Leaves covered the ground. A kaleidoscope of autumn colors as far as the eye could see. Beyond the sea of trees, on a plot of land that stretched toward the horizon, there was a farm.
A rickety fence lined the meandering path leading from the road to the farmhouse. Beyond the fence, fields of wheat and barley stood, defiant against the crisp fall breeze. The distant bleats and moos echoed off distant hills, and at the center of it all, a well-trod path.
At the end of the path stood a farmhouse, majestic in its own rustic way. A deep earthen hue, offset by the glow of lanterns in the window, it stood strong against the elements. Inside this iconic farmhouse was a man. A farmer. Some would say he was kind, others might say he was stoic, but all agreed he was necessary. This farmer provided food for nearly every person in the small town of Gainesville.
Behind the farmstead stood a barn. This barn, painted red and white as barns typically are, loomed over the pasture where the sheep roamed. Inside the barn, an old graying border collie was giving birth to a litter of pups.
This farm was one of many. Your typical farmstead, tilled by hand and passed down from father to son since time immemorial. There was nothing special about the farm at all. Yet, that is where the story of one young and adventurous pup begins.
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
Darkness faded as I opened my eyes. The light was hazy and muffled, but blindingly brilliant compared to the eternal dark.
Where was I?
The last thing I remembered was leaving my apartment and heading out for school. It was the last day of finals week and I was running behind. Ah, yes. I had a compsci final, and I’d slept through both of my alarms.
Why was everything so distant and hard to remember?
Anyway, I left the apartment that morning and needed to make up for lost time, so I took a shortcut. There was an abandoned warehouse that bordered the river, with a footbridge just behind. It was old and rickety, but it cut twenty minutes off the walk to school. I usually avoided it, as it was clearly unsafe, but this was an important day.
Compsci was the last of the classes I needed to pass to graduate, and the final was 40% of the grade. Missing it would have been catastrophic. I stepped lightly across the edges, avoiding the center of the planks, as those appeared the weakest. I remembered there was a strong wind when I was about halfway across, and then nothing. Blackness.
<
<
What the bloody hell was that?!
A blue screen flash in my vision. I tried to yell in fright, but the only thing that came out was a high-pitched whine and a yip. Confused, I tried to raise my arms to inspect the glowing blue box in front of me.
Nothing happened.
Ok… That’s odd. Am I paralyzed?
I tried again to move my arms. Nothing.
Looking down, or trying to at least, yielded similar results. It seemed I was stuck here for the near future. Focusing back on the screen in front of me, it reminded me of classic video games from my youth.
The screen indicated I needed to complete some sort of tutorial, but it didn’t tell me how to do so. It was a bit frustrating, to say the least. I read through the message again and took a moment to ponder at the phrasing.
<
Well, that was fairly straightforward. Whatever this strange experience was; it responded to my thoughts. That wasn’t concerning at all.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
I played along to see where this was going.
<
<< Quest Update: Learn about stats and skills 0/1>>
The blue box shifted, collapsing the quest prompt and opening a screen named Menu. Easy enough.
I took stock of the options in front of me. There were four categories: Status, Skills, Class, and Advancement. Seeing as I couldn’t move or speak, it left me with only one option. I mentally selected Status from the list.
>> Status
>> Name: Charlie
>> Breed: Border Collie Mix
>> Age: Newborn
>> Class: N/A
>> Adoration: 0/150
>> Level: 1
>> Statistics:
* Agility - 1
* Stamina - 1
* Charm - 1
* Intimidation - 1
* Loyalty - 1
>> Bloodline: 82% Bordie Collie / 10% Australian Shepard / 8% Unknown
>> Skills: N/A
I gaped at the screen. This really was like a damn video game! I must have hit my head harder than I thought to have a status screen, let alone one for a dog.
Finally coming to my senses, I took in my surroundings. Bare wooden walls and a bare wooden ceiling made up the interior of some sort of building. There was a loft above me, and some sort of equipment hung on the walls. It reminded me of a bridle and tack.
My sister, Elena, had been into horse riding when we were kids. Equestrianism? Whatever it was called, she loved it. Every weekend she would be out and about, racing around the track and jumping barricades. That equipment was definitely a bridle and tack. There were horses here, somewhere.
The smell of drying hay was pervasive. It reminded me of the horse track, overwhelming and slightly sweet. Fresh hay was soft, leading me to believe I was in a barn. Looking over the status once more before moving on to Skills, I noticed something odd.
It listed my name as Charlie. Well, it wasn’t THAT odd, but considering the rest of my status was classifying me as a puppy, it was off. My name was Charlie Thoroughbred Jr, at least before this whole mess happened.
Shifting my attention to the Skills menu, I prepared to be bombarded with screens just like when I opened my Status.
Nothing happened.
I apparently had no skills.
<
<
Thank you System. Like I haven’t already been trying to do that very thing. Maybe something changed.
Trying again to move my arm, something had changed. Ever so slowly, my arm raised into my sight-line. My… paw? My paw raised into my sight-line.
Alright then, I guess this is for real. I’m a dog.
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!
Panic flooded my mind. This wasn’t a dream or some game. I was here, I just moved my paw. My whole body shook.
Trying to turn my head ended in success this time, letting me glimpse the rest of the barn. An older dog, also a Border Collie mix, lay in the hay behind me. I was shaking with anxiety, trying to calm my frayed nerves.
Besides the older dog, presumably my mother, I noticed the most curious thing. I had a tail, and it was wagging. It was wagging so hard that my entire body was shaking, even laying in the hay as I was.
Clearing my mind, I tried again to calm myself. Deep breaths, in and out. In and out.
Finally able to relax, I focused on the task at hand. How hard could it be to walk?
Step up.
Left foot forward.
Right foot forward.
Lef—
Falling flat on your face is not fun. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. I had four legs now. Alright, back up and try again.
Six Hours Later
After an embarrassing amount of time learning how to walk again, I finally got it. Thank the lord no one will ever know about that.
Up and walking, I decided it was time to investigate the seemingly innocuous barn. Moving to the ramp that led to the hayloft, I prepared to jump up the foot and a half ledge. Before I even left the ground, my new mother rudely interrupted me.
Grabbing me by the scruff of the neck and dragging me away was humiliating. I was an adult! I could walk fine on my own!
Despite my protests, which resulted in a series of high-pitched squeaks and squeals, the older pup dropped me beside another young Border Collie.
Apparently, I had a brother or sister. They were a light mottled gray, instead of my own black and white, and it appeared they hadn’t mastered opening their eyes yet. I took the time to appreciate the calm atmosphere before instinct took over.
I sniffed their butt. The horror! I was a sophisticated and educated man. You can’t just go around sniffing people’s backsides in polite society. It just isn’t done!
<
>> Scan Target
>> Border Collie Mix
>> Level 1
>> Class: Pet
A skill! My first one! Apparently butt sniffing is perfectly acceptable in the dog eat dog world of farm animals. Who knew?
I really needed to get this tail thing under control. Any time I feel excited or anxious, the thing shakes my whole body. It was very inconvenient.
<
<
<
<
Thank you screens, very helpful. I don’t even know what Adoration is or how to pick a Class. Shouldn’t this have been covered in the tutorial?
<
I guess the System can answer questions. Helpful.
Alright, now I just needed to figure out how to select a class. Unfortunately, my stomach disagreed. A loud rumble echoed off the barn walls, entirely too loud to have come from my slight form. What’s a guy gotta do to get a steak around here?
Searching for a way to escape and get some food, I had a horrifying realization. Puppies don’t eat steak. They drink milk.
Oh no. No no no no no no no. I refuse.
Instinct disagreed with me. Once again, I'm thankful that no one will ever know what happened in that barn.