Guard Dog
Big Dog sat at a window, watching passers by and listening to the world, alert to any hint of danger. A neighbour crossed the road outside. Birds gathered in a distant field. The trees rocked in the wind. He took it all in.
Protect the pack, that was his job. Watch over the household and the master, his family, friends if they had proven to be so. Outsiders might be a threat, but the pack too had to be watched. Don’t let them take risks or wander. Don’t let them attack or cause trouble. Don’t bite or scratch or claw. Keep everyone in line. Be alert.
Even the master must be watched, when he is not himself.
(This is the first instalment in a metafiction series called ‘Short Tales of Big Dog’)