short story 1

	Warmth. The smells of home. Stretching slowly and parting his muzzle widely for a yawn, Ratchet slowly came awake. Blinking languidly, the little dachshund stretched again before awkwardly sitting up. Panning his gaze around the small, homely room he couldn't help but smile to himself. The dachshund had called this house his home for two winters and a summer already, his human mom and dad having taken him in from a shelter then; a home he had come to love with its scuffed wooden floors, comfortable cushions and cheery plants in the front window.

	Another yawn before standing, Ratchet peered about. His humans were not around; they went away every morning, and came back every evening. Although lonely, he knew that their return would bring attention, rubs and treats - things he always looked forward to as much as the company of mom, dad and the small human who had become his closest friend.

	After lapping up some water to quench his thirst, and nosing around in his bowl for some soft kibble, Ratchet wandered about the house idly, pausing to sniff at one of the green plants. The little dachshund was careful not to bite the pretty leaf, despite its enticing smell; he had done so once before, and was sick for several days afterwards. Ever since, Ratchet had kept his admiration for its beauty to its scent and appearance, much to mom and dads relief. {insert picture of Anthurium here}

	Suddenly, Ratchet's ears lifted slightly, and he turned his head towards the back of the house, tiny nose twitching as he took in several unexpected scents. Outside? Was that outside? Curiously, he trotted in the direction of the back door, through the small kitchen and past his least favorite room of the house, the laundry room. Cautiously, he peered into the dark, forboding chamber, eying the washing machine balefully for a moment before scooting past, tail tucked a little. Finally, Ratchet came to the back door.. and let out a bark of surprise. The door was open!

	It was just a crack... mom probably didn't close it properly when she left earlier. Still, the dachshund was curious, and began to nose the door open, little by little. Outside wasn't unknown to him, by any means; he went outside several times per day for various reasons, but usually in the company of one of the humans. This was new territory, so to speak - not in the literal sense of course. Quivering slightly, he peered outside at the backyard, then let out a sharp little yap before trotting through the open portal and into The Outside.

	Without the usual distractions, Ratchet's senses were assailed by all sorts of things: strange smells and sounds especially. Eagerly he loped out into the yard, sniffing around through the grass, pausing briefly to chew on a dandylion before moving on to paw at an anthill, sending the little critters scattered in all directions. Another yap and he was off again, chasing a large fly first, only to have his attention diverted by a bee, seeking out an autumn bloom. It didn't take long, though, for Ratchet to become bored of bugs, and he started off once again, lopping through the longish grass until he came to the edge of the yard.

	Now, normally when Ratchet was outside, as mentioned he had a human with him. This is because the yard was not fenced in, and the humans didn't want him to wander off on his own. Like.. he was doing now. At first, the dachshund stared at the sidewalk before him, studying the strange material then leaning down to sniff at it. Finally though, he stepped out onto it; finding it not uncomfortable, he moved out more confidently, heading at random in a left-hand direction away from the house. At first, he trotted slowly, gaze swivelling left and right as he took in the neighborhood. It was quiet, this being the suburbs, but there were a few humans about traveling quickly on strange, balanced devices. At first, the dachshund tried to chase after one of them, wanting to play, but very very quickly was left behind. Disappointed, Ratchet barked several times before turning away, sniffing at the air. Something new!

	It took a moment for Ratchet to find what he was smelling.. up in that tree! A bark, he loped over to the base of the tall maple, peering up at the small bushy brown creature sitting there.

	"Come play with me!" the dachshund yapped up excitedly, propping himself up with his front paws on the trunk. "It's sunny, and warm, and I want to chase you!"

	The squirrel peered down at Ratchet with her tiny, beaded black eyes for a moment, her tail quivering anxiously behind. Finally, she let out a squeek, holding up an acorn. "Silly pupper! It is the autumn! Soon, the cold will come, and I need to find more food to store! I do not have time to play with you!" Then, with another chatter she turned away and clambered up the tree further, holding the acorn between her teeth.

	Ratchet let out a sight, slowly dropping his front paws back down to the ground, brows pursed in disappointment. Then, with a grunt he turned and waddled away from the tree, little tail swishing. Very soon though, he found another interesting smell.. one he recognized. Cat! Excited, Ratchet jogged forward, following the scent through another yard and towards a wooden porch.

	Almost immediately, the dachshund recognized the house, which belonged to a friend of human moms, and to which he'd been brought to before. And there, sitting on the porch railing was Cat, lounging in the warm sunlight. Happily, Ratchet trotted up to the porch, stretching to place his front paws on the first step.

	"Cat! Come and play!" he yapped eagerly, tail swishing like a rotor.

	Cat, a big black and orange feline of indeterminate heritage, languidly peered down at the dachshund, then yawned widely, almost dismisively. Tail slowly flicking side to side, he studied Ratchet, then let out a low purr of amusment.

	"Little pupper! I do not wish to play. The sun is warm, and my belly is full of tasty fishies. I just want to nap."

	"But Cat! You always nap!" Ratchet barked in response, head canting to one side. "Whenever I visit, you nap! Come, lets play chase!"

	"Chase? With you, pupper? But your legs are too tiny! You would never catch me, nor would you ever escape me! No, pupper. Chase would not be fun.. and I wish to nap."

	Another sight escapes the dachshund, his ears lowering with saddness. Drawing back from the porch, he gazes up at Cat for a stretch longer before turning away. Cat, amused, stood up and stretched, then hopped across the gap of the stairs to the other rail, then flopped down in a fresh sunbeam, eyes closing. Ratchet snorted once, then began padding through the grass, searching for a new diversion. Soon, he began to hear new sounds, high above him.

	Craning his neck awkardly, Ratchet peered up, ears lifting as he searched the sky above him for the source of the sound. After a long moment, he spotted... birds, sitting on a wire! Yapping once more, he bounces on his little paws several times, calling out to the black and white avians.

	"Birds! Birds! Come and play!" the dachshund shouts, before running around in a circle several times. The birds peered down at him, chirping back and forth to each other several times, canting there heads back and forth to watch the strange four-legged beast below.