Fairspell Meadow loyalty loyalty loyalty

Gucci was ordered to "stay".

And so he did.

Although, after the second day, obeying that command turned into a bigger challenge than usual.

First there was the night when Martin Friedman brought him there. His Ma's boyfriend had a stench of alcohol about him, but that was okay, humans had their odd habits, and it wasn't like Ma herself wasn't snoozing with a bottle (Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs, if his nose was serving him right) in her arms when they left. Mr. Friedman carried him a long while, long long while, until they reached this field, where the man set the dog down (quite clumsily, if Gucci could remark) and gave him the order to stay.

The chihuahua, of course, obeyed with glee.

Then came morning, which was frigid, but the toy male had his hand-knit sweater to warm him. He stayed in the same spot as the Sun rose, but then he really, really needed to pee. So, he did the unthinkable and disobeyed the given command, at least for as long as it took him to empty his bladder behind a boulder. Then he was back in his spot, looking left and right, worried his Ma might have seen him being a bad boy.

At some point he got hungry, which he hadn't been in months. Anxiety began to build as no bowl of his favorite Nom Noms was appearing before him. He felt his little stomach rumble, but still he did not budge, even as the winter Sun sank beyond the horizon.

It was okay, he was given the order to stay. He'd get an even tastier reward when Martin or Ma came back from him.

He woke up in the middle of the night with aching, frozen limbs, his whole body shivering, teeth clattering. Not even his sweater could protect him from the frigidity. Feeling like a truly awful boy, he left his spot to curl up behind the same boulder be peed on, albeit some inches away from the stain.

In the morning her felt nothing but misery. His stomach was now growling louder than him, and he whined at the whipping wind. Where was Ma? He needed her. Now he no longer cared about the reward for obeying, he just wanted his Ma back, to hug him tightly and warm him against her bosom, sing her pretty songs and scratch him under the chin. He would be such a good boy after this, she would see, Martin and she would never again feel the need to test him like this.

The tri-colored chihuahua got back to the spot he was on the previous day, sat down and tried so very hard to keep his posture right and proper, even as the coldness and tiredness seeped into his bones.

A pitched whine of his carried over the meadow.