The sun was high in the sky, its hot rays streaming through the clouds and falling on the ground of a well-owned farm, bathing the big place in warmth of the day. Birds from the highest tops of trees were singing their symphonies, only to be broken by the rumble of hooves, sheep dashing out of their sleeping place. A few barks followed and four dogs stormed after the playful flock, fully focused and prepared for their hard day's job.
One young sheep strayed from its colony, its short tail raised in wonder as it scrambled over its mother and went for the wild. None of the dogs saw it until one of the sheep called something out in a frightened voice, one of the only words dogs could understand in sheep language and it made their fur tingle. "Where?"
One of the dogs, an Old English Sheepdog with a back as dark as storm clouds, was the fastest one to react. He bounded over the now agitated flock and headed straight for the tempting lushness of the forest that stretched not far away. The shepherd slowed his pace as his paws - with a hint of hesitation - entered the forest. The sun rays barely touched the cool ground and the air was so different than at the farm. The leaves and the trees surely gave the wild animals some cover to hide from the sun and the rain, as well as fresh air to breathe. The dog's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the wild animals. The hungry, greedy creatures that disguised themselves as fellow dogs to leave a friendly impression, but every night they came to the farm to steal the sheep. Every shepherd knew that tale, ever since their eyes opened in a shade of light blue. They were raised and bred specifically for protecting the poor flock, and it felt powerful: getting treats for being a good dog, and the admiring looks from all the animals at the farm... The dog let out a shaky breath. He was new to the job, took after his dearest mother who was now retired. His sibling surprisingly joined, too, despite being able to see from only one eye.
Back to protecting. The shepherd lowered his snout to the ground, trying to locate the route the strayed lamb had taken, but under all those unknown scents he felt like all the scents were going in spirals and mixing with his own. He couldn't help but feel uneasy as many different sounds entered and exited his ears, the poor dog was sure a wild animal was lurking nearby.
Giving up on tracking the runaway lamb, the new shepherd raised his head to look up. If tracking wasn't working, there was only one more way the search could go. Feeling light on his feet, he ventured deeper into the mysterious forest. As he walked on in silence, he let his mind slowly start to wander. The wild animals that lived here were every dog's natural enemy. They were unpredictable, steal everything you have and they could eat anything... They also came in many forms, which a lot of them looked a lot dog-like. Nobody knows what they do with the sheep they steal, so it was the shepherd's only duty to keep them away (and the wild animals at bay). Leaving scent marks wasn't easy and, just like now, it wasn't always promising to work out. Unsatisfied with where his thoughts led him, the shepherd let out a quiet growl and determinedly sped up. He would find the lost lamb and carry it back to its mother. There didn't need to be any complications.
So he walked on, on through the forest no dog of his kind had ever set foot into, and he couldn't help but let his wonder grow. The forest seemed like a peaceful place. Could there really be thieves living behind any bush he passed? The dog now wasn't as sure in his childhood lessons as he was before.
Growling once again, he tugged the doubt away and carried on. He was new, somewhat an apprentice with a huge lack of experience. This could be a good way to prove himself to the others. Oh, the ways to impress the leader of the squad, Cavalier... And his friend Brody. And to make his brother, Captain jealous. The shepherd passed his tongue over his nose. He had to be certain this was the right thing to do. Renewed with a wave of hope, he let his hurried pace slip into an excited trot, his head and tail raised as if he owned the environment around him.
A while had passed since he last thought he could succeed. All that hoping, all that running, in the end the sheep was probably already stolen anyway. He believed that so strongly that his heart leaped into his throat as the sound of small hooves approached, light and unsteady, and a white shape hurled itself out of a nearby route, its short wool full of debris and thorns. A split second passed until the shepherd realized what was going on. He sprang after his lost lamb, his paws thundering on the ground as he ran, his mouth open wide to swallow all the scents the young sheep left behind.
The sheep had soon outrun him, leaving the dog slowing to a frustrated pant. Once he got his breath back, the shepherd narrowed his eyes and looked around. The white mass of wool was completely gone from his sight. "Skies!" the dog barked and sat down. His eyes fell on his paws, which were now slightly brown due to running on the damp earth. His heart slowed down. The rescue was over. The lamb was lost. He would never have a chance half as good to prove himself. Then a crunch startled him as well as filled him with hope. He whipped around, his heart starting to race once again, and found himself face to face with a dark gray dog-clone.
The wild animal lowered itself into a threatening pose, its pale yellow eyes glinting in the slim light. It reeked of mud and dried leaves, its spiky fur covering its living corpse. It looked terrifying, but majestic. The shepherd blinked in surprise when he noticed its ribs showing underneath all that fur. For a moment all he could feel was curiosity and empathy. Then the animal bared its teeth and stepped closer. Its pure white teeth pointed towards him made him shudder. The shepherd backed a step away, though without moving his stare from the dog-clone. The animal tilted its head, and the shepherd did the same, finally letting out a word that came out like a question. "Why?"
The dog-clone's eyes grew furious in an instant, its fur, which was as dark as the shepherd's back, bristled even more and its muzzle moved to reveal rose-pink gums. It understood the dog's language, that was for sure. But, aside from that, the wild animal still didn't move.
The shepherd blinked in confusion. This was the dog-clone's territory, however much it stole from the farm, so why wasn't it acting like it? He couldn't understand the hold up.
Seeing that the shepherd wasn't going anywhere, both too intrigued and scared to run, the dog-clone finally calmed down, straightening itself and loosening its threatening grin. It looked beautiful, the shepherd noted again as he watched in awe. How could such a glorious creature be a known enemy and a thief? The dog-clone looked him up and down, weariness still glowing on its face.
Knowing that the animal probably won't speak again, the shepherd had to repeat his question. "Why?"
The dog-clone suddenly took another step forward, its muzzle stretched to sniff him. "Why?" it repeated the question curiously, despite its petrifying tone which reminded the dog of the depth of an owl's screech.
"Yeah," he answered honestly, uneasily backing away from its unblinking stare. "Why not chase me off? Why take the sheep?"
The animal took a moment to reply. "We do not fight when there is no need." Its voice was icy as if it was disgusted the dog even dared to ask that.
"But you're... Wild animals." Now the dog felt confused. All of his fear was replaced by sheer curiosity. Were their tales different than the forest's ones? Was a part of their legends a lie, if not everything? Was he right to doubt them from the start? Everything he had been taught spinned like a whirlpool in his head, waiting for the dog-clone's answer.
"You speak of the tales of the farm?" The animal's voice was raw and mocking. For a single heartbeat, the shepherd thought he could see a spark of humor shimmering in its eyes. "I'm no thief. I'm a wolf."
"A wolf?" The word felt off on the shepherd's tongue. He tried his best to sound matter of fact. "I'm sure your type is called dog-clone."
The wolf's pale eyes narrowed in doubt. Though the shepherd felt embarrassed, he bit his pride to explain. "The dog-clone like... Because your form is used to trick dogs into falling for your traps?"
The wolf let out a small snort. "What do we do with you once you've been caught?" It looked completely uninterested, but the new shepherd knew he had to defend himself, even though the farm laws now felt silly as he spoke about them.
"You do nothing with us. You steal our sheep. That's the whole point."
The wolf swished its tail pointedly. The shepherd felt his chest tighten when his eyes fell on the wolf's side. "Does it look to you like we are some mindless freaks? We steal to survive, not for the fun of it."
The dog couldn't help but feel ashamed. He took a tiny step forward, looking at the wolf with new eyes. "Do other dog-clones suffer similarly to you every year?"
"It's him, not the dog-clone," the wolf corrected him with a stern look. The shepherd shuffled down, his eyes still fixed on the farm's well known enemy. There was silence until the rumble of a hungry stomach interrupted the scene. The wolf scoffed, slightly turning back to the forest.
Something brewed in the new shepherd, because instead of walking away, as soon as the wolf had half his back turned on him, he stepped forward and said, "You must be starving. Let me get you something."
The wolf gave him a long sideways glance full of despair. "What could you possibly give me? You're nothing but a pet. You don't know how to hunt, and even if you did, there's nothing you could give me. The sheep are unreachable."
The shepherd felt his heart grow smaller and smaller as words slipped out of his mouth. "My masters own a lot of chickens. They may be inside, but they're the only type of animal I might have access to, aside from my friends."
The wolf's eyes slightly widened in surprise. "You would do that? What if you get caught?"
"Don't worry about it," the shepherd reassured, trying to sound optimistic. What if he does get caught? Why was he saying any of these things in the first place? "I can try to steal one from my masters. They eat chickens every other day. Surely no one will make a scene." Except everyone when they find out, he swallowed the rest uneasily.
As his fear began to grow, the wolf's suspicion started to fade. "Okay." He elegantly turned to sit down. "I'll wait here. Be quick."
The shepherd weakly nodded before trotting back to the farm. When his paws touched the familiar ground, his fear arose. There was only one thing he could do now. Obey. But to whom?
The shepherd felt tears bubbling in his eyes when he crossed the line between the forest and the farm once more, this time chicken meat dangling from his mouth. Stealing it from his masters wasn't as hard as he thought it would be; he just snuck into the house while his masters were not looking, grabbed the meat from the table and bolted out before anyone could react. But it still didn't make it any easier for him to do. He broke one of the only laws his farm had. It had to be done, though, right? If it wasn't him, it would have been the wolf. The dog drew in a shaky breath and met the wolf in the eye. Unsurprisingly, the wolf showed no emotion as he reached him and gently spat the chicken on the ground. Without words, he pushed the meat with his nose towards the hungry animal. He felt queasy as he waited for the wolf's reaction.
The wolf picked up the bird and gently walked away, but then - to the new shepherd's surprise - paused mid walk to give him a long look. The dog suddenly felt awkward as well as slightly nervous, but the wolf's pale eyes for the first time warmed for a moment.
"What might your name be, smart dog?"
"B - Benzo," the shepherd replied uneasily. Just when he was about to ask the same question the wolf swished his dark tail, letting two sentences slip his tongue Benzo thought he would never hear in his life, let alone from a dog-clone. "Benzo. A kind soul you are. Don't let the farm ruin you."
With that the wolf padded away, back into the depths of the forest, leaving Benzo standing in the very clearing he had stopped chasing a strayed lamb earlier today. His breath seemed caught in his throat and his paws started to tremble as he headed back home. Could he really call it home after today? He didn't know what to think anymore. He simply entered his doghouse and quietly settled on Brody's side. Everyone else was luckily still alseep, so Benzo felt like he had all the time on Earth to think throughoutfully of what just happened.