niki raze nikita was a siberian husky and alaskan malamute mix. they didn't do their research before they bought her. pets were just things to them. we always called her niki, unless she was acting up. then it was "nikita!" with the hardest k you ever heard. niki was beautiful. she wasn't a smart dog, but she was full of love. the cat tried to take her head off. she thought they were playing. another dog tried to bite her in the face. she thought the dog was her new best_friend. she ate the cat's shit out of the litter box and thought it was the best thing she'd ever tasted. whenever i had a cut or a scrape she could see, she would lick it to try and make it better. we had a blue budgie named misty. when misty got out of her cage, niki caught her in her mouth. she didn't bite her. she just held her. misty had a heart attack. she died on niki's tongue. most of the animals who came through that house ended up dead or insane. there was a hamster named cinnamon. that little shit kept me awake all night running on his wheel. he wasn't just running, though. he was pissing all over himself while he ran. you could never pet him even if he let you get close enough to touch him. the stink was incredible. no one ever walked niki. a dog like that needs to be out in the world. they didn't even leave her tied up in the backyard. they locked her up in a bedroom all day to keep her from tearing the house apart. she had nothing to do with all her energy. when they came home from work and let her out, she would take off. if the front door was still open, she would run around the block a few times. she'd knock you over if you got in her way. she didn't see the cars or the houses that lined our street. she didn't feel the smooth pavement beneath the pads of her feet. her mind was gone. all she felt was instinct calling her body to move. it was like the rest of the world had to take a breath to catch up with her. she always came back. my stepfather would get her in a headlock and scream, "you wanna die?" while he was trying to choke her out, she would be licking his face. i tried walking her a few times when no one else would. she walked me. she would pull me wherever she wanted to go. all i could do was hold on and hope she didn't kill us both. when it was late and she was near sleep, sometimes the wolf in her would come out and she would start to howl. it was a soft, keening sound. she would look at me with a face that said, "i'm trying to remember who i am." she always slept on her side. she would close her eyes, her breathing would slow down, and her legs would start going. in her dreams she could do what she never could when she was awake. she could do what she was made for. she could run. i swear i could see her smiling. 211006 ... tender square NIKITA WOLF! 211006 what's it to you? who go blather from