Chapter 62: The Young Prince
Master was dead. The old pack had abandoned their posts. The mission seemed to be over, but he hadn’t been relieved of his duties yet. He hadn’t been given any new ones either.
He was a good boy. His new pack told him so. They welcomed him and told him to be patient. So he was. He waited for a new assignment. It was tough, he was driven away several times, but he returned anticipating a new schedule each time. Ages passed, but he waited. He was still a good boy, even if no one said so anymore.
He stayed in the shadows, near where the kennels had been. It was where the missions were assigned, but the area had been transformed. The kennels no longer contained dogs. Instead, they were filled with humans who, like him, seemed to be waiting in the dirt for their own assignments.
Eventually, an outsider appeared. He smelled like the beach. The man even knew he was a good boy! He offered a new job, and maybe, a new purpose. He was meant to be a working dog, so he decided to go with the outsider’s pack.
He wasn’t fully prepared for what came next. Winds that stung his eyes were conjured by one of the outsider’s packmates. He wished she hadn’t, but they were rescuing more of their pack, so he understood and stayed patient.
Another of the packmates revealed speed that made him wish he could chase, but he was a good boy, and he waited with the others. They were much more generous with the ear scratches than he was used to, so he wasn’t ever feeling disappointed.
They left the airport behind. He couldn’t remember if he had ever left before because he had been trained at the airport as a pup and then worked on site everyday. He had the most important job. He chased the birds away from the airplanes. Without him, the whole system would grind to a halt. Only the best dogs were qualified to do what he did.
As they left his whole world behind, he was given a proper name. It felt like he was being reborn. A new master, a new pack, a new home, a new purpose, a new name. Sunny. He loved it. He wanted to shine bright like only a good boy could.
Sunny’s new home was so very different from what he was used to, but everyone he saw was friendly. He didn’t feel like a working dog. He was treated like the special guests that entered through the private entrances of the airport. He even picked his own job. It was a lot of pressure for the one year old to decide his future, but one option called to him. He became a Basic Tracker. He thought it played to his strengths.
They celebrated the master’s return with a feast like he had never tasted before. It was even better than the treats he occasionally received for a job well-done. It was a huge contrast compared to the last few weeks of dirty looks and being ignored or chased away. He was already feeling like he made the right choice in following the outsider to his territory.
Afterwards, the master brought him to what Sunny recognized as the control tower. He wasn’t allowed up the stairs until after the dreaded bath. Sunny was still happy, despite the looming threat. Sleeping there was way better than the stacked kennels with all of the other dogs or the dirt that his previous home had become. He went to sleep at the foot of the stairs, making it impossible for anyone to sneak by. He fell asleep knowing he was a good boy.
He hadn’t slept for long before a shadow smacked him in the snout. Sunny jumped up, but couldn’t spot his assailant. He bared his teeth, but it was in vain. The shadows themselves drove him away from the stairs and left him underneath the coffee table. Sunny stayed put, watching for a long time, smelling, and listening, but there was nothing for him to detect. He went back to sleep without leaving his new spot. He still needed to learn more about this territory. It seemed like the shadows themselves were to be respected. He had received their stern warning loud and clear.