I want to go home. That was the only thing that was running through my mind as I paced back and forth in my room. I missed the wide plains, where I could run as far as I could, without anything to stop me from going wherever I wanted to.
Days passed, and it felt like the room got smaller and smaller; the walls closing in on me, wanting to keep me in. At times, I would get so scared that I’d ram myself against the walls, scared, of this place where I didn’t understand anything.
I looked to the moon shining outside the window. The whole day, I was pacing, ramming and howling; all to no avail. I still can’t get out of this place. My whole body felt like it was on fire. I winced; my legs and head hurt. All the days of longing and stress had made my pelt unkempt and messy. I felt lonely and I hurt all over. I had to sleep. I settled myself above my bed and lay on it. A refreshing darkness swiftly overtook me.
When I woke up, I felt stiff and a bit numb. Like when I ran through snow for too long. I looked around and saw that I was in something. It was cold like the ship but I could see through it. It was a kind of cobweb. I would have gone crazy if I didn't feel so tired. A human was carrying me! The human was holding the cobweb from above. Oh no. I have to get out of here. I tried standing up. The mesh of cobweb shook. My legs buckled under me as I lost balance.
Frostbite! I cursed silently as I staggered back a little. I still felt groggy for some reason. I’ve been awake for a while now! It isn’t supposed to be like this! My head spun and my legs felt weak. Finally, my attempt to keep standing finally lost.
I collapsed. The cobweb was cold and shiny. I shivered and narrowed my eyes as the material touched my stomach. It seemed to be made of the same thing that my room was made out of.
Looking around, I noticed that the human carrying me was talking with some other humans in deep, weird howls. All the noise they made came together in a loud buzz. Other humans were carrying meshes too, with other puppies like me in them. Some meshes had been put down on the floor, with yet more dogs in them. Most of them were asleep. The rest looked around with a glazed stare. Is that what I look like? I wondered.
Beyond them, I saw water stretching out for miles. The waves were rolling in. On the other side, light gray rock was similarly stretching far. Other rocks, each with different colours, were on the gray rock. I looked back to the floor the other meshes were laid on. It was a light brown. I took a sniff, trying to figure what it was made of. Apart from the cold smell of the humans and the musky smells of the other dogs, I picked out a distinct smell, earthy and mild. Wood!
So the floor is made of wood. But why is it flat? Aren’t tree trunks rough and round? I looked at the scenery, overwhelming me with new sights, scents and sounds. Wait a second. Flat wood ground? Rough gray rock? Colored boxes? Lots of humans? My mother told me of a place like this in some of the stories she told me. The port!
I looked around again and I was not mistaken. This place matched her description nearly word for word. This was the place where humans get stuff from the sea. It’s called cargo, apparently.
“Hey, there!” I was startled to hear Willy’s voice, calling to me from a nearby mesh.
“Willy!” I yelped, “What’s happening? Where are we?”
“We’re at the port right now,” he replied to me, shaking his fur. Why does he seem cool about the entire thing? It seems like he doesn’t feel as tired as me or the other dogs.
He lolled his tongue out, his panting breaths turning into mist in the cold dawn air. “We’ve just landed!” he barked. He looked as if he would have jumped, had it not been for the weird cobweb mesh we and the rest of the dogs were kept in.
Thoughts whirled in my head. It began hurting, either due to all the thinking I was doing or because it just started to snow lightly. “This...” I began, shaking snow that was coating my fur. I wished I could shake off my anxiety just as easily. “This is landing? It’s horrible! You made it sound so great! Now, I’m in this... thing! It’s a fourth of the size of my room in the ship! And just to add, we’re now out in this cold! I feel so tired, I can’t even stand! Forget about balancing!”
I was surprised at just how angry I’d become. After a long silence, my head cleared a little. I realized I’d been snarling at Willy. I also realized that some of the other dogs had started to look at us. The humans hadn’t paid attention. They were either too busy or they couldn’t hear us.
Willy looked taken aback. “Chill! It ain’t over yet. Let me explain.” His voice was puzzled, not angry or annoyed at all. I was a little impressed, I’ll admit. If it had been me, I’d have kept from talking to him.
He shook his fur again, creating a cloud of dusty snow. “While we were asleep, they got us on tranquilizers. It’s so that we’d still be asleep while they put us into these cages.” I looked at the mesh. Cage. Got it.
Willy dropped to a sitting position. “They put all of us into the cages. It’s to keep us from running away before they want to release us.” At this thought, I felt a growing resentment towards these humans. Who are they to dictate when or where we can go?
On the bright side, that explained a lot of things. The stiffness and numbness I’m feeling, for example.
“Thanks,” I dipped my head, embarrassed. “Sorry.”
Willy wagged his tail. “No prob.” He looked around, as if he was looking for something. He then turned back to me.
“So, any other questions?” he asked.
“How come you know all this stuff?” I queried, genuinely curious about how he had managed to pull all this together without a problem. “I mean, you’re kind of wild too, right? You live with humans?”
Willy flinched. He looked at me as if I was going crazy. “No way,” he replied, “I ain’t sleeping with those humans. I just get along with other dogs better than you do; no offense.” He scratched behind his ear. “Other than you, I also talk with the guard dog, Alfie. He roams the ship. He’s the one who lives with humans. He taught me all those terms.”
“Oh. Makes sense.” I was about to turn away when I remembered a question I wanted to ask him.
“Hey, Willy.” I woofed, calling his attention.
“Hmmm?” He opened an eye to look at me. It appeared that the tranquilizers were beginning to take effect on him. “What is it?”
“Where are we?” I pricked my ears, to make sure that I would miss what he said. But it was too late. Willy was now fast asleep, his slow, steady breath lost in the sound of noise caused by humans.
I sighed and turned away. The question had been bogging me for a while now. So, we landed. Great. Now the question is where we landed. I hoped with my heart of hearts that it would be Frostypoint, or a place close by. But my hopes felt like they were slowly sinking in icy water with every lungful of air I breathed in this place. It didn’t smell at all like Frostypoint. In fact, this scent was different in that it was darker somehow.
I forced myself to think that the scent was coming off the humans; that it was their scent overpowering the scent of the wind coming from what lay beyond this port. The thought comforted me, and I stayed awake, confident that this will be the day I’d be free again after many months.