C 1

A litter was born

To a mother alone

She whimpered and cried

Called for her mate

While the moon hung overhead

Fat and round and full

---

A terrible ringing sound battered his ears, jolting him awake; he knew very well what it was, but he couldn't help but let out a disgruntled growl. He felt his Girl lean over him, and heard her tap the annoying-ringy-waking-thing, and let out a quiet sigh as it fell silent.

His Girl flopped back down onto her pillow with a weary mone. "No tengo ganas de voy a la escuela hoy," she grumbled. Without opening his eyes, he reached up to lick her face, but missed and found himself licking her neck instead. She let out a laughing yelp, pushing his mouth away.

"¡No, Pancho!"

He opened one eye, blinking at her curiously. She pretended to glare at him, but saw that it was having no effect and simply gave up. She swatted his muzzle good-naturedly, before bending down to kiss his forehead. His tail thumped the bed as her soft lips gently brushed over his fur.

She yawned and stretched, her pink shirt just barely uncovering her dark stomach as she leaned back and reached towards the ceiling. "C'mon, Pancho," she mumbled sleepily, and rose to her feet.

He let out a tired whuffle, and yawned as well, giving himself a quick shake to brush his dreams away. He could barely remember them now; dreams were strange in that manner, fading so quickly he forgot he had dreamed them at all. Still, one was burning brightly in his mind, and he winced at the recollection. Try as he might, he could never forget his memory of Jake; it was one of the few things that had truly stuck with him for years.

How old was I when that happened? Two years, maybe? He wondered. It was a long time ago….He shook his head again. Time was a strange, misty thing, too deep for him to quite grasp.

His ears pricked as his Girl snapped, attempting to call him to attention. He blinked at her balefully, not wanting to surrender the warm of the covers, before finally giving the little stuffed bunny tucked between his paws a gentle nuzzle. He turned, springing off of the bed – ignoring its loud squeaks of protest – and trotting towards her, his plumed tail wagging. She patted his head, before turning and throwing open the door to her room with one hand, rubbing her eyes sleepily with the other.

He followed her down the hall, pausing as she entered another room, the room where People did their business first-thing in the morning; he obediently sat down as she closed the door behind her, and waited impatiently for her to appear. He stood up again as he heard the familiar sound of gushing water, and followed his Girl when she reappeared.

They trotted down the stairs together, and entered the kitchen; his black claws clacked gently against the green-blue tiles on the floor. He sat down, waiting somewhat impatiently as his Girl began to make herself dinner; his gaze drifted around the kitchen, looking from shiny-People-thing to shiny-People-thing, his stomach rumbling with hunger. He felt as though he was going to burst, and he was finally forced to remind his Girl with a gentle nip that although she had taken care of her needs, he had not. She obligingly slid back the shiny-clear door that led outside, and he sprang through with a happy yip.

He took in a deep breath of the outside air for a moment, simply savoring the slightly chilly air filling his lungs; he swept his gaze over his territory, filled with pride. It really wasn't too impressive – a small fenced in yard with a little pool and a slender tree – but to him it was a mighty castle.

He did a quick run around the fence, sniffing the boundaries with caution. He quickly marked the tree and then blinked into the little pool; the bright golden-orange fish were moving sluggishly underneath the dark water. He cocked his head to one side, watching them, knowing that they would soon stop moving entirely when the winter passed through; only when spring graced his little yard would the fish float back to life.

He peered into the water, letting out a quiet growl as he spotted another dog in the pool. He quickly looked over his shoulder, but as always there was no one there. Frowning, he stared back into the pool, sizing up the dog with caution.

The dog was large, probably about his own height; his fur was dark and long, just like Pancho's. He almost looked faintly wolfish, with his long muzzle and furry face, but his ears drooped slightly at the end and his brown eyes were much too soft to be that of a fearsome wild creature.

He wagged his tail experimentally, and the dog in the pool wagged back; his tail was long and flowing, and curled just slightly over his back, just like Pancho's did. Pancho was willing to bet that the reflection-dog's tail was black on the back and white underneath, just like his own was.

Pancho reached out one big tan paw, touching the pool experimentally; the other dog shimmered slightly, its face contorting, but its expression didn't change. Pancho leaned in so that his nose was almost touching the reflection, then lapped at the water. The reflection dog seemed to break up, disappearing so long as Pancho lapped up the water.

Pancho turned away, content that he had beaten the interloper, and padded back to the fence, peering through the narrow hole between two of the planks. It was Jake's old yard that he spied upon, but of course the big Labrador was no longer there; only a few months ago, Jake's People had moved away for good, and with them they had brought a cute little bundle of golden joy.

He let out a quiet woof, trying to call the little dog if she was outside, but she didn't appear; he frowned, and leaned in closer, trying to spy as much of her yard as he could.

Then, he heard the jingle of her collar, and the curly-furred golden puppy dashed towards him, yipping excitedly.

"Pancho, Pancho, Pancho!" she exclaimed. "How are you today?" Her stubby tail and her thick, low-hanging ears made her look absolutely adorable; Pancho couldn't help but wag his own tail in reply.

"I'm doing well," he said, and cocked his head to the side. "How about you, Goldie?"

"Everything is good, good, good!" she chirped brightly. "Today, Sunshine gave me some of her bacon! It was extra crispy and good!"

Pancho's pink tongue slipped out of his mouth, running over his muzzle as his mouth filled with water at the very thought. "Hopefully Bunny will give me something good today too. I should probably get back and see if she is done making her breakfast yet."

Goldie nodded quickly. "Okay. See you later then, Pancho!" She sprang up on her hind paws, straining to reach his big black nose as she did every day, but as always she was too short. Pancho let out a whuffling laugh, and bade her farewell with another wag of his tail.

He trotted towards the back porch, and pressed his nose against the shiny-clear door, testing to make sure that it was still there; too often he had dashed forward forgetting there was something between him and his Girl, and the results were never pretty.

He saw Bunny sitting down at the table, and let out a quiet whine, pushing his nose even harder against the shiny-clear door so that his breath fogged up the glass. Bunny's gaze darted towards him, and she rolled her eyes before standing and opening it for him.

He licked her hand in thanks, and headed immediately for the table, preparing to rear back on his hind paws to snap up her food; unfortunately, Bunny was prepared, and she blocked him with one hand, tapping his nose firmly.

"No no, Pancho," she scolded. "Tú vas a comer luego."

He gave her a pitiful look, resting his head on her leg. She sighed, and scratched him behind the ear with one hand while grabbing a piece of toast with the other. Pancho flinched as if every chewing sound was a tiny claw stabbing him, and Bunny let out another exasperated sigh.

"Bebé," she said, exasperated, and stood, heading towards the shiny-People-thing-of-cold. Immediately his ears perked up, and he followed her, tail thumping against the ground as he waited for her to finish rustling around inside.

She finally emerged with something clutched in her hands; she was trying to hide it, but there was no denying the sweet, sweet scent. His eyes widened as she finally revealed it: a single, creamy, perfect slice of cheese. Instantly, his mouth filled with water, and he let out a pathetic little whimper. Bunny laughed quietly, wiggling it just over his head.

"Abrázame," she ordered, and without hesitation he obeyed. He reared back onto his hind paws, then gripped her waist with his paws, hugging her tightly. This was the one command he really knew. Asking him to sit would only get a stare in response, he refused to roll over, and quite honestly he wasn't sure how to beg, but if there was one thing that he would do for Bunny it was to hug her. He had always obeyed, ever since he first learned the trick; he had even obeyed when Bunny and her friends had used the command to get him to sit still while they dressed him in all sorts of frilly People clothes and grabbed his front paws to dance with him.

Bunny smiled, and dropped the cheese; Pancho snapped at it but missed. It covered his eyes, and he snorted, shaking his head and sending the cheese flying; instantly he dove after it, wolfing it down in a single bite. He allowed the delicious cheesy tremor to run through his body, before letting out a loud, pleased bark, his tail wagging eagerly.

Bunny laughed again, rubbing his head fondly, before pointing towards two small, shiny metal bowls, where he knew his food and water waited. He trotted towards them and began crunching on the small brown kibbles waiting within, as Bunny munched on her toast.

Can it possibly get better than this? He wondered. A safe home, cheese in my belly, all the water I can drink…and most importantly, my Girl! What would I do without her?

He felt her hand touch his back, and he stopped eating for a moment to blink up at her. She had her backpack slung over one shoulder and her purse on the older, and was opening up the front door to go outside. She gave his back a final scratch before the door swung back behind her.

Pancho peered out through the door – there were really two of them, one made of wood, the other made of shiny-glass-stuff, but Bunny always forgot to close the wooden one – watching as Bunny went to stand on the street. Within only a few moments, the big-yellow-full-of-children-thing rolled up and opened its great mustard doors for her to enter. His tail wagged gently as he craned his neck to watch her go, blinking as she disappeared.

As he headed back to finish off his breakfast, he found himself thinking of his dream, the memory of Jake and his signs.

It's okay, Jake, if you're watching from the Shimmering, he thought. Bunny's still riding the big-yellow-full-of-children-thing. I don't think I have to worry about her leaving me…I don't see how she ever could. She loves me too much.

Satisfied with his meal, he let out a quiet burp, before heading back into Bunny's room and springing onto her bed. He nestled in her covers, breathing in her sweet, comforting scent and gently taking the stuffed rabbit lying next to her pillow in his jaws before closing his eyes.

. . .

Hours later, the sounds of a slamming door jolted him awake. He didn't bother raising his head, simply turning his ears slightly to hear better.

"If I've told her once I've told her a thousand times to lock the door!" he heard Bunny's Mother gripe. "Pancho? Pancho, where are you? If you're in her bed again, so help me…." He wasn't sure what she was angry about or what she wanted from him, but he figured it wasn't a good idea to keep her waiting. He leaped off of the bed and quickly ran downstairs. Bunny's Mother was waiting for him impatiently, the red collar and leash clashed tightly in her hands.

"Honestly, why should I be the one to do this," she grumbled. "I'm not the one who took in the stray…oh, if Bunny hadn't cried so hard when we said we were going to get rid of him, we'd never have him…come here, Pancho. Come!"

He cocked his head to one side, puzzled. He had heard his name several times, but the other words he didn't recognize. Bunny and Bunny's Father always spoke so eloquently, their keen tongues rolling the sounds, but Bunny's Mother's words were always harsh and stiff. He had the impression that she wasn't too fond of him, although he couldn't imagine why.

Maybe I should cheer her up; she might be having a hard day, he thought. The idea pleased him, so he trotted towards her and leaped up, ready to give her face a good licking, only to yelp as she smacked the top of his head and forced him back down. It didn't hurt, but whenever a Person struck him, he always felt faintly startled and betrayed. The feeling faded quickly enough, though, so when she clipped the collar around his neck, his tail was already wagging once more.

His walk was the brightest part of his day; it helped ease the anxiety and loneliness of not having Bunny around to play with him, plus there were always plenty of other dogs for him to meet and greet. He let out a happy bark at the thought, only for Bunny's Mother to shoosh him. She opened the door and he sprang outside, only to be jerked back as Bunny's Mother paused to meddle with the wooden door. He waited impatiently, shifting his weight eagerly from paw to paw. Finally she finished and headed down the front walk, pulling his leash. He hurried to catch up as they headed down the sidewalk together.

Pancho lifted his head eagerly to smell the air. He could smell the faintly smoky smell of the other nearby houses – some of them were probably already beginning to use their fire-makers to keep their homes warm and toasty. He felt a pang of longing for the flickering warmth, and hoped that his own People would begin using theirs soon.

He could smell the crunchy leaves littering the ground, as well as the comings and goings of the neighborhood squirrels. He paused for a moment to sniff one a patch of grass, nothing that a very pregnant squirrel had been there recently, before continuing on his way.

Soon his sharp nose picked up the scent of a dog. He let out a loud woof, recognizing it as the scent of one of his friends, Daisy. Sure enough, the tan-and-black dog was coming around the corner, trembling slightly with every step.

"Daisy!" Pancho barked, and Daisy nearly leaped out of her fur with fright. She relaxed only slightly when she saw who it was. Normally Pancho would have strained at his lease to greet her, but he could tell that she was particularly unnerved.

"What's the matter?" he asked, approaching her more slowly. She said nothing, simply moving to sniff him, and obligingly he stuck his nose underneath of her tail.

She's definitely scared, he thought, breathing in quickly. I wonder what has her so riled up? Oh, and she had bacon for breakfast too! It must be a special occasion for her.

"C-cheese, huh?" Daisy asked as she finished smelling him. Pancho grinned, his tongue lolling off to the side.

"Of course," he said. "You had some bacon, huh? I thought your People were always fussy about what you eat."

She nodded quickly, glancing up at her Person, who was looking slightly impatient. "Yeah. They were worried about me this morning because I wouldn't come out of my kennel…."

"Why not?"

"T-they got another dog!"

Daisy didn't usually make exclamations, so Pancho was fairly certain that she was very worried indeed. He gave her a sympathetic nuzzle.

"What kind of dog? Not a big scary one, surely?"

"N-no, she's really sm-small. Kind of like a little s-sausage, actually…but I don't like her. She was drinking out of my water bowl yesterday!" Daisy was quivering more violently than ever, and Pancho hastily nuzzled her again to calm her down.

"That's rough, I know, but I'm sure she's not really too bad," he said consolingly. "Give her a chance, won't you?"

"It's not j-j-just that. I've been hearing a-all sorts of n-n-noises lately. B-barks and g-growls and all sorts of t-terrible stuff." She shuddered. "I t-think it's those strays f-fighting again."

He cocked his head to one side. "I haven't heard anything."

"I live closer to them than y-you," she replied. Pancho opened his mouth, only to let out a disgruntled growl as Bunny's Mother jerked on his leash.

"I guess I've gotta go. See you tomorrow," he said quickly, not wanting Bunny's Mother to drag him halfway down the street. Daisy gave him a quick nod, before continuing on her way.

Stray dogs, huh? He thought. I've smelled some odd stuff around a few times, but nothing recently…poor Daisy. She's always been so high-strung….

Another scent caught his attention, and his tail immediately began moving back and forth vigorously as he recognized it. He let out a happy, excited bark and lunged forward as the dog, a slender female with a sleek dusty-golden coat appeared.

"Summer!" he exclaimed, bounding up to her and dragging Bunny's Mother along for the ride. Summer greeted him with a bright bark of her own, and they quickly began sniffing at one another.

"Cheese, huh?" she asked, warm affection in her voice. "You're one of the only dogs on the whole street that gets that stuff. Bunny's good to you."

"I know," he said, as he met her gentle brown eyes. The sunlight gleamed over her coat, making it shine and glimmer, and he felt heat rise to his face. "I'm lucky her Mother can't smell it, or she'd be angry. She hates it when Bunny feeds me People-food."

Summer sighed wistfully. "I wish my People would let me share their meals. People-food just smells so enticing…I'd love to try it. Maybe you could convince your Girl to go with mine to the park? They could have a picnic, and I bet we could get away with a few steaks at the very least."

Pancho grinned, loving the idea. "If I could talk Bunny into it, I would, but she only scratches my head when I try to say things. I've been working at it, though, and I think I'm getting better—the other day she threw a ball for me when I asked!"

Summer rolled her eyes. "I bet as soon as she did, you completely forgot what you were doing and just chased after it."

He nodded. "Yeah. But when I brought it back, she didn't seem to keen on playing with me…she was talking to the little-metal-trapped-voice again, and using her Mother's ugly words."

"Bunny and her Father sure do speak prettily," the female said admiringly. "I wish my own People did. Ah well. I love them even with their faults." She turned to affectionately lick her Person's hand.

He nodded in agreement, then blinked as he remembered Daisy. "Have you been hearing strange things around your house as well? Daisy has, and it's been scaring her."

Summer's eyes widened. "Oh, yes!" she cried. "I keep hearing them all around our home, yelling and barking and the like. It's bothering my poor People tremendously…those ruffians even had the audacity to leave us a little gift on our porch!"

Pancho shook his head at the thought. "They're all ruffians. I'm sorry that happened, Summer. If I was you, I'd be scared even to do my business."

Summer laughed. "Oh, don't worry. Male dogs don't hurt females, everyone knows that. At least, not the polite ones. It's simply not done!"

Pancho blinked slowly, wondering why such bold dogs wouldn't hurt a female, but he found it impossible not to agree with Summer when she was looking at him with her warm eyes. He simply nodded, then winced as Bunny's Mother tugged at his leash.

"I suppose you've got to go, Pancho, or your Person will absolutely throw a fit," Summer laughed. "Goodbye. Try to talk to Bunny about the picnic, okay? I would really like to taste some steak." She winked at him, and he grinned, tongue lolling to the side, until Bunny's Mother pulled at him again and he was forced to turn away.

It was some time before he caught scent of his third daily visitor; out of respect, he didn't bark, simply dipping his head to the older black-and-white dog, and giving him a careful sniff-over.

"How are you, Pancho?" He asked slowly. His thick, slightly curly fur stood out in all directions; on any other dog, it would have looked ridiculous, but he carried himself with a quiet, patient dignity.

"Very well, Basil. And you?" Pancho was careful to keep his tail slightly tucked out of respect; Basil was a wise dog who seemed to know absolutely everything about everything; he was the one the neighborhood went to for answers.

"My sleep has been slightly disturbed, I'm afraid; the riffraff have been causing a ruckus," Basil said dispassionately. Pancho blinked with surprise.

"Daisy and Summer both mentioned that too," he said. "They live pretty close to one another, but you're a bit farther down, right?"

Basil nodded gravely, the curled fur piled on top of his head wiggling from side to side like a bad hairpiece. "Indeed. The strays dogs must be having some sort of great conflict, for it to be so widespread. We should all be vigilant in case they decide to cause trouble."

Pancho shuddered at the idea. "A war of housepets against stray dogs…it would be a terrible thing."

"I'm sure our People would take care of us. They are mightier than any dog," Basil said wisely. "We must always place our trust in them above all else. Only with faith can we someday ascend to the Shimmering."

Pancho nodded agreeably; the Shimmering was one of Basil's favorite subjects. The older dog had endless theories about what waited for loyal housepets after deaths, and equally endless punishments for those dogs that were unfaithful to their People. He especially loved condemning stray dogs. Pancho wasn't partially to the idea of punishing strays, but at the same time Basil was extremely skilled at weaving beautiful images of the Shimmering in Pancho's mind, and he liked the older dog for that.

"So, you aren't too worried?" Pancho asked; if Basil wasn't worried, then he had no reason to be either.

Basil cocked his head to one side. "Perhaps I am a little worried…strays are unpredictable and rash. It's entirely possible that they would make the foolish decision to attack a housepet. Many of them envy us for living so close to People, and our relationships with said People. It's natural for them to be jealous, of course, and we shouldn't rub their noses in the fact, but at the same time such jealousy can only lead to trouble. That is why it is our duty to inform our People if we spot a stray, so that other People can come and take care of it."

"Like, give the stray a new home?" Pancho asked. "We could be helping the strays find their own People?"

Basil nodded gravely. "It's our duty to spread our Peoples' love. It is our sacred duty as dogs to help one another, so that all of us can ascend to the Shimmering."

Pancho nodded, placated; he didn't know any strays, but at the same time he didn't want to get any of them in trouble with the People. If they were just helping them, though, then surely it was okay….

If I see the White Spirit again, maybe…maybe I could try and tell Bunny about him….

He blinked, coming out of his reverie and realizing that Basil was already being led on his way. Pancho turned to watch him go, only for Bunny's Mother to snap.

"I don't have all day, dog," she growled. "I've got to get back to work…come on. It's embarrassing, having to drag a huge wolf down the street…."

He blinked up at her curiously, then licked her hand; her blue eyes softened for a moment, before quickly hardening, and she pulled at the leash once more. "We need to get home."

Pancho hastened to match her stride, trotting alongside her loyally as they hurried back home.

. . .

Pancho stopped lapping from his water bowl for only a moment, cocking his head to one side as he listening intently to the sounds just outside. He let out a happy growl as he heard the familiar sound of the big-yellow-full-of-children-thing pulling to a stop. He immediately hurried to the door, pressing his nose up against the shiny-clearness, resisting the urge to spring into the air as he saw his Girl getting out. She was laughing and waving to someone, but he didn't look to see who it was; all that he cared was that mere feet separated him from Bunny.

She entered the house and was immediately leaped upon and vigorously licked; she laughed, trying to push him away with one hand, but did not succeed. He whimpered with delight, tasking the sweet salty-deliciousness of her face.

If I didn't love her so much, I might just gobble her up, he thought fondly.

"Ssshssh, Pancho," she scolded. "Tú estás muy alto."

He yipped, loving the sound of her voice washing over his ears, and finally stopped jumping long enough to press his nose against her thigh. She rolled her eyes, and gave him a quick scratch behind the ears.

"Yo tengo que hacer tarea," she said with a sigh. "Es muy importante. Vete jugar."

She sat down at the table and he followed, looking up at her balefully while resting his head on her knee. She frowned down at him, and pawed through her backpack; he turned and raced into her bedroom, coming back with the stuffed bunny in his jaws. His Girl frowned at him again.

"¡No puedo jugar con tú!" she snapped. His ears flattened, and he dropped the rabbit, tucking his tail between his legs sadly. Her gaze softened, and she sighed, rubbing his head ruefully.

"Yo tengo que hacer mucho," she said quietly. "Luego."

Pancho picked up his rabbit again, retreating to the living room, where he sprang onto the couch and rested his head on his paws, blinking out the window unhappily. Bunny always seemed to be busy with something or other nowadays; she didn't have time to play with him in the morning or the afternoon, or even before they curled up in bed together.

Ah well, he thought. Maybe tomorrow things will be better, and she won't be so busy….I guess we'll have to wait and see. I know my Girl won't keep me waiting forever.

AN: A few things (mostly stuff that Pancho couldn't possibly know):

Bunny's Mother is not actually Bunny's mother. She's her step-mother; Bunny's real mother was Mexican, just as Bunny's father is. BM does care for Bunny, which is part of why she agreed to adopt Pancho in the first place, to win favor with her new step-daughter.

Also, Bunny and Bunny's Father both speak Spanish. Most of it's not too important, but if you would like I can translate~

5,245 words.