The Pup With The Crooked Smile

In the back of an old kennel, there was a young pup with a crooked smile. He had endured more hardships in his short life than many could imagine. Rejected time and time again by those desperate for a companion, only because of his imperfection, he found himself alone and abandoned in the cold confines of the pound. The pup with no name had eyes that held a sense of longing. It was as if they were pleading for someone to see past his physical flaws and recognize the gentle spirit within, or maybe he was just waiting for one special someone. With his broken jaw and scratched up eye; he was damaged goods. It wasn't his fault, but he was still treated as if he was undeserving.

Despite his overwhelming desire for love and affection, he was met with indifference from those who passed by his cage. So he sat, day after day, bound to his fate as a forgotten soul in a world that had cruelly deemed him unworthy. The young pup's heartache was inevitable, a nonstop reminder of the harsh reality faced by many. Poor thing longed for nothing more than a place to call home.

One day, Joey, with his own scars from battles, came into the kennel. He looked around, and as if he was being pushed towards the back, he finally came to the young pups cage. Sickening horror smeared his face as his saw the pups appearance. But Joey didn't let that sway his now made up mind. He recognized a kindred spirit in the small, crooked-smiled pup, and wanted nothing more than to give him a home.

Joey went to the managers office, to sign on the dotted line, but before he departed, he had to know. "Hey, can you tell me what happened to the little guy?"

The manager looked deep into Joey's eyes. "He was abused. The teenage boy who owned him became 'bored' one day, and decided to test out his bat. Parents said they couldn't get to the pup fast enough. The boy had broken the dog's jaw, injured his left eye, and shattered a couple teeth. Miracle guy he is. He should be in a coma."

Joey, angered by the information he had received, tears up. Why were people so cruel!? "Yeah, he sounds like a fighter. He'll be perfect. Thank you." Joey shakes the mans hand and walks out the managers office. As if right on cue, the employee had the young pup chained and ready to go. Joey looks down at the dog and smiles. "I hope you're ready to go home," he said, as he took the leash from the employee and walked out to his car.

Once the two got home, Joey didn't hesitate to bring the young pup inside. "I need a name for you, so we don't get confused." Joey laughs at his joke and thinks of a name. Looking at the pups broken, but cute face, he decided to name him Ray. Not just for the brightness of his strained grin, but for the ray of hope they both needed.

As the first few nights went by, Ray slept with a flood of agitation gnawing at his toes. Ray's dreams were troubled, filled with violent shadows, water filling his nose, and the echoing clangs of the pound's gates. Joey saw the trauma in his Ray and he knew he had to be patient. He understood that healing was a journey and they would take it on together.

One night, Ray sat on the couch next to Joey. The army vet grinned at the first initiation from Ray. So with a thought in mind, Joey decided to tell him stories. He spoke of brave knights and water dragons, of frightening forests where the trees were once human, and of distant gods that watched over them. Ray loved the stories, so much so that he seemed to glow. A trick of the light maybe?

As days turned into weeks, Ray's confidence grew. His coat, once thin and weak, now shone with a thick luster that seemed almost mystical. It got stranger from then on. At time, Joey would often find Ray staring intently at nothing, his head nodding as if listening to whispers only he could hear. Brought a bit of fear to Joey some nights, especially when he felt energies around him that he couldn't explain. On a cold rainy Saturday night, Joey noticed something extraordinary as he watched his pup from the shadows. The air around Ray began to shimmer with a faint, enchanting glow.

Curious but also a little concerned, Joey reached out to his little friend. Touching Ray's fur, a jolt of lightening shot through Joey's body. Visions of the past where Ray lived many lives, and what felt like mirages of the future, where chaos and death happens all around them. Joey jumps back, Ray staring straight into his soul. It wasn't long before Joey heard a soft voice. It said "Ray was a legend; a creature born a thousand and more times, a being that could bridge the world of spirits and the living; a Celestial Hound."

As the voice echoed in Joey's mind, the truth unfolded rapidly, Ray's true nature became clear. He was no ordinary pup; he was a guardian of the veil between worlds, a protector against the darkness that lurked just beyond his sight. His crooked smile was not by mistake. It was a mark of his new destiny. And Joey, with his own hidden depths, was meant to be his companion.

The revelation brought with it a sense of purpose. Joey and Ray would soon begin to train, learning to harness the power that Ray held within. They explored the mountains, delving into caves that shimmered with otherworldly light, and walked through forests where the trees seemed to bow in their presence. The same stories that Joey spoke of, were real.

But with great power does came great responsibility. As their town began to experience strange occurrences; demons moving against the light, growls carried on by the wind, and all other creatures of night slipping through the cracks of their world. Ray, with Joey by his side, stood as the savior against these invasions.

As they found side by side, their bond grew stronger with each challenge they faced. Joey, who had once felt lost in the aftermath of war, found solace in the loyalty and courage of his Celestial Hound. And Ray, who had known nothing but rejection, found unconditional love and a place where he truly belonged.

Together, they became legends in their own right. The townsfolk spoke in praising tones of the man and his mystical pup, protectors, guardians against the darkness. And when the night was at its darkest, it was said that you could see the silhouette of a man and his dog, standing firm against the night, a beacon of hope for all.

As the years passed, the bond between Joey and Ray only deepened. They were inseparable, a duo that faced the unknown future with a steadfast resolve. And though they encountered many more trials and tribulations, their story remained one of triumph; a testament to the power of love and the strength of the spirit.

And so, the story of Ray, the young pup with the crooked smile, and Joey, the army vet with a heart of gold, became a beacon for many. It was a tale of redemption, of finding beauty in imperfection, and of the unbreakable bonds that formed in the most unexpected of places.