There were many things that Gingee didn’t quite understand. Why Master and Ghost Friend smelled so different. Why the strangers in robes kept attacking them. Why no matter how many times they spun around they could never quite latch onto their tail despite it having grown several sizes along with the rest of their body. It was the greatest enigma that no canine had ever solved, not even Mama

But even as Gingee didn’t understand all the comings and goings of the world, they did understand one thing. Master Justin was happy. And so long as he was happy, Gingee was happy too.

If it took all the chew toys in the world, Gingee would have readily given them to keep Master happy. Or Ghost Friend. Maybe not Lizard Friend as they only known them for a short while, but Gingee still wanted to see Jeffrey happy anyway. So long as all his strange smelling friends were all smiling, Gingee was content to do whatever asked of them. Which, in this particular instance, involved keeping a lookout to the rest of the world.

Their ears twitched as sounds beyond the walls reached them. Voices they didn’t recognize. Numerous footsteps. The smells were the same as that day in the junkyard, the scent of bullet-shooters making the devildog growl. Their head rose to focus more clearly.

“Bark! Master,” Gingee called. “The bad people are coming!”

They bounded towards the doors, stopping to listen.

The room didn’t have a way to see outside, the see-through doors humans always decorated places with nowhere in sight. Nor could Gingee move through walls like Ghost Friend, who had already drifted out of the room to see for herself. But Gingee knew they were coming. Ever since they’d changed their senses had evolved, if only a little. They could smell things that were miles apart. And they could hear from entire rooms away. Master showed them how to focus so the louder noises weren’t as loud, but it still took a lot of concentration on the devildog’s part.

“How many Gingee?” Master Justin asked.

“Bark. Many bad people, Master.” They heard something whirling outside, but it didn’t sound familiar. The air was spinning as if someone had a razor sharp tail beating back and forth. Karla’s return seemed to echo Gingee’s findings.

“Well, we got their attention, Lui,” she said. “There’s a whole SWAT team out there. With helicopters.”

“A SWAT team? No mages?”

“Not yet.”

Lizard Friend came bursting through the walls, surprising Ghost Friend in the process.

“Boss, we got trouble!” Jeffrey shouted.

“I am aware.” Master rubbed his forehead. “Jeffrey, why did you just burst through the wall?”

“You said come running if there was a problem, sir,” he said with a salute.

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Gingee looked from the newly created hole in the wall to the doors only a few feet away. Had they always been allowed to run through buildings like that? Why had Master never told them? Ghost Friend floated over the fallen bricks, Gingee trailing after.

“Alright. Acceptable losses, I suppose.”

Everyone came wandering into the hallway, footsteps getting much closer, though Gingee again had to focus for clarity.

“Bark. I can hear them down there. The bad people are already inside.”

Gingee focused more, listening to the so-called helicopters as they stopped spinning. By now it seemed a small pack of humans were huddled below, most not going any further than the entrance, though Gingee did hear a smaller group at the stairs. Why weren’t they all coming? Was it a trap? Would they corner them first? Gingee tried to stay focused despite how many they could hear.

It was like Mama said. Humans were smart. Smarter than them, at least. When they moved in packs even the biggest canine could never escape them, something Gingee had found out first hand at the junkyard. Even with Master’s gifts they couldn’t stop the bad people from hurting Karla.

But this was different now, wasn’t it? They looked to Master, who still seemed happy despite their numbers disadvantage. In fact, all of Gingee’s friends seemed happy at that moment.

“Okay, everyone, this is what we prepared for,” Master said. “Karla, you’re on containment duty. Restrain anyone else from coming inside this place. And if anyone gets out, kill them immediately.”

“On it, Lui!”

Ghost friend dropped through the walls and disappeared.

“Jeffrey, you’ll be manning the stairs. Anyone that tries to get in or out is yours to eliminate.”

“Gotcha, boss!”

Jeffrey charged right through another door, sounds of shrieking and bullet-fire coming almost seconds later.

None of them seemed bothered by the many humans. And seeing them all, Gingee couldn’t help but feel a little more relaxed as well. As Master turned their way, they saw rows of sharp teeth beaming in the light. Something that Gingee couldn’t help but be a little excited to see.

“Gingee, you’ll be with me,” he said. “Let them see the terror of our kingdom.”

Gingee’s tail started to wag. To the point that it made the room around them shake, but Master didn’t tell them to stop. No, Master simply put a hand on the ground, reciting some strange words that caused the floor below to recede, turning black and dusty. It crumbled all at once, becoming a decrepit hole in the ground. And through it, Gingee saw the many bad people with their bullet shooters and pain sticks.

“Up above!”

They all seemed noticed at once, whipping towards the two. But Master wasted no time in descending.

“What-!”

“Holy- !”

The shouts were cut short, but not the bullet-fire, Master landing and leaping away to bite into the first person they could. The way they moved. The way they jumped. It made Gingee’s tail wag more, the thought of finally being able to play outside the junkyard too exciting a chance to pass up. They dove headlong through the hole, paws cushioned by several of the bad people’s bodies. Pellets bounced right off their fur.

“Bark. Wait for me, Master!”

They jumped at a human, biting their head off just as they could hear Ghost Friend’s shrieking wail outside.

But they didn’t let that distract them. Who knew how long it would be before Master played with them like this again? They picked up a human as they swung a pain stick, Gingee deciding to take full advantage of the opportunity. Today was the day they’d finally get Master Justin to play fetch again.