Cerberus’s Epilogue
thirty-five
Cerberus's Epilogue
My ears prick up at the sound of the front door lock turning and I immediately jump from my spot in the hall where I’ve been waiting.
He has to be home now. It’s been so long and the trainer left a while ago.
That guy doesn’t leave unless He is going to be here soon.
I’m rushing toward the opening door when an unfamiliar scent hits my nose.
Flowers. And fresh air. Something that smells so different from Him, but has traces of His scent entwined with this new one. It smells…good.
The door opens all the way as I slide to a stop and see…
Her. She’s new. Not like the yellow-haired one who cooks and ignores me.
This one is dark-haired and small. I could put my paws on her shoulders if I stood on my back legs.
She’s fragile, and I know she needs a good boy like me to keep her safe.
She has wide eyes and freezes when she sees me.
I freeze, too. If He is bringing her here, She can’t be bad, but I know to be wary of anyone who walks into this house, or steps on the grounds. That’s my job, I keep Him safe.
“Are you a good boy?” She says, her voice high and soft, sounding like music and belly rubs.
I whine, pawing at the ground. I like Her. He hasn’t said anything to me, so I know I can greet her with excitement.
“You are a good boy!” She says. My tail begins to wag and I prance in place, pleased that she likes me and thinks I’m good. He tells me this often, but no one else does. I like the way her voice sounds when she calls me a good boy.
“Good boy, Cerb. Sit,” He commands.
I sit, instantly alert and ready for his commands.
My eyes stray to Her and I can’t help my attention splitting between them.
They speak to each other for a bit, no commands being given, so I wait patiently.
Oh, I hope she wants to play with me. I hear her say treats and I bark, pawing at the ground to get Her attention.
“I hear you, big guy, you want all the treats. Come on, lead the way.”
I happily spring up and sprint the length of the big open hallway and turn a corner, my feet sliding in excitement. She takes longer, talking to Him, and I look around the corner again, waiting for Her to give me treats. I bark to let Her know I can lead Her to the treats.
“Hey, Cerberus, did you find the treats, sweet baby?” She knows my name? Oh, I love when He says my name, but She sounds so kind and smells so sweet, and has been nice to me so far.
I bark joyfully, the sound echoing in the hall as She follows me into the food room.
I lead her right to the treats and She goes through commands that I follow as She throws treats to me.
I will do anything for treats and She’s generous.
I lie down on my side when She points her finger at me and says bang, and He finally lets me up by commanding me to my place.
I get another treat from Her for sitting so nice.
I’m trying so hard, and She’s been so good. I really like her.
When he whistles, I proudly lead them upstairs for bedtime.
I hope She will sleep in the room with me.
He normally does, but I want to be around Her, too.
They stand and talk while I settle in my bed.
She hugs Him tight and He holds her back.
I can smell His happiness and I’m glad He’s found someone who can bring that to Him.
She will be good for us, I decide. When He leaves the room, She looks sad, so I grumble about Him changing the way she smells to something astringent and strong.
I get up and nudge Her hand until she pets me.
She lets me sleep on the bed with Her!
The next few days, She spends time with me.
We walk through the yard together and I keep Her protected.
I scare off squirrels and birds and keep an eye on Her when she wanders off.
We cook in the kitchen and She sometimes drops food on the ground that I clean up before She can get to it.
I want to be helpful and make Her stay. He smiles more and smells like sunshine and warmth and sex when He’s around Her.
I know She makes Him happy, and that’s what I want the most.
I do my best to make sure She’s safe and they are pleased so She doesn’t go away.
Life has been better with Her here with us.
He has never smiled so much or smelled this way before Her.
They both smell like they want to mate whenever they come together.
I close my eyes or look the other way so they can have privacy, as He calls it.
She cuddles with me every night. I like stretching out on the bed He normally makes me stay off of. He doesn’t even send me to my place when He comes in early smelling like a salty, wet, alpha, He just tells me to take care of Her and lets me stay.
At night we cook and She spills lots of food on the ground, I do my duty to clean it up for Her.
When She tries to get to the mess before me, I help keep Her clean by blocking Her with my body.
I end up with white stuff all over me, and He sends me out of the kitchen when He comes home to find us both trying to clean the mess She made.
I hope He knows I was just trying to help.
He doesn’t scold me, though. Instead He goes to Her and they bloom with scents that are happy like morning pancakes with coffee, and spicy like His favorite smoked sausage as He kisses Her.
The flower scent She gives off is bright and fragrant and mixed with a lush aroma of honey and warm sugar when He finishes. She loves Him as much as I do.
I might love them a little less when they send me upstairs and put me in the shower.
I get them wet when I shake and instead of making Him angry, He smells musky and dark, and it’s all for Her.
I think I avoid a punishment because She is here, and that makes me even happier.
I want to keep Her. She’s good for us both.
The yellow-haired one comes to the house and my She is anxious, smelling like new grass and trees barely budding in spring, fresh and tight with worry.
I stay by her side so She knows I will protect her from the other one.
That one has never liked me, even though He took her in the den once when the yellow-haired one smelled like candy and desperation, sickly sweet like dead leaves decaying in the dirt at the end of fall.
He bent her over a couch and had His way, but then He let her go, and He never smelled like he does now, with my She.
He smelled like regret and worry, piercing and pungent, and drank from the low glasses of liquid that stings my nose.
He was tense around the yellow-haired one after that, and it taught me not to trust her, so I keep an eye on her when she’s in the house to make sure she doesn’t make my He mad or fall back into her trap that worried Him so much.
He sends the yellow-haired one away, smelling bitter and slick, like the motor oil in the garage, and I don’t think she’ll be back from the loud, hard voice He used.
Still, my She and He argue, their voices growing insistent, sounding pained, and I don’t like it.
I do something I never have before and I growl at Him when His voice grows sharp and He tries to come close to Her and She shied away.
I won’t let Him ruin what we have now, with Her here.
He told me to take care of Her, and that’s what I do.
His face is set in determination, but He doesn’t seem angry with me, just frustrated with the situation, His scent hot and scalding, but desperate.
She places a comforting hand on my neck. I lick my lips and look back at Her.
“Thank you, buddy, but I got this.” Her voice is sad, but even, and I relax a little, lying down at Her feet, keeping my eyes on Him. He won’t hurt her more than She’s already feeling, a cold smell like snow, desolate and dreary.
When they make up, my heart soars. She will stay!
One night they feed me dinner and leave, and when they come back, He smells like danger and blood and is hurt. I wasn’t there to help them! The one time they need me most, I couldn’t even do anything. I growl anyway and look for whatever caused the harm that might be behind them.
“They didn’t follow us home, you badass, but thanks for having my back. I could have used you earlier.” His words sound tired, but they’re okay.
Worried, I follow at their heels all the way up to the bedroom to make sure they will be safe, and this night, He sleeps in the bed with Her and I have to stay on my own bed. It’s okay, though, because they seem to need each other more than I need to be on the big bed.
The next day something weird happens. The doorbell rings and when She answers it, a strange man is there.
He smells like bad news, or the vet’s office, and the mud puddles my He won’t let me play in, all ill intent and frightening my Her.
I immediately know he’s a threat and put myself between them, warning the man with growls and barks that he shouldn’t try to touch Her or I’ll have to do what I was trained for and hurt him.
I don’t like hurting people, but this man smells like the training camp I went to and I know this is what I was born to do.
I stay in front of Her and make sure She’s not harmed until He comes down and together we send the man away.
I’m not sorry I growled and snapped at the man.
I was protecting my She and would have done worse.