Blackie stood up and shook himself.
"Never mind. Every time I try and talk to you, you just say a bunch of mumbo jumbo about duty. I'll figure it out for myself. Thanks for nothing."
Blackie ran off into the dark hills alone.
Chapter 11: Puppy Room
My humans were going to the front-counter room again. I had just been elated at bonding with my new human and finding out he and his mate were so loving and so capable. Now, I plunged into despair. The Niques had managed to separate my humans from me again. Could it be that even now, after I had bonded with my new human, they would steal him away from me? I listened in anguish.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kelley?"
"Yes?"
"We wanted you to be present when we drew the winner of the raffle."
"What raffle?"
"The raffle that you and all these other folks entered, to win the Chihuahua!"
"What?"
"We're raffling off the Chihuahua. There were too many people who wanted him, so we are letting luck decide who gets to take him home."
"Oh!"
My humans started laughing.
"Is that why there were so many forms?"
"Mmmhmm, we have to explain the lottery process and make it all legal."
"Wow, well, we don't want a Chihuahua."
Whew!
Thank Kax!
That is twice now, that my humans have escaped the Niques' dirty little scheme to get them to adopt one of them instead of one of us Kaxians!
"You don't want the Chihuahua?"
"No!"
"No."
Another pound employee got involved and tried to explain.
"These folks are adopting a dog from the big dog room."
And then one of the humans waiting for the results of the Chihuahua raffle said the words I will remember and resent for the rest of my dog lives.
"If I don't get the Chihuahua, I'm going to look in the puppy room."
That made my human say the only words I have ever heard that made me hurt all the way deep down inside me, where my eternal re-birthing consciousness abides.
"There's a puppy room? I didn't get to see the puppy room..."
He sounded like he was choking when he said it, with an ache in his voice, with yearning.
All my muscles turned to mush. I fell to the concrete floor of the clinic. I wanted to melt into the drain; I felt so small and unwanted. I howled. It was immature, but I couldn't help it.
"Hoooooooooooowwwl!"
He doesn't want me.
We bonded. I felt it. He's my human, and he doesn't want me. Of course not.
He's like all the rest of them. My parents' human didn't want me, so why should he. Randy didn't really want me. Why would this human be any different?
He wants a little puppy who is six weeks old and walks on wobbly legs and is much cuter than a six-month-old who is just about a dog already. That's what every human wants: a little, cute, clumsy, playful puppy who the human can mold into the desired pet.
Humans want little puppies who they can train just how they want, not old dogs they think can't learn new tricks.
Human!
Come back to me!
I'll do everything you say.
I can learn new tricks, and new commands.
I'm already your best friend.
I feel the dog bond with you.
I will be loyal, faithful, and true.
I already love you more than I love myself.
Don't you feel the dog bond?
I was sure you loved me, too.
The mate of the man I thought of as my human asked him if he wanted to go look in the puppy room.
"Do you want to go see it?"
Did I detect a note of sadness in her voice? A tiny kernel of hope erupted in my broken heart when he didn't answer right away. Hope grew as he hesitated for almost a minute.
"No, we already have our dog."
I needn't have worried over my new human being trapped by any of the Niques' schemes. Happy as I was to have my hope of the dog bond holding true on both ends fulfilled, he said something next that made me breathe a huge sigh of relief:
"And his name is Raffle!"
* * *
Neya shook herself.
Something inside her had changed. She sat in confusion for a moment, trying to figure out what was different. After a while, she gave up and focused once more on her mother's last tale to the wolf pups, before they would be in her care and she would be the one telling the tales.
"A long time ago, before anyone was born whose name we know, big stars fell out of the sky by the hundreds, and landed on the ground."
"And they didn't catch the forest on fire."
"And they were quiet, right Momma?"
"Right, my smart babies. The big stars landed on the ground without any noise at all. They were being driven here, in the way that humans drive cars and trucks on their roads."
"We are not to cross the roads!"
"The humans might smash us with their cars and trucks!"
"But no humans drove the big stars."
"Right, right, right!"
Fleek licked each eager young pup.
"No humans were driving the big stars, and they landed on the ground silently. We wolves gathered far away to watch. The big stars smelled like metal because they were made of metal. They opened up."
"And dog aliens came out!"
"They look like wolves!"
"They walk and talk like wolves!"
"But they are not wolves!"
"What good listeners you are! Yes, the dog aliens look like us and even walk and talk like us, but they came from the stars long before anyone whose name we know was born. All dog aliens look at least a little like wolves. Some are bigger than us..."
"Some are smaller!"
"Some have odd shapes!"
"Some of their ears hang down!"
"Right, right, right!"
Fleek licked all the pups again.
"The biggest difference between wolves and dog aliens is they don't all blend in with the desert. Some do, but you can see most of them from miles away. Almost all dog aliens smell like humans, and that is the easiest way to tell that you are dealing with a dog alien and not a wolf."
"And we might see them."
"But we don't trust them."
"The dog aliens are not our friends."
"No, the dog aliens are not our friends. They live with humans, as their pets. That is the easiest way to know it is a dog alien coming, when you smell one. They smell like humans."
"And they are not of our world!"
"Earth is not their mother!"
"The moon is not their father!"
"You have all started learning this story very well. I hope you listen to Neya as you have listened to me. From now on, she will be teaching you, while I resume my duties as alpha female of the pack."
Fleek looked over and backed up so that Neya could take her place.
Neya happily took her new place with the pups. She vaguely remembered dreading this duty, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember why. It was very important for them to know these stories. They might keep the pups from making grave mistakes in judgment someday. She shrugged off her feeling of confusion and continued their education.
"Right, right, right! We don't trust the dog aliens because they are not of our world. Earth is not their mother, the way she is our mother. The moon does not rule them the way he rules us, as our father."
Neya licked each pup on the nose. She examined the look on each little wolf-pup face, to check for understanding before she finished the story in the traditional way.
"Dogs are aliens.
They are not our friends.
We don't trust the dog aliens."
* * *
Lido and Skil were running the vineyard that night when Blackie ran up and tackled Skil.
"Haha! You didn't see me coming!"
Blackie nipped at Skil
playfully, the way Lido had been doing, and tried to roll over and over with her, as Lido had been doing.
Lido didn't know what to do. Blackie wasn't hurting Skil, but Lido sure didn't like seeing him play with her. It made him mad and sad all at once.
Skil didn't know what to do, either. She didn't particularly want to play with Blackie. She would rather be running with Lido. She wriggled out from under Blackie and ran back over to Lido.
Blackie tried to keep playing with Skil.
Lido had enough.
"Leave her alone! She's not playing."
"Are you gonna make me, Fatty?"
Every bit of Lido wanted to make Blackie leave Skil alone. But Blackie was the son of Boss, and Boss was going to decide if Lido mined with Skil or stayed here and ran the vineyard, with Blackie. Boss had to send him to the mine. Anything else would be unbearable. But, Skil had to want him to mine with her. Falling out of favor with Skil would be unbearable, too.
"Yeah, if I have to I'll make you."
Lido bared his fangs at Blackie and waited for the attack.
Skil wasn't going to stand by and let her friend be picked on, though.
"We'll both make you!"
Skil bared her fangs at Blackie, too.
"Aw, I see how it is. You like the fatty! OK, you go off with him, then. You're not good enough for me, anyway. The pack leader's son deserves a strong she..."
Blackie kept muttering to himself as he sauntered off.
Lido was embarrassed by what Blackie had said, because Skil had heard it. Sure, he wanted Skil to be his mate someday, when they were old enough, but right now he just wanted to play with her. Well, and he wanted to be the only male she played with.
Skil was thrilled that Lido had taken a stand for her, and relieved that he hadn't been hurt.
"Thank Kax you're all right!"
"Are you all right, Skil? Did he hurt you?"
"I'm fine. He nipped me, that's all. It was really brave of you to volunteer to make him leave me alone, Lido."
"I had to, Skil. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you. You're all I ever think about."
"I didn't dare think about you as much as I wanted to, Lido, before you came to live here. But now that you're here, I am happier than I have ever been in my whole life!"
They finished their watch running the vineyard together, and playing sometimes. The next morning, Boss announced that Lido would be going to the mine with Skil. The two of them ran around in small circles with their tails wagging as fast as they could, they were so happy.
"Race ya to the mine!"
"Let's go!"
Blackie thought Boss seemed pleased with himself for sending them, too, sitting there on his haunches, watching them run off.
Chapter 12: Den
My humans walked me out of the pound on a leash. I went with them joyfully. All my Kaxian buddies congratulated me and wished me well as I left. I nodded in response to them, but I didn't say anything, for fear of upsetting my humans. They put me behind the seat of their little pick-up truck, and drove me to my new den. Our home was a modest ranch-style house with yellow stucco on the outside, and it stood at the end of a dead-end street, on a cul-de-sac. There were many other houses on the street, and they were close together.
We went through a tall wooden gate into the fenced back yard. It was big enough for me to run in, but just barely. I would have to run in circles. Still, that beat running up and down the hall of a tiny apartment. Out of habit, I looked for holes under the fence. I didn't see any, but I saw places I might dig some. Instantly, I felt horror at the thought of leaving my bonded human, even for a day, against his wishes.
"Go potty, Raffle!"
But I had gone before we left the pound so as not to have to go inside their vehicle! Upset at not being able to obey their command, I jumped up and gave them hugs, instead.
"No! Down, Raffle!"
All right, they don't like hugs. I ran around the back yard with my tail high up in the air, to show that I loved my new home. I did! This grassy yard was far better than a kennel at the pound.
The man found a ball.
"Here Raffle!"
I came over and looked at the ball intently, to show that I knew he wanted me to fetch it.
"Get it, Raffle!"
I raced over and fetched the ball, then brought it back to the man.
His mate was impressed.
"Wow! Someone must have been training him! He already knows how to fetch!"
"Yeah! He's a good boy!"
I loved hearing that phrase, Good Boy. This was the first time I had heard it in this dog life. It had power over me, and the man knew it, but he was kind, so that was going to be OK.
Just then, I heard some snarling from the yard next to ours, on the other side of a tall wooden fence.
"Ha! Clem! So you've taken up residence there, eh? Well, you stay on your side of the fence, and no one will get hurt."
His voice triggered my Kaxian memories. Oh no! Fidetz was one of the most mean-spirited Niques I had ever met, and now he was my neighbor! From the pitch of his bark, he was a Chihuahua in this dog life.
His humans had also adopted a Kaxian, though, a pit bull terrier named Regs.
"Don't worry, Clem, I got your back."
"Hah, easy for him to say, Clem, but you know he can't do much against me with us having the same humans."
"The name's Raffle, and ooh! Just try me, you little..."
"Help! Help! The big dog is attacking me!"
"Haha! Our humans are inside and can't hear you."
I was bent toward the ground as far from their yard as I could get, so that their arguing voices wouldn't hurt my ears. At the same time, I was listening to what they said. I needed to glean all the information I could in order to help me deal with my new Nique neighbor. I hoped my fellow Kaxian being there would somewhat mitigate the situation.
"Come, Raffle! Let's go inside."
Oh well, it looked like I was going inside my new humans' home. That was even better than being in the back yard. There was plenty of time to learn about my new neighbors, and I was sure I would.
We went through a sliding glass door into a large bedroom. The carpet was beige and the walls were white, but unlike Randy's apartment, this house felt lived in. Pictures hung on the walls. The shelves and ledges were full of mementos. Odds and ends such as sports equipment, craft items, gift-wrapping supplies, and the evidence of other hobbies filled every nook and cranny.
"Honey? Oh, there you are. I'm bringing Raffle inside, even though he hasn't peed yet. There are two dogs next door barking at him, and it's freaking him out."
"Oh, OK. Raffle! Want to see your dishes and your toys and your bed?"
"Do I!"
She laughed and showed me my sleeping crate by their bed, and then led me down the hall toward the kitchen.
I was distracted by the distinct smell of the cat who obviously lived here. Aha, I spotted the cat hiding under the couch, where it hissed at me. Cats are very intelligent Earth creatures. They can spot a non-Earth creature instantly. Good thing for us, they aren't very good at communicating with humans. They do try, though, which is why we often chase them off. I have been friends with many cats over my 99 dog lives, but this particular cat didn't seem very friendly at all toward dogs. She didn't even come out to sniff, just stayed there under the couch, hissing and growling at me. Her loss.
My humans showed me where my dishes were next. There was food in my food dish and water in my water dish. I guess she wanted to make sure I knew it was mine.
"Drink water, Raffle!"
That was an odd command, but I complied.
"Wow! Did you see that, Scott?"
"What?"
"I just told Raffle to drink some water, just as if I were talking to a kid, and he did it!"
"Really? Let me try. Raffle! Drink some water, Boy."
I wasn't really thirsty, but the dog bond compels me to obey, so I did.
&n
bsp; "Good boy!"
I really love it when he says 'Good Boy!' I got all mushy inside and rolled over on my back. He petted and scratched my belly for a minute, and then went to get some toys they had bought for me.
"Look at this, Raffle! This is for you to chew up. See? Here you go!"
I contented myself with chewing on one of the stuffed toys and appealing very faintly to the cat for the next few hours while my humans watched TV. And then all that water they had made me drink caught up with me. I needed to go outside, immediately.
"I need to go outside! Could you let me out, please? It's urgent!"
"Quiet, Raffle!"
My human's mate surprised me with another new command.
Yet another surprise was that the dog bond now extended to her. I had to obey her command. I could no longer use my voice to try and get them to let me outside. I licked at their hands, but that just got them to pet me, so then I ran back and forth in front of the TV. That was a big mistake.
"Lie down!"
They both said that at the same time, as if they had rehearsed it. They looked at each other and giggled, and then settled back on the couch to finish watching their TV show. They were really very cute, holding hands.
As for me, well, you know what happened. When you've got to go, you've got to go. I held it for as long as I could, praying to Kax that my humans would release me from any of the commands preventing me from begging to go outside: lie down, quiet, down. I lost my battle with my bladder, though. Right there on the carpet in the living room, I emptied it.
"No!"
They both shouted when they heard my bladder emptying. This time, they didn't giggle. They were mad.
They hadn't given me a choice!
The cat glinted her eyes at me from under the couch, gloating at my ruination. She finally seemed happy now, which she hadn't been since I set foot in her home. She stretched out her paws slowly, one by one, making a show of cleaning herself. And then she walked right by me with her head held high and her tail straight up with the top tipped over to the side.
I liked these humans, too.
I had bonded with them, which would make being dropped off at the pound by them much more hurtful than it had been the last time, when my human hadn't even liked dogs. This time, I hoped I would not be adopted. The dog bond is so strong that it would be easier to just start over again as a new pup than it would be to live apart from the humans that had bonded with me.
Unreleased from any of the commands they had given me, I just had to lie there in the puddle that I had made. I couldn't help groaning a little as I waited for them to pack me off to the pound. OK, I made the crying sounds, too. I was miserable.