Chapter Eight

"Don't look at me like that."

Continuing to stare at Peter with a powerful intensity Satchmo whimpered and wagged his tail slowly. When Peter glanced over at the apartment door Satchmo perked up hopefully. Peter sighed as the excited dog raced over to the closed door.

"I can't…I'm sorry, I know you don't understand."

Satchmo didn't understand, beyond the complexity of the situation the dog was used to going out on walks with Peter. Back when he was legally owned by Elizabeth Peter had occasionally gone out alone, armed with a written permission statement as was legally required. He had always felt more comfortable on the trips he'd taken out alone with Satchmo feeling like it gave him an excuse to be on the street. Privately owned Animula were rare considering how expensive they were to own and yet they were still often given mundane tasks like exercising the house hold pet. Peter had met his first dog during a brief private ownership in his mid twenties. An elegant black standard Poodle named Midnight Starlight. Midnight was a show dog, but outside the show ring he acted just like any rambunctious pup and loving pet.

Peter had never enjoyed a job as much as his assignment of taking care of Midnight even though the valuable show animal wasn't allowed outside the small backyard. At the time that had suited Peter just fine as he had been terrified of being outdoors, not because of the humans but because of the open sky above him. It had taken months with Elizabeth before he had truly begun to enjoy being outdoors. He had never felt cooped up before she had broadened his horizons, but now that she had he enjoyed it when he could do so without risking running into too many humans.

Taking a deep breath Satchmo let out another pleading whine to bring Peter's attention back to the problem at hand. Peter looked at the Labrador's large brown begging eyes and found that his own desire to step outside tonight was growing. When he wasn't attending parties as a status symbol Cheng had kept Peter all but confined to his office and the small room he slept and recovered from various beatings in. Satchmo trotted back over and forced his nose under Peter's hand before returning to the door in hopes that he'd follow.

"Neal's going to have a fit." Peter sighed. "This needs to be our secret, got it?"

Hearing the tone in Peter's voice Satchmo wagged in agreement not really caring what he agreed to as long as he got to go for a walk. Peter glanced out the sliding glass doors, the rain had stopped when Neal had left but it had started up again. The rain was a good thing, it would keep people off the streets. The fact that it was nearly ten at night would give Peter the advantage as well. Peter walked over to the small desk where Neal kept various stationary and found one that had Nick Halden's vague business information at the top of it.

Peter's heart raced as he wrote his own permission to be on the streets and did his best to forge Nick's elegant signature. It wouldn't really matter since anyone looking at the signature wouldn't have anything to compare it to. With Elizabeth if anyone hadn't believed his reasons for being on the street he would have taken to the Market and she would have been able to collect him from there. He had been only once been hassled by small group of passer-byers when out, and they had mostly just called him names. No one had ever actually even asked him to prove he was legal, but he tended to chalk that up to being able to count the number of times he'd been out on his own on two hands with a few fingers to spare.

Trying not to think about what he'd do if someone called his bluff tonight Peter went to his own side of the apartment to change. Even walking a dog he'd be expected to being wearing a jacket and tie. Satchmo danced happily in anticipation as Peter went through his mostly threadbare wardrobe in search of his best attire. As terrifying a prospect as it was Peter found himself almost as excited as Satchmo to be getting out from the confines of the apartment. He knew that Neal would gladly go out with him, but it wasn't the same as venturing out on his own. With Neal with him outside he would have to fall back into the Animula/Master relationship that they had worked so hard to break away from in the past month.

Grabbing the leash and an umbrella from Neal's side Peter headed down to the front door. Peter made it out onto the front stoop and opened the umbrella before pausing. As far as Satchmo was concerned there was no turning back now as he strained at the leash to encourage Peter to leave the property. Making it to the gate Peter looked up and down the rainy street. His eyes flashed in the low light but there wasn't anyone around to see it.

"I guess we are really doing this…"

Not even contemplating abandoning the mission Satchmo darted out in front of Peter and suggested that going right would be more interesting than the left. Since Peter trusted Satchmo's instincts he agreed to the plan and after swallowing hard to steel up his courage Peter stepped out onto the sidewalk. With a seeming destination in mind Satchmo walked purposefully by Peter's side stopping occasionally to sniff something or pee on it despite the rain just washing his mark away. This was a new place and Satchmo was determined to let the other dogs know he'd claimed it as his own.

There was a definite nip in the wet air that Peter found extremely refreshing. He had been dealing with fever for so long that a chance to feel a natural chill rather than one caused by sickness was enjoyable. Even though the one deep mark in his back still had some healing to do it no longer hurt and he was able to focus on the beauty world around him instead of pain it had caused him. The neighborhood that Neal lived in was decorated in the classic architectural style of New York in its prime with carved stone details everywhere you looked and ornate wrought iron covering the rails and edges of the lower windows. The cool glow of the iron post street lights glittered on the light coating of rain and splashed a silver glow on everything.

All of the trees rustled joyously in the life giving rain as it continued to drizzle down and wash the city. Here in the opulent residential area the sounds of sirens and traffic were so distant that it took conscious effort to even hear them. Breathing deeply brought the earthy smell of rain closer to Peter's senses. It wasn't a scent Peter had experienced very often in his life but he enjoyed and treasured it every chance he'd gotten. There was something very different about the air in the stillness of a gentle rain.

Turning down a new block that was lined with tall oak trees Peter's thoughts wandered back to the late night walks that he used to take with Satchmo and Elizabeth. There were nights that anxiety kept Elizabeth awake and whenever that happened Peter often suggested a walk. Once they had found themselves out on the neighborhood streets at three in the morning. Peter always walked a small step behind, but in the deserted early hours she had encouraged him to be at her side by reaching back and seeking out his hand. Peter had nervously accepted the invitation. Walking in step with her he had forgotten to release her hand, they never held hands out in public even at night, but it had felt so natural that neither one of them had realized what they'd been doing until they made it back to the house.

Thinking about Elizabeth Peter became a little less vigilant about his surroundings. Up head a woman in her upper twenties came around the corner on Peter's side of the street. She had a light coat on with the collar turned up against the rain and her hands stuffed into the pockets. With her ahead down she didn't noticed that she wasn't alone either. It was Satchmo who ended up preventing a collision having taken notice of her and forging ahead to make a new friend. Peter jerked his head up and stopped dead in his tracks, he tried to pull Satchmo back but it was too late he was already directly in front of her. The woman jolted slightly in surprise and stopped as Satchmo stretched his neck out to get as close to her as possible.

"Oh, hi there, sorry pup, I almost walked right into you." The woman apologized to the dog directly. "What's his name?"

"Sa…Satchmo." Peter replied nervously.

"Classic." She chuckled as she pet Satchmo. "Have a good evening."

"You as well, Mist…Miss."

Peter had decided at the last moment not to give himself away as Animula by calling her 'Mistress' without really thinking it through. She hadn't looked up at him, but part of him feared that she just knew what he was instinctively and that was why she hadn't bothered to seek out his eyes. He stood still frozen in place with his breath held as he waited for the human to be offended by being so casually referred to. However the woman didn't give Peter's stuttering a second thought as she continued on her way.

"We should go back." Peter announced once she was out of sight. "Wait…"

Peter looked around the dark tree lined street with a stab of fear as he didn't recognize anything. Terrified by the brief encounter with the human Peter found himself turned around in the unfamiliar neighborhood. He knew the address but he didn't know which direction the street was in. Lost in the maze of houses the once beautiful night turned threatening and dark as it started to rain a little harder. Satchmo easily picked up on Peter's stress by the way he was holding the leash tight to his chest. Satchmo leaned against Peter's legs soaking through his pants with his wet fur. Peter shivered as the near autumn air rushed past him in a quick gust.

"Satchmo, take me home."

Satchmo wagged at hearing his name but he didn't understand the request. His sense of smell was powerful enough to be able to follow his own trail, but he wasn't trained to do so. Realizing he was going to have to find his own way out of trouble Peter took a deep breath and started walking in the direction the woman had gone knowing that he must have come from that way to have crossed her path. Each time he came to an intersection he searched the area for anything that felt familiar. He continued making choices at each street he came to becoming less confident each time he did so. Coming to a familiar intersection Peter stood on the corner and his stomach twisted painfully as he realized that the reason it looked familiar was that he had just been here and had gone in a small circle. Panicked he stood on the sidewalk unsure of which way to turn to get home and fearing he'd just make his situation worse by another wrong turn.

"Are you lost?"

Peter tensed at the male voice that had come from behind him. In his distress he hadn't heard the door at the top of the steps of the nearby Brownstone townhouse.

"I am." Peter admitted without turning around.

"New Master?" The man asked in a sympathetic tone.

Peter automatically turned around to look at the man who had identified him, not sure what he should do. Standing in the doorway was a portly man about his age. Peter felt that he needed to run but he'd never bolted from a human before and couldn't seem to pick a direction to run.

"Let me guess, they just sent you out in the cold alone with the dog because they couldn't be bothered, and they didn't even try to make sure you knew your way first?"

"H...how..."

"I saw your eyes flash the first time you came around the block." The man explained. "I haven't seen an Animula in this neighborhood in a very long time."

"I'm sorry, Master."

"You don't have to call me that. Where are you trying to get to?"

Not wanting to give away Neal's location Peter gave the man a set of cross streets that he knew how to get home from.

"You are turned around." The man smiled sadly. "Go left here, up three blocks, then right, just keep heading straight you'll get there."

"Thank you, Master."

"I'm no one's Master, never have been. Good luck, come back if you need more help. I'm Roger by the way."

"Peter."

"Good to meet you, Peter."

"…you as well, Roger."