The Big Dog's Movin' In

New Moon howls and yowls, shapeshifter lovers.

Yep, this flash scene is going to the dogs. And I couldn’t even get to the part where Dante hires the hero as one of his top lieutenants at the Pleasure Club. Still, I hope you enjoy.
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The Big Dog’s Movin’ In

Not bothering with headlights once dusk melted into night, Daebo relied on his superior eyesight, maneuvering over the backwoods road at a good clip in his trusty all-terrain truck, one he’d hand built.

Yeah, and it was a new moon night. Darkness fell like a big ole blanket. So, some of his so-called skills were downright handy. Especially, since he’d needed to get out of town fast.

Hell’s own, he hadn’t even hung around long enough to find out which of the alphabet soup agencies wanted a piece of his large honkin’ ass... or wanted his blood... damn their souls, if they even possessed one... hell, his hair would do. They always pilfered his brushes and combs, and scooped out his shower drain.

Or, it might have been one of the top criminal organizations he’d pissed off over the years. Like the Yakuza.

“Now, we’re howlin’.” Daebo cranked up the sound on his old analogue radio. “Shout out bark to Hank, the big dog Williams, Jr... and Daddy Hank.”

I came in last night and I don't know when.
That woman of mine she wouldn't let me in.
I said Move it on over. Move it on over.
Move over little dog 'cause the big dog's movin' in.

Daebo rumbled along with the tune, adding, “Synchronicity is out to get me, and lickin’ at my tail-waggin’ butt.”

She told me once, she told me twice.
I don't take no gal's advice.
Pack it on over. Move it on over.
Move over old dog 'cause the new dog's movin' in.

“Ain’t got no gal, ain’t got no home now... but, move it on over. This big dog’s movin’ in... somewhere.” Daebo barked a few notes, his inner Akita wanting to come out and play.

Yeah, he’d have to shift soon. He didn’t want to lose even seconds of morphing speed. Besides, it was the best way to stretch his muscles -- a good run over the forest floor. He’d been driving for over twelve hours now.

She told me not to mess around.
I done let that deal go down.
Slide it on over. Move it on over.
Move over skinny dog 'cause the fat dog's movin' in.

“The fat dog needs to relieve himself. Hike his leg on the nearest stump,” Daebo growly sang. Peering deep into the old the forest, home of Big Foot, he slowed and scanned for a less dense area where he could keep a watch out for any enemy.

The dog house here is kinda small,
But it's got good sounds and they're wall-to-wall.
Get it on over. Move it on over.
Move over Little dog 'cause the new dog's movin' in.

“Tired of small cramped apartments...tired of hidin’ my canine nature. This dog’s movin’ on, and movin’ into larger digs.” If he’d had any wrangling experience, Daebo would have looked for work on a ranch. Maybe... except he didn’t want to bring no trouble down on anyone. One reason he always kept to himself these days.

She crawled back to me on her knees.
But I'm busy 'cause I got new fleas.
Get it on over. Scoot it on over.
Move over old dog 'cause the new dog's movin' in.

Seeing a spot with promise, as in not detectable by satellite surveillance, Daebo jerked the steering wheel, not caring about the rocky, uneven ground. His tires weren’t regulation, and didn’t puncture. Plus, he’d built the truck to take this kind of rough treatment with a big ole smile on its grill.

“Got no fuckin’ fleas... watch out trees... get it on over, scoot on over, please... this big dog’s coming through ‘cause he needs to pees.”

Yeah, I came in last night and I don't know when.
That second wife of mine, she wouldn't let me in.
I said Move it on over. Scoot it on over.
Move over old dog, the fat dog's movin' in.

“Ain’t got no wife now... two Exes down... can’t explain all the movin’ around... arf, arf, can’t explain the men in black on the doorstep... move it one over... scoot it on over... ain’t the marrying kind no more... yeah, the fat dog’s movin’ on.”

Yeah, move over old dog. The hot dog's movin' in.

Daebo slammed on the brakes. The truck bounced high, then hopped like jackrabbit. Automatically, Daebo fought it to a stop. What the...?

Nope, his eyesight was still good as ever. A woman was trying to stand. Wobbling, her hand pressed to her head, she braced herself against a tree trunk. Daebo watched her crumple to the ground as he flung open the door.

***

The last bullets entering her flesh, at the base of her spine and in her temple, had about done Shonna in. Her nearly indestructible body could heal at superspeed. However, she’d endured round after round of fire. Unexpectedly.

Now, she wasn’t able to recover at her usual speed. And, the ‘kill anyone from space’ squad still dogged her trail. She could feel them, each of their energy signatures. True, she’d lost them after her burst into what she called the soundless domain while still in her craft. But, they’d put a tracker satellite beam on her once she abandoned ship.

Wracked by pain, Shonna stifled a yelp. Her body jerked, then spasmed from her effort to stand. But, noz! She couldn’t stay here like a damn sitting duck. Or, in her case like a severely injured extraterrestrial shapeshifter.

Shonna gasped out loud as agonizing pain sliced up her spine. Flushing with the high heat her body used to kill viruses, she tried to rise again. Shaky, she grabbed for the tree’s small branch.

Unusually strong arms wrapped around her waist, and held her with surprising gentleness. The man used his unusually tall and massively sized body to keep her upright.

Why hadn’t she sensed his presence? Heard his approach? Then, she realized. He wasn’t merely human. Shonna didn’t have enough strength to read his energy, though, to discover what he was exactly.

“Lady, you’re hurt seriously. Let me get you --”

“Dante,” she interrupted. “I have to...to... it’s the only safe place now.”

“Dante?” He cradled her in his arms lifting her. “My truck’s nearby. I can get you where you want to go.” With long careful strides he moved over the rugged ground as if he could see exceptionally well in the dark. “But, don’t you need a hospital?”

“No!... no,” she softened her tone, “I don’t want... need a hospital. Please...” Noz, he was supernaturally strong. “I need to get to Talbot’s Peak. It’s not far...”

“Saw it on the map.” One-handed he opened the passenger door to his odd-looking truck, then hesitated. “Am I hurting you? Will I hurt you if...”

“No... no pain, I’m in shock,” Shonna made up. “Can we go fast?”

After lowering her onto the seat, and making certain she was completely inside, he turned off the blaring radio, then muttered, “Be right back. I’ll hurry. Yeah, we’ll go fast.”

“Okay.” Shonna slumped back. Pain lashed the entire length of her spine and throbbed her temple. Once he shut the door, she clenched her eyelids and gritted her teeth. Her body had stiffened like a corpse.

It meant her healing had accelerated. Certainly good, but the agony was about to make her scream, loud as a horror movie starlet. The sound would be tracked, and her space alien voice recognized.

Shonna gripped the door handle, squeezing hard while biting her bottom lip. Once her pain dropped a few notches, she caught whiffs of dog odor. At the same moment, her rescuer hauled open the driver’s door, and eased himself onto the seat in an obvious attempt not to jar her.

“You still okay, lady?”

“Shonna... my name. I’ll be better once we’re on the way.”

“Shonna, nice name. Yeah, sure. Daebo is my handle. It’s gonna be a rough ride back to the road,” he warned, even as he rolled the truck forward, then circled in the direction she’d been going.

“I’ll survive... Daebo.”

Shonna collapsed against the back of the seat, her body losing its rigidity. She decided not to question why he hadn’t switched on the headlights. Of course, what in the heavenly one’s name was he doing out here? This was bear and Sasquatch country. No humans for miles... but, he wasn’t only human, she remembered. And his truck clearly wasn’t an ordinary, from the factory model.

“Mind telling me why you’re out in the middle of god’s country?” he asked, his tone cautious yet probing.

“Only if you tell me why you’re out here.” That had probably been the improper conversational response. Still...pain did that. Shonna couldn’t think all that clearly. Besides, she had no acceptable answer. Not even a good lie.

“Lookin’ for nature’s restroom. And a look see at the stars. No light pollution.”

It hurt, but Shonna raised a brow at his lie about looking at the stars. “Okay, Daebo, I’ll tell you, if you promise not to commit me to a mental ward.”

“Yeah. No. I won’t.”

Noz, he was excellent at driving over the forest floor, and keeping the bouncing-jouncing to a minimum. “I’m what’s called a disaster prevention technician. I’ve been on Earth for about five years now. My planet is affected adversely every time there’s a major nuclear explosion here. I was stopping a core meltdown at the Fort Calhoun nuke plant, which I managed. However, in the meantime, I was detected as an extraterrestrial. I couldn’t escape fast enough. Got filled with full metal jacket lead. Oh, by the way,” she sucked in a large breath, “the we-hate-space-aliens squad is still on my trail.”

He didn’t say anything. Even so, his driving didn’t alter either, and they rocked back onto the backwoods road that led to the main highway into Talbot’s Peak.

“Fort Calhoun, isn’t that in Nebraska?” His voice was a neutral growl.

Well, at least, he wasn’t squealing to a stop and throwing her out of his truck. Shonna took that as a somewhat positive sign. “Yes, Nebraska. I had to abandon my now uncloaked craft, and hoof it on foot... oh, it’s complicated and... well, my head hurts like a sledgehammer hit it... now normally I wouldn’t feel a sledgehammer...”

Shonna clamped her mouth shut. What was she doing? Babbling because of her pain? Her head had certainly begun a slow nasty whirl. Still, she realized Daebo sped them over the narrow rutted road unusually fast, yet not recklessly.

“Who or what is Dante? A doctor?” he sort of barked.

“Werewolf,” she blurted out. He’s a werewolf. Not a doctor.” Noz! Maybe the bullet lodged in her temple, but in the process of dissolving, now pressed some sort of brain truth button.

“Oh, yeah.” Shonna heard the light go on inside his head. “Now I remember. Talbot’s Peak is rumored to be some sort of new refuge for shapeshifters. Just my kind of place right now.”

“Shapeshifter. Dog smell. You’re a dog shifter.”

“I’m an Akita dog shapeshifter,” he stated, emphasizing the breed name. “Wasn’t always a shifter, though. Wasn’t always like this.”

Even though her head performed twirls, her pain had lessened significantly, so Shonna asked, “They, the mad scientists types, made you, didn’t they?”

“Yep, join the Navy, see the world. In my case I saw the inside of a lab. Got tagged for experimentation because I had no family left.”

“You escaped. How?”

“Been about thirty years that I’ve been running free. Or, just runnin’. Pretty simple escape plan. I slipped my leash. They let some of the grunts at the Presidio walk me without telling them what I was. Once I made it into San Francisco, I could run with the strays and hideout, or shift and work in restaurant kitchens for enough livin’ money.” He gave her a sideways glance, checking her response to his truth telling.

“Why haven’t they found you? With the technological grid here...” Shonna let her words fade away. From her periphery vision, she watched him settle back in his seat. They’d just turned onto the highway, and he’d accelerated, heedless of the speed limit.

“Course, they’ve been on my tail and my trail ever since, collectin’ any kind of genetic material they could retrieve. I must’ve exceeded their scientific expectations. Might be because I’m not pushin’ up daisies.” He stomped on the accelerator. “Got a clear path for a few miles.”

“Good,” she murmured. Noz, her body was temporarily turning itself off to complete repairs. “Don’t worry. I’m about to...to go unconscious for awhile. Please...take me to Dante. Do you know...” oh no her hormones had taken possession of her and she was due to go in give-me-sex heat, and the words were still leaving her mouth... ”do you know you’re the kind of man I do my best to avoid... because, because I’d want you humping me twenty-four seven.”

***

Whoever this Dante, the werewolf, was, Daebo decided he was over-the-top, dog snarling jealous. The way Shonna had felt in his arms... well, twenty-four seven would be just fine with him.
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Have a Magickal Shapeshifting Week!

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~