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The hour drew late and the evening sun rested just barely over the horizon, casting long shadows across the grasslands. The Community had gathered around a large campfire, as they did from time to time, to share in stories and food and talk of important matters. The adults seemed to be preoccupied with their gossip, leaving the youngsters to wander and play. A few of Huck's siblings had already succumbed to sleep, resting peacefully near where their mother lay. A few others were play-fighting over a scrap of cloth that one of them found. But Huck had found his way over to where a few of the elders had gathered. His short stature made it difficult to see around the different canines that sat here and there, leaving him to weave through and around them as he searched for his 'target'. The sound of voices in conversation met his ears and his ears pricked at the sound of a familiar voice. His tail wagged quickly as he stumbled forward, shoving between two of the adults to get closer. Finally he came to a circle of adults and his eyes lit up with excitement. He moved closer to one dog in particular, a rough collie with long, luxurious fur. The elder male was sitting, giving no mind at all to Huck who had come up to sit next to him. "I found tracks near the grazing area just yesterday..." another adult remarked. "And what of the pups?" Yet another voice replied, this time with more worry. Yet Huck was giving the conversation no mind either, as he stared upward with eagerness at the big collie. He didn't even notice the graying fur or the tired expression that the old male had. When the collie let out a long sigh, Huck thought that finally he was being noticed and his little body wiggled with excitement in time with his tail. But the collie didn't give any attention yet and instead began speaking back to the others. "Post a shepherd with each herd tonight," His voice was aged and had a slight rasp to it. "Tomorrow we'll assemble a hunting party to track it down and dispose of it." When the collie spoke, Huck's wiggles stilled for a moment and he glanced to the other adults with a spark of curiosity. He wondered what they could possibly be discussing. Was it something important? He always had such a hard time paying attention with adults spoke. It always ended up being something boring anyway. But Huck had managed to pick out something in the conversation. They were hunting! That sounded exciting. His tail began to wag again and he didn't notice much of the conversation that followed before a few of the adults stood and left the gathering. Instead, Huck began to use his paw to press at the collie's leg. "Rocky... are we going hunting, Rocky?" Huck's tiny voice squeaked out. Finally the collie turned his head and looked down to the small pup that had sidled up next to him. "Yes Huck," Rocky replied with a smile. Huck could hardly contain his excitement, standing up and jumping around a bit. "Can I go too, Rocky? I wanna go hunting!" Rocky smiled but said nothing at first, simply watching the pup jump and wiggle. Finally he lifted a paw and patted Huck on the back, pulling Huck in close to his body. "Sure, Huck. Just stay close to Rocky though. I'll need your help." "Okay Rocky!" Huck replied, laying down under Rocky's fur. Huck didn't remember much else that happened that night, as the fire grew dim and burned away into the darkness. He didn't even notice his mother watching with a worried expression, or Rocky nodding back at her before he laid down with the pup nestled against his chest. He didn't know three sheep were killed that night. And when the morning came, Rocky took him to the creek to hunt frogs. |
[RO] An Old Friend