Hounded Page 2

  “What in the bloody hell kind of dog is that?” Thomas’s voice was full of disgust.

  “It’s a devil hound,” Sara Smith said from the doorway of the school house.

  “A what?”

  “A devil hound,” she repeated, descending from the stairs to join me at my side.

  “Sara, don’t get too close to it,” Mrs. Pots told her, still obviously afraid.

  “It’s alright, Mrs. Pots. This one looks friendly. They’re very rare, you know.” She leaned down to rub Fido between the ears, and he responded by licking her hand.

  I sighed in relief. It was the first time that Fido had been around anyone besides my family, and I hadn’t been sure how he would react.

  “What kind of a breed is devil hound? I’ve never heard of it before.” Thomas lowered the stick but refused to let it go.

  “It’s a magical breed.”

  I looked up at her curiously. Sara’s too large blue eyes were all seriousness.

  “Poppycock. There’s no such thing. That’s just a mutt with an eye disorder. You should take him to the vet.” Thomas finally tossed the stick with an exaggerated gesture, and Fido’s ears perked up as he watched it, debating on if he should fetch it or remain in the safety of my arms. He tried to pull away, but I held him tight, too afraid that he was in danger to chance letting him get away from me.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Pots. He must have chewed through his rope. I’ll take him home immediately.” I grabbed Fido by the collar and began dragging him down the road.

  When we got home, I discovered that he had, in fact, chewed through his rope to follow me. “Bad dog,” I chastised him, though I couldn’t stay angry at him for long. The pitiful face that he made when I yelled at him melted my heart almost the second I began reprimanding him. “What am I going to do with you?”

  He eyed me curiously as I tried to think about how to restrain him better while I was at school. Rope obviously wasn’t going to do the trick anymore.

  “I need a chain.” I sighed before snooping around in the barn to no avail.

  At dinner, I gave my uncle a cautious look before asking, “What’s a devil hound?”

  “I’ve never heard of such a thing. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, Fido chewed through his rope and followed me to school today. One of the kids called him a devil hound.”

  “He probably just said that because of his red eyes. That damn dog would scare the daylights out of anyone who didn’t know him. He looks pure evil.”

  I had never thought that, but then again, I knew Fido’s nature. Gentle and sweet as a kitten. I could only imagine what I would have thought if I were laying eyes on him for the first time. While he had grown quite a bit since we had gotten him, he was still a puppy. Not very threatening at all.

  “I don’t know what to do about keeping him at home.” I sighed in exasperation. “I could tie him up again, but he’ll just chew through the rope. You don’t happen to have a length of chain that I could use.”

  “Perhaps you should have thought about that before you gave away all of your dresses,” he replied harshly. “The money from them could have fetched you a decent chain.”

  “Victor,” Aunt Ophelia chastised him.

  “Well, just saying is all.” Uncle Victor stuffed a forkful of sausage in his mouth, ending the conversation.

  The next morning, I didn’t know what to do with Fido, so I just tied him up the same as always. Not surprisingly, by the time first recess arrived, he was sitting outside of the school waiting for me. I frowned down at his happy expression, his tail wagging with elation from seeing me.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Pots. I don’t know what to do with him. I don’t have a chain to keep him tied up with, and he can’t stay in our barn,” I apologized.

  She looked down at him wearily, ever fixed on his two glowing red eyes. “I suppose it’s alright, as long as he doesn’t disrupt class.”

  “Thank you.”

  Fido flanked my side as I began walking towards the large shade tree that we typically sat under, and the girls glared at him with disgust.

  “Keep that filthy thing away from me,” one of them said, refusing to sit in fear that he would take interest in her.

  “I hate dogs,” said another, quickly standing next to the first girl.

  I looked at Mindy with desperation in my eyes, but there was no remorse. She obviously wasn’t going to stand up for me.

  “Here boy,” I heard a fluttery voice say from behind me, and before I could even turn around, Fido was running towards Sara Smith, lavishing her in his sloppy kisses. She glanced up at me with a smile. “You can sit with me, if you like.”

  “Thank you,” I turned from the petty bitches and went to hang out with Sara instead.

  She seemed fascinated with Fido, looking him over as if she’d never seen a dog before. He enjoyed her strange affection, the way she checked inside his ears, and lifted his paws to examine the padding of his feet, and even opened his mouth to look at his gums. None of it seemed to bother him in the least. “He’s definitely a devil hound,” she concluded.

  “How do you know?” I asked, feeling a bit nervous being so secluded from the rest of the girls. They cast nasty glances in our direction, and I didn’t even want to imagine the things they were saying about Fido and I. It was depressing to lose such a large group of friends. But to be honest, I had kind of expected it. It hadn’t so much been a question of if as when.

  “Well, if the red eyes aren’t obvious enough,” Sara began with a smile, “do you see that triangular shape marking on the inside of his ear? It kind of looks like a mole.”

  I grabbed Fido’s ear and peered inside. There it was, a distinct black triangle. It looked oddly man-made. Too perfect to be natural.

  “Only devil hounds have that,” Sara informed me.

  “What exactly is a devil hound? Yesterday, you said it was a magical breed.”

  “It is. He’ll be a shape shifter when he gets older.”

  I was surprised by her tone. Dead serious, as if she actually believed what she was saying. It all sounded like a joke to me, and part of me really hoped that it was.

  “A shape shifter?”

  “Yes. An animal with the ability to turn into other things.”

  “What will he shape shift into?”

  “A man,” she replied plainly.

  My heart fluttered at the exciting prospect. “So, when he grows up, he’ll be a man?”

  “Not exactly. Devil hounds can shift back and forth. Their form is usually determined by their emotions. In the beginning, he won’t have much control over it, but eventually, he’ll be able to shift at will.”

  “What nonsense is this loon filling your head with?” Thomas asked, approaching from behind and causing me to jump.

  “It’s not nonsense,” Sara insisted.

  “Devil hound,” he huffed. “There’s no such thing.” Before Sara had a chance to speak again, Thomas turned his attention to me. “Why aren’t you sitting with the other more civilized ladies?”

  “They’re not very fond of my dog,” I tried to keep the bitterness from my voice.

  “Can you blame them? He looks like the puppy from hell.”

  I gritted my teeth, suddenly feeling like Thomas might not be as great as I had originally thought him to be.

  “I apologize for threatening your dog yesterday. I did not know he belonged to you. If I had, there would not have been a problem,” his tone softened, returning to the charming tenor that I was more familiar with. “Please, allow me to make it up to you by walking you home after school today.”

  My face instantly flushed. Thomas Uhrich, the most handsome boy in all of Woodsbury, wanted to walk me home. Not Mindy. Me.

  “I’d be delighted to have your company,” I tried not to sound too enthusiastic.

  “It’s a date then.” His smile quickly melted away any unpleasant thoughts I had of him.

  I was as quiet as a church mouse on the walk home, too n
ervous to utter a word as Thomas talked about his family and how they had come from a large town, much like myself. He explained that they had always been wealthy. Before opening up the bank, his family had owned a mercantile, and prior to that, his grandfather had owned a small fleet of fishing ships.

  “We’re an opportunistic family,” he told me. “Whenever we see a good opportunity, we try to get on it before anyone else. That’s how we’ve managed to stay on top.”

  It all sounded very impressive. I only wished I had something similarly interesting to tell him about my family. But there wasn’t much of anything to tell. My mother had been a seamstress, and my father had been business partner to a small bakery. With their combined income, my family managed to live above the means of most people, but we were far from rich.

  “Let me tell you a little secret, Miss Quaker,” Thomas said as he stood with me in front of my door stoop. His eyes burned into me with intense confidence. “I always get what I want. And I believe that I’ll want you as my wife someday.”

  It felt like the world had come to a standstill. Time froze as we gazed into each other’s eyes. I hadn’t known Thomas for very long, but I knew that I wanted the same thing. I wanted to be his wife. The thought filled me with more joy than anything ever had.

  “Not Mindy?” I tried to give him a playful smile to hide my lack of confidence.

  “Ah, Mindy Sue.” He averted my eyes with a grin. “Her parents are indeed very wealthy. But she doesn’t hold a candle to you as far as beauty is concerned. And I already have all the money I could possibly want.”

  If my face could have bursted into flames in that moment, I think it would have, my cheeks were so warm from his words. To be desired by such a boy, I knew it was every girl’s fantasy in Woodbury.

  Thomas bowed before me, placing a gentle kiss on the top of my hand. “I look forward to seeing you in class tomorrow.”

  “Likewise,” I stammered, trying not to seem over zealous.

  I stood at my door step and watched Thomas until he was out of sight. It wasn’t until he was gone that I remembered to breath. What an exhilarating turn of events. It was still a long while before I’d be old enough to marry, but at least now I had something to look forward to. How hideously angry Mindy would be when she found out what Thomas had said to me about becoming his wife.

  I spent the rest of the afternoon with a smile plastered across my face. Fido seemed to pick up on my happiness as well, because he was extra energetic, bounding around my feet as I went about doing my chores. Hopefully, Thomas would let me keep him. I loved Fido dearly, and I wasn’t sure my aunt and uncle would let him stay when I went off to get married. I would have to talk to them about it. All in good time though.

  Even at dinner, my smile didn’t wane. It infected my Aunt Ophelia, but I think she was just happy to see me happy, regardless of the cause.

  “You’re awfully chipper,” Uncle Victor noted.

  “I had a wonderful day,” I hummed, nearly bursting at the seams to tell them what had happened.

  “And what made it so wonderful?”

  “Thomas Uhrich walked me home from school today, and he told me that he wanted me to be his wife.” I beamed with pride.

  “Thomas Uhrich.” Uncle Victor sneered, following the name with a noise that sounded like he was coughing up phlegm.

  I looked to Aunt Ophelia, and she instantly lowered her eyes, seeming to share in my uncle’s sentiments.

  “What’s wrong? He’s a fine young man.” My enthusiasm ebbed with their strange reaction.

  “His father’s a crook, and his son is nothing but a selfish spoiled brat.”

  “Victor!” Aunt Ophelia chastised him. “You shouldn’t say such things.”

  “I’m only telling the girl the truth.” He looked towards Aunt Ophelia, but refused to meet her eyes.

  “Why would you say such a thing? Thomas has been more than kind to me.” I furrowed my brow at my uncle.

  “His family is not known for kindness,” Aunt Ophelia backed up her husband’s words in a more subtle fashion.

  I remained silent for the rest of the meal. No matter what they said, it wouldn’t tarnish Thomas in my eyes. He was a perfect gentleman. Kind and brave. I would be lucky to have him as a husband—luckier than any other girl in the land.

  That night, there was a terrible storm. I lie awake, listening to Fido howling in the barn. He was so loud that my uncle eventually came and told me to find some way to shut him up. There was a lot of work to be done the next day, and he wouldn’t be able to do it if Fido kept him up all night.

  With a sigh of annoyance, I wrapped a shawl over my head and ran to the barn. It was chilly and damp inside, and the wooden walls did nothing to keep out the sound of booming thunder. Fido seemed relieved to see me, rushing to my side to cower behind me.

  “Calm down, it’s just a storm,” I whispered, kneeling to comfort him. Like a perfect little coward, he buried himself between my legs, practically knocking me over in an attempt to use me to shield him from the storm. I giggled as I wrapped him in my arms. “It’s alright.” I kissed him on top of the head, petting him to try to sooth his nerves.

  The storm seemed relentless, raging on into the late hours of the night. At one point, I tried to sneak back to my room, but as soon as the barn door was closed behind me, Fido began to howl again.

  “Damn it,” I cursed the sky. There was no way I could stay out in the barn all night without catching sickness from being cold and damp. “Come on,” I said to Fido, “but be quiet.”

  We ran across the yard to the front door. I picked him up, hoping he wouldn’t try to struggle as I sneaked him to my bedroom. By some miracle, he decided to behave long enough for me to set him down once my bedroom door was closed. He shook beads of water all over my room, and I scowled at him as I watched him track mud while he paced around.

  With a sigh, I took a wash cloth and tried to clean the mud off of his paws the best that I could. It was too late at that point though, and I ended up spending the next fifteen minutes on my hands and knees scrubbing mud from the floor. By the time I was done, Fido was curled up by my bed, fast asleep.

  “Stupid dog,” I grumbled at him before crawling into bed and blowing out my bedside lamp.

  Sleep had almost overtaken me when I saw two glowing red eyes peer over the side of my bed. For a moment, I thought I was going to have a heart attack; my pulse sped up so fast. But then I remembered that it was just Fido, not some horrible monster from under my bed coming to carry me off and devour me in the forest.

  “Stupid dog,” I whispered again, which was met by light whimpering. “Shh.”

  He pawed at the bed, and I was too tired to argue.

  “Come on,” I told him, making room so that he could crawl up beside me. Within seconds, Fido was back asleep, snoring like a little log. I couldn’t help but smile at him in the darkness. For as much trouble as he was, he was still adorable, my little devil hound.

  Months passed, and I was beginning to wonder if Fido would ever stop growing. Within a year, he was every bit as big as his mother. By the second year, he was the size of a horse. Mrs. Pots said she thought that he was a dire wolf because she’d never seen a dog grow so big in all her life.

  “That dog has gotten so big, you could ride him to school,” Uncle Victor joked one day, and after that, I knew I had to try it.

  My first attempt was rather pathetic. I sneaked up on Fido while he was sleeping and crawled onto his back, but he woke with a start, and I ended up flying shoulder first into the dirt. I thought my Uncle Victor was going to die laughing until he realized that I had dislocated my shoulder. After an expensive doctor’s visit, he made me promise not to try it again. I was too stubborn to listen though.

  The second attempt went much smoother. First, I spent two weeks training Fido to lie down on command. After that, it took another two weeks for me to train him to allow me to straddle his back without standing up and pitching me off. Within a month and a
half, I could ride him around with as much grace as one of the horses.

  “Maybe he wasn’t a bad investment of time after all,” Uncle Victor commented, impressed by my dedication. “Next you can teach him how to pull a plow for me.”

  I promised that I would, but never made much progress towards it. Fido would only mind me, so it wasn’t like I could turn him loose to use at my uncle’s disposal anyway. As soon as I was out of sight, Fido would bolt, hunting me down wherever I was so that he could stay by my side.

  Soon, I was able to ride him to school. At first, the other children looked at me strangely, but then they all agreed it was an ingenious idea. After having been around him for almost three years, none of the kids were frightened of him anymore, except for the newcomers, but they quickly warmed up to him as well.

  Fido had quickly become a local celebrity, and I had even received a few offers from people who wanted to buy him. Generous ones, at that. But I couldn’t bare to part with him. I loved him far too much.

  Things were going perfect—too perfect. Despite my aunt and uncle’s warnings, Thomas and I had been courting for over two years. My eighteenth birthday had just passed, and we were to be married in the spring. Thomas even said that I could keep Fido.

  Then, one fateful day, everything changed.

  I decided to go on an afternoon ride, just to get away from the house for a while. Sometimes, I liked to go to the creek and read. It was a way for me to escape from everything and relax. Plus, it gave Fido time to romp through the woods and enjoy being a dog. Usually, once I was settled, he’d disappear off into the forest to go sniff at rocks and scent mark trees. Whenever I was ready to leave, all I had to do was call his name, and he’d come running, faithful as always.

  We had just arrived at the creek and I had dismounted to go sit against the large oak tree that I liked to use for shade. As normal, Fido bounded off out of sight, leaving me alone with my book. I hadn’t even gotten past three pages when I heard a strange rustling sound. At first, I tried to ignore it, imagining that it was just Fido playing in the brush, but then it got louder and closer. In annoyance, I slammed my book shut, peering around the tree in preparation to chastise the stupid mutt.