"Ramby, the air is so fresh out here!"
"Honestly Ragra, does Ramby have to be the first word out of your mouth?!" Mipch scolded, stepping up next to his friend. Ragra paid no mind to the common complaint; he was too busy scanning the area for their next mission.
The LukranaX1 had been picking up odd animal noises for some time now and they had been sent to discover the source of the one most associated with the humans. Gooruni was entirely unsettled by the mission. He straggled behind the group muttering along the lines of, "Freaky beasts. noise too loud. screechy attack animal probably..." The brave troupe advanced on the human settlement, looking around constantly for any sign of danger. There were no humans in the areas outside of the town, but small bushy-tailed creatures kept scurrying up trees whenever they passed too close. They waited to see what sound it would make, and though it was similar, they assumed they had not found the cause of their expedition.
"What a laugh everyone would have if we came back with a critter as tiny as that! Imagine the label 'tiny thing worries exploration team'!" Gooruni scowled at Ragra as the others raised their brows.
"Is that the best you could come up with? It doesn't even rhyme!"
"How often do labels rhyme?" Ragra shot back instantly. Mipch flapped a hand at both of them and nothing more was said. Once on the edge of the town, it was decision time. There were many humans out on the walkways that they would have to get past unseen. Timply - who was by far the most eager to make the discovery- insisted that it would take less time and be easier to hide if they split up into pairs. Gooruni grumbled about probably getting lost or spotted, but Ragra just told him to pay attention better instead of complaining at the ground. Ragra then took Mipch by the elbow and headed straight way into the settlement. With all his enthusiasm, Gooruni's mood couldn't bother Timply and they set off in the opposite direction at Timply's command.
"What a laugh everyone would have if we came back with a critter as tiny as that! Imagine the label 'tiny thing worries exploration team'!" Gooruni scowled at Ragra as the others raised their brows.
"Is that the best you could come up with? It doesn't even rhyme!"
"How often do labels rhyme?" Ragra shot back instantly. Mipch flapped a hand at both of them and nothing more was said. Once on the edge of the town, it was decision time. There were many humans out on the walkways that they would have to get past unseen. Timply - who was by far the most eager to make the discovery- insisted that it would take less time and be easier to hide if they split up into pairs. Gooruni grumbled about probably getting lost or spotted, but Ragra just told him to pay attention better instead of complaining at the ground. Ragra then took Mipch by the elbow and headed straight way into the settlement. With all his enthusiasm, Gooruni's mood couldn't bother Timply and they set off in the opposite direction at Timply's command.
Many of the houses were encircled by metal twisted into fences. These easily see-through fences struck the Bindis as rather pointless since on their planet, Bindara, fences were made to prevent sight of areas, and most certainly did not have holes you could shove your whole arm through!
"Perhaps these humans are merely possessive, rather than secretive." Mipch suggested as they carefully passed yet another odd fence. Ragra made no further comment other than to agree it a possibility. Suddenly, the two Bindis heard what they were searching for. Exchanging an excited glance the two comrades bustled forward flicking their eyes constantly side to side and back over their shoulders as well. The sound grew louder and was soon close enough to make Ragra and Mipch slow down to a stop. Calculating the direction of the source, they made down a path to their left and walked cautiously forward. At the end of the lane between two houses, the fences stretched out to the horizontal path ahead. Mipch pointed to the left and they looked both ways before scrunching low and scurrying down the open path.
Just as they were about to pass the next house, the front door swung open! Both Mipch and Ragra collided into each other before diving behind a tall, smelly box that had a lid on top and two wheels on the bottom. Peering around the box, they finally saw the source of the noise. A furry, white animal, with a tongue at least half as long as a Bindi's arm, came bounding out the front door. It's long tail swished hazardously through the air as it circled the fenced area creating that terrible raucous and displaying sharp white teeth at each lope.
"Silly, dog." The human called, closing the door once more. The "dog" continued to bark as it ran about the fenced off area. Ragra rose his brow at Mipch wondering if they should get a closer look. The pair inched farther away from the smelly container, warry of getting too close to the fence. On a wild turn, the dog spotted the two and immediately came rushing at them, teeth exposed, barking loud. Both Bindi's got a flash of dark brown eyes before they had launched themselves away, almost toppling the box on wheels.
"I don't think these fences are for keeping human out. I think they are for keeping these 'dogs' in." Ragra proclaimed, brushing off his clothes in an attempt to calm himself though he still pressed his back hard against the box.
Timply and Gooruni walked on quietly through the paths as they followed their map towards the spot where the noises had been most concentrated on the scanners. They could hear the noises even before they had rounded the last turn. What they saw was unlike anything they had ever encountered in their country, Amyhead. A long, semi-tall metal fence enclosed a large space of both grass and sand. Miscellaneous objects were placed at random in the area. Humans and loud animals alike ran freely through grass and sand. The animals, though highly varying in shape, size and color, where all making similar barking or yipping noises that matched what they were searching for. Wooden planks tipped as the animals slowly, or quickly crossed them. Long and short, flexible tunnels wavered as the animals dashed through from one side to the next. Some animals even jumped high into the air to catch flying disks thrown by humans. None of the humans seamed to mind ruffling multiple dog's ears and sliding their hands down their backs. None of the animals seamed to mind where their tails were striking, or how much their tongues lulled out of their mouths. The Bindis watched in amazement as the interaction continued.
"They are pets. No doubt about that. Very popular pets. Just look at the variety! All with basic, four leg build, yet very few with exactly the same coloration or size." Mipch waved a hand out casually to spread a look from one end of the area to the other. Ragra nodded and began paying attention to what the humans were saying in hopes of discovering the meaning behind all of this.
"So, what do you have to report?" Megroon - report specialist and head of the report station- asked from behind his desk. Mipch stepped forward with the written assessment and placed it before Megroon. Taking one step back, he informed, "They are called dogs. Many humans keep them as pets, or friendly companions. Some humans refer to them as 'man's best friend' though they are just as friendly to females. They come in mostly browns, whites, blacks, greys, and tints of purple and red. They range from puny to huge. Though we overheard two humans agreeing that their bark is worse than their bite, we have concluded that to be a false statement since one small child started crying and screaming when a small dog made her hand bleed by biting her. There are many ways to play and exercise with these dogs, as are listed in the report. End of verbal report Sir."
A full day's observance and all four in the exploration team felt fully accomplished. None had been spotted by humans, or hurt by the beasts and now they had a new view of humans and their pets.
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