Strange Connection
There was an unusual sound emitting from this place. So faint, it was but a whimper.
My feet hit the cold floor as I hurried into the spare room.
The big black dog lay struggling to get up, the bandages almost loose around his leg after some movement in his sleep.
"Hey, easy there. "You're going to hurt yourself," I whispered, crouching next to him.
His amber eyes locked onto mine immediately.
There was something strange about them; even in the dim morning light, they seemed to glow.
As soon as I had laid my hands on his head, the struggling ceased; the presence of my touch seemed to alleviate his torment.
"Let me look at your wounds," I instructed.
While undoing his bandages, something unusual transpired. When my bare fingers brushed against his fur, warmth ran up and down my fingers.
It was like touching something electric, positively so, with my entire hand tingling as a feeling of dizziness for a fleeting second took over me.
It was as though the dog had stopped breathing and was staring intently at me with those captivating eyes.
"What was that?" I whispered to myself.
I snapped out of it and went straight for his injuries, only to gasp. The gash on the dog's side was a little too good to be true; it looked like it was better in the morning than it had been the day before.
The edges were already starting to close, and the angry redness was retreating.
"That's impossible," I muttered. "Wounds don't heal this fast."
I touched the area around his stitches again, and the odd warmth flowed through my fingers.
The dog made a soft sound—a relief or a breath. I swear, under my touch, the wound seemed to get better.
"What is going on here?" I asked, as if he could answer.
I shook my head and looked at his wounds. But what I was witnessing made me gasp.
The cut on his side, the deep one, was healing much more than it ought to be after only one night.
The edges of it were already sealing, and the redness was disappearing.
"That's not possible," I muttered. "Wounds do not heal this fast."
I reached out and touched the area near his stitches, and again that strange warmth flowed through my fingers.
The dog made a small noise—a gentle sound, almost a sigh of relief.
The wound appeared even better under my touch, I could swear.
"What's happening here?" I asked him, as if he would answer.
He simply looked at me with those knowing eyes. I sometimes felt he knew each and every word that was escaping my lips.
Not knowing more, it was like he was committing everything about me to memory.
I redressed his bandages with new gauze. Each time my skin made contact with his fur, that shivery feeling came back.
It should have frightened me, but it didn't. It felt right. Natural. Like we were supposed to be together.
I sat down cross-legged next to his bed and said, "I should call you something." "You appear to be a Shadow. enigmatic and dark.
His ears pricked up a bit. I thought he might have nodded.
"Then, shadow it is."
I made toast and coffee and brought them back to sit with him.
His nose twitched at the scent of food as he watched me eat.
"Are you still not into the kibble?" I looked at his untouched bowl and asked.
Shadow glanced longingly from the dog food to my toast.
He took it gently from my fingers when I held out a small piece.
I felt the same warm tingle up my arm from his touch.
I told him, "For a stray, you have very good manners."
He completed the toast and gazed at me hopefully.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh, now you want people's food? What type of dog are you?"
The question sounded bigger than it had to be.
Because the more time I spent with Shadow, the more time I realized he wasn't like any dog I'd ever met. He was too smart, too aware.
The way he watched me move across the room, like he was studying me. The way he seemed to understand not just my words, but my emotions.
When I was joyful, his tail would wag slightly.
When I was concerned about his wounds, he would curl up closer to me and comfort me rather than the other way round.
"I need to go to work," I said to him after we had breakfast.
"But I'll return to see how you're doing at lunch."
Shadow's ears drooped. He let out a noise that he almost protested.
"I know, I don't want to leave you either. But I have other animals to help."
I knelt again beside him, inspecting his bandages.
The moment my fingers made contact with his head, that connection between us flared to life once more. More intensely this time.
For an instant, I experienced the impossible, as if I could feel his emotions.
Not his thoughts, not his words, but his emotions. Gratitude. Protectiveness. And something else. something that felt almost like devotion.
"I'll be right back," I whispered.
I couldn't focus on work.
Every patient made me think of Shadow. Mrs. Peterson's poodle required stitches, and as I sewed, I caught myself thinking about how fast Shadow was mending.
Tommy's hamster had a broken leg, and I found myself wondering if Shadow's paw was mending.
But more than anything, I missed him. Really missed him, as if he were someone I'd loved rather than a stray
I picked it up yesterday.
I came home at lunch in a hurry. Shadow was waiting near the door, as if he'd been waiting to hear my car.
He wagged his tail when he saw me, the first genuine dictation of joy I'd witnessed in him.
"Miss me too?" I questioned, bending down to pet him.
The bond ignited again, more powerful than before. This time, I certainly felt something from him. Joy. Relief. And beneath all of those, something that seemed like. love?
"That's nuts," I said to myself. "Dogs don't love people they've just met."
But Shadow was not behaving like any ordinary dog. When I removed his bandages to inspect his healing, I gasped in amazement.
The wound was almost healed. What would have taken two weeks to accomplish had been done in less than twenty-four hours.
"This can't be." I breathed, tracing the faint scar with my fingers.
I felt the warmth return as Shadow pressed against my touch.
However, I sensed something different this time as well. Strength. Warmer than electricity. kinder.
I watched in wonder as the last remnants of his wound vanished entirely, as if they were flowing from me into him.
"What just happened?" I took a breath.
For an instant, I thought I saw gratitude in Shadow's amazing amber eyes as they gazed up at me.
Human gratitude, not dog gratitude. As if he was fully aware of what I had done for him.
"Who are you?" I muttered.
I thought he was trying to convey something significant as he continued to look at me with those overly perceptive eyes.
Something I wasn't yet prepared to comprehend.
However, one thing was starting to emerge.
We were now connected, no matter who Shadow was or where he had come from.
Every cell in my body was aware of it.
As if we were destined to meet.
even though I didn't know why.