As Told By Icon

This is a Jason and Chase fic.  This is in honor of Icon, genuis guide dog, 
and the person he guides.  Also, a huge thank you to Natasha for beta'ing this for me.

Title: As Told by Icon

Characters: Jason/Chase, introducing Icon

Series: Navigating the World and Relationships

Implement: hand

 
Today was the day.  I was born for this; I had trained all my life for 
this, and now was the chance to fulfill my destiny.  I had heard the 
trainers talking; my man was scheduled to come today.  This wasn't a 
guaranteed match, but the trainers knew.  They almost never got it wrong.  
I perked my ears toward the door as I heard it open.

"Come meet Icon.  He's a pretty fast paced guy.  He'll be able to keep up with you."

I heard my name and what the trainer was saying.  I stood up still with my 
ears perked so I could hear them better.

"This was a tough decision.  I lost Ginger over five years ago.  I didn't 
think I would want another guide; the heart ache was too much.  However, 
time has a way of healing those wounds or at least dulling the pain. I'm 
ready now."

I stilled my body from trembling.  I was so excited that this could be the 
one. I wondered if I'd heard right because there was an emphasis on 
the word "I'm".  I stopped wondering as the man came into sight. 

He was big, tall, and broad shouldered.  He had a bit of extra flesh around 
the middle, but I knew I would work that off.  He seemed to be around five 
in dog years.  I stood straight, my ears still perked and my tail up in happy greetings.

"Jason, this is Icon. After reviewing your application and our interview, 
I think Icon is a good match for you."

After the trainer opened the door to my pen, I walked out and sniffed at 
his pants.  He smelled nice, a little nervous but so was I. He had the smell 
of another man on him, and I knew he had a mate.  After our first 
week together, I would get to meet this man's mate. I wanted to make the 
best impression I could.

After I sniffed around Jason, I nuzzled his hand so that he could pet me. 
Jason took my hint and stroked over my head and down my back.  He had a 
firm hand with some calluses on it, probably from holding a cane so much.  
This meant to me that he traveled a lot, so I could get my exercise while 
I helped him navigate.  I felt instinctively that this was my match.  I 
thought Jason agreed as he crouched down to my eye level and scratched behind my ears.

"Hi, Icon, I'm Jason. How'd you like to come and be part of my family?"

I gave a little whine deep in my throat, letting Jason know that I agreed with him.

"I agree. I think Icon and I are going to be a team," Jason said.

The handler hooked up my work harness, and we walked to the door.  I 
stared straight ahead; I didn't look at the other dogs. I knew they too 
would be getting new people. That was the start of a new session.  My toe 
nails clipped on the tile floor as we walked along the wide corridor to 
the door that led us out.  I kept good pace with the handler, just a little 
in front, but I paid close attention to his signals that radiated down from the harness.

Once we got in the small neat apartment, I sat down.  I wanted to show how 
well I'd been trained.  After the trainer removed my harness, Jason and 
he wandered around the apartment.  I had been here before; I'd seen the 
small kitchen, the living room that was barely bigger than my kennel, and 
the sparsely furnished bedroom. I gave my man time to wander around with 
his cane, locating where everything was placed.  I watched him as he 
moved around.  He had good cane skills, which I knew was a requirement. 
He walked with such confidence; he had a good stance, and he didn't slouch.
  The first week we got to know each other, we walked around the 
apartment, the hallways, and went to a few classes. 


 I could tell that Jason had a guide before, the sureness of his hands, and 
the boldness of his step. I felt the confidence he had in me.  I'd been 
trained with hesitant people as well as experienced people; I could feel 
the difference.  I was young, healthy, and a good size; I needed someone 
like Jason, who didn't walk slowly and didn't confuse me with hesitancy.

The weekend came and I was excited to meet Jason's mate.  Jason talked to 
me about him.  Told me his name was Chase.  Jason said that Chase was a 
little unsure and to give him time to get use to me.  I knew I could do that. 
I wanted Jason's mate to like me. I'd heard stories where a mate didn't 
get along with a guide.  The guide came back to the training facility 
to hopefully match with a new person.  Those guides always seemed so 
sad, worried that they had done something wrong.  I didn't want to go 
through that, so I listened to Jason and let Chase come to me.


But that didn't happen that first weekend.  When Chase came, he was stiff 
and wouldn't let me come near him.  He ignored me, but I understood.  He 
had been without his mate for a whole week.

 I got a good look at him.  He was tall and thin.  He was younger than 
Jason, only about four years old.  He kept himself wrapped around Jason 
almost the entire weekend.  Chase seemed to intentionally bump into me 
when Jason was holding the harness.  It didn't matter which side of Jason I 
was on because Chase wanted to hold the hand that Jason was using for me. 
Chase reminded me of some of the older puppies, always wanting the attention 
on him.

"No, Chase, I'm not leaving Icon. We need to use these weekends to learn how 
to get along. Icon is going to be part of our family now.  We've talked about this," Jason said.

"Damn it!"

The floor shook when Chase stamped his foot.  I didn't startle. I felt 
Chase's tension and knew that he would act out.  Again, I was reminded of 
those puppies snapping and lunging.

"I wanted some time with just you!  I'll be your guide.  You showed me 
years ago how to take you sighted guide.  You don't need a stupid dog," 
Chase shouted at Jason. Then Chase gave a little yelp.

I wasn't stupid, I knew that hand that Jason smacked down on Chase where 
his tail should be wasn't punishment.  That was Jason's way of getting 
Chase's attention.  Also, to maybe get Chase to understand he was 
acting inappropriately.  I heard a different tone in Jason's voice, one 
that made me want to pay very close attention and obey anything he might 
tell me to do.  I hoped Chase obeyed that tone too.

"We've talked about this, Chase. I need a guide dog. I had one before we 
met. I'm more mobile with a guide dog. You cannot take me sighted 
guide everywhere.  I don't want that and neither do you. I told you how 
these weekends would be. This is the time we can get help from the 
trainers; once we're home it's just the three of us. Reed can help with 
the O&M, but this is the time for us to bond.  We talked this through, 
I thought you were on board with this," Jason's voice gentled at the end.

"I thought I was too. But…"

I could hear the uncertainty in Chase's voice.  I could also smell his fear. 
I wondered about that. I was the one that should've been afraid.  If Chase 
and I didn't bond, then I wouldn't be matched with Jason.

"What if you decide you don't need me?  What if you only need the dog?"

I saw where Chase's fear was coming from.  Silly man, didn't he realize 
they were mated?  Even then, I could tell that Jason needed Chase. And 
Chase called me stupid!

"I'll always need you, Chase. And there will be times I'll still need you 
to take me sighted guide.  Icon can be your friend too."

Chase didn't want to be my friend. Not that weekend or the three weekends 
that followed.  Jason and I worked hard, and we discovered we worked 
well together.  We were a true match.  I learned to understand his 
commands.  Jason learned to let me lead and follow my signals.  We crossed 
all kinds of intersections. The only intersection that gave us difficulty 
was the roundabouts. I doubted if Jason had one of those in his home town, 
I could feel his inexperience. That was OK, though; roundabouts were 
tricky intersections and I wasn't completely comfortable with them myself.

Chase came every weekend of those three weeks. Those weekends were full 
of noises that were not there when it was just Jason and I. Chase stamped 
his feet when he was angry. He shed a few tears, and there were noises 
that came from the bedroom that I didn't understand. In the mornings, 
Jason carried a strong scent of Chase, and Chase carried an even stronger 
scent of Jason.  The last weekend, the weekend that I went home with Jason 
and Chase, Chase seemed even more like a puppy.  He was bouncing all 
around, getting into Jason's things and in Jason's way. I lay quietly on 
the rug, , not bothered by Chase's enthusiasm. If I had been separated from
 my mate for a month, I would probably act like a puppy too.

Once everything was packed, we all said our goodbyes. I was a little nervous 
to be going. I'd ridden in taxis as part of my training, but I hadn't ridden 
in a plane. I knew I was to ride beside Jason in the plane, so I wasn't too nervous.


The airport was large, with lots of people milling about. I didn't 
understand why humans didn't organize themselves better.  Even during 
playtime at the kennel, we didn't run into each other the way the people 
did.  We greeted each other; the humans didn't make eye contact with 
each other.  A few people looked at Jason and Chase with a strange sneer 
on their faces; the kind of sneer that in the dog world would signal the 
start of a fight. Jason couldn't see them, but I sensed he knew from the 
way Chase's body would tense up. By the time we boarded the plane, I could 
tell that Chase was tired.  His voice had a whine to it, and his body seemed 
to sag. I would offer him comfort, but I figured it would be rejected. 
I decided to test the water and lay with my back touching his leg; 
nothing overt, just a presence of warmth that Chase could feel. I gave a 
sigh of relief when he didn't move away, and I laid my head down for a nap.

The rumbling of the plane landing woke me and my men up. Chase's voice 
didn't have that whine to it, so I assumed the nap helped him as much as it 
did me.  Jason grasped my harness and I felt happy to lead him out of the 
plane and into the airport.  This airport wasn't as big or as crowded. I 
felt confident I could do this. I had a few misgivings over Chase.  I 
followed Jason's commands, leading him to another taxi; this one took us to 
my new home. I lay on the floor at Jason's feet and waited quietly as he 
opened the door, ,, letting me get my first glance at my new home.

The apartment looked different than the ones at the training facility.  
Each apartment had its own unit. Oh, yeah, these were not apartments, 
but houses.  My new house looked nice with its small front porch.  As we 
went inside, Jason led me through all the rooms.  My new home was much 
bigger than the three room apartment that we had trained in. This house had 
a large living room, with a comfortable looking couch that wrapped 
halfway around the room.  The kitchen was large too and messy. Dishes were 
in the sink, and I could smell the half rotten food that was on some of 
them.  Jason must have smelt it too.

"Chase, you told me you cleaned up," Jason said.

"Well, I cleaned the living room; you didn't trip over anything did you?" Chase grumbled back.

"You will do the dishes right after we unpack," Jason said with that obey me tone.

"I'll help you put the dishes away after you wash them.  While you're 
washing them, I'm going to take Icon on a walk. He's not had enough exercise today."

"And it's all about Icon."

I heard Chase mumble under his breath. I thought Jason heard it too but 
he pretended not to as he said, "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Chase said belligerently.

"If you have something to say, Chase, say it out loud, to my face or don't 
talk at all. Now, do you have something to say to me?"

"No," Chase said, a little quieter.

"OK, let's unpack and you can start on those dishes."

Jason led me up the stairs to their bedroom.  I saw a large bed for my man 
and a comfortable looking bed for me not too far away.  I lay in my bed 
as Jason and Chase put away their belongings.  They looked comfortable 
with each other. They didn't get in each other's way.  Soon, Jason picked 
up the harness and we went for our walk.


I enjoyed the walk and the opportunity to see my new environment.  
The residential area where we lived was only a few miles from a small 
business district.  The business district didn't have a lot of people in 
it, but I knew that was because it was Sunday.  On a weekday, I knew 
the streets would be busy with cars, and the sidewalks crowded with 
people.  Jason was a good man; he understood the need for me to see 
my surroundings before having to navigate around people. The walk was brisk 
and refreshing, I enjoyed the exercise, but I knew that Jason was tired 
and ready to go home.

The blare of the music hurt my ears as we walked into the house. Jason went 
to the kitchen and let my lead go. I sat down near the table out of the way 
as Jason walked over and turned down the radio.

"I don't need to go deaf in my old age," Jason said to Chase.

"God! Can't I have any fun?  You left me to this mess while you and that 
dog went out to play. The least you can do is let me listen to my music," Chase huffed.

"Chase, I left you to this mess because you are the one who made it. Now, 
I'm here to help, but I suggest you get your attitude under control." 

"I don't have an attitude! You do! Ever since you got that god damn dog! 
You think you can push me aside. Well fuck that!"

I jumped as Chase slammed down a drinking glass.  The glass shattered on 
the floor. I watched as Jason reached out and took Chase by the arm.  
Jason turned Chase and landed a powerful slap on Chase's nonexistent tail.

"Clean that up. Now!"

I thought the shattering of the glass startled Chase too. He dropped his 
head as he got a broom and a dust pan. I looked between Chase and Jason. 
Chase swept up the bits of glass and dumped them into a trash can. Jason 
took Chase by the arm and led him into the bathroom.


 "Let me wash out the filth from your mouth, then we can deal with the 
temper tantrum," Jason said in that tone that made me want to obey every command.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Chase cried. I heard tears in his voice. I 
followed them as far as the doorway and watched as Jason took a white bar 
off the shelf.  Jason ran water over it and rubbed it between his big 
hands.  The bar grew bubbles on it.

"I know you're sorry Chase.  You also know how I clean a filthy mouth. 
Bite down now," Jason said as he put the bubbly bar in Chase's mouth.

I listened to Jason tell Chase that he loved him but wouldn't stand for 
that kind of language. I didn't know if the tears were sliding down 
Chase's face were due to the disappointment that was in Jason's voice or if 
the bubbly bar was the source.  By the way Chase kept scooping water in 
his mouth and spitting it out once the bar was removed, I suspected it was both. 

I moved back as Jason again led Chase by the arm.  I followed them into 
another room.  I didn't know whose bedroom it was.  It had a smaller bed, 
a night stand, a dresser, and a desk.  It was furnished much like the 
bedroom back at the training apartment. I sat by the dresser and watched.

"Go and get it."

Chase walked to the night stand by the bed and took out a round piece of 
wood. The wood had some kind of handle on it.  Chase walked back to Jason 
who had sat down on the bed.  I watched as Jason's hand slid down Chase's 
arm until he reached that piece of wood.

"Please, don't use the paddle."

Now I had a name for the wood thing: paddle.

"Chase, you had a temper tantrum that resulted in you throwing a glass.  
You were out of control.  We've been doing this a long time now; you knew 
what would happen. Didn't you?"

"I wasn't thinking at the time!" Chase whined.

"And that's what we're working on-- you learning to think before you act.  
Take your pants down."

I watched as Chase lowered his pants and saw Jason guide him over his 
lap.  Jason pulled Chase's underwear down to his knees.  

I startled when Jason slapped his hand down on Chase's butt. I didn't 
startle again as Jason's hand landed again and again.  My heart went out 
to Chase as I heard his yelps and watched him rock back and forth. Once 
Chase's butt was a very rosy red, I saw Jason pick up the wood, the paddle.

The paddle made a loud crack as it landed on Chase's bare behind.  Chase's 
cry was loud and got even louder as the paddle continued to crack against 
his tender skin. After twenty of those cracks, Jason set down the paddle 
and rubbed circles on Chase's back.  Finally, Chase's sobs died down, and 
Jason turned him the right side up.  I watched as they cuddled together.  
My ears stayed down as I knew the whispers Jason was saying were meant 
for Chase, not for me.

After a long while, Jason took Chase into their bedroom.  Chase lay face 
down on their bed.

"I'm going to get you a drink. Then we can nap for a little bit. The 
dishes will wait a few more hours," Jason said.  

He didn't take my lead as he walked out the door. I heard him walk down 
the stairs and into the kitchen.  I saw Chase lying on the bed with his 
hand hanging down.  I felt bad for him; his tailless bottom surely must 
be throbbing.  I walked quietly to him and tentatively licked his hand.

"Oh, Icon," Chase sobbed, as he leaned closer and hugged me around my neck. 
I sat still, letting him take what comfort he could.

"I'm glad to see you're starting to become friends," Jason said as he came 
into the room with a glass and a bowl of water.

"Icon doesn't like it when you paddle me," I heard Chase say.

"It seems Icon doesn't like it when you're sad," Jason said.

As Chase released me to get a drink and cuddle again in Jason's arms, I 
heaved a big sigh.  Chase had accepted comfort from me. I felt the 
remaining fears wash away. We were all right.  We were a family.

 
The end