"Go. Get. Help." That was the order that Alpha had given him. Shadow did not like the idea of leaving her wherever she was. They were not in their home territory, and he did not know what was beyond the door. Unfortunately, it was not one that he was able to open. Only a not-dog like Alpha would be able to open the door and let her out.
So Shadow ran back the way they had come, looking for a not-dog to help Alpha.
There were a lot of not-dogs around, including many that were prey, and many that were like Alpha, but not. However, Shadow was looking for a very particular not-dog that was not Alpha. The biggest not-dog that Shadow had ever seen. One that he had even seen catch Alpha as she had been falling.
The dog made his way to the big space that was not outside, where most of the others were.
There were all sorts of smells. Like the scents of all the not-dogs that were sitting and watching, as well as the not-dogs and dogs that came out to do things and then left again, and all sorts of foods, including ones that smelled delicious but he was told "NO!" when trying to eat them. It was all very enticing. He really wanted to sniff around, explore it all, and see what he could find.
Except that was not something he could do. Alpha needed help, and Shadow was the one that was supposed to find it.
Tilting his head up, Shadow sniffed the air. He started picking at the smells and pulling them apart, to separate them from each other and ignore the ones that were not what he wanted until he found the one that was.
And there it was. The one that smelled of happiness, of running around the park on a warm sunny day, and something beyond the dog's understanding of the world. Nose twitching rapidly, Shadow followed the singular scent. He made his way across the large space, ignoring all the other smells and sounds around him.
Then he found her. The big, white, not-dog. She was on the other side of what was like -- but not -- a counter. There were three other not-dogs with her, including Alpha's latest "Client."
Reaching the not-counter, Shadow stood up on his hind legs, and leaned against the thing. He barked at the group, getting their attention. The barks became more of a grumbling noise as the not-dogs turned their attention to him.
When Client mentioned Alpha's not-dog name, Shadow was certain he had their attention. He gave another bark and dropped down to the ground. After darting a short distance toward the way he had come, the dog stopped and turned back, checking to see if big white not-dog followed.
Unfortunately, not-dogs were not always the brightest. He had to move back and forth, and bark at them several times before she finally got the message and followed him, Client in tow as well.
Shadow hurried back to Alpha, stopping just long enough to make sure they were still behind him along the way. Once they reached the door, he ran up, barking and scratching at it.
"Zipporwhill?" Client called out. "Are you in there?"
"Yeah," Alpha called out. "Can you get me out of here?"
Client and big not-dog talked a moment before not-dog stepped forward.
"Move away from the door."