Dog Aliens 1: Raffle's Name

Dog Aliens 1

  Raffle's Name

  Copyright © 2012 Cherise Kelley

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Design by Annette Tremblay

  www.midnightwhimsydesigns.com

  This book is available online in paperback.

  Dog Aliens 2: Oreo is now available.

  Dog Aliens 3: She Wolf Neya

  is due out in 2014.

  Sign up for new release alerts at dogaliens.com

  Dedication:

  To everyone who has

  adopted a pet from the animal shelter.

  Bless you.

  Table of Contents

  Story Description

  Chapter 1: Car Trip

  Chapter 2: Jex

  Chapter 3: The Sides

  Chapter 4: Neya

  Chapter 5: Randy

  Chapter 6: Business

  Chapter 7: Millie

  Chapter 8: Big Dog Room

  Chapter 9: Pig in Spanish

  Chapter 10: Dog Bond

  Chapter 11: Puppy Room

  Chapter 12: Den

  Chapter 13: Lido

  Chapter 14: Cat

  Chapter 15: Work

  Chapter 16: Mister

  Chapter 17: Heg

  Chapter 18: Luring

  Chapter 19: Vacation

  Author's Note

  Dog Aliens 2 - Chapter 1: Raffle

  Dog Aliens 2 - Chapter 2: Lido

  Dog Aliens 2 - Chapter 3: Baj

  Dog Aliens 2 - Chapter 4: Neya

  Dog Aliens 2 - Chapter 5: Raffle

  Dog Aliens 2 - Chapter 6: Oreo

  Story Description

  Clem is a six month old puppy with a secret: he is an alien from outer space!

  Abandoned in the mountains, Clem meets a she wolf and discovers an odd talent that he has for manipulating the thoughts of others: wolves, other dog aliens like himself, and even humans. This talent comes in handy when he finds himself in a cage at the animal shelter, but Clem's about to find out why he has this talent, and what he's supposed to do with it.

  For dog lovers of all ages.

  The sequel, Dog Aliens 2: Oreo, is now available!

 

  Chapter 1: Car Trip

  Wow, my parents' human was taking me somewhere in the car alone, just the two of us! This was the first time that had ever happened. I had been in the car before, to go to the dog park or to the vet, but Mom and Dad had always been along, and my brothers and sisters, before other humans had adopted them.

  This was going to be a long car trip. I could tell because I smelled food in the bag he had thrown into the back seat. Maybe he would drive us to the woods and then take me for a long walk, and we would explore a wilderness area together! This was odd so late in the day, but hey, if we spent enough time alone together having fun, we might finally bond. I would like that. At least, I thought I would like that.

  My previous life memories about the dog bond were a bit hazy. I could remember everything I ever knew about mining jex. I could remember several hundred commands that humans had taught me, in my previous lives. I knew that humans could bond with Kaxians (and with Niques, but who cared about them?). Everyone said the dog bond was lovely, something to strive for. I thought probably I had bonded with humans before, but I honestly could not remember for sure, and I could not remember what it was like. I thought it would be nice, though.

  I looked over at this human who had bonded with my parents, to try and catch some body language that told me what he was thinking, where we were going, or anything interesting at all.

  He didn't look at me, not even a glance ever, for the two hours we were in the car together.

  I thought this was strange, but I made excuses for him. This was my first time riding in the front seat, and he was driving, after all. "Maybe he finds driving too engrossing a task and can't take his attention away from driving to look at me. Yeah, that's probably it," I told myself.

  He switched on the radio and sang along with some nonsensical songs, hitting the steering wheel to the beat of the music and pretty much ignoring me. He answered his phone and chatted about his job with a female. He looked out the window as the sun set, whistling a tune.

  I told myself, "Just be content that he took you along," and I did my best to look like I was having fun. I looked out the window, too, and watched the desert go by.

  After ninety minutes or so, he turned, and we were going up a mountain road. My parents' human did drive up into the woods! It seems a long way to any woods, from the deserts of Southern California, but there are huge pine trees a few hours' drive away, up any of the local mountains.

  It was dark when he stopped the car and set the parking brake, which again, I thought was odd. Humans don't see well in the dark. He put on a coat, put the small bag of food on his back, let me out, and called me to follow him over to where a trail headed off into the woods. How nice! We were going for a walk together!

  I ran to him quickly, wagging my tail to show him how happy I was to be singled out and taken for a walk, all on our own. I wasn't even on a leash!

  It was a lovely walk in the woods, even if it was a bit short. We went up a little hill. There were many different types of insects in the nearby bushes, chirping at us. I could smell lizards, snakes, squirrels, and gophers. There were no other humans around, which I figured was why I wasn't on a leash. The puppy that I was (and perhaps the wolf part of me) wanted to chase after a squirrel that ran across the trail. Memories from previous lives told me the human wanted me to stay by his left heel, though, so I did.

  My parents' human sighed then. This confused me. I was 99% sure he wanted me to walk by his left heel and not chase the squirrel. I was doing what he wanted, so why was he unhappy?

  We walked over the top of the little woodsy hill and down into a small valley where there were no trees, but grass grew so tall that I couldn't see over it. The trail wound on through the grass.

  I could smell still water up ahead, which meant there was a lake, and I grew curious about what we would find there.

  My parents' human stopped at the bottom of this little valley and took the bag off of his back.

  So, I sat down nearby. I thought maybe he would pet me now, and talk to me. Maybe we would play that game where he chose a stick, had me sniff it, and then threw it and dared me to find it and bring it back to him. Perhaps we... Oh! Wow! Some of that food I could smell in his bag was for me!

  He put some wonderful-smelling raw beef in a large bowl and set it down in front of me!

  Incredulous, I looked at him for approval. He made the signal to eat! Unable to believe my good fortune, I set about chewing up all this luscious beef. It was quite chewy, and it took a bit of doing to eat, but it was delicious, far better than the dry dog food I was used to. Yum! I closed my eyes and relished every juicy bite.

  In the back of my mind, I was aware that my parents' human was walking back up the hill, the way we had come. I could hear his footsteps. Oh! This meat was so good! Yum, yum! I munched contentedly.

  When I heard the car start, I realized what was going on. He was going to leave me here! I had been caught digging my way out and leaving the yard over and over again these past few months. His scent had been there when I returned, and his footprints, but I hadn't consciously noticed. I was a fool, thinking I had gotten away with my disobedience. As a result, I was being abandoned.

  I took off running, but even my fast legs didn't get me over that small hill before the car sped off, leaving me in the dust.

  Fool that I was, I ran after the car, thinking maybe he was kidding, or maybe he would change his mind and stop to let me get in. I stayed with the car for almost a minute before it got going s
o fast down the mountain road that I couldn't keep up. I kept running after it at my full speed for thirty more minutes, and then I had to stop and rest. I plunked down right there at the side of the road, near the foot of the mountain, gasping for breath.

  As the immediacy of running after the car faded and I caught up with my breathing, despair sank in. I had been abandoned by my parents' human. I was sure I could make my way back to his house tonight, but at the same time, I was equally certain the human there would not let me enter. Everything I would now do without came flooding into my mind for me to grieve over.

  I had watched my parents race each other for the last time. I was sure Mom would always win, but it had been fun to watch and cheer her on. No more. There would be no more wrestling with Dad. He always won that, but I was growing. I had hoped that someday I would start to win, at least sometimes. Now, I would never know. I also wouldn't see my next batch of brothers and sisters born, or help raise them as Mom and I had planned together. I never even knew how nice I had it, until I lost it all.

  I had been expunged, excommunicated, kicked out. The worst part was that in human terms, I deserved it. To understand that, you need to know what happened earlier that day, and in the months before that day.

  Chapter 2: Jex

  "Come on, Mom, Dad! The humans won't be home for hours. Come mine with us! It's fun!"

  "Your mother's mining days are over, Son, and so are your dad's. We know it's fun hanging out with your buddies, but other things come first for us now. You'll understand some day."

  I nodded at them, but I doubted I would ever understand. My puppy-self doubted anything could come first over having fun. The memories told me my Kaxian duty to mine must come first. I ran past all my holes that the humans had filled in, dug a new one, scrambled under the backyard fence, and skedaddled off to join my pack.

  I checked the usual places for scent messages telling me where the day's dig was. I left my own scent message to let the rest of the pack know I would be there, too. So far, I could tell there were 12 of us already today.

  Before too long, I made my way to the edge of civilization. We live in a suburb way east of Los Angeles, where civilization ends abruptly at the edge of a cactus and tumbleweed desert that stretches through mountains all the way to Las Vegas. Our pack's mining tunnel was about four Kaxians wide and ten Kaxians long. It went into the side of a hill, so it didn't slant down too much. The pack was gathered at the mouth of the tunnel, which faced away from civilization, toward the open desert.

  "Clem! Over here!"

  Clem is my Kaxian name, so I answered.

  "Hi guys!"

  Eight of the twelve of us present today were puppies, under a year old, like me. I ran over and joined two of my fellow puppies: Lido and Skil.

  Lido is mostly an English bulldog this life, a little older than me, seven months to my six. Don't tell him I said this, but Lido's humans feed him a little too much. Well, a lot too much. My best friend Lido is portly, OK? I mean, I know Bulldogs are heavyset to begin with. It's not that. We're talking his belly almost touches the ground. He's a good friend, though.

  Skil is a female black Labrador retriever this life, and a little younger than me at five months. She's easygoing, one of those dogs who always rolls onto her back when she meets a new human, in hopes that the human will rub her belly. We Kaxians call her type a 'pet-me.' She pretty much goes along with whatever Lido and I want to do, so long as she gets her turn.

  The pack was getting ready for the mining strategy meeting. Lately, I had noticed a pattern at these meetings. To test my theory, I sat down a little away from Skil, the whole time making eye contact with Lido. Sure enough, Lido turned to face Skil and sat next to her. Us guys used to always stick together, so I didn't know what was up with that, but it'd been going on for a week or so.

  Koog, one of the pack's mining leaders, coughed to get our attention.

  Lido was staring all gooey eyed at Skil, so I kicked some dirt at him. He looked up at me, mad.

  "Hey! What the..."

  Everyone else was looking at him, and the rest of the puppies laughed.

  Koog raised his eyebrow at Lido.

  Lido looked down at the ground and kicked some dirt to the side.

  "Sorry."

  Koog cleared his throat, scowled playfully at Lido, and went over the day's mining assignments. First, he addressed the two adult miners who were present today.

  "Crash and Trixie will be our main diggers."

  They both raised their chins at Koog, to show they had heard his orders.

  "Clem, Lido, and Skil, you three pull the dirt out of the front of the tunnel, after Crash and Trixie dig it up, so that the tunnel stays clear all the way through and the diggers don't bury themselves. After a while, we will switch so that you three get your turns on the jex, too."

  We tried to raise our chins to Koog in acknowledgment, as Crash and Trixie had, but Koog slanted his head to the side, so we were forced to speak.

  "Yes, Sir."

  Crash and Trixie flexed their muscles while still laying back, looking cool.

  Koog continued his instructions. We listened carefully, even though we had heard them several times before. We were puppies, which meant we could be disciplined for not listening.

  "Everyone, while we are mining, be sure to listen for any warnings from Heg's defense team. If you hear a warning, go to the opening of the tunnel where we will all meet to help defend it. Let's go mine!"

  Lido, Skil, and I worked out a rotation where we each took a turn getting dirt thrown on us while we picked it up from where the other three miners threw it. Our other turns were spent picking up the dirt from where the one it landed on threw it. That's how it was supposed to work, anyway. It looked to me like Lido was taking all of Skil's turns at the part where he got dirt thrown on him.

  There was dirt flying everywhere: paws throwing dirt and coats shaking off more dirt. It was fun!

  Koog, Crash, and Trixie were taking turns with one digging the vein of jex and the other two digging away the sides from where the main jex miner dug, so that the main digging channel wouldn't cave in.

  The dirt was piling up faster than I could clear it away.

  "I need some help here!"

  Koog sized up the situation.

  "Crash, Trixie, help Clem and them!"

  Crash helped me clear, and Trixie helped Skil and Lido move the dirt farther away, outside our tunnel. The two of them were adult Kaxians already, a few years old. The puppy in me felt proud to be working with them, side by side, as equals.

  I felt even happier when I took my turn digging into the vein of jex. It was a big vein, enough to keep us busy for another month. If all of us showed up every day, we could beat our quota. That would look good on my record, and might help me get a promotion, once I was no longer a puppy. Being a miner is fun, but being on the defense team and looking out for the Niques seems like it would be even more fun. Even better, leading mining or guarding operations gets you more respect.

  As fast as I dug up the jex, I ingested it. I could carry quite a bit this way, and only other "dogs" would notice how loaded down and slow-moving I was. I would excrete it later, ten miles away, so that the crew could load it onto the nearest Kaxian space shuttle and take it to one of our star ships.

  I was all loaded up on jex and ready to head for the shuttle and make my delivery when the Niques showed up, of course.

  One of our six lookouts, a yellow Great Dane puppy named Lis, spotted them and yelled out the dreaded warning.

  "Niques!"

  The Niques were the reason we had the mining meetings. They were why we took our procedures so seriously. We didn't want the Niques stealing our jex! As we had pre-arranged, we all met with our faces sticking out of the tunnel, clogging it up with our rear ends to block the Niques from gaining entrance to the jex mine. This was tough because they were all so little they could fit under our bellies.

  "Clem, put your legs behind mine!"
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  "Lis! There's a gap over here!"

  As was their style, the Niques taunted us from just outside the tunnel:

  "We'll make you move!"

  "You can't stay there all day!"

  "Give it up, Kaxians."

  "There's plenty of jex for all of us."

  The Niques employed their usual strategy of making so much noise that sooner or later a human would come over and either chase us away or catch us and take us to the pound.

  Heg, our defense leader, kept us moving toward our goal.

  "Lido, you go to the space shuttle first."

  I thought that made sense. If Lido's, um, girth gave him any trouble it, then was best he went first. That way, the rest of us would be along soon to help him.

  "All right. Hope to see you soon."

  Now that the Niques were here, we all spoke in code, of course. Our ordinary speech sounds a lot like the barking of wolves, which is why Kax chose Earth. You already had a species which is very similar to Kaxians, so similar that hardly any of us are full Kaxians anymore. The Niques' ordinary speech was always similar enough that they understood ours. That's why we use a code called Kanx: when we don't want the Niques to understand us. (The Niques have their own code they use when they don't want us to understand, too, but who cares about them?)

  Lido took off running as fast as he could, and the rest of us pressed tightly into the opening he left.

  Three of the fastest Niques in their pack took off after Lido. They were so little that it would take three of them to carry all the jex he was carrying, if they managed to trap him so that he couldn't make it to the shuttle before his jex came out.

  As my parents had taught me, I said a silent prayer to Kax. I prayed that Lido would outrun those three "little dogs." I asked that Kax help the rest of us stay long enough to block the ten "little dogs" that remained, and that something would draw the "little dogs" away so that the rest of us could make it to the shuttle. And, I asked Kax to please find a way to see that I would get my promotion. I know; I know. That last part was selfish of me, but that was what I prayed. At least I was honest and said so!

  The Niques were up to their annoying little schemes, as usual.

  "Humans, come chase these selfish Kaxians away from this tunnel!"

  "Yeah, they are selfish!"