This place is big

No. That’s an understatement.

This place is BIG!

This makes the huge big park that Chewchew takes me to on occasion with Rourou and Candy appear to be small. I’ve been running around for the better part of what must be a few hours and I’ve not yet found myself back tracking or heading down the same street once which is not like me. I haven’t even managed to pick up my own scent which I’d usually use if I wanted to get back to where I started but there’s no way I’m going back to that place.

They were trying to steal ma puppy and I can’t have that.

Panba is getting a little restless but I can understand her fretting. She’s in a big, unknown place with no Mammy or Daddy to hold her and tell her things and she’s being carried around in her sleep suit by me. That’s going to make any little puppy restless and start to wriggle.

Though hang on...oh, I know that smell.

I need to clean puppy up but how shall I do that? I know how to clean up doggie puppies cause that’s dead easy to do but human puppies I don’t know. Sure I’ve watched my Daddies sorting out the puppies, they know what to do but they’re not here with me and I’ve no idea who to trust.

In fact, I don’t think I’ve come across any other human on my rush away from that strange place.

I must have given the big sparkly things the slips cause they’ve not turned up either which I’m very glad about.

But what am I to do? Panba is getting really fretful now and she’ll need feeding soon too and somewhere nice and warm to sleep cause she’s only a little puppy and can’t really look after herself.

What I wouldn’t give for another doggie to be around. Preferably a female doggie, cause they know what to do with stressing puppies.

Suddenly Panba lets out a cry, which echoes back at us from around the stone walls and I jump in surprise, nearly letting her go but thankfully my teeth are snagged safely in her sleep suit. I know that I’m going to have to somehow calm her down cause no one can ignore a noise like that but I honestly just don’t know where to go or what to do.

Letting instinct take over, I begin running again and desperately search for any sort of smell that I vaguely recognise cause that has to be a good way to go. Always follow your nose, the mamma’s who looked after me said and that’s what I’m doing.

Though at the mo there’s nothing but this strange not-sand, the rocky walls and... wait...I can smell pancakes!

They’re so sweet and fluffy and they’re coming from down here...no wait, need to turn down this street and around this one and ohhh we’re so close now Panba, can you smell the pancakes? You can have some when we find them, even though you may be a bit too young for them but I’ll chew them up for you so you’ll be able to manage them.

Finally, the smell leads me to a little cul-de-sac where a group of people wearing a mismatch of shawls and cloaks are gathered around an open fire with a little thing on stop where the pancake smell is coming from.

I stop to watch the people, seeing that only one of them is cooking whilst the others look on eagerly. The only doing the cooking is quite tall and unlike the others he is not covered in the same way that they are. He wears a single sleeveless but form fitting shirt and a pair of dark trousers with crazy blond hair and a couple of earrings.

There’s a tingling in the back of my head that I know him from somewhere but I don’t recognise his scent which is strange.

The man carefully removes the pancakes and offers them to the others who are covered up and they’re gone within a matter of seconds...those must be really hungry to eat like that. Once the pancakes are gone, the covered men extend their hands towards the uncovered one to drop odd shaped coins into his palm and he bows his head low as if in thanks.

The covered men stand up and turn, finally spotting me and they let out noises the likes of which I have never heard before and immediately that sets me growling which sets Panba off on a crying phase because she does not like growling. But I must growl to protect her cause she’s my puppy and it’s all chaos for a few seconds as the covered men move towards me making snatching motions with their hands and there’s no way that I’m allowing that.

Placing Panba on the ground, I immediately step over her and start barking at the covered men, taking snapping bites at their hands because I want them to be gone and to stop trying to steal my Panba.

The uncovered man suddenly appears right next to me, patting my head and leaning down to gently pick Panba up off the floor which such a cool and calming feeling around him that I can’t help but quieten down my own barks and sort of nuzzle into him. I don’t understand as to why but I get the impression that he’s a good man. He smells nice anyway, like candyfloss.

The men who were yelling before seem to give us strange glances but they leave without any fuss and the man lets out a sigh of relief before looking at me and babbling away in some kind of language that I don’t understand. After a moment or two he frowns and then reaches out to touch my head and an odd sort of spike goes through my brain.

I bark a little at that, to tell him off. He shouldn’t be touching my brain.

“Sorry,” the man said with a smile, “I needed a way for you understand. Can you understand me now?”

Ohhh! Yes, I can! Okay, you didn’t hurt my brain and that’s good.

The man smiles and pets me again, “Now, what am I to do with the likes of a runaway snork and a baby from the pyramid?”

What’s a snork? Silly man, I’m a dog. She’s Panba and I’m her big protector Hero.

“Panba? That’s a curious name little one,” the man smiles as he looks down at the baby in his arms who is looking up at him with wide eyes as if she recognises him too. “I know someone who’ll be able to feed and dress you easily, would that do you, Hero?”

Wait, you can hear me mister?

The man looks at me again and nods, “Sort of. It’s hard to explain but it’s a talent I have.”

OH, you sound like my daddies, they all have talents that make them better than humans.

He looks confused at that but I guess he’ll just have to remain that way cause Panba is starting to get fussy again and I really need her to be taken proper care of. The man nods and smiles before he stands up to his really tall height and I swear that he couldn’t look more like Puff. But the scents wrong for Puff! Why do all these people look like Puff!

“My name is not Puff,” the man says with a smile, “I’m Jintao.”

That sounds an awful lot like Puff’s real name but I can’t remember it right now, however you smell good and if you can help me look after Panba then I’ll be a very happy little doggie.

“But you’re a big snor...dog...gie?” Jintao looks to be a little lost for a second before he shakes his head and starts back towards the fire to gather some things, “Never mind. I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Come, we must hurry. They’ll follow you here and that will only spell trouble otherwise.”

Oh? More of them nasty grabby men trying to get after my Panba? With the sparkly things too? They won’t get near me if I can help it.

Jintao smiles and finishes picking up a few things before heading away from everything and beckoning me to follow. I remember hearing my Daddies tell the puppies that they shouldn’t go with strangers but this Jintao smells like candyfloss and made it so I can understand him and he looks so much like Puff that I can’t help but want to follow him because he’s going to make life so much easier I hope.

But me and Panba have no other choice and if he does turn out bad then I can just bite him and steal Panba back. Though I get the impression that he just wants to help. Plus, he makes pancakes so he’s gotta know something of home, right?

I trot along next to him, only a little less worried than I was before but I’m still keeping a wary eye out for anything that could cause danger to my Panba. Hero will be a big strong doggie and scare away all who try to hurt my puppy but I’m still curious to learn just where we are cause we’re not home.

But I’m sure that it’ll all work out for the best, it has to else this story won’t be nice and I’ll have to bite someone which I don’t wanna do. 

Authors babbling: So for now Hero and Panba are safe and sound, but whose this Jintao and why does he remind Hero of Puff? 

I'm sure we'll find out soon, though the next chapter I wanna do a different dog's POV since there's still some back on Earth and I wanna know if people want to see it from Candy or Rourour's POV. 

Comment and let me know?

Lova ya all loads

Chia