Return

By: Jessica Myers

~~1~~

BAILEY

So there I was, trapped. I take a look all around me, and then put my paws against the cage door. Flustered, I'm ready to give up. What does the human want with me? I wonder. To exterminate me? If so, I can fight back. They won't contain me, not if I can help it. I notice a stringy thing is holding the door to the metal cage. It's chewable rope. If only I could—

Suddenly, something is thrust through the mesh and lands on the floor. The human mutters a word or two about dog food and leaves. I know a bit of human-speak because my mother taught it to me, before she passed away. I shrink back before I realize it has the smell of food. I further investigate the item. It's a bowl. Inside are a couple bones, but my heart drops when I see there's no meat whatsoever. My stomach growls at the sight, and suddenly I'm desperate for food.

"Get me something to eat!" I bark. The only thing the human does in reply is bang on the top of the cage. This doesn't scare me in the slightest, I'm too mad to be scared. To try to cut out a chunk of my anger, I gnaw on the closest thing, the rope. Soon, I chew through the string and the door swings open. Before the human can catch me, I'm leaping out of the cramped cage and heading off into the tree line.

Yes, I'm free!

I begin to think about how stupid humans are when my captor nearly grabs me. I jump the other direction and skid off down into a gully.

"…dog!" yells the human angrily.

I leap over the tiny stream of water at the bottom of the dip before I look over my shoulder. The human is going back to where I was a little while ago.

"Yeah, that's right!" I call after it pompously. "Go back there, you squirrel-brain!"

I'm beginning to sound like a pup, I think as I sprint the other direction the human was. I'm going toward a bustling street. I don't care if there are alleys with lone dogs in every corner, willing to fight for a single scrap. At least my family is there. My pups, my love, my family. Home. I miss you, Jet. And Jasper and Harley and Charisma and Pine. My pups… I hope they're okay.

I wonder what lies ahead as I cross the mass of trees.