Caught in Time

Chapter 5. Unfairness and Punishment

*Long chapter*

-Keegan-

"What are you slamming doors for?" His father muttered as Keegan stormed out of his own room. "What are you trying to do? Take the whole house down with you?"

Keegan ignored his father and growled curses underneath his breath. He was so aggravated by his mother for assuming the worst of him! She was blaming him of doing something he had tried so hard not to do. He had only seen the girl naked once for Gods' sake! ONCE! Or was it twice now? It didn't matter! He was practically fuming!

"Mother is imagining things and calling me a filthy animal." He growled and threw a dark look towards his door. "She is deluded..." He spat.

"Now you! Do not speak of your mother like that." His father said with a booming voice. It was loud enough so his wife would hear him take her side in the argument - all the while he blinked at his son. This was to let Keegan know that his father was well aware of just how frustrating -and unfair - his wife could be.

Keegan's anger poured out of him and he had to suppress a laughter. His father adored his mother. However, he rarely took her side... which she of course didn't know. Keegan ran his hands through his dripping wet hair, before letting them fall to his sides. Out of nowhere, a wet and warm tongue was feasting at the back of his right hand. He looked down and was met by big dark brown eyes which belonged to his beast of a dog; Blackie.

Keegan had gotten himself this black mountain of fur on the day of his twentieth birthday. To be fair, it had always felt like the once small dog had chosen him. Not the other way around. Blackie had run up to Keegan in the village square during market. The pup had been hiding from a scommon traveler, who was the owner of the pup's mother and her litter.

Keegan had been waiting by the well, waiting for his mother to be done with her shopping. When suddenly, the little soul that was Blackie, had taken shelter behind Keegan's legs after appearing out of nowhere. Keegan still remembered how scared the pup had been, rushing out from between the legs of people around him and straight to Keegan. He had sat himself down immediately after taking shelter behind Keegan's left leg and then the pup had looked up at him with big soulcrushing eyes. 

Blackie had been shaking all over as he hid from his owner. The traveler had approached them with his hand raised to hit the little creature but Keegan didn't have the heart to stand aside and let it happen. He had scooped he little fur ball up and held him out of harm's way. 

"Hand over that little shit!" The man had yelled and waved his hands at the pup as he came through the crowd to claim what was his. "I swear this is the last time, you little pester! I will wring your neck next time you run off!"

"Hey, calm down!" Keegan had told him and taken a step back once the man tried to snatch Blackie out of his grasp. 

"Hand over my piece of shite dog!" The traveler spat. Keegan stood fast, prepared to go head to head with the traver. His heart had sunk by the thought of the little pup getting hurt - or killed - s so before he knew what he was doing, he offered to take the dog off the man's hands. To Keegan's surprise, the man didn't blink before accepting his offer, he didn't even want anything for the pup. He was so fuming mad that he screamed that he never wanted to see the creature again and that he was fed up with the little shite running away constantly. Keegan wondered why the traveler bothered to go looking for the pup if he was so sick of looking for him, but didn't say anything.

So there he stood;  with a furry little friend with the blackest fur he had ever seen and the most adorable little snout. Blackie had immediately wagged his tail as his previous owner disappeared, and had given Keegan a big wet kiss.