Kato tumbled and floundered around the dark baggage car of a large train. He had been unceremoniously flung into it, while his owner was in a large, roomy car of his own. While the bumps and turns made him feel sick, there was still a little room in his mind for jealousy and resentment. Whatever was in this town of Yentna, it had better be interesting, after all that he had gone through to get there. They had left Anchorage…. when? It was hard to tell time when one was shut up in a small dark space full of trunks and suitcases. Maybe… two hours ago? It seemed to Kato like it had been days and days.
Three times the train had stopped. Each time his car had been opened he had hoped to be let out, but two men had just thrown some more bags in and given him a rough pat on the head. Once, one of the men had taken something out of his pocket, unwrapped it, put it on the ground and said, “Wonder if the dog likes ham sandwiches, eh?” Kato didn’t really know what a “sandwich” was, but if it was this squashy brown thing, then he liked sandwiches. The flavors were mixed together a little, but he could still detect ham and bread. There was also some papery green stuff. Kato didn’t much care for the green stuff, but it was okay with the ham.
So, after taking a first careful nibble, Kato had devoured the entire sandwich down in two bites. The men had laughed and petted him. Their touch had been rough but gentle. Kato realized that he liked these two men. Then someone had shouted something at the two men, and they backed up with cries of, “Bye, boy!”
At that moment a trunk, full to the brim with clothes and other possessions, burst open. Kato padded over to it. The catch was broken. Thinking vaguely of how he would probably be blamed for it, he took a good sniff. This person owned a cat; he could smell it on the clothes.
Oh, he was so tired… Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to lie down, just for a little…
“Hey dog,” someone growled. “What have you done?”
Kato opened his eyes to find one of the two men standing over him. It was also rather dark. He wagged his tail a little halfheartedly, and the man glared at him. “Hey, Miss,” he said apologetically to a lady in a brown hat. “This… This dog, he sort of slept on your stuff…” The man trailed away helplessly.
The woman laughed. She looked about forty. “That’s okay,” she grinned. “I have a cat at home. He gets on my stuff all the time. I’ll just repack it.”
She set about repacking her trunk. Suddenly, a scent wafted into Kato’s nose. Could it be…? A weather-beaten, brown face showed in the crowd. It was his owner! Kato rushed into his owner’s waiting arms.
“Kato!” the black man cried. “Hey, boy!”
Kato wagged his tail frantically. He put his forepaws on his owner’s chest. The man grinned and scratched him behind the ears. “Daddy!” Kato howled joyfully. “You’ll never dream what I went through!”
Daddy laughed, for of course all he heard was barking and whimpering. Daddy was called a lot of different names. His wife called him Adam. The people in suits who frequently visited him called him Mr. Tanner, but to Rob, his five-year old son, he was Daddy. Kato preferred this name because it sounded so natural. It also seemed to fit the merry face, the deep brown eyes. And also, Kato liked Rob, so Daddy was the name that Kato associated with the kind, loving man whom he called his owner.
Daddy gently pushed Kato to the ground. “I heard you got into trouble, boy.” He pushed his way toward the woman with the brown hat. “I’m sorry Kato got into your stuff. He doesn’t like to be enclosed spaces.”
The woman laughed. “That’s okay,” she said. “The catch usually comes apart. I don’t blame Kato. He must have been tired. It’s about midnight!”
Daddy laughed. “Thank you for understanding, and again, I’m very sorry.”
The woman nodded and trudged off, hauling her trunk behind her. “Well, Kato, we’d better get to the house,” Daddy said. “Let’s go.”
They turned and headed down the narrow street. The spring snow was slushy and wet, making walking difficult. The moon glowed feebly, many miles up.
Daddy walked briskly along, his suitcase in one hand and a briefcase in the other. The briefcase was probably full of stuff that Kato didn’t understand, as usual. Daddy was a scientist, and even though Kato could read most of the writing, he couldn’t understand its full meaning. He was here in Yentna to spend two months with a colleague who needed some assistance dealing with a problem that he was having. Kato didn’t really know what this problem was, and he didn’t much care.
The walk was only about five minutes, though Kato suspected it would have been five minutes longer if they hadn’t been walking so fast. The man and his dog arrived on the doorstep of a small, white, neat-looking house. Daddy strode confidently up to the door and knocked. A blond-haired man of about sixty opened it. He wore horrendous bottle-green pajamas embroidered with orange and red flowers. Noticing this, daddy grinned. The man seemed to take it that the grin was out of friendliness, not humor, which, it might have partly been. He smiled back at him and ushered him through the door.
“Welcome, Mr. Tanner! I’m Zack Marlton. You can call me Zack. I’ll just lead you to your room and then leave you in peace. Your dog can sleep with mine, Amber, in the sitting room.”
As Daddy was led around the corner, Kato began to wander through the kitchen, the room that they had come into. Before he had gone ten steps, he heard a soft, husky voice behind him, “And who might you be?”
He whirled around, getting his legs all tangled with each other so that he slipped and almost lost his footing. Furious with himself, he looked up. He was even angrier when he saw who was standing in front of him. She was a tan and black husky with deep amber eyes. He figured this must be Amber. He straightened up even taller. “My name is Kato,” he said. “I am… delighted to make your acquaintance.”
She laughed. She was even prettier when she smiled. “I’m Amber. You just came on the train, didn’t you? You’re probably so tired! I’ll lead you to our ‘bedroom.’ ”
She walked past him. The license on her light purple collar sparkled in the lamplight. He followed her. He suddenly realized how exhausted he was. Stifling a yawn, he followed her into a small but tidy room that glowed with firelight.
“You may have the dog bed,” Amber offered, the fire reflecting beautifully in her eyes.
Kato lay down on the rug by the fireplace. “No, thanks,” he managed to yawn. I’ll be okay here.” And Kato knew no more, because right then he fell fast asleep.
“Will the dogs be okay here?”
Daddy’s voice sliced through the tranquility of sleep. Kato opened his eyes but did not get up. Daddy was talking to Zack. Zack grinned at his question.
“Of course. I usually let Amber wander around town during the day, but most of the time, she’s back before 8p.m. If she isn’t, I don’t worry. She knows where home is.”
Not altogether reassured, Daddy allowed himself to be led out the door and away from the house. Kato yawned and stretched. For the first time he noticed how bright the sunlight was and how the room was colder than it had been last night. Amber was still asleep. Kato’s stomach did a flip at the sight of her tan side rising and falling with her regular breathing. He scolded himself mentally. What was wrong with him? Disgusted with himself, he wandered into the kitchen.
There were two dog bowls on the floor, both full of food. Hesitating only for a moment, he plunged his muzzle into one. By the time he was finished, Amber had entered the room.
“Good morning,” she yawned. “Did you have a good night?”
He nodded. “Yes, it was wonderful. That’s a very comfortable rug.” It was hard not to wonder if he sounded ridiculous, but he didn’t have any time to think about it.
“Just let me finish eating, and I’ll take you around town,” Amber said. Her voice seemed to wash over Kato like water, and all he wanted was to sit here and listen to her forever. Shaking himself, he nodded.
Amber smiled at him. “Okay, then.” She licked the last bits of food out of the bowl and padded over to him. Her sweet scent wreathed around him. It was oddly comforting. Dragging his thoughts out of his head, he followed her out the doggie door. The morning sun had melted a good bit of the snow, and it wasn’t as difficult to walk as it had been last night.
Kato smiled inwardly as he took in the small buildings and the narrow streets. This was nothing like his home in Anchorage.
“Come on,” Amber huffed impatiently. “Let’s not wait for the snow to melt.”
He laughed, and she along with him. “Really, let’s get going.” Amber laughed. “I’ll give you a tour.”
Kato swallowed and nodded. At that moment the sun emerged from behind the clouds, making Amber’s tan fur light up and shine bright gold. Kato’s eyes widened and his head spun.
“Hurry up, you featherhead!” Amber called from halfway down the street. Kato jumped and raced after her, embarrassed.
Amber spoke and told stories as they walked. She told about things like where her friend used to live before she moved away, where a brave sled dog collapsed after being run too hard, and where a criminal who had been wanted statewide was finally caught and arrested.
“Wow,” said Kato, impressed. “There’s more to this little town than I thought.”
“Yep.” Amber nodded. “Visitors are always impressed. That’s why us house-puppy like to give little tours to visitors.”
“Uh… I don’t mean to sound stupid, but what is a house-puppy?” Kato asked.
Amber laughed. “Everyone always asks that. A house-puppy is just a name for a housedog. It’s what the street dogs call us when they try to sound cool. We’re going to meet one now.”
“A street dog?” Kato asked. He had many street dog friends at home, mostly feminine. Daddy didn’t let him wander the streets, but Kato usually got out by himself, and by the time Daddy got home from work, he was back in the fence.
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