Photo credit: Everton Yamamoto
Aouda linked her arm into the taen’s. The two ladies strolled through the blooming spring garden, pretending not to notice the guards.
Taen Haelanea’s voice was light, inconsequential. “Not much of a rescue attempt, I must say. You seem caught in here with me now.”
Aouda giggled as though the taen had joked. “Perhaps.”
A dog appeared beyond the iron bars of the gate, disappearing before the guard turned.
Aouda steered them toward a secluded bench. Eventually, the dog approached. “Act like you know him,” Aouda murmured.
Haelanea nodded, petting the strange dog.
“Your highness, this is Panaik. Panaik, meet Haelanea, the rightful taen.”
Panaik bowed. The taen squinted in confusion.
Aouda unhooked something from the dog’s collar, tucking it into her palm. “This is all we need. Let us proceed to the closest shadow and make our escape, shall we?”
Haelanea smiled. “A well-trained dog you have there.”
Aouda half-smiled. “Hm.”
Are you sure she’s the rightful ruler, mistress?
Yes, my friend. Please don’t bite her. It would embarrass me.
Very well. “Arf.”
Word count: 175. Inspired by this week’s Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers photo challenge. Thanks to Priceless Joy for hosting the challenge, and to Yinglan for providing the prompt photo, below. Click here to see the other stories.
Photo © Yinglan
I love that the dogs think and reason! They wanted to make sure the rightful ruler is on the throne. Wonderful story, Joy!
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Not *all* dogs in this world can talk, but this is a very special one. And re: my comment on your story, you’ll notice that I made my dog a boy without even thinking about it. Hm….
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Hahahaha! If he is a boy in your story, then he is a boy! LOL! You automatically made him a boy. hahaha!
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Next time I have a dog in one of my stories, I will have to be sure to make it a girl. 🙂
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Hahahaha! I think it is funny! Especially because of my story and it being a female when It was thought to be a male.
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Ahhh I like this very much.
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Thank you very much for saying so! 🙂
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Ah, there’s nothing like a good escape plan. Lovely story 🙂
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Glad you liked it, Sonya! Maybe her first plan fell through (because why didn’t she just bring this item herself?) but either way, she’s lucky to have Panaik on her side.
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Maybe she couldn’t bring it in? That’s what I thought…
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Good idea – whatever the magical object was, she couldn’t be sure of sneaking it in on her person, so she asked Panaik to do it instead. Or maybe she did bring something in, but it was confiscated or didn’t work.
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Rulers and talking dogs, we both have it. Your fictional world however sounds brighter than mine.😀
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Just read yours and yes, yours is definitely darker! Luckily for Panaik, nobody knows he talks because only Aouda can hear him. Thanks for reading!
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Who could resist a talking, thinking dog. Lovely story.
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They come in handy when you’ve been imprisoned by your own guards, apparently!
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Always love it when animals are personified! Nicely done, Joy.
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He’s a special dog. Glad you liked it!
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A wonderful story!
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Thanks!
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You’re welcome!
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This was a very clever take on the prompt, well done you!
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How nice of you to say, thanks!
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Well done on this. I like that her and the dog an communicate with their minds. No wonder he’s such a good dog
Let’s hope this woman is truly the rightful Taen.
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Thanks Mandi! Yes, she really is the rightful ruler,and she will be very grateful to her loyal subjects for helping her in this difficult time, I’m sure.
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I’m wondering if anyone has grasped why it is that the woman and dog can talk to each other. I thought I was being too obvious with the title, but maybe not!
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Great take on the prompt.
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Thanks!
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Dogs do have heightened senses
Great take.
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Thanks Jacqueline! And this is a very special dog – he’s the woman’s familiar. 🙂
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I really like the way you’ve created the ‘character’ of the dog, Panaik, and the way he communicates with Aouda. I also like how you’ve fed into the scene some hints of what went on before. I get the feeling there’s a great relationship between Aouda and Panaik that could be explored in another story. An intriguing and clever little piece. :).
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Thanks Millie! I had fun thinking up the premise — wondering why the Taen is in trouble, and why and how Aouda is rescuing her from imprisonment. The relationship between Aouda and her dog is indeed very special. By adopting Panaik as her familiar, she gradually transfers her magic abilities and even a bit of her own nahja (magic/soul stuff) to him, and he becomes a magical beast and no longer a normal animal. They must have been together for quite some time (and she pretty advanced in her wizardry) for them to be able to talk telepathically. The downside to this strong connection is that if a familiar dies, it can do serious damage to the wizard or witch.
I know you like history and legends, Millie, so this idea is based loosely on:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiar_spirit
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