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He didn't quite understand why his master kicked him out of the house. One minute, everything was fine. The young girl was stroking his fur with a dazzling smile. Her kind eyes brightening as she cuddled him close to her chest. He liked the attention. She was a sweet girl. When she saw him on the edge of the road, lost as ever, she had begged her father so they could keep him. He reluctantly agreed but seemed to pride over the happy grin on his little girl's face. He loved prancing around in their backyard, chasing her between the trees. She sometimes waved a stick in his face and threw it to the other side of the field. He didn't quite understand why she did that. He just wagged his tail and looked up at her with a tilted head.
She bought him a ball once. She threw it far off into the distance and told him to fetch. But if she threw it away? Why would she want it back? She stopped trying to play her weird game after a while. He has come to be very fond of the human. He swore to protect her no matter what. He was alarmed when she woke him up during a thunderstorm, hugging him close and crying into his mane. All he could do was whine and kiss her face. It seemed to make her feel better. The reason behind her sadness was because of her parents. He heard them shout a lot in the kitchen or the living room. They didn't sound too happy. He tried to calm down their anger once but the mean woman kicked him aside.
The little girl was utterly traumatized at the sight. He didn't like seeing her sad. So he started barking at the mean lady. She started yelling at her husband again and he felt himself being picked up by the scruff. He whined and barked as the man pulled him to the front door. The poor girl was screaming for her dad to stop. Asking what he was gonna do with him. He tossed him out onto the porch and turned to the little girl, "I told you he was dangerous. It's a wolf! Probably escaped the zoo when we found it."
"He's just a puppy!" She pleaded, hanging onto her father's jacket. Her eyes wide and pleading. He threw his daughter's grip off him and yelled at her.
"He ain't gonna be a puppy forever." He turned back to him, the puppy barking and trying to reach his master. "Shoo! Scat! Get out before you dare hurt my little girl." He chunked and scratched at the door. Why wouldn't they let him go to her? He barked sadly, watching as tears streamed down the little girl's face. "Scat!" the man screamed, kicking the screen door. He chunked in alarm and hurried away from the door. Halfway down the parking lot, he looked back to see the door obscure his vision on the family. He ran up the porch again and scratched. He yipped, trying to get their attention. But they were dead silent now. He yipped again, sniffing under the door. But they did not come back out.
He turned back to the road, jumping down the stairs. He cried as he stared at the empty street. He walked down the concrete sidewalk, looking around in confusion. Where was he supposed to go? He yipped at the empty road but nothing came to help him. He came to a more crowded part of town. People going home from late night shopping or midnight jogs. He curled up in an alleyway, staring at the many people walking along the path. No one noticed him. He cried in his shadow, shaking from the cold wind and drizzling rain. Footsteps and cars roared in his ears.
The rain started pounding harder against the ground. A loud boom made him yelp in surprise, staring up as the clouds lit up. Another flash and a loud crackle of thunder and a flower pot fell from an apartment window. It made him hurry into the street, tail between his legs and eyes wide. He heard the startled shout of someone next to him and he scrambled away from the passing person's feet. He looked up at the new person. Dark hair curled from beneath a red scarf and hood. He had dark eyes and a strange jacket. A lightning bolt-like print across the cover. He kneeled in front of him with placating hands.
"It's okay, boy. Are you lost?" He slowly reached out a gloved hand. He skeptically sniffed the person's hand and cautiously leaned his head into the boy's hand.
"Who's this?" questioned a new voice. The boy looked up to a bigger man, his arms crossed as he examined him.
"I don't know," the boy admitted, running his hand around his throat. He read off the collar his master has given him a few days into living with them. "Kosmo. That your name, boy?" He gave a small yelp of agreement.
His friend spoke up, "Let's take him home. Find out where his owners live."
He gently stroked Kosmo's face and carefully picked him off the ground. Kosmo yelped in surprise but the boy instantly calmed him. "It's okay. You're okay. Let's take you home." Shielded from the rain, they walked through the streets.