Chapter 92 - To Save Humans

  Cerberus had hated being alone. When George died, he’d thought he would be that way forever. No person to love and feed him. No one to pet or hold him. No more walks. No more gentle, quiet talks. He still missed George a lot, and thought about his human friend often. More than anything else, he wished George was still alive, because if he was, then Cerberus could save him.

  He’d discovered his ability to save humans soon after the Wild Magic struck him and changed his form. Since that night, when the Magic healed his wounds and changed his shape, he’d walked on two legs, instead of four. His form, always strong, was now wildly more so. His claws were longer and sharper. His teeth, too. He’d used those claws and teeth to rend and tear his enemies, both the green-skinned things and the humans who’d harmed George.

  Those bad humans were all dead, now. He recalled how it had happened without any trouble, thanks to the enhancements magic had brought him.

  After his change, he’d hunted them down, using his newly-enhanced sense of smell to find their trail, then follow them to their lair. Cerberus was smart enough now that he knew to wait until they were all asleep before attacking, so he waited in the shadows outside their home for them to slumber.

  When he struck, two of them were dead before they even woke up, their throats torn out. The other two died before they could so much as pick up a weapon. Cerberus found himself wishing he’d been that strong when they came to hurt George. He’d have been able to fight them off easily, then. They never would have been able to kill his human.

  He’d learned, from facing the green-skins, that when you killed something they dropped those little rocks, the ones that made him stronger. He went to each enemy body and touched it with a claw, collecting a few stones from each. Cerberus picked up a shoulder bag he found hanging from a wall peg and slipped the stones inside. He knew intuitively that he wanted to keep them.

  He stood there in the enemy den, staring at the carnage he’d created, wondering what he should do next, when something odd happened. Another human, a smaller female, entered the room and gasped.

  Cerberus whirled in place, jaws snapping. His teeth closed around her arm, and his nose was filled with her scent. She screamed, a high-pitched sound that rang in his ears.

  She wasn’t one of the ones who hurt George.

  Cerberus released her at once. He’d come there to slay George’s killers, not to hurt anyone else. She screamed again, then fell back against the wall, sliding to the floor while she clutched her arm. Cerberus watched her for a few moments, her blood still leaking from the accidental bite while she sobbed uncontrollably. He felt…regret? That was probably it. The feeling reminded him of how he’d felt when he chased a bouncy ball under the sofa and couldn’t get it back.

  George would always get the ball for him if he whined loud enough, back then. Now that George was gone, Cerberus figured he was going to have to figure out new ways of dealing with regret. He thought about it a few moments, while he continued watching the young woman. Then, he made a decision.

  Cerberus had hunched down, making himself smaller in the hopes that might make him seem less threatening. Then he crept forward, slowly moving closer to the woman. She stank of fear, and her breaths and heartbeat were getting faster as he drew nearer, but at least she didn’t try to run. Maybe that was because he’d made himself small? Or perhaps she was too scared to move? Either way, it made no difference. She was holding still, which is what he needed.

  He brought his muzzle in close to her arm. She was panting, hyperventilating. She didn’t move, though, not even when Cerberus extended his long, pink tongue and gently washed her wounded arm. He ran the raspy surface over the wound, cleaning it out, helping to make the wound clear so it would heal well. The punctures from his teeth tasted odd, like there was a little magic left behind within the injuries. He wasn’t sure what that meant, and could only act on the instinct that drove him to wash the wound.

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  By the time he was done, she’d passed out. Cerberus knew the world was dangerous, and the woman was helpless. He remained with her all through the rest of the night, standing guard to ensure her sleep was undisturbed. When first light hit, Cerberus found himself slipping into a doze, although he still remained just alert enough to react if something dangerous threatened them.

  A noise woke him. It was a soft whine, probably a not-threat, but he rose anyway, instantly alert. There were no new presences nearby; his keen senses told him that. They also warned him that the woman’s scent had changed.

  He whirled toward her, and saw a being that looked much like himself.

  She was covered with fur now, and stood a good two feet taller than she had before. Her ears were long, like his. Her snout was extended, like his, and full of teeth. Her hands, which used to be helpless human things, now ended in five long fingers, each tipped with a sharp claw. Her legs bent backward, like his. She even had a short tail!

  She looked at herself and whined, clearly confused and scared. Cerberus went to her side and gently washed her face, her ears, and her arm, although the injury from the night before had already closed. Soon, his new companion was able to get to her feet and amble around the space. It didn’t take long at all for her to get used to her new body, and then she was able to bound across the room effortlessly. She was strong now, like him. Fast, like him. She healed quickly, like him.

  That was how Cerberus learned he could save humans. His bite was magic now, too. If he bit a human, the bite would transform them into a creature just like him. They would go from being weak, helpless, vulnerable humans to powerful, strong, fast, deadly predators like himself, able to survive this new world. The regret he’d felt the night before for biting her was gone entirely. Before he’d bitten her, the woman was weak, desperate, and helpless. She was prey, before. Now, she was strong enough to live.

  The only regret Cerberus had left was that he hadn’t been able to do this in time to save George.

  But he promised himself that in George’s memory, he would save as many humans as he could. He would spread his gift as widely as possible. He would give them all the gift of strength, the gift of survival.

  It worked even better than he’d thought. In the short time since then, he and his new pack-mate had gone hunting for more humans to save. One of the first things they had found was that she had the same gifts as Cerberus. Her bite could also change humans, saving them from doom. They changed two more humans that morning, giving each a quick bite before letting them go. Both changed before noon, and joined the pack soon after.

  They communicated with each other using a combination of voice and body language. Cerberus was the first, and strongest, so the others all deferred to him. Oddly, none of the others remembered their human lives the way Cerberus remembered his life as a dog, though. Their past seemed muddled to them. They were locked into the now, not the past. That was fine with Cerberus, as it made them that much more loyal to his cause. He gave them new names, and since they were now dogs, he gave them names reminiscent of the ones he’d heard others call their dogs.

  By evening, his pack was two dozen strong.

  Where do we go now? Spot asked. He’d named her that for the white star on her forehead. Hunt? Or find more humans?

  Cerberus thought about that a moment. He had a pack to feed, now. Humans were off the menu, unless they were bad humans like the ones who’d hurt George, anyway. Humans were to be saved. But there were plenty of other things to eat, and his people needed food to survive.

  We hunt, tonight. The forest there is full of food. Animals, and green-skinned creatures, Cerberus said. Tomorrow, we will go south, though, and find more humans to save.

  That was his cause, his mission in life, his true purpose, after all. Keeping his pack fed, healthy, and safe was critical. But his passion was to save humans by giving them all the power they would need to survive this new world.

  Cerberus knew where there were plenty of humans, too. George had driven him places, sometimes. Riding in the car had been fun! One place he’d always loved was a place George called ‘Boston,’ which lay just a short drive to the south. Whenever they visited that place, there were always countless humans around. All of those humans were now in danger, and needed to be saved. Cerberus would save them. Tomorrow, he’d march his pack south and find more humans to rescue.

  He’d hated being alone. It was the worst feeling he’d ever experienced. But now, Cerberus had company all the time. He had a pack of beings just like himself around him. Tonight, they would feed on the green-skins infesting the woods, and whatever else they found there.

  Tomorrow, the pack would march south with one mission: to save as many humans as they could find. With so many saved humans, turned to be just like him, Cerberus would never be alone again.