Sheep And Wolf Ch 06

Gary woke up in the morning and coughed hard. 'Ohh..' he groaned as he sat up on the couch. He rubbed his face and thought he'd not be able to wake up all day, as tired as he was. 'Morning, buddy.' he said with half closed eyes to Larry. Larry gave him a bark and Gary gestured to keep it quiet. Larry acknowledged with a soft bark and Gary went to the bathroom to get a shower.

After he was done he got out and checked his eyes and tongue in the mirror, seeing no difference from usual, rubbed his horns and went into the kitchen for a bite to eat although he wasn't hungry, hoping some food would help him wake up. He grabbed a slice of bread, added a pile of lettuce on it before topping it off with another slice of bread and chewed slowly on it while looking outside though the living room window.

Still not feeling different he went to take a hot shower. He stood under the hot stream of water for a while, rubbing his face several times but he still couldn't wake up. Even after he got out and gave up trying to brush his coat he still felt tired.

'I think I should stay home today.' he said to Larry on his way to his bedroom, who responded with a confirming bark.

He grabbed one of his boxer shorts, stepped into it and fell forward when it got stuck halfway his thigh. Two desperate hops on one leg and a bleat later he found himself face down on the floor under a pile of books he had stacked against one wall.

'Ouch.' he said to Larry who sniffed at his face.

He sat back up and sighed, then looked at his shorts. 'Don't tell me I grew fat in one night.' he muttered, then stared at his leg.

He stared some more, then rushed to get up, nearly tripped over his shorts again, kicked them off and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

His bleat could be heard in the neighbouring apartments, but luckily some neighbours were still asleep and others dismissed it as something heard on the TV.

He touched his head all over to make sure what he saw in the mirror wasn't an illusion. 'Nooo...' he moaned and sat down on the edge of the bathtub holding his head in his hands. 'Why..?'

Larry came up to him and licked his face. Gary looked at him. 'What am I going to do if this becomes permanent now?' Larry gave him a reassuring bark and Gary pat his head. 'I can't go out like this during the day. Too many people on the streets!' Larry tilted his head and whined. Gary's eyes grew big. 'Oh shit, you need your walks too!' Gary sighed deep. 'What am I going to do?'

Suzy stepped cheerfully out of her apartment, her keys ringing like little bells as she locked her door and humming a popular song she just heard on the radio. A noise at Gary's door grabbed her attention and she smiled as she turned around.

'Suzy?' said the voice from behind the crack of his door. She recognised it as Gary's, although it sounded different.

'Gary?' she asked. 'Are you okay?'

Gary coughed. 'Not really.' he said. 'Came down with flu or something. It's nothing really serious, but I can't go out to walk Larry.' He coughed again.

'Would you like me to walk him?' she asked before he could ask the question.

'You don't mind?' he asked.

Suzy smiled and nodded. 'Of course not!' she said. 'I could take him with me now. He can stay in the garden behind the clinic and we'll take a walk at lunch.'

Larry gave her a couple of happy barks and made her chuckle.

'Thanks.' said Gary. 'Hang on.'

He had closed the door and she heard some noises behind it, then it opened again and Larry came out, his tail wagging while she ruffled his sides. She looked up at the towelled head peeking out from behind the door and clamped a hand on her mouth to keep her from laughing.

'Yeah, I know it looks weird.' he said, his head wrapped in a towel, wearing a turtle-neck sweater, sunglasses and gloves. 'But I get better sooner when I keep myself really warm. And my eyes are sensitive to light now so I need to wear these to lessen the headache.'

She nodded and cleared her throat. 'True.' she said. 'Keep warm and I'll take care of Larry today. We'll be back early in the evening.'

He nodded. 'Thanks again.' he said.

'Take care of yourself.' she said and Larry gave him two barks. 'See you later then.'

'Later.' Gary said and watched them go down the hallway, hearing Suzy talk to Larry about the big garden where he could enjoy the good weather today. He closed the door and hurried to take off the clothes and towel. 'Too, bloody, hot!' he panted.

Gary pondered about what he could do to turn back into human form. He ate all the vegetables he had thinking it might have been a deficiency in greens keeping him in herbivore form. Ate nearly an entire bottle of aspirins. Ate a lot of meat thinking that might counteract his herbivore form. Then spent a long time with his face in the toilet bowl losing everything he had eaten since the morning.

After washing his face he still felt dead tired and shuffled to the couch, managing to lie down on it just before everything turned dark.

***

'Gary?' asked a distant voice. He opened his eye to see Suzy sitting next to him and smiling softly at him. Gary?' she said again and moved her face closer. He pursed his lips, noticed her dog like ears, and a big tail wagging. Before he could say anything she lapped her long tongue across his face.

'Gary?' asked Suzy again while Gary blinked and looked up Larry's nose.

'What..?' he mumbled while the gears in his brain started turning.

'Your door was open and I brought some traditional chicken soup for y-' said Suzy as she came into the living room, then turned quickly.

He saw her red face and realised this wasn't a dream and jumped up. 'Ah, I can explain!' he said. 'Or maybe I can't because I don't even know why I look like this!'

She glanced at him, then quickly back at the wall. 'No, you don't have to.' she said. 'I understand.'

'I-, you do?' he asked, wondering how she could stay so calm.

She nodded quickly. 'Of course you'd get too warm after a while, but it would have been better to wear at least something light before your body gets too cold. Especially when you fall asleep.'

'Eh?' he said, then looked down at his naked human self. 'Oh yes!' he said. 'Of course! That was what happened! I'll go get dressed now!'

He hurried into his bedroom, closed the door and leaned back against it, his heart racing. 'Oh shit.' he said. 'That was lucky.'

When he returned a little later dressed in his normal clothes, Suzy was warming a rich smelling soup in his kitchen.

'Smells great.' he said.

'I learned this from my mother.' Suzy said as she looked back. Her cheeks turned red again and she turned her attention to stirring the soup and adding a few spices to it. 'It's just a regular can of soup, but I added various chopped vegetables and a few spices to it to make it better.'

Gary didn't dare to look at her, feeling his face turn hot, but his stomach wanted something decent after being stuffed and emptied in the morning.

'Sounds like you haven't eating anything today.' she chuckled when she heard it grumble.

'Ah, yeah..' Gary said, thinking that was sort of true. 'I didn't get much inside today.'

'Sit down and I'll bring you a bowl when it's done.' she said, tasting the soup. 'Larry has missed you.'

'Thanks.' he said and went to the living room, where Larry almost pushed him to the floor as he jumped up at him. 'Missed me, even though you spent the day with Suzy?' he asked and got a bark in answer.

Suzy found Larry on Gary's lap when she walked in with a couple of steaming bowls and a large piece of bread on a tray. 'Time for something to strengthen the body.' she said, smiling at the sight.

She talked about their walks in the park during lunch and after work, saying she hadn't realised how familiar and relaxing it was to be there when she hardly ever spent time there, even as a kid.

Gary tried not to think just how familiar he had become with the park, especially the juiciest parts of the grass.

'Are you cold?' Suzy asked, looking worried at Gary.

He snapped out of his thoughts. 'Ah, no, I'm fine.'

'Okay, but you were shivering for a moment there.'

He grinned a little embarrassed. 'I get that more often, nothing special.'

She nodded and took the tray with the now empty bowls. 'I'll leave the rest of the soup.' she said. 'Make sure to eat it all.'

'I will.' he said. 'It tastes so good I don't mind getting sick more often.'

She chuckled. 'As a vet I could just treat you like a sick dog and make you better.'

He gave her a howl and chuckled.

She came out of the kitchen with her hands on her hips grinning at him and he smiled at her, suddenly thinking of the ears and tail she had in his dream and imagined her as Chelsea. 'Now be a good boy and get some more rest.' she said. 'Then you'll be all better tomorrow.'

He shook the image from his mind and grinned. 'Yes ma'am.'

'And Larry,' she said as she looked at the collie. 'if he falls asleep on the couch, bite him. I don't want to see him like that again if I have to come in in the morning.'

Larry responded with a bark and Gary blushed.

Gary walked her to the door. 'Thanks for everything.'

She smiled softly at him. 'It was my pleasure.' she said. 'Larry's such a good dog and I love him.' She looked at her feet for a moment, then gave him a kiss on his cheek. 'I'll check up on you in the morning.'

She had gone through the door before he could reply with a dreamy 'Yeah..'. He went back to the living room with a wide smile and sat down. 'Larry, you're a great wingman.'

Larry barked because it was very obvious.

When the transformation itch started Gary undressed calmly and checked himself in the mirror after it was complete. He saw no difference in appearance and hoped there wouldn't be any surprises that night.

'Let's go buddy.' he said to Larry, fastened his leash and went down to the park looking around carefully before entering it.

'Looks like they're not waiting out here tonight.' he said setting Larry loose. 'Seems the cops have been satisfied with the capture of that burglar as it said in the newspaper. I hope we can hang around with Chelsea in peace agaAAAIIN!'

He turned around to see her grin deviously at him with his tail between her teeth.

'Why you little..' he grumbled and chased her as she laughed and ran along Larry.

He caught up with her and wrestled her to the ground. She rolled him over but he tickled her and regained the upper hand while she squirmed and called out 'Larry! Help!', who promptly jumped against Gary and had him tumble onto the ground. The two canines teamed up and pinned Gary down, grinning at him as they breathed heavy.

'Ah, damn you predator pack.' panted Gary. 'Two against one innocent sheep? That's so mean.'

Chelsea stroked the collie's head. 'Good Larry.'

Gary's eyes opened wide and lifted his head. 'Chelsea, you speak.'

She stared at him for a moment, then pricked up her ears and smiled. 'Larry.' she said and the collie gave her a lick.

'Can you say more?' Gary asked. 'Can you say my name?'

She frowned in thought, then said 'Grrr.'

'Almost.' he said. 'Try again.'

Chelsea pulled her ears back and concentrated again. 'G.., gr.., grrr.'

'Of course she can speak the dog's name, and not mine.' Gary sighed and dropped his head back onto the grass.

Larry growled and Gary stroked his side. 'I know you can't, buddy. You don't have to try.' he said but Chelsea put her hand over his mouth. He watched as both had their ears pointed forward and were looking in the same direction. He turned his head up to see what they were looking at. 'What is it?' he whispered.

Chelsea sniffed the air, then sneaked on all fours into the direction of a cluster of bushes at the edge of the park. Garry rolled over on his side to see, then heard a car door close and the car driving away.

'Shit.' he grumbled. 'Have we been spotted?'

He followed Chelsea toward the bushes where she and Larry sniffed around. He didn't need a sensitive nose to smell the scent of cheap aftershave and cigarettes though. 'I think we'd better go home now.'

Back in Gary's apartment they settled for the night. Chelsea and Larry got comfortable on the couch while Gary grabbed some snacks from the kitchen.

'Any memories coming back to you?' he asked Chelsea when he came into the room with a plate of salami slices. 'Any more words you can speak already?'

She tilted her head and frowned in thought, then shook it.

'Guess you won't be able to call me Gary today.' he said.

She pointed at him. 'Grr.' she said and sniggered.

'Oh very funny.' he said when Larry barked his approval.

Chelsea straddled him and grinned. 'Grr.' she said again.

'I'll grr you next.' he said, blushing from her sudden closeness and how cute she looked to him.

She leaned closer to him. He couldn't look her in the eyes for long and was sure his face would be bright red under his fur. She rubbed her nose against his and laid down on the couch using his lap as a pillow. 'Good Grr.' she said and closed her eyes.

Gary sighed. 'Right.' he said and rested his hand on her shoulder. 'Good pillow, eh?'

She nodded and giggled.

***

The next morning he woke up from the alarm clock buzzing in his bedroom. Chelsea was gone as usual and he checked himself to be sure he was fully human too. Barely dressed he heard a knock on his door and Suzy's voice. 'Gary?' she asked. 'Are you awake?'

'Come on in.' he called out.

'Are you decent too?' she asked and he could hear her giggle.

'Not more than I usually am.'

She giggled again and smiled when he came into the living room. 'How are you feeling today?'

'Normal.' he said. 'My kind of normal.'

'That's good then.' she said and stroked Larry's head when he walked up to her. 'Too bad I can't spoil you today then.'

'Yeah.' Gary said while he checked his shirt, then stopped. 'Wait, you mean me or the dog?'

She gave him a sly smile. 'I've got an early appointment so I'll see you guys later.' she said and ruffled Larry's fur once more.

'See you later then.' Gary said as Suzy walked out the door, then turned to Larry. 'She meant me, I'm sure.'

Larry barked in disagreement and shook his head.

Gary gazed at his front door. 'Let's agree to disagree.'

Gary walked into the office and found Dolores engrossed in the front-page of the local newspaper. She still hadn't noticed him after he had taken Larry to his basket next to his desk and grabbed a cup of coffee. 'Good morning, Dolores.' he said.

Dolores shot up in her chair with a short cry and pressed her hand on her chest as if it could suppress her racing heart. 'Geez, don't do that Gary.' she said, taking a deep breath.

'What got you so distracted from reality?' he asked with a grin, looked at the page and nearly spat out his coffee.

'Weird, isn't it?' she said. 'It must be a hoax.'

Gary looked at the dark pictures of what looked like a large dog and sheep fighting in the park at night. The headline read "Strange Things Happen At Night". He read quickly through the article, the reporter saying he heard the statement of a burglar who was chased by a huge wild dog and a sheep just as dangerous and hid himself inside the dog pound van for safety. After dismissing it at first, the burglar was insisting so much that it was the truth that the reporter decided to have a look in the park at night and witnessed a sheep chasing a huge and a smaller dog, then got into a fight with them until they stopped and noticed him. He didn't take any chances and left with the pictures he had taken as evidence.

'Who in their right mind would believe a story like that?' said Dolores. 'It's probably a publicity stunt.'

'Yeah, I'm sure it is.' said Gary, putting down the paper, glad the pictures were too dark to make anything out. Even Larry couldn't be seen clearly which could have identified him.

He went back to his desk and stared at his blank screens, thinking about what to do that night if that reporter returned.