Tails and Ears (Camren)

Chapter One

Lauren struggled to keep her eyes open on the road, still half an hour away from the apartment she and her friend Normani shared. She scanned the dimly lit road in front of her, and tried to look at the road signs to tell when to make her next turn, but suddenly a small, brown furred creature crossed her path, and she slammed a foot on the breaks. The car skid to a halt, and the dog whimpered in fear, seeing as it only stopped about a foot in front of it.

"Holy shit." Lauren cursed, letting out a sigh and closing her eyes before looking in front of the car. She didn't see the creature. Had she hit it? Lauren furrowed her eyebrows in concern, opening up the car door and hopping out of the vehicle. She saw the small ball of fur in the same place, shaking. "Oh my god." She didn't think she had hit the poor thing, but she had noticed the lifted paw, which bled, and couldn't help but feel sympathetic. She knew bringing home a small wolf looking dog, yes probably a dog, wasn't exactly an ingenious idea, but it was hurt, and quite frankly adorable. She sat there, crouched down, looking at the poor thing before making a final decision. She picked up the bundle of fur, carrying him or her to the passenger seat of the car. She laid down her jacket and set the pup on top of it, watching as it curled up, then got back to the drivers seat, starting the car again.

"What is that?" Normani gestured towards whatever Lauren was crouching above in their living room. "Lauren is that... oh no. No, no, no. We agreed, no pets. You know, Dinah and Ally have a dog that pisses everywhere and that was the moment we promised ourselves we wouldn't fall victim to their cuteness... oh my god it looks like a wolf." The taller girl crouched down beside her, looking at the pup which laid on a pillow, sleeping soundly. "What happened there?" She asked, pointing to the dog's paw, which was wrapped with a white bandage, showing a little bit of red.

"First of all, it's a girl. Second of all, I don't know. I found her like this. Poor baby was limping on the street, so you can't blame me fore wanting to take her in." She said, looking at Normani, who glared at her.

"No, there's no way we're keeping her. No way at all. That thing looks like a wolf, too. It's probably half wolf half dog. What if she bites us." Normani pointed out, following Lauren as she walked to their kitchen.

"Haven't you ever seen Balto? Anyways, I think a pet would be good for us. Learn some responsibility. I've been friends with you since elementary school. Remember the time you tried to get your parents to buy you a dog but they wouldn't because you were only six and had no idea how to take care of one? This could be your puppy." She laughed grabbing a bowl and filling it with water then walking back to set it down in the living room. Normani stayed silent, contemplating what to do or think.

"Come on, we'll keep her the first week and if it's too much, we can bring her to a shelter. Maybe she'll even play with Gregory." Lauren brought up the dog who belonged to their two neighbors. "What do you say?" She gave a puppy dog pout to her best friend, who kept an unimpressed face.

"One week." She said after a long pause. "One week and If I say we give her up then we give her up, okay? And don't think you got your way because of that pouting face, it's ugly." She teased, and Lauren stuck her tongue out, setting down the water bowl near the dogs make-shift bed. She stroked the soft fur of the pup, admiring the chocolate brown color. Lauren noticed the tail of the pup, unnaturally big and fluffy. It was nearly the same size as her body.

"What should we name her?" Lauren asked, looking up at Normani who sat on the couch now, toying with the remote to turn on the TV.

"Um, I don't know. I guess we should see her personality first. I don't think we should name her cupcake if she ends up being a little shit." She pointed out. Lauren let out a laugh.