I'm an Explorer

Today, the Master and the Mistress took me for a long, long ride.

Mother was apprehensive at first because Mistress started packing the green crate. She has experienced that same sort of feeling that she had before Pangga,Inday and Bunso were sent away. She was afraid that I might be sent away too.

Mother whined and even stood on her hind legs to help Mistress re-think that I should stay. I don't think Mistress even noticed her antics. The Baron did. He hit mother soundly with a broomstick that got mother whimpering in pain. Mistress ran to mother soothed her aching body with her soft patting. She also gave the Baron a scolding for hurting mother that bad.

Master and Mistress kept me in the crate lined with waterproof plastic and cotton cloth. They put my crate beside the Baron - which scared me to death. Probably Master wanted me to behave when I'm with them. Mistress put me in her lap after she had put on cheesecloth on her clothes.

I was a little offended. Could the mistress have assumed I might lose control of my bladder?

"This will keep your fur from sticking to my clothes, Utoy." Mistress reassured me.

When the big machine purred, I could feel the floor move underneath my paws. Mistress held me closely beside her soft, warm, tummy. I still felt giddy - I could feel my saliva froth in my mouth.

"Don't worry, Utoy, Riboy won't hurt you." she assured me as she wiped my frothy mouth. So Riboy must be the name of the big machine.

I crawled out of mistress' lap and onto her shoulder. She gladly let me stay there even though she had to restrain me at first. I felt her warm nape and the smell of her hair comforting. Her voice as she talked to the Master was like assuring. I drifted off to sleep for a while.

I awoke when a small hand grabbed my tail. It was the Baron's son. I never got to sleep again because I had to keep my tail underneath me.

When the Master chose to buy burgers for a fast lunch, I could not get myself to eat it. I was too thirsty to eat. Mistress allowed me to walk around a bit while they waited for the burgers to be served. After the burgers were eaten, we had to ride again and I was on Mistress' lap again.

When we got to our destination, they let me out of my crate. This new place we went to also had a lot of dogs. I can smell their scent - almost like Mama Meha's. I was also a little thirsty but the Mistress managed to give me ice cold (a treat!) water from a hairy wooden shell which reeked of dog smells.

I was not mistaken, because the resident dogs mobbed me - That's right, MOBBED me. There was this lean brownish gray dame with pointed ears but with kind brown eyes who sniffed my butt. I guess her pups, one male and the other female, followed her lead. But they bumped me and barked at me like I'm intruding their space.

When they saw my Mistress, the gray dog greeted her courteously in DogSpeak, "Mistress, you've come back for me!" as she licked Mistress' hands.

Mistress does not seem to understand the yearning of the gray dog to have her as Mistress again because she gave her my dog treats, which she ate greedily - not even giving her pups!

"Chiyo, this is Utoy, my pet." Mistress told the gray dog as she patted its head, "Utoy, this is Chiyo, Mama Meha's sister." Mistress turned to me

I cowered with fear at the look that the gray dog gave me. She realized that she's never going to be Mistress' pet anymore.

"So, you're the newbie, eh?" she hissed in DogSpeak, "When Mistress is through with you, you'll end up here too."

Then she left. I hid in my green crate. I think there's an event that the Mistress and Master celebrated with their pack. I knew because I saw the Mistress' sister Josette and her husband and son. There was the Yellow Baron's son and the Mistress' other pack members. They ate a lot of food (I can smell pretty well what they are!) and drank a lot of bursting liquid (which the Mistress' calls soda).

They left for a long time and when they came back, they were wet and their skin, a little darker than usual. The Mistress had red eyes like her companions. They also deflated a wet rubber bed which they loaded in our transport.

The Mistress fed me food but had to fend off the other dogs from eating my food. I wondered if the people here even feed them. Why are they so hungry? Why do they compete for food?

When we got into Riboy for the ride home, I could tell everybody was exhausted. I would have wanted to tell Mistress everything that I had done in that place and how the other dogs had treated me badly but she wouldn't understand. I will tell mother when I have the chance. She probably knows why.

After we had arrived home, the Mistress and the Master fed Mother and Mama Meha as well as the Horde with dog food. I was not that hungry, just thirsty. I lapped up water from the water bowl and settled in the crate for a short nap