wagging until the moment he fell asleep.

  Chapter 9

  As promised, Annie took Shadow for a walk when Tuesday came. Spring had arrived in full force, and the smells of a hundred plants and animals coming out of their winter slumber assaulted Shadow’s nostrils.

  By the time they reached the trail behind the shelter, some of the smells were so strong that Shadow could taste them. Fresh grass. The faint scent of a few baby leaves budding on otherwise bare trees. Squirrels, hiding somewhere deep in the forest off to the left. The recently returned birds, who added sounds to the smells.

  He drank it all in, smiling up at Annie the entire time.

  “Isn’t this wonderful?” she asked.

  Shadow had to agree that it was wonderful. He loved the snow, but somehow he always forgot about the explosion of life that came with each spring. The once-tranquil world was suddenly full of sound, and every creature had their own song to sing. An entire orchestra waited in the woods near the path, warming up for summer’s grand presentation. Even if spring meant the inevitable disappearance of snow, it was certainly wonderful in its own way.

  Annie allowed Shadow to absorb spring’s sudden arrival for a while, but she couldn’t stay quiet for long. Shadow suspected she loved their talks as much as he did.

  “I heard someone came in last weekend, buddy. I heard he might adopt you! You didn’t tell me that!”

  Shadow’s only response was panting at Annie with that open-mouthed smile.

  “I knew you’d get to go home soon. You’re such a good boy.”

  A couple of birds darted across the path, chasing each other into the trees. Shadow and Annie watched them disappear, and then resumed walking in silence. When Annie spoke again, her voice sounded subdued. Or had it been subdued before? Shadow had been too enthralled by spring to notice, but he suddenly realized Annie’s entire mood had been subdued all day. She clearly needed to get something off her chest.

  “Hunter and I had our first big fight last night. We’ve had little disagreements before, and I guess I knew a big one was coming sometime. It’s normal to argue every once and a while, I guess. He did something that really bothered me though.”

  They paused at the usual turning point and headed back toward the shelter. Shadow anxiously stared up at Annie, still panting but no longer smiling. Something was wrong. He could hear it in her voice.

  “We got into shouting a little bit, which I guess isn’t so bad. I was shouting too. But at one point, he reached out and swiped a lamp off of a side table. Just smacked it to the ground, and the whole thing shattered. It really scared me.

  “I don’t know why it bothered me so much. I guess people who express their anger by breaking things just seem… out of control to me, you know? I called a cab and left right away. I didn’t even wait for it inside, just stood on the curb. At least it was warm last night.”

  Annie thought for a moment and added, “I don’t know buddy, maybe I’m just overreacting. He’s never done anything like that before. We both had a little more to drink than usual last night, so I wonder if that was part of it. He called this morning and apologized, so I think everything’s probably alright.

  “Oh and I um… didn’t get a chance to talk to him about taking you home because of what happened. I think maybe I’ll wait a little bit on that.”

  Annie held the shelter’s door open and led Shadow through the series of hallways back to his kennel. After taking off his leash, she made
sure to give him a few good scratches.

  “You’re such a good listener,” she said. “Thanks buddy.”

  Annie left to take other dogs for walks, but came back later to show Shadow the dog run. She explained that the weather was nice today, so they were going to open it up, but that Shadow shouldn’t get too used to it because there were probably still a few cold days left in the year.

  The dog run turned out to be a large, fenced-in area on the shelter’s west side. Shadow loved it from the moment he set foot in it. Overhead was open sky, and he could hear and smell all that the nearby forest had to offer. A bird flitted by overhead, yielding a series of barks from a pair of younger dogs in the center of the run.

  Even better than the dog run itself was the fact that Riley was already waiting near the fence. She had positioned herself far from the noise and antics of the other dogs, and Shadow admired her wisdom. He never would have thought of that, and probably would have ended up with a ball or paw in the face.

  Shadow retrieved a toy—some long, hard thing made for chewing—and plopped down next to Riley. He positioned the toy so he could chew on half, leaving the other half available for Riley. She quickly got the message, and they happily gnawed together until Riley fell asleep. Shadow waited quietly while she slept, deciding he’d rather enjoy the time outside than waste it by sleeping. The sun warmed his fur, and Riley’s gentle breathing added to the symphony of sounds coming from the nearby woods. It was a perfect day, and Shadow felt better than he had in months. He even briefly considered joining the dogs chasing each other across the run, but ultimately decided he was happier just watching. It was enough to simply imagine running that fast again.

  Shadow stayed by Riley’s side all afternoon, until the sun dropped low and Kim came to take them back inside. He missed the dog run as soon as they left, and hoped he’d be able to return soon.

  He did return, twice more that week. Each time, Shadow trotted straight to the sunspot, where Riley was already waiting. They stayed there all afternoon, basking in the gentle spring sun together. There was no need to chase each other around like the younger dogs; each one’s presence was enough for the other.