Snow Flurry - 8 - Meh, the Chapter

Part VIII – No, the RV is not a meth lab, but it can see why kids love the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch; unfortunately, it has no idea why this title is so long or why this chapter is so mediocre.

 

You can feel yourself lurch forward against Master's arms as the RV comes to an abrupt halt in a gravel parking lot somewhere off the side of a highway through the countryside that you don't think anyone else alive has ever bothered to travel.  You're grateful that you've spent most of the trip curled up on his lap; with the way Dan drives, you're fairly certain he could have found a way to eject you through the windshield from the back of the RV if he was given the chance.  That, of course, isn't even mentioning the fringe benefits of getting to spend all day cuddling with Master.

 

“I dunno 'bout you two, but I could use some fresh air,” Dan calls from the driver's seat as he removes the key from the ignition.  You sigh, disappointed that your marathon cuddle session is going to have to suffer a brief interruption.  Just then you begin to feel Master lift you off his lap.  He cradles you in his arms and carries you to the door, leaning over enough to poke his head out around the door.

 

“How's it look out there?”

 

“No other people for miles.  Far as I can tell.”  Dan holds his hand above his eyes, shielding them from the bright sun directly overhead and scours the landscape.

 

Master steps cautiously out of the RV, walking around the vehicle once before he sets you down on the ground, seemingly satisfied with Dan's assessment of the situation.  You stretch your legs and trot around Master's feet awkwardly, having forgotten exactly how you're supposed to move your legs at some point during the past several hours.  Maybe you really did need this break more than you thought.  You lift your head up and close your eyes, basking in the warmth of the sun as a light breeze ruffles your mane.  You have to admit that the fresh air is a welcome change from the inside of the RV.

 

Master leans down and pets you, straightening your mane back out as he does only to have his work immediately swept away by the wind.  “Go ahead and enjoy yourself.  Stretch your legs a bit.  Just stay close to me, okay Snowy?”

 

You nod eagerly back at him and trot over to the corner of the gravel lot, poking around the edges with your nose, sniffing at the breeze curiously.  You follow it aimlessly around the parking lot, taking long strides to stretch your legs and fluttering your wings as you go.

 

“Snowy!”  Master's voice cuts through your peace and quiet from across the lot.  You spin around frantically.  You can see Master waving to you frantically from just outside the door of the RV.   The sound of tires traversing gravel and an engine register begin to register in your ears.  Without a thought you dive into the woods behind a rock.  A blue sedan parks in the spot where you stood moments ago.  Your heart is pounding.  You try to convince yourself that there's no way they could have seen you, but you can't find any evidence to help convince yourself.

 

You hear car doors open and shut, causing you to flinch.  You hear voices; Master's is among them.  You strain your ears but can't pick out any words from your vantage point, and you don't dare to leave it for a better chance at hearing their conversation.

 

The conversation continues for what was, in reality, perhaps a matter of less than a minute, despite the fact it seemed to take longer than anything you've ever experienced.  The slam of car doors echoes out again across the emptiness of the desolate lot.  You breathe an audible sigh of relief.  When the sound of tires meeting gravel hits your ears again, you peek you head out slightly to get a look at the departing car.  You smile weakly, glad to have dodged that bullet by such a narrow margin.

 

You suddenly feel yourself pulled backwards by the scruff of your neck.

 

“Snowy.”  Master's tone of voice takes you by surprise.  You hardly ever hear him use his serious tone; now he sounds almost angry.  You spin around and look up at him almost without thinking, spurred on by the enmity in his tone.  He meets your gaze with a disappointed yet stern look on his face.  You smile up at him to try to lighten the mood.  His expression remains stoic.

 

“What the hell were you thinking?”  You sink down to the ground and hide your face under your hooves.  Now he sounds downright angry.  You feel yourself picked up and squeezed tight against his chest.

 

“Do you have any idea how easily you could have been seen?  One little slip up, and that's it.  Everything we've done is wasted.”

 

You start to cry quietly into his shirt as he carries you back towards the RV.  He steps up into the vehicle; Dan follows immediately behind shutting the door as he enters.  Master sets you down on the floor and takes a seat on the bed.  You know that he's waiting for you but you can't bring yourself to meet his eyes just yet.  Instead, you curl up on the floor and keep crying, your body quivering with every tear.  You disappointed him.  Not just that, but you made him angry.

 

“Snowy...”  His voice trails off, sounding calmer now.  You raise your head to look at him, still shaken but soothed by his tone.  He sighs heavily.  You knew he couldn't stay mad at you for long.

 

“Look at me.”  You obey his command, and look straight into his eyes.  “I'm not angry, but I am disappointed in you.  You should know better.”

 

You let your head droop shamefully again.  “I'm sorry, Master.”

 

“You see, Snowy, that's just it.”  He pauses for a moment, seemingly debating with himself on whether or not to continue.  He leans down and grabs your collar, pulling it gently up towards him, just enough to make the pressure on the back of your neck noticeable.

 

“You keep calling me that, but you don't really seem to be taking into account what it means.”

 

“What do you mean, Mas-, uh...” You trail off, not knowing how to address him in light of his last statement.

 

“If I'm your master, what are you?”  He tugs your collar again.

 

“Your pet, of course!”

 

“And pets should obey their masters, right, Snow?”

 

“Yes, Master.”  You slump down further, laying your head on the ground.  

“When I say 'stay close' I mean it, Snow.”  You fold your ears back against your head.  You're still not used to that authoritative tone of voice.  “It's for your own safety.  I don't say things like that for my own health; I say them for yours, because I care about you.  All it takes is one mistake and then who knows what could happen.  We can't afford to have anyone else knowing about you.”

 

“I'm sorry, Master.  I wasn't thinking about any of that.”

 

“You're damn right you weren't thinking!”  He gets off the bed, kneeling down in front of you.  He picks up your head and holds it up.  You try and fail to shy away from his unblinking gaze.  “You're lucky that it was just a family on a road trip looking for directions that pulled in.  Imagine if it was someone else who was looking for us.”

 

“I'm sorry...”  You close your eyes to avoid looking into his.

 

“I know you are, Snowy.  That doesn't excuse your disobedience.”  He sighs, leaning over your body to slide open the cabinet door beside you.  He motions towards it.  “You'll be spending the rest of the trip in your bed.  If you're going to misbehave I can't trust you out here in the open.”

 

“Wait, what?”  You look up at him with pleading eyes.  He can't be serious, right?

 

“Go on, get in.  Now.”  He motions again, more aggressively this time.  “If you're going to be a pet you're going to learn to behave like one.  First lesson: obedience.”

 

You sheepishly turn around and crawl up into your bed, looking out the door at him.  He leans down to give you a stern look before sliding the door shut, engulfing your confines in darkness.

 

“Master?”  You tap on the wood in front of your face to no effect.

 

“Master?  Are you there?”  You tap again, more forcefully this time, still eliciting no response.  You lay down, crying.  You can't believe he did this to you.  You hit your hooves on the door angrily.  

 

- - -

 

You've been staring off blankly into the darkness for several hours now, at least, although it feels far longer than that.  The bumps in the road lost your interest quite awhile ago, and since then your only company has been your own thoughts.  You get to thinking about Master, wishing you were with him right now.  Even if you were only separated by a thin, wooden door in reality, you suspect that earning his trust back once he lets you out will be a much lengthier task. You suddenly break down completely, sobbing into the side of your bed.  You can't believe that completely ignored Master, after he's kept you safe and comfortable through all of this.  All he wanted was to protect you, after all.

 

Suddenly the door slides open and you close your eyes tightly, blinded by the sudden intrusion of the light.  You do your best to wipe your tears off on the bed and put on a respectable face before spinning around and slowly opening your eyes.  You find yourself looking up at Master as he pulls you out of the cabinet and into a hug.

 

“I'm sorry I had to do that, but I hope you've learned your lesson.  I don't want to have to do it again.”

You shudder briefly at the thought before nuzzling his shoulder.  He sets you down gently and looks you in the eyes.  “Are you ready?”

 

“Ready for what?”

 

“We're here.  At least, we're as close as we're going to take the RV.  Dan's already scouting out the area.”

 

You breathe deeply and nod.  “Then I'm ready to go.”

 

“Oh, and there's one other thing.”  He reaches into his pocket, fishing around in it for a few moments before pulling out a leash and clipping it to your collar.  “It's going to be dangerous in there, and I can't you running off again.  If you're coming along, you're staying with me.”  He ties the other end around his belt as he speaks.

 

“Is that really necessary?  What if things go badly?”  You look up at him indignantly, your expression now much less of an act that it was previously.

 

“Yes, it is, Snowy.  More so in a situation like this than ever.  Now let's go.”  He stands up and heads towards the door.

 

You give an exasperated sigh, planting yourself on the ground for a few moments before realizing that the leash isn't giving you much room to pout and follow behind him.  You step out into a grassy field alongside an old, long neglected two-lane road.  The roar of traffic can be heard, although too faintly to pinpoint its origin.  High voltage power lines section off the sky above into tiny fragments.

 

“According to Dan they've set up shop at an old farmhouse a little ways away.  Looks like a big deal too based on what he's seen.”  He looks down at you.  “I don't know what we're gonna find in there.  Just know that whatever happens, you're still my pet right up until the end.”  He tugs the leash gently.

 

You look up at him, the indignant look still stuck on your face.  “And you're my Master.”