Bao Bei pressed himself close to her, tucking into the warmth of her belly. He sniffled softly through his nose.
"Bark~ Bark~ Bark~"
Mama's scent... So warm and gentle. I love you, Mama. Please wait for me. When I grow up, I'll catch all the good food for you. I promise.
His mother wrapped her fluffy fur around Bao Bei gently, as if to shield him with love.
CLANG!! RATTLE! THUD! CRASH!
A loud noise suddenly tore through the shed, waking up Bao Bei from his half-sleep state.
His mother immediately covered him with her body and growling with a hiss. Her fur stood up all over her body and her tail puffed up to twice its size.
Bao Bei's eyes went wide with fear.
It's Humans!
"There they are!"
A man shouted. His body was just a dark silhouette, with the light shining behind him.
The sound of his voice was so loud it hurt Bao Bei's ears. It was sharp and broken, like it didn't sound right.
The man was holding a long stick in his hand.
"Run! You have to run!" his mother said quickly.
"But, Mama!"
He couldn't run away and leave his mother behind!
"You'll sell for a high price! Stay still!"
The man reached out his hand toward the little pup. But Bao Bei's mother sank her teeth deep into that hand.
"Agh! Damn dog!"
The man shouted in pain and flung his arm. Bao Bei's mother was thrown across the shed. There was a dull thud as her body hit the floor.
Even so, she got up and shouted toward Bao Bei.
"Go! Don't come back! Listen to your mother!"
"Mama!"
The blood was dripped from her mouth, but she still leapt at the man who was trying to grab her son.
Bao Bei ran as hard as he could. His little legs didn't move well, but he forced them to. He dove for the crack in the corner of the shed.
"Live, Bao Bei! Keep living! Look forward and never stop!"
Just before crawling through the hole, Bao Bei looked back.
In that moment, he saw the man raising the stick high above his mother—and bringing it down on her.
"Bark!!"
Go! Now!
Bao Bei burst out into the outside world, running blindly.
Mama! Mama!
The tears began to flowed from his eyes. He couldn't see anything anymore.
I hate humans! I hate them all!
SCREEEEECH!!
A sharp, piercing sound like brakes tearing through the air hit from nearby. A huge black tire appeared right in front of his eyes.
THUD!!
A violent impact struck Bao Bei's body. It should have hurt. It should have been hard to breathe. But the shock was so massive, he felt nothing at all.
Bao Bei's tiny body was thrown into the air.
If I had been human… could I have protected Mama?
'Live. Don't look back… Be happy.'
He heard his mother's voice.
Bao Bei waited for the moment his body would crash into the ground.