"Hello Tio Amadiwoah." my niece said. Caitlyn hasn't quite learned how to say the word armadillo. I don't mind, I give her a lot of leeway since she's only five. She's carrying a bowl of dog food. I perk up at the sound of the food rattling as she struggles to open up the gate latch to my pen. Caitlyn has always been eager to help her mother. I have a feeling she gets sent out to feed me because her mother can't stand to look at her brother. My sister, Jessica, doesn't understand my choice to be a beast. Being human wasn't that great for me. Let's just leave it at that for now.  

Feeding time has always been a highlight of Caitlyn's day. I quickly scurry over to the gate and grab the chainlink with my mouth. While she holds the latch, I back up a few feet to open it for her. She smiles at me and says "Thank you!" I wave my tail dismissively. Letting go of the gate I walk over to beside the plastic igloo I call home and she sets down the bowl for me. I hungrily start eating the food. You must think I have low standards to be enjoying eating dog food but this brand has all the nutrition I need and tastes great. My sister was skeptical that I was content being fed dog food like a common pet but this was the easiest solution for my diet. Well, I could forage for food like a wild armadillo but I'm way too lazy for that.

Caitlyn croutches down beside me and places her hand on my back. I lean towards her to encourage her to pet me. She lightly runs her hand along the course skin on my shell as I continue to chow down on the food she provided. She looks around and then whispers to me "Will you play with me?" I perk my ears up at that. She could do with the exercise. As I finished up the bite i was chewing, I started to stretch my back. I look at her and do a little warm up dance hopping from left to right on my paws. She holds both her hands out expectantly and I curl into a ball. She picks me up and carries me out of my pen. As we walk she cuddles me to her chest.

 I can't see anything but feel her walking across the backyard. She pauses then I can feel her slowly climbing a ladder. We reach the top and she sets me on the warm plastic of the slide. I feel her slowly nudge me until I finally tip over and go rolling down slide. I go hurdling down the slide, skidding over the grass at the bottom, coming to a stop several feet away. Caitlyn squeels with loud laughter disrupting the quiet suburban backyard. I slowly unroll myself and lay flat waiting for the dizziness to pass. Suddenly I see my sister open the back door and look at me disapprovingly. "Caitlyn, why are there grass stains on your Uncle?"