Tom was snoozing in the middle of a puppy pile, his belly full of milk, warmth all around him. His whole world consisted of suckling, sleeping and the occasional cleaning from his mother's tongue. New sensations assaulted him each day, but since he hadn't yet opened his eyes, it was easy to stick to his two-task routine. Every now and then he'd feel the sharp prick of one of his litter-mates claws as they scrabbled against each other, striving to latch on to the limited nipples available, or the soft, warm cloud of their mother would heave upward suddenly, leaving them bereft and whimpering until they fell asleep snuggling together, waiting for her return. That was life.
Suddenly something tickled at the back of his mind, like a ember slowly growing into a flame. His ears twitched, tiny flaps quivering, dreamlike details taking shape in his mind, solidifying into objects, faces and colors, confusing to one who hadn't seen anything other than light and shadow yet in this life. A name came to him: Tom. But who is Tom? Me? Am I Tom? What am I?
The curly-haired black puppy whined, rubbing his head against his sleeping siblings soft fur.
"Where am I?" Tom thought, using his strong sense of smell and hearing to try to find answers to the questions filling his mind. His eyes wouldn't open, and his limbs felt thick and uncoordinated. The world around him smelled... milky? And there was a strong scent that he associated with safety and love... was that his mother? Bodies squirmed around him, the sound of many beings breathing softly and from further away something lapping up water. Max? Who was Max and why had that name popped into his head? Max! His dog, Max, a big german shepherd!
Awareness was slowly returning, inhibited by his lack of physical control and blindness. "I'm Tom." he realized. "I own Max, and I'm married to ... Samantha!" With that thought a hundred more memories rushed back into his head, including his final moments before a strange blankness. "Oh god, am I still a sperm in Max's balls?! And Samantha! I turned her into a dog!" a whimper escaped him, jolting him from his thoughts and back to his present situation. "Wait. I can make noise, so I must not be ... what I was." he shuddered. Melting into a liquid and becoming something microscopic was something he'd like to never repeat. "But that means, if I'm no longer a ... what the Chronivac said, I must have fertilized an egg and... and been born?! But, am I a dog? I mean, a puppy? And did Samantha have to give birth to me?!" Tom's mind was racing now, looking for answers to the questions filling his mind, trying not to panic.
Large, stiff objects suddenly surrounded him, lifting him away from his warm companions. Hands! he realized, someone had picked him up! He must be a tiny puppy, and those were his litter-mates! But was Samantha still a dog? Would they be stuck like this forever? How long until puppies' eyes opened? He tried to remember, but he didn't think he'd ever known the answer. What had become of their home, their jobs and pets? Max and Misty! He was squirming in the gentle grasp that held him, making increasingly frantic noises as his thoughts spiraled, contemplating his current predicament.
"Shhh, shhhh puppy. It's alright, I'm going to return you to your momma, don't worry!" a voice he recognized whispered. "I just want to make sure you're who I think you are... Tom? Can you hear me?" He froze, tiny claws flexing involuntarily when he heard Samantha say his name. "Are you in there Tom? I turned your awareness up for now, just so I could confirm everything. If you understand me, maybe you could do something, I don't know... whine two times if you can hear me?"
She'd just started to mumble "This is ridiculous... it's a day-old puppy I'm talking to..." when the fluffy bundle in her hands let out two distinctly separate and plaintive whines.