Crystal Water

Prologue

Feathery warmth surrounded a small scrap of white and brown fur as it snuggled close to it's only overt, its mother. Five other familiar looking pelts surrounded the one, squirming and squealing about at the adult's watch.

Muffled,confusing noises sounded above the pup. The speakers sounded aggressive, as if not wanting anything to do with these day-old lives.

"We don't need these things," One said as he flicked a pup back toward it's mother. It was a bold-looking man who wore a torn gray tee. The other was a woman, probably his girlfriend or something.

"Dan-"The woman began to say.

"No."Dan said, cutting her off. "I didn't even want this dog- now the mother of six pups, here in this house in the first place!"

The woman crouched beside the mother. "Why?" She asked. "She- Ivy-is a ...Husky.... or something."

Dan scoffed. "Yea, a brown husky Penni." He studied the mother dog."It's obviously a mix breed. Too big." He looked at the six pups."And they're probably going to turn out big dogs too."

Penni sighed. "Than what are we going to do?" She stroked the mother dog's head. "No one's going to want a mother with five puppies."

"I'll find them someplace." Dan said, walking back into the house.Because of course, he didn't allow that Ivy named dog in the house when Penni had brought her home three months ago.

The blonde woman sighed and sat beside Ivy. "I'm so sorry." She whispered as she ran her fingers through the brown dog's fur. "Dan will find you someplace new. Where you will be happy."

The dog just rested her head on her paws, and pulled her pups close. The brown and white pup from earlier still by her front paw.

Penni got up and walked to the oak tree near, where a tire lay against it.She reached behind the tire, grabbed a big blue bag of dog food, and carried it towards Ivy and the pups. She opened the bag and grabbed the big silver bowl that lay beside a dirty watered one. Filling the bowl and listening to the dry food pellets hit the metal, she rested the bowl of food back by the water, and brought the bag back behind the tire. Looking up, she saw the sun beginning to go down, along with the orange, yellow, and red leaves falling from the trees around. She sighed once more and walked to the front of the yard to close the gate.

Ivy pulled the soft red blanket closer to her pups as the wind blew, and Penni walked back over to the dogs. "I'm so sorry." She whispered once again to the dog, quietly stroking her.

"Penni!"

The blonde woman looked up to see Dan calling her name from the house.

"Come in." He said briskly. "I'm gonna order some pizza or something."

Penni slowly got up and walked up to the porch, entering the brown sided house. As she walked in, the familiar smell of smoke filled her nose,and found Dan by the phone, a cigarette in his mouth. She scoffed at him and sat on the couch. "Why can't you do that somewhere else."She paused. "Or even better. Not at all."

Dan turned to Penni. "Watch it." He snarled as he dialed the numbers to the nearby pizza place.