Shadow

by Aris Austin

  That had been a given, as far as Shadow was concerned. Being hit by an out of control human was not the future he wanted, and he didn’t want to be with someone who had hurt his friend, anyway.

  Annie held the shelter’s back door open and then led Shadow through each of the following sets of doors. She returned him to his kennel and offhandedly mentioned that he might get some time in the dog run that afternoon, if it sounded good. It sounded very good to Shadow, so he licked Annie’s hand while she removed his leash.

  She had almost closed the gate on Shadow’s kennel when the door at the end of the hall slammed open. Dogs all over the hallway immediately started to bark, and Shadow and Annie both whirled to see what was happening. A man strode down the hall, making a beeline for Annie. His fists were clenched, as was his jaw. Bloodshot eyes were set deep into his face under a head of short blonde hair. Shadow had never seen the man before, but recognized the scent instantly. Hunter.

  Shadow shot a glance at Annie, who seemed to have frozen in place with her hand still against the partially-open kennel door. Just then, she seemed to find herself and dropped her hand to her side. She appeared relaxed, but Shadow could still hear her heart’s frantic rhythm from several feet away.

  “Hunter…” she said cautiously.

  Hunter stopped only a few steps away, his breath reeking of liquor. “It was an accident, Annie! You’ve got to trust me!”

  Annie’s fist clenched at her side. Hunter took another step. When he spoke again, every desperate syllable slurred into the next.

  “Please, Annie. You can’t throw away all we have based on one little night. You don’t want to look back in twenty years and realize you lost me over an exaggeration. It won’t happen again!”

  Annie opened her mouth, but Hunter pressed on. “Don’t you remember our first date? We went to that little Thai place with the name neither of us could pronounce. We were both so nervous, and you could barely speak until I admitted I was nervous, and then it was like everything was perfect between us, and then…we became best friends that night, Annie.

  “We’ve had so many experiences that are so much more important than what happened Saturday. Why aren’t you focusing on those as much as you’re focusing on Saturday? Think about all the walks with Cam and Ollie, or the movies we watched at my place, and how you almost always fell asleep on my shoulder before the movie was done, and that day in the rain—”

  Annie interrupted him. “Hunter…”

  “I love you, Annie!”

  Annie stepped back, apparently startled. The voices of barking dogs rushed in to fill the silence, and Annie had to speak over them when she found her words again. She stood firm, but Shadow detected a hint of a quiver in her speech.

  “No, Hunter. You don’t punch people you love.”

  Hunter looked startled, just as Annie had a moment earlier. Then his face twisted into a snarl. The barking rose to a cacophony. Deb and Anthony burst through the door, sprinting down the hall. Only Shadow remained perfectly silent, watching Hunter’s every move.

  “I made one mistake!” Hunter screamed. “That fight was your fault anyway, and you completely blew everything out of proportion. You wouldn’t exaggerate so much if you knew what it was like to really get hit, Annie! You want to know what it’s like? You wanna see how ridiculous you’re being? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?”

  He raised a hand to strike. Annie flinched only a little, staring stoically ahead instead of turning away. Deb and Anthony increased their pace, but anyone could see that they would never make it in time.

  With a noise that can only be described as a roar, Shadow barged through his kennel’s gate. He leapt between Hunter and Annie, ignoring the jarring pain that shot through his knees when he landed.

  The humans froze. The barking dogs fell silent. Only Shadow moved, snarling up at Hunter. Hunter didn’t lash out right away, but his eyes burned with barely contained fury. Shadow knew the man’s fist could come crashing down at any moment, but he wasn’t afraid. Only angry. Leave her alone!

  Hunter refused to back away from Annie, which only served to further enrage Shadow. He raised every inch of fur on his back, until he looked more like a small wolf than a dog. A growl rose from deep in his throat, revealing every gleaming inch of his teeth as it left his mouth. The teeth weren’t as sharp as they once were, but they were still sharp enough. Shadow snapped them together, punctuating every growl with the clash of teeth in case Hunter had any misconceptions about what they could do.

  That seemed to do it. The change Shadow had been looking for appeared in Hunter’s eyes: that subtle shift in the pupils, a slight quiver of the eyebrows. His anger was gone, swallowed up by fear. Slowly, he took exactly one step back.

  Shadow took exactly one step forward.

  Shadow paused when he heard sirens outside. It took several more seconds for Hunter to recognize the noise, but his eyes grew wide when he finally did. He whirled around, retreating down the hall so fast he was almost running. Shadow didn’t give chase, but he made sure to let out a menacing growl every time the man glanced over his shoulder. Hunter disappeared through the door, but Shadow’s ears told him everything eyesight couldn’t. A new voice that could only belong to the police officer. Slurred protests. Deb’s voice, angry and rushed. Clinking handcuffs. Shadow’s teeth remained bared until Hunter’s drunken voice moved outside and the door slammed shut behind him.

  Shadow tensed when a hand touched his back, but it was only Annie. She smoothed out his fur, knelt in front of him. Annie reeked of fear, so Shadow wagged his tail to let her know everything was okay. He hoped he hadn’t scared her.

  As the color returned to Annie’s face, she pressed her forehead against Shadow’s. A hand stroked the side of his neck, shaking only a little.

  Annie let out the breath she’d been holding. “That was really scary, buddy. You didn’t have to do that though. I don’t want you getting hurt, okay? You don’t need to put yourself in harm’s way for me.”

  After a long pause, she added, “Thank you.” Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and didn’t let go.

  Chapter 12

  The snowman was perfect. Or, as perfect as a snowman made in only two inches of snow could be. Bel and Bri had used nearly all of the snow in the yard to make it, and despite the fact that it contained almost as much grass as snow, they were proud of their creation.

  The children posed on either side of their snowman while Brian pulled up the camera on his phone. Shadow was there too, seated just in front of Brian and trying his very best to restrain himself.

  He failed.

  Just as the camera clicked, Shadow rushed in and lunged for the snowman’s nose. He ripped the carrot free, and the snowman’s face exploded into a million tiny snowflakes. Cries of dismay came from the children, who immediately began to pursue Shadow. Eating while fleeing was a skill any smart dog learned early in life though, so the carrot never stood a chance.

  Once Shadow had finished eating, he sat and gave the children his open-mouthed smile. He loved carrots. They were the only vegetable he liked, in fact.

  Bel had some especially harsh words for Shadow, but Brian defended him, explaining that dogs didn’t know any better. Then with a gentle laugh, he put Shadow inside so the children could reconstruct their snowman’s head. When it was done, they used a rock for the nose instead of a carrot.

  Shadow woke up and blinked the sun out of his eyes. The light streaming through the kennel’s window had moved from his belly to his face, making it much too bright to sleep.

  Yawning, Shadow rolled over and shook himself off before limping to his food bowl. The dream had amused him, despite the pain of remembering his old family. He remembered that day well. Four winters ago, on the year’s first day of snow. He’d been younger, and didn’t possess quite the same sense of control he’d learned since then. His younger self’s antics had been quite entertaining.

  Dreams were the only places Shadow still ran. The long months since the incident
with Hunter had been quiet and uneventful, but the time spent in the kennel had still taken its toll on his knees. Despite daily walks and the time out in the dog run, Shadow’s arthritis had progressed at such an alarming rate that Anthony had recently put him on a small dose of pain medication. When the shelter volunteers first started hiding the pills in his food, Shadow had diligently eaten around them. However, that only led to the pills being stuffed down his throat later, so he quickly decided it would just be easier to eat what was in the dish. The medicine helped some, but not much.

  Seeing that his food bowl was empty, Shadow sat down by the gate. It was nearly time to go out to the dog run, and he couldn’t wait to bask in the sun by Riley’s side. He and Riley had been allowed outside nearly every day during the summer, since the warm sun seemed to ease the stiffness in their joints. As far as Shadow was concerned though, it was Riley that made the trips outside truly worthwhile. Her gentle presence was more comforting than the sun could ever hope to be.

  When Annie finally came to take Shadow outside, he panted with excitement. Annie had seemed happier over the past few months, and there hadn’t been any more incidents with Hunter. She had tried to explain that Hunter couldn’t see her anymore because of something called a restraining order, but Shadow couldn’t quite understand all of the details. Not that it mattered, as long as Annie was safe. Her black eye was fully healed, the gash had faded into a pale scar, and they had taken plenty of wonderful walks together during the course of the summer.

  Annie held the door open and Shadow stepped out into the dog run. He headed for the spot where he always met with Riley, but then stopped in his tracks. Riley wasn’t there, but that didn’t make any sense. Riley always went out to the dog run before Shadow did. Every time he arrived, she was already waiting in their sunny spot.

  Shadow limped around the edges of the dog run, but couldn’t find Riley anywhere. Traces of her scent lingered in the napping spot, but they were at least a day old. Confused, Shadow settled down to wait for his friend.

  Annie sighed and crossed the dog run. She sat on the ground next to Shadow, resting a hand on his back before sighing again. She had her bad news smell on, which made him nervous. Something was wrong.

  “Hey buddy, I have something to tell you. Riley…she’s not here anymore. She was really old, and she got sick last night…do you understand?

  “I’m sorry buddy. I know you really loved her.”

  Shadow didn’t fully understand, but he got the message. Riley was gone.

  He rested his chin on the ground and shut his eyes. That old, familiar heartache had already started seeping into his chest. It wasn’t overpowering, the way it had been when Brian abandoned him, but it would grow. The longer Shadow went without Riley, the more he would miss her.

  Annie scratched the back of Shadow’s neck. “I have to go in and get some work done, buddy. But I’ll be back out when I can. I promise.”

  Shadow sighed in acknowledgement, but didn’t move when Annie got up to leave. Suddenly, being outside didn’t sound fun anymore. Several dogs played on the other side of the run, but their youthful energy didn’t bring Shadow any of the joy it should have. Riley was gone. So was her comforting presence, her steady breathing at his side. Every scent felt suddenly fainter, every sound a little farther off. Losing Riley was about more than just losing a friend. It was losing part of what made life loveable.

  After a time, Shadow slipped off to sleep and spent the afternoon drifting in and out of consciousness. The warm summer sun made napping easy, but it felt all wrong without Riley at his side. That was where she belonged, and her absence left Shadow cold and exposed.

  Annie returned after an indeterminable amount of time, waking Shadow up from a horrible dream where Riley was somewhere off in the woods, barking for help. Annie’s hands stroked Shadow’s neck, and she gently cradled his head in her lap. She didn’t say anything, but her presence was enough. She understood that.

  After drifting off to sleep a few more times, Shadow looked up and gave Annie a few halfhearted licks. The sun’s position told him it must be close to closing time at the shelter, but Annie made no move to get up.

  She gave Shadow a grim smile. “I know this isn’t the best time, buddy, but I have something else to tell you. I’m not going to be able to take you home. I’m really sorry. I think I kinda convinced myself it would happen.

  “I talked to my landlord twice, but she didn’t budge. I threatened to move, but I’m not really in any position to break a lease and she knows it. I offered to pay extra rent, but she still said no. ‘Two dogs per apartment, max,’ she said. Then she gave me this lecture about making exceptions to the rules and how if she does something for me, she has to do it for everyone. Sounded like my mom back when I was in high school.

  “There might be some houses that let people have more than two dogs, but I really can’t afford a house. I’m really sorry buddy. I just can’t make it work. I wish I could.”

  Shadow didn’t understand much about landlords or leasing agreements, but Annie’s voice told him she really was sorry. He hadn’t ever really expected to go home with Annie, because she’d made it clear a long time ago that she couldn’t do it. The important thing was that Annie couldn’t take him home, rather than wouldn’t. Shadow understood that much, and he still loved her all the same.

  Annie straightened, jostling Shadow’s head around in her lap. “You’re going to get adopted though, buddy. This morning I went to Deb and sponsored your adoption fee. That means whoever adopts you now doesn’t have to pay a cent. I’ll be paying it instead. Shots, a leash, and you, all for free. No one can resist that, right?”

  She smiled at Shadow, and this time the smile was real. Annie’s optimism was contagious, and no setback could keep her down for very long. Gazing up at her face, Shadow couldn’t help but feel a trickle of warmth. If there was anyone who could lessen the pain of losing Riley, it was Annie.

  “Next week is the Fall Adoption Fair. We do it every September. It’s three days long and it’s our biggest adoption event of the year. I didn’t work here back then, but I hear that four years ago, every single dog in the shelter got adopted. If you don’t get adopted by the time the fair comes around, I know someone will take you home then. Just hang in there, buddy.”

  Chapter 13

  The Fall Adoption Fair was an even bigger event than Annie had described. The entire thing took place at City Park, so the dogs were to be transported by a fleet of volunteer vehicles. Annie made Shadow promise to be good every day for the week leading up to it.

  On the morning of the first day, an army of humans showed up to ferry dogs to and from the park. Before the sun was even up, dogs were being led out of the long hallway in what may have been the most chaotic spectacle Shadow had ever seen. Most dogs caused trouble, pulling on their leashes or barking loudly. Shadow tried to set a good example for the younger dogs, since Annie had asked him to do so. It didn’t seem to do much good, but he still sat patiently at the front of his kennel and padded softly after Annie when his turn came.

  Out in the parking lot, Annie opened the door to a beat-up SUV and lifted Shadow inside. The inability to get in and out of cars without help was embarrassing, but Shadow didn’t mind as long as it was Annie doing the lifting. As he positioned himself in a seat, a twinge of puppy excitement leaped into Shadow’s heart. He hadn’t been in a car for a very long time, and car rides often lead to wonderful adventures. Even better, this car smelled like Annie.

  Shadow sniffed at one of the seats to make certain the car belonged to Annie, and she gave him a quick pat on the back. “That’s right buddy. I made sure you were with me.”

  Annie closed the door and went back into the shelter, so Shadow occupied himself by sniffing around the interior of the car. The scent of old shoes emanated from the trunk, mingling with the dusty scent of the seats. Annie’s dogs’ scents were there too. Ollie’s excitement and Cam’s patience lingered on every surface of the car, and lost strand
s of their fur had become embedded in the seats. No doubt Annie took them for all sorts of adventures in the car.

  By the time Annie returned and swung into the driver’s seat, Shadow shared the back with two other dogs. Annie introduced them to each other while she started the car. The pit bull to Shadow’s left was named Mango, while the beagle on his right was named Scott. Annie seemed to find it amusing that Scott was a girl, but Shadow didn’t mind. He had never understood why humans thought boys and girls weren’t allowed to have the same kinds of names anyway.

  Annie’s voice dropped off when they reached the exit to the parking lot. She waited for an oncoming truck to pass, then touched the accelerator with her foot. The car’s tires briefly slipped on a patch of loose gravel, but then the vehicle lurched onto the road and picked up speed. Annie squinted into the rising sun for a few moments, but finally gave in and reached for a pair of sunglasses.

  “I ended up with three of you because you’re all so well behaved,” she said. “Most other cars could only take one dog, maybe two.

  “You should all be proud! You’re the best-behaved dogs in the shelter! So stay on your best behavior at the park too, okay?”

  The ride to the park was short, but Shadow made the most of it by taking in every tree and house that whizzed by. He had always loved car rides. When he had been younger, Brian would roll down the windows so Shadow could lean out. With the wind whipping past his fur, he felt like he could fly.

  Annie snapped Shadow out of his daydream by suddenly cranking up the radio and shouting “I love this song!” She danced in her seat, shoulders bobbing up and down. Without moving her gaze from the road, she shouted, “Sing, puppies!” and launched into an exaggerated version of the song from the radio. Mango offered a couple of encouraging barks when Annie missed a high note, but other than that, none of the puppies sang. As soon as the park came into view, Annie stopped singing and dancing, apparently too embarrassed to let any other humans see the performance. With a straight face and firm gaze, she whipped the car into a parking space. Then she glanced in the rearview mirror and said, “Alright puppies! I want an empty car when I go home today! I want you all to get adopted!”