You walked out of the vet’s office, your leash freshly clipped back on. You didn’t care, half the time neither of you knew it was there.
Billy stopped, and so did you. He tied the other end to a nearby railing, for everyone else’s sake more than yours, and looked down to you.
“Just gonna take a wizz before we leave. Be back soon, bud.”
Fine enough with you. You plopped yourself down, curling up and closing your eyes. You weren’t tired, you got all the sleep you needed at home, but you liked it like this. Curled up on the floor, the world shut out, everyone walking by and nobody bothering you.
“Guess who finally found ya!”
You jolted up. The voice went through you like a knife. You knew immediately this wasn’t one of the voices that used to trouble you at night. He was here.
“Who do we have here?” He laughed. “It is you!”
‘You were hard to find you know, but I guess I didn’t expect there to be so many of ya…’
You took a step back, your heart racing faster than it had in a long time.
He looked down at you, that same glare he gave when he had your foal in his hand. Replacing it now was the handle to a leash. On the other end, a hound twice your size. It looked down at you with cold hunger.
“Long time no see,” he chuckled. “How’s the family been? Oh, ha-ha, that’s right!”
There was no anger in you anymore. Just fear, the need to run. You backed as far as your leash would allow, and tugged on it. All too familiar a feeling.
‘Oh but you hurt me, and I feel better hurting you…’
“I thought I left ya for the dogs to enjoy. Now I see even they didn’t want ya! Well… ‘cept for Daxter here. He seems to like ya.”
Daxter took a step towards you, and sniffed. You pulled against your leash, your neck aching, tears running down your face. You didn’t care. There was only the thought of getting away.
‘Taste good as my oranges? Didn’t think so. I’ll leave the gate open for the next dog…’
“What’s going on here!?”
You didn’t see Billy return, you were too busy hyperventilating, listening to your heart pound through your skull. But there he was, standing in the men’s doorway.
“So you’re the owner of this shitrat?” The man smiled.
“That shitrat is my pet.” Billy told him. “And I’d appreciate it if you got your own rat away from him.”
Daxter growled, looking up at him.
“Excuse me,” the man said. “I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong. I was just reminiscing with an old friend…”
You remembered the fading warmth from Sparky’s body as you clung to it. The empty spots in your mouth where two of your teeth used to be buzzed.
“Isn’t that right?” He looked down to you. “Ya’ told him about that funny time you ate my orange delivery?” He chuckled again, standing back up to face Billy. “Ya’ should’ve seen the look on his face when I gave him some old-fashioned payback!”
You pulled again on your leash. Your jaw shivering. “B-b-babbehs…” Was all you could get out.
“Your babies! That’s right!” He remembered, “I never got to ask you how they tasted-“
“That’s enough!” Billy declared strong enough to turn some heads from passerbys.
He undid the knot keeping your leash on the rail, taking it in his hand. “That’s enough… Don’t talk to my fluffy again.”
The man snorted. “It’s alright, seems he don’t got much to say to me anyway.”
You turned and followed Billy down the hall as the man went the other way.
“Asshole.” Billy mumbled as he led you back through the lobby. You stepped out the door, into the cool spring day.
Billy only looked to the parking lot, even as he reached down and unclipped your leash.
“He said ‘taste your baby’… what did he mean by that?”
You didn’t answer.