Jealousy & Rage

I hated him on scent. His stink assaulted my nose. I bristled all over, like I was made of hackles. Didn't know whether to punch his smug face, or tear his throat out.

"Hey!" She said, her voice stinging. I could smell her scowl, could feel it in the tug of the lead.

"I'm sorry," she said, sparkling up at him, painted and breathy and doused in chemicals. Like she used to for me. "'Fraid he doesn't like men. He's protective of me, aren't you Jerry?" She turned to me as she said that, and my tail wagged gently. She turned back to the interloper. "He'll be OK once he gets to know you. I'll just pop him in the kitchen..."

From the kitchen, I could hear and smell what they were up to, and it drove me mad with jealousy and rage. Just hours ago, I'd been on two legs, desperate to get away. Now, thoughts of escape had vanished. I was furious she'd replaced me. Swiftly, too. You might think, bitch, but I couldn't think that of Her, not like that. Not with bite and spite and bile. I adored her, you see. Still. Always.

I made it my mission to spoil every moment they spent together in my house! mine!

They went out more and more often. Left me. Alone. I hated it. Bored, bladder pressing. I even missed him, feeling I'd take his stink and his grin if it meant she would be home more. It had been so long since I'd been on two legs, when She spoke to me I only understood snatches of it. The tone, the odd syllable.

I tried to fight the shape, but it the longer I stayed on four legs, the trickier it got to remember I could be any other way.

The day I bit him she bought a cage and put me in it, snarling about "vet" and "fixed" and "balls". These, it seemed were the magic words, a spark to the touch paper of change somewhere inside me.

He came down first in the morning, and found me curled up in the cage, naked.

"What kind of fucked up shit is this?"

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Word count excluding note: 366

Submitted on Friday 26th July at 21.58

*Very Quick Author's Note*

First of all, and most importantly: thank you so much for reading my story! The ha'penny that Vocal will toss in my hat for your eyeballs landing on this humble piece will be well-spent.

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A Year of Stories: I'm writing a story every day this year. This one continues my 208 day streak since 1st January.

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Rachel Deeming

Gerard DiLeo

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Thank you!

Thank you again, most sincerely. Especially if you are one of the wonderful people who has been staunchly reading these daily scribbles since the start of the year. I see you, and appreciate you very much indeed!