Chapter Five: Malikai

"Don't name it." Her father grabbed her hand but she refused.

"Can we please keep him!" Indala asked and her father sighed.

"We are going to be late for our taxi, we don't have time." Her father tighten the grip on her wrist and pulled her to him. Causing her to fall and let go of me.

"Ow dad it hurts!" Indala cried out as she fell on her knees in the concrete, blood already forming.

I let out the first growl in my life and charged her father biting his shoe.

"Get lost mutt." Her Father kicked me a good couple feet away making me cry out and whimper.

My mother came running my way, her growls terrifying even to me. She stood over me and bark ferociously at Indala's father.

"Shit," Her father cursed, putting Indala behind her.

Headlights shone on us as a dog catcher stopped in front of us.

"What's going on here!" Mr Smith exclaimed as he exited the door of his shop.

"Your dog is threatening us!" Indala's father explained as a dog catcher walked over with a weird device in his hand.

"Don't lie dad! You kicked her puppy!" Indala defended us and her Father held onto her wrist tighter. No one saw Indala wince in pain except me.

I ran to her father and bit his shoe again, but only to be kicked again, only harder.

Mother let out a terrifying bark before charging the man. I watched weakly as mother tried to bite the man. Only to have a metal rope around her neck. The dog catcher held on to his device tightly as mother tried to escape to no avail.

"Let Roxie go! She was only defending her puppy!" Mr. Smith yelled angrily as they forced mother in a metal cage.

Indala's father quickly left the scene as Mr. Smith and the dog catcher argued.

I whimpered as the dog catcher tried to grab me. My mother was barking crazily in the car, she was frightened, which terrified me.

I ran away back towards the woods, they didn't bother to chase me. Mr. Smith was too busy picking a fight with the dog catcher and Indala was gone.

With the distraction I made it safely past the street and into the tall grass. I kept walking after that, leaving everything behind me.

The sun had fully set making everything dark. I whimpered afraid, this was the first time I was alone.

"That was a sad sight," A feminine voice spoke and I whimpered again.

"Leave me alone!" I barked out as the creature moved toward me.

"Sure, as soon as you go back over there." The figure approached, it was a young female cat. Her coat was white yet her hair tail was striped with light tan brown that almost looked golden, even in the dark.

"I can't go back! They're going to hurt me." I cried out and the cat curled around me, purring softly.

"No they're going to send you to a shelter," The cat paused, " Then again that is not much better." The cat thought out loud and I welcomed her comforting touch.

"Why are you helping me?" I questioned and she smiled

"You're just a pup, it's too dangerous for you here." The cat warned me as she laid down.

"What should I do?" I questioned as the darkness of the night consumed us.

"What do you wish to do?" The cat asked me and I thought about it.

"I want to find that girl, she wanted to adopt me!" I barked and wagged my tail, I wanted to see her again.

"That won't be easy, they left for the airport. I doubt we can track them down normally. However you are in luck little pup, I'll help you." The cat told me and I barked happily.

"Thank you! What's your name? Mines Rusty! My girl just named me!"

"Mines Malikai, follow me, I'll make sure you are safe tonight," She told me and walked through the grass. I followed her through the darkness until she led me to a tree.

It was a den, similar to my birth den but smaller. She motioned me in and I squeezed through the entrance. Then I settled down and expected her to lay next to me but she didn't.

"I'll be back, I need to gather some supplies if we want to find your girl," Malikai told me and I whimpered.

"Let me go with you!" I whimpered, I didn't want to be alone.

"Rest, we have a long journey ahead of us." With those words she left me alone in the hole.

~~~~