Martin did not think anymore. He ran as fast as he could and shielded Polly with his body. Both of them were waiting for the heavy wood and roofing to hit them they both closed their eyes. They were saved, however, by the tall cabinet on their far right when it caught a portion of the wooden brace holding the whole roofing.
Martin had not done it before but he carried Polly by his scruff after noticing that he had frozen still again. Martin could hear some of his pack crying for help. Those were the ones that hid inside the structure. He knew some of them had managed to escape but there were some that got pinned by the large debris falling from the surprise demolition that morning.
Martin was heading for the exit but the demolition team had blocked all possible entrances and exits. He did not know if some of his pack got out. He was too stunned to realize what was happening. He was on autopilot. He was running on mere adrenaline or instincts, whichever was presen
Polly had made up his mind he would separate from the pack believing that he was responsible for bringing bad luck upon them. A plan emerged in his head. He would wait for Saucy to fall deep in sleep then he would get away for as far as he could. There was just one problem, well a few problems. His wounds had not healed from the thorn that pricked his side and from being dragged by the fishball vendor. He still could not walk very fast. Saucy would catch up with him easily if he was not careful. Another was that, Saucy has got a powerful sense of smell. All dogs did, him included, but multiply it by four or five times and that was how strong her nose was. Her hearing, too, was pretty good. Better than the average dog so maybe if he moved, it would easily wake her up and his plan would go kaput. Polly was actually afraid to leave the pack. Although he still did not feel like he belonged there, at least he knew there was at least three dogs looking out for him
It took days before Martin and Bruno found Saucy, Polly, and about five more dogs that belonged to their pack. Each one’s ability to smell their way towards one another was muddled by hunger and shorter hours of sleep and rest. All of them were too far away from the main street that had nourished them all in the last few years and far from the quarters that sheltered them for too long.It was evident that Martin and Bruno had been engaged in various fights. They had probably been bullied by other packs of dogs in different places. That was understandable. That’s how dogs were. Dogs protect their territory.If it were up to Bruno, he would establish any place as territory. He was not afraid fighting everyday it that was what it took to claim the place. That was what he tried to do when he found the main street. Bruno was young, muscular, strong and smart, too. He had been alone long enough it would seem like he was no longer afraid of anything.
It’s been days and Martin’s pack, which was considerably decimated, had not found a place to settle in. Food had been scarce. Whatever piece they found was divided among the eight of them and that usually wasn’t a lot. Everyone was not only tired and hungry, they were desperate.Everyone was looking out to him for comfort and assurance but even him was doubting whether he had enough of those for everyone.One night, the pack gathered around, as they usually did, around a whole pack of bread they got from the trash of a small grocery store. It was already expired as stated on the packaging but there wasn’t any molds yet.Martin urged everyone to get a piece each, and as always, he was the last to get a share.Everyone ate quietly this time. There wasn’t that usual chattering and teasing. The mood was dreadful.“I don’t think we’ll be able to last long if we stay together.” Martin said, h
“So Polly, what do you think?” Saucy said as she watched the jeepney driver carry a box with a crying kitten inside. “Huh?” Polly was tilting his head puzzled. “I’ve been watching that jeepney driver. For two days now, he’s been bringing in stray cats in his house! I think he’s the human for you.” “Oh, I don’t know. He seems nice and all but maybe he’s a cat person.” “Cat person? Can’t you see he’s got dogs, too! Plus it looks like his kids like animals, too.” “Yes, his kids like cats, too.” “What are you talking about? I think this family likes both cats and dogs.” “Ahmm, Saucy? Maybe you should go find your own place now and I can go find my human on my own.” A change of atmosphere was triggered by Polly’s suggestion. “What made you bring that up?” “You’ve done so much for me. I mean, you could’ve stayed with Bruno and Martin
Three big dogs came running all over the school’s basketball court. They did not notice Polly and Saucy standing in front of the gate. They were busy marking the walls and corners within the fenced school. It was afterall their territory that was occupied for a while by those children. “What are grinning about?” Saucy stood up, turned her whole body so she could have a good look at Polly. Polly did not answer at first. He was so focused and looked obviously engrossed at the view before him. “Oh, are you seeing something that I am not seeing? ‘Cause all I see are three dogs doing their usual stuff!” “There’s a dog person in there, Saucy! She’s the one I was waiting to see… Oh, I thought I was just hallucinating.” Polly sounded relieved. “I hope you are right about that.” “Well, I thought you wanted me to choose my human?” “Yeah, I know. I just want to see you hurt again so don’t k
The following day, Polly arose early from a not so deep sleep. He was excited to get to know his potential human better. But Saucy was still asleep. This time she was no longer rolled into a bagel or donut position as they usually call it. She was sleeping on her side, legs extended. She had finally fallen asleep after hours of pretending to be sleeping but wasn’t.Polly decided against waking her up. Saucy looked so peaceful. He knew she needed that rest after days of roaming with him without any direction. He thought that Saucy would know exactly where he went should she wake up and he was not there.Polly had a beat in his head. For a long time, he barely noticed the sound of music. He loved music. At the farm’s garage, his mother, brothers and him would start bobbing their heads once they heard Mr. Santos play his music that were mostly from the 80s.“It is so nice to wake up knowing exactly what you want to do. Already, this human had
Polly dozed off again. He only regained consciousness when he heard the kids already heading out of the school to go home. He realized he had not seen Saucy the whole day. She did not follow him there. He was so focused on what he planned to do for the day that he failed to even ask her what her plan was. She had a life, too. Lately, her time had all been devoted to his needs, his plans, his life.Polly wanted to stay for a while just so he could watch the three dogs with their human - the same human that he wanted for himself but he was getting worried about Saucy. It was so out of her character not to even look for him for an entire day.Polly had not eaten. He did not feel hungry. When he’s excited, he didn’t feel hungry at all “but Saucy probably is hungry!” Soon as he said that, a big piece of fried chicken fell right in front of him. It’s got about three or four bites taken from it but it still got enough meat to relieve hun
Saucy was pushing Polly to go visit the school, to get to know his human better, to plan a way to get near her. She wanted him to leave so she can get away for as far as she could. “Polly will be fine!…I hope.”“Just let me stay with you until you’re healed. Besides, I don’t think I will be able to concentrate there knowing that you’re till not totally, okay.”“Didn’t you hear me when I say that things are going to get worse, Polly. It is certain. I can feel it. This is not just an ordinary bite or wound. The dog that bit me has rabies. It is not good for you to stay with me. I’m dying.”“No, no, no, Saucy. You’re not.”“You are so stubborn, Polly. I like that about you. You’re resilient, you never give up that easily but this is different… You know I would not get you in trouble, right?”