Shelter • wolfstar au

05 ; new friend

Chapter Five: New Friend

5 December, 1981

The day was chilly as snow drifted lazily in the air, and the workers of the shelter wanted nothing better than to go home and hide under a blanket. But their duties to look after the dogs and the amount of love they stored for those animals surpassed any comfort they sought, and despite the howling wind slamming against the windows, they went on about their work with smiles on their faces.

Among the devoted workers was Remus Lupin, who had been working at the shelter for the past five years, since he was sixteen. The shelter was his home, and he couldn't imagine living a day without the dogs as his company. With a thick woolen cloak wrapped around him, he gritted his teeth to stop the chatter of his teeth, and paced in and out of the shelter busily, making sure the dogs were well cared for.

Though the dogs loved the cold weather, there were still a few who managed to fall sick, especially those with a weak immune system, usually the ones that have been abused. It pained him to think that humans could be as heartless as to hurt a dog, but the sad thing was that people like that would always exist, no matter what.

As he walked into the cage room to make sure the dogs were comfortable, he heard the bell ringing as the door opened and a family of four arrived. He felt something heavy drop inside his chest, as it always did when people came to adopt a dog. But he kept a smile on his face and greeted the visitors, guiding them around the shelter and giving them information on the various types of breeds available. Then he left them to walk around by themselves and get familiar with the dogs.

He returned after checking on the sick dogs, and found the youngest member of the family holding a puppy in his arms, who was licking his face. When he came closer, he noticed that the puppy was the Siberian Husky - cotton ball. Remus walked over to them and smiled. "You want to adopt him?"

The boy was about fourteen years old, and he grinned at Remus. "Yes, he seems to like me."

With a sigh, Remus reached out and stroked cotton ball's neck, already anticipating the reaction of the strange dog. He led them to another room, where the paperwork was carried out, and the information was filled in. Then, after telling the family about all the things they needed to buy - leash, bowl, chew toys and various other accessories - they left, and Remus held the puppy in his arms for a few minutes, running his hand over his body gently, and then took him over to the large cage where the black German Shepherd was sleeping.

He opened the door of the cage and gestured the dog to come out. "Let's go for a walk," he said and the dog trudged after him.

He was hit with a cold blow as soon as he opened the door, but none of his canine companions seemed to be bothered by the chilly wind, both running outside to play in the snow. There were a couple of other dogs outside too, and he stood in a corner and watched them play.