Paws to Consider
by Uncle Fester
It was a warm spring Saturday afternoon. The kind of
weather that nudged images of long summer days from the memories
of those who had just endured a typical Japanese winter.
Into this idyllic setting came a small dog roaming the
streets of Nerima, following a scent trail. Stopping ever so
often to leave a mark himself, the dog happily trotted from
street to street. Few took notice of the little 20 pound animal,
wandering dogs were a commonplace sight in Nerima. There was
nothing special about this dog. In fact, he could easily be
considered a mutt. His face was almost terrier looking, a short,
almost cute, muzzle topped by slightly oversized brown button-like eyes shaded by some shaggy gray fur. His little body was
covered with gray and tan medium length fur ending in a small,
curly tail held tightly over his back. His little paws skipped
lightly over the hard surface of the street as his little black
nose explored an olfactory world humans could only dream of. He
was on a good scent trail that triggered one of his most powerful
responses: Food.
The trail eventually led to a gate that penetrated a walled
compound. Inside, he could hear loud noises. Usually, the dog
would have avoided places of such commotion, but the scent trail
was stronger here and it obviously passed through the partly open
gate towards the building beyond. Cautiously, the dog poked his
head through the gate and looked for signs of danger. Seeing no
humans and getting repeated whiffs of the food scent coming from
the house, the dog crept cautiously inside.
A loud noise from near the house startled the little dog
into immobility. A large shadow passed over his tiny body and a
large figure impacted the gate, closing it securely, trapping him
inside. Frantically the dog looked for escape. A second figure,
dressed in a martial arts uniform charged at him. With a tiny
yelp, the dog took off for the more open area behind the house,
rounded the pond and ducked behind a tiny shrine in the corner of
the yard.
In the main room of the residence, Akane Tendo was watching
TV and pondering her recent fight with her fiance. She was used
to Ranma's taunts and insults but every so often, he would say
something that cut right to her heart. This time he hinted that
her little pet pig P-chan was gone for good. Now, she may have
been an accomplished martial artist and all, but she was still a
girl with feelings. P-chan was often the recipient of all her
developing emotions and thoughts. He might have been only a pig,
but he listened better than Ranma when it came to things from her
heart.
While she was used to all the typical sounds of the daily
Saotome workouts, an unusual yelping sound drew her attention in
time to catch a glimpse of small gray body as it streaked behind
the family shrine.
Curious, she hurried out of the house and towards the corner
of the yard. Whatever she saw dash across the yard was now
cowering in fear behind the shrine.
"Oh, its a little dog." she said softly. "It's okay, I
won't hurt you." She held her hand out but the dog only cowered
further behind the shelter.
With an irritated look on her face, she yelled the two
combatants: "Stop it! You're scaring him."
Her voice had the desired affect, the two combatants
instantly froze. Satisfied, Akane turned back to the little dog.
"Come on out. I won't let them hurt you." she cooed with her
hands out. It might have been her sweet voice. It might have
been the sudden silence. Whatever it was, the dog cautiously
inched its way out from its hiding place, head low, tail down.
Carefully, he approached Akane and sniffed her hands.
"There now," she said softly. "See, I'm your friend."
The dog cast a wary look Ranma's direction before finishing
his approach to Akane. Sniffing her feet, he reluctantly allowed
her to pick him up. She cuddled him to her chest, stroking his
little head. Timidly, he raised his muzzle and licked her little
nose.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves, scaring him like
that." she chastised the two fighters.
"Hey," Ranma protested. "I didn't even know he was there.
He must have wandered in and got in the way."
Akane ignored Ranma's protests and cuddled the little dog
some more. Surprisingly, it responded like it wanted to be held.
It was cute. It was friendly. And best of all, it was now hers.
"He's just scared and hungry. Aren't you boy?" she cooed as
she carried the little dog back to her house.
"Better not give him something to eat, or you'll never get
rid of him." Ranma warned.
"So *that's* what we did wrong with you," she muttered as
she entered the house.
Ranma never had a chance to respond. With a sudden rush,
Genma Saotome kicked his distracted son the rest of the way
across the yard and, you guessed it, into the koi pond. The loud
splash caused Akane to think: <Serves him right for scaring the
poor thing.>
Inside, Akane carried her little friend into the kitchen.
The dog sensed he was close to his goal, his nose quickly
twitching, sampling the many food odors the surrounded him.
"Oh, what a cute little dog." Kasumi sighed, clasping her
hands in front of her. "Where did he come from?"
"He was hiding out back where the guys were practicing.
Poor thing, he's scared to death."
"He looks hungry." Kasumi bent over slightly to get a closer
look at the dog. "I bet it's been a while since he's eaten."
Digging through the refrigerator, Kasumi produced a small
plate with some left over pork from last night's dinner. Pulling
the plastic covering off, she placed it on the floor. The dog's
reaction was immediate. He struggled in Akane's arms to be let
down to get at the food. Gladly, she set him on the floor and
watched as he pounced on the food like a starving dog.
"Oooh, a dog. Where'd you find him, Akane?" Nabiki said as
she entered the kitchen.
"Out back. Ranma was scaring him." She replied with a
disgusted look towards the garden.
"Well, he looks too clean to be a stray." Nabiki observed.
"Probably belongs to someone although I don't recall ever seeing
him around."
"No collar, either" Akane added.
"Kasumi, is there any beer left? Mr. Saotome and I are
going to..." Soun Tendo started to ask as he entered the room.
He stopped when he saw the dog finishing the plate of pork and
looked at Akane. "When did we get a dog?"
"I found him out back, daddy. Can I keep him?" Akane
begged, some excitement in her voice.
"Well," Mr. Tendo knelt down and gently stroked the dog's
fur, looking him over carefully. "He looks healthy. Seems to
behave himself well. I suppose its okay. Just so long as he
doesn't belong to someone. You wouldn't be very happy if you
were taking some child's pet."
"I'm sure he's a stray, daddy. He's so hungry and cute."
Akane was clearly happy with her new pet.
"Dogs are *always* hungry, Akane." Nabiki observed. "Kind
of reminds you of someone, doesn't it?"
The girls giggled and Mr Tendo retrieved his beer.
"Well, he doesn't look like he's been lost for very long,
probably only a few days. I suppose it couldn't hurt to keep him
around until we locate his owner." Mr Tendo added as he left the
kitchen.
"Good thing he didn't wander into a Korean neighborhood."
Nabiki commented. "He'd wind up on the dinner menu."
"Nabiki! That's terrible." Akane protested.
"Well, that's what I heard." Nabiki replied then crossed
her arms and added thoughtfully. "You know, if he's going to
stay around, you better teach him to do his business' out in the
alley. If Ranma steps on one of his lawn biscuits' your little
friend's liable to wind up as fur gloves."
"Speaking of which, I wonder if he's house broken?" Kasumi
said with a contemplative pose. "Dog stains are so hard to get
out."
"You won't make a mess in our house, will you boy?" Akane
cooed as she stroked his tiny head.
"You know, If he *is* lost," Nabiki mused. "I wonder if
someone's posted a reward."
Kasumi and Akane just looked at each other as Nabiki
disappeared in search of a newspaper.
The rest of the afternoon, Akane and her new little friend
played in the yard. Akane was a little girl again, giggling and
running as the little dog barked and chased.
"Well, they got cozy in a hurry." Ranma lamented as he sat
down for dinner.
Nabiki, leaning on the table, her head in her hand, replied:
"It's hard to tell who's the happier, her or the dog." Nabiki
was still chafing at not finding some reward offer for the dog.
Losing out on making money never left her with much of an
appetite. <Maybe, I was just looking in the wrong newspaper.> she
mused. <I getter get a few others after dinner.>
When Kasumi called everyone to dinner, Akane scampered
inside, her little dog close on her heels. No one seemed to mind
when the dog took its place under the table, especially since
they all took turns slipping him bits of their dinner (except
Ranma who kept shooing the little critter away. Food is food and
this guy was going to get his share).
<Get your own food, you little pest> he thought.
By the end of meal, the dog was well fed and ready for a
nap. In front of the TV, the girls gathered to talk and watch
some light entertainment. Nabiki poured through a fresh pile of
newspapers looking for Lost and Found ads. The men had long
since retired to the dojo for their evening workout. The little
dog spread out on his side, resting his round little belly on the
floor. Akane occasionally stroked his little head and was
rewarded with a tail wag.
"So, Akane, what are you going to call him?" Nabiki asked
during a commercial break.
"I'm not sure I should name him anything just yet." Akane
said softly. "Father might be right. He might belong to
someone. I would hate to get too attached to him."
Besides, she named P-chan right away and he wandered off.
She remembered how hard it was to get over his disappearance and
vowed to not go through that again.
Nabiki announced she was going to take her bath. Akane,
thinking a bath sounded good, decided to join her.
Leaving the dog in her room, Akane grabbed her robe and
headed for the door.
"Now you behave yourself while I take my bath," she told him
with a wag of her finger. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Not everyone was glad to see the little dog. Ranma
particularly was bothered by something. That dog just happened'
to show up at the Tendo's. To him, that wasn't natural. He
*had* to check something out. Waiting a few moments, he snuck
down to Akane's door, looked around quickly to make sure he was
alone and quietly slipped inside. The dog, curled up on Akane's
bed, acknowledged Ranma's presence by slightly wagging it's tail.
As Ranma approached, the dog raised his head slightly and wagged
his tail even harder. Like all dogs, he was willing to be
friends, so long as Ranma was equally willing.
Ranma picked up the dog and stared deeply into it eyes.
"Are you really a dog?" he said in a low voice. The dog's
tail and ears drooped. His eyes filled with fear. "You better
not be another Jusenkyou victim. I won't allow you to pull
another Ryoga' on Akane. I had to put up with that damn P-chan.
I won't do the same with you."
The little dog just blinked and tried to lick Ranma on the
nose, his tail slightly twitching in fear. If he was not a real
dog, he was doing a damn fine imitation.
"What are you doing in my room, you pervert!" Akane screamed
from the door. Wearing her robe, still wet from her bath, she
was clearly ready to clean the room with Ranma. "And put my dog
down!"
Ranma tried to explain but couldn't get a word in.
"First P-chan and now this! Is there no limits too your
depravity?" She stormed in and snatched the dog from Ranma's
hands. Cuddling it to her chest, she continued to berate Ranma.
"Honestly, to think I'm engaged to such a perverted hater of
small defenseless animals turns my stomach."
"Akane, I..." Ranma started but never finished. With a low
growl Akane kicked him out through the open window. Not bad for
a girl holding a dog in her arms.
Cuddling the little dog, Akane muttered a few more dark
oaths concerning Ranma. The dog tried to lick Akane again but
foiled by Akane kissing him on top of his head and rubbing her
cheek against his ears. Placing him back on the bed, she went to
her dresser to get her pajamas. She stopped and looked sadly at
the dog.
"Why is he such a jerk?" she asked the dog. "For that
matter, why do I keep clobbering him?"
She shed her robe and sat naked on her bed. The dog
snuggled against her bare skin. Taking him into her arms, she
hugged him to her breasts.
"I wish I understood him better." she sighed while stroking
the dog's furry head with her cheek. "I know I have to marry him
eventually but why won't he grow up." She thought for a few
moments, rocking the little dog like a baby in her lap. "You
know, he's really not bad looking. Kinda cute, really. At
least, when he's not being a jerk." She kissed the dog's head
again. "I'm glad I've got you to talk to."
She thought of all the times Ranma called her a tomboy and
uncute. Those words probably stung her worse than any other. No
girl wants to be thought of as unattractive, Akane more so. And
she really didn't hate boys, it's just they always acted
so...immature around her." She lifted the dog's muzzle with her
fingers and asked: "Am I that uncute?" The dog just blinked.
Abruptly, she stood up, set the dog aside and stepped in
front of her mirror. Turning this way and that, she critically
analyzed her figure.
"I'm not so unfeminine." she muttered running her hands down
her sides. For several minutes, she examined her self from every
angle. "Breasts are okay." She elevated each small mound with
her hands noting its perfect size and shape. "My ass is still
tight and high." She turned her back to the mirror and slid her
fingers over tiny, well defined derriere. She stretched a
shapely leg and bent over slightly as her hands slid down its
length. "Legs are a little muscular for a girl, I guess."
Turning to face the mirror. "A little thick around the middle
too." She pushed in on her waist and made a face in the mirror.
"What do you think?" she said turning to the dog, cocking one
knee across the other and placing her hands on her hips.
The dog just stared, ears forward, tail wagging.
"I guess you'd like me even if I was fat and ugly," she
giggled reaching for her pajamas. "I wish I could get Ranma to
do the same." <I'd settle for him just saying something nice now
and then.>
She quickly dressed and climbed into bed. The little dog
cuddled up to her, it's furry head under her chin.
"Akane," came Kasumi's voice from the door. "I'm going to
leave your door and the panels leading to the garden cracked
enough so your little friend can get out if he needs to do his
business'."
"Okay, Oneechan." Akane chirped. "Good night."
It was after 2 in the morning with the whole house quietly
asleep, when the little dog slipped out from under Akane's arm,
jumped onto the floor, stretched and shook before heading for the
door. He stopped in the door way, looked back at Akane's
sleeping form, and slipped out into the hallway.
Moments later, the little dog found itself outside and
heading for the gate. Finding it closed, he searched for an
exit. There was a gap under the gate that was just large enough
for one small dog to slip through and out into the street.
Following the trail he had marked earlier, the dog trotted
through the quiet streets of Nerima. Turning down an alley next
to the public bath house, the dog headed for the rear of the
building. He paused at the corner, checking for anything out of
the ordinary. Finding all clear, he trotted up to the overflow
spillway from the baths themselves. Someone had placed a large
wash tub under the pipe to catch the warm water. Without
hesitation, the little dog hopped into the tub, splashing some of
the water onto the rocks around it.
Slowly, a tall, Western looking male emerged from the warm
water. Stretching, he reached under a box full of trash to
retrieve a plastic bag of clothes. Dressing quickly, he thought
happily to himself: < Not a bad day, all things considered.>
As the American walked happily back to his hotel, he made a
mental note to remember the Tendo's next time he wanted a
pleasant diversion. Besides, the youngest girl wasn't half bad.
********************************************************
[ To all you anti-Western character bigots out there: Gotcha!
Nyaaaaaa! ]