I'm missing the 1000 words threshold, so not sure if this still counts for Ficlet Friday. Anyway, here's my contribution. We're staying in the MagiKal AU. Hope you enjoy.Houdini Unleashed"Did you see her, Houdini?"
Clark was sitting on a bench in Centennial Park, Houdini's head resting on his leg. Completely lost in his thoughts, Clark had stopped stroking him. The dog whimpered in protest.
"Sorry, buddy," he said. "Guess, I drifted off for a moment." Dutifully, he continued to scratch Houdini's favorite spot, right behind his left ear.
"She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. And she’s bold and reckless and uncompromising. Can you imagine that she climbed up the whole staircase? I thought my heart was going to stop. Thank god I managed to save her just in time before my heat vision went crazy. That was a close one. She nearly saw me using my powers." His lips curled into a slight smile. "Do you think she'd have freaked out?"
The dog gave him a gentle nudge with his nose, running his tongue across his fingers a few times.
Clark sighed. “You’re right, I should just forget about that woman. It’s too dangerous. Besides, I don’t know the first thing about her. I bet she’s a handful.” Another long, wistful sigh escaped his throat and Houdine whimpered in tune. “ No, I don’t expect you to understand that. After all, she’s not a dog. Why would you get all worked up about a woman like her?”
Houdini tilted his head as he looked at Clark. Then he got to his feet and darted off, heading for some bushes. When he returned, he carried a stick between his teeth. Clark couldn’t stifle a laugh.
“Are you trying to cheer me up, buddy?” He took the stick and eyed it from every angle. Houdini barked and wagged his tail as he waited for Clark to throw the stick. “You know, maybe it wouldn’t be so hard if I didn’t have to live my life in celibacy. If I could more than just dream of really meeting a woman like that.”
Houdini barked again, this time sounding more impatient. He was taking a few steps back, his body tensing so he could rush after the stick as soon as Clark would throw it. His expression turned almost accusing.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that,” Clark protested, frustration tinting his voice. “Do I have to remind you that it’s your hormones which got us into this mess in the first place?”
He threw the stick, but instead of darting after it, Houdini remained where he was. Ducking his head in a submissive gesture, he tapped toward Clark, tail between his legs. Clark relaxed his stance and got down to his knees, embracing and stroking Houdine, who began licking his face.
“Hey, stop it,” Clark pulled back and laid his hand on the dog’s mouth. “No dog kisses, please. I’m not angry at you, buddy, just wishing things could be different.”
He sat down in the damp grass and continued to scratch Houdini, who climbed onto his lap. The Setter was entirely too big for that spot. But there was no telling him that. Clark closed his eyes and ran his hands through the dog’s warm, thick fur. His rampant emotions started to settle as he stroked the Irish Setter.
***
Houdini hadn’t always been his dog. Four years ago, back in Smallville, Houdini was supposed to protect Wayne Irig’s property. But he’d been a free spirit from his very first day. A puppy that never stayed put and managed to escape every leash. That kind of behavior had been cute as long as Houdini was still a baby dog. But it grew into a problem as he got older, an untamable teenager with wildly raging hormones.
“Houdini!” Wayne Irig shouted. “Houdini!”
He drove along the gravel way that led to the Kent’s farm. At the side of the street Clark and his father Jonathan were working on the fences.
“Good grief, where is that darn dog again?” Clark heard Wayne mutter as he pulled the car to the side of the street and got out. “Hey, Jonathan, Clark. Did either one of you see Houdini?”
Jonathan shook his head. “‘fraid not, Wayne. Did you try to put him on a leash again?”
Wayne nodded grimly. “The Lang’s dog is in heat. Houdini’s been going stir crazy for two days now. Laura will kill me if she's gotta deal with a whole set of Collie-Setter half-breeds a few months from now."
"I bet they'd look cute." Clark laughed.
"Yeah, they're even cuter if you don't have to take care of them," Wayne quipped. "Next thing I know, I have to adopt half of them. And Laura'd make sure I get all the troublemakers."
Jonathan laid a hand on Wayne's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find him before he makes it to the Lang property, won't we, Clark?"
Jonathan shot his son a meaningful glance.
"Sure." Clark nodded. "Dad and I are almost finished with this fence. I'll help you look for Houdini as soon as we're -"
He broke himself off. His super hearing had picked up the pained whimper of a dog. He strained his hearing until he heard the same whimper again. It sounded hollow, like the dog was trapped in some kind of cave. He heard the sound of falling rocks and the dog whined loudly.
Clark focused his attention back on his immediate surroundings and leaned toward his dad. "I believe I already found him. Seems like he got himself into serious trouble. Please keep Wayne occupied."
Jonathan gave Clark a tight nod. "Son, why don't you go ahead and look for Houdini. I'll manage the rest on my own. Uh, by the way, Wayne, there is something I've been meaning to ask you…"
Clark didn't hear the rest of the conversation. He dropped the hammer he'd been holding and ran off as fast as humanly possible. As soon as he was out of Wayne's immediate line of sight, he sped up.
The dog whined again and a moment later, Clark was standing at the edge of a deep hole. Had someone dug it or had some structure underground caved in? The edge was fragile and more rocks fell down while Clark stood there. They missed the dog by inches.
"Everything's all right, boy," Clark said. "I'm going to get you out of there." He looked around and spotted nobody else. "Good thing you're not able to tell the story."
He drifted up and floated down into the hole. The dog barked.
"Don't worry, I'll have you out of here in no time."
The dog was bleeding from several injuries that looked fairly superficial. Clark tried to x-ray the dog to look for fractures, but the fur only got blurry before his eyes. His feet had just touched the ground when an intense wave of pain stole his breath. Dizziness let him sag against the cave's walls.
"What is this?" He gasped for air. "Houdini, I'm feeling strange, I…" Clark groaned as he steadied himself against the wall to keep from toppling over.
"Let's get you out of here," Clark whispered, then moaned.
He reached for the dog. Houdini was doing his best to help Clark. With a little assistance he climbed on Clark's legs and shoulders. Clark groaned as his legs buckled under the additional weight of the young Irish Setter. When Houdini jumped out of the cave, he lost his balance and found himself face down on the ground.
More rocks landed on his back, the resulting wave of pain almost knocking him out. Clark felt strangely lightheaded as he scrambled to his elbows and knees. How was he going to climb out? And did that even matter? Where was that thought coming from? He shook his head, trying to clear it.
"Houdini," he rasped. "Be a good boy, get help. I…" He cried out in pain as another rock hit him and sagged back onto the ground. The last thing he saw was an iridescent glow of something red and green. Then he knew no more.
***
"You saved my life that day," Clark whispered into Houdini's ear. "I'll never forget that."
The dog barked, wagging his tail, and made another attempt at placing sloppy dog kisses on his master's face. Clark laughed while he fended him off.
But the way Houdini was practically vibrating with enthusiasm, he couldn't help but think the dog knew exactly he'd done the same for him.
Houdini must have run straight to his father. Jonathan still liked to tell how the Setter had torn his pants to shreds just to get him to follow. Clark had no idea how Wayne and his father had managed to drag him out of that hole. He'd lost consciousness as well as his powers in that cave.
He'd come to when he'd been at a safe distance from whatever had taken his strength. After two days his powers had gradually returned.
But there had been these strange power bursts ever since. He'd failed to control them, no matter how much he tried. They only seemed to be getting worse, the harder he fought. So much so that he'd isolated himself from everyone but Houdini, who'd stubbornly refused to leave his side.
After they'd saved each other's lives, the dog had stayed with Clark. Any attempt to remind him that he was actually Wayne's dog had failed. Houdini was fiercely loyal, though he still wouldn't stay on a leash. But that hadn't been necessary anyway.
Clark's life had never been the same after that fateful day and neither had Houdini's.
The dog got up and shook himself. He started to gently prod Clark's side with his snout, urging him to get up.
"Are you hungry, my friend?" The dog barked and wagged his tail. Clark scratched him behind both ears. "Then let's get you something to eat."
