Page 11 of Shallow Remains

“Ah-ah,” she scolded and pulled her hand back.

Rufus froze. his soundflaps drooped. Rufus ashamed.

“Nicely. No snake strikes.”

Rufus huffed out a breath and stared at the cheese. He loved cheese. Almost as much as meats. He booped her leg with his snoot. Give Rufus. He lifted his paw.

She laughed. “Okay. Here.”

His chops quivered as he took it gently from her hand.

“Ohh, good boy, Rufee.”

Rufus gulped it down, wagged his sweeper on the floor.

Crazy Hair Lady laughed. “You didn’t even taste it.”

Rufus sat up tall. Lifted his other paw and looked back and forth between them. Because humans liked that too.

“Oh no, that’s enough,” Old Lady said. “Go on. You go back to your mom now before you get us in trouble and you get the runs.”

Runs? His soundflaps deployed. Rufus loved to run. He looked at the door. Go now? Too loud inside, too many humans.

The ladies started talking, not paying attention to him anymore.

He eyed the top of the tall table on the way by. So many meats up there still.

He started past it slowly. Stopped next to it and looked back at the ladies. They were still ignoring him.

The smell of the meats made Rufus forget all his good manners.

He jumped up on his hind feets and snatched the closest thing he could reach.

Oh, boy, meats with a bone in it!

What a day. He loved parties now.

He trotted out of the food room with his prize clamped between his teefs.

“Rufus!” Old Lady said.

His soundflaps went back as he sped up. No! Dis Rufus’s bone!

His feets scrambled on the floor as he ran. Rufus had to hide before someone caught him and took meats bone away.

He darted under a chair at the far end of the table. Kept bone in his teefs and watched the doorway.

Nice Man came in.

“Rufus, what do you have in your mouth?” Nice Man bent down to look at him under the chair. Reached for meats bone.

Rufus growled. Get own treat! Dis Rufus’s meats bone.

“No. Out,” Nice Man said in a low, stern voice.

Rufus stopped growling but didn’t let go. He glared at Nice Man. No.

“Hey, Will, can I get a hand over here? I can’t get it out of his mouth.” Nice Man said louder.