OT - Cursed into a dog
Summary: On Empire Life’s day, Vader disappeared. That same day, the Emperor paraded with a black dog leashed to his side, its muzzle forcibly shut and its fur darker than the blackest durasteel.
Notes:
Dog!Vader
Era: Original Trilogy
Characters: Firmus Piett, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker.
Main tropes: Non-consensual Animal Transformation, Angst, Happy Ending
Snippet:
One day his Superior in command disappeared and the Death Squadron was disbanded. The same day, the Emperor began to show off his new black dog. On the rare occasion Piett was unlucky enough to accompany his new superior to the throne room, he could see the beast snarl and bite as it struggled against its chains. The binds remained strong and each time, the dog’s struggle was in vain.
Piett wondered about the way the dog tensed when Palpatine gave it an order. He wondered about how sometimes the dog looked into his eyes and seemed to see Piett’s soul. He wondered about Darth Vader’s mysterious disappearance. Piett wondered about a great many things, but he knew better than to open his mouth. The Empire gave lethal rewards for free speech.
Months laters, the rebellion won and the dog disappeared from Piett’s sight. By the time his trial was done and any accusation dispelled under obeying orders, no one knew what happened to the late Emperor’s pet. There were whispers about the beast having turned the tide of the fight against the Emperor, giving the last blow. There were rumors about Jedi whisking the dog away, defending it against any who would try to put the beast down.
Piett pieced the events together well enough. A tension felt removed from his shoulders at the knowledge his previous superior found somewhere safe. He did not share the knowledge with anyone, rather keeping the secret safe in his heart. Yet, a doubt remains. Would the Jedi truly forgive the man who hunted them down?
One day, they see the black dog again. It’s dozing in the sun on a familiar-looking young man’s lap, looking much healthier than it had ever been at the palace. Piett remembers seeing the young Jedi face on the Holo. Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. He had been the figurehead of rebellion propaganda, before disappearing into nowhere.
The young man pet the dog. The dog’s tail wag happily in answer. A smile pulled on Piett’s lips. No matter the past, the two seem to have become good friends. There was no worry to be had.
