Part 3

“Erm…Yuri? Er- Gosh! Why am I even talking to a puppy!? I must be out of my mind...” The blonde girl groaned inwardly, feeling extremely silly. To her surprise, the little puppy turned its head around and looked at her with half-closed eyes. 

“What is it this time?” Yuri barked lazily, resting her head on the sofa, facing the girl. Interestingly, the sofa was amazingly comfortable. She figured out she could spend the entire day, lazing on it. 

Jessica gulped nervously, feeling a strange compel to answer the puppy. “Er... I’m going to take a bath... and,” she laughed weakly, “... you can carry on with your sleep!” With that, the girl quickly made a dash towards the bathroom, leaving behind a slightly baffled puppy. 

“Weirdo...” Yuri yawned, stretching out her legs and resumed her nap in a comfortable position. 

*****

Jessica slowly eased herself in the hot bathtub, leaning against the acrylic wall and tilted her head back so she could rest her head comfortably against the cushioning towel she had placed earlier. She stared up at the plain ceiling blankly as the steam slowly rose upward. 

“What a day...” 

It has only been just three hours since she woke up on her birthday and things were already going against her. First, a disrupted dream kiss with her Prince Charming, then her nightmare, an evil dragon in the form of a puppy, magically appeared out of nowhere. Admittedly, the puppy was cute but what could she possibly do with one? She had absolute zero experience in pets. Having three goldfishes in a small bowl when she was ten, does not count and not to mention, they died the very next day, apparently from over-eating. She heaved a sigh. 

“This is just perfect ‘fairytale’...”

Now all she needs is a brave knight to save her from the evil clutches of the mean dragon. 

*****

Her eyes shot open and the first thing the young guardian angel did was to fumble around the bedcover. 

“My hands! Checked!” 

“My legs! Checked!”

“My body! My wings! Checked!”

Yuri heaved a huge sigh of relief and yelled an exhilarated hurray. For a moment she had thought the dream where she was transformed into a puppy, as a punishment, was real. 

“Silly me,” Yuri laughed as she scratched the side of her head habitually. Another bout of sleepiness hit the angel as she let out a long yawn. Yuri sluggishly lay down and the moment her head hit the soft cloud pillow, the guardian angel had drifted off to her deep sleep until...

“Oh my, oh my... it’s true! You have been turned into a puppy! Mwuhahaha!” 

An irritating familiar laughter rang by her ears and Yuri burrowed her brows. She had just fallen asleep not too long ago and was about to enter a nice dream when another loud cackling laugh broke the quality of her tranquil sleep. 

“Oh my, Yuri! Hahahahaha! How cute!”

“Heechul, shut up! I’m trying to sleep!” Yuri shouted back but it sounded nothing like herself. In fact, it sounded like a dog. 

“DOG?!” 

Her eyes flew open and to her horror, she found herself waking up in the exact same dream. She looked left and saw her fellow angel squatting right next to her. 

“Heechul? Why are you in my dream?”

“Dream? What are you talking about?”

“You’re in my dream! Now get lost!”

“Erm... although we have the ability to enter one’s dreams but... seriously, you are not dreaming now.”

“Eh?”

“Haha, you’re a puppy now! Puppy Yul!” Heechul teased, giving her a gentle prod on her head. All her memories suddenly flooded back and Yuri clearly remembered everything that happened just hours ago. She was indeed turned into a dog, a golden retriever puppy no less, by the Elder with a new assignment, being a guardian angel to the blonde girl who almost killed her.

“News spread fast I see...” Yuri grumbled, seeing Heechul’s smugly face. 

“Hahaha, hey, I was just around the vicinity. Thought I might come in for a little visit. Turns out that your new charge lives just above mine! Heh, talk about coincidence.”

“A coincidence I rather avoid...” Yuri sighed. 

“We can help each other... you know keep a lookout for each other, Buddy... or should I say, Puppy?” Heechul let out yet another contented roar of laughter, much to Yuri’s annoyance.

“It’s not funny...”

“Relax, just a joke. Just a joke.”

“What am I supposed to do to turn back? All the Elder said, was to complete my mission. What mission?”

“I dunno... I guess, looking after your new charge? I mean... that’s what we are tasked to do right?”

“I don’t understand. He said mission. There’s gotta to be a specific thing I must do! Not just protecting...”

“Geez, I dunno then. But no matter what it is, you can’t go wrong sticking close to your charge. Oops, gotta go! My charge is leaving the building.” Heechul quickly scrambled his wings and positioned himself out of the window. His young charge, a girl had just left out of the apartment building.

“Oh before I forget... since you are Puppy Yul now... There is this real mean bully who lives just two blocks across here. I have seen what he does to stray cats and dogs. You don’t really want to get on his path.... Ahhh, Yoona! Wait for me!” Heechul shouted as he dived down to the street below just as the clueless girl boarded a cab, not knowing she had a guardian angel looking after her constantly. 

Yuri plonked back on the sofa, feeling envious of Heechul. At least he still has the ability of a proper guardian angel to guard his charge. What could she possibly do if she has to stay close to Jessica? Waddling around her all day long? Just before she could continue, a loud scream pierced right through the quiet apartment from the direction of the bathroom. 

“Don’t tell me something bad happen? Crap!” 

Yuri made a mad dash towards the bathroom. If anything unduly were to happen to her new charge before she could turn back to her former self, it would spell her doom. Yuri barked loudly just outside the closed bathroom door but there was an awful silence inside. With her chance of redemption at stake, Yuri could care less as she rammed against the door with full speed. The lightweight door flew open easily as it had not been locked from within (there was no need to as the girl lived alone by herself) and Yuri stumbled in, sprawling to a stop on the wet floor, right in front of an ugly looking bug. 

“Eh? Bug?” Yuri looked up and spotted a terrified girl whose eyes had widened beyond imagination and most importantly, she was not wearing anything. 

“B-B-Bug... a-and-” She stared at the new intruder who was staring at her intently. A second past by and she realised she was still naked; having jumped up from the tub after the bug had flew in through the window and landed on the bathroom floor. However, despite of her compromising situation, Jessica was too scared to move a single muscle. The bug had just shifted slightly to the left. 

“Go away... just go away...” Jessica mumbled incoherently. 

A cold draft of wind entered through the gap and Jessica fought to fight a shudder. But to her horror, the bug slowly spread out its wing. 

“No, no... don’t fly, don’t fly- ARHHHHHH!”

Jessica let out another scream as the bug flew towards her. 

Yuri immediately cowered down, pressing her paws against the wet floor and pounced into the air. The flying bug was soon within her reach and Yuri leaned forward. She managed to swat the bug away with her paw during airborne before it could come near to the screaming girl but in the next ensuring second, she collided with Jessica and the two slipped into the bathtub with a loud plop, sending waves of water splashing on to the tiled floor. The lucky bug landed right next to the opened door and quickly scurried away to safety. 

Jessica stared wide-eyed at the wet puppy sprawling right on top of her chest, its head well placed in between the two strategic locations. 

“ARHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!”

It was a perfect ‘fairytale’ indeed... just that, the brave knight came in the form of a puppy.

Part 4

The day was bright and sunny. A perfect morning for a handful of pleasant patrons sitting at the roadside café, enjoying their daily dose of freshly brewed coffee when a startling, loud, shrieking scream broke that serene tranquillity in an instance. 

Two streets away, up above in a small apartment; the red-faced girl in the bathtub had just unleashed another high-pitched shriek that could rival a professional soprano singer, right into the ears of her puppy guardian angel. Dazed by the incredible sound blast in her highly sensitive ears (thanks for being transformed to a puppy), Yuri scrambled to get off the shrieking girl, for she knew the longer she stayed, the worse it would only become. However, the slippery surface of their wet bare bodies proved to be a difficult obstacle. On top of that, Jessica was still screaming her head off, disrupting Yuri’s sense of balance. With eyes closed, she slid her paws forward in a blind attempt to secure a footing, which she did succeed, except that soft cushiony sensation beneath her paws was hardly a suitable foothold. She immediately opened her eyes and found the reason why. 

The colour of Jessica’s face instantly turned into a deep shade of red when she realised where the puppy had placed its paws on. A sharp shriek, followed by a sudden jerking movement was all Yuri knew before she was sent flying across the bathroom, landing on the wet floor with a thud. In a quick flash, Jessica grabbed her towel, barely covering herself up, before dashing out in a deep embarrassment that her new pet had not only seen her bare body and the fact that it had...

The distraught girl let out a hysterical cry before closing her bedroom door shut. 

*****

Yuri carefully waddled towards the tight corner inspecting, or sniffing to be precise, for any danger presence. 

“Clear! No danger detected.”

She slowly peeked her head out in the living area, happy to see that her charge was still apparently locked in her own room. At least for now, she did not have to worry she would accidentally do something that would warrant yet another sound blast attack. The puppy stealthily sneaked past the furniture, keeping the closed door in view as she eventually came to a stop in front of the floor rug. Yuri shook the remaining excessive bits of water off, starting from her head all the way to her fluffy tail, sending water droplets flying off in all direction before rolling onto her back, rubbing against the rug; that being the only way she could dry herself in her current state.

A soft creak of the opening door alerted her and Yuri stopped her action immediately. She jumped back up on her feet and squeezed into the tight space under the sofa, spotting a pair of feet that emerged hastily out from the room. She followed the movement intently, watching as the girl slipped on her shoes and exited the apartment soon after. The click of the lock and the quietness that followed after was suffice to have the guardian angel jumped in joy. At long last, she was freed from her torment. Yuri eased herself out and rolled around on the rug with contentment. Maybe she could just take a nap. Her eyes began to close and her breathing slowed down until a sudden realisation struck her. Golden rule number one; as an assigned guardian angel, Yuri has to stay close to her charge at all times. If Lord Almighty ever finds out... 

“Oh no.”

Yuri got up immediately and dashed towards the exit. And just like old times, she simply went straight through the door only to find herself slamming head on right into the solid wood. Yuri groaned at the throbbing pain on her little head. Things have, unfortunately, changed slightly, unlike old times where she could just go through any solid objects.

“Oh no.”

Quickly getting up to her feet, Yuri tried to jump up to the doorknob but with a body length a quarter of her former self, she could barely reach half the distance from the ground to the doorknob. After a few futile attempts, the puppy angel gave up and waddled around for other possible exits. 

“Window!”

Remembering how Heechul dived down from the window ledge, Yuri hurried over to the wall directly below the opened window. With the window still unreachable for her, Yuri glanced around and spotted the nearby coffee table and a decent height bookshelf leaning against the wall. After numerous jumping feats and leaving behind a messy trail of fallen books and photoshoot magazines, Yuri finally made her way on top of the bookshelf. Almost breathless by all the strenuous activity, she struck her head out of the window ledge and stared wide-eyed at the height she was at. A strong breeze blew across and the scared stiff angel immediately stuck her petite body back into the safety of the apartment. It took her a few prepping talks before Yuri edged closer to the window. There were quite a number of landing platforms located between the floors. If she misses the ledge even just by an inch, she would plummet straight down. 

“Will an angel in corporeal form die?”

Yuri gulped at the thought. How she wished she still had her good old wings. 

*****

Jessica looked up at the wide selection of food lined up in the aisle, amazed by the insane varieties human had came up with for pets. She wandered around for a good ten minutes, still puzzled by what she should be getting for a puppy, a first decisional choice between dry or wet food. 

“May I help you?” A male voice came up from behind. Jessica turned around surprised to see a neatly dressed young man approaching her.

“You seem to have a little trouble choosing among...all of these,” he pointed to the colourful packaging lined all along the shelves. 

“Yeah... kinda...” Jessica said sheepishly.

“First time rearing a dog?” 

“Yeah... kinda...”

The handsome man merely laughed at Jessica’s apparent shyness. “First things first, how old is your dog? And what breed?” 

“Er-” Jessica stuttered, she had no prior knowledge to any dogs except knowing how to identity the pit bull breed who bit her butt when she was young. In the end, she resorted to verbally describe the puppy. “She’s this long-” Jessica added, gesturing with her hands, “-well, short... and she’s cream coloured... and furry. Oh, and her ears are droopy! I think the breed is called... some re-... re?”

“Golden retriever.”

“Ah-”

“Golden retriever puppies are very active. You should get her a high protein diet. Maybe you can try this!” He grabbed a small pack and handed over to Jessica. “Let your puppy try it first and if she likes it, you can always come back for a bigger pack.”

“T-Thanks.”

“Oh how silly I am, forgetting to introduce myself. I’m Josh and you’re in my store.” He chuckled and stuck his hand out.

*****

The exhausted puppy plopped down onto the grassy patch, too tired to move a single muscle. God knows how long she had spent getting down to solid ground from the ninth storey in one piece. Breathing hard to stabilise her fast breathing, she unknowingly picked up a faint wisp of Jessica’s scent. Immediately, Yuri stood up, sniffing along the way as she followed the trail down. 

*****

Carrying bags of unexpected purchases, Jessica slowly made her way back to her apartment using the shortcut route, a quiet stretch away from the crowded street on the opposite side. A low growl from behind startled her. Jessica warily turned her head around only to see a ferocious looking dog staring at her. A panic quickly rose from within when she recognised the breed - an adult pit bull. 

Lesson number one - Don’t run. Jessica swallowed a gulp and backed away step by step. But when the pit bull barked angrily, Jessica took off in a flash. 

In her panic state, the girl turned at a junction too early and ran straight into a dead end alley. Jessica cursed at her own luck and froze when she saw the same pit bull blocking the only exit. The pit bull growled menacingly and Jessica cringed at the sight of its jagged row of sharp pointy teeth, reminding her of the painful bite in her distant past. If only something could distract the dog away. Jessica’s eyes sparkled at the thought and she searched her bags, digging out a can of dog food meant for her puppy. Maybe she could distract the dog with food and slip away without notice. She fumbled around the lid tab, trying to open the canned food in her frenzy state but another loud bark caused her to jump in fright, dropping the unopened can onto the ground. Jessica immediately hid behind a trash bin and prayed help would come as the pit bull began to approach her, barking out loud.

Then came an entirely different bark. The pit bull stopped in its stride, turning to face its new challenger. Jessica was taken aback at the familiarity of the bark and she peeped out, spotting a small puppy challenging the much bigger and stronger pit bull.

“Oh my god.” Jessica stifled a shock when she realised that familiar pattern on the puppy’s fur and its red collar. She cringed when she saw the pit bull taking a menacing stride towards her puppy.

“Hi, Mr... erm Pit Bull? Maybe we can talk peacefully over this.”

“Erm... Rex’s the name.” The pit bull grunted.

“Oh Mr Rex then! I’m Yuri. Pleased to meet you.”

“Pleasure.”

In Jessica’s eyes, the two dogs were barking angrily at each other and she feared for the safety of her puppy. Grabbing a discarded umbrella in the trash bin, she prepped herself mentally to fight off the pit bull on the count of ten.

“You see that human girl is actually my charge. She must have done something real stupid. But I would really appreciate if you would let her off this time.”

“Oh, I wasn’t actually after her. Someone was following her and I kinda scared that person off, but she panicked and ran off. I was just concerned about her safety so I followed in.”

“Oh, it’s all a misunderstanding then!” Yuri wagged her tail in response.

Rex paused a while, sniffing the air for any other presence. Contented with the result, he continued.

“Anyway I should get going, now that you’re here to protect your owner.”

“Nice meeting you, Mr Rex.” Yuri barked out happily, which the pit bull returned with a heartily wag of its tail before disappearing off at the corner turn.

Jessica stumbled out from her hiding place to scare the dog away when she noticed the pit bull was not around anymore. Only her puppy remained behind in the alleyway, letting out a loud yawn. The entire running around in her short snout feet was tiring her out to no ends. 

“You... saved me?” Jessica asked as she knelt down next to the puppy.

“Well... not really...”

To Yuri’s surprise, Jessica scooped her up in her arms, making her first initiative attempt of contact.

“Let’s go home, Yuri.”

*****

The moment they stepped into the apartment, the puppy lay on the rug, too tired to move a single muscle. Ignoring the hasty footwork around her, she continued to laze in comfort. Without warning, a bowl was shoved right under her nose. Yuri looked into the bowl with disgust. 

“What’s the meaning of this?!” 

“You must be hungry. Come on, have a bite.” Jessica chorused excitedly, curious to see if her puppy would like the food.

Yuri stared hard at the contents of the bowl filled with the awfully dry pellets. 

“You gotta be kidding me...”

Yuri sat up and turned her head away from the bowl in a snobbish manner, deeply insulted by the dish presented. 

“Angels don’t eat dog food!”  

The instance she barked out those words, her empty stomach protested with a grumble. However Yuri remained steadfast, refusing to take a look at the offending lowly offering. Back in the heavens, she was used to feasting on wine and bread. 

“You don’t like it?” Jessica said with a dejected tone. “How about dog biscuit then?” She held up a piece and waved in front of the puppy. Yuri shook her head fervently. She would rather starve than to feed on dog food. Jessica gave a defeated sigh, not knowing what her dog would eat. Giving up, she turned to the piece of strawberry cake on the coffee table meant for her consumption. She held the fork up and noticed a pair of eager-looking eyes eyeing her cake. 

“No... you are not going to eat my cake.” Jessica brought the cake nearer to her and warned the puppy who had her eyes transfixed on the delicious looking cake. Disgruntled, Yuri plonked back onto the rug, her empty stomach growling continuously as she eyed Jessica.

The pitiful expression caused a stirring guilt and Jessica finally relented. She placed the cake meant for her mini birthday celebration on the floor and watched as the puppy slurped it up in a flash. 

“I wonder if it is my birthday or yours!” Jessica whined grudgingly but the moment Yuri looked up, she laughed at the puppy’s cream covered face. 

“I guess it’s really your birthday and I got a present for you.” 

“More food?” Yuri’s eyes lit up with delight.

Jessica walked into the kitchen and brought out an object hidden behind her. 

“This is your new pooping tray and it’s pink!” 

“HELL NO!”