Shifted, A Sci-Fi Animal Novel.
Feb 7, 2018 14:11:56 GMT -5
Post by 🌼 Sprucetail 🌼 on Feb 7, 2018 14:11:56 GMT -5
So yeah.
Im writing a new book, Shifted.
It's about three dogs who get taken by scientists and, altered. The dogs call it Shifted. Levi meets new friends and fights for his newfound life and survival.
First Two Chapters -
Chapter 1
The gold and white basenji pup was curled up in his basket with his mother. The she-dog was licking her pup. “Levi.” She barked quietly. “Wake up sweetie.”
Levi yawned at looked at his mother. The pure goldish-yellow she-dog was a sight for sore eyes. She was only slightly smaller than him.
“What?” He asked.
She had the occasional gray fleck on her muzzle. She wasn’t what anyone would consider a young dog anymore. “Emily is getting ready to leave. I think she’s taking you with her today.”
Emily was their master. A tall girl with warm brown eyes, she loved her two dogs more than anything. Levi’s eyes lit up. “She is? Let’s get going then.” He stood up and waited for his mother.
“I’m not going. She got your leash, not mine.” She told her son. Levi tilted his head, his ears flopping to the side.
“She always takes both of us, Kristina.” Levi argued. “Come on, she might take you too.” He begged.
The she-dog sighed. “Okay.” She stood up and followed her. They walked to the front door where their master was putting her jacket on. Emily smiled and grabbed Levi’s leash. Emily clipped the leash onto Levi’s red collar and scratched Kristina’s ears. Kristina looked at her son. “See?”
Levi looked at Emily and whimpered. “I want her to come too.” He barked.
“You know humans can’t understand us.” Kristina scolded him. “She doesn’t like when you bark at her.”
Levi licked his mother’s nose. “Okay. I’ll see you later.” He barked to her.
She smiled and nuzzled him. “I love you.” Levi followed his master out the door and into the car. He sat on the front seat and put his paws on the window, ready to see where they went.
Chapter 2
Levi looked at Emily as they drove past the dog park. “Where are we going?” He barked at her. Emily took one of her hands off the wheel to scratch Levi’s ear. She said something and put her hand back on the wheel. Levi didn’t understand, as always, and found the language gap frustrating. He jumped into the back seat and looked out the back window. As the car came to a stop he slid off the seat and jumped back into the front.
His master picked up his leash and led him out of the car. He didn’t recognize the location. She walked him inside a building and he took a sniff of the area. It smelled clean, and like a lot of dogs. He gave a concerned look at his master, who was talking to another human at a desk. Emily picked Levi up in her arms and the other human reach forward and pet his tail.
She set him down again and sat in a chair in the room. He saw another dog sitting with their master across the room. Much larger than Levi, the german shepherd had a thick black collar and a long leather leash. “Where are we?” Levi asked.
The other dog responded by giving a wordless, aggressive bark at Levi. He shrunk under his master’s chair. He watched as a human came out from the back and called something. Emily stood up and walked over. He watched in horror as she handed over his leash to the human. He tried to hold his ground as the other human dragged him deeper into the building. “Emily! Help! They’re taking me!” He franticly barked at his master. He felt a defeated feeling sink in as his master disappeared behind a corner. He gave loud whimpers at the new human, begging her to let him go.
She led him into a room with steel cages lining each wall. She put him in one and took off his leash. He whined as she closed the door, hung his leash on the wall, and walked out. The door shut with a bang and Levi took in his surroundings.
About half of the cages had a dog in it. From a tiny chihuahua clawing at the bars to a mastiff staring lazily at the wall, there were about twenty dogs there in total. He saw the cage across from him had a dog his similar size. A beagle with a bright blue collar on locked eyes with him. “What is this place?” He asked her.
The she-dog shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been here for months. The humans take care of us and feed us but this is it.”
“What’s your name?” He asked.
“Lucy.”
“Well how long have the others been here?”
She glanced at the other dogs. “Some of them are new, like you. Some of them have been here a while. Rain over there,” She looked at the old mastiff curled up in a larger cage. “Has been here the longest. Some say he’s been here a year, but we can’t know because he won’t tell us. He stopped talking about a month ago.”
Levi growled under his breath. “Well is there any way out?” He asked.
Lucy shook her head. “Not that we’ve found. A couple of the other dogs and I have been looking but we don’t know.”
Levi nodded. He curled up and laid his head down. Tears streamed out of his eyes and he whimpered under his breath.
~~
The next day, Levi woke up to a loud siren. The siren lasted about a second before it shut off. “What was that?” He asked Lucy. The beagle stood up in her cage and shook off her fur.
“Everyday there’s a set of alarms that tell the humans what to do. That one was to feed us.” She licked her lips. As if on cue, the large door swung open and four people walked in. Each human gave a bowl to a couple of dogs. When Levi got his bowl, he gratefully ate the bland food out of it.
“What are the other alarms for?” He asked her.
“Well, we don’t exactly know. Other than that alarm, the humans seem to work randomly. Occasionally they come and take one of us through that door. The first time you go through that door is to be brought in here. The last time is to go out.” She stared at the large metal door that closed the dogs into the room. “No dog has ever come back.”
He looked down at his paws. “Oh.” He looked over at the other end of the room. Opposite from the entrance door was a smaller white door. It had a small window on the upper portion of it but he couldn’t see through it. “What’s that door?”
Lucy glanced in the direction he was looking. “That door is to the outside. Once every other day the humans take us outside. Let us play, run around, but we mostly just enjoy the air that is so rare here.
Levi couldn’t help but wonder why his master brought him here. “Has anyone’s owners ever come back?” He asked. He was sure he knew the answer, but wanted to hold onto a shred of hope.
“No.”
He sighed. “Well, who were your owners?”
“I lived with my two brothers. Our owners were two kind humans who loved us immensely. One day they just, brought us here. We can’t explain why.” Her eyes seemed to go distant as she remembered her past.
“What happened to your brothers?”
Her eyes darkened. “They were right here. One to my left and one to my right. The humans came in one day and took Bailey, my older brother. A while later, they took Shiloh.” Her voice trailed off. “I haven’t seen them in two months.”
“I…” Levi didn’t know how to respond. “I’m sorry.”
Lucy straightened herself. “I’m fine.”
After all the dogs had finished eating a human came in with a thick leather leash. “Oh no.” Levi heard Lucy whimper. The human stopped at Levi’s cage and reached in. Levi froze in fear. The man poked Levi’s flank with a tiny syringe and Levi gave a tiny yelp. The man then kept walking and stopped at a father back cage. Levi strained to see, the human opened the cage of the large mastiff and clipped the chain onto his collar. ”Rain! No!” Lucy howled. He walked past them and gave a sad glance at her. The human dragged him out and the door slammed shut again. “Rain! Come back! Let him go!” Lucy howled. She kept howling until her voice gave out. The beagle collapsed onto the metal floor of the cage.
Levi wanted to say something to her but didn’t know what. “What-“ He started.
“Can you stop with the questions?” She barked. “He didn’t deserve that. I don’t know where they got but it’s not good.” There was an edge of growling to her tone. “I don’t want to have to watch everyone here get taken like my brothers!”
Levi nodded shamefully and laid down. He set his head on his paws and thought. “What if we escaped?” He asked.
“You’re out of your mind if you think we can get out of here.” Lucy sighed.
“Have you tried anything?” He asked her.
“No.” She growled. “But I’ve watched tons of dogs get dragged through that door, and I’m ready to try anything.”
“What about that fence?” Levi suggested.
“What about it?” Lucy asked.
“Could we dig under it? Climb over it?”
“I don’t know. I guess we could dig under it, but we could definitely not climb it.” She snorted.
“Let’s make a plan.” Levi smiled.
Im writing a new book, Shifted.
It's about three dogs who get taken by scientists and, altered. The dogs call it Shifted. Levi meets new friends and fights for his newfound life and survival.
First Two Chapters -
Chapter 1
The gold and white basenji pup was curled up in his basket with his mother. The she-dog was licking her pup. “Levi.” She barked quietly. “Wake up sweetie.”
Levi yawned at looked at his mother. The pure goldish-yellow she-dog was a sight for sore eyes. She was only slightly smaller than him.
“What?” He asked.
She had the occasional gray fleck on her muzzle. She wasn’t what anyone would consider a young dog anymore. “Emily is getting ready to leave. I think she’s taking you with her today.”
Emily was their master. A tall girl with warm brown eyes, she loved her two dogs more than anything. Levi’s eyes lit up. “She is? Let’s get going then.” He stood up and waited for his mother.
“I’m not going. She got your leash, not mine.” She told her son. Levi tilted his head, his ears flopping to the side.
“She always takes both of us, Kristina.” Levi argued. “Come on, she might take you too.” He begged.
The she-dog sighed. “Okay.” She stood up and followed her. They walked to the front door where their master was putting her jacket on. Emily smiled and grabbed Levi’s leash. Emily clipped the leash onto Levi’s red collar and scratched Kristina’s ears. Kristina looked at her son. “See?”
Levi looked at Emily and whimpered. “I want her to come too.” He barked.
“You know humans can’t understand us.” Kristina scolded him. “She doesn’t like when you bark at her.”
Levi licked his mother’s nose. “Okay. I’ll see you later.” He barked to her.
She smiled and nuzzled him. “I love you.” Levi followed his master out the door and into the car. He sat on the front seat and put his paws on the window, ready to see where they went.
Chapter 2
Levi looked at Emily as they drove past the dog park. “Where are we going?” He barked at her. Emily took one of her hands off the wheel to scratch Levi’s ear. She said something and put her hand back on the wheel. Levi didn’t understand, as always, and found the language gap frustrating. He jumped into the back seat and looked out the back window. As the car came to a stop he slid off the seat and jumped back into the front.
His master picked up his leash and led him out of the car. He didn’t recognize the location. She walked him inside a building and he took a sniff of the area. It smelled clean, and like a lot of dogs. He gave a concerned look at his master, who was talking to another human at a desk. Emily picked Levi up in her arms and the other human reach forward and pet his tail.
She set him down again and sat in a chair in the room. He saw another dog sitting with their master across the room. Much larger than Levi, the german shepherd had a thick black collar and a long leather leash. “Where are we?” Levi asked.
The other dog responded by giving a wordless, aggressive bark at Levi. He shrunk under his master’s chair. He watched as a human came out from the back and called something. Emily stood up and walked over. He watched in horror as she handed over his leash to the human. He tried to hold his ground as the other human dragged him deeper into the building. “Emily! Help! They’re taking me!” He franticly barked at his master. He felt a defeated feeling sink in as his master disappeared behind a corner. He gave loud whimpers at the new human, begging her to let him go.
She led him into a room with steel cages lining each wall. She put him in one and took off his leash. He whined as she closed the door, hung his leash on the wall, and walked out. The door shut with a bang and Levi took in his surroundings.
About half of the cages had a dog in it. From a tiny chihuahua clawing at the bars to a mastiff staring lazily at the wall, there were about twenty dogs there in total. He saw the cage across from him had a dog his similar size. A beagle with a bright blue collar on locked eyes with him. “What is this place?” He asked her.
The she-dog shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been here for months. The humans take care of us and feed us but this is it.”
“What’s your name?” He asked.
“Lucy.”
“Well how long have the others been here?”
She glanced at the other dogs. “Some of them are new, like you. Some of them have been here a while. Rain over there,” She looked at the old mastiff curled up in a larger cage. “Has been here the longest. Some say he’s been here a year, but we can’t know because he won’t tell us. He stopped talking about a month ago.”
Levi growled under his breath. “Well is there any way out?” He asked.
Lucy shook her head. “Not that we’ve found. A couple of the other dogs and I have been looking but we don’t know.”
Levi nodded. He curled up and laid his head down. Tears streamed out of his eyes and he whimpered under his breath.
~~
The next day, Levi woke up to a loud siren. The siren lasted about a second before it shut off. “What was that?” He asked Lucy. The beagle stood up in her cage and shook off her fur.
“Everyday there’s a set of alarms that tell the humans what to do. That one was to feed us.” She licked her lips. As if on cue, the large door swung open and four people walked in. Each human gave a bowl to a couple of dogs. When Levi got his bowl, he gratefully ate the bland food out of it.
“What are the other alarms for?” He asked her.
“Well, we don’t exactly know. Other than that alarm, the humans seem to work randomly. Occasionally they come and take one of us through that door. The first time you go through that door is to be brought in here. The last time is to go out.” She stared at the large metal door that closed the dogs into the room. “No dog has ever come back.”
He looked down at his paws. “Oh.” He looked over at the other end of the room. Opposite from the entrance door was a smaller white door. It had a small window on the upper portion of it but he couldn’t see through it. “What’s that door?”
Lucy glanced in the direction he was looking. “That door is to the outside. Once every other day the humans take us outside. Let us play, run around, but we mostly just enjoy the air that is so rare here.
Levi couldn’t help but wonder why his master brought him here. “Has anyone’s owners ever come back?” He asked. He was sure he knew the answer, but wanted to hold onto a shred of hope.
“No.”
He sighed. “Well, who were your owners?”
“I lived with my two brothers. Our owners were two kind humans who loved us immensely. One day they just, brought us here. We can’t explain why.” Her eyes seemed to go distant as she remembered her past.
“What happened to your brothers?”
Her eyes darkened. “They were right here. One to my left and one to my right. The humans came in one day and took Bailey, my older brother. A while later, they took Shiloh.” Her voice trailed off. “I haven’t seen them in two months.”
“I…” Levi didn’t know how to respond. “I’m sorry.”
Lucy straightened herself. “I’m fine.”
After all the dogs had finished eating a human came in with a thick leather leash. “Oh no.” Levi heard Lucy whimper. The human stopped at Levi’s cage and reached in. Levi froze in fear. The man poked Levi’s flank with a tiny syringe and Levi gave a tiny yelp. The man then kept walking and stopped at a father back cage. Levi strained to see, the human opened the cage of the large mastiff and clipped the chain onto his collar. ”Rain! No!” Lucy howled. He walked past them and gave a sad glance at her. The human dragged him out and the door slammed shut again. “Rain! Come back! Let him go!” Lucy howled. She kept howling until her voice gave out. The beagle collapsed onto the metal floor of the cage.
Levi wanted to say something to her but didn’t know what. “What-“ He started.
“Can you stop with the questions?” She barked. “He didn’t deserve that. I don’t know where they got but it’s not good.” There was an edge of growling to her tone. “I don’t want to have to watch everyone here get taken like my brothers!”
Levi nodded shamefully and laid down. He set his head on his paws and thought. “What if we escaped?” He asked.
“You’re out of your mind if you think we can get out of here.” Lucy sighed.
“Have you tried anything?” He asked her.
“No.” She growled. “But I’ve watched tons of dogs get dragged through that door, and I’m ready to try anything.”
“What about that fence?” Levi suggested.
“What about it?” Lucy asked.
“Could we dig under it? Climb over it?”
“I don’t know. I guess we could dig under it, but we could definitely not climb it.” She snorted.
“Let’s make a plan.” Levi smiled.