Chapter 6 - Hogs & Dogs

When Kiyoko returned to work on Monday she felt refreshed and invigorated. Earning money was an even greater priority than normal. Now that she had Yuki that meant additional expenses, plus there were only so many renovations she could undertake at her home before needing additional finances. The horse had cost her a lot but after the special night they shared, and the time since she could confidently say he was worth every penny. No price could quantify how wonderful of  a creature he was. She’d enjoyed the visit to the zoo as well. Kiyoko always thought she’d go the rest of her life without befriending another human but Sawako proved otherwise. She didn’t cringe at the thought of seeing her when she returned to the clinic. 

As such she came into the clinic with high spirits. “Good Morning Sawa-chan!” The veterinarian greeted. Sawa slowly looked up from some papers she was sorting at her desk, her expression was distant, and she didn’t immediately smile back. “Everything okay?” Asked Kiyoko, with mild concern. Sawa apparently didn’t realize she’d looked so dour, and tried to play it off, “Oh yes! It’s nothing. I was just lost in thought. School starts again for me soon, so I’ve got a lot of preparation to do.” The older woman frowned. There was an unusual inauthenticity behind the statement, and that bothered Kiyoko. They were supposed to actually be friends now yet already she was starting to act differently? 

“Hmm.” She began, making no effort to hide her skepticism. “Alright. Well- if there’s anything the matter, you can tell me.” Kiyoko offered diplomatically, before returning to the familiar daily routine. “Did anyone call?” 

Sawako nodded, and passed her two files. “Mhmm. We got a call about two stray dogs on the edge of town from the Commision of Fish and Game. They say they want them neutered, before they’re taken to the pound. They said they had to make some other stops first, and wouldn’t be over until later this afternoon, so you can deal with the second file first.”
Kiyoko took the folder. The thought of neutering anything made her grimace. It was unfortunately the most common sort of procedure she had to perform. By the time she got to the second file her eyes narrowed as she read. “What the-?” 
Sawako nodded. “Yeah I thought it sounded kind of weird too, but I looked it up, and apparently it’s not illegal.” 

A man had called asking about shots for an animal he was keeping. The animal in question was a wild boar. “Why he was keeping it?” Kiyoko asked with a raised eyebrow.
Sawako shook her head, “Nope. It was Mr. Songmin who called though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he had some grand design in the works.” The caller’s identity explained the strangeness of the request. 
Mr. Songmin was a known character in town.  Some people loved him, some people couldn’t stand him. Both parties agreed he was an eccentric. Kiyoko had met him when he first moved to in a few years prior. He’d apparently once been some big time executive in Korea, despite only being in his late twenties, but gave it up because he hated the grind. Idyllic country life proved to be more expensive than he cared for so he came to japan. He worked part time as a farmer and rancher, and part time as an inventor. He’d had a penchant for trying to raise exotic animals. Kiyoko had visited his place when he tried unsuccessfully to start a reindeer, and alpaca farm. “Something tells me this might be a big job, so I should probably hit the road. Thanks Sawa. I’ll see ya later.” The vet said before departing.

Chong Songmin lived in a cottage in the mountains outside of town. It was almost an hour long drive just to get there. The drive up took her through a beautiful mountainside bamboo forest, though the immediate vicinity of the house looked more like a junkyard. There were old cars he’d stripped for parts, various appliances in the midst of being recycled, other sorts of trash he was attempting to offer a second life. Kiyoko dreaded the idea of going into his house in light of how messy the yard had become. Fortunately he was out front when she approached. 

From where she parked she couldn’t get a complete view of him as he was partly hidden from view by a hedge. As she got nearer however she realized he appeared to be stretching, or doing some kind of standing lunges, but was wearing nothing but a happi coat, and fundoshi, a traditional style of men’s underwear. She halted in the middle of the path up to the house, and was about to leave when he spotted her. “Oh Sugai-san! Hello again!” Kiyoko shielded her eyes to his near nakedness, “I’m sorry is this a bad time, I can come back later-” She began, but he jogged over, much to her dismay, and explained. “No, this is a great time! I was just getting ready.” Kiyoko had her hands in her pocket, but balled a fist around her keys in case he tried anything funny. “Ready for what?” Songmin pumped his fist, “PURIFICATION!” Kiyoko let out a sigh of relief and released the keyes. 
“What are you on about this time?” Songmin snapped his fingers like he was about to hit her with the sales pitch of a lifetime, “I’ve cracked it Sugai-san. The root of all my problems. It’s my energy! I’m too negative. It’s all around me. I radiate it, like a miasma! All of my misfortune in my life- it all stems from bad karmic energy from one of my past lives!” 

The veterinarian nodded, but cautioned, “You sound extremely confident.”

He nodded back, but faster, “I am! I spoke to a shaman about it, and he told me exactly how to cure it!” The eccentric pointed at the distant mountain, “There is the answer! I need to climb to the summit of Mount Nani-Nanio and bathe in the holy water just below the peak!” Kiyoko shrugged. That seemed a little bit extreme, but she couldn’t fault the man for wanting to better himself spiritually. 

“You know there’s still snow on the ground up there right. You uh, might be a little bit... under-dressed.”

He ignored her comment, and started engaging in more stretches, touching his toes and so forth. “It’s gonna be great Sugai-san! Out with the bad! A fresh start! Onward and upwards!” He exclaimed, like she hadn’t just warned him about a serious risk of hypothermia. Kiyoko knew he could probably go on about it all day, so she decided to refocus him on the task at hand. 

“So where is this boar, and how did you capture it?” 

He waved a hand, and led her around the side of his cottage. On the house side there was a large pig pen with several happy looking porkers wallowing in the warm summer mud. Beyond that there was a small trail that led into the forest beyond. Another few hundred yards away into the wilderness was a makeshift fence made of overlapping bamboo poles that surrounded a muddy defile in the ground. Songmin pointed over the fence and said, “This is it.” At the bottom of the gully were two animals, a tired looking female domestic pig, and on the other side of the pen, the biggest hog Kiyoko had ever seen. Hokkaido, unlike southern japan, has no native species of boars, which made this creature's presence there all the more unusual. 

Pointing at the oddity, Kiyoko inquired, “How the fuck did that thing get here.”

Songmin stroked his chin. “You know I was wondering the same thing... I heard a rumor a hunter brought over a bunch of wild hogs from Siberia back in the 80s. The story goes that the government had them all culled, out of fear they’d damage the local ecosystem. As far as everyone knew they succeeded, but If this guy’s here maybe that means there’s still a few left out there- or maybe he’s the last of his kind; The one who got away!” It wasn an interesting theory, but ultimately not entirely relevant to Kiyoko. “

Sure that’s plausible I suppose- but now why do you want to keep it?”

Songming gave her the sale’s pitch snap again, making her groan. “Jeju pork.” She stared blankly. “It’s from korea. It’s a very expensive variety of pork. You can only get it on Jeju island. It’s fantastic, and more expensive than kobe beef.” He pointed at the hog. “The secret to Jeju pork is their unique heritage. They retain a little bit of their wild ancestry. It gives them a unique flavor. If I breed my pigs with this wild boar, I think I might be able to reproduce it, and make a fortune in the process.” 

The veterinarian said nothing. It sounded like a bit of a harebrained idea, particularly because he was alleged to already be a multi-millionaire,  but she doubted she could talk him out of it. “Okay. Okay. But how did you catch this thing in the first place?” 

The half naked man looked into the middle distance of the forest, at nothing in particular. “I had a revelation... At first I tried many different ways of capturing it. Snares, traps, deadfalls, you name it. It escaped all of them. This hog- it’s has a masterful survival instinct. Eventually as I stalked it, I realized something. This is a male hog, one who lives all by itself. All males, be they men or hogs, are the same. They mostly care about one thing… Pussy.” 

Kiyoko laughed- It was the most agreeable thing he’d said all day. 

“So I set my trap. I walled off this gully, and led one of my female pigs down here, and waited. I knew the hog would be drawn to her scent eventually. For days I waited out here, until one day, it finally revealed itself. When it went down to the pit to mate with her, I snuck around and sealed off the entrance to the enclosure trapping him inside. A masterstroke, wouldn’t you say?” 


“Truly. Only your genius mind could have invented such a strategy. Maybe you really do need some ritual purification.” She replied sarcastically. 

He clapped his hands again, and started walking backwards into the forest, “I knew you’d understand Sugai-san! We’re aligned! It’s true what they say, about great minds thinking alike. Anyways best of luck with everything!” 

Kiyoko suddenly realized he’d put quite a bit of distance between them. “Wait a minute!? You’re not going to stay and help me with this!? That thing could fucking kill me!” 

“I can’t delay my karmic rebirth any longer Sugai-san! You’ll have to settle this on your own! I believe in you!” He shouted, before turning and running into the forest vaguely in the direction of the mountain. The last thing she heard form him before he disappeared into the trees was one him shouting, “purification! Purification! PURIFICATION!” 

Kiyoko dead panned as she watched him go, but was at the very least glad to be alone again. She stared at the creature as it lounged. All boars were aggressive, particularly when they felt threatened. What was more threatening than being trapped in a gully? She could safely anticipate that it would be hostile to her presence in the pit. The tired domestic pig on the other end of the enclosure looked like it had been fucked silly several times over. It might have helped the brute blow off some steam, but she doubted it. She was contending with a wild animal, no matter how she handled it, she’d be taking a huge risk. She weighed her options. The wisest thing to do would be to just forget about this job, and tell Songmin it couldn’t be done safely. 

On the other hand the longer she stared at the hog the more it filled her with a strange sense of wonder. It was not a pretty creature, even by animal standards it was pretty ugly, but it had a unique panache about it. It’s face, and legs were scarred, either from encounters with other animals, or from traps which it had clearly escaped. It was a prime specimen of its species. Through it’s thick coat of dark wiry fur she could see the defined musculature of its shoulders and hind legs. It’s tusks curled with perfect symmetry, and were as white as bleached bone. To lay with such a creature would be an unparalleled experience, like something straight out of mythology. It was said that Zeus once took the form of a bull before impregnating a human woman- perhaps that was what this creature was, a god pretending to be a hog. Curious to see what it would make of her, she slapped her hand on the wooden poles, making a racket, to rouse it from its slumber. The creature woke immediately, but regarded her dismissively. Peeking a single eye in her direction it observed her with suave broody disinterest. 
“So what’s the deal big guy? You do a number on your little girlfriend there?” She called down. It at last looked up in her direction, and snorted dismissively. Boorishness was oddly charming coming from an actual boar. Anticipating that approaching the creature would be messy work, Kiyoko made sure she was alone, before removing her clothes piece by piece. When at last all that remained was her underwear she went to the area Songmin had indicated previously, and removed one of the poles in the barricade to allow herself to slip inside. 

She had her prepared injections in one hand, packaged up safely in a leather case. No sooner than she took one step down into the defile her foot sank into the mud right down to the ankle. The slight grade of the way forward made it all the more difficult to walk. One wrong move and she’d go slipping down right toward the thing. The hair on the animal’s back bristled as it saw her enter, but it still refused to stand. She spoke to the creature provocatively, “I doubt a big boy like you could be satisfied with one little lady like her could ya.” The domestic pig made a faint snort of protest at that. “No offence.” The vet assured. Refocusing on the hog she continued, “Alone in those woods, for so many years. You must have been awfully lonely. I bet you’d stick your dick in anything, wouldn’t you?” She’d only managed to get a few steps closer before in a flash the thing lurched back up onto its feet. Kiyoko froze. The animal’s back was at eye level with her. Judging by its width, and length, she guessed the thing might have weighed a ton. Her heart started to pound in her chest. This was a very dangerous game she was playing.

It’s eyes trained on her, and it bowed its head in an aggressive posture. It squealed, and stomped it’s feet in the dirt. For a split second Kiyoko considered abandoning her whole plan and making a run for it. She was about to bolt when she spotted something curious sprouting from between its hind legs. Contrasting sharply with the obscure coloration of its fur was a crimson point slowly emerging from a hairy sheath at it’s waist. It emerged slowly revealing it’s peculiar corkscrew curvature. “Yeah- you just love that pussy don’t you?” Kiyoko husked at the sight of it. While this certainly wasn’t the first time Kiyoko had seduced an animal, it felt particularly gratifying to arouse the interest of a wild beast. She was an alien entity to it. She should have been something it instinctively feared, or loathed. She didn’t immediately detect either sentiment as this creature trained its eyes on her naked body. Kiyoko cupped her breasts as it studied her figure. The woman pinched her nipples, teasing them until they became erect. She chewed her lip, and squatted down in the mud. “You like watching me, big guy? You keep acting cool- but I bet you want to try my pussy too don’t you? I bet you know I can fuck you better than these little sows can. Yeah- you’d like that wouldn’t you?” Keeping her eyes fixed on the beasts’ she slid one hand down her midsection. Rubbing her finger through her bush, she parted the folds of her flower, and teased her fingers against her clit. Slowly as she massaged herself her wanting hole began to moisten, spreading the aroma of her arousal throughout the enclosure. The hog smelled it, twitching its nose form side to side as it’s brain processed her pheromone latent smell. Kiyoko swatted her pussy with her hand, “ Think you can make me squeal? You wanna fill me up, you big brute?” 

That was the last straw for Zeus the pig. With lighting quick speed he bolted toward her. Tusks out, head down, the creature bounded toward her like a freight train. “Fuck-!?” The woman shouted, before trying to dive out of the way. As she previously feared, the mud made her footing treacherous. She tried to dive like a softball player sliding in for a base, but lost her purchase on the ground mid leap, sending her flopping down into the mud ineffectually. Kiyoko landed only a few feet away from where she initially stood, drenched in the boggy mire. Every inch of her was caked in dark claggy soil. It clung to her hair, clumping it in thick strands. It sullied her body, turning her tan skin to a deeper shade of ochre. Her underwear, and lower half were completely drenched. Meanwhile the beast was still rampaging toward her. She barrel rolled aside, narrowly missing it’s stomping feet as they surged through the mud splashing her with a thick earthy spray. She had barely pushed up from the swampy ground when she realized it had righted round again and was face to face with her. It exhaled sharply, blowing her hair back with the breath from its nostrils. It’s body odor was like a wet dog but a thousand times stronger. It’s sickle tucks loomed menacingly inches away from her neck. It could have killed her then and there, and she’d have been powerless to stop it; but the beast wasn’t in a killing mood. Nuzzling her with its nose it pushed her backwards. It was so strong it actually shoved her back onto her feet, then with an aggressive advance made her double over backwards onto her butt. 

Stamping it’s powerful legs it planted them on either side of her head, and bellowed a harsh suidane roar. As kiyoko crawled backwards she felt it start thrusting down toward her. It’s first several tries missed their mark, gliding off her soft body, frustrating it further. Moving quickly she reached down, and pulled her panties aside, before planting her feet down in the mud and raising up her hips. Holding herself there, like in a yoga pose, she offered her snatched up for him to take; and take it he did.

Throwing all of its weight behind the very first thrust the creature drove it’s corkscrew length into her cunt. It moved furiously, like it was possessed, thrusting into her with such force her hole body was lifted by it. Kiyoko cried out as it pierced into her, it’s odd tapered tip ramming hard into the far wall of her cunt and pressing it, like it aimed to make her suffer. Thinking quickly she grabbed her vet’s kid and threw it open. Taking her syringes she jabbed both into the creatures side and injected them, completing her first mission on one fell stroke. Though the brute thing probably would have enjoyed breaking her, but it met its match with Kiyoko. As it started pulling back to deliver it’s next powerful thrust Kiyoko showed the utility of the Ben Wa balls she bought by clenching the walls of her pussy tight around it’s cock, squeezing it as tightly as she could. The beast, surprised by the sudden friction, slowed, seemingly enjoying the way her cunt gripped him. Mud soaked, filthy, and sweating from the pain, and effort of her entanglement with the creature she defiantly egged it on. “MMMH- Yeah- That’s the way you like it you fucking rancid beast. C’mon! Rut me like you really want it, sweet meat! Gimmie that pig dick!” The hog huffed and snorted. As she goaded it, it’s posture seemed to change. It planted itself to remain steady, and lifted its body like it no longer intended to crush her. As it pulled away Kiyoko grabbed the hair on it’s flank, and demanded, “Where do you think you’re going?” The position was difficult. The hog, suddenly becoming very unhelpful, barley moved its body, forcing her to pump her hips up to take it’s cock in. The more she moved the more it emitted huffed, and snorted, ostensibly breathing harder as it’s arousal intensified. She tugged his hair harder, “What’s the matter? Getting gun shy as soon as someone give a little back? I’m not scared of you big boy!” Though the hog made no effort to dislodge it’s cock appeared startled by her rebellious cries. Soon it’s feed started to wobble and shuffle in place, like it had become unsure of itself. That only spurred Kiyoko on more, she pumped her hips up as much as the position would allow, milking his cock with her pussy. 

Soon the boar seemingly lost it’s nerve, and with a squeal, doubled back away from her pulling it’s cock all the way back out. Kiyoko dropped in the mud, only to lurch up again with a frustrated expression on her face. The hog trotted a few steps away then plotted on it’s side. Her eye twitched. She’d expected it cop an attitude, but not this sort of attitude. The thing reminded her of a teenage boy trying, and failing to act tough. It was safe to say the Hog most certainly wasn’t Zeus in disguise. Likewise it was mistaken if it thought she’d let it off easy. She staggered back up onto her feet and stormed over to it. “You gonna just leave me high and dry? I thought you were king of the forest? You gonna wimp out on me now?” It looked away, like a pouty brat. Aggravated, she reached down and grabbed a handful of mud and threw it at the hog. “You’re nothing but a punk. I can see why you ended up in a cage!” She berated. Once again in proximity to the beast she grabbed it by the hair on it’s back and shoved it. It of course didn’t budge, being impossibly heavy, but she persisted, pushing and pulling the creature incessantly. The hog whined, and to her surprise made a gesture of submission, rolling onto it’s back in the mud. Its erect dick protruded skyward like a leaning pillar, as it’s legs curled in the air. While it wasn’t what she predicted, it suited her needs just fine. Grabbing hold of the hair on it’s chest she threw one leg up, and climbed on top of him, straddling his belly like the back of a horse. Reaching back she grabbed a tight hold on his dick and squeezed. “You’ve got a nice tool here porkchop, pity you don’t know how to fucking use it.” The creature squirmed in her grasp. Raising her plush backside she adjusted the animal's length and sat back on it, stuffing it back into her pussy good and deep. It was intense from the new position, feeling even tighter inside her than before, particularly with the things’s odd shape, but Kiyoko wouldn't be dissuaded. Gyrating on top of him she rode the wanna-be king hog like he were her personal fuck toy, moving as she pleased. Though the hog began making rather pathetic sounds, she continued enjoying herself, rocking up and down on it with gusto. She continued, her tempo slowly growing faster, until she felt the thing’s cock begin to jolt and spasm inside of her. Her hand shot back grabbing it by the root where it emerged from the sheat. “Don’t you fucking cum!” She warned, twisting his dick a little to show it she meant business. The hog’s voice turned shrill and flailed its front legs, but obeyed her order. Maintaining a tight grip on it’s shaft Kiyoko threw herself back on it harder, and harder, until she could feel the growing rush of an orgasm swelling inside of her. Spurring herself onwards she moved her opposite hand down and teased her clit while she rode, doing everything she could to bring herself right to the edge. When at last she was right about to make it, she released the thing’s shaft allowing it to finish so they could come in unison. The hog spat out a long undulating grunt, and spouted a thick dollop of battery seed into her cunt. Simultaneously Kiyoko’s pussy spasmed and clenched, before letting out a small glut of translucent fluid that mingled with the creature’s cum and ran down it’s body in messy rivulets. Pulling herself off she let the rest spill out of her in a sudden powerful rush. The mess cascaded down the animal's body and mixed with the mud below, becoming indistinguishable. Panting and red faced, Kiyoko laughed, and said, “You’re not so fucking tough are ya now big boy.” She patted his side and climbed off, grabbing her kit from the mud as she left. The hog rolled back over onto its side, and blinked dumbly, seemingly still riding high on the vibe of it’s climax. As it watched Kiyoko leave it snorted, and huffed, looking at her with none of the bullishness it displayed previously, almost like it didn’t want her to leave. She looked back and pointed a finger at him, “Hush. You stay here and be good for Songmin. Give him loads of piglets, and don’t make trouble. You’re a farm pig now. You’re bound to catch me again sooner or later, and maybe next time you’ll put on a slightly more dignified performance.” The hog grunted, and shook its head indignantly. “Yeah you too. See ya next time chump.” Kiyoko concluded, before climbing up the slope and slipping out of the pen. 

The experience left her totally filthy. Her entire body was caked in mud. Big dollops of cum ran down her leg periodically. She didn’t even want to imagine what she looked like, much less let anyone else see her like that. There was still no sign of Songmin anywhere, meaning he was either lost in the wilderness or neck deep in an icy waterfall, but either way not returning home anytime soon. Kiyoko gathered her clothes and started walking back toward the eccentric's house. As she passed the pig stye this time the other sows inside sniffed the air, regarding her differently. “Don’t worry about the new one he’s got over there. He’s all show. I’m sure you girls’ll put him in line in no time.” She joked with them. It was said that the average pig was smarter than a human four year old, but the statement might have underestimated the pig’s intelligence. The lot seemed more lively as she left, which almost made it seem like they’d listened. By the time Songmin’s cabin she tried the door and found it unlocked so she let herself in. The inside was every bit as dirty and cluttered as she’d imagined, but at the very least she didn’t have to worry about tracking in mud. The vet made use of his shower to wash away the thoroughly caked on grime the redressed and saw herself out. 

It was late afternoon when she turned up at the Clinic again. Sawako was at her desk along with two other uniformed men from the Department of Wildlife conservation. 

“How did it go?” The teen asked, noticing Kiyoko’s hair was wet. The vet bobbed her head from side to side ambivalently, “Not to bad I guess, all things considered. Remind me to call the sheriff if Songmin doesn’t turn up in town by tomorrow. The loon’s trying to climb mount Nani-nanio.” Sawako wrote it down like that wasn’t an unusual request. The two suits from the department of wildlife conservation, both greeted her with a handshake. 

“What kind of dogs did you say they were?” Kiyoko inquired. 

The guys looked at one another. “Oh- well we didn’t actually mention it. There’s a male german shepherd, and a female corgi. Both were probably abandoned.” Kiyoko sighed. It had been a long day. The thought of sterilizing two animals that had already gone through the ordeal of being abandoned seemed especially cruel. 

“Aaah- wait- a Corgi!? God, I love those! They’re so adorable! I’ve always wanted one!” Kiyoko turned slowly, feeling suddenly inspired. The vet looked at the two suits, and said, “Listen those dogs are just going straight to the pound anyways right? Why don’t we take them off your hands for you? I could use a guard dog at my place. A german shepherd would be perfect. Sawa- you can take the Corgi.” The teen suddenly lit up with delight, “Ah- wow! Alright! That’s a great idea! I’ve just got to call my father real quick. I’m sure he’ll understand.” The coverall clad government workers shrugged, and said, “Sure no problem. You’re saving us a drive if anything. I trust you know how to deal with’em. We’ll be off now. Y’all have a good one!” 

After the two suits left the Secretary and the vet headed over to the clinic’s kennels to meet the animals. The corgi barked defensively, and was looking quite rough around the edges, like it had been living on it’s own for a long time. “Poor thing!” Sawa mewed sympathetically, before going off to find it a doggie treat. The german shepherd on the other hand was more docile. Apart from looking hungry and dehydrated he seemed mostly healthy. Seeing no need for caution Kiyoko opened it’s cage to let him out, but the thing didn’t move. Her brow furrowed with pity, “You must be feeling pretty down huh?” The dog looked away. Cautiously she stuck out her hand for the animal to smell. The dog leaned toward it and sniffed her before retracting timidly. “Why would someone ever leave a wonderful thing like you behind?” She pondered. Placing a bowl of food and water on the floor outside the dog’s cage she sat down and waited for it to emerge. It took several minutes but eventually the draw of a pleasant meal lured him closer. The thing ate, keeping an eye on kiyoko between every bite, but gradually started to relax.
Moment’s later Sawako returned with a piece of duck jerky for the corgi, which she fed through the bars. Presenting it with food immediately changed it’s temperament. As soon as it ate the treat it pawed the bars of the cage to be let out. As soon as she set it free it practically flung itself into her arms, eagerly wanting to be held. She swooned, “Oh you precious girl! I’ll love you forever!” She promised sincerely. Kiyoko smiled, glad to see they were warming up to one another so quickly. When she looked back she realized the German shepherd had sat down by the bowl, and was looking around the room nervously, but not running away from her like she feared he would. “It’s okay. This place is just a temporary stop. I’m gonna bring you home, and make everything just right for you. I’ll give you a nice warm bed to sleep on, all the treats you want, and even a big horse friend to play with.” The german shepherd wagged its tail a little. Sawako watched her interact with the dog with tranquil admiration. “You’ve got such a good manner with them. I’m envious. I wish animals took to me like that.” Kiyo ported at the corgi who was rapidly falling asleep in her arms, “You’ve know that dog for five minutes, and she already looks like she loves you. Don’t sell yourself short.” Sawa smiled, grateful for the compliment. 

Moments as the corgi started snoring she asked, “What do you think I should name her?” Sawa rocked the corgi in her arms, and mouthed a few names to herself. Before Kiyoko could say anything she blurted another idea, along with some friendly words for her new pet, “Maybe I’ll call her Ayame! A pretty name for my pretty little girl, yes you are!”
Kiyoko looked at her dog but nothing came to mind. After a long while the creature looked back at her too. “I don’t know. I’m gonna wait to decide. In time I’m sure he’ll tell me when he’s ready.” The two of them spent the rest of the day hanging out with the dogs, and waiting for calls that never came. When closing time rolled around Kiyoko drove sawa home, then retired for the evening with her latest animal friend.  