A rough life for a human pet

Snow play

I feel annoyed when Draino comes over later on. Not only cause of my reaction earlier, but I don't want to talk to him. I was way too clingy and whiney earlier.

"Valor, you need to come eat. You didn't eat breakfast, and you're not skipping lunch," Draino states firmly, but I ignore him.

I keep looking out the window at the snow. It's oddly pretty even though it's dangerous. When I was little, I used to play in it with my siblings and some of the neighborhood kids. It was fun until we felt cold as our clothes were wet.

"Don't ignore me, Valor." He continues, and I sigh, turning to him with a blank look.

I decided to push my luck slightly. I doubt I'll get away with this, but it's still worth trying.

"I was wondering if I could go out and play in the snow?" I ask quietly.

I know he will say no. He likely won't even let me outside. Maybe he even thinks I might try and run away if I'm given the chance.

"No, it's too cold out, and you haven't even eaten today," He responds, and I just sigh, getting up and heading to my seat at my dining table.

There's already a plate on the table and utensils. It's bigger than my usual lunch, but I guess it makes sense since I didn't have breakfast.

"I did have to trudge through the snow for years even if it was cold. I certainly didn't have this fancy electric heating to stay warm, " I mutter under my breath, seeing Draino look up at me.

Our eyes meet for a moment as I bring some food to my mouth. It's tasty, and I feel hungry having not eaten this morning.

"Sorry, what was that Valor?" Draino asks, seeming puzzled.

I can't tell if he heard me or not, but I grin at maybe him having missed it. He's too far away, so it works to my advantage that some things can slip through.

"It's nothing, Draino," I respond, giving him a wide smile as I put the fork in my mouth.

I'm surprised when the food is gone. I guess I was more hungry than I first thought. For a moment, I look down at the empty bowl before picking it up and heading over to the put it on the bench.

I sneak a look at Draino before heading down the hall. At first, I thought to head back to the window seat, but then my eyes glanced over the front door. Maybe he just left it unlocked?

I'm quick but quiet as I sneak over there, and to my suprise, the door does open. I snigger quietly at the idea that he doesn't know I'm heading out.

Who cares, I've got a warm place to go back to. I'm not going to get that cold, and Draino can take a chill pill. I'm certainly not just going to sit around all day.

"Valor, what are you doing?" I hear from behind me.

I pivot on my feet as I turn. Of course it's Draino. Who else would it be?

"Going outside, of course," I retort as though it's obvious why I'm here.

His brow furrows, and he rubs his forehead. In a way, I feel bad for stressing him out, but he's also annoying me too.

"Am I not aloud to go outside?" I pout, lowering my lips into a frown and putting on puppy dog eyes.

He groans slightly, seemingly conflicted. In truth, I'm just bored.

So bored... I've only been here for 2 days, and I feel like I want to rip my hair out just sitting around.

"At least put a coat, gloves, and hat on if you're so insistent," He responds, and I feel a tinge of excitement.

I grab the items he mentioned and quickly pull them on. They don't look very tidy, but it does feel warm.

"Thanks!" I respond happily as I reach for the door handle.

Draino cuts me off, grabbing me by my shoulder and gently turning me towards him.

"Make sure you come in when I call you. If you make a fuss, you'll need to stay inside," He says sternly

I just nod my understanding and rush out the door. It's still snowing slightly, though not as heavy as other days.

The first thing I do is collapse down on the puffy snow. It's odly soft though cold on any skin that touches it. I giggle as I move my arms and legs side to side.

A snow angel!

I'm not sure where the idea came from, but all kids know of the mythical creature. It's not real, of course, but some say that a long time ago, it was part of a series of stories.

Not that it's something I care about. Though, some of the ideas about it involve speaking to the angels and them giving you things you want.

That's just silly, though. Why would some random mythical being do that? Nothing comes easily in life, and certainly not from asking for not from something that doesn't exist.

I've stopped as my moods dropped, and I think of the next thing to do. I smile, seeing myself throwing snowballs at Draino, but he's already gone inside.

There's no use throwing them at myself. How would I even do that? The idea is even more silly and makes me snort.

The only other activity is one I move to quickly. It's easy with all the snow around to form snow balls of various sizes. It's heavy, though, as I'm lifting them onto each other.

I smile as I step back, having put some sticks on each side of the top ball. Some ears! And two stones in the front for eyes.

Just one thing missing...

I look back towards the house and see Drainos back through the window. I walk over and knock, seeing him turn towards me.

"Hey Draino, is there any food going bad?" I ask politely, seeing a look of confusion on his face.

1017 words

Written May 14 2023

Published 07 September 2023