That was when she first saw her, talking with her caretaker.

She was a middle-aged redhead with big round glasses and green eyes, wearing some painfully colorful pullovers and trousers. And everything about her felt gentle, moving around cautiously and talking in the softest voice the puppy had ever heard as if she was afraid that something terrible might happen otherwise.

The words you are searching for are shy and clumsy.

Are you sure about this one? I don't think the two of you are a good match.

'What the hell does that mean?' She retorted, glaring at the screen. 'What's coming to you so suddenly? Are you trying to jinx it?'

I don't think you realized, but you have A LOT of energy. I'm just concerned she might not be able to keep up.

'Point taken,' She winced. She could see that herself. But what if she misses her chance? She could tell the caretaker was already desperate. There was not any guarantee that there would be another one. Or that the next one, if any, would be any better. She did not have the luxury of being picky.

That human was into dogs, and she just got her attention.

It was now or never.

She scratched frenetically against the wall of her box in the direction of that woman, making sure to drive her point home.

Their eyes met, and she froze.

'It's puppy eyes time! Look how I'm cute, adorable, and well-behaved! You want to take me home, right? You will wholeheartedly regret this for the rest of your life if you don't. And I'm definitely going to show you my best crocodile tears if you DARE LOOK AWAY!'

And quite the contrary, the woman never stopped staring while very cautiously approaching.

Was she seeing something in the young puppy that the other didn't? Cause no one before gave her a second glance. Did she see a kindred spirit in the puppy, from one runt of the litter to another?

'Don't jinx yourself either,' She admonished herself, ending those negative thoughts setting her up for failure.

The woman sat in front of her on the other side of the box and kept looking at her.

'Do she want to turn this into a staring contest?' She tilted her head, not sure how to react.

But she felt like she had to do something, or she would soon lose interest in her.

'Do you wanna play? Where is that rotten half-eaten ball my brothers and sisters used to play with? Found it!'

She picked it up and went back to drop it right before her, but the woman seemed unfazed by her dubious gift.

'Yeah... never liked that ball either. What was I thinking?'

She was thinking really hard but could not come up with anything. And so she started chasing her tails while repeatedly asking herself, 'What should I do?'

Calm down just one bit. I changed my mind. She seems to like you already. Be yourself. I will take responsibility if things go south.

'What do you mean by taking responsibility?' She asked back.

Your intuition was mostly correct. If you screw this one, you might not have another chance. I won't let anything happen to you either way.

'Why are you telling me this now? Are you trying to scare me?' She asked again.

That woman asked about you. And your 'caretaker' just admitted you were scheduled to be euthanized next week.

A shiver ran down her spine as the new words and their deep meaning burned deep into her mind. So that is what the caretaker was worried about. They planned to murder her and felt sorry for her?

She started to see her circumstances in a new light.

No matter how benevolent that woman and her caretaker might or might not be, they had the power of life and death over her. And the same had been true about her mother, brothers, and sisters. How many were still alive since they got separated? The simple fact she had to ask herself that very question did not sit well with her.

'Nothing has changed,' She tried to reason with herself.

'Except that I now know about it. The question is:.'

'What the hell can I do about it?'

Get Stronger.

Now focus.

The system's answers, harsh and uncompromising, managed to finally still her mind.

'You are right. Good or bad, that woman is my free ticket out of that box. Better not screw it.'

Yet the system also advised her to be herself. So she decided to change strategy and went back to what felt natural to her: go back toward that woman, vainly try to scratch her way out of her prison, and try to sell her case as she could.

'Hello, Kind Lady? I don't know what's your business, but those monsters are planning to murder me. Would you be so kind as to get me out? I have so much to live for! So, please? I'm begging you! I will do anything.'

That is when the woman finally made her move.

'Am I dreaming, or did she just pet me in the head? And the collar now? You are not going to give me false hope and ditch me afterward, right?'

That's it—that traitorous tail of hers started wagging on its own accord.

'Screw this. Who am I trying to fool? Please keep scratching! If you stop, I will die. So just don't.'

Yet, all too soon, the scratching session was over. And the woman got up. And start speaking with her caretaker, leaving her behind.

'Wait? What? C'mon! You can't do that to me. You're my last chance! Please!'

Relax. It's okay. You did the right thing.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

She is paying for you right now.

'Paying for me?' She tilted her head, not understanding what it was all about.

She knew the concept already as the system explained to her the idea of the spell store and the needed currency to buy those. But she was not a spell. How could her life be for sale? Even more disturbing: following that line of thought, then, how much was her life worth?

Trust me. You are not ready to have that talk. Neither am I.

You are still shaken by what you just learned. The issue of unchecked capitalism will have to wait for another day.

So everyone and their mother were selling everybody and their dog to make money? She frowned. The very thought clashed with her every instinct. Were humans really that different?

But her thoughts were interrupted as she was lifted off the ground, and someone proceeded to try and strangle her with some kind of rope.

'Liar. You said it was going to be okay! Why are they suddenly trying to kill me?'

Stop that already! You are the one hurting yourself!

That's a leash. You better get used to it. You won't find a single domestic dog without either a collar, a harness, or a leash. That design is made to prevent you from running away and strangle you if you try.

'And how do I get rid of those?' She asked.

You give up on humanity, outwit your owner, escape, and try to get rid of it every day until it falls off.

However, I'm pretty sure this one is temporary. This woman seems to love you. She would not let you get hurt. Give her some time to figure it out, and she will buy you something more fitting.

'Crazy Humans, ' She mumbled to herself.

You got that one right!

★☆★

The world outside was an entirely new experience for her. And one, she did not get the time to enjoy as much as they wanted. After a very short stroll, her new 'owner' picked her up and settled her into a suspended wicker basket tied to a strange contraption. Before she knew it, her leash had been secured to the basket, and the woman moved out from sight on the other side of the basket.

She barely had time to get used to the new offensive basket, that it started shaking, and everything around her started to move. It took her a few seconds of confusion to realize that it was the basket moving at a somewhat moderate speed, with her trapped inside. And then, the wind started to pick up, and after a second thought, while a bit shaky and unpleasant, the ride was not that bad after all.

She was daydreaming that it was her legs carrying her, running at full speed down that hill, in those narrow streets with those rushing cars and pedestrians everywhere. And then, they got less animated streets and then woods until the only things left were the road and the few passing cars.

The basket took one brutal turn left at one crossroad, and the road changed colors from black to brown. They crossed a clearing, then another fork. The basket turned right, then two others clearing, another crossroad, and they turned left this time. They reached yet another clearing. And the basket stopped. Only seconds later, she was freed from the basket and allowed to explore her surrounding. The woman pulled on the leash three times, each time close to a shallow stream of water.

She got the message. No crossing any body of water. Anything else in the clearing seems fair game.

And then, she saw the lonely wooden house slightly off-center in the middle of the clearing. And she realized that this was most probably the place she would call home: A somewhat triangular clearing surrounded by water in the middle of the woods. Did she inadvertently hit the jackpot?

You did get quite lucky. Though, what the heck with this house?

'What about it?' She asked back, not seeing anything wrong with it.

Big garden, tiny house. That place is ancient, especially that bridge and those trees. But that wooden cabin is brand new. For all we know, she might as well have moved in right yesterday.

'I'm not following you. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?'

It depends. Humans sometimes do that: Leaving everything behind to get a fresh start. Still, it begs the question: Why would she need a fresh start? And whatever the answer is, it sounds like you were somewhat part of the plan.

'Are you telling me she might have troubles?' She made sure she understood that subtext right.

That or she might BE trouble.

Either way, humans usually don't live alone in the woods. So she might be a loner or a lunatic.

'She has me now, so she isn't alone anymore, right?' She playfully retorted.

Whatever you say, Pup.

'You never called me that before,' She pointed out.

The woman did a dozen times already. I guess it just rubbed on me.

'That’s what I am, so I guess this is fitting for now.' Should she start referring to herself as 'Pup'? She entertained the idea but decided she did not like it.

★☆★

As the system had told her, the house was rather small. And there were precious little things inside, aside from a kitchen counter and a table with a single chair in the living room, the water room, and the bedroom. Despite living alone, she had a comfy resting place the system qualified as a double bed. But other than what the system described her as the bare essentials and a few bookcases, the rooms had been barren. And there was absolutely nothing within her puppy reach.

It was a bit underwhelming after the visit to her new big garden. Weren't humans supposed to live indoors? Judging by her house, it seems that her human might disagree. Not that she would complain about. What little time she spent outside was also the best moment of her entire life. If she got trapped in a box ever again, she might go insane now that she knew exactly what she had been missing.

'Yeah, that's right. It seems like I wasn't truly alive until now.' She decided for herself.

Would you like me to set this day as your 'birthday'? Humans love to celebrate those.

'Are there any pros and cons to do so?' She asked, curious. She understood the word birthday perfectly, but the idea of something recurring every year once a year was so distant to her.

I can keep track of time, but I need a reference point. I currently have none. So this birthday thing is as good as any. Plus, I could remind you of it one year from now. And while you might forget about it, your human probably won't. Humans are doing all kinds of weird things on 'birthdays,' so I could warn you in advance.

'What if I say yes now but change my mind later on?'

I can add or remove as many dates as you wish under any label you want. I can't set to remind you of something at regular intervals or only when you ask about it.

'I don't see any reason not to, then.' She concluded. 'Okay, let's do it. Today is officially the first day of the rest of my life. And let's cheer on that whenever.'