Chapter 2

It was morning and I washed myself in the small tiled area that served as the bath for us. It had a deep sink mounted on the floor with a hose running from the faucet. A lip around the tiles kept water from spilling out. An old wooden rack held different things; brushes and soaps for the dogs, strong and made for removing fleas. Some mild ivory soap for me, which was tolerable to our noses at least, and unscented baby shampoo which was hardly unscented at all and a smell I actually enjoyed.

Mostly I washed myself with the smooth, round stones I found in the stream and the sandy mud along its banks. I'd wash myself with mud first and then rinse myself clean using a stone to slough off the dirty skin. I felt good and clean, and afterwards I smelled like the water, which was a pleasing smell and soon gave way to the scent that was just me.

Today I washed inside though. I peed down the drain and washed myself slowly, enjoying the water from the tap which was cold, but nothing like the chill of the spring melt which filled the stream. I liked the way cold water woke me up all over. I had a little hair under my arms, but none on my sex yet, and I'd never had hair on my legs or anything, not so it was noticeable. I was going to miss my Master very much.

I spent some time washing my hair, which was very long and thick and coarse. It reached to the middle of my back now as my Master had never cut it. My brothers watched me. Barley lay on our bed, Bush on the floor chewing a leather toy, and Bandy sitting very near me, occasionally sticking his nose close and taking a lick of my wet skin. I splashed him playfully; flicking water in his face and making him shake his head. I would give them a bath later, I thought, before dinner when the water was warm. The tank was outside and it caught the heat of the sun nicely during the long afternoons.

The door opened slowly, perking our sudden interest, and it was one of the boys, the younger one, Mike. This confused and angered the dogs, of course, since it should have been our Master. He was carrying a large bowl of food, however, and the smell was immediate to our noses. My brothers were barking and so the boy moved slowly, talking to them the way a human will, trying to sound like what he what he was, harmless. The dogs wouldn't really hurt him anyway. He was no threat to us, it was just that him and the other boy weren't supposed to be there.

Of course, he was carrying food so that changed my brothers' opinion of him, but only slightly. He set the bowl down on the floor and went back to the open door he'd come through Apparently he'd left the other bowl on the floor there, probably so he could open the door. He picked that one up as well and brought it into the room and set it down quickly as Bush was right there and ready to eat. Bandy and Barley were already digging into the other one and I didn't bother turning off the water as I hastened to get my fair share.

There was a lot of friendly growling; some small snapping of teeth, but this was how we ate. I shared with Bush, getting my face next to his and digging into the food eagerly. The boys had made it a little differently than we were used to, adding hot water to make the gravy rather than just cool water the way our Master did, and they'd sort of mixed two or three different kinds of dog food all together, as if they weren't sure which we were supposed to get. It didn't matter and it actually tasted very good. We ate like pigs.

Mike had moved back to the doorway, but he hadn't left us right away. I knew he was there, watching me eat dog food, naked and wet and still soapy in my hair probably. I hadn't rinsed myself very well at all, but if I'd taken time to do that I would have starved. Dogs are pretty selfish when it comes to food normally, although they can be surprisingly considerate at times as well. We'd been two days without anything though, so this wasn't one of those times.

"Do you want more?" the boy asked as I sat up on my knees, licking my lips while Bush licked the bowl clean so that it slid across the floor in little jerks.

I nodded eagerly, like what dog wouldn't? It was just about the silliest question I'd ever heard maybe and I smiled. Our Master had never fed us until we were full, not because he didn't want to, but just because it wasn't necessary. Some part of me understood that, but most of me wanted to eat as much as I could get my hands on. At least my brothers' tolerance for the boy was growing. Bringing us food was a good way to get acceptance and he only received soft growls when Mike reached for the empty bowls, promising me that he'd be right back.

While he was gone, I finished my bath. Getting the soap out of my hair was a hard thing to do as I couldn't really tell if I'd gotten it all or not. My Master usually watched me and even washed me on many occasions, which was another reason I didn't shampoo my hair so often. I liked it when he would grab me by the collar and pull me to the sink, telling me it was time for a bath. That was a thousand times better than making my own decision about such things and my Master had enjoyed it quite a lot too.

We ate again, this time with both of the boys watching us. Watching me, I should say. I knew people found me attractive, like my Master and Joe, like these two Indian boys. I'd been a dancer once. I remembered that and even dreamt of it sometimes, and men had always liked me. Females too, some of them, like the woman I'd worked for, but I couldn't remember her name and only vaguely could I recall her face.

We went out after our dinner, as all of our meals were known regardless of the time of day, and my brothers and I were feeling full and heavy after eating too much. I didn't know what the boys were doing and I didn't care. My brothers and I needed to be outside and it was a nice day, a beautiful day, and we ran, barking happily and playing tag through the high grass. I was still deeply saddened by the absence of our Master, we all were, and my heart ached with the knowledge that I'd never see him again. I'd wept for him briefly, for both of us, but this was better. The world was fresh and clean and beautiful, and being with my brothers was a celebration of the life the man had given me. It was the best way to honor him.

We ran through the woods where the brush was thin and emerged into a meadow which led to a gently rounded hill. The land was thick with soft grass, still damp near the cool earth, and it made for us a fine bed. We'd run several miles at least and very quickly. My brothers were faster than I perhaps, but not so much as they'd been in summers past and I was very quick and agile. We could have easily run further, but this was a good place and I lay down, grabbing at Barley and struggling to pull him to me by one of his back legs. He snapped at me in annoyance and I giggled, so he changed direction quickly, turning to press one heavy paw on my belly and pressing his great muzzle to my face, licking at me.

I opened my mouth and sought his long red tongue, playing my own against it and lifting my head to lick at his mouth while I pulled the huge dog closer. It was late spring and I was always eager to mate it seemed. My nipples were hard under the soft breeze that stole through the sunshine like a thin river, its current visible in the rippling grass and swaying trees beyond. It brought us news of the world and all was well.

Bush barked excitedly as he'd flushed a hare and gave it wild chase, Bandy joining him while I held Barley close to me, digging my fingers into his fur and growling my desire into his open mouth. He stood above my prone body and allowed me to pull his attention to my breasts. I became flushed and damp with sweat and he lapped at my flesh slowly, enjoying the flavor of my salty skin. The dog's rough tongue sent small shivers through me as it dragged across my nipples, urging them to swell even further. My heart fluttered like a wild bird caught in a cage and my tummy tightened as I arched my back, presenting my body eagerly to my brother's kisses.

Barley caught the smell of my arousal. The depths of my sex became moist then, preparing itself to receive his large cock. I smiled and offered the world a deep-throated growl when the dog found my pussy with his tongue, digging a wet furrow between my plump labia and scraping my clitoris to sudden life. I spread my legs wide for him, lifting my ass off the ground with every lazy lick. He didn't hurry himself. He was patient and gentle, working his tongue deeper for several minutes before lifting his head to look around and scent the air.

I moved then, getting on my hands and knees, lifting my butt high as I pressed myself back and rubbed myself lewdly against his body. I sought his attention even as I left my smell on his fur, marking Barley so that the others would know I'd chosen him that particular morning. He licked me again, quicker this time, digging at my pussy from behind and then at my ass, making me impatient as my sex felt unbearably empty. I yelped with frustration, wanting his cock inside me now. He was content to tease me though and he stepped back, standing motionless, and his ears twitched as they stood stiff in the wind.

I crawled on my hands and knees, turning and knocking my head into his ribs, barely able to nudge the animal's great weight, and he merely took a small side step, his tail wagging as he regarded me with calm, amber eyes. I bumped him again and lowered my face between his legs, smelling his musky cock and balls, and I licked at his sheathed penis, feeling it heavy and impossibly firm. I licked at the tip of it, forcing my tongue inside the softly furred opening to taste him there. It was rich and somewhat salty, a distinctive bitter flavor, and I worked my tongue over the hidden head of his penis. The odd shaped tip lay just inside and it wasn't very difficult to coax it out.