Once back at the house, Miguel set to work folding all of the laundry he'd washed after filling up a bowl of water for me. Sometime around four, the front door opened and his mother walked in. Her face was drawn with exhaustion, but as soon as her son looked up at her with a smile, she quickly mirrored it with one of her own.

"Hey, Mom, how was work?" he asked as he got up, setting the shirt he'd been folding on top of the stack that was already finished.

"Great, sweetie," his mother replied as her expression turned to one of gratitude and excitement, and she scurried over to him and scooped him into a hug. "I got a raise!"

I remained silent as he cheered, his smile stretching wider as he shared in his mother's excitement. The look in Miguel's eyes when he was released from the hug was one of hope. Such high, high hopes.

"Mom! Does this mean that maybe we can keep him?" Miguel tried immediately, turning to glance at me before looking back at his mom with wide eyes. The look that his mother returned to him made my heart stutter with worry and Miguel frown.

"Sweetheart, I know you've wanted a dog for a very long time, but right now, I think it's best that you give him to the Humane Society you volunteer at so that he can get a home that can truly afford to give him what he needs. I might be getting a raise, but I could either decide to use that money on him so that he is well fed and has flea control and regular vet visits, or I can spend it on my family." Her shoulders sagged a little and she sighed, wrapping her son in a second hug for a brief moment. "I'm sorry, Miguel. You and your father come first, and that's how it has to be."

All of Miguel's previous excitement had dissipated into depression as he grabbed the leash he'd yet to remove from around my neck and tugged me toward the door. I had half the mind to fight him on it, not wanting to go, but his mother was unfortunately right. Their home needed so many repairs and Miguel could stand to gain several pounds. I didn't like the idea of being thrown into another situation that could possibly go south, but staying with Miguel's family would only hinder them.

Thus, for once, I swallowed down what I wanted and followed Miguel out the door. The whole way to the Humane Society I contemplated running away, but even if I did, I had no doubt Nagol had some of the cats in the city on the lookout for me. Hell, he might already know where I was but hadn't struck yet because I was with Miguel. Maybe he really was the cause of the abrupt sorrow I felt rush through my head the other night? Eh, either way, with my luck, he'll adopt me and then slit my throat.

The walk to the Humane Society was quick, as it was only four blocks away from Miguel's house. As soon as we walked inside, my nose wrinkled with distaste. It smelled terrible to my sensitive wolf nose, but I had no doubt the stench would only get worse when I was locked away with the other animals.

"Hello, Mary." Miguel spoke hesitantly as he walked up to the counter wearing a fake smile. The receptionist looked at him, then down at me, before her eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey there, Miguel. That's one big dog you've got there. Must be a wolf hybrid."

Miguel shrugged, pursing his lips as the woman walked around the counter and came out a side door. She knelt down in front of me, offering a hand that I begrudgingly sniffed to make her happy. After giving me a gentle pet, she looked up at Miguel.

"We normally don't take strays, but I suppose you're here to surrender him?" she asked, noting Miguel's eyes as they began to blink quickly. He nodded, offering her the leash with a shaky hand. "I f-found him in the alleyway near the g-grocery store down the street."

Mary smiled and nodded, taking the leash and giving my head another pat that I didn't want. "Alright, thank you for bringing him in. Do you have any idea about his personality? Is he fixed? House-trained?"

Oh shit. Fixed. Shit shit!

Miguel licked his lips while I silently panicked about losing my boys. "Um, he's pretty calm for a big dog but will grumble when you try to do something he doesn't like. He's also picky about what he eats, or at least he hates beef jerky. And uh, he's not fixed."

Yes, I am! Please dear god, pretend I am!

"Okay, that's not a problem then! We can get him all of his shots and then the vet can get him fixed when she comes in on Monday if he doesn't already have an adoption on him."

Try to fix me and I'll eat your children, lady!

When Miguel just nodded, Mary frowned, wrapping the kid in a gentle hug before putting both of her hands on his shoulders and squeezing to get his attention. "You did a great job saving him and bringing him here. We'll take good care of him and you can come visit whenever you'd like until he's adopted. I'm sure he'd be glad to see you."

A new fake smile found its way onto Miguel's face, and he mumbled, "His name is Kind" before he turned and trudged out of the building.

I didn't know the woman was trying to move me until she knelt back down and scratched me behind one ear. "I'm sorry, Kind. You probably wanted to stay with him. I know I would if I were a dog; he's a great kid. He did the right thing giving you to us, and I promise you'll get taken care of here."

She tugged on the leash again, and this time, I begrudgingly allowed her to lead me into the back area.

"Hey, Anna? Miguel brought us a big stray boy. I think he's a hybrid. Said he found him in an alley, and I just couldn't tell him to bring him to animal control. Do we have any extra room?"

I sat as she spoke, trying to act as calm as possible as the two women talked. Anna, who I assumed was a veterinary technician judging from her attire, smiled down at me before turning her attention back to Mary.

"I'm sure we can find somewhere to put him. Didn't that Great Dane we took from animal control last week get adopted yesterday? Its kennel should be open."

"Oh, right! I'll go get him situated in there, then bring him some dinner before we close up for the night," Mary replied before tugging on my leash. I followed obediently until we stepped into an extremely loud, extremely smelly hall of run cages. They were built into a concrete wall and ran all the way up and down the room. In nearly every one, a dog barked, making my head begin to throb. The cage she intended to put me was right in front of us and looked to be one of the largest ones they had.

Not interested.

Ignoring the leash pulling at my neck, I turned and calmly stalked back into the room we'd just left, using my nose to nudge the door back open right before it could close. Mary tried to pull me back into the run area, but I easily moved into the far corner of the quieter room and laid down, resting my head on my paws.

"Looks like he's decided he isn't going to stay in the kennel," Anna said with a laugh as she walked over and gave my head a good rub.

Stop touching me, you darn humans.

"I suppose he can just stay in here for the night. He doesn't seem to care about the cats in the cages next to him, and there isn't anything out that he can really get into," Mary said as she looked around the room for anything I might want to tear up.

Yeah, let me get some of those cotton swabs and needles. That's exactly what I want to eat.

The thought had me rolling my eyes before they narrowed on the disgusting smelling bowl of kibble that was now in front of my nose. I might be hungry, but I wasn't going to stoop to eating generic kibble garbage yet. At least give me a real brand. I'd rather eat a cat.

"Not hungry, boy? That's okay, we'll leave you be. I'm sure today hasn't been the best for you," Anna said as she headed for the door, switching off the lights once Mary walked through. When I heard the lock click into place, I heaved a sigh of relief and got up to look around. There really wasn't much out in the area that I could see. Not that I wanted to chew on stuff like a normal dog, but I did have to pee. Eventually I found two dirty towels in a hamper in the corner and managed to position myself so that I hit the towels decently well and didn't make a mess on the floor.

When I was finished, I entertained myself by scaring the cats and drinking from a water dish that had been left out in the other corner, likely for patients that ended up in there for basic exams. The night passed by uneventfully after I settled back down. Sleep eluded me, partially because I was contemplating shifting and breaking out, and partially because I was terrified of being neutered. I might deserve to die for what I'd done, but I didn't deserve to lose my manhood!

Come morning, I was a frazzled fluffy bundle of nerves. Anna was the first one to arrive and frowned at my full food bowl when she stepped into the back room. I knew I should have eaten to stem suspicion that something might be wrong, but I just couldn't force that stuff down my throat. Just the thought of it had me wanting to gag.

"Well, at least you drank the water we left out. That's good," she mumbled as she refilled the bowl and set it in front of me. I drank a good half of it before looking over at the laundry basket Anna was investigating with a wrinkled nose.

"I guess you had to go. At least it was on the towels so we can just wash them, instead of the floor."

My thoughts exactly. You're welcome.

Once she was done cleaning everything up, she turned back to me with a thoughtful grin. "Maybe you'd like to go outside today? We don't usually adopt out animals that haven't been fixed, but we can. It just requires the person to pay extra and get their money refunded once proof of neutering is given."

Wonderful, I mused silently to myself.

"It seems Miguel already gave you a bath so you just need your exam, a couple shots, and some flea control to be ready to go. Lucky for you, the vet said she needed to swing by this morning to pick something up so she can give you your rabies shot real quick."

Anna got busy drawing up vaccines after she finished speaking and then got down one of those topical flea preventatives. "Alright, all set. Come here, boy. Or, I think Mary said Miguel had named you Kind? Will you come here, Kind?"

Huffing, I sauntered over to her and dropped my backside to the floor in a sit.

"I know, I know. The vet's office is never a fun place. Just a few pinches, a bit of blood drawn, then the last shot from the vet and you're good to go."

When she got the first shot ready, I eyed the syringe, then looked away as she hesitantly poked me in the shoulder. She seemed relieved when I didn't bite her, even if the thought did cross my mind. The vaccines shouldn't bother me, even though I don't need them. If it got me out and adopted, and not fixed, then I'd suffer through a few shots.

"Alright, all done! Wow, you're such a calm boy. I bet whichever vet you end up going to with your new family will love your mellow nature."

Anna was all smiles as she cleaned up the syringes except for two, then gave me the topical flea treatment. Right as she was tossing the empty package the door flew open and another woman walked in that was a bit larger than her, but shorter at the same time. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, but she was obviously in a rush because I just got a quick pat on the head, then she injected the rabies vaccine and wished Anna a good day before disappearing again. Once she was gone, Anna finished writing on a sheet she'd had out, then clicked the pen closed.

"Alright, you just need a physical and worm tests and you're all set. I'd forgotten to do that yesterday, but you had been through enough at the time."

I stood still as she got to work, checking my reflexes and teeth. She messed with my bad leg quite a bit, but I managed to hold back any whines that came with the slight pain she caused. When she said something about needing a stool sample after drawing a small amount of blood and began walking toward my backside, I drew the line. If she wanted a stool sample, then I'd give her a stool sample. Hunching my back, I squatted and pushed, dropping exactly what she was after right there on the floor. It was embarrassing, but not as bad as her sticking something up my butt to get it.

"Um, well. I guess that works," Anna said as she grabbed a poop bag from a roll on the counter and picked up the present I'd given her. While she got the two tests set up, I finished off the last of the water and waited until she checked the results.

"All clear on both. Great. Now I just need to check your temperature and you'll be good to go."

She started for my back end again but stopped abruptly when I let my lips peel away from my teeth and released a growl. It wasn't loud to me, but she jumped back as if she'd been burned.

"Um, well. You don't look like you're sick and all of your tests came back negative, though you need to gain a bit of weight. Maybe we can just try your mouth? I need a temperature..."

I opened my mouth when she tried to nudge the thermometer into it, then closed my lips around it. "Wow, smart guy."

When the thermometer beeped a moment later, I opened my mouth and allowed her to withdraw it.

"You're running a little higher than normal, but that's probably just from stress."

She gave my head a pat before writing down the temperature, then grabbed the paper and my leash. "Let's get you loaded up for the adoption event, handsome boy."

Having no argument, I followed after her, my paws thumping steadily on the tile floor until we entered the front room and I saw Miguel sitting in a chair pushed against the wall. When he saw me, his face lit up, though I wasn't focused on his smile. What bothered me was the strong scent of smoke in the air that clung to him as I approached, replacing the pine and sandalwood I was used to smelling on him.

"Hello, Miguel, did you want to come to the adoption event today? We'll be bringing Kind since his physical checked out and he got his shots."

The boy nodded, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong when he stood and took my leash. I noticed a small amount of ash on his hands and whined, drawing both of their attention. Anna was just opening her mouth to speak when Miguel dropped to his knees and hugged me tightly, burying his face in my thick fur.

"Miguel? What's wrong, hun?" Anna asked, kneeling down to rub his back as he began to sniffle. Normally I'd be annoyed and back off so that he didn't get snot in my fur, but I could tell that now wasn't the time. When he finally leaned back and wiped his nose and eyes with his arm, I knew something bad was going to come out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry. There was a-a fire. Last night, I-I..." He trailed off, and I awkwardly leaned over to lick his cheek. Anna hugged him and patted his back.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, getting an immediate head shake from Miguel. "Alright. Just let me know if you do and I'll be here to listen."

He nodded and she stood, offering him my leash again. Miguel took it, holding onto it tightly as Anna led us out of the office right as Mary walked in. "We're heading to the adoption event. I assume the other dogs are already loaded up?" Anna asked, to which Mary nodded.

"Awesome. Have a great day here. Let's hope for a lot of adoptions."

Mary smiled and nodded, wishing them a good day before heading behind the front counter to get to work.

"Um, Ms. Anna?" Miguel asked, his eyes hazy with unshed tears.

"Yes, Miguel?"

"Is the event at Reeve's Park?" he asked, getting a nod from Anna in response.

"Can I walk him there please? It's not very far..."

With a warm smile, she nodded again as we stopped by a van where I could hear several dogs barking from inside. She gave me one more pat and then hopped into the van, telling Miguel that she'd meet him there. As soon as she had driven away, we began walking... and Miguel began talking. His voice was quiet and resigned, but when I began to piece together what he was saying, my heart ached for him.

There was a fire the night before caused by the old wiring in his home. He'd been out late picking up food for dinner and arrived just as the fire took over the whole building. A fire crew was already there, preventing him from going inside, but they were unable to save his parents. He'd already been taken to the police station and children's services had been contacted. He was due to report to them by five this evening, leaving him just enough time to do the adoption event before his life went even further to hell.

I decided then that I'd be on my best behavior for him. He was practically leaning against me as we made it into the park, his hand resting on my back for support. There was already a decent group of people gathered around the large van they used to transport the dogs. Several volunteers had some out, though I wasn't familiar with the breeds. Most seemed mixed.

"Here we go, boy. Let's get you a great home, hm?"

The cheery tone in Miguel's voice didn't hold through his entire statement, but I gave him an excited yip anyway. It made him give me a tiny smile and I wagged my tail. We approached the group after he took a moment to compose himself. People seemed afraid of me at first, but when I just laid down in the grass next to where Miguel sat, they soon began to swarm around us, asking all sorts of questions. I forced myself to deal with all the petting as Miguel happily answered each person.

By the time an hour had passed, there were several people interested in me, but no official adoption had been made yet. Miguel had just spoken with the last person around us at the moment, and I was settling in to relax until the next wave came when the sound of heavy footsteps approaching had me lifting my head to look.

No!

Whimpering, I buried my face in Miguel's lap as the man approached and sat himself down in front of us. My whole body was suddenly on pins and needles, humming with fear.

"What a gorgeous dog you've got there. What's his name?"

Miguel seemed confused by my behavior but simply began petting me as he answered the person. "Thanks. His name is Kind. I found him in an alley all covered in dirt." He wrapped my head in a gentle hug when he'd finished speaking, then pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"I named him that because he's the sweetest dog ever."

"Oh is he?"

My heart beat a mile a minute when I felt Nagol's hand gently rest atop my head and rub softly. The gesture probably looked cute to Miguel, but I could feel the tense hostility flowing into me from the contact.

"How would you like to come home with me, boy?"