"Where is he?"
"In here, Ang."
I look up from the shoe I'm chewing and see another man standing next to mine. He's even smaller than mine. He has something in his hand. He kneels down to me and holds it out for me to sniff. "Brought ya' a toy."
I can't tell what it is. The man squeezes it and it honks. The noises startles me but I must hear it again. It drops to the floor and I paw at it. I yip and I snort and I paw. The kneeling man laughs and rubs my back. "Thought ya' might like him."
"He's great, Mal." I get the thing in my teeth and shake it. It must be destroyed. And I must be the one to do it. The two men watch me and I run away, making sure they don't rip it apart before I do. It honks and squeaks in my mouth giving it a funny taste. I shake it and shake it. Letting it drop to the floor I bat it around. My teeth feel extra sharp and still growing. I need to chew. I need to tear. I growl. "Kinda small."
"Perfect size for me."
I flop on the floor and roll over the toy. I rub my scent all over it and it squeaks under my weight. I haven't put much on since coming here and I wonder if the man has noticed. I eat when I'm hungry. I eat meat when it's offered. I chew when my teeth hurt. They hurt now. I must rip this apart.
"He's a scrapper, Mal." The man pats me on the rump and I barely feel it. I must rip and tear.
"My little fighter. You should get yourself a dog."
"Maybe when I start a family or somethin'....ya' know, I don't want to take it on tour..."
"I'll have to send him in with Mum. You in for tea or beer?"
I must rip and tear. My heart beats in my chest and I growl. I grunt. I sneeze. I snort. The toy honks and squeaks and I growl back. I am a beast. I am no man's pet. I will rip this thing apart if it takes me all night. "I'll have whatever he's havin'."
The man and his smaller friend walk away. I'm alone with my prey. My fur stands on end. My hackles raise. My ears flatten against my head. Growls rumble in my chest. I throw the toy with all my strength and it hits the wall. I chase after it. I won't let it get away. I must kill it. I will kill it.
I fling it around in the air and it lands at my feet. I paw at it and hold it down while I chew and bite. I pant. I'm tired. My energy depletes. I lay on the floor with it and take it between my paws. Chewing and biting. It's hard on my tongue. My teeth scrape and scratch. They click. The toy honks. It's still alive. It must not be.
I will kill it.
I smell meat. My head perks up and I smell. I wait. I listen. I hear them speak and I hear them eat. I smell their food. I race to where they are, leaving my prey to lie in wait. For now I must find the meat. My mouth fills with drool and I stick out my tongue, panting. I smell other foods too but none so appetizing as that meat. The man's smaller friend smiles when he sees me and offers me something. I snatch it out of his hand and race off to eat it by myself. I won't have the men take it from me. It's mine. I drop it on the carpet and lick at it.
"If he shits that out on my floor you're cleanin' it up, Ang."
**********
"Sit....sit....sit....good boy!"
I take the prize out of the man's hand and drop it on the grass. I eat it from there. The grass is still wet and it makes the food taste better. It smells like the wet grass in my mouth. The men have me outside with them. It's warm and sunny. I roll around in the grass and the man pats his leg. I run to him and he pets me. The other man holds out my toy. It squeaks and I run for it. The man takes off and I chase him. He's stealing my prey and I must take it from him. He can't have it, it's mine! They laugh and watch me run around the grass. I must be putting on a show for them but it feels so good to be outside in the sun and grass and to stretch out my legs and run that I don't mind. They play with me and I have fun.
It's great fun. We're all having great fun.
The smaller man throws the toy and it frightens away a bird that sits on the grass. I chase after them both. I yip and I yelp. I feel my legs grow stronger with every step. Every leap. Even my weak paw strengthens. I still can't run as fast as I would like. But I can run. And I do run. I run for the toy. I run for the bird. I run to the men who pat their legs and call. I chase them. They laugh. They lie on the grass with me and stroke my belly. I cover myself in the scent of grass. The air whips through my fur. The sun melts on my face. I wag my tail and slobber. I yip. I pant. I feel radiant. I feel joy! I must jump for joy! I must wag and stretch and run!
This is wonderful!
**********
The man is playing the musical object again. I wish I knew what to call it. It's bigger than me and older. It's shiny. I can see another dog look back at me when I look at it. I yip at it. The man laughs and pets me behind my ears. I do it again. I like making him laugh. It's such a warm laugh. Warm like the rest of him. He lets me jump in his bed again and he makes music for me. I stare at him. I stare at the coverings he leaves on the floor. I wonder if he's cold. I wonder why he would remove the coverings since there's so little fur. Humans are all skin. He must be cold. I scoot closer to him to warm him up. He's my pack leader. He's my human. He's mine.
I like him.
