I felt the damp forest floor soak through the knee of my jeans as I knelt in a pile of decay, admiring the morels jutting out from the earth. With an air of satisfaction, I reached to pick one up when my ears perked to a familiar voice in the distance. "John! Come here!" I shot up to my feet, straining to look between the evergreens that obscured my vision of her. "Quick!" she added. I licked my nose and lifted my muzzle...

She clipped the collar on my neck and took a step back. “I don’t know, John,” she said. “It makes you look…” “Like a pet?” I asked. She nodded, not exactly in approval. I looked in the mirror at the way it nestled into my fur. My tail began to wag. I felt… Protected. A warm comfort spread through me as I brushed my hands through the fur on my neck, feeling the leather strap taming my wild passion. It looked out of place o...

A rush of warm air hit me as I opened the door, twitching my nose to the sweet scent of banana bread. I shook off the snow from my fur and basked in the comfort of finally being home. My ears perked towards the kitchen. I could hear Sophie washing some dishes, softly humming a tune. I smiled, taking off my boots and closing the door. I slowly moseyed to the kitchen, my tail swooshing behind me in patient anticipation. “I...