Kinship - Short Story
No one liked Maya’s puppy. He was the strangest puppy people had ever seen. His long droopy ears outlined his face like a picture frame. His body was too long, but also too short. His face too angular, but also blobby. His bark loud, but shrill. The other kids made fun of her dog, but it was not as though she had many choices. “Pick what you can find,” her father had said, his clothes still stained from his day at work. Her mother would not be off for another few hours yet. She had found him at the back of the kennel, seemingly happy by himself. When the kennel master opened the gate Rudolph moved so fast it was as though everyone else was in slow motion. He was on the kennel master in a moment, jaws shining white in the neon haze. “No,” Maya had said. Rudolph froze and turned to her, cocking his head. The kennel master had scrambled away, Maya put out her hand. Rudolph growled at her. Her father had grabbed her hand and tried to pull her away, but Maya stuck out her other hand to Rudolph. “Be a good boy,” she said, mustering as much might in her small ten year old voice as she could. Rudolph sat. This seemed to surprise her father and the kennel master, but not Maya. She had asked him nicely, that seemed to be the problem with most people. No one liked to be commanded. The kennel master waved a small shock stick at Rudolph, whose eyes went wide as the electricity highlighted the shadows in his face. “Don’t hurt my puppy!” Maya said, placing herself between Rudolph and the crackling rod. But, now Rudolph had run off as soon as the weather had gotten bad. She navigated over another log as another red streak painted the sky above. Lightning crackled above as more rocks fell from the sky, she could see them burning bright. “Not good for puppies to be out in this,” Maya muttered to herself, as she brushed the dirt from her knees after surmounting the log. She had a pretty good theory that Rudolph was out here, after all this was his favorite place to go walk. He led her, she didn’t think a leash made sense - after all she didn’t think her brother liked his “child leash” that their mother led him around on. Maya strained her eyes looking around, her small flashlight emblazoned with her favorite cartoon character fighting a losing battle with the dark overgrowth of the forest. The rain pattered off of her raincoat, the seams letting in water through to her t-shirt, already soaked through. She didn’t care. Surmounting the next log, she hoisted herself up and toppled down the raveen into the creek on the other side. Rain boots sloshing, she pulled herself up by a branch out of the water. She could feel her muscles beginning to creak and complain with the wetness and the cold. Thunder and other booms filled the distance.
But, Maya did not care. She could see a small glow of light in the distance. Willing her boots to stop sloshing, she approached as stealthily as she knew how. Three wolves dressed in people’s clothing surrounded her Rudolph in the clearing, speaking to him. “You’re coming with us,” the first growled, pointing at Rudolph, who was slumped into the corner. “It is time to leave,” the next said. The largest stood on his hind legs and gestured at the sky, waving a rifle, “It’s madness.” Rudolph backed into a corner, slowly standing on his hind legs. Maya felt her chest tighten, hefting the rock from the kennel master in her hand. She watched the three wolves approach Rudolph. The first opened its arms to grab him and Maya hefted the rock with all of her might. She watched it bounce off the head of the tallest wolf with an audible thunk, even above the chaos in the sky. “Ow,” the wolf said, turning around. Maya stood tall, her rain coat billowing in the wind behind her holding her flashlight like a fencing sword in front of her. “Stay away from my puppy,” she cried, her voice carrying on the wind. She lept into the clearing aiming for the wolf. In a flash, the wolf moved out of the way and she found herself tangled in its furry arms. She thrashed for a second before being set on the ground. “Is this the one?” One of the wolves asked. She heard Rudolph’s voice clear as day, “Yes.” Rudolph ran up to her, letting her pet his head. “Good, now it is time to go,” the pack leader said. Rudolph looked up at Maya, “Maya, it is time to go.” Fire streaked across the sky above and Maya heard more rumbling in the distance. “Let’s go.”