2019-05-12 - spike - The New Shop 114

Author: spike
Title: The New Shop 114
Date: 12 May 2019

Chapter 114
I was in doggy heaven in no time but I held myself back.

I made it appear I was learning to read the sensations. Learning how to carry so much weight in my jaws and aimed to be middle of the pack each time.

When we were sent out to collect balls, I’d retrieve two. With so many dogs in the field, the experienced ones, the ones who’d been dogs a few times before were the ones who’d raced ran around delivering the balls to different places much as Slasher and I had the first two times.

For me… Loving every second of it and willing it never to end. Of course, when Sunday arrived, it was out, into the gym, get yourself loosened up and straight back in again.

By the end of the second week, I allowed myself to move forward in the rankings. Sixty five dogs though… How the hell were they going to… I shrugged. Not my concern. All that concerned me was winning the race.

It must’ve been the final day of training because as we stood in the gym, we froze and our goggles blackened.

What breed, I wonder. Oh god, please, not the poodle. Make me a German Shepherd, a husky, anything with a wolfish appearance. Please don’t make me…

There was movement and this time, I knew why. There was a lot of manhandling involved in applying the pelt.

I remained frozen and blind for… Ahhh what difference does it make? I’ve given up on time so why even refer to it?

My eyes cleared and I found myself staring at a black Labrador. Still frozen though, I couldn’t see much of myself apart the end of my snout which was a light tan.

I felt my tail shoot up. What was I? Golden Labrador? Retriever? The moment I unfroze, I bolted to the closest mirror to see.

I looked good! I looked amazing! Not wolfy but still… What breed was I? I… I shrugged. It didn’t matter what breed I was. I was a good looking one, that’s all that mattered.

I moved to one side to allow some of the others to see themselves and scanned the crowd. There. I padded over to the Rottweiler, sat in front of him and nuzzled his ear.

His tail shot up then. He wagged.

“Sit!”

I turned so I was facing front and sat beside my newest friend.

The elevator opened and six wolves stepped out and lined up in front of us.

Again M strode in front of us. “We start in the morning. The hunters begin now. The rules? Simplicity itself. You get to the finish line in the fastest time possible. As with previous races, those six will be out to stop you. You all know how that happens by now but this time, there’s an addition.”

Addition? What kind of…

“Master Q’s taken part in a few of the events started by Eleven on the island now so this time, there are four of these out there.” He held up a baton.

“Each represents a different thing. If you collect the one that signifies shelter, ten extra points and one hour deducted from your time. Collecting the one signifying home, the finish line, twenty-five extra points and three hours deducted. The one signifying a predator is the one to aim for but how will you tell? If you find that one, fifty points, a full twelve hours off your time and the other dogs will sense you as a predator while you carry it. The hunters will not however, you’re still prey to them. For the final baton, the warning, negative fifty points and twelve hours added for its collection. Avoid at all costs.”

Hmm. Odd. So there are two finish lines this time and one’s fake but worth twenty-five? Could get more interesting. I might have to hold Tyson at bay, he’d never understand.

Unless… I shrugged. He does know to steal from other dogs.

“Get used to your fur. Walk around the gym, do not over-exert yourselves. Hunters… Come.”

The wolves followed M back into the elevator and in seconds, they were gone.
* * *
The journey had been the usual, long, bumpy in places but this time I didn’t care how uncomfortable it was. Three trucks to carry all the dogs this time and there was another difference, at least, I assume so. I’ve never been a dog in a race before. I just assumed they were all dropped at the start. This time, dogs were dropped at different points.

Then it was my turn. I was lead out of the truck, my leash was unclipped and M returned to the truck. Before it drove away…

“Stay.”

I sat on my haunches and waited. I looked around. It wasn’t snowy this time. It must’ve melted weeks ago. Bare trees and bushes indicated it was still winter, but it wasn’t cold enough for ice or snow. Poison ivy or oak? Not any I could see. It must’ve withered in the extreme cold and be awaiting the warmth of spring.

Time passed. I ignored it. Instead, I meditated. I relaxed. Screw the batons, I want to be Tyson again. Let my cares go, everything but home, nothing matters but home, shelter and avoiding hunters. If I find a baton along the way, I’ll take it. If I find one in another dog’s jaws, I’ll steal it. Otherwise… Nothing but the race. I’m Tyson. Let everything else drift away. Go the long way, try for longest distance too, it’ll avoid more hunters. Avoid the hunters, Tyson, find home.

I relaxed more, I could feel my… self going to sleep. I could feel him emerging. I could feel Tyson

“Home, boy!”

I stood, turned in my circle to sense things and bolted just off the opposite direction.

For the rest of the day, I ran. As the home sense shrank away and the warning sense grew, I turned, following the perimeter of the field.

I didn’t see another dog all day and as the sun began to sink towards the horizon, when hunger forced me to seek shelter, I turned inwards.

I was overwhelmed by the joy of being a dog again. The last vestiges of me slipped away and I continued to run towards food and sleep.

The shelter was easy to find. So was the food. I settled down to sleep.
* * *
The next day was much the same. The only difference? I ran the moment the sun came up and continued until thirst drove me to seek out water. It took a while to find a stream and my search took me back into the field of play, not that anything so human concerned me right then.

It was getting late before I found one and drank my fill, so again, food and shelter were next. I was running purely on instinct.

Another sleep but something disturbed it. That sensation began to grow which triggered dreams of chasing down other dogs. It was still there when I woke. I nosed the door release and looked out. It was dawn, the sun a deep red which coloured the bleak landscape and made it appear foreboding. A warning perhaps? The prey… I paused. Looked at my nose, at my tail… No. I was the prey. A hunter was near and I remembered the last time I’d been in this situation.

The last time, I’d lurked near a shelter ready to take a dog down. This time, I was the dog. My only chance, take him by surprise and run. Run for my life.

I bolted out of the shelter like a bullet from the muzzle of a rifle and sprinted away. No changes in direction yet, I was running away from home and before long, the sensation of the hunter faded.

Instinct and being a hunter before told me what that meant and I slowed, leapt into the nearest thicket and waited until the sensation returned before changing direction, back towards the warning zone, back towards the boundary of play, remaining under cover until I was safe.

I knew such a change without me in sight should mean he’d not realise I’d veered off at first. That should give me a chance. I looked back, all around as I continued and I saw no sign of him. The out-of-bounds sensation returned and this time, I continued until it became painful before turning back to the direction I’d been travelling in.

The pain performed a function I’d not considered. It woke me slightly. Not enough to lose the dog, but enough to be aware in the background, nudging him. It was almost like a split personality, Tyson desperate to escape the pain, the need to leave the pain zone was almost overwhelming but I managed to keep him on course. Keep him from bolting back into danger.

No further encounters, dog or wolf, that day and again, shelter, food, wake up the next morning.

It wasn’t long after dawn when my sense of the finish line… Well…

It didn’t change, it’d been slowly drifting to my right as I continued, obviously because I was getting close to being level with it… Less than an hour after starting… I felt it drift behind me. I continued for another few minutes on the course I’d been travelling when the pain increased. So, the back of the finish line was also out of bounds. I turned to follow this new pain zone and increased my pace.

I’m not sure how far it was but I was on the other side of it. No chance of any wolves catching me here. They’d all be concentrating on the final straight.

It was a while before I saw it. A truck. A small figure in army fatigues. I let myself drift away again as I left the pain zone and bolted to him.

By the time I got there I was pure dog again. I stood beside him and looked up, my tail in hyperdrive.

It was a few seconds before he saw me. He jumped in shock and made some noises I didn’t recognise.

I recognised boy and cocked my head.

More sounds. He pointed. There was a dog on the final straight and it was bolting straight towards me. I wagged, looked up at him.

“Sit!”

I sat.

“Lie down?”

I did.

“Roll over!”

I rolled.

Another stream of sounds ending in “boy!”

Another cock of the head.

More sounds, they sounded… urgent? He pointed again, made more sounds, almost panicked. He picked up a stick and tossed it. “Fetch!”

I bolted after the stick, retrieved it and bolted back to him just as the other dog gained on me. We were neck and neck as I crossed the line. This dog… He looked different. Sleeker. Faster. Much less bulky in the legs. He looked like a Dobermann.

“Good dogs!”

I sat in shock as the pleasure overwhelmed me. The other dog did the same.

“Baron, stay!” followed by more noises. He stroked me and looked at a collar on his front leg. “Dodger!” and some other sounds.

Another cock of the head and a tail wag as I recognised my name.

He sighed and muttered something. Then his attention returned to the straight.

The shadows were beginning to lengthen before he pointed as ten more dogs emerged from various bushes and bolted to the finish.

This time, they were pursued by wolves. Three wolves.

As soon as they sensed the threat six increased their pace. The other four fell behind a little before realising their danger and three fell very soon after, the fourth sprinted in an attempt to catch up with the rest.

He didn’t get far.

The other six crossed unhindered.

As each one crossed, the sarge stroked and looked, his paw moved about on a flat thing. he made more of those curious sounds and the dogs lined up behind him.

I was paying more attention to the wolves. My brothers. My pack. I wanted to join them but I’d been told to stay. They looked at each other, twitched their heads, nodded and bolted in different directions.

The straight was empty again for quite a while.

More dogs, and with three wolves, a lot more captures. Very few managed to run the gauntlet and succeed that day. Their only hope was to bolt for the finish en-mass in numbers more than five for there to be any hope of them crossing without a tail pull.

One group of twenty totally overwhelmed the hunters. Five of them sacrificed themselves to allow the other fifteen to cross by leaping at them and attempting to pin them.

Of those fifteen, two had something gripped in their jaws.

One of those five seemed familiar. It was big. Much bigger than the rest. It looked like a Rottweiler and… I wagged as I recognised him.

Another two wolves joined them and the rest of the dogs out there were doomed.

The sun had set a long time ago when the last dog came racing across that field, a wolf on his tail and five ahead. He attempted to dodge, to evade them, even to leap over one of them but a tail pull was quick to follow.

Half an hour later, that dog, released from his freeze, bolted to the finish unopposed, his tail between his legs. Last place.

The sarge pointed at the truck and more noises. Most of the dogs immediately leapt up the crates placed there to allow them to clamber aboard.

Three dogs remained. All three of us with the same curious cocked head.

The sarge tapped each of us. “Heal.”

We followed him as he hopped up too. “Stay.”

And with that, he was gone, the back doors closed and we were plunged into darkness. There was a judder and a strange vibration, a rattling noise and I could see again.

Then I felt movement.
* * *
We were home. We sat before the big moving thing and I looked up as my Master appeared. My true master. A master I loved. My tail increased its speed considerably at the sight of him.

He made those curious sounds for some time and the sarge did too. Then…

“Come, boy.”

I looked up at him and ran towards him. “Stay!”

I skidded to a halt and looked to my sides to see two other dogs had done the same.

Then, another voice I recognised. Another voice belonging to my masters. The sounds were just sounds though.

This repeated, worked its way into my mind, wormed into my subconscious and slowly, nudged the part of me I’d put away. I woke up, my mind stretched and expanded as Tyson retreated.

“Eleven. Wake up, now. You’ve done it. You can come back to yourself, Eleven.”

I shook my head, stood and nodded at him.

“Are you aware what I’m saying?”

I nodded and looked at the other two. One of the huskies and a red setter. Wait… Two? Another dog had managed it? I wondered which one might be N.

Both were slow in returning to themselves. Obviously their real names were being repeated to them. Perhaps if one was a blank it was its old name but eventually both shook their heads and looked around, their tails shooting up in surprise.

“Can you all understand what I’m saying now?”

I nodded, the other two did too.

“This is astounding. The first time I encountered this was one of my slaves on the island and now three more have done it.”

Then, M’s voice.

“Done it, sir? Eleven said something about finding his dog, going deep, sir.”

“Quite. That’s exactly what they succeeded in doing. Three dogs that’d gone so deep they only understood trained commands. So deep they’d completely lost themselves to it. I hear it’s an amazing experience. N couldn’t shut up about it when he described how it was for him.”

“It does sound… Interesting.”

“You’ll have to ask Eleven about it. He did experience it too after all. Now, I think it’s time for the initial results. As always, the main body of the points will be awarded later, but for now, First, second and third place for both hunter and racer.

In first place, I… I would’ve said joint first, considering they both crossed the line at the same time, but Dodger was there for well over a minute before the sarge threw a stick for him. Why did it take you so long?”

“I… Sorry, sir, it’s the first time I’ve seen it. He didn’t seem to understand, sir. I told him twice he needed to cross the line. When I realised, I threw the stick to force him to cross it.”

“Yes, well, because of that. Dodger gains first position. Baron comes in second. In third place, again, we have an outsider. Very close but well done anyway, Archie. That places you first place among the outsiders of course, which has a larger monetary prize. You also earn three hours of pleasure.”

I glanced back. Too many dogs this time to see who that was.

“As we’re on the outsiders… In third place, Bullet. Step forward.”

A sheepdog joined us. Possibly the same pelt M had worn. It sat on its haunches and wagged.

“Do you understand your friend’s decision now?”

He nodded.

“Tempted?”

He froze. He looked around. Something about his posture changed. I could see that. It was difficult to say how. He leaned back into a beg, put his front paws as far behind his back as possible and leaned forward until his snout touched the floor. A thank you? Or as close to a thank you a dog could perform?

“You wish to remain? Give yourself to me?”

He tapped. 2, 6.

“Very well, permission to speak.”

“I.f . I . d.o… C.o.u.l.d . I . r.e.m.a.i.n . w.i.t.h . M.u.t.t.l.e.y . s.i.r . . W.h.e.r.e.e.v.e.r . h.e . g.o.e.s . I . g.o . . I.f . h.e . s.t.a.y.s . I . s.t.a.y . w.i.t.h . h.i.m”

“You’re not the first to make such a request. Very well. If you like we can also have you share the same cage from now on.”

“I . c.a.n . s.i.r . . F.o.r . l.i.f.e . s.i.r”

“Yes.”

“T.h.e.n . I . a.g.r.e.e . s.i.r”

“You don’t want to do what Diablo did last time?”

“S.i.r . . O.h . b.u.c.k.e.t . l.i.s.t . . B.l.a.n.k . t.o.l.d . m.e . a.b.o.u.t . t.h.a.t . . N.o . s.i.r . . I.l.l . t.a.k.e . i.t . n.o.w . s.i.r . . C.a.n.t . b.e.l.i.e.v.e . h.o.w . t.e.r.r.i.f.y.i.n.g . t.h.i.s . i.d.e.a . w.a.s . a . m.o.n.t.h . a.g.o . . I.m . y.o.u.r.s . s.i.r”

“Excellent. Welcome to the club. Muttley, step forward.”

Another dog joined us. Afgan hound this time. He sat beside his friend.

“Congratulations. Not on your position in the race. Middle ground for you, twenty-first place but a lot better than final place among the outsiders. I’m going to name you. Consider yourself promoted to silver.”

His tail shot up.

“You may not have aided in the capture of a slave in the traditional sense but you did talk him into joining us for the race. Talked him into experiencing our life. If you hadn’t done that he would’ve been a free man. Now, he’s one of us and you’re named.”

“2 . 6 . W.h.a.t . n.a.m.e . s.i.r”

“That is yet to be determined. There will be other names to give.”

“T.h..a.n.k . y.o.u . s.i.r” He looked about. Paused. Looked about again. “S.i.r . . C.a.n . I . r.e.m.a.i.n . b.l.a.n.k . f.o.r . a . t.i.m.e . . E.x.p.e.r.i.e.n.c.e . i.t . m.o.r.e . b.e.f.o.r.e . b.e.i.n.g . n.a.m.e.d”

Q chuckled. “I think we can do better than that. You’re not the first silver I’ve added a new hood and vest to. One that can be blanked much as my golds are. How does that sound?”

“B.l.a.n.k.e.d . l.i.k.e . t.h.e.m . . A.n.y . t.i.m.e”

“Yes.”

Muttley attempted a thank you, too.

“Understand, when you are blanked, that is one time you won’t be sharing a cage with your friend?”

He nodded. His friend did too.

I noticed one congratulation he hadn’t said. As I was already named, I wondered what he was going to do. Maybe that’d have to wait for the final results and the highest score would get it.

“Good. Now, back to the business at hand. Second place among the outsiders. With over sixty dogs racing this time, it’s no surprise the more experienced would have the upper hand… paw. Congratulations, Moonbeam. I imagine your mistress will be very pleased with you this time.”

Moonbeam? She’d entered him again? I might get to see her again. Oh god, I hoped so.

Q continued. “Bomber. Step forward.”

Another dog joined our ranks, this one, a black Labrador.

“How did you enjoy it, boy?”

He nodded, his tail wagging.

“Now, you know how the races work. Just as we have rewards we also have penalties. I know you didn’t get the opportunity to join in on the training until the final day when pelts were added, but still the penalty stands. One month as a dog and as you didn’t enter the dog until two days ago, you will not be released this Sunday. Next Sunday will be your first time out of the dog. How do you feel about that?”

His tail sank between his legs.

Q rattled something on the keyboard and spoke again but this time, I couldn’t hear him. I looked around and a few of the other dogs were looking around in confusion too, but Bomber, his tail left its home between his legs and began wagging furiously within a minute. He nodded again.

Bomber? I’d heard that name before, but I couldn’t remember which slave it belonged to.

Another rattle on the keyboard and Q became audible again. “Now, before we move onto the hunters, Buster, step forward.”

Another dog sat beside us.

“I believe it’s time you were told.”

He cocked his head.

“Yes, we had a little secret. Your master requested it. During one of your washes you were sedated and your suit replaced. It is now permanent. You’ll never be free, you’re mine. A slave for the rest of your life”

He sprang to his feet. His tail erect.

“You may have noticed your master has a name, Buster. Well, when he’s not racing he has a slave name. He opted to give you to me at the same time as himself. You are the other slave who’ll remain paired. Don’t worry, you’ll always be in the same place he is. Always be at his side. His dog suit is just as permanent as your slave suit.”

He nodded. His tail wagged.

“Good. Now, hunters. With over sixty dogs this time, we had to assign more of you. Fry, Thor and Diablo had never hunted before but you did perform admirably.

We’ve totted up your scores. You’ll receive prizes for best captures, best hiding place and distance travelled with the rest at the main prize giving, but we can announce third, second and first place among you now.

In third place, Diablo. Damned good job for a first timer.
In second, Duke.
And in first. Bandit.

You surprised me, Slasher. I expected better, but considering the number of dogs out there, each of you capturing over ten, it’s hardly a surprise it’d be a harder competition for all of you this time. M. Line up all the dogs along the perimeter of the basketball court.”

As we all lined up, Q continued.

“Allow Bandit to choose the next hunter to join your ranks. Bandit, you also have a boon. Think long and hard on what you request. Anything apart from freedom will be granted.”

I think I could guess which dog he’d choose.

I was right. First dog, me.

Q smiled down from the screen. “I suggest you choose again. I won’t say why… Yet. Dodger isn’t one to be chosen.”

Bandit’s tail shot up in surprise but he nodded and selected Baron instead.

Q chuckled. “I thought that might be the case. How do you like the idea, Baron. Every single race and from now on, a hunter?”

He nodded, his tail wagging up a storm.

“Very good. Get them out in race order, M. Dodger first. Get them back on their feet and down to the wet room for their wash.”

“Yes, sir.”