"Bonus for a Burial"
The body of the white dog covered by the red blanket was loaded on the back of
the animal control vehicle with the golden bumper. The dog warden, Donald
William Girvin, was given a little extra bonus for burying dead animals. He
pocketed his extra money and headed to the bar. He parked at the back of the
bar where the parking lot had been enlarged by backfilling the heavily sloped
ground. The dishonorable Mr. Girvin did as he always had done. He opened the
back door of the truck and kicked the carcass of the dead dog over the edge of
the lot and down the embankment. Then he went into the bar to spend his bonus
money. Krypto's body lay exposed at the bottom of the ravine, cooking in the
noonday sun. Unlike the other bodies that had been dumped there over the years,
this one wasn't decaying from the exposure. It was healing. There is a secret
unknown to anyone that may someday allow a superman robbed of his powers by
Gold K to regain them. Some agent in the canine's blood resisted the effects of
the Gold Kryptonite. Exposure had made Krypto's blood different -- immune to
any further effects of Gold or Red K. Soon the dog was standing, then limping
and then walking with a normal gate. He climbed the embankment and saw the
truck and remembered. He had a bone to pick with that truck!
Krypto hid his cape and wandered into town. As he was passing the Sullivan
house, he saw two young women on the porch. They called to him "Hey Dog!
Hey, aren't you Clark's dog? Come here." After enjoying some attention in
the form of petting and baby talk, Krypto had had to keep careful attention not
to stir up a wind storm with his wagging tail. Chloe and Lana got Krypto a bowl
of water and some leftovers from the fridge that would have fed Mr. Sullivan
for a day or two. Before long, Chloe loaded Krypto into her car and Lana and
him gave him a ride home. Head hanging out the window, Krypto was as happy as
he had been in recent history. He thought about how fragile these women were.
His master was strong, invulnerable and capable without any assistance. As
devoted as he was to Kal-El, these women needed to be watched over and
protected. They were kind to him when he had decided he wasn't very fond of
humans (excluding the Kents and Pete of course). He decided that he would keep
his senses tuned to these two and be there for them whenever they might need
him. No harm would come to them under his watch. Anyone who laid an unwanted
finger on them would feel his bite.
Back at the bar, dog catcher Don had convinced two young cuties to come out to
his truck to pet some puppies. At first he thought his truck was missing, but
then he saw a portion of the rear door of the trunk sticking out of some loose
soil. Somehow he knew that the truck is still attached to it ... somewhere down
below.