2019-01-22 - spike - The New Shop 96

Author: spike
Title: The New Shop 96
Date: 22 January 2019

Chapter 96
I bolted from the exit in a flash. God it felt good to be Tyson again. The moment I was away from the barrier, I circled and got a bead on the other dogs. On the food trackers too.

Then I paused, sat on my haunches and breathed deeply.

Calm. Put your cares away. Let it all drift into the background. Let it go. All of it. The only thing that matters now is finding and retrieving that food. Moving food. The only thing that matters is moving food.

I closed my eyes. I didn’t concentrate. I didn’t try to lose myself. I relaxed and let it all drift away.

I’m not sure how long I sat there but I continued, relax, meditate, lose everything. Lose myself to my instincts. My tail wagged. I could feel it as if it was a part of me. It was a part of me. It was me.

I sprang to my paws and bolted towards my first victim.

I relished in it, toyed with him, dropped my decoy behind him and ran around. It was clear this one had sensed me or at least, sensed something. He moved cautiously, changing direction, changing speed, but I kept myself out of his sphere of sensation for most of it, occasionally prodding, guiding, attempting to scare the shit out of him.

I could sense then, he’d frozen. He’d detected my other tracker which was what I’d been prodding him towards.

I walked around him, prodding, making him think there were even more. A pack of wolves rather than just one.

Again, he entered the sphere of the decoy and I moved into his sphere fully too.

Then I saw him. Down on my belly, out of sight, I moved to his rear and sprang.

I had his tail before he knew it.

Frozen solid, he stood there, helpless as I walked around to the front, gripped his tracker, wrenched it from his jaws and bolted to my drop off point manned by Six.

I’d never felt like this before. This quick, this fit and that aided in my goal no end. I felt the last vestiges of my conscious mind slipping away and welcomed it.

I was a dog. Nothing but a dog and that’s all I’d ever been or would ever want to be.

With a leap of joy, I continued to my master and dropped the first tracker at his feet. Even before Six had picked it up, I bolted back into the wastes for my next victim.

How many I retrieved, I have no idea. It didn’t concern me in the least. The only thing that did was pleasing my master and after the second tracker was dropped, I got a good dog for every one.

I forgot about my decoy. That was an irrelevance now. Nothing mattered but the food and only if it was moving.

I continued throughout the night and long after dawn. Chasing, snatching, retrieving. Most fell to my bite. A few escaped.

“Tyson. Home.”

My master’s voice. I looked around in confusion and seeing nothing, I circled once and bolted towards where I knew I’d last seen him.

Miles of bare earth passed under my paws until there… There he was. I bolted to him and nuzzled his crotch. He scratched me behind the ear and then…

“Very good boy.”

Oh god, I collapsed into paroxysms of ecstasy.

Some sounds reached my ears, then. I cocked my head.

My master tapped a collar thing on his paw with his other one. More sounds. It was a voice, but it wasn’t the voice of my master.

I cocked my head again wondering what it was.

My master seemed to be shaking for some reason. He shook his head, he tapped again, this time with the paw he’d been tapping before.

“Tyson. Heel.”

I sprang to my feet and stood by his side. He reached down and stroked me. I shuddered with pleasure.

His paw reached up and touched something and the wall opened. He stepped through and I stuck to his side like glue. He touched another and another wall vanished into itself. He stepped inside.

“Tyson. Sit. Stay.”

I sat and he left the room. The wall reappeared, separating us.

Water… Weird water. It filled the room. I tried. I tried to doggy paddle. To keep my nose above it but I couldn’t. I couldn’t breathe, I… I began to panic. And then it was gone.

I lay on my side and shook head in shock as another wall opened. I looked at the one that separated me from my master, I looked up and saw him looking in.

“Tyson. Forward.”

My tail sprang up in surprise and then sank between my legs in fear. I shied away from that next place.

“Tyson. Forward.”

My master’s voice. I forced myself in, the wall reappeared and again, weird water.

This time, I managed to keep myself up above by doggy paddling until there was nothing, no air left to breath. I began to sink again and again, a whoosh as the water was gone.

Again, the next wall opened and again. “Tyson, forward.”

I’d never felt so terrified. I didn’t know what was happening but I knew somehow it was important. I stepped through. Again, the same.

And again, then finally, my master! I leaped up and he stroked me. He tapped his paw again and…

“Stay.” as it began to rain. He took something and stroked me with it. Oh god it felt good. My tail left its hiding place and began to wag again.

“Very good boy.”

Another bout of ecstasy. Oh god, if going through that meant a reward, I wouldn’t even… I’d do it. I’d do anything for him.

“Tyson, heel.”

I followed, glued to his side and we walked across the grass. As we entered home and the moving room. Entered the big place.

Again, more noises. Another voice that wasn’t my masters making noises I didn’t recognise. He knelt before me and looked into my eyes. More noises again.

The noises continued for a while, repetitive, as if it was a command he was trying to teach me. Something… awakened. It recognised the noise. It expanded and pushed. Pushed me away and my conscious mind, my human mind flooded in.

I sighed with disappointment.

“Eleven! Wake up for fuck’s sake.”

Damn! I’d never gone so deep before. I knew exactly how Brutus felt now and I wanted to go back. I knew now though, I knew it was possible.

I shook my head. “2,6 W.h.a.t . d.i.d . y.o.u . h.a.v.e . t.o . d.o . t.h.a.t . f.o.r”

“Do what?”

“I . w.a.s . T.y.s.o.n . . I . h.a.d . i.t . . I . m.a.n.a.g.e.d . t.o . d.o . w.h.a.t . B.r.u.t.u.s . h.a.s . . I . w.a.s . h.i.m . a.n.d . I . n.e.v.e.r . w.a.n.t.e.d . i.t . t.o . e.n.d”

“Come on, let’s get you out.”

“A.l.r.e.a.d.y . T.h.e . d.o.g.s . a.r.e.n.t . e.v.e.n . b.a.c.k . y.e.t . L.e.t . t.h.e.m . s.e.e . t.h.e.i.r . h.u.n.t.e.r”

I settled down by Five and rested my nose on my paws.

“Alright. When we release the others, that’s when we release you.”

My tail began to wag. “2, 6. O.n.e . m.o.r.e . d.a.y . . L.e.t . u.s . o.u.t . i.n . t.h.e . m.o.r.n.i.n.g . . L.e.t . t.h.e . p.a.n.e.l . a.s.s.i.g.n . t.h.e . p.o.i.n.t.s . a.n.d . p.r.i.z.e.s . a.n.d . g.i.v.e . t.h.e.m . t.h.e.i.r . r.e.s.u.l.t.s . w.h.i.l.e . s.t.i.l.l . d.o.g.s . . . P.l.e.a.s.e”

He tapped on his armband. “I managed to get through to him. He says, one more day, let the panel do their job and tell them the results while they’re still dogs. Including him.”

It was Ten’s voice who replied. “He does love it as Tyson, Five. What happened? I overheard Six and then you trying to talk to him. You had me selected.”

“He was in deep. First thing he said when he snapped out of it was what did you have to go and do that for? He was in doggy heaven from what I could tell. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Never seen Brutus? He’s in that state now and has been all week according to Eleven. I’m surprised he managed it so quickly.”

“According to Six, he left the compound, bolted away, circled and then sat for over an hour. He must’ve been trying to lose himself then. Looks like he succeeded.”

I looked up at Five and nodded.

“OK. One more day. The dogs’ll need a sleep after last night anyway. How did they do?”

Six’s voice joined in. “Tyson was amazing. He retrieved ten batons. How many were out there anyway?”

Four then. “Forty and Tyson was only going after the retrieved ones. I’ve had fourteen delivered. Out of all those dogs out there, only fourteen made it through. He did an amazing job. Can’t wait to see the edited highlights.”

My tail increased its speed at that.

Five reached down and unhooked my tracker. I sat up on my haunches, just a nameless dog with a bare collar… As far as any dog entering was concerned.

It was a few minutes before the first appeared, he joined me, sat beside me and looked at my collar. That cocked head curious look. I imagine I’d been doing that myself quite a few times.

Six knelt and removed his. No name tag replaced it. I had as much clue who this dog was as he did I was Tyson. My tail increased its speed again. I chuckled.

One by one, the other dogs arrived. All lined up and Four tapped each to get their idents.

Then the last one appeared. The others looked at him in confusion. Looked down the line. A few tapped their paws to count.

As that one joined the line-up too, Four stood before us. “I’ve not seen any of the action yet. I will say this, I was expecting better from you. All of you. Out of all the dogs out retrieving free batons, only fourteen were delivered to me. We won’t tell you the results yet but I will say this… One dog out there retrieved ten but he wasn’t one of you and he didn’t deliver them to me so they don’t count towards the total.”

A few looked from side to side in an attempt to spot the interloper.

“Tyson. Step forward.”

I padded forward and sat beside Four, facing them.

A couple sprang to their feet, their tails shooting into the air.

“Yes. That was the surprise Eleven had in store for you. He was out there hunting you. He had only one rule. He could only retrieve batons that were in motion. Batons already collected by you. He could only take batons directly from your jaws and he did an amazing job. Ten captures in one night. I will say this… How well you evaded him or didn’t will factor heavily in the final results.”

A couple began to wag. I could guess they wanted last place.

“I’ve summoned your trainers. Tyson will be joining you this time. You remain dogs until the results have been tallied. Get some sleep. You need it. Tomorrow is results day.”
* * *
I don’t think I’ve ever been so content, slept so deeply and my dreams… My god they were vivid. I can’t remember dreaming in such detail before.

It wasn’t just random shit either. My entire experience from the previous night seemed to play out for my conscious mind to process. I admit when I’d snapped out of it, my memory had begun to fuzz a little.

Now, Cinemascope, Ultra HD, Technicolor and ultra-surround sound. Every chase, every capture and every miss played out in my mind. Again, that feeling of complete freedom, the feeling of being nothing but a dog. I embraced it and relaxed, snuggled the other dog in my cage even more.

I slept so deeply that for the first time in as long as I can remember, I wasn’t awoken by the beep of the cages opening.

I don’t know how long I remained before I snapped awake to master’s voice.

“Tyson. Heel.”

God, I felt good though. Energised, refreshed in ways I couldn’t describe, I leapt off the bed and padded to his side.

“Come.”

I followed of course. Up in the elevator to the gym, I joined the rest and sat as Ten walked down the line with a clipboard.

“For those who are unaware, we didn’t just base the prize this time on first past the post. Or in this case, most batons collected and handed to Four. As with the races, we had other criteria and we selected a number of blanks with dog experience to assess your performance. No, that does not include your trainers and the blanks were not informed who you were outside the dog. Just what your dog names were.”

I nodded. Totally unbiased in a way no-one could fake or manipulate. Good. At least, this time it was. Once dog names get to be known, favouritism might spring up, just as football teams or race horses gain fans.

“First, the number of batons collected. This does not mean the number delivered and I will tell you this. It wasn’t just Tyson out there stealing batons from you.

Sleazy. Third place. You collected four free batons. One hour of pleasure,.
Zippy. Second place. Six. Good job. Bloody good job. Two hours of pleasure.
And in first place with seven free batons collected including the most distant one, Jack. Three hours of pleasure and for the most distant collection, an additional prize of one day free of duty and fifteen points added.
For the rest, Brutus, Two Caesar, two and Muffet, one and Rogue, also one.

Those collections do contribute to your final score. Ten points for each free collection. However. It seems the other dogs had other ideas and you all lost points again as your batons were stolen. For every theft, negative five points for you and five points to the thief. If Tyson was the one to steal your baton, negative ten points. Those points do not go to Tyson however. They’re just nullified. Cancelled. The batons were removed from play. Tyson requires no rewards in this one. Being a dog again was reward enough, wasn’t it, boy?”

My tail wagged. I nodded.

“Now for the most batons delivered.

In third place with two, Brutus. One hour of pleasure. It’ll have to be soon because you’ll be out of your suit again before long.”

Ten paused as Brutus cocked his head recognising his name but little else. “Still not understanding a word I say? We’ll tell you when you’re back on two feet again, then.

In second with four delivered, Caesar. I don’t know how you’ll choose to reward yourself, boy. You’ll be in the same predicament as Brutus, back to yourself today. If you choose to receive it though, two hours of pleasure.

In first place with five delivered, Sleazy. Bloody good going, boy.”

Sleazy’s shoulders shook and he wagged a little faster.

“For the rest, one successfully delivered by Jack, one by Rogue, one by zippy and even though Muffet managed to collect a couple, he failed to deliver any. Bad luck, boy. You weren’t very good at holding onto them were you?”

I glanced down the line and one dog looked at the floor as if ashamed. His tail, static.

“For each successful delivery, ten points.

Now for the fun one… Captures. No, not captures by Tyson. Captures by you. If you stole a baton from another dog, as I said, five points each. More prizes.

With five batons stolen and third place, Rogue. One hour of pleasure added.
With six stolen, second place, Caesar. I really don’t know how this is going to work out but I’m sure you’ll tell us. Two additional hours anyway.
And in first place. The grand master thief extraordinaire award goes to Brutus with eight steals. Very good dog! That’s the best I can do for you until you’re you again but three hours of pleasure.

Now, as we said, we’ve also deducted points based on how many times you were stolen from both by other dogs and by Tyson.

The current tally is as follows.

In third place overall, so far. Jack with forty-five points.
In second place… Caesar with fifty-five and
In first place… Sleazy with an amazing ninty-five points.
We also have a last place to consider and even though you did come last so far, Muffet, don’t worry, it’s not you. You did only score five but there are still bonuses to be awarded.

Fifteen points for the most distant tracker collected. That goes to Jack.
Fifteen for the furthest travelled. Twenty-three miles in one night. Muffet. You spent a lot of time running away at the sight of other dogs after that first tail pull, didn’t you?
Fifteen goes to Brutus for the best capture.
Fifteen goes to Muffet for the best evasion and we decided to throw in an extra bonus ten points because the dog you evaded was Tyson.

For earning those bonuses, one hour and one day free of duties for each of them.

So, the final results will be put up on the screens but the top three places go to…

In third place, Caesar Fifty-five points. Again entirely up to you how you reward yourself, boy.
Second place goes to Jack with sixty points. Two days free of duty and two hours of pleasure.
First place, with a still unassailable ninty-five points, Sleazy. Three days free of duty and three more hours of pleasure.

And the last place holder and the one to remain a dog for one more month goes to… Rogue. You will be allowed out for two days to get yourself back in shape, stretched out, back on two feet and get a lot of exercise before we stuff you back in though.

Muffet. You saved yourself with those bonuses ending with a score of forty-five points.”

I chuckled as I studied the other dogs. Rogue’s tail was in hyperdrive. Rascal had said he thought his dog wanted to get the month and now, he had.

Ten tapped away again. “Ah yes, one final set of rewards. The trainers will receive the same rewards as their dogs. Looks like you’ve got a lot of pleasure coming, Tyson.”

I chuckled. A lot more than even he knew. It could wait. I’d be a blank in no time. Maybe back in the store.