A Journey with No Destination

Chapter Nine

WOOOOT!
"TRAIN! NOW!"
Those were the sounds Rocco and Faith woke up to. Rocco felt himself be picked up by the rope around his neck and hurled into a boxcar.
Faith stood up abruptly. "What?! What?!"
"Just waking up, huh?" Andy called. He was running after a train that was moving along the tracks. "C'MON! Use those swift legs of yours and hop in!"
Faith still wasn't used to doing this. She began to pick up speed and chase after the moving boxcar. Being a sighthound, she was very swift and fast, and had soon caught up to Andy. But Andy jumped first and stood on the edge of the boxcar. He turned around and looked down at Faith, the wind whipping his ears and fur.
"C'mon!" he barked at Faith.
Faith continued to run. As she ran, she crouched low, tensing her elegant shoulders, ready to make the jump.
And then she sprang. She leapt very elegantly and high, not only into the boxcar, but into Andy. She ended up barreling into him, resulting in him lying on his back being pinned by her.
Andy gave a warm yet awkward smile from just the corner of his mouth. Faith chuckled a bit awkwardly and got off of him. "Sorry! I guess I wasn't looking where I was going!"
Andy stood up and they both stared at each other smiling for a long while, until the mood was broken by Rocco saying, "well at least we're on the train now."
"Thankfully," Andy said.
The dogs turned towards the direction of the desert outside the open boxcar door. Now that it was beginning to be daylight out, the rolling hills of golden tan sand and deep green scattered shrubs were more visible. And there were no signs of buildings- it was all around them.
"Will we get anything to eat this morning?" Rocco asked.
"What will we eat?" Faith asked.
"Garbage scraps most likely," Andy said, scratching an ear with a hindpaw.
Faith wrinkled her snout.
"Do you even know what you can find in garbage scraps? It's better than that kibble you've been eating at the power plant."
Faith looked unsure.
Andy edged closer to her. "Trust me! They're good! Rocco and I found an old pizza about a couple days ago!"
"Pizza...?" Faith sounded confused.
"You've never had garbage scraps...have you?" Andy said with realization.
Faith shook her head.
"Well, it's good to try new things, ain't it?" Andy asked. He gestured a paw towards the open boxcar door viewing the vast open desert. "Look at all this," he said. "It's ours now."
"Suppose so," Faith said.
"You get used to it," said Andy. "I can see you're a little unsure at first."
As the train moved along the tracks, more and more shrubs began to surround them.
"When can we find something to eat?" Rocco asked.
"Either if we see a building or if the train stops," Andy said.
The train continued calmly along the tracks. The dogs watched the scenery in silence. They enjoyed the sight of the desert with shrubs all around them, the smell of morning air and he wind, and the rhythmic roar of the tracks.
"Keep your eyes peeled for any signs of buildings," Andy said finally.
"Eyes peeled? Ewww," Rocco said.
"Not literally, I mean keep good watch," Andy said.
They sat in silence once more watching the desert scenery, but they saw nothing but sand and shrubs. They sat for a long time in silence. They rather liked this. Occasionally, trails would be visible going through the shrubs like rivers of sand.
Approaching from the side of the open boxcar was a small area surrounded by a metal fence. Inside it appeared to be metal barrels and wooden boxes.
"Is that a place that could have food?" Rocco asked.
"Likely not. It's best if we don't jump off here. I don't think they would have food," Andy said. "We're aiming for somewhere bigger for now. But if the train tracks do lead us back here, I'll tell ya what, we can jump off and explore."
The train passed the metal fenced in area and went over a rusty metal bridge, which gave a rickety grumble as it crossed.
In silence once more, they continued through the desert, surrounded by more green shrubs.
It continued more and more. Faith hadn't said much but had curled up falling asleep. Andy and Rocco sat watching the scenery. It was still desert and shrubs on and on.
Faith woke up suddenly from the soothing rumble of the tracks growing louder as the train went across a long, rickety bridge.
"There!" Andy suddenly shouted. "Building!"
"Huh?" Faith stood up abruptly. The tip of a white roof could be made out through the tall shrubs.
"Jump!" Andy shouted and leapt off the edge of the train into the thick bramble below.
"I- seriously?!" barked Rocco, leaping off after him and tumbling into the thick shrubs. Faith was the last to leap off, at first with elegant swiftness, then she fell clumsily into the sand. She stood up abruptly and ran into the brush.
She trotted through the thick bramble. It was thick like a canopy; the leaves gave shade to the sand and made it cool, but sunshine shown through in little bits where there was an absence of leaves.
She called. "Andy?! Rocco?!"
"Faith!" Rocco's voice suddenly barked, and the little dachshund bounded towards her.
"Where's Andy?" Faith asked immediately.
"I believe he went that way. Follow his scent." Rocco pointed his nose towards a direction further into the bramble.
Together they walked in silence until they heard a voice through the brush. "Hey! over here!"
"Andy!" Rocco barked and bounded towards the noise first. Faith followed after him. They ran farther and farther into the brush until...
Sunlight hit them. They were in a clearing.
In front of them was a metal barn with a white roof. There was trash and storage in the yard around it: tires, palettes, propane tanks, and weeds. To their left was a one-story house, also white, with weeds and trash around it as well. It had a parked bicycle and tires in the front yard overgrown with dull weeds. By the house was a small wooden shed that looked like it would fall apart any minute. On the far end of the yard was different trash stored in a row: planks, palettes, tires, and boards, all overgrown with weeds.
By the barn was Andy dragging a plastic bag across the ground.
"Andy!" Faith shouted and bounded towards him, Rocco in tow.
"Shhh..." Andy suddenly shushed her. He turned his head and pointed his muzzle towards what was tied up outside the barn: a fierce-looking brown and tan Doberman with a spike collar who was busy snoring, sleeping.
"He looks deep in sleep," Rocco commented, his voice in a whisper.
"Can you help me carry this bag into the shrubs? I smell food in it but I don't want to wake him up," whispered Andy.
"I've got it," Faith said quietely and grabbed the heavy end of the bag. Together they started to work to carry the bag into the thick bramble.
They were getting closer to the bramble. Closer...closer...any minute, they would be able to eat it safely in the shelter of the shrubs. Rocco circled the two larger dogs to make sure that they didn't bump into anything on the way.
Until he accidentally stepped on a soda can and it gave a little crack.
The Doberman stirred in his sleep with a low grumble.
Rocco's pupils shrank. Andy turned his head towards the dachshund for a moment. "Be careful, Sport..." he whispered.
Rocco gave a nod and continued to circle the dogs as they continued to move closer to the bramble. But Rocco was terrified of the Doberman. He tried to do his job of circling the two larger dogs, but his pupils were smaller and more wary, and he moved in slower steps. His eyes were on the sleeping Doberman, not on the plastic bag or Faith or Andy. And as he continued to circle them, they grew super close to the edge of the bramble when Rocco's behind brushed against something.
It was leaves from the super close bushes. But the dachshund didn't know this. He gave a horrified, high-pitched yelp.
Which startled Faith, causing her to jump. She backed into the direction away from Andy, which was too much on the plastic bag, which ripped it in half, and different bits of trash tumbled out: pizza crusts, fast food drink cups, straws, dried up pickles, half-eaten chicken legs, and a whole bunch of used napkins.
Which woke the Doberman up.
He lifted his elegant head, growling, as his eyes began to focus. He saw three strange dogs from who-knows-where, trying to steal master's trash! He knew he had to do his job.
He started barking. "THIEVES! MONGRELS! CURS OF THE WILD, STEALING MASTER'S TRASH! MUST RID OF STRANGE DOG THIEVES!"
And then he bounded at them at full speed, snapping his jaws.
"Quick!" Andy yelled. "Pick up as much food as you can!" he picked up a pizza crust and darted into the brush.
Faith quickly picked up a half-eaten chicken leg and ran after him.
Rocco let out a yelp as the Doberman grew closer.
"KILL LITTLE DOG! KILL! KILL!" the Doberman snarled.
Rocco quickly managed to pick up three chicken legs into his mouth and as he started to run into the bushes, he dropped one. He turned back in an attempt to get it, but the Doberman got there first, holding the chicken leg down with his paws and chewing on it aggressively, drooling from his jaws.
"C'mon, Rocco! You don't need three chicken legs! Two is enough!" Andy yelled, and Rocco turned and ran into the woods. The Doberman saw him running and shouted, "MUST CHASE!"
Rocco was terrified as the big dog leapt at him. He ran on his short legs. He thought he was done for, but the rope that the Doberman was attached to prevented him from going any further.
Rocco, Andy, and Faith turned and ran through the bramble with the food they were able to take. The Doberman yanked on the rope with all his might, but he wasn't able to get them, thanks to the rope.
"MY VICTIMS! CURSE THIS ROPE! THIS CHAIN! I'LL GET YOU! I'LL GET-" he kept snapping his jaws, but his yanking did him no good and his words faded away as the dogs ran farther into the bushes.