I saw nothing.
I felt nothing.
I was weightless and without pain.
Actually, there was one thing, and it was quite familiar. I couldn’t see it as much as I was just aware of it. I wonder if this is how my brothers and sisters saw stats? Not a screen in front of me… just awareness.
Health: 0/480
That second number had gotten nice and high since the last time I was in this state, and I had come back from 0 once before. But I didn’t think that would happen again. Dad wasn’t around to save me this time.
Yeah, I’m definitely dead for good.
Probably.
I could still think, so that was something, wasn’t it?
I was just sad that after everything, I wouldn’t get to see the rest of my family again. At least I got to spend some time with Lily and help her survive until now.
Maybe she would chase down the last red mask who went running and complete the quest. Then maybe she would keep growing and become so powerful she’d be able to accomplish what I couldn’t.
Iris, Luke, Ben, Jerry, and Mom…
I hoped Lily would get to see them all again.
For now, there was nothing left I could do but surrender to the nothingness of death.
…
…
But then, something nudged me. Something soft and clumsy.
There was a ringing in my ears—a high-pitched drone—but something was wobbling beyond it. Other sounds. The pitch slowly dulled until the other sounds began to bleed through, and it was something very familiar to me.
Yipping.
Lily? I thought. Is that you? Don’t worry about me; you have to go kill that other guy. You have to kill him and then get far, far away as fast as you can! If you don’t, more will come, and they will keep hunting you. Please, Lily! Just run!
But it wasn’t Lily.
As the ringing cleared more, I realized it wasn’t just one yipping pup; there were at least half a dozen of them.
I forced my eyes to open, and it was just as I thought. I was in a litter of puppies.
My tail wagged.
It was my family! I didn’t understand how, but I was back with them, and I was a little pup again!
I looked at my paw, turning it over before my eyes. It was small and stubby, lacking the vicious claws of my later evolutions.
Had it all been a really elaborate dream? Could we all really be together again? Maybe there was no such thing as humans in this world, and I was safely back in my den.
I started looking around, ready to greet my brothers and sisters that I hadn’t seen in so long.
But it didn’t take me long to realize something was wrong.
My eyes set on a lazy puppy. He lay on his back, stretching, lips curling in a content smile, and he had brown flopping ears and streaks of black, white, and brown along his face.
He was definitely not one of my brothers—we all had pitch-black fur!
I looked amongst the others crowded around me. A couple played, softly growling and wrestling with each other. Others found corners to curl up in and slept.
I don’t know any of these people!
They all had various colors to their fur, and were different sizes with different face shapes.
But why was I here?
I checked my surroundings a little more carefully. There was a flat barrier immediately around us, and no mama dog.
I forced my legs under myself and scuttled over to the side of the box, then did my best to walk up the cardboard wall with my front legs until I was standing on my hind legs and barely managing to poke my nose over the top of the box.
I sniffed. The air was cold against my nose, and there were some very unpleasant smells of smoke and old, rotting food. Then something cold and wet hit my nose.
I focused my eyes and looked to the sky. The sky was grey, not red, and it was snowing. Tiny flakes danced down from the sky, landing on my nose.
Then a shadow came over me—no, two! They were human!
Red masks!
I yipped angrily, demanding to know what they had done to me! These other pups must have been other kidnapping victims!
But why was I also a pup again? Some kind of magic?
As I growled menacingly at the two humans, my vision focused on them. They were not wearing masks. One was much smaller than the other, a little girl with her mother, and they both wore puffy coats.
“Don’t mind that one,” said a third human as he walked over. “She’s been acting like that all day.” He had a wad of green paper in his hand and was flipping through the rectangular strips, counting them.
“I don’t like that one…” the little girl sniffled.
The man laughed. “Yeah, she’s a feisty one. Why don’t you pick one of the others? Look, that boy there is nice and calm.”
My ears folded back as the man reached down and scooped up the lazy brown pup. I let my paws slide off the side of the cardboard wall and just stared, feeling completely baffled.
As the man held the pup out to the little girl, it licked her fingers, and she giggled. “I want this one!”
“Well, it’s settled then,” the mother said as the man set the pup into the little girl's arms. She laughed and held it against her chest as it licked her face. “How much did you say?”
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“Seventy-five,” the man answered.
The woman produced four of those rectangular papers, and the man traded them for one. “Thank you, ma’am. Have a nice day now!”
The mother and daughter walked away, and the last I heard of them was the mother asking, “So what are you going to name him?”
“Ummmm…” The girl hesitated, and if she answered, I didn’t hear before they were out of earshot.
The man pointed down at me. “Now you'd better start behaving, or no one will want you. Got that?” he said with a chastising tone.
I just stared back, completely confused, but with the alarm of my recent battle fading, I began to piece this together rationally.
I was back on Earth, and that was money. This guy was selling us. But why was I here? I padded over to a corner of the box and just lay down.
Was this a dream? How could I be a puppy again and back on Earth?
I gave a mental command to check my stats, but nothing happened. I narrowed my eyes at the man who paced around outside the box, counting his money. I tried to use death mark. Again, nothing happened.
Pulse sense?
Nothing.
Marrow sense?
Still nothing.
Damn it… What the hell is going on? I need to get back to the other world and find Lily!
But I had no idea how to do that, or if it was even possible. So I just lay in that corner of the box and watched as another human came by and purchased one of the other pups. These pups all seemed perfectly happy and content. Didn’t they realize what was happening?
You’re all being sold as property! Don’t just accept that!
When another human reached down to try to pet me, I snapped at him, just barely missing his finger, and growled. He ended up buying another of the pups.
As the day went on, the box became less and less crowded, until the sky was dark and I was the only one left.
The man stared down at me with a frown as he stuffed his money into his jacket. “Just couldn’t learn to behave yourself, huh?”
I growled at him.
He sighed and shook his head as he kneeled down. “Now what the hell am I supposed to do with you?” Then, he started folding up the loose sides hanging off the top of the box and closed them, plunging me into darkness.
I jumped up and yipped angrily as I was sealed inside. Then, the ground shifted and tilted at an angle, causing me to fall and slide into the back corner. My new tiny world bounced with each of his steps as he carried me. I growled and barked in anger, swatting my pathetic stubby paws at the side of the box as if I could break through.
Next thing I knew, the world shifted a final time, throwing me flat against the wall as he put it down, but now the top was standing horizontally before me.
With a burst of effort, I crashed through, escaping the box, then looked all around, growling in warning at anything that might come at me. I didn’t see anything other than the man walking away down an alleyway.
Oh, no you don’t! I thought, then charged at him, my tiny legs carrying me until I lunged at the last moment.
Crippling bite!
He turned and kicked me while I was mid-air. His foot slammed into my tiny body and sent me flying backwards.
“Stupid fucking mutt. You had your chance!” he yelled at me. I was in a daze from the blow, and by the time I recovered, I saw him climbing into a car.
I growled softly and stretched my body, testing for injuries. It didn’t seem like anything was broken. I let out a resigned huff, then looked around more.
I was hungry… but I didn’t think I was likely to find any rabbits to hunt around here.
So, I started walking, leaving paw prints on the snowy streets. Cars zoomed by on the roadway beside me, but none of them stopped. The sky darkened more and more, but I didn’t really feel the cold. I guess even this pathetic puppy body was at least somewhat resistant to the cold temperatures.
But what am I supposed to do now? I don’t want to be here! I have to get back!
Was it even possible? Perhaps whenever I die, I’d just be sent to a new world? If I was dead in the last world, then maybe there really was no going back. This looked like the Earth from my past life’s memories, but I had no real proof that this was indeed Earth.
Then, my contemplation was interrupted by a voice. “Ohmygosh! Are you okay?”
I spun around to see a human coming towards me. I tensed back and growled.
“Oh, no, it’s okay.” The human stopped several paces back and crouched down as unthreateningly as possible. “Are you hungry?” she asked.
Slowly, I let my eyes focus on her face, and my puppy jaw dropped at what I saw.
It was me!
Or rather, it was the past me. Her dark skin, black hair, and blue eyes. I could remember that face from vague memories of looking into the mirror from my past life.
Lisha wore a puffy jacket and kept her hand extended, but did not make a move towards me. She just waited patiently. Her voice was calm and so sweet. “Come here, it’s really okay. I won’t hurt you.”
My teeth were still bared, but I was frozen, and the growl died in my throat. She smiled, then moved to sit on the curb. Freshly falling snowflakes dusted the knees of her jeans as she took her hand back.
She looked to the sky and continued to talk to me.
“It’s really cold out here. And it can be dangerous. I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep you, but I can keep you safe for at least tonight… After that, um… I’ll try to find a good home for you.” She looked at me and smiled. “I promise!”
Slowly, I walked closer. She didn’t make a move to grab me or try to draw me in. When I was close enough, I sat down, and she brought the back of her hand towards my muzzle. I sniffed it, and she giggled, then slowly turned her hand and patted my head.
Her touch was soft and comforting, and when she saw I was placated, she carefully scooped me up into her arms.
The cold hadn’t really bothered me, but nestled in the sleeves of her puffy jacket, I felt warm, safe, and comfortable.
“I live very close. Hopefully I get back before Mother, so it’s easier to sneak you in.”
As she walked, I was rocked softly in her arms, and my eyes began to feel heavy.
I didn’t understand this. Didn’t know what to make of it.
But I didn’t realize how tired I was until now. As my mind drifted away, it went back to my den. To wrestling with Luke, dodging Ben and Jerry’s fireballs, snuggling with Lily, watching Iris curiously as she kept to herself on the far side of the cave, the taste of Mom’s milk, and the security of looking over my shoulder to see Dad nearby, knowing he was keeping us safe.
Still held in Lisha’s arms, I fell asleep.
[Death Event Triggered]
[Warning: Vital State Mismatch Detected]
[Analyzing…]
[Analyzing…]
[Results Are Inconclusive]
[Reviewing Event Log]
[Event Order Violation Detected]
→ Death Event Timestamp: T+0
→ Soul Rend Resolution Timestamp: T+0.003
→ Kill Event (Level 18 Homo Sapian): T+0.0031
[Please Wait…]
[...]
[Soul Rend Activation: Success]
Foe Eliminated - Lvl 18 Homo Sapien - Bloody Peaks Tribe
Experience Gained!
Essence Extracted
89 health restored
32 mana restored
66 Stamina restored
+20 to all attributes
[Checking Death Event Status]
[Checking Vitals]
Health: 89 / 480
Mana: 37 / 312
Stamina: 79 / 224
[ERROR]
[Death Event Execution Mismatch]
[Attempting Death Event Rollback…]
[Rollback FAILED]
[Analyzing…]
[Consciousness Synchronization Mismatch]
[Please Wait…]
[CRITICAL ERROR!]
[Multiple Consciousness Forms Detected]
[Requesting Manual Error Event Resolution]
[System Administrator Notified]
[Awaiting Further Instruction…]
…
Achievement! 12j124b14kfsa9
Asdjqlf8 io123rr320 3r o23r90 3r32r 239ea80asdah aslasdd nasda8as82 je n2asefjasf~!
+-!!@d$a! Awarded!
