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It happened quickly and with not a lot of warning, but it could have been easily avoided had I been more careful and had a little more sense in my head. Unfortunately, at that time in my life, I was light in both of those areas.

The day was warm, going on hot and it was long enough past breakfast for me to have regained some vigor, though it was still not quite noon. I had basically the whole day ahead of me and was wandering around, waiting for something to catch my attention. And indeed, something came along. A trio of of new puppies chasing each other ran into me, at least one of them slamming into my legs and nearly knocking me over.

I growled and snapped at the closest one, asserting myself, but he got out of the way, blatantly ignoring my body language as I had done so many times myself. I stepped forward and snapped again, to me these rascals were still more rivals than cute infants. The round pup danced away. I didn't know it yet, but I was already getting a little slow for all the pudge I was accumulating. I didn't notice that my dancing, biting friend's companions had already left him behind, moving to romp with another dog behind me; whether he liked it or not.

To this day, I don't know what that dog had been doing or what those two other puppies did to get him so riled up. When I would think of the incident later, I would think that one of them must have bitten the tender sack where his testicles must have only recently dropped, but really, I was only guessing.

I turned just as the two puppies running around the much larger dog realized that he was past playing. I saw him growl and snap, to similar effect as my own and then our eyes met. Dog's don't look at each other's faces when we communicate; in fact we more frequently look at each other's tails. Eye contact was a challenge. I should have averted my eyes, but I didn't. I was young and full of bullheadedness and besides, I was flush with my string of victories against my now smaller brother. So no, I didn't look away.

The antagonized dog with the intense stare didn't look away either, though and really, why should he have? He was another lab mix, but had a pretty heavy snout and was wide at the shoulder; not accounting for the fat padding, mind. I may have been as large as an eight month old, but the dog I was staring down was ten months old at least. His legs were longer and he had to have 20 pounds on me. He was taller and carried most of his weight on his fleshy forequarters. His tail lifted high and forward and he wagged it. Far from indicating friendship, the tail wagging told me things were escalating rapidly.

I went stiff and the hairs raised on the back of my thickened neck. I lifted my tail as well. Not showing submission was all it took to set him off. Suddenly the lab mix rushed me.

Neither of us were athletes, not by a long shot, so I saw him coming, watched the skin rippling on his blobby shoulders as he charged. But I had no experience fighting myself. All I had known till then was puppy wrestling. But my opponent had no intention of rolling on the ground with me. I'd realized just how serious things were a few moments before he lashed out at my neck. I back away, but like my opponent, my body was slower than my thoughts, and of course, I didn't know how to dodge.

The brown lab's teeth collided with my fleshy neck mid turn. He got a mouthful of flabby golden fur and chomped down. It was painful, but not nearly as painful as when he shook me like I'd shake a cloth toy. The skin tore at four points where the canines dug into me and I felt my blood run for practically the first time. Now, I was scared, but I was also brash and stupid. My mouth gaped, ready to give back what I was getting. The lab was clinging to my throat, his floppy ears slapping against my cheek. I didn't want to back up, so I pushed forward, chest against chest and snarling, I reared up.

The brown lab came with me, our forepaws batting at each other and my teeth still searching for something to latch onto. Some fur flashed against my whiskers and I bit down as hard as I could. I ground my teeth, let go and bit again and again. Still the lab had me by the neck. Seemingly, the brown lab sensed that he didn't have a very good hold on me. He let go, but before he could get another hold, I jumped down. Our reprieve lasts about a second after my forepaws touched the earth. It was enough time to realize that this was the most intense exercise I'd known to date and I was already winded. My opponent was too, and his belly where it hung even with his chest heaved up and down., but his tail was still high and forward. The sight of it enraged me and I ran ahead, leaping as I came upon the brown dog. Our chest collided in midair, harder than I would have thought. My leg slid into his armpit and I staggered against the pure physical mass pushing against me. Our mouth snapped, teeth flashing. The brown lab was taller than me standing and his neck seemed thicker and more powerful. He was bleeding from his ear and the side of his face where I'd bitten him.

We dealt each other a few more nicks and scratches as our fangs caught on each other before I stumbled a bit with a hind leg and the brown lab threw me down. I might have caught myself before tipping over... but then I was really fat and heavy myself, making for a much smaller center of gravity even on four legs. I went down and the brown lab was on me. Still I didn't give up and that made things worse as he reacted against my pawing and my snapping. He grabbed my leg, ripping the skin and tugging till he'd wrenched it.

Now I was hurting pretty bad. The fight went out of me like a snuffed candle and I relented, going limp and showing my wide, round belly. When I looked up, all I could see were the heavy round shoulders of the lab panting over me. Thankfully, he let go of my leg, which retracted to my chest like a bird's wing. He was growling, but didn't immediately make another move. I was stock still and even more fearful now that the fighting was done and the adrenaline was flowing out of me, leaving me feeling fragile as a glass bauble.

If the lab had been a completely normal dog, he probably would have been satisfied with that. But he wasn't, just as I wasn't. I suppose that was the reason why after a moment staring at me, the dog who'd left me bloody on the ground then head butted me hard, right in my wide pink gut. I gasped and clenched up like a dying spider, then rolled slowly onto my side, crying softly. The lab left then and even the puppies kept their distance. It would be a while before the pain subsided even enough to move.

I would move, however, and just as soon as I was able too. For dogs, displaying weakness is in itself a reason to attack. That might be an alien concept to understand for a human, but its not alien to your species. The sight of a leper with sickness and open sores was enough to inspire not only disgust but hatred in the people of the past. It's a similar reaction with us. Nevertheless, I was in pain and it was hard to hide it. I held my bleeding leg up as I walked and it hurt at my shoulder when I put any weight on it. My neck wasn't so bad, though it was bleeding. But my belly hurt where I'd been punched much more and it pained me a bit when I breathed too deeply.

I stalked off to hide in the concrete shelter despite the increasing heat of the day and the fact that it'd be stuffy in there. I rested with my back against a wall and curled up and licked my wounds. A large purple bruise had begun to show on the pink of my tummy when the black lab made an appearance in my refuge.

He stepped in quietly for such a heavy fellow. At first, I was frightened. The scent of my blood had already spread throughout the shelter and I didn't want to arouse the ire of an opportunistic attacker. But the lab didn't become aggressive, nor did he even seem nonplussed at the sight of me and my jagged, unkempt and dirty fur. I cringed as he stepped closer. And either because our friendship was already stronger than I'd supposed, or because he was just that way, he crouched down and began to lick me.

The lab was still bigger than me, and nearly double my weight with his generous heftiness rounding out his figure and I flinched when his tongue touched me, afraid of more bites, afraid of more fighting. But dogs can soothe as well as injure with their mouths. He licked the blood from my neck where I couldn't reach. I wasn't in a position to complain, but after he started, I began to appreciate his company. The black lab smoothed the spiked fur on my neck while I cleaned my injured leg. My belly was not so round nor far away that I couldn't reach it with my tongue, but the lab helped me with that anyway. The bruise there was hot an angry and hurt with a deep, dull pain that approached my stomach. If it had been a little higher up, I'd have lost my breakfast. As it was, it just felt like my intestines were bruised.

Silently the lab asked me if I was feeling better. I told him that I was, but that I wasn't in the mood for playing. My leg was still hurting me. The lab then told me that I might find it better outside with some sun and fresh air. I hesitated, but he invited me to join him. He left out the opening and after a few seconds, I followed. The lab was resting a short distance away on a patch of green. I limped over to him and rested my chin on his ample tummy. It was warm and inviting. When the lab sighed and laid his head on the ground, I knew that I was free to rest with him for the meantime. I would find that after that day and that nap with my head on his belly, things would be a little different between the two of us. I would find also that I was a little different as well. But I think that was for the best.