Under the Moon's Embrace

The Unexpected Feral Companion

Sleepily, I was awakened by the intermittently near and far alarm clock by my ear, although I paid it no mind, knowing it was time to rise.

Having made plans with Ouyang Jing to have breakfast at eight, the thought prompted me to turn over, snug under my blanket.

After tossing and turning for a few minutes, despite the room's temperature being lowered, it remained dry, with a lingering chill in the air. Pulling my legs back under the covers, I reached for the phone on the bedside table—it was half-past seven, just enough time for me to freshen up.

After a brief pause, I shed my nightdress, slipping into undergarments. As I fastened them, I glanced up, noticing the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog facing away at the foot of the bed.

Initially taken aback, recollection of last night's events dawned on me. I had awoken in the middle of the night to give it water, engaging in some interaction.

Putting on each piece of clothing methodically, freeing my long hair from the high-neck sweater, I got out of bed and walked to the foot, crouching beside it.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

Ensuring I was dressed properly, the large dog turned its head to look at me, as if in response to my greeting.

So well-behaved, it would be remiss not to pat it a little. I indulged in a brief moment of affection, then proceeded to the bathroom to freshen up.

After completing these tasks, I prepared to put on my glasses, but they were nowhere to be found on the bedside table. I searched every possible place but to no avail.

If only glasses could have a tracking ability like phones, responding when called, it would make life so much easier.

Could they have fallen under the bed? I bent down, trying to observe as best as I could.

As my lower leg was bumped, I carefully withdrew my head from the gap and turned to see the large dog holding my glasses leg in its mouth.

A mix of surprise and admiration crossed my face as I took the glasses, still devoid of any saliva.

"You're quite clever. Where did you find these?"

The first sentence was praise, the latter, more to myself, but it understood, nodding its head toward the pillow.

With clear vision restored, I rubbed the dog's head. "Lie down, let me check your wounds."

Having said that, it obediently lay down, except for the area blocked by its tail, indicating it was open to being petted elsewhere.

Though initially hesitant to my touch, it had now accepted it.

This dog's obedience to commands was exceptionally high, quiet, and without the vigorous energy of a house wrecking, indicating that the landlady was indeed skilled at raising it.

Though it might be because of the injury that it wasn't misbehaving, I thought as I parted its fur. The wound visible yesterday had scabbed over today; the dog's self-healing ability was remarkable.

I still reapplied iodine to the wound. At this rate, the scar would be gone in two days; perhaps there was no need to tell the landlady about the injury.

I went to have breakfast, and of course, the dog had to eat too, but I had no dog food here.

After giving it some thought, I realized that other people's dogs shouldn't be kept for too long, lest the owners think they're lost.

As I left, I took the dog with me.

I had initially been worried about controlling it without a leash, but it followed me all the way to the restaurant without barking or being distracted by other things.

As we arrived at the third-floor restaurant, I couldn't help but praise it.

Seeing me and the dog coming over, Liuyan pointed in surprise, "Huh? Where did such a big dog come from!"

"Wow! This dog is so handsome! And really big, even bigger than the ones at the landlady's!" Ouyang Jing also looked surprised, wanting to pat the dog, but refrained from doing so because she was unfamiliar with it.

But seeing their reactions, I realized something was off.

"Meimei, Xiaojing, isn't this the landlady's dog?"

"No!" They both exclaimed.

This time it was my turn to be shocked, looking down at the dog beside my leg, a belated sense of fear creeping over me.

So this was a stray dog? Ownerless? The vacation resort was close to the mountains, could it have come down from there?

Having initially assumed it was a domesticated pet, although large, very intelligent and obedient, adaptable to humans, now telling me it wasn't from the landlady's?

I silently shifted one meter in place, increasing the distance between myself and the dog. Sensing my subtle movement, the dog's ears twitched, and its tail, which had been consistently drooping, gave a slight wag.

Ouyang Jing remarked, "Isn't this the dog you picked up?"

"I thought it belonged to the landlady, so I let it into the room last night. I've seen it before during the barbecue and even fed it." Though I felt a bit apprehensive, I remained calm on the surface as I adjusted the frames of my glasses.

Liuyan glanced at the dog, then at me, shaking her head with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Azi, you have quite the nerve. You should have at least informed us!"

"I was going to, but it came onto my balcony in the middle of the night. It seemed well-behaved, and it was cold outside, so I let it in. Since you were all asleep in the group chat, I didn't mention it. Now that I think about it, it was careless of me."

Reflecting on last night's events, I now wondered if the dog might be carrying any germs. Fortunately, I had restrained myself last night, not allowing it onto the bed, let alone engaging in any crazy antics like cuddling.

"But it does seem really well-behaved, and so beautiful! That fur color is exquisite. Can I touch it? Have you touched it?" Ouyang Jing couldn't contain her excitement, eagerly asking.

Liuyan interjected, "Don't touch it. Let's go eat breakfast first; otherwise, you'll have to wash your hands later."

One sentence dampened Ouyang Jing's enthusiasm. I looked at the dog, unable to fathom that it was so well-mannered, yet not a domesticated pet.

However, when I first saw it, I did indeed sense a wildness in its eyes.

There's a contradictory feeling, a well-mannered wild dog.

"You can't bring dogs into the restaurant. What should we do with it?" Liuyan pointed to the dog.

After spending the night together, I pondered, "You two go ahead to the restaurant. I'll take it back to the room."

"Should we inform the front desk? Perhaps it belongs to another guest," Ouyang Jing suggested.

"Good idea, I'll go now."

Initially, I thought it belonged to the landlady, so I could just return it. Now, it seemed that wasn't the case.

I took the dog straight to the front desk, where after a discussion with the lobby manager, he temporarily left the dog there, taking a photo and sending it to the work group, asking if anyone had lost a dog.

"Miss Yuanzi, rest assured, we'll take care of the dog."

"Okay, good. It hasn't had breakfast yet. Do you have dog food?"

"We do, after all, our boss keeps dogs. We have a lot of premium dog food here."

Leaving the dog at the front desk, it seemed that it was no longer my concern. I also informed them that it had a slight injury and asked the lobby manager to pay attention to it.

I had indeed done all I could.

After taking a few steps, I couldn't help but look back. I thought the dog would be reluctant to see me go, but it interacted quite well with the lobby manager, following commands without missing a beat.

Me: "..."

How should I put it? There's a faint sense of melancholy, as if betrayed.

A dog is just a dog.