Dog Park: Part Two
By Dirt
	Jake caught the ball again and turned back towards Pat. The kangaroo was too excited about his game to notice that Pat had company with him. His eyes were closed and he was running quickly back to his boyfriend. The freedom felt amazing to him, making him question why he had waited so long to do this. Even the itchy nylon collar that irritated his throat did not seem to matter to him at this point. The feeling of freedom was extremely short lived when he opened his eyes.
	“Uhh, Jake, meet my new friends.” Patrick said, rubbing the back of his head nervously.
	Around the malamute stood two small cubs at each of his sides. The one on Pat’s right side was a short rat wearing a bright red t-shirt and short cargo shorts. The one on his left side was a tall rabbit wearing a light blue hoodie and long jeans. Both of them looked like they were just about to reach their teens. The rabbit had his arms folded and his muzzle looking down at the kangaroo with a very wicked grin. The rat looked a bit nervous about being so close to the two adults playing their ‘game’. Jake remained about a yard away from them, terrified and frozen as his fears were beginning to validate themselves.
	“C’mere Jake. Don’t be shy.” Patrick said in the same patronizing tone, keeping the act going.
	Jake gave a confused look at Patrick. Had his boyfriend actually expected him to go through with the puppy play still? The kids would probably get fucked up from this sort of exposure. Sure, it was outwardly innocent, but as soon as someone peeled back layers to why the kangaroo was on all fours, things might get weird. Jake was about to get up to his feet, but the malamute reached into his pocket. Jake knew instantly what Patrick was reaching for, and he stopped himself from getting up. As weird as it would have been to walk up to the kids on all fours, it would have been weirder to see him follow orders given by a clicker. Jake strolled up to the group, keeping his head down the entire way.
	“Good boy!” Patrck said, getting down to his knees and rubbing the kangaroo’s head affectionately.
	“What’re you guys doing?” The rabbit asked.
	Jake knew he couldn’t respond. Not just because he was not allowed to while acting like a dog, but because he had no idea what he could tell the kid. Jake was never good at lying to people. He also would not dare utter the truth to the kids. Thankfully, Patrick knew the perfect things to say.
	“Jake likes pretending to act like a dog.” Patrick said casually.
	Jake’s face went from shame and guilt to complete horror in a second. He looked up at the two cubs, wondering if they were going to take off running in horror. The two boys, however, did not seem very phased at all. The rabbit just shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal while the rat reached his hand out and touched Jake’s head. The rat was somewhat nervous as he rested his fingers on the kangaroo’s head, but he soon began to stroke Jake like he was an actual dog. Jake was panting hard. The run had taken a bit out of him, but not nearly as much as feeling someone other than his boyfriend stroke him like that.
	“So what, is he retarded or something?” The rabbit asked while snickering.
	“Jamie! Shut up!” The rat responded, feeling a bit more in his comfort zone while petting Jake.
	“Boys, calm down,” Patrick said while reaching down and pulling the ball from Jake’s muzzle, “He’s not retarded. He just likes to play this way.”
	Patrick handed the ball over to the rat and pointed towards the field. The rat looked confused at the ball, not really sure if the malamute was serious about the whole thing. He continued to stroke at Jake’s head, petting him as if he knew how stressed the kangaroo was. He gave a glance down at Jake nervously. Jake could tell that the rat was more open and curious to the idea. It made him feel a little bit better about the whole thing. Jake opened up his mouth and gave off the expression an excited dog would. It was enough to encourage the rat to turn to the field and throw it.
	Jake dashed after it again, letting his tongue hang out openly as he ran. He found new energy to sprint for the ball, watching it carefully as it went towards the ground. The ball bounced once, slowing down enough for Jake to jump out and catch it before it could bounce a second time. The kangaroo lost no momentum as he shifted himself around and ran straight back to the cub. The rat was extremely excited to get the ball back, taking the ball into his hands and smiling brightly at Jake.
	“Good throw, Rorey!” Patrick said cheerfully.
	“That wasn’t that good. He caught it easily.” Jamie said as he reached out an snatched the ball.
	“This is how you throw it.”
	The rabbit pulled his arm back far and gave himself a running start before throwing it into the air as far as he could. Jake could already tell that he did not like this boy nearly as much as the other. He wanted to just leave the ball and just play with one of his other toys. He looked up and Patrick, who just gave a single nod to him. He could tell that the malamute was not excited about the throw either, but he also wanted to keep it going. Jake sighed and turned his body to face the field.
	The ball was just hitting the ground for the first time when he took off. The cub did have an amazing throw for his age. It was halfway across the park by the time that he was running full sprint to the ball. His head twisted from side to side, wondering if other people were paying attention. They were this time. One of the parents at the playground was sitting on a bench with his attention partially on the playground and partially on the kangaroo. He did not look mad or anything, but he was watching with disbelief. He turned his head to the college students, who were taking a little break to watch the kangaroo go.
	They were laughing to each other and jabbing at their sides playfully. He could even see them exchanging some dollar bills between each other. It didn’t take him long to figure that they had been betting on how fast he could catch the ball. The kangaroo shook his head furiously, removing them from his attention to continue running down the field. It took him a while before he reached it though. The ball was already dead on the floor, getting caught in a little bit of mud before halting. Jake wrinkled his muzzle, not wanting to pick it up with all the mud and dirt on in. He knew that he needed to bring it back though, so he reached down and picked it up as best he could.
	There was a roar of cheering from the students, all turning to one vixen who probably guessed the exact time that it took Jake to get the ball and handing her dollar bills. Unfortunately, he was less concerned about the students and more concerned about the mud in his muzzle. The ball was half covered in the filth. No matter how he tried to turn the ball around in his mouth, he still got a helping of the mud. Jake made a point to dash as fast as he could back, hoping to stop the humiliation and to clean his mouth out. When he got back, he made sure to give the ball straight to Patrick to prevent the rabbit from getting it again.
	“Who’s a good boy? Who’s my good boy?” Patrick asked.
	The cubs watched questionably as Patrick spoke to him in a patronizing tone and treating him almost exactly how he would treat a dog. Jake found it hard to play along and just kept panting with his head to the ground. Jake was feeling his momentum dying with too many things going on, but Patrick was there to save it. Patrick reached down and began to rub at Jake’s ears, scratching them lightly. Jake’s eyes rolled back and his tongue plopped out in glee. The kangaroo couldn’t help but grow weak to his knees and slowly collapse to the floor. Patrick went down with him, continuing to itch the back of his ears. The other boys got down to their knees and helped the malamute out, petting him along his back and scratching his head.
	“Good boy! Roll over.” Patrick ordered sternly.
	The malamute stopped scratching the kangaroo’s ears so he would focus on the order. Jake was finding it hard to resist, now that he realized the general reaction of everyone around him. It was strange that he was going to take the order though. Patrick was never big on the typical dog tricks like sit and play dead. Him pulling it out right now was pushing Jake to play improve with it. Jake did as he was told though, pushing his own limits just to truly play the part. He rolled on over to his stomach and splayed himself out with his hands up in the air like a dog.
	The boys did not seem to mind reaching over and rubbing Jake’s front. Even the rabbit was getting into it as he rubbed his chest playfully. The rat was a bit more adventurous, reaching one hand down to Jake’s belly while his other hand reached up to Jake’s head. Patrick gave an almost jealous look at the rat as he began to scratch the back of his ears like Pat was doing. Jake did not care whether it was Pat’s hand, the rat’s hand, or even his own mother’s hand. He still had the same explosion of feelings to the touch. Even his leg began to twitch and kick just like an actual feral dog would.
	“Alright, That’s enough boys.” Patrick said with a smirk on his muzzle, “New game.”
	Patrick reached inside of the bag again and pulled out a Frisbee this time. Jake let out a bit of a growl as he saw the flying disk wave in front of his muzzle. He reached his maw out and tried to snatch it, but Patrick was too fast for him. Jake was surprised that Patrick managed to bring out the damn thing, seeing as though he hid it from him. The malamute must have picked up a new one sometime before Jake was taken to the car to go to the park. The two of them tried to work on their Frisbee catching skills together, but not without much luck. Jake was determined to not let this be the humiliating aspect of the park trip.
	“You ready boy? You ready to play catch?” Patrick asked, always saying the same thing twice to him to get him excited.
	Jake was not that excited though. He rolled over onto his front and shook off the grass that was clinging on him. The boys took a step back, slightly confused at what all the fuss was about. Patrick made a couple motions like he was going to throw it, giving Jake a clear idea as to where it was going to head. After the third motion, Pat pulled his arm back and threw the Frisbee into the air. Jake took off, shifting his head back and forth to where he was walking and where the Frisbee was going.
	It was harder to chase after a Frisbee. He constantly had to look up at the Frisbee while still having to pay attention to where he was going. He was always scared that he might trip on a rock and hurt himself or step into a hole and twist his arm. But that was where the problem came from. He was so focused on altering his course to catch the Frisbee that by the time he lifted his head up to the Frisbee again, it was already too late. The disk shot downward and smacked the kangaroo right on temple.
	Jake dropped down with his elbows on the ground on the ground next to the Frisbee. He knew that he couldn’t bring his hands up to his head without breaking character, and so he got really good at finding alternatives. He reached down and rubbed his head against the ground to shake off the hit. He wished that he was as good at keeping into character as he could be for catching one damn Frisbee. The kangaroo got back up on his hands and knees, reaching down with his muzzle and grabbing the Frisbee and walking back with his head down.
	“Aww, there there puppy. We’ll do it again.” Patrick said.
	“Lemme try!” The rabbit shouted, reaching out and snatching the Frisbee out of the malamute’s hand.
	“I trained him to act like a dog. I’m going to train you to act like a person someday.”
	The rabbit did not seem to really care what Patrick was saying to him. Either he did not understand it, or he did not care enough to understand it. Instead, the boy did a couple warm up throws, giving Jake the line-up before tossing it out. Thankfully, he tossed it gentler this time, wanting to be the first one to get Jake to catch a Frisbee. Jake did the same thing, chasing after the Frisbee as quick as he could. He tried to shift his muzzle back and forth faster, hoping to keep the up with where the disc was going. However, the story ended the same way.
	Just as Jake turned his head, it caught him square between the eyes this time. Jake groaned, turned his head to the side and wanting to curse madly. He had to control himself, letting out a couple whines to at least blow off some steam. The kangaroo knew that he needed sometime before walking back to the group again. He huffed a little bit and circled his Frisbee, taking a walk to cool himself down. He finally bent his muzzle down and snatched the Frisbee, bringing it back with as much shame as he did the last time.
	Jake was received with petting and playful scratches when he got back. The group tried to cheer him up, feeling bad for the kangaroo that he couldn’t get the Frisbee. When the attention brought his spirits back up, he passed the Frisbee over to the rat and let him grab it. The rat looked unsure when he took the disc. His muzzle lacked confidence, but he took a step back anyways.
	“I’ll try my best.” He said, performing the same warm up motion as the last two.
	The kangaroo followed it closely, trying to predict where it was going to fly as best he could. The rat finally let the disk go, sending it slightly high into the air. Jake dashed off for it, trying to keep his attention on the Frisbee instead of the ground. Unfortunately, his natural instincts caught him again and he was forced to look at his path. He looked back up, getting a bit of the sun in his eyes but still making out the Frisbee. He turned back to the path again, adjust himself appropriately before turning again and spotting the Frisbee. He opened up his mouth wide and just as he snapped it back down, he felt the plastic toy clasp between his teeth.
	The kangaroo jumped around triumphantly. His large feet kicked up dirt and grass as he pranced around in joy. He had never felt so good about his petplay since the first time he felt a leash around his collar. He turned back to the group, grinning widely with the Frisbee in his muzzle. The group, however, did not look quite as happy as he was hoping. He took a step forward and stopped as he felt plastic in his hands. He looked down and realized that his Frisbee was on the floor in front of him. He let out a marf and looked down at the Frisbee in his mouth, recognizing it in an instant.
	He turned his head to the college students who were high fiving and cheering like they had just won a trophy. Between looking at his path and the sun in his eyes, he didn’t realize that the students had actually thrown their own Frisbee. They seemed to be focused around a tall wolf who was basking in the glory with his hands out openly. Jake looked down at the disc in his muzzle shamefully, not wanting his experience to just be a joke to the students.  Jake was not going to let his experience end on that note though.
	The kangaroo started to walk towards the group, keeping his muzzle and his tail up all the way as he strode to the group. They seemed to stop laughing, shaping themselves up. Some of them looked a bit shameful themselves, thinking that they had taken the joke a bit too far. Some of them looked a bit tense, wondering if this was going to be a fight. The tall wolf just kept his smug figure, folding his arms against his chest and keeping his muzzle fixed on the kangaroo. 
	Jake walked up to the wolf and lifted the Frisbee up to the wolf. The student looked shocked at the gesture, surprised that the kangaroo made the long humiliating trip to return the Frisbee. He hesitated, giving a look at all the other guys and girls around him cautiously. All their eyes seemed to focus on him now, wondering what the wolf was going to do. The wolf looked back down at Jake and let out a long sigh before getting down to his knee and grabbing hold of the Frisbee.
	“Good Catch. You’re a good dog.” The wolf said, not quite sure if he was saying it right.
	He then reached his hand out and began to pet the kangaroo’s head, stroking it a couple times cautiously to make sure that the kangaroo wasn’t going to bite him. Jake just leaned into the strokes, enjoying the contact as best he could. The other students let out laughter, but it was not malicious this time. Instead, some of them walked over to the kangaroo and began to pet him as well. Some of the more adventurous students even pat his lower back and gave it long pets. 
	Jake swung his tail back and forth happily, letting them all get their chance to pet him before turning his head to the group and walking back to them. Jake did not turn when he heard the students shout goodbyes to him, not wanting them to see how terrified he looked. Instead, just picked his pace up and rushed back to Patrick. Patrick instantly dropped to his knees and embraced Jake, hugging him tightly. Jake wished that he could return the hug, but he did not want to break his character just yet. Especially with the two boys stroking their hands down his spine.
	“Alright. I think we had enough fun for one day.” Patrick said, reaching back into his bag and taking the leash out again.
	“Aw, you guys are going already?” The rat asked with disappointment.
	Jake looked up at the two boys, smiling at both of them despite having to leave them. The rabbit’s face was still trying to give the impression that he thought this was all weird, but his ears were flopped down against the back of his head. The rat was more open to his feelings, almost getting teary eyed that the fun was going end. Jake pulled away from Patrick’s hug just so he could push himself up against the rat in a makeshift hug. The boy reached his hand down and began to scratch behind Jake’s ear again, but his attention was turned to Patrick.
	“Oh, don’t worry guys. We’re gonna be coming here a lot more often.” Patrick said with a devious smile on his face. “You won’t believe the way this guy gets when I bring out the squeaky toy.”
	Jake’s smile instantly turned back into an embarrassed flush. The mention of the kangaroo playing with his squeaky toy was scary to him, but the moment of dread melted away. He really looked forward to seeing the boys again and playing with them in his state. As well, his squeaky toy was always something that brought joy to him, especially since he played a mad game of tug-of-war.