My shadow is up to no good today. He started the morning off by arguing with me about whose food was in what bowl. Now my bowl is always in the same spot, he was just being greedy and trying to snack upon all the food. He's in his growing stages I guess, but this is no excuse. He's just being a pain today.

After enough ruffs and barks and such, the old man settled the situation and separated us. I was finally able to eat my breakfast and my shadow found out who was right and who was wrong. He was wrong, just like I'd told him.

So everything was fine until the old man left us inside all alone. Well, I'd be fine, it wasn't like I'd had time to myself before. But my young friend must have been looking for trouble to get into or something. I have no idea what was in his food bowl, but he was trying everything to make somebody mad today.

I caught him sniffing around the bookshelf, the one where the old man keeps some of his things he likes to practice his reading with. I've been told so many stories from them, especially when my buddy used to read them to me while I napped. One of them even had the rabbits and cakes that make you big and small and other strange things to dream about.

I don't really think my young friend realized what these things are actually for because he started dragging some of them around like toys.

"These aren't toys," I barked, "Why don't you go play with the squeaky piggy."

"Nip!" he barked back at me, "Gonna do what I wanna."

With that, he tossed one of the reading books over the sofa and went for another one. I had to stand in his way to block him. There was no time to go get the old man, my shadow was on a roll and would quickly turn everything into a big mess. He tried to paw me out of the way, but I had a quicker tail, whapping his fluffy ears to let him know to stop.

And that's when the crying started. Oh yeah, I forgot he might be big, but he's a big baby too. Getting much bigger by the day. He sat down right in that spot and just started howling. When the old man didn't respond, he went to find him. Good, this might solve the entire problem. At least the crying stopped for now as well.

But we couldn't find our friend. He wasn't in the yard like he normally is, messing around with stuff or picking more treats out of the garden. He must have gone to the store or something, maybe getting some snacks or new toys.

"Where?" my shadow whimpered. "Where he at?"

"He'll be back," I assured him, "No worries."

After circling around the house a few times without finding our friend, he settled on the rug next to the door and started howling softly. Now that I think of it, he's never been around when the old man's gone off to do things by himself. My shadow doesn't really know what it's like to be left home alone. Well, almost alone. I'm here, but he's never not had the old man leave before.

"He'll be back," I told my young friend. "He always comes back."

With a final huff, he flopped all the way down on the rug and grumbled to himself. And there he stayed until the old man returned home. It was sort of strange to see my young friend sit so calm and quiet for once, sort of nice, but sort of sad too. I always know our good buddy will come back home, but for him, it must have felt like he'd been gone forever. I don't know, I can't even remember the first time I was home alone.