My person is the best in the world. He feeds me the best meat all the time, and always lets me out to play and hunt the other people, usually female people that don’t seem to want to play. He makes sure I know its all just play and I’m always rewarded for a good play with fresh meat! Sometimes they cry and it feels real, but he always assures its all in good fun. His laughs when I catch them always make me feel so much better and he always tells me how good a job I’m doing. I am glad I don’t ever actually hurt them, its all just play and they go away. Sometimes I play a little bit too rough and they go limp, but he always says to them to stop acting and get ready for the real fun times they get to look forward to. I am jealous I never get to play those games, I always hear his laughing in the basement, but I’m not allowed down there. When my games are done his begin, I wonder what they do down there. I want to visit downstairs so badly, I may try and sneak down to watch his games sometime soon. They say curiousity killed the cat, but nothing about how it affects a dog, ha ha ha. Though I am scared, sometimes I hear the loud sounds of his tools, they always scare me when he uses them around the house. But I want to be brave and see my favorite person happy and playing. He always smiles so big when he carries my new friends downstairs and away from me. That smile always makes me feel so warm inside.

I’ve decided the next time I play that I’ll follow him downstairs, or at least try to. And he’s been saying tonight we should have a new friend visiting. I think its so exciting just how big his smile gets every time, he gets more excited for playtime than I ever think I could. I can’t help but wag my tail so hard ever time I hear his laugh and see his smile. I bet when its his turn to play with all of our friends, his smile is so big and bright! I’m very excited to see that for myself. My mind drifts and wanders thinking about what his games could even be. I mean the basement seems so small in comparison to the forest I chase and play with our friends. Maybe its tug-of-war, they always sound like they are struggling and I’ve seen him bring ropes downstairs before. It’s probably that, and I love playing tug-of-war so hopefully he’ll let me play too, he is really strong so I can’t imagine they ever have much chance and that can’t be too fun. But they must be so tired of losing at his games, they never come back around. I used to I miss certain ones, there’s been so many now it feels normal to not see them again. Maybe if I can join in, one of them will stay and play with me all the time! Having a new friend that sticks around sounds exciting! 



Just like every game night, as he likes to call it, I swiftly catch her scent as he starts the same start to each game of hide and seek. She tends to beg like I do for dinner scrapes when the meat stockpile gets low. Then as soon as he takes off her leash they always run straight into the trees. I wait for his special words, “go get her” til “I’m bounding into the treeline behind her. They never get very far, I’m very fast and good at this game. I like to let them get away the first time so we can play longer. But I always find them too fast and excitement gets the best of me, I Always end up jumping on them and playfully biting them until my person can walk up to us and pat my head, he calls me a good boy and pats my head. Then he drags her to start his games. he always starts talking to them, but my heartbeat pounding in my ears always makes it hard to hear what he says. But down the stairs they go. This time I follow them close behind, I don’t think he noticed me. He was too excited for his game. 



My first time down the stairs I can’t believe the toys he hides down here. All neatly hanging on the walls. He must cut up the meat for me here too because I can smell the old blood smell all around. I can’t help but feel my stomach growling at the scent. She begs him to not do this and I don’t know why, games are fun, but she isn’t smiling like I always pictured them to. But my person is so it must be okay. She’s probably just nervous to lose like she did to me. I mean I wouldn’t want to lose a game either. But then he does something shocking, he grabs one of the toys off the wall and it cuts her, I smell the fresh blood leaking out of her but she’s screaming much more intensely than any game I’ve played. It scares me, I didn’t think she would get actually hurt. These are just fun games after all. But the second cut feels even more wrong than the first and I can’t help but bark in protest. He noticed I followed and he ordered me back updstairs and to wait for dinner. But leaving her feels wrong for some reason. I stand my ground and another growl comes out. He approaches me, and he isn’t smiling anymore. She is crying on the floor holding her red arm and he’s walking at me, no smile to be seen. He actually looks angry with me so I whimper a bit but still can’t make myself do as he says. Next thing I know he hits me and I guess instinct takes over and I bite him. Not terribly hard, but I actually bit him! I feel awful but he hit me first! 



I run over to the lady and stand between the two of the, growling. He pulls out a much bigger toy off the wall and points it at me. Driven by pure instinct I jump at him and bite his neck, I must have caught him off guard because he barely was able to defend. With a firm hold of his neck I tug a bit, tasting blood. But suddenly I feel a sharp pain in my side, followed by a warm wetness. I feel my person going limp as I continue to tug and tare, but I’m starting to feel sleepy myself. He hugs me as I drift to sleep on top of him, embraced my my favorite person in the world we both go to sleep.