The weeks passed quickly, as autumn faded and winter took hold. The farm had been a bustle of activity, making sure the grain was harvested and processed before being sent off to market. I stayed away from any and all heavy machinery. They still gave off an offensive aura.
During those months, I kept myself occupied by becoming acquainted with all the other animals on the farm. There was Apples, my mother, of course. Her dingy gray coat was becoming matted, the signs of age apparent in her walk. It was time for her to retire and enjoy the rest and relaxation that she deserved.
The owner, who I now knew was named James, brought Talia and JJ to visit often. Talia much more than JJ, but that was alright. The rambunctious child would scream in delight at the first hint of a puppy, running forward and trying to crush us in her embrace.
We made a game of it, staying just far enough out of reach to tire her out. Then, when she was tuckered out from all the chasing, either my or my brother would approach for a hug and all the pets a dog could ask for.
It was during one of these visits that my brother finally received a name. Pickles, because JJ thought it was funny to name all the animals after food. It wasn’t. Luckily, James had been the one to name me, so I didn’t have to suffer from the same indignity.
There were many other fascinating animals to get to know and learn about. Since winter was approaching, most of them had spent most of their time inside. The first I encountered was an entire herd of cows, each of them named after some sort of food. When JJ’s creativity faltered, he added numbers at the end of their names.
That was how I got to know Garlic, Parmesan, Pasta, and Peppermint. The four of them, more than any of the other cows, were very social and intelligent. They stood patiently as I inspected them, gaining an understanding of their underlying smell with my new senses. All four shared a similar aura, a brilliant eggshell white that was interspersed with weaves of various other colors. They smelled of, oddly enough, the very things they were named after.
There was something more to that, but I didn’t have enough information to puzzle it out. There was no reason they should be named after their magical color smell, but maybe JJ had a gift for names. Based on the fact that he only named things after food, I was doubtful. Maybe if he was named Lettuce for a few days, he wouldn’t be so quick to assign labels.
I discovered there were horses on the farm, just as I’d suspected. Two of them, to be exact. A pair of geldings, Shadow and Snow were workhorses through and through. James would ride one to herd the sheep and cattle, while JJ would ride the other to inspect the property and make sure the fences and buildings were intact. Based on the state of disrepair of some fences, I suspected JJ may need a lesson on work ethic.
The last of the animals were a herd of sheep. They didn’t have names, as far as I could tell, but they seemed to be James’ favorite. He made sure to personally feed them, even if he had a busy day of harvesting ahead.
The System was rather quiet over those weeks compared to the initial salvo of quests and messages. I had gained 200 Adoration, besides the rewards for the [Urgent Quest]. The vast majority of that had come from territory defense rewards, just 10 at a time. It turned out that the changing seasons were messing with territory marks, not just mine, but also the squirrels.
Unable to expand my territory with the coming snow, I settled for marking an area roughly the size of a football field around the barn. The squirrel’s activity had slowed because of the coming cold, but that created an opportunity for other critters.
Both mice and rats appeared in the area around the barn, looking for a warm place to winter. They were easy enough to drive away once I knew they were there. An anger infused [Bark] and a brief charge in their direction was usually enough to make them rethink the need to enter the barn. At the end of those three months, my [Status] had changed little from the day I defeated the evil salesperson.
With a thought, the screen appeared.
>> Status
>> Name: Charlie
>> Breed: Border Collie Mix
>> Age: 3 Months
>> Class: Farmdog
>> Adoration: 560/600
>> Level: 3
>> Statistics:
* Agility - 2
* Stamina - 2
* Charm - 1
* Intimidation - 2
* Loyalty - 4
>> Skills
* Mark Territory
* Herding Bark
* Track
* Bite
The biggest change was the acquisition of [Bite]. The skill was fairly straightforward, allowing my jaws to exert additional force. Useful, but not particularly flashy.
I had grown substantially in those three months, augmented by the [Stat] gains. No longer was I the size of a football, now I had some weight behind me. Closer to the size of an adult cat now, my coat had taken on a rough appearance. Mangy was perhaps a bit of a stretch, but gone was the silky smooth coat that would have become pristine had I selected [Showdog].
Now that my legs had more muscle behind them, my speed nearly doubled. I could keep pace with Snow and Shadow in full gallop if I went all out. Stamina was still an issue, but far less than it had been. Taking a run around the grounds without a break was no longer an issue. Despite all of that, my bond with James hardly changed.
The owner had been busy tending to the other animals, tending the fields, and spending time with his family. I still hadn’t met his wife, not for lack of trying. I wasn’t allowed inside the house, at least not yet. That was a work in progress, and the System agreed with me.
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I wasn’t sure how I was going to approach that one yet, but I was content out in the barn with Apples and Pickles for now. As unlikely as it seemed, I really enjoyed my life on the farm. The memories of my former life were mostly gone at this point, yet most of the knowledge I had gained remained. I couldn’t help but worry that there were gaps I didn’t realize.
I knew how a car worked, what taxes were, and the best recipe to make pizza sauce, but I did not know how I knew those things. The one thing I still remembered clearly was Elena. I’m not sure why she didn’t fade with the rest of my family, but I was glad that she didn’t.
I missed her. While I enjoyed my new life, it was hard not being able to talk to anyone. Some of my best memories were of Elena and I just sitting around and talking about how terrible high school was, or how her new boyfriend was a jerk. Not that I had a comparison, since the rest of them were gone now, but what I remembered was still something I longed for.
I was hoping once I could be inside the house, that feeling would fade. While I wouldn’t be an active participant, it would be comforting to know that they cared. In the meantime, I’d have to find something else to entertain me through the winter.
***
A few days ago, I had spotted an anomaly at the edge of the farm. Following the path away from the house led to a road that wasn’t often used. That was the first time I had been to the property’s edge, and it was rather telling.
While cars didn’t frequent the street, there was one that would show up day after day. I kept my distance at first, pondering the implications of the same car showing up day after day. This was one of the gaps in my memory I was worried about. I should have the knowledge. I even knew how the car functioned, but I couldn’t reconcile a reason this one would show up over and over.
It was a boxy vehicle, painted mostly white with a stripe of red and blue along the side. Each day I would watch, and each day this vehicle would pull up to the end of the driveway and stop. It would wait for roughly two minutes in front of the strange pole that served as an address marker for the farm. Then it would leave.
The mystery was driving me insane. Why couldn’t I remember? What was the significance of the pole at the end of the drive? Why was no one else freaking out about this?
I realized maybe they didn’t know. Both James and JJ were working all day, they would not understand what happens at the roadside. I hadn’t seen James’ wife leave the house, ever. Talia was 3, so she had no opinion on anything, even if she knew. I would have to take this into my own hands. Paws. Whatever.
So, the first thing I needed was a better vantage. I’d been keeping far away and just observing, but that also meant that I missed things. I would need to get closer and be stealthy. I didn’t want to scare it away.
I waited for the dead of night, when no one should even be awake to make my move. I should have known the System would agree once I started in on the plan. It was usually supportive of any endeavor to bring the truth to light.
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Thank you, System. You are always so supportive.
Anyway, I made my way out of the barn in the dead of night and put my plan into action. Since I didn’t have thumbs… or tools of any kind, I would just have to improvise. I could be extremely stealthy when I wanted to be.
Out by the road where the driveway connected, there were several things to help reduce my visibility. The rickety old fence that ran from the farmhouse down the path stopped a few hundred feet before the road, but along the road itself was a drainage ditch. Immediately behind that, running parallel to the road, was a low wall, built from hand stacked river stone.
It looked as if James, or maybe even James’ father, had built the wall to make the front lot more interesting. The stones were old and smooth, stacked one atop the other. There was no mortar, just gravity and cold stone. It was the perfect place for me to hide.
The interesting looking pole with the box on top was on the edge of the driveway, maybe 10 or so feet in from the road. I took my time and dug out a shallow hole against the wall where I could lie down and get a perfect view of the interaction.
The ground was cold and hard. I hadn’t realized how tough it was to dig in the winter. It took nearly a half hour before the hole was deep enough that I could fit inside. My paws ached with the effort.
Something was missing as I examined the hideaway. Something important.
Of course! I needed something to cover myself. I would be obvious from the raised area of the vehicle that something was in the hole that had appeared overnight. Racing to the east edge of the property, I kept my eyes peeled.
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Yes, thank you System. I wouldn’t be here long. The squirrels were preparing for winter and it was the dead of night. Most of them would be out of the area. The towering oaks were fairly empty of leaves, but there was still a chance I could find what I needed.
Racing along the tree line, I hopped over gnarled roots and protruding stumps, searching for a fallen branch that still had some leaves attached. When I got to the end of the trees, I would double back and move into the woods a bit more, creating a search pattern that zigzagged back and forth.
Finally, after nearly half an hour, I found my quarry. There was only one problem. It had a guardian.
A giant squirrel sat atop the fallen branch. The largest one I had ever seen. It was nearly the same size as me.
I stared into its sickly yellow eyes, searching for a sign of fear or trepidation. If the squirrel felt any, I couldn’t tell. The damn rodent was gnawing away on some left over birdseed, having a grand ol’ time.
I couldn’t use [Herding Bark] without waking half the surrounding forest. [Scan] and [Mark Territory] would be of no help here. The only thing left was [Bite], but I didn’t relish the idea of drawing blood.
Nipping at the vacuum salesperson had been one thing. I was still a newborn and my teeth could barely pierce paper. But now I had grown, put on muscle. If I bit a squirrel with the full force of my jaws, it was likely to kill it. While the damn squirrels were a menace, I didn’t think they deserved to die over such a trivial thing.
The coloring on this particular squirrel was odd, too. It looked more black than gray, with white accents on both its back and tail. The darkness was making it hard to know tell for sure. It still just sat there, staring at me as it finished the last bit of food.
There was nothing else to do but try. Maybe I could get close enough to grab the branch and take off before the squirrel noticed. Moving slowly, I did my best to remain quiet. I was very stealthy.
Approaching didn’t faze the enormous rodent at all. It just watched on with a neutral expression as I drew closer and closer. Finally, I got within [Scan] range and I took a big sniff to activate it.
The aura of color exploded out around the animal. Instead of the normal crimson of the other squirrels, this one was a pale yellow-green. It reminded me of a rotted pear, or a nasty sneeze. It smelled of sewage and rotting food. My nose threatened to rebel against me at the awful realization.
>>Scan Complete
>>Name: American Striped Skunk
>>Class: Dungeon Boss
>>Level 22
>>The American Striped Skunk is known for its defense mechanism. When threatened or scared, the skunk will turn and engage its stink gland, spraying a long-lasting solution that makes the nose and throat burn. Use caution when engaging. If you are close enough to see this message, it’s already too late.
Immediately, I turned to run. How could I be so stupid? Unfortunately, the System was correct, like always.
The skunk had already turned and was preparing to fire. Nothing I did now would make any difference. I still tried to run, just standing there and accepting my fate was unacceptable. I made it less than 3 steps before the smell hit me.
I ran as fast as I could, forgetting about the branch and my plan to ambush the odd vehicle. The stench was overpowering, threatening to drive me mad. I couldn’t see clearly, my eyes burning. I couldn’t breathe, my nose and throat on fire.
It felt as if I had drank a cup on molten steel, and nothing I did was helping. I rolled in the piles of leaves at the forest’s edge. I buried my face in one of the remaining snowdrifts. I even went so far as to find the cows pasture and cover myself in a less pungent, but equally disgusting, excrement. Nothing helped.
Eventually, the burning subsided on its own, but the stench was persistent. I could only hope it would also fade with time.
Ashamed and defeated, I waddled back to the barn with my tail between my legs, literally. If the smell didn’t fade, I would have to hope that James could help.
Curling up to sleep next to Apples and Pickles helped to keep my mind off the tragic loss of my dignity.