Mike Dillingham - Alaska Dogs and Iditarod Mushers - The Adventures of Balto, Back of the Pack, Honor Bound, Rivers

He felt his anger overcome him.

The man screamed and let go of the young woman. Robby sank his teeth into the bad smelling man’s shoulder, pulling him away like he did to most of the trespassers on his families land.

Robby yelped as the man landed on top of him in an angry heap. The young woman ran to the arms of her coworkers who smelled like French fries and burgers. Suddenly, Robby leapt to his feet after dragging himself out from under the slow moving man. Sinking his teeth into the man’s leg, he shook it like he shook the rabbits he ran down in the back yard.

Robby felt an unnatural rage build in him and thought of his Miss and the bad smelling man who was hurting the young woman. The young woman reminded him of his Miss and he had to protect her just like he protected his Miss. Robby was savage in his attack, but not so bad as to hurt the man too much; he just wanted the man to get the point.

Friends of the woman came to Robby’s aid when the man with the bad smell began bashing Robby on the head. Robby’s head swam as he staggered back dizzily seeing fuzzy lights as he fell over. The people that smelled like French fries pulled Robby away. He let them wrap their arms around him and hold him back. They sat on the man with the bad smell holding him down; Robby could hear the whine of sirens coming and stopped himself from howling at the annoying noise.

The young woman lead Robby into the delicious smelling building as he sniffed her and licked her hand. He wanted to make sure she was okay before he left again; he had spent too much time and energy on the whole mess already. He was eager to be on his way after he had recovered from the blow to his aching head.

Other women, some the young woman’s age, some older, were with her petting and cooing at Robby. The young woman he saved coughed and cried as she hugged him the way his Miss hugged him when she cried the bad tasting tears late at night. Robby licked her cheek saying sorry the best way he could. Humans loved kisses; it made them show their teeth in happiness.

“Thank you, oh, thank you,” the young woman whispered as she hugged him. Her voice was raspy and sounded like it hurt as bad as Robby’s head.

“Look at him! Poor scrawny thing!” another older woman said soothing his head, gently and slowly petting him.

“Get him something to eat,” came a booming male’s voice; it was the manager. “All he will eat. He earned it!” the tall, chunky man said as he handed the older woman who had been petting Robby a large square plastic plate full of wrapped food.

Robby spent the next ten minutes gulping down all the burgers and French fries he could. The salty fries tasted so good and the sloppy mayo-topped burgers, both chicken and beef, left him in silence with delight. His tail wagged madly, which made the humans show their teeth happily.

Robby gorged himself until he couldn’t eat another deep fried, salt-topped fry. They brought him a cool bucket of water that was clean and crisp with a city water tang to it.

He burped repeatedly and lay down to let it all settle feeling a little tired and a little sore.

More sirens came and he realized he was going to have to go soon. People filled the lot by the dumpster, even after they dragged the man away. Robby glanced around the brightly lit eating area looking for a way outside, but the doors were all closed. A police officer came in looking down at Robby as the mangy looking yellow-red dog licked the last of the pickle juice off the floor lazily.

“He looks a little shabby,” the officer said crouching down to meet Robby at eye level. “So this is the wonder dog.”

“He saved my life,” the young woman coughed. Not wanting to let Robby go, she held handfuls of his fur holding him to her shaking body.

“Was he like this before?”

“Yes, he just came flying from the alleyway and grabbed the man,” the manager said, petting Robby with a plump hand. Robby thumped his tail on the floor seeing them showing their teeth, smiling at him.

“Well, Animal Control will take good care of him. They are good people,” the officer said, scratching Robby behind the ear. The door opened again and Robby got up stretching lazily glancing at the people around him. The police officer grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, not wanting Robby to go past him. Robby smiled, a silly thing for a dog to do. His mother was a Rottweiler, Pit Bull, and German Shepard mix. While he got his teeth from her, and his brute strength, he also got her ability to jump.

Very high.

Robby spun in a circle getting loose from the man’s grip and then he jumped right over the police man as he stooped to grab Robby again. Robby slipped out the slightly open door, racing off with people running behind him shouting.

He had to get home.

“Grab that dog!” the officer yelled.

It was too late; Robby was on his way.

Traffic had increased by now, and the road was packed with impatient screaming cars. Robby kept to the side walk as he trotted along, dodging a man smelling of bad alcohol and muttering to himself. He was going to have trouble today; he could feel it in his toes.

There seemed to be no love here in this place, this city. People yelled and cars honked. Any place that smelled as bad as this place did was no place for a dog. Fear kept him moving, his heart flighty; he fought to himself to keep calm. His head rang out from the bashing it had received this morning, and the horrid noise and nauseating smells didn’t help at all.

People pointed, bringing unwanted attention to him. He was very aware of every set of eyes upon him. Once when he was a foolish pup, he learned the most valuable lesson of all. He had approached a kind-talking young man who was smiling. His friends were talking nicely, as well, like the Miss did, so sweet and kind. Suddenly, they grabbed him, bashing and kicking him, and laughing, cruel mad laughter that haunted his dreams sometimes. He yelped and cried unable to get away from the circle of kicking legs.

Suddenly, Nana was there and the Blue Heeler, Bandit, from down the road that always bit and chased Robby. The crazed group of young men yelped and cried like pups as teeth sank into their arms and the backs of their legs. They ran away, tossing rocks and cursing.

Nana looked mean as she bared her pearly white chipped, old teeth. Bandit ran after them snorting and drooling, having great fun. Nana turned to Robby as he lay on the ground whimpering. He would never forget the sad but understanding look in her eyes.

“Understand?” Nana asked quietly with a calming growl. Bandit ran up meanly nipping Robby’s tail. Robby ran home and never, never accepted a nice voice so easily again.

By night he felt utterly lost in the maze of roads and buildings, but he knew the way very clearly.

He was following his heart to get him home.

This city made him wish that he was bedded with an angry grizzly rather than in the willows by the highway on the outskirts of the city. It was quieter, but not like at home. He faded off to sleep dreaming of home, remembering the silence that had surrounded him. In the winter he could hear the moose across the swamp breathing and the coyotes yelp with joy as it teased a hawk with its stolen prize. It screamed and dove, screamed and…

Robby awoke with a jolt. The sound of screaming tires made him shiver and rise to his feet. He looked up the hill to the road where he saw car lights oddly angled on the road. Then a bash like a rock through a window, and creaking groans of steel ripping and bending. He knew that sound. He heard it every winter when the stupid, big blundering moose walked the icy roads. Shattering glass and smashing steel. The moose always demolished anything that could not miss them. But it was summer, and the smell of oil, antifreeze, and burnt rubber made his feet quickly move without his brain telling them to.