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Transformations: A Peabody and Sherman Story

Chapter 1: Mr. Peabody
    It has been two years since he had lost his case, and he could still hear his little boy crying out to him. “Mr. Peabody! Don’t let them take me away! No, let go! Dad!” That haunting word again. He had tried not to get so attached to the boy, just in case he ever did lose him. That was why he had tried to raise him without letting himself be called “dad” by his adopted son. After all, what kind of life would he grow up with if his dad was a talking dog? Apparently, no one but he and Sherman cared. His poor little boy… he wasn’t even allowed to know what was happening to him. Now he looked around his empty apartment that had once been filled with a child’s laughter as well as a time traveler’s treasures. Now… now it was dark, dull, and quiet. He kept it clean though. He had been allowed one letter from his son, but he had not been allowed to respond. The letter was quick and to the point. “I miss you, dad. Love Sherman Beagle Peabody had always chuckled a little as he read that. He had given him the last name Peabody by adopting him, but Beagle had been a new add on that Sherman himself had chosen for his middle name. Today though, Peabody just wished he could tell Sherman he loved him back. Today, he felt like he was going to die. All because a fat lady in a pink blazer had put a shock collar on him, and was barely keeping him alive. Ms. Grunion wanted to torture him, all because he was a dog.
Chapter 2: Dr. Beagle
    Dr. Sherman Beagle, as his associates now called him, was moping again. Here he was at college, and his dad didn’t even know where he was. He had become friends with Penny Peterson during the two years of separation from his father, but it still didn’t help him get over the fact that it was partially her fault for him now being labelled a genius orphan. She had teased him about being related to a dog, and now he wished all the more that he really was. Then they couldn’t have taken him away. When they had taken him away, they had placed him in the Hard Rock Orphanage. It had taken all his wits and more just to survive long enough for a college to find out how smart he was, where he was, and took him out of the orphanage. He wasn’t adopted again, by any means, but he had been tested and found to be a genius, much like his father had suggested.

    He had astounded the world with his own brand of genius and had gotten his degrees in Chemistry, Genetics, Medical (Human and animal), and History (Of course) all within the span of a year and a half. He was still a minor though, so they let him stay at the college in a dorm with a young geneticist by the name of Erik Wolf.

    Erik Wolf was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. He was secretive, rude to the professors, and for the most part a “Lone Wolf”, if you’ll pardon the pun. The only ones he was open to or even cared about in the slightest on the whole school campus were the animals, and Sherman. He had noticed the boy to be different from the others, especially when it came to animals. He was always trying to help them. Erik was confused at first by his roommate’s young age, but after listening to his story, he understood what had happened. Mr. Peabody had, in fact, raised a little genius. He wasn’t as fast as him, nor as smart, but he was still a considerate and caring, little genius.

    If there was one thing Erik hated though, it was having a genius who didn’t want to be there. Sherman was one such genius, in fact he was the only one who didn’t want to be there at Harvard University. Erik didn’t blame him though. Erik wanted to help him.
Chapter 3: Science Gone Wrong
    It was that day of the year again. The one day of the year where Sherman had accidently looked at a calendar and started moping the worst again. Today was the anniversary of the day he had been taken from his father. He had grown accustomed to no longer crying, but still wishing to hear his father call out to him, to reassure him that he’d keep him safe, to hear his father’s lectures and jokes that he could never understand as they traveled through time.

    “Come on, Fireball, time to get up. We still got work to do.” Erik tended to call him “Fireball” because of his red hair. Erik was the only one who could get Sherman to be calm and get to work on this day it seemed. “I got an alert from my lab. That Johnson kid’s been messing with my stuff again. I need your help.”

    Sherman got up slowly. He had lost the excitement and innocence in his eyes. He craved for something that would help him to get home, some loophole in the legal system, but as long as he was a human, their argument held that a dog couldn’t raise a human boy. Peabody had fought in a legal court and won the right to adopt the boy, but the child protective agency had not held back their disgust as they showed all their evidence when Sherman had bitten Penny. In the end, they won enough to take Sherman away, but not to kill Peabody. “You know I hate being called ‘Fireball’. If you keep that up, I’ll start calling you ‘Shaggy’ again.” The name only fit because Erik’s hair was a shaggy mess that made him look like he would fit in with the wolves he was named for. Erik just smirked.

    As the two entered, Sherman noticed Jered Johnson was fiddling with a laser machine. Erik walked right up to him as he realized what he was messing with. “NO!”

    Jered’s eyes went wide as he realized he was caught. He tried to move out of the way, but was knocked down just as the laser accidently fired a shot at Sherman. Sherman’s eyes widened with fear as the bright blue blast hit him.

    He found himself standing next to a frozen version of himself. “What the heck? This thing makes statues?”

    Erik was kneeling by the statue’s side in an instant while Jered ran off, fearing he had just murdered someone while trying to sabotage his rival. “Sherman, can you hear me?”

    “I can hear you. Why are you looking at the statue instead of me?” He tried putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder. He was scared when he found that his hand went through him. “Oh… that’s why… I’m dead…” Sherman’s eyes widened as the thought came to him.

    Erik put a hand to the little boy’s heart as though trying to feel a heartbeat. “Thank goodness, I can save him!” He ran back to the machine and started to fix it. Sherman watched closely, trying to take it all in. He was relieved that he could be saved, but he wondered what the machine had built for originally. He was amused that it was a DNA scanner of sorts.

    While his friend was busy making the machine work again, another scientist came in and was shocked by Sherman’s condition. Dr. Truman had been friends with Mr. Peabody during Harvard and had done his best to help Sherman look through the legal papers for a way for him to go home. Upon seeing his condition, he asked for an explanation and got one. Sherman was frozen from a misfire from a Genetisizer.

    Apparently, the ray was supposed to allow people to change their looks to look like someone else or something else as long as they had the right DNA. The only problem was that it didn’t make them exactly like the DNA’s original person unless they were it. It made them look more like a relative, but did no damage to the brain. Since there had been no DNA in the ray, it had only frozen Sherman. This gave Sherman an idea.

    As they finished fixing the machine, he went to the DNA room that Erik had stocked with everyone’s original DNA. When asked about the room, he would always respond, “Don’t leave your stupid hair brushes outside, and throw away your trash, and I wouldn’t have to deal with your DNA at all. Honestly, it’s as though I can use this stuff to tell who’s been where and with who!” The only DNA strands that he had to ask for was from Sherman, and he had supplied the geneticist with two, his own, and Mr. Peabody’s, which had been a small strand of fur that had been caught in Sherman’s glasses. He concentrated on making a sound by tapping that one glass of DNA, hoping to get the attention of the two scientists outside the door. He wasn’t really sure it was going to work, but was shocked as he felt the glass and an alarm started sounding. As the two scientists rushed in, Sherman waited to see if they would think about the same thing he was.

    “What was that about, Erik?” John Truman asked as he looked around the room with amazement. Animal and Human DNA stood side by side in the silver shelved room. Some were refrigerated, while others were just on slides.

    Erik walked over to the back wall were he kept the mixed DNA, the ones that were unsure or uncertain. Or in Peabody’s case, special. He grabbed the DNA of Mr. Peabody as it’s alarm alert was blinking. He smirked. “I think Sherman’s trying to tell me something, but you know, what do I know? I’m just a young wolf.” He chuckled as he showed the DNA to the professor.

    As Professor Truman looked at the DNA, he smiled. “Of course, but in this case, are we going to categorize it all as a lab accident, including this?” He asked while implying something. Sherman ran over to his body and waited with anticipation to move again properly. He was starting to get creeped out again by standing next to his own body. “You’re sure it’s safe though?”

    “It’s been tested on myself with Wolf DNA if that’s what you’re asking, so helping Sherman should be no problem. Besides, from what he told me, this whole mess started with that little girl, Penny, calling him a dog. I think it’s ironic to prove her right.” He set up the DNA scanner and adjusted the laser for the last time. “He’s going to be tired though, so get a medic on call and tell the police to arrest Johnson if you haven’t already. We can put the blame on him and send this one home smiling and wagging his tail.” Erik chuckled, showing one of the small side effects of being turned back into a human from wolf. His teeth were sharp, but his smile was still joyful. He activated the laser and another flash blinded Sherman as he started to gain feeling and then passed out.
Chapter 4: I’m a Dog
    When Sherman awoke, he found himself in the back of a van with a box of snack foods and a water bottle nearby. Professor Truman was driving while Erik just smirked at Sherman with a map in his hands. “Hey, he’s up! How ya feeling, Fireball? You were out for a week!”

    “You need a haircut, Shaggy.” Sherman grumbled. This earned him a chuckle from Truman and a smirk from Erik. “What happened after that second blast?”

    “Oh, you remember that? Well the report says one blast, and that it turned ya into a dog, oh, and that it’s irreversible, but I’m working on a portable version which can be like a DNA reset button. Ya know, in case you hate the fleas?” Sherman looked at him confused, mainly because his glasses were not on his face. “Here, your glasses dropped when you were hit. We already went to court and got permission to send you home, so we’re off.”

    His mind had only processed half of the information that he had been given, none of it being the part about the dog. “Back to Hard Rock Orphanage? I’d rather live in the science lab, thanks.” Sherman groaned as he put his glasses on. As he moved his hand away, he stopped. It wasn’t his hand that was in front of his face. It was a paw! And where his nose should’ve been, well there was a nose, but there was also a dog snout as well! A white muzzle with a black nose was on his face! He thought back to what Erik had just said and was stunned. He looked himself over as best as he could and found he was, without a shadow of a doubt, a dog.

    “Well if you want to go there, but I thought New York was to your liking?” He chuckled as Sherman’s new puppy like face helped his naturally puppy like eyes to stare at him with surprise. “We’re going to drop you off at the police station, and then we gotta head back. You’ve got some papers in your bag there that can get you to Peabody’s apartment without us, and the remote I was working on. You can finish it with your dad’s help if you want.”

    “So you’re just going to leave me there?” Sherman asked skeptically. He had grown tougher since the orphanage, but he didn’t think that these two would be so careless. Unless, that is, they really trusted him as though he was an adult.

    “Kid, I let you get turned into a dog. I think I’m supposed to face a trial next month for that and the genius next to me invented the darn ray that did it.” Truman laughed as though it was a joke. Erik laughed as well. “We got lucky when we convinced the supreme judge to let you come home. No more risks. You act like a human, because your mind is, but your body is now a dog. The only risk is the senses. Dogs have super sensitive noses and ears. You’ll get used to it eventually, but you need a dog to help you with that, so ergo, you get to go home and live with Peabody and deal with all that.”

    “So yes, we are just leaving you in New York. It’s no problem though. You know where to go and we are leaving you with the police, so it’ll help.” Erik smiled as Sherman’s tail started to wag uncontrolledly, he was going to see his dad again.

    Shortly after being dropped off at the station, Sherman realized that he was shorter than he had been. The officers were nice to him, once Erik had explained the situation and then left. Sherman sat down and waited for one of the officers to either call Mr. Peabody, or take him there themselves. He didn’t have long to wait though as an emergency call reached his now over sensitive ears.

    It was a call about a break in and that someone was getting attacked. There were screams from atop the Peabody Building. The secretary was calling it in and Sherman’s eyes widened as she described Ms. Grunion going in just minutes before. A set of officers ran to their car with Sherman in hot pursuit. He climbed into the back of the car with his gray backpack and they were off.

    When they reached the top of the building and into the penthouse, Sherman was frozen with shock, as were the police. Lying on the floor was the quivering figure of a dog that needed medical attention. He had Taser burns all over himself as well as a few bruises and a cut or two. Without his glasses or his bowtie, he looked like a normal dog with a shock collar. Sherman ran up to him and tried to evaluate how badly he had been hurt. “Mr. Peabody? Can you hear me?” He asked in his most grown up voice, trying to hide his fear. He no longer sounded like a scared little boy, but instead like the doctor that he had been trained as.

    “What now, another mutt?” Ms. Grunion snarled as she started walking towards the two dogs. She had a crazed look in her eyes. The police noticed her and moved to arrest her, but she laughed as she continued to push a button, which was zapping the life out of poor Mr. Peabody. Sherman did something unusual and growled, but managed to shake it off and think. He ran towards the lady and took the remote from her fat hand. As she tried to grab it back from him, he took advantage of his new size and ran under her and around back to Mr. Peabody.

    He pushed a smaller button, which released his father from the shock collar and then placed the collar on the startled woman as the officers cuffed her. He handed the remote to one of the officers. “Make sure she doesn’t come back, please. I need to take care of Mr. Peabody.”

    “Do you want us to call a vet?” The older of the officers asked. He obviously hadn’t read the papers on this boy yet.

    “No need, unless I find I need help. I got my license last month.” Sherman was already pulling out emergency medical equipment from the walls and his own medical kit from his backpack. Mr. Peabody was always prepared for the worst, or at least, he tried to be. Sherman had the medical bed out in the time it took the officers to bring the screeching Ms. Grunion to the elevator.

    “Just who do you think I am, you stupid mutt! I am Ms. Ursula Grunion, from the Child…”

    “I know who you are, and as you’ve just proven, the only protection we need is from you.” Sherman growled.

    “Who are you, you little beast, thinking you can talk to me like that!”

    As the elevator door closed, Sherman managed to respond, “You should know, I’m Doctor Sherman Beagle Peabody, and I’m the Dog’s boy. I’m a dog too.”
Chapter 5: The Puppy
    Mr. Peabody awoke two days later with bandages still on his body. He could only see blurs without his glasses and wondered where he was. He took a sniff to see if he could tell where he was. He was in his room, apparently, in his own bed, but there was another sent that sent a shiver down his spine. It wasn’t an unpleasant shiver, but one of anticipation. It wasn’t the fact that he was alive that amazed him, but the scent of another occupant in the apartment. He slowly got up from his bed and reached for his glasses, which he would have placed on his nightstand. He was happily surprised to find a set of glasses and a red bow tie there. When he adjusted his glasses and bow tie, he noticed a small letter on the nightstand.

    “Dear Mr. Peabody, I’m sorry to inform you that Dr. Beagle has been in a lab accident due to one of his fellow scientists. There seems to have been no damage to him mentally, but he no longer looks the same physically. We were assured that he felt no pain as the transformation process had been ensued and that he still wished to return to you. As he is no longer human, but still a legal U.S. citizen, we have deemed him fit to return to your home if you are still willing to take care of Doctor Sherman Beagle. I am assured that you will and if you are not, you may call us at the courthouse. ~The Supreme Justice…”

    Peabody’s eyes went wide with worry. His little boy had been in a lab and had been hurt in some sort of accident, and they only sent him the results of it! They hadn’t even told him how he had been hurt or anything! He hobbled from the room as fast as he could, following the fresh scent of his boy. He came to a sudden stop as he entered the kitchen. There was a little white puppy dog with a set of big black round glasses standing on a stool and cooking something in a pot. It didn’t smell that bad, and the puppy seemed to have his whole concentration on the contents of the pot. Mr. Peabody edged slightly closer, somewhat scared of what he was looking at. It looked exactly like he had as a puppy, but without his red bowtie, and was that a fluff of red on the top of his fur?

    The little puppy took a sniff at the contents. He gave a small smile at his success. “Go sit down, I’ll get the bowls. You still need time to recover.” His voice was still mature sounding, but Peabody could tell it was a false voice that was usually used around adults only. Within five minutes, the young puppy had scooped up two bowls and was pouring a small genetic compound into the one for the other dog. He made sure to do this in front of the old dog so that he could gain his trust.

    “What’s that?” Peabody asked warily. This puppy smelled similar to Sherman, but that couldn’t be right. Sherman was a human boy, not a beagle puppy. He was too worried to remember the contents of the letter exactly.

    “It’s chicken noodle soup with a bit of medicine that I was instructed to give you by Dr. Erik Wolf and Professor Truman. It’s supposedly flavorless and will supposedly extend your natural life to that of a human. Before you ask, I’m not sure how that work’s either. I just know I can trust them.” The puppy placed the bowl in front of the dog along with a spoon and some orange juice. “I’m going to have to get some more groceries soon. You’re starting to run out.” He said calmly as he went and got his own bowl and spoon.

    The little puppy sat down on the stool and ate a little bit of the soup, carefully watching Mr. Peabody, while Mr. Peabody himself kept looking at the puppy with some concern. Nevertheless, the dog ate the soup, grateful that he was still alive to eat at all.

    When the two were done, the little puppy put the dishes in the sink and sat back down on the stool so he was able to look the larger snow beagle in the eyes. Mr. Peabody stood in front of the little puppy while trying to figure out who the puppy was, why he smelled like Sherman, and looked like himself as a puppy.
Chapter 6: The Conditions
    “I have to go and make a call to someone.” His voice was no longer the mature façade he had been using, but instead it was smaller and seemed to be holding back something. He slowly got down from the stool and made his way to the den. He activated a small laser-pointer like object and a small screen came up. He recited a phone number and waited for the other line to pick up. Sherman had been tinkering with the idea of video phones for a few months and had come up with a way to make it work with normal phones.

    “Hello?” On the screen was the chief justice. “Ah, it’s you. I’ve been told to expect your call. I take it he’s awake now?” He was an African American man with a set of glasses on his face.

    “Yes. I suppose I have to explain my looks to you?” The little puppy frowned. He had been conversing with adults for two years as though he was one, and they only respected him after he had proven himself. He was starting to understand how annoying it must be for his father, because he always had to prove he was smarter than the average dog.

    “No, Doctor Wolf explained it all and frankly, I’m starting to think of it as poetic irony.” He chuckled. Then his face returned to serious as he sensed the puppy was not in the mood. “Now, as for the judgment against you and Mr. Peabody.”

    Mr. Peabody was silently watching from the back, making sure that the little puppy dog couldn’t hear him. ‘What is this all about?’

    “I have looked over your case again and I restate what I said in the first place. ‘If a boy can adopt a dog, I see no reason for a dog not to adopt a boy.’ I will allow you to stay with Mr. Peabody again so long as you follow certain conditions and Mr. Peabody still wants you, Sherman.” Mr. Peabody’s eyes widened. This little puppy in front of him was his son! It was his Sherman! Sherman had been turned into a dog!

    “If he wants me still than I’ll agree to whatever conditions you have so that I can stay with him. He’s my dad, and as you all noticed, no one wanted me but him. If he still feels that way, then I’ll do anything to stay with him.” Mr. Peabody put a paw to his heart. His boy doubted that he would still want him!

    The judge smirked as he saw the two dogs, knowing that Sherman wasn’t aware of the other’s presence yet. “Well the conditions are simple enough. You are to try and change yourself back into a human, at least for when you’re in public. You are to return to school, and yes I know about your G.E.D. and your college degrees, but think of them as waiting for you to finish School properly. We want you to be more social and two friends isn’t the way to do it. So I expect you back in school within the next month.” Mentally Sherman and Peabody were sighing in relief. There was nothing too difficult about this so far. “And the final condition is this…” Sherman and Peabody both looked a little nervous about this one, but the judge just smiled warmly. “No more biting people. That’s what got you into this mess in the first place.”

    Sherman blinked in surprise. He had been expecting harder conditions. “What about the WABAC?” He asked cautiously. Everyone knew they could time travel now.

    The judge just laughed. “Sherman, so long as you follow Mr. Peabody’s orders and not mess with the time stream, I see no reason for you to have any other limits than what he chooses. After all, you both are smart dogs, you can limit yourself. Just remember to let us humans try and catch up with you both.” With that, the judge waved good-bye and hung up the video phone, leaving both dogs in surprise.

    After staring at the small puppy from behind for a while, Mr. Peabody finally got the courage to speak. “… Sherman…” The little puppy turned around in shock. How long had he been there?

    The little puppy started to sniffle as he looked at his adoptive father. He felt like he had failed him when he had bitten Penny and had gotten this whole mess started. Mr. Peabody on the other paw, felt like it was his fault for not being able to protect the boy from Ms. Grunion.

    Mr. Peabody put a paw on the little puppy’s shoulder and then brought him in for a hug. Sherman broke down at such a small gesture and started crying, crying openly for the first time since he had been sent to that horrid orphanage. Mr. Peabody also found himself crying as he held his boy as tightly as he could. Sherman’s dad cared for him still. Even after all that they had gone through, Mr. Peabody still loved his little boy.
Chapter 7: End of a Tail
    It took two weeks for the Peabody household to return to as close to normal as they could. Five of those days, Mr. Peabody was still recovering while Sherman was working on Erik’s remote to turn himself back to normal. On the sixth day, Sherman had succeeded in transforming back to normal, all save for a side effects of having a tail and a heightened sense of smelling and hearing. He was later enrolled back into school and was now back among the humans while hiding his tail. His best friend, Penny, and a few others were the only ones who were to know of it. To Penny it would always be a reminder of how she had ruined a little boy’s life and how he had had to fix it all himself. She would probably never forgive herself for that, but she would try anyway. To Mr. Peabody though, it would be a reminder that Sherman was still his boy, no matter what anyone else said.
Chapter 8: Extra chapters; This is only the beginning
    Mr. Peabody had been trying to keep his calm as he sat outside the principal’s office. Once more, he had been called in to speak about Sherman. If he had to go through the process of losing Sherman again, then he didn’t know what he would do.

    Slowly the door opened and he could see his red headed boy already sitting down with a confused look on his face. He apparently didn’t know what he was doing there either.

    “Ah, Mr. Peabody, thank you for joining us.” The principal was not the same one that he had encountered a few years ago. This one was a little more filled in. He looked kindly on the two as they sat in their seats.

    Sherman had figured out how to transform himself back into a human, with the help of his father and Doctor Wolf, but he still had an over sensitive nose and ears, and he also had a tail. Sherman usually had his tail hidden in his pants or his shirt, but at the moment, he was rubbing it as though someone had stepped on it. He glanced at his dad and then looked away, as though ashamed of something.

    “Might I ask what this is about? You weren’t very clear when you called me in, and… well… is Sherman in trouble?” He glanced at his little boy with worry. The last time that he had been in trouble, he had been taken away from Mr. Peabody.

    The principle, Mr. James, had thankfully already read the reports and papers on these two and understood Mr. Peabody’s concern right away. “No, no, nothing like that at all. I’ve called you in here to discuss some things about Sherman, such as his tail, for instance.” At this Sherman shied into his seat all the more eager to hide in it. “Now, I know you both gave me warning on this, so I’m not all that surprised about seeing it, but while in P.E. class, Sherman was hit by a dodgeball in the stomach and his tail stuck out.”

    Both boy and dog winced at that. “I hope he didn’t misbehave when the other students reacted to that…”

    “Oh, no, no, he behaved much better than expected, you see, I gave warning to some of the teachers about his tail and they promised to keep quiet about it. One of which was the P.E. teacher, Mr. Length. Now, the reason I called you was this. One of the boys noticed the tail before he could hide it again and laughed out loud, calling attention to it. When Sherman tried to deny it, he found himself being held up by his tail until Ms. Peterson… convinced the boy…. To put him down again.” Sherman blushed in embarrassment as he remembered having to be rescued by the young girl who had once picked on him.

    Mr. Peabody looked at Sherman with a bit of concern. “So… Sherman didn’t react at all this time?” Last time Sherman had been hurt and bullied, he had bitten Penny, who had had him in a chokehold.

    “Well, no, he reacted, just not violently. He… well… he howled in pain, for lack of a better phrase. The student has detention for picking on Sherman, so the situation is resolved. I just thought you should know what Sherman’s reaction was better this time, and I felt that as his parent you should be told of what had happened.”

    Mr. Peabody nodded his appreciation. He liked to know when someone was hurting his boy. “Thank you for telling me this. Was there anything else?” He glanced worriedly at his son. Apparently, Sherman hadn’t expected to be brought to the office when he had been picked on, as long as he didn’t hurt anyone, and he certainly didn’t want his dad to worry about him.

    “Sherman, could you please step outside for a moment? This won’t take long. I just need to talk to Mr. Peabody for a few minutes.” Sherman glanced nervously towards his father. Mr. Peabody nodded. Sherman walked outside and sat on the bench outside the office. Mr. James looked at the dog with a slight frown. Mr. Peabody had a crushing feeling in his heart. Something else was wrong. “Mr. Peabody, I know that this might not be the right judgment, since I’ve only known you two since you signed Sherman up for school, but I based on his reactions to some of the students… I think the orphanage might have done more damage to him than he lets on.”

    Mr. Peabody sighed and nodded. He had noticed as well. His boy no longer seemed to have that courageous spark that had kept him curious and safe throughout their life together. He seemed nervous around other humans. Mr. Peabody had not even brought him to another time period since that day he had lost his boy. “I know… what I don’t know is what to do for once… the irony of it is crushing really. Sherman always looked to me for an answer and now… now I don’t have one when he needs help the most.” Mr. Peabody sighed as he tried to figure out what to do for the poor boy.

    “Might I recommend seeing a counselor? Or at least a better social environment for a short time? From what his teachers have told me about him in his classes, he seems to be worried about something. He actually asked to step out of the room when they went over Ancient Troy last week, and this week he kept gripping something in his pocket. His teacher asked him about it, thinking it was a phone, but was surprised to find it was a dog whistle, especially since he’s now subject to the same pain that you are when you hear such a whistle.” He then noticed Peabody was grimacing at that. “Do you have any ideas on why he had it?”

    Mr. Peabody nodded slowly. “I gave him the dog whistle on his first day of school, back when he was just starting. It was so that he would know that I’d always be there for him. I’d do anything for that boy, you have to understand.” Mr. James nodded slowly at this. “As for Troy… well… let’s just say that we had crashed there by accident and I had never wanted him to go into that war at all. We both got a good scare from that.”

    “When did you go to Troy?”

    “I believe everyone now knows of my time machine that I had made for Sherman?” Mr. James nodded. He had received a full report on that from the courts when he was asked to take the boy into his school, despite his G.E.D. and degrees. “Well it was the day that the Petersons had come over for a dinner party so that we could sort out the whole ‘Biting’ incident. Penny had convinced Sherman to take her into the past and there was a whole issue with us having to save her from marrying King Tut, her convincing Sherman to fly Leonardo Da Vinci’s flying machine, and then … well we crashed in Troy just before the war. Sherman and I had had… a disagreement because of how Penny had been… well in my opinion… corrupting him… I guess she was really just showing him how people his age act though… anyway he went and recruited himself in the Greek army. After that things got more out of hand than they had already been.”

    “This sounds pretty intense already. Maybe you should both see a shrink for this? It might help him if he knows you’re just as worried and you’re both seeing help.” The dog grimaced at that. “Not that kind of help, but stress can be hazardous for scientists such as you both… for the sake of Sherman at least you should…”

    “I agree…”

    “I beg pardon?” Mr. James blinked. It wasn’t often that someone got Mr. Peabody to change his opinion.

    “I’ll schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist for both me and Sherman... If Sherman approves of it that is… I think you’re right… it might help… but I don’t want the other students being told about it, unless Sherman thinks it’s alright. As much as I hate to admit it, he’s not a little boy anymore, contrary to what his age is and your legal government says. From what he’s told me, he grew up the day he was placed in that orphanage. He’s capable of making his own decisions… most of which, I’m quite proud of…” Mr. Peabody got down from his chair. “Thank you for telling me this. Is there anything else?”

    “No, Mr. Peabody. I believe that is all. I’ll walk you out.” Mr. Peabody nodded and walked outside with Mr. James right behind him.

    Mr. Peabody was shocked at what he found when he stepped outside. Mr. James was likewise stunned. A large boy was holding Sherman upside down by his tail. The two boys could not see the two adults. Sherman’s glasses had fallen and the boy was facing the other way. Mr. James was about to react when Mr. Peabody stopped him and made sure he was quiet. He knew that glare on Sherman’s face, and it wasn’t just because he had lost his glasses. Sherman had a plan.

    “So what’s this stupid thing even for, Sher-dog?” The boy was a large one by the name of Jack Henson. He was the captain of the football team and the leader of the bullies. To them, Sherman was still fresh meat to be broken in. To Sherman, this was just another bully from the orphanage or college that hadn’t yet learned to back off.

    “Lots of things,” Sherman growled. He closed his eyes and calculated an escape plan. Then he opened his eyes with a slight grin that seemed almost canine. “For instance, say someone has hold of my tail, like you do. I can just push off the floor and tip you off balance, like so!” He pushed himself off the ground with his hands. This tipped the bully off balance. Jack stumbled back, and his grip on Sherman’s tail loosened. “And then I’m free.” Sherman took advantage of this to run and grab his glasses. Now he was facing the boy head on. He was then suddenly petrified as he noticed his dad and the principal behind Jack. How much had they seen?

    Mr. Peabody had a concerned look on his face, but Sherman noticed that he was holding back. He was letting Sherman know that he trusted him to find his own solutions and to be his own person now. Sherman sighed in a little relief. His dad trusted him.

    “What’s the matter, Sher-dog? You part Chicken hound now?” The boy started to make chicken sounds and flap his arms.

    Sherman crossed his arms and let out a low growl. “Actually, I’m part Beagle, if you must know, and a smart one at that.” Peabody knew he was referring to his DNA, but at the same time, Mr. Peabody had a feeling that the comment also applied to Sherman’s intelligence as well. Sherman adjusted his glasses and looked at his options. “I recommend we part ways and forget this ever happened, Jack.” Sherman started to walk past him to reach his dad and the principal. He just wanted to go home at this point… maybe help Leo with fixing his model plane again. They hadn’t gone back in time since that night…

    “And just what makes you think you’re getting out of here without being taught a lesson?” Jack asked.

    Sherman stopped right next to Jack, both looking in different directions. He grimaced, no longer growling to get his point across. “I don’t need to learn anything from you, Jack. I’ve been places you could never dream of. You don’t want to fight me, do you know why?”

    “Why?”

    “You’d be the one who was schooled.” Sherman started walking again towards his father and principal. Mr. Peabody may have been the one who had told Mr. James to stay out of it, but he had nearly burst trying to withhold his own natural instincts to rush in and protect his boy. He was shaking terribly with anger, fear, and concern for his son, but not enough for anyone but Sherman to notice. Sherman always noticed now.

    Jack turned and was about to rush Sherman into a wall, when he noticed the two adults. His eyes widened as he saw the cold fire in Mr. Peabody’s eyes and he ran the other way. He was in enough trouble as it was, and didn’t know how long they had been standing there.

    Mr. Peabody didn’t sigh in relief until Mr. James ran off after the boy and Sherman was by his side, holding his paw. “You had me worried there, Sherman. I’m proud of how you handled that situation though.” Sherman felt his father trembling from fear.

    He put a hand on his father’s shoulder, trying to calm him down. “Thank you for letting me handle that. That couldn’t have been easy for you to watch. Let’s go home, Mr. Peabody. I just want to relax…” Sherman smiled softly to his father as his father smirked back to him.

    As the two started on their way home in the moped, Sherman was trying to figure out how to calm his father down. Mr. Peabody was still tense since getting Sherman back, though he tried not to show it. Sherman knew his father though. He couldn’t hide from Sherman with his fur shaking as much as it was.

    When they entered the apartment, Sherman put his bag in his room while his dad went to his office to try and get some work done. He often found that working through his stress could help. Mr. Peabody was about to start on a long paper for a science committee in D.C. when he found himself being picked up from behind like he was a puppy. He struggled against the small arms and gave his son a small glare.

    “Sherman, put me down! I’m not a toy.” Mr. Peabody groaned. He had been feeling weak already, but was at this point, tired. “What are you doing?”

    “We both need a breath of fresh air, and I know the best places for that.”

    “Oh, really, Sherman, and where would that be?” The dog muttered as he let his boy carry him.

    “Not where, Mr. Peabody, when. We’re going to visit an old friend of ours.” Sherman smiled as he carried his father over to a door. He opened the door slowly and put his father down so he could stand up next to him. “I think we have time to visit the renaissance.”

    Mr. Peabody scowled at his son, but thought that it would be a good change of pace. “Alright, Sherman, we’ll go and visit Leonardo Da Vinci. Just for a little while though.”

    Sherman smiled and rubbed his dad’s head, knowing it would annoy him as well as feel good. “Sounds great, dad, but don’t worry. We’ve got all the time in the world.” He chuckled as his father waved his hand away. Mr. Peabody allowed Sherman to call him dad every once in a while now, so long as that in formal things, he was called Mr. Peabody.

    Mr. Peabody smiled weakly as he punched in the coordinates for the time period into the WABAC, hoping it would still be capable of travel after all this time. He pushed the red button. Sherman sat next to him in his seat and watched in delight as the lights dimmed and the large red sphere took off. Just seeing the inside of the temporal vortex was enough to make him feel like everything was going to be alright, like the last two years had just been a nightmare.

    When the orb stopped, Mr. Peabody and Sherman found themselves at the bottom of a hill next to a workshop. They put on their renaissance clothes and walked outside. Leo was busy trying to repair his flying machine in the yard. He worked on it with a lot of energy and excitement. He had finally gotten his “Son” to be less creepy and actually help out. The little wooden contraption was still creepy, but at the moment, it was just handing its creator a hammer for the machine.

    Sherman adjusted his tail so that it was hidden in his clothes again, which was easier to do in this time, since everyone wore robes and dresses. Mr. Peabody took a whiff of the old air and was surprised at how much he had missed the feel of time travel. He looked at his boy and instantly knew he felt the same way. “Come, Sherman, we might as well see if he needs help. For all we know, he’s still repairing your mess from last time, heh.”

    Sherman grimaced as he followed his father. Then he thought of something that was amusing. “Well if at first we don’t succeed, fly, fly, again, right Mr. Peabody?” Sherman chuckled.

    Mr. Peabody looked at the young boy, stunned, and then chuckled as well. “Yes, I suppose so, Sherman. That was a pretty good pun, by the way.” Sherman smiled proudly at that as they neared the inventor. “Ah my friend, Leonardo Da Vinci, how are you?”

    “Ah Mr. Peabody, I’ve been wondering where you were, or at least when you were…” He muttered to himself the last bit until he saw the boy with the dog. “And who is this young man? It can’t be little Sherman, he looks too serious!” He attempted to make a serious face to mock the boy, but his face only made him look more humorous.

    Sherman tried to stifle a laugh. He had needed this.

    Satisfied with making the boy chuckled, the inventor started to talk to his friend about his latest idea for his flying machine. Sherman noticed that some of Mr. Peabody’s stress was disappearing. He had needed this just as much as Sherman had. The boy smiled. Their stress and worry may not disappear for a while, but it was still a start, and besides, this was only the beginning.

Description

Transformations: A Peabody and Sherman Story

Chapter 1: Mr. Peabody
    It has been two years since he had lost his case, and he could still hear his little boy crying out to him. “Mr. Peabody! Don’t let them take me away! No, let go! Dad!” That haunting word again. He had tried not to get so attached to the boy, just in case he ever did lose him. That was why he had tried to raise him without letting himself be called “dad” by his adopted son. After all, what kind of life would he grow up with if his dad was a talking dog? Apparently, no one but he and Sherman cared. His poor little boy… he wasn’t even allowed to know what was happening to him. Now he looked around his empty apartment that had once been filled with a child’s laughter as well as a time traveler’s treasures. Now… now it was dark, dull, and quiet. He kept it clean though. He had been allowed one letter from his son, but he had not been allowed to respond. The letter was quick and to the point. “I miss you, dad. Love Sherman Beagle Peabody had always chuckled a little as he read that. He had given him the last name Peabody by adopting him, but Beagle had been a new add on that Sherman himself had chosen for his middle name. Today though, Peabody just wished he could tell Sherman he loved him back. Today, he felt like he was going to die. All because a fat lady in a pink blazer had put a shock collar on him, and was barely keeping him alive. Ms. Grunion wanted to torture him, all because he was a dog.
Chapter 2: Dr. Beagle
    Dr. Sherman Beagle, as his associates now called him, was moping again. Here he was at college, and his dad didn’t even know where he was. He had become friends with Penny Peterson during the two years of separation from his father, but it still didn’t help him get over the fact that it was partially her fault for him now being labelled a genius orphan. She had teased him about being related to a dog, and now he wished all the more that he really was. Then they couldn’t have taken him away. When they had taken him away, they had placed him in the Hard Rock Orphanage. It had taken all his wits and more just to survive long enough for a college to find out how smart he was, where he was, and took him out of the orphanage. He wasn’t adopted again, by any means, but he had been tested and found to be a genius, much like his father had suggested.

    He had astounded the world with his own brand of genius and had gotten his degrees in Chemistry, Genetics, Medical (Human and animal), and History (Of course) all within the span of a year and a half. He was still a minor though, so they let him stay at the college in a dorm with a young geneticist by the name of Erik Wolf.

    Erik Wolf was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. He was secretive, rude to the professors, and for the most part a “Lone Wolf”, if you’ll pardon the pun. The only ones he was open to or even cared about in the slightest on the whole school campus were the animals, and Sherman. He had noticed the boy to be different from the others, especially when it came to animals. He was always trying to help them. Erik was confused at first by his roommate’s young age, but after listening to his story, he understood what had happened. Mr. Peabody had, in fact, raised a little genius. He wasn’t as fast as him, nor as smart, but he was still a considerate and caring, little genius.

    If there was one thing Erik hated though, it was having a genius who didn’t want to be there. Sherman was one such genius, in fact he was the only one who didn’t want to be there at Harvard University. Erik didn’t blame him though. Erik wanted to help him.
Chapter 3: Science Gone Wrong
    It was that day of the year again. The one day of the year where Sherman had accidently looked at a calendar and started moping the worst again. Today was the anniversary of the day he had been taken from his father. He had grown accustomed to no longer crying, but still wishing to hear his father call out to him, to reassure him that he’d keep him safe, to hear his father’s lectures and jokes that he could never understand as they traveled through time.

    “Come on, Fireball, time to get up. We still got work to do.” Erik tended to call him “Fireball” because of his red hair. Erik was the only one who could get Sherman to be calm and get to work on this day it seemed. “I got an alert from my lab. That Johnson kid’s been messing with my stuff again. I need your help.”

    Sherman got up slowly. He had lost the excitement and innocence in his eyes. He craved for something that would help him to get home, some loophole in the legal system, but as long as he was a human, their argument held that a dog couldn’t raise a human boy. Peabody had fought in a legal court and won the right to adopt the boy, but the child protective agency had not held back their disgust as they showed all their evidence when Sherman had bitten Penny. In the end, they won enough to take Sherman away, but not to kill Peabody. “You know I hate being called ‘Fireball’. If you keep that up, I’ll start calling you ‘Shaggy’ again.” The name only fit because Erik’s hair was a shaggy mess that made him look like he would fit in with the wolves he was named for. Erik just smirked.

    As the two entered, Sherman noticed Jered Johnson was fiddling with a laser machine. Erik walked right up to him as he realized what he was messing with. “NO!”

    Jered’s eyes went wide as he realized he was caught. He tried to move out of the way, but was knocked down just as the laser accidently fired a shot at Sherman. Sherman’s eyes widened with fear as the bright blue blast hit him.

    He found himself standing next to a frozen version of himself. “What the heck? This thing makes statues?”

    Erik was kneeling by the statue’s side in an instant while Jered ran off, fearing he had just murdered someone while trying to sabotage his rival. “Sherman, can you hear me?”

    “I can hear you. Why are you looking at the statue instead of me?” He tried putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder. He was scared when he found that his hand went through him. “Oh… that’s why… I’m dead…” Sherman’s eyes widened as the thought came to him.

    Erik put a hand to the little boy’s heart as though trying to feel a heartbeat. “Thank goodness, I can save him!” He ran back to the machine and started to fix it. Sherman watched closely, trying to take it all in. He was relieved that he could be saved, but he wondered what the machine had built for originally. He was amused that it was a DNA scanner of sorts.

    While his friend was busy making the machine work again, another scientist came in and was shocked by Sherman’s condition. Dr. Truman had been friends with Mr. Peabody during Harvard and had done his best to help Sherman look through the legal papers for a way for him to go home. Upon seeing his condition, he asked for an explanation and got one. Sherman was frozen from a misfire from a Genetisizer.

    Apparently, the ray was supposed to allow people to change their looks to look like someone else or something else as long as they had the right DNA. The only problem was that it didn’t make them exactly like the DNA’s original person unless they were it. It made them look more like a relative, but did no damage to the brain. Since there had been no DNA in the ray, it had only frozen Sherman. This gave Sherman an idea.

    As they finished fixing the machine, he went to the DNA room that Erik had stocked with everyone’s original DNA. When asked about the room, he would always respond, “Don’t leave your stupid hair brushes outside, and throw away your trash, and I wouldn’t have to deal with your DNA at all. Honestly, it’s as though I can use this stuff to tell who’s been where and with who!” The only DNA strands that he had to ask for was from Sherman, and he had supplied the geneticist with two, his own, and Mr. Peabody’s, which had been a small strand of fur that had been caught in Sherman’s glasses. He concentrated on making a sound by tapping that one glass of DNA, hoping to get the attention of the two scientists outside the door. He wasn’t really sure it was going to work, but was shocked as he felt the glass and an alarm started sounding. As the two scientists rushed in, Sherman waited to see if they would think about the same thing he was.

    “What was that about, Erik?” John Truman asked as he looked around the room with amazement. Animal and Human DNA stood side by side in the silver shelved room. Some were refrigerated, while others were just on slides.

    Erik walked over to the back wall were he kept the mixed DNA, the ones that were unsure or uncertain. Or in Peabody’s case, special. He grabbed the DNA of Mr. Peabody as it’s alarm alert was blinking. He smirked. “I think Sherman’s trying to tell me something, but you know, what do I know? I’m just a young wolf.” He chuckled as he showed the DNA to the professor.

    As Professor Truman looked at the DNA, he smiled. “Of course, but in this case, are we going to categorize it all as a lab accident, including this?” He asked while implying something. Sherman ran over to his body and waited with anticipation to move again properly. He was starting to get creeped out again by standing next to his own body. “You’re sure it’s safe though?”

    “It’s been tested on myself with Wolf DNA if that’s what you’re asking, so helping Sherman should be no problem. Besides, from what he told me, this whole mess started with that little girl, Penny, calling him a dog. I think it’s ironic to prove her right.” He set up the DNA scanner and adjusted the laser for the last time. “He’s going to be tired though, so get a medic on call and tell the police to arrest Johnson if you haven’t already. We can put the blame on him and send this one home smiling and wagging his tail.” Erik chuckled, showing one of the small side effects of being turned back into a human from wolf. His teeth were sharp, but his smile was still joyful. He activated the laser and another flash blinded Sherman as he started to gain feeling and then passed out.
Chapter 4: I’m a Dog
    When Sherman awoke, he found himself in the back of a van with a box of snack foods and a water bottle nearby. Professor Truman was driving while Erik just smirked at Sherman with a map in his hands. “Hey, he’s up! How ya feeling, Fireball? You were out for a week!”

    “You need a haircut, Shaggy.” Sherman grumbled. This earned him a chuckle from Truman and a smirk from Erik. “What happened after that second blast?”

    “Oh, you remember that? Well the report says one blast, and that it turned ya into a dog, oh, and that it’s irreversible, but I’m working on a portable version which can be like a DNA reset button. Ya know, in case you hate the fleas?” Sherman looked at him confused, mainly because his glasses were not on his face. “Here, your glasses dropped when you were hit. We already went to court and got permission to send you home, so we’re off.”

    His mind had only processed half of the information that he had been given, none of it being the part about the dog. “Back to Hard Rock Orphanage? I’d rather live in the science lab, thanks.” Sherman groaned as he put his glasses on. As he moved his hand away, he stopped. It wasn’t his hand that was in front of his face. It was a paw! And where his nose should’ve been, well there was a nose, but there was also a dog snout as well! A white muzzle with a black nose was on his face! He thought back to what Erik had just said and was stunned. He looked himself over as best as he could and found he was, without a shadow of a doubt, a dog.

    “Well if you want to go there, but I thought New York was to your liking?” He chuckled as Sherman’s new puppy like face helped his naturally puppy like eyes to stare at him with surprise. “We’re going to drop you off at the police station, and then we gotta head back. You’ve got some papers in your bag there that can get you to Peabody’s apartment without us, and the remote I was working on. You can finish it with your dad’s help if you want.”

    “So you’re just going to leave me there?” Sherman asked skeptically. He had grown tougher since the orphanage, but he didn’t think that these two would be so careless. Unless, that is, they really trusted him as though he was an adult.

    “Kid, I let you get turned into a dog. I think I’m supposed to face a trial next month for that and the genius next to me invented the darn ray that did it.” Truman laughed as though it was a joke. Erik laughed as well. “We got lucky when we convinced the supreme judge to let you come home. No more risks. You act like a human, because your mind is, but your body is now a dog. The only risk is the senses. Dogs have super sensitive noses and ears. You’ll get used to it eventually, but you need a dog to help you with that, so ergo, you get to go home and live with Peabody and deal with all that.”

    “So yes, we are just leaving you in New York. It’s no problem though. You know where to go and we are leaving you with the police, so it’ll help.” Erik smiled as Sherman’s tail started to wag uncontrolledly, he was going to see his dad again.

    Shortly after being dropped off at the station, Sherman realized that he was shorter than he had been. The officers were nice to him, once Erik had explained the situation and then left. Sherman sat down and waited for one of the officers to either call Mr. Peabody, or take him there themselves. He didn’t have long to wait though as an emergency call reached his now over sensitive ears.

    It was a call about a break in and that someone was getting attacked. There were screams from atop the Peabody Building. The secretary was calling it in and Sherman’s eyes widened as she described Ms. Grunion going in just minutes before. A set of officers ran to their car with Sherman in hot pursuit. He climbed into the back of the car with his gray backpack and they were off.

    When they reached the top of the building and into the penthouse, Sherman was frozen with shock, as were the police. Lying on the floor was the quivering figure of a dog that needed medical attention. He had Taser burns all over himself as well as a few bruises and a cut or two. Without his glasses or his bowtie, he looked like a normal dog with a shock collar. Sherman ran up to him and tried to evaluate how badly he had been hurt. “Mr. Peabody? Can you hear me?” He asked in his most grown up voice, trying to hide his fear. He no longer sounded like a scared little boy, but instead like the doctor that he had been trained as.

    “What now, another mutt?” Ms. Grunion snarled as she started walking towards the two dogs. She had a crazed look in her eyes. The police noticed her and moved to arrest her, but she laughed as she continued to push a button, which was zapping the life out of poor Mr. Peabody. Sherman did something unusual and growled, but managed to shake it off and think. He ran towards the lady and took the remote from her fat hand. As she tried to grab it back from him, he took advantage of his new size and ran under her and around back to Mr. Peabody.

    He pushed a smaller button, which released his father from the shock collar and then placed the collar on the startled woman as the officers cuffed her. He handed the remote to one of the officers. “Make sure she doesn’t come back, please. I need to take care of Mr. Peabody.”

    “Do you want us to call a vet?” The older of the officers asked. He obviously hadn’t read the papers on this boy yet.

    “No need, unless I find I need help. I got my license last month.” Sherman was already pulling out emergency medical equipment from the walls and his own medical kit from his backpack. Mr. Peabody was always prepared for the worst, or at least, he tried to be. Sherman had the medical bed out in the time it took the officers to bring the screeching Ms. Grunion to the elevator.

    “Just who do you think I am, you stupid mutt! I am Ms. Ursula Grunion, from the Child…”

    “I know who you are, and as you’ve just proven, the only protection we need is from you.” Sherman growled.

    “Who are you, you little beast, thinking you can talk to me like that!”

    As the elevator door closed, Sherman managed to respond, “You should know, I’m Doctor Sherman Beagle Peabody, and I’m the Dog’s boy. I’m a dog too.”
Chapter 5: The Puppy
    Mr. Peabody awoke two days later with bandages still on his body. He could only see blurs without his glasses and wondered where he was. He took a sniff to see if he could tell where he was. He was in his room, apparently, in his own bed, but there was another sent that sent a shiver down his spine. It wasn’t an unpleasant shiver, but one of anticipation. It wasn’t the fact that he was alive that amazed him, but the scent of another occupant in the apartment. He slowly got up from his bed and reached for his glasses, which he would have placed on his nightstand. He was happily surprised to find a set of glasses and a red bow tie there. When he adjusted his glasses and bow tie, he noticed a small letter on the nightstand.

    “Dear Mr. Peabody, I’m sorry to inform you that Dr. Beagle has been in a lab accident due to one of his fellow scientists. There seems to have been no damage to him mentally, but he no longer looks the same physically. We were assured that he felt no pain as the transformation process had been ensued and that he still wished to return to you. As he is no longer human, but still a legal U.S. citizen, we have deemed him fit to return to your home if you are still willing to take care of Doctor Sherman Beagle. I am assured that you will and if you are not, you may call us at the courthouse. ~The Supreme Justice…”

    Peabody’s eyes went wide with worry. His little boy had been in a lab and had been hurt in some sort of accident, and they only sent him the results of it! They hadn’t even told him how he had been hurt or anything! He hobbled from the room as fast as he could, following the fresh scent of his boy. He came to a sudden stop as he entered the kitchen. There was a little white puppy dog with a set of big black round glasses standing on a stool and cooking something in a pot. It didn’t smell that bad, and the puppy seemed to have his whole concentration on the contents of the pot. Mr. Peabody edged slightly closer, somewhat scared of what he was looking at. It looked exactly like he had as a puppy, but without his red bowtie, and was that a fluff of red on the top of his fur?

    The little puppy took a sniff at the contents. He gave a small smile at his success. “Go sit down, I’ll get the bowls. You still need time to recover.” His voice was still mature sounding, but Peabody could tell it was a false voice that was usually used around adults only. Within five minutes, the young puppy had scooped up two bowls and was pouring a small genetic compound into the one for the other dog. He made sure to do this in front of the old dog so that he could gain his trust.

    “What’s that?” Peabody asked warily. This puppy smelled similar to Sherman, but that couldn’t be right. Sherman was a human boy, not a beagle puppy. He was too worried to remember the contents of the letter exactly.

    “It’s chicken noodle soup with a bit of medicine that I was instructed to give you by Dr. Erik Wolf and Professor Truman. It’s supposedly flavorless and will supposedly extend your natural life to that of a human. Before you ask, I’m not sure how that work’s either. I just know I can trust them.” The puppy placed the bowl in front of the dog along with a spoon and some orange juice. “I’m going to have to get some more groceries soon. You’re starting to run out.” He said calmly as he went and got his own bowl and spoon.

    The little puppy sat down on the stool and ate a little bit of the soup, carefully watching Mr. Peabody, while Mr. Peabody himself kept looking at the puppy with some concern. Nevertheless, the dog ate the soup, grateful that he was still alive to eat at all.

    When the two were done, the little puppy put the dishes in the sink and sat back down on the stool so he was able to look the larger snow beagle in the eyes. Mr. Peabody stood in front of the little puppy while trying to figure out who the puppy was, why he smelled like Sherman, and looked like himself as a puppy.
Chapter 6: The Conditions
    “I have to go and make a call to someone.” His voice was no longer the mature façade he had been using, but instead it was smaller and seemed to be holding back something. He slowly got down from the stool and made his way to the den. He activated a small laser-pointer like object and a small screen came up. He recited a phone number and waited for the other line to pick up. Sherman had been tinkering with the idea of video phones for a few months and had come up with a way to make it work with normal phones.

    “Hello?” On the screen was the chief justice. “Ah, it’s you. I’ve been told to expect your call. I take it he’s awake now?” He was an African American man with a set of glasses on his face.

    “Yes. I suppose I have to explain my looks to you?” The little puppy frowned. He had been conversing with adults for two years as though he was one, and they only respected him after he had proven himself. He was starting to understand how annoying it must be for his father, because he always had to prove he was smarter than the average dog.

    “No, Doctor Wolf explained it all and frankly, I’m starting to think of it as poetic irony.” He chuckled. Then his face returned to serious as he sensed the puppy was not in the mood. “Now, as for the judgment against you and Mr. Peabody.”

    Mr. Peabody was silently watching from the back, making sure that the little puppy dog couldn’t hear him. ‘What is this all about?’

    “I have looked over your case again and I restate what I said in the first place. ‘If a boy can adopt a dog, I see no reason for a dog not to adopt a boy.’ I will allow you to stay with Mr. Peabody again so long as you follow certain conditions and Mr. Peabody still wants you, Sherman.” Mr. Peabody’s eyes widened. This little puppy in front of him was his son! It was his Sherman! Sherman had been turned into a dog!

    “If he wants me still than I’ll agree to whatever conditions you have so that I can stay with him. He’s my dad, and as you all noticed, no one wanted me but him. If he still feels that way, then I’ll do anything to stay with him.” Mr. Peabody put a paw to his heart. His boy doubted that he would still want him!

    The judge smirked as he saw the two dogs, knowing that Sherman wasn’t aware of the other’s presence yet. “Well the conditions are simple enough. You are to try and change yourself back into a human, at least for when you’re in public. You are to return to school, and yes I know about your G.E.D. and your college degrees, but think of them as waiting for you to finish School properly. We want you to be more social and two friends isn’t the way to do it. So I expect you back in school within the next month.” Mentally Sherman and Peabody were sighing in relief. There was nothing too difficult about this so far. “And the final condition is this…” Sherman and Peabody both looked a little nervous about this one, but the judge just smiled warmly. “No more biting people. That’s what got you into this mess in the first place.”

    Sherman blinked in surprise. He had been expecting harder conditions. “What about the WABAC?” He asked cautiously. Everyone knew they could time travel now.

    The judge just laughed. “Sherman, so long as you follow Mr. Peabody’s orders and not mess with the time stream, I see no reason for you to have any other limits than what he chooses. After all, you both are smart dogs, you can limit yourself. Just remember to let us humans try and catch up with you both.” With that, the judge waved good-bye and hung up the video phone, leaving both dogs in surprise.

    After staring at the small puppy from behind for a while, Mr. Peabody finally got the courage to speak. “… Sherman…” The little puppy turned around in shock. How long had he been there?

    The little puppy started to sniffle as he looked at his adoptive father. He felt like he had failed him when he had bitten Penny and had gotten this whole mess started. Mr. Peabody on the other paw, felt like it was his fault for not being able to protect the boy from Ms. Grunion.

    Mr. Peabody put a paw on the little puppy’s shoulder and then brought him in for a hug. Sherman broke down at such a small gesture and started crying, crying openly for the first time since he had been sent to that horrid orphanage. Mr. Peabody also found himself crying as he held his boy as tightly as he could. Sherman’s dad cared for him still. Even after all that they had gone through, Mr. Peabody still loved his little boy.
Chapter 7: End of a Tail
    It took two weeks for the Peabody household to return to as close to normal as they could. Five of those days, Mr. Peabody was still recovering while Sherman was working on Erik’s remote to turn himself back to normal. On the sixth day, Sherman had succeeded in transforming back to normal, all save for a side effects of having a tail and a heightened sense of smelling and hearing. He was later enrolled back into school and was now back among the humans while hiding his tail. His best friend, Penny, and a few others were the only ones who were to know of it. To Penny it would always be a reminder of how she had ruined a little boy’s life and how he had had to fix it all himself. She would probably never forgive herself for that, but she would try anyway. To Mr. Peabody though, it would be a reminder that Sherman was still his boy, no matter what anyone else said.
Chapter 8: Extra chapters; This is only the beginning
    Mr. Peabody had been trying to keep his calm as he sat outside the principal’s office. Once more, he had been called in to speak about Sherman. If he had to go through the process of losing Sherman again, then he didn’t know what he would do.

    Slowly the door opened and he could see his red headed boy already sitting down with a confused look on his face. He apparently didn’t know what he was doing there either.

    “Ah, Mr. Peabody, thank you for joining us.” The principal was not the same one that he had encountered a few years ago. This one was a little more filled in. He looked kindly on the two as they sat in their seats.

    Sherman had figured out how to transform himself back into a human, with the help of his father and Doctor Wolf, but he still had an over sensitive nose and ears, and he also had a tail. Sherman usually had his tail hidden in his pants or his shirt, but at the moment, he was rubbing it as though someone had stepped on it. He glanced at his dad and then looked away, as though ashamed of something.

    “Might I ask what this is about? You weren’t very clear when you called me in, and… well… is Sherman in trouble?” He glanced at his little boy with worry. The last time that he had been in trouble, he had been taken away from Mr. Peabody.

    The principle, Mr. James, had thankfully already read the reports and papers on these two and understood Mr. Peabody’s concern right away. “No, no, nothing like that at all. I’ve called you in here to discuss some things about Sherman, such as his tail, for instance.” At this Sherman shied into his seat all the more eager to hide in it. “Now, I know you both gave me warning on this, so I’m not all that surprised about seeing it, but while in P.E. class, Sherman was hit by a dodgeball in the stomach and his tail stuck out.”

    Both boy and dog winced at that. “I hope he didn’t misbehave when the other students reacted to that…”

    “Oh, no, no, he behaved much better than expected, you see, I gave warning to some of the teachers about his tail and they promised to keep quiet about it. One of which was the P.E. teacher, Mr. Length. Now, the reason I called you was this. One of the boys noticed the tail before he could hide it again and laughed out loud, calling attention to it. When Sherman tried to deny it, he found himself being held up by his tail until Ms. Peterson… convinced the boy…. To put him down again.” Sherman blushed in embarrassment as he remembered having to be rescued by the young girl who had once picked on him.

    Mr. Peabody looked at Sherman with a bit of concern. “So… Sherman didn’t react at all this time?” Last time Sherman had been hurt and bullied, he had bitten Penny, who had had him in a chokehold.

    “Well, no, he reacted, just not violently. He… well… he howled in pain, for lack of a better phrase. The student has detention for picking on Sherman, so the situation is resolved. I just thought you should know what Sherman’s reaction was better this time, and I felt that as his parent you should be told of what had happened.”

    Mr. Peabody nodded his appreciation. He liked to know when someone was hurting his boy. “Thank you for telling me this. Was there anything else?” He glanced worriedly at his son. Apparently, Sherman hadn’t expected to be brought to the office when he had been picked on, as long as he didn’t hurt anyone, and he certainly didn’t want his dad to worry about him.

    “Sherman, could you please step outside for a moment? This won’t take long. I just need to talk to Mr. Peabody for a few minutes.” Sherman glanced nervously towards his father. Mr. Peabody nodded. Sherman walked outside and sat on the bench outside the office. Mr. James looked at the dog with a slight frown. Mr. Peabody had a crushing feeling in his heart. Something else was wrong. “Mr. Peabody, I know that this might not be the right judgment, since I’ve only known you two since you signed Sherman up for school, but I based on his reactions to some of the students… I think the orphanage might have done more damage to him than he lets on.”

    Mr. Peabody sighed and nodded. He had noticed as well. His boy no longer seemed to have that courageous spark that had kept him curious and safe throughout their life together. He seemed nervous around other humans. Mr. Peabody had not even brought him to another time period since that day he had lost his boy. “I know… what I don’t know is what to do for once… the irony of it is crushing really. Sherman always looked to me for an answer and now… now I don’t have one when he needs help the most.” Mr. Peabody sighed as he tried to figure out what to do for the poor boy.

    “Might I recommend seeing a counselor? Or at least a better social environment for a short time? From what his teachers have told me about him in his classes, he seems to be worried about something. He actually asked to step out of the room when they went over Ancient Troy last week, and this week he kept gripping something in his pocket. His teacher asked him about it, thinking it was a phone, but was surprised to find it was a dog whistle, especially since he’s now subject to the same pain that you are when you hear such a whistle.” He then noticed Peabody was grimacing at that. “Do you have any ideas on why he had it?”

    Mr. Peabody nodded slowly. “I gave him the dog whistle on his first day of school, back when he was just starting. It was so that he would know that I’d always be there for him. I’d do anything for that boy, you have to understand.” Mr. James nodded slowly at this. “As for Troy… well… let’s just say that we had crashed there by accident and I had never wanted him to go into that war at all. We both got a good scare from that.”

    “When did you go to Troy?”

    “I believe everyone now knows of my time machine that I had made for Sherman?” Mr. James nodded. He had received a full report on that from the courts when he was asked to take the boy into his school, despite his G.E.D. and degrees. “Well it was the day that the Petersons had come over for a dinner party so that we could sort out the whole ‘Biting’ incident. Penny had convinced Sherman to take her into the past and there was a whole issue with us having to save her from marrying King Tut, her convincing Sherman to fly Leonardo Da Vinci’s flying machine, and then … well we crashed in Troy just before the war. Sherman and I had had… a disagreement because of how Penny had been… well in my opinion… corrupting him… I guess she was really just showing him how people his age act though… anyway he went and recruited himself in the Greek army. After that things got more out of hand than they had already been.”

    “This sounds pretty intense already. Maybe you should both see a shrink for this? It might help him if he knows you’re just as worried and you’re both seeing help.” The dog grimaced at that. “Not that kind of help, but stress can be hazardous for scientists such as you both… for the sake of Sherman at least you should…”

    “I agree…”

    “I beg pardon?” Mr. James blinked. It wasn’t often that someone got Mr. Peabody to change his opinion.

    “I’ll schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist for both me and Sherman... If Sherman approves of it that is… I think you’re right… it might help… but I don’t want the other students being told about it, unless Sherman thinks it’s alright. As much as I hate to admit it, he’s not a little boy anymore, contrary to what his age is and your legal government says. From what he’s told me, he grew up the day he was placed in that orphanage. He’s capable of making his own decisions… most of which, I’m quite proud of…” Mr. Peabody got down from his chair. “Thank you for telling me this. Is there anything else?”

    “No, Mr. Peabody. I believe that is all. I’ll walk you out.” Mr. Peabody nodded and walked outside with Mr. James right behind him.

    Mr. Peabody was shocked at what he found when he stepped outside. Mr. James was likewise stunned. A large boy was holding Sherman upside down by his tail. The two boys could not see the two adults. Sherman’s glasses had fallen and the boy was facing the other way. Mr. James was about to react when Mr. Peabody stopped him and made sure he was quiet. He knew that glare on Sherman’s face, and it wasn’t just because he had lost his glasses. Sherman had a plan.

    “So what’s this stupid thing even for, Sher-dog?” The boy was a large one by the name of Jack Henson. He was the captain of the football team and the leader of the bullies. To them, Sherman was still fresh meat to be broken in. To Sherman, this was just another bully from the orphanage or college that hadn’t yet learned to back off.

    “Lots of things,” Sherman growled. He closed his eyes and calculated an escape plan. Then he opened his eyes with a slight grin that seemed almost canine. “For instance, say someone has hold of my tail, like you do. I can just push off the floor and tip you off balance, like so!” He pushed himself off the ground with his hands. This tipped the bully off balance. Jack stumbled back, and his grip on Sherman’s tail loosened. “And then I’m free.” Sherman took advantage of this to run and grab his glasses. Now he was facing the boy head on. He was then suddenly petrified as he noticed his dad and the principal behind Jack. How much had they seen?

    Mr. Peabody had a concerned look on his face, but Sherman noticed that he was holding back. He was letting Sherman know that he trusted him to find his own solutions and to be his own person now. Sherman sighed in a little relief. His dad trusted him.

    “What’s the matter, Sher-dog? You part Chicken hound now?” The boy started to make chicken sounds and flap his arms.

    Sherman crossed his arms and let out a low growl. “Actually, I’m part Beagle, if you must know, and a smart one at that.” Peabody knew he was referring to his DNA, but at the same time, Mr. Peabody had a feeling that the comment also applied to Sherman’s intelligence as well. Sherman adjusted his glasses and looked at his options. “I recommend we part ways and forget this ever happened, Jack.” Sherman started to walk past him to reach his dad and the principal. He just wanted to go home at this point… maybe help Leo with fixing his model plane again. They hadn’t gone back in time since that night…

    “And just what makes you think you’re getting out of here without being taught a lesson?” Jack asked.

    Sherman stopped right next to Jack, both looking in different directions. He grimaced, no longer growling to get his point across. “I don’t need to learn anything from you, Jack. I’ve been places you could never dream of. You don’t want to fight me, do you know why?”

    “Why?”

    “You’d be the one who was schooled.” Sherman started walking again towards his father and principal. Mr. Peabody may have been the one who had told Mr. James to stay out of it, but he had nearly burst trying to withhold his own natural instincts to rush in and protect his boy. He was shaking terribly with anger, fear, and concern for his son, but not enough for anyone but Sherman to notice. Sherman always noticed now.

    Jack turned and was about to rush Sherman into a wall, when he noticed the two adults. His eyes widened as he saw the cold fire in Mr. Peabody’s eyes and he ran the other way. He was in enough trouble as it was, and didn’t know how long they had been standing there.

    Mr. Peabody didn’t sigh in relief until Mr. James ran off after the boy and Sherman was by his side, holding his paw. “You had me worried there, Sherman. I’m proud of how you handled that situation though.” Sherman felt his father trembling from fear.

    He put a hand on his father’s shoulder, trying to calm him down. “Thank you for letting me handle that. That couldn’t have been easy for you to watch. Let’s go home, Mr. Peabody. I just want to relax…” Sherman smiled softly to his father as his father smirked back to him.

    As the two started on their way home in the moped, Sherman was trying to figure out how to calm his father down. Mr. Peabody was still tense since getting Sherman back, though he tried not to show it. Sherman knew his father though. He couldn’t hide from Sherman with his fur shaking as much as it was.

    When they entered the apartment, Sherman put his bag in his room while his dad went to his office to try and get some work done. He often found that working through his stress could help. Mr. Peabody was about to start on a long paper for a science committee in D.C. when he found himself being picked up from behind like he was a puppy. He struggled against the small arms and gave his son a small glare.

    “Sherman, put me down! I’m not a toy.” Mr. Peabody groaned. He had been feeling weak already, but was at this point, tired. “What are you doing?”

    “We both need a breath of fresh air, and I know the best places for that.”

    “Oh, really, Sherman, and where would that be?” The dog muttered as he let his boy carry him.

    “Not where, Mr. Peabody, when. We’re going to visit an old friend of ours.” Sherman smiled as he carried his father over to a door. He opened the door slowly and put his father down so he could stand up next to him. “I think we have time to visit the renaissance.”

    Mr. Peabody scowled at his son, but thought that it would be a good change of pace. “Alright, Sherman, we’ll go and visit Leonardo Da Vinci. Just for a little while though.”

    Sherman smiled and rubbed his dad’s head, knowing it would annoy him as well as feel good. “Sounds great, dad, but don’t worry. We’ve got all the time in the world.” He chuckled as his father waved his hand away. Mr. Peabody allowed Sherman to call him dad every once in a while now, so long as that in formal things, he was called Mr. Peabody.

    Mr. Peabody smiled weakly as he punched in the coordinates for the time period into the WABAC, hoping it would still be capable of travel after all this time. He pushed the red button. Sherman sat next to him in his seat and watched in delight as the lights dimmed and the large red sphere took off. Just seeing the inside of the temporal vortex was enough to make him feel like everything was going to be alright, like the last two years had just been a nightmare.

    When the orb stopped, Mr. Peabody and Sherman found themselves at the bottom of a hill next to a workshop. They put on their renaissance clothes and walked outside. Leo was busy trying to repair his flying machine in the yard. He worked on it with a lot of energy and excitement. He had finally gotten his “Son” to be less creepy and actually help out. The little wooden contraption was still creepy, but at the moment, it was just handing its creator a hammer for the machine.

    Sherman adjusted his tail so that it was hidden in his clothes again, which was easier to do in this time, since everyone wore robes and dresses. Mr. Peabody took a whiff of the old air and was surprised at how much he had missed the feel of time travel. He looked at his boy and instantly knew he felt the same way. “Come, Sherman, we might as well see if he needs help. For all we know, he’s still repairing your mess from last time, heh.”

    Sherman grimaced as he followed his father. Then he thought of something that was amusing. “Well if at first we don’t succeed, fly, fly, again, right Mr. Peabody?” Sherman chuckled.

    Mr. Peabody looked at the young boy, stunned, and then chuckled as well. “Yes, I suppose so, Sherman. That was a pretty good pun, by the way.” Sherman smiled proudly at that as they neared the inventor. “Ah my friend, Leonardo Da Vinci, how are you?”

    “Ah Mr. Peabody, I’ve been wondering where you were, or at least when you were…” He muttered to himself the last bit until he saw the boy with the dog. “And who is this young man? It can’t be little Sherman, he looks too serious!” He attempted to make a serious face to mock the boy, but his face only made him look more humorous.

    Sherman tried to stifle a laugh. He had needed this.

    Satisfied with making the boy chuckled, the inventor started to talk to his friend about his latest idea for his flying machine. Sherman noticed that some of Mr. Peabody’s stress was disappearing. He had needed this just as much as Sherman had. The boy smiled. Their stress and worry may not disappear for a while, but it was still a start, and besides, this was only the beginning.