The Dog

When wolves prowled the lands of the Earth, in one prosperous pack there lived a Dog. However, this was before dogs existed. To the rest of the pack, the Dog was simply a smaller, weaker, and different-looking wolf. Growing up in the pack, the dog was the runt of the group, the last to finish a race and the first to drop of exhaustion. This pattern of loss continued for years until one day humans created a village nearby the wolf pack. The arrival of the humans was mostly ignored by all of the pack, except for the Dog. Curious, the Dog snuck out to watch the humans, enticed by the new world on the edge of their old one. Soon, the effects of the humans were felt throughout the land, as they took hunting ground previously belonging to other animals, expanding and pushing back many of the animals. One day as the pack was out hunting, the Dog with them, human hunters interfered, stealing the pack's kill. Fighting back tooth and nail, the pack rose up against the hunters, but their efforts proved futile. The wolves dashed themselves against spears and arrows, losing many lives. The wolves decided to retreat, dashing away. Miraculously, the Dog hadn't been hit by any arrows, but when the rest of the pack retreated, the Dog had no stamina to be able to keep up with the other wolves. The Dog tired and collapsed, being found by the human hunters. However, while the other wolves had been slaughtered, the Dog was spared. The wolves had struck fear into the hearts of the hunter with their ferocious fangs, intimidating size, and hostile exterior. Lacking the fangs of the wolves, with a petite appearance and a welcoming look, the humans adored the Dog and took it in. From that day forward, dogs have always walked side by side with humans as their companions.