Dan ran off into the night hoping he could lose himself in the darkness, but the street lights gave a glow to everything. He could still see his paws and feel his tail and dog ears as well as all the parts that had changed. He ran on until he was so hot and panting feverishly to cool off that he could not go further. When he came upon people, he hoped that someone could help him; but as he got close, he would hear the same thing, "Loose dog. Call the catcher." If they didn't call out, Dan would go towards them pleading for someone to recognize him. Unfortunately, all they heard was barking which scared them. They would then call, "Mad dog. Call the catcher." This always frightened Dan, and he would take off again away from them even after one of them told the other, "It's too late tonight. Wait to see if he's loose tomorrow."
It was after one of these people chased after Dan and he went down an alley and between two houses that he saw an area ahead without any lights. He charged for it and soon found himself on the edge of a large park. He could smell the signs that people played here as well as smells of food - some fresh cooked and some decaying garbage. Both tempted him along with his desire to hide, so he trotted forward further away from any light. He saw little as it got darker and darker the further he went. With his nose and ears guiding him, he was now hunting like an animal. He was both glad he could and terrified that this is the way he might forever remain.
Shortly Dan caught a scent of something new, something different, and something that aroused his primal dog self even more. He did not know what it was, and it scared him, but it also drew him further on. He was still panting and his heart was again beating rapidly even though he was not exerting himself. It was anticipation of the unknown that had his adrenalin pumping and keeping him at high alert. However, the fragrance of trees without being tainted by city air soon filled him with relief. He hadn't realized it, but he had wandered far into the woods. Far beyond the hiking and walking trails. Far past where the sounds of the city could be heard. New sounds of the night, strange to Dan, were being made by the wind and creatures of darkness. So far that there was not even a faint odor of any human. He began to relax. He began to feel happy. This untouched forest began to feel like home.
Home. Dan's mind then thought of his home, his family, his sister. "Look what she has done!" he thought with anger and sadness. His family no longer thought of him as anything but a pet. His sister was using the situation to torture Dan in any way she could. He vowed again to get even as he also had this underlying thought that he should respect and obey her. But she wasn't here. No one was here. Just Dan. Alone.
How could his mom let this happen? Mom. Dan longed for his mother. She had always been there before to help him. Why did she not stand by him now? What power did Kat have over her? Had she cast some spell on his mother? No. NO, that cannot have happened. Dan felt even more depressed if his mother might be being tormented by Kat as well.
Dan suddenly felt he had to stop. He felt around sniffing for a spot. A spot he could collect his thoughts and he could rest. He just now noticed how tired he had gotten. Both his physical activity running away as well as the training plus his emotional wrestling of anger, happiness, sadness, fear, depression, and worry had taken everything out of him. Dan fell to the ground as he curled up. He felt like crying but that only made his eyes itch. Fortunately, he was so exhausted that sleep over took him as soon as his snout touched the ground.
~~~
The peacefulness of the forest, Dan's tortured mind, and his exhaustion quickly had him entering a deep sleep dream state. Jumbles of past events floated like snapshots regressing rapidly to before Kat has cursed him and to the things he'd done teasing his sister, but going even further back to the good times they'd shared when they were little before he had to prove himself to be better than she. Back then he had looked up to his sister for her help and friendship. She would make him snacks and a sandwich dinner when his parents worked late. When they played or walked to the park, they would always do what she wanted whether he liked it or not, but she had also gotten him out of trouble when he was little and had taken care of him, treating him like a little brother and almost like her pet.
Dan's mind began to see himself as a puppy. Kat took him out and feed him. She made him do tricks that he didn't like but she enjoyed him doing. She played with him, their favorite was Frisbee. She couldn't throw well to him, but he would chase it just like when he was a little boy, jumping to grab it as it sailed over his head. Dan felt the exhilaration of running fast as a dog, jumping and catching in his teeth. Dan's legs ran in his sleep as he trotted back to Kat with his prize waiting for her gratitude. He was happy when they were little.
He pictured himself holding the Frisbee for and looking up at Kat. She was holding a switch, barking words at him he didn't understand. He crouched and whimpered afraid of this new side of his sister, his master, until the sound of wind whistling past the moving switch woke him before he could feel its sting.