I am a dog.
I was adopted by a middle-class family, and they raised me well — with all the love they could give. Time and time again, I caused them trouble, but they always forgave me.
I love my family. But the one I love the most is their adorable young daughter.
She's 112 in dog years. Her dyed red hair dances in the wind like it belongs there.
She feeds me. She plays with me. Then, after a while, she disappears — somewhere I can't follow. I don't know where she goes, and I don't want to. I just wait.
A few human days ago, she looked at me and said, "You've grown so old now, Kalu."
I didn't really understand what she meant — I rarely do. That's why I always reply with, "Wof woff." It seems to be enough.
She cries sometimes. She laughs too. No matter what, she always looks cute. But today… today she didn't cry or laugh. Her face held no emotion at all.
"Kalu, I have to go far away to study, okay? Don't forget me when I come back!"
I didn't understand her words, but they were heavy. I felt them — like a paw pressed gently on my heart.
Her parents took me with them to a strange place, where large things moved and puffed smoke as they went. I watched, tail wagging, until she boarded one of them… and didn't come back.
We returned home. Days passed — many human days. But she didn't.
I waited at the door. Sometimes, I ran — far and wide, chasing the horizon, trying to find her scent. I never did. But her parents always found me, no matter how far I went.
I wonder if she's okay, wherever she was sent. Her parents don't seem too worried, so maybe… maybe she's alright. I trust them.
After all, if I can't protect her myself, I have to trust them to do it for me.
---
Chapter H - 1
Vol D - 1