I was at a loss for words. This wasn’t the first time it showed up. It wasn’t. But the last time I felt my senses shifting was… I unintentionally recalled a memory from our den. I was young; half-asleep from worry and fear, having a nightmare of humans taking away my mother. I felt the same fear weigh back in my chest like a heavy stone.
I grit my teeth and growled low in my throat. I was determined to keep whatever this was in check. It caused me pain all those months ago. It wasn’t going to do that again.
The human was here now, counting the dogs in a line. It as “Ninety-six, ninety-seven…” the human counted, pointing at me and at Willy. He counted three more dogs to our right. “—One hundred!” he exclaimed proudly, “We did it! They’re complete!”
Complete? What could he mean? I glanced back at Willy, who was frozen stiff. Fear-scent came off him in waves. I found myself beginning to shiver. “What’s happening?” I asked Willy, hoping that he could assure me somehow.
“I don’t know,” he finally mumbled, taking a deep breath before continuing, “I’m not sure what’s next.”
The human barked orders at other humans, who obeyed readily. I guessed this must be their alpha, with the way he directed things so efficiently.
The others started lifting some of the cages into some gigantic creature. It had huge black paws and its sharp features looked unnatural. The cages were loaded into its back end. I was in utter shock. What were they going to do to us?
The dogs barked in alarm as the back end was closed. I couldn’t see them anymore through the barrier blocking them from sight. I felt my senses slowly begin shifting again, trying to get a better glimpse at them. I looked away before it could fully take over. Not anymore! I reprimanded myself.
The alpha human walked up to the gigantic creature and gave an affirmative bark. Instantly, it woke, sparking to life in a loud growl. The other dogs yelped. My tail dropped between my legs in apprehension. And then, it started moving. I yelped in distress, thinking of all the dogs in there. My throat tightened.
It took on speed; still growling as it sped farther and farther away, until it was lost from sight. Its disgusting fumes still burned at the back of my throat and stung my eyes. My eyes refused to blink after what I’d just seen. They’re gone.
I glanced furtively at Willy and found that he was just as afraid as I was. There was no longer any sign of the confident dog I talked to when we got off the ship. His tail was far between his legs in fear and he whimpered pitifully.
“Second truck’s ready!” A human shouted as another one of the gross monsters came.
“No! Wait!” I howled imploringly. It was no use. Another human grabbed my cage away. But he didn’t lift Willy’s.
All of a sudden, I realized that every other cage, except his, was going to be taken to the giant monster. From the hard mesh I was kept in, I saw his cage drift away from view.
Willy. He’d been my friend for four months. He was a friend I could talk to. Someone I could confide in. He trusted me. And now he was going to be gone forever. I growled, then I woofed as I hit the side of the cage with all the force I could muster.
It worked! The human dropped my cage, and I hit the ground painfully. Something clinked on the hard gray rock. The impact had dislodged a little stick from the side of the cage. The cage swung open, and I didn’t wait a second before escaping.
The humans shouted at me from everywhere as I tore towards Willy’s cage. It had been so long since I’ve given my stiff joints a good stretch. It had been such a long while since the last time I ran that I almost forgot how to do it. It felt really good to have the wind flying past my fur and my paws against ground again.
I skidded to a halt in front of Willy’s cage. The ground was hard and rough; not good at all for running. My paws were bruising after just a short distance. “Quick,” I woofed breathlessly, “Let’s get out of here!”
“I…” Willy stuttered on his words. He hesitated. I nervously scanned the area behind. The humans were running in our direction; in their hands were long sticks with a vine loop at the end. There’s no time!
I barreled into the side of his cage, feeling my shoulder thud painfully against the mesh. The cage tipped over, but there wasn’t a clink. They were nearing. I briskly glanced around, and found the twig still lodged on the cage side.
“Look out!” Willy gave me a heads up. I ducked just in time to dodge the loop they tried to fit my head into. I sensed another stick on its way to my head. I jumped. It went under me. I swiftly tore away. I’ll be back. I promised Willy silently.
I kept running. Everywhere I looked, there were giant yellow things looming overhead, ships from the sea, and those huge colored square rocks. I didn’t know which way to go. I just had to follow my instincts, and my instincts told me to keep running. I heard a little whooshing sound. Oh no. Not this again.
I swiftly changed direction, making a zigzag motion. I heard the ping of the dart hitting the ground harmlessly. I’m safe! I leaped a little, feeling triumphant.
I then caught a whiff of something; coolly comforting out of all the acrid odors in this human world. Pine trees! I was sure of it. If my intuition was right, there would be a pine forest nearby. I took another quick sniff of the numbingly cold air. The smell was coming from my right.
I looked to the right, and sure enough, I saw a clear path to a forest beyond the expanse of gray rock and human stuff. I tore past all the commotion surrounding me. I was eager to finally feel real ground underpaw, after all those months in the hands of humans. Excitement began filling my body from muzzle to tail. I was so close! I could feel the fresh air wafting from the pines and the scent of quarry making my mouth water.
I took a final leap, landing on a soft cushion of pine needles layering the forest floor. I didn’t stop running, afraid that the humans were still tailing me. I wouldn’t be settled until I was deep into the forest.
As I ran, I looked around, savoring the sounds of small birds, mice and the rustle of leaves; all sounds I haven’t heard for a long time. I took a deep breath of air. The air was clear and crisp, nothing at all like the stifling stillness or muzzle-wrinkling sourness I’ve experienced. I slowed my pace, sure that they wouldn’t chase me this far into the wild.
I suddenly became acutely aware of the sharp pain in my belly. I remembered that I had just eaten when I started running. I shook myself too much, and now I was feeling the consequences. I could only close my eyes against the twisting pain. I looked around for a spot to rest myself, and found a well-sheltered spot under a tree. I lay myself down with a grunt, partly relieved of the hurt on my paws and body. I breathed as shallowly as possible, hopefully trying to make more space for my stomach.
“Ouch.” I whimpered through gritted teeth. I wouldn’t be able to move for a while. I looked around shakily, hoping that nothing was watching or following me. I couldn’t see anything. I looked to the midday sky and closed my eyes, grateful that I was able to escape the humans.
My mind drifted back to the port, where I’d nearly been taken away. Willy! I left him behind! His cage didn’t open even when I toppled it. Why? What were they going to do to him? What were they going to do to the other dogs? I suddenly visualized him, eyes filled with terror as he was taken away by the truck. It was all too easy to imagine.
It felt as if an icicle had pierced my chest. He had been my friend for so long. He was always so interactive; so understanding. I looked up at his courageousness, and I’d hoped we’d escape together, looking for our homes side by side. My head drooped in grief, and I was silent. He was gone now. I could have saved him, but I wasn’t good enough.
I woke up at dusk. With bleary eyes, I eyed the surroundings. Clear. I stood up, realizing that my stomachache had disappeared. I shook myself and then I shivered slightly. Lying motionless in a cold place was inevitably going to give me chills. So I decided to take a walk to warm myself up.
The orange light of the day about to end cast long shadows on the ground, stretching out eerily across the forest floor. Various animals called out for night.
So this is the forest at dusk. I gazed around in awe of the stars peeking through the canopy. I wasn’t allowed to venture out of the den when the sun went down. My mother simply told me it was safer in the den. But I began to think whether she was speaking the truth or not as I saw the moonlight filtering softly through the trees. It was a majestic sight to behold. I stopped, reveling in the beauty of the surroundings. I found a sparkling stream nearby, flowing with clear water. Remembering just how much I needed to hydrate myself, I quickly padded up to it and took laps of the cold liquid. It was refreshing. Now I can think straight.
I walked slowly onward. The forest was now speckled with white light. I glanced everywhere, astonished. I noticed a large brown rock in my path. I was just going to skirt it. But then as I got nearer, I noticed that it had fur. It had four huge paws and a bulky body. Its round head turned to face me, and my heart caught in my throat as it reared up on its hind legs and roared.