Story: A Life in the Woods

[nsfwords]

This 376 word fic was created as a gift for cornerofmadness on fandomtrees and fills a square for my January Public Domain Day Bingo Card.

A Life in the Woods

A curse ran in their blood, but overall, it could’ve been worse. They could have turned full wolfman every full moon or been driven to depraved acts due to bloodlust. Instead, Axel counted himself lucky that he became the Dogman for just for a week each month during years that ended on a 7. The hardest part in Axel’s opinion was the need to prowl the Manistee River during his turn. He had cousins further downstate living in Allegan, Michigan who were tied to the Kalamazoo River the same way his parents and siblings and he were tied to their river, except downstate the job prospects were better.
 

Axel had to admit, the advent of remote work post-Covid had really made it easier to bear the Dogman curse. His sister Astrid now did all her work as a medical transcriptionist remotely, and so her “puppy nights” out on the banks of the Manistee weren’t hard on the pocketbook like they used to be in his dad and grandmother’s time. He himself had recently gained employment as a remote call center worker, and it too suited the special needs of his affliction.
 

The worst part of the whole situation was getting spotted. While most of the Manistee ran through remote areas of Northwestern Michigan, there were always campers, hunters, nature lovers, and those wandering lost that you could bump into unexpectedly while shifted. Axel dreaded being seen and possibly filmed. Cell phones were the bane of his existence, everyone with the power of “proof” in their pockets. No one needed to see him, sniffling along the banks of the river with the head of a dog, but his normal scrawny human body, only 6’2” tall (really very short for Dogpeople!) and his hazel human eyes. Or worse! What if they caught him relieving himself, leg cocked, against a tree! It was instinct, nothing he could do about it, but he’d had a recurring nightmare that that was the moment someone would spot him since he was thirteen years old.
 

Overall, there were cryptids who had it worse. No one seriously believed in the Michigan Dogman, and really, Bigfoot could keep all the bumper stickers and bigfoot hunters, because Dogpeople preferred their little family packs and privacy anyway. 

 

Comments

[kellan_the_tabby]

oh no he's kind of adorable

[nsfwords]

Thanks! He was fun to write about.

[cornerofmadness]

Thanks so much. I love it! We have Dogmen here in Ohio too

[nsfwords]

We should compare notes, see if the myths are the same, or if there's regional flavor!

[cornerofmadness]

who knew that there was a Dogman of Ohio facebook group though I did know there was a a general dogman encounter web page as I currently have a Dogman of Ohio encounter short story out for consideration in an anthology right now

[nsfwords]

There is apparently a Michigan Dogman Facebook as well!

Thinking good thoughts for your anthology submission! (Is there an equivalent to "break a leg" for authors?)

[cornerofmadness]

that's a lot more dogman than expected


thanks. I don't think we're as superstitious as actors so I guess a good luck will do

[nsfwords]

Good Luck! 🍀

[cornerofmadness]

thanks