While Jared enjoyed the crispy bacon treat, he let go of his concerns about finding a way back into his human body. It wasn't until he finished off the treat with a final crunch that he noticed the ink pen that had fallen onto the ground from his brother's pack of school supplies.
At the same instant he made the discovery, he heard the impostor speak to him. With surprise and some confusion, Jared gazed upward to see the hated impostor standing over him.
"How's it going, boy?"
Jared knew he could use the pen to write a message for his parents or Kevin, but he would never get the opportunity if the impostor noticed the pen. He got onto his paws and stepped forward, his right front paw coming to rest over the dropped pen. Otherwise, his actions, as he had hoped, looked like he was greeting the impostor.
The impostor must have been surprised. "Does this mean you've accepted our change?" The impostor asked as he petted the sheepdog's head.
ARF! ARF! "Yes, master." Jared wanted only to get rid of the impostor so he could use the pen to write a plea to his family, but even his minor acknowledgement of the impostor's status as his master mattered.
"Well, good boy," the impostor replied. "So, you'll be a good dog now?"
He barked a quick response, eager to have him on his way. "Jared be good dog."
"Not Jared," the impostor used a scolding tone to convey his crushing displeasure, "Bad dog. Your name is Shaggy."
"Me forgot." Jared barked in agreement. "Me Shaggy."
"I'm Jared now, boy."
Jared whimpered, resisted, but ended up barking an agreement. "Master Jared."
The impostor patted the sheepdog's head one last time. "You be a good dog, and I will see you when I get home from school."
Jared whimpered nervously, but he began to feel calmer as he watched the impostor get into a car and drive off.
At once, he got the pen into his jaws, holding the plastic tube in his teeth. Now, to write a message to expose the hated impostor!