Chapter 16 (Patreon)

It still smelled like nighttime when an uncomfortable feeling awoke Maya. She opened her eyes to find herself curled up between her human and Bjorn. They were both fast asleep and storing—her human louder than Bjorn.

Maya wasn’t sure what had woken her up. Thinking it was just a dream, she didn’t move. Instead, the sheepdog took a moment to think about herself. It was as she had thought. With every passing sleep, her mind felt clearer and sharper. The old drives, wants and needs were still there, but now it felt like she had more control. Everything felt more deliberate.

As Maya carefully crept out from between her two friends, she noted how different her body felt too. Initially, she had just felt bigger, and with it had come longer legs. Maya felt stronger and faster to match her new form. However, the change she had experienced the previous morning somewhat scared her.

When Maya had gone to sleep, she still felt like an ordinary girl. She was a very good girl to get her human food and not get lost in the endless grass, but still a normal girl. After Maya woke up from her last sleep, everything felt different. In fact, she wondered whether she was still a dog anymore. It wasn’t just that she found herself asking questions about the world that she had never asked before, but she felt completely different.

When Maya first nudged Bjorn after the change, her poor friend had yelped and almost bowled over. He was still slightly bigger than her, but somehow despite her innocent intention, she had hurt him. After making sure he was okay, Maya didn’t feel the need to scarf it all down when human gave her breakfast. Instead, she found herself appreciating the meat, the vegetables, and every single taste a little more. Her human called it flavour. He had asked Maya several times before whether she liked the flavour of a treat or snack, ad she never understood what she meant before. After the last sleep, suddenly she got it.

The biggest surprise had come when she and Bjorn returned to the endless grass. Maya’s feet had carried her faster than ever before. At first, she was terrified when the world around her blurred, but then the love of the wind in her ears and tongue took over. The tastes and smells in the air were more distinct, and as Maya sped through the grass, she found herself capable of taking in more of it than ever before.

Poor Bjorn had struggled to keep up with her. His body was much too heavy, and his legs weren’t as powerful. However, Maya’s new friend hadn’t given up and chased her all day long. When she targeted bigger game than the day before, he had joined in. The deer was too fast for Bjorn, but Maya took had little trouble keeping up with them. Bjorn served his purpose by scaring the creatures and keeping them confused while she took down two of them.

While the herd ran, Bjorn gave in to the urge to chase after them, but she managed to suppress the desire to continue her pursuit. Instead, she had brought the prize back to her human, and Bjorn followed her example. Maya was a good girl. She knew the fact well—facts another new thing had learned. Facts weren’t what she believed but things that were always true. Her human was the best human she knew. That was a fact. The treats her human fed her when she got ill tasted terrible, but they made her feel better afterwards. That was another fact. Either way, her human called her the best girl for bringing back two deer, and she couldn’t be happier.

Maya was drifting back to sleep once again when the previous discomfort returned. It took her a moment to realise it was a sound. It hurt her ears deep inside but didn’t affect her human or Bjorn. She carefully crawled out of the home her human had built without making a sound. Maya stood still for a while, listening and then the sound came again, confirming that it was real, and it was coming from the endless green outside the gates.

Before exploring, Maya lapped up a stomach full of ice-cold water and relieved herself in the corner her human went. He had buried the mess for her when she forgot. It confirmed the fact that her human was the best human. There was no question about it.

Bjorn followed her out of the home and stretched. He opened his mouth in a wide yawn, and Maya smelt last night’s dinner on his breath. Even though she was tempted to get a closer sniff, she didn’t. Instead, Maya trotted downhill towards the wall her human was building, and Bjorn followed not long after. He nudged the side of her head with his own, and she licked his nose in response. Even though Bjorn was still scared of her human, he was a good boy. She wasn’t sure whether it was a fact, but Maya planned on making it one soon. Then they’d all get along as a pack.

As Maya approached the wall, the feeling of discomfort got more intense. Meanwhile, Bjorn still appeared unaware. It soon became clear that it was neither a sound nor smell that was bothering her. It was something else—something new.

When Maya picked up the pace, Bjorn made a yapping, almost human-like sound. She ignored the complaint. He had to run to keep up with her trot, but she was the best girl. He was still only a good buy, so he had no choice but to listen to her.

Once they arrived at the wall, Maya ran up the newly constructed stairs. Bjorn followed her warily, taking one step at a time. She didn’t understand his hesitation but didn’t give it much thought. The discomfort—more an annoyance now—got even stronger, and a moment’s scanning was enough for her to determine its source.

Four figures stood at the bottom of the slope where the tall grass started. Maya recognised two of the figures as the strange goat-men she and her human had fought not long ago. Unlike the attacking force, they didn’t wear ugly wooden armour, and their horns were much shorter. A short man with big feet, a long blunt nose, and pointed ears which stretched outside ways stood next to him.

Maya wasn’t sure how she knew, but a single glance was enough for her to determine that none of the three was her discomfort’s source. It was the only women among them. She was shorter than the goat-men but taller than the big nose. If not for the odd feeling Maya got from her and the long, pointed ears that extended upwards instead of sideways, she’d look different from a human. Then again, Maya had never seen a woman with skin as pale or hair as dark as hers. It looked like she was carved from the moon in the sky above her.

Despite the distance, Maya could see her eyes clearly. They were initially a beautiful steely-blue-grey. Then the woman saw Maya and her eyes shone with the same colour as the moon above. For a moment, Maya wondered what the moon was. She knew it was too high above her to reach, but could the woman be possibly from the moon? Or was the moon made of ladies like her?

Maya wasn’t too proud to admit that she didn’t know a whole lot, but it felt like people coming from the moon was a possibility. It was likely her human came from the moon too. For one, he didn’t age. She’d known him since she was a wee pup, had grown to full-size and been through several heats while with him. Maya had felt body change and age.

Meanwhile, her human had barely changed. The hair on his face came and went, but his eyes, skin and body didn’t seem any different from their meeting. She had seen her human care for other dogs while they travelled. They aged and died, but he didn’t. It would make sense if her human came from the moon. He was beautiful like it, after all.

By the time the strangers were halfway up the slope, Bjorn had made it to the top of the wall. He stretched again before joining her at its edge. The moment he saw the approaching people, his tail slipped between his legs, and the fur along his spine stood on its end. Maya sensed his fear the same way she often felt her human. He looked terrified. Her eyes darted between him and the strangers, and she was sure they were bad news. Her human needed alerting. So, she made the most logical move she could think of next. Maya turned her head to the sky and howled. Bjorn hesitated for a moment before giving himself a good shake. Then he joined in too.

A sliver of silver light shit past Maya’s head a moment later. She stopped her howl and lowered her head straight away. Moments later, another sliver came flying from the tall moon-skinned woman. It embedded in the stone by her feet and stayed in place. Maya identified it as an object similar to the sticks her master fire from his toy. The one in front of her looked like moonlight. However, it didn’t have the bird feathers on its tail like the others. He called them bolts. Bjorn barrelled into her, making her stagger, and another one flew through where her head had been moments ago.

The strangers meant them harm. Hoping her human had heard her call, Maya followed Bjorn down the stairs into the streets below. A high-pitched whine sounded from his throat all the while. Maya got the feeling that Bjorn knew them and was terrified.

Metal clanged on top f the wall behind them. While Bjorn ran up the hill back towards her human’s shelter, Maya’s curiosity got the best of her. She looked up behind her to see the moon-skinned woman floating in the air. Bright white wings spread from her shoulders, flapping gently. Then the goat-legged men joined her on top of the walls. The woman raised her hand more bolts of light formed around her. Maya knew better than to stand around much longer and took off as well.

As she ran uphill, Maya heard strange words spoken behind her. She had heard such words before. Then a high-pitched, nasal laugh sounded behind her. Not long after, two throaty bellows followed. Maya didn’t hear anything from the moon-skinned woman, though. However, the uncomfortable feeling was still there. It had intensified when the bolts whizzed by her head and peaked when she saw the wings.

When Maya heard clicks on the stone. It sounded like a horse landing after a short jump. The goat-men were within the city, and the others wouldn’t be far behind. Maya slowed—she had already caught up with Bjorn and was keeping up with him without issue—and howled once again. Then she heard her humans boots ahead. It wasn’t long before they encountered each other. He wore only a shirt, underwear and boots, but had his toy in hand with two bolts already sitting in it.

“What is it, girl?” Her human asked, falling to his knees. Bjorn stopped behind him, ears flat and tail still between his legs, but Maya knew she had to communicate with him. So, she thought hard of the goat-men, the big nose, and the moon-skinned woman with her wings out.

Her human winced, closing his eyes and clutching the side of his head. Then he shook his head and smiled. “Thank you, Maya. You did well to get to me.”

A flutter sounded behind them, and the moon-skinned woman landed atop a broken house’s roof. The wings disappeared as she looked down at them, but the bolts floating behind her multiplied. She studied the three of them before speaking.

“Where is Cumula?” She asked. “Why does her hound cower behind you?”