68

Dark and frightening, the night sounds of busy birds, buzzing insects and muted traffic from the faraway streets made a racket that disturbed the terrified puppies. The rustling of the tree branches added to the discord, as did the wind sweeping up dry leaves and forcing them against solid objects where they splattered and crumbled.

The overwhelming, surrounding scents were tantalizing, yet not familiar and, therefore, not comforting. Only the smell from the teats and the warmth of their mother’s body was yearned for by the pups and missed.

Inside the cardboard box, the one female puppy communicated with her two brothers; he’s gone!

Scampering to the corner of their flimsy prison, she thought back to the fight that had ensued between the man and her mistress before she and her brothers had been thrown here.

“Amelia, you kept those mutts? Before I left last week, I told you to get rid of them.”

“But, Jimmy, they were too little to be weaned from Bella. I was waiting until this weekend to try and sell them.” Her mistress’s lovely voice had sounded placating and miserable all at the same time.

“Who’s going to buy these three? Their mom is a fat, ugly, overly-friendly lab with no guard skills; don’t know why I let you talk me into keeping her. And that vicious Samoyed brute across the way, who’s no doubt their father, is meaner than the devil who owns him.”

“Jim, they’re cute pups. I bet I can get a few dollars for them.”

“Sure, and until then we have to listen to them kai-yiying all the time, clean up their messes and feed them. No more! I want them gone. It’s bad enough we have to trip over that bag of bones without having to deal with her stupid offspring too. Never mind! Since you’re as useless as a garden hose in a forest fire, I’ll take care of this myself.”

He yanked the three pups out from under the tummy of the keening dam where they’d burrowed in fear. Grabbing a nearby box, he hurled them inside. After a short drive in a car, he carried the carton for a few minutes and threw it down.

“Good riddance!” Those were the last words the puppies heard from him. The fading sounds as the man crunched away were terrifying.

Whimpering at the memory, after multiple tries, the female puppy bounced until her front paws gained purchase on the box’s edge. Straining her neck, she peered out.

The moon, riding high in the starlit sky, provided illumination for the snoopy pup. I think it’s a park, she told the other two, whining, sharing her thoughts.

Chubbs, her roly-poly brother, subsided lazily into his corner, his furry body falling over and staying there. What are we going to do? Little beady black eyes watered as he howled pitifully.

Stop that caterwauling! It hurts my ears. His brother’s normal cranky manner was evident in his insensitive attitude. We’ll sleep now, and in the morning, Sis can go and find us some help.

Okay! That’s a good idea. Right, Sister? Chubbs yawned and curled up next to his brother. Both were asleep in seconds. Only the female snoozed with one eye open, guarding their new dwelling.

In the morning, sounds of human voices woke the three. Again, the female bounced in the corner until she had her front paws clinging to the side of the carton. In the distance, she saw a lot of water. There were people running along its edge. To her left, there was a grassy field where humans were playing a game with a big brown ball.

Cranky wanted to see the world she was describing. When he got close, she used his butt as a ladder and worked her way up and over his head, landing ungraciously in a heap on the grass outside of their container.

Go, Sis. Find us help! Chubbs and Cranky whined together.

~*~

When Sis didn’t return, it was hunger and cold that eventually drove Chubbs from the box where snow had gathered in the corner as an escape route. Irritation had made him leave his cranky brother who’d nipped him in the flank and then ignored him when he’d wanted to play. But once outside, it was curiosity that led him to the mound of snow that covered a body. Once he’d dug a little nest, there was warmth and the irrational need to stay close, to protect… to wait until someone came and then sound the alarm for help.