Chapter Two: Friendships and HardshipsA Chapter by Brittany L. Engels"Faolan" a warrior dog of the Firma Kero, is given a new mission that changes his life...
I carefully led the newly
liberated dogs away from the enemy.
Thankfully, the horrible memories and rancid scent were left behind
us. I knew the area fairly well, and had
used the rendezvous we were headed to on several occasions. We would all get there safely. To our advantage, there was a creek that ran
for miles in the general direction that we needed to travel. We walked in that stream for as long as we
could, following the gentle flow, so that our scent was always ahead of
us. (It’s nearly impossible to track an
animal that’s walking or swimming, downstream). Thankfully the water was not so deep that we
had to swim.
When
it was finally time to cross to the other side, everyone was weary and begging
for rest. They were half starved and had
been cramped together in a prison pit for weeks. I understood why they wanted to stop, but they needed to understand why we
couldn’t.
“We
have to keep moving,” I encouraged, pushing a young black dog back up to his
paws. “The longer we stay here, the
stronger our scent becomes, and the easier we are to trail. You don’t really want to be recaptured and
killed do you?”
The
dogs mumbled various responses, more talking to each other than to me. Eventually, I gave a low and loud growl to
regain their attention. They all flinched,
but gave me rather defiant glares and kept their ground.
“Now!”
I ordered. “Start moving!” And though it took some shoving, and the
occasional nip, they did get back to their feet.
We
reached the rendezvous moments before sunrise, and I told the others, “Now, you
can find a place to wait and rest”. I
would keep watch over them until the guide came to lead them home. As we waited, my eyes constantly scanning the
trees and brush for threats, my mind drifted.
I thought about how great it would be if I could only go home with them
all. I hadn’t been to Promeso for nearly
two years, and I missed it horribly. As
much as I loved my life and my calling, I would always miss my home.
My
senses suddenly came back to me when I heard a stirring in the brush. I turned to face whoever was coming (my head
low and hackles raised) unsure if it was the guide or an enemy. I caught a scent. It was almost familiar, but I couldn’t place
it. I wasn’t even sure if I knew
it. Then I saw them, the same glowing
green eyes from the second pit. It was
the cat that I’d freed.
“What
are you doing here?” I demanded quietly. “How did you find us? If you’ve left a trail for the Morta Sango to
follow…”
“No,
I promise I haven’t,” the cat interjected. “I followed you downstream, in the water. It was awfully unpleasant, but very
intelligent of you.”
“And
what was so important that you followed me all this way?”
“Well…
I… I don’t know this place, I’m not from anywhere near here, and I don’t know
where to go to be safe. I thought that
maybe you would help me, just one more time?”
I
snorted quietly in protest and glared at the brown tabby through narrowed eyes. “You’re rather bold aren’t you?”
He
seemed to take my comment as praise, because he lifted his head and purred when
I said it. I knew then that he would get
himself in trouble if he stayed for too long. Just as I opened my mouth to say
something, I heard a commotion behind me.
The
air filled with the sounds of a vicious frenzy. Nearly half the dogs from the prison pit raced
toward the tabby, barking and growling.
Without any thought, I instantly threw myself forward, crashing into one
big, tri-colored dog and sending him to the ground. I wheeled around and struck the next dog I
saw with a forepaw, then grabbed him by the neck and tossed him aside, dazed
but not injured. Then at the sound of
frantic hissing I charged through the rest of the group, baring my teeth and
growling, “Enough!”
For a
moment they all froze, but silently, one dog stalked up behind me, furious that
I was keeping their would-be-meal away from them. She reached out with open jaws to bite my
hip. Just as I felt the warmth of her
breath, there was a horrible yowl, followed by a barrage of other unearthly
sounds. I jumped and swung around to see
the cat. He was clinging (with all four
sets of claws) to the yellow dog’s massive head, while biting down on one of
her long, tender ears.
The
dog was hysterical. Jumping and rolling
and pawing at her attacker. “Get the
little devil off of me!” she cried in her continued panic.
As
she began to roll in the dirt again, I leapt over and pinned her with my
forepaws. “Alright, let her go now.” I
barked at the tabby.
He
backed away quickly, all his fur was standing on end, hissing and spitting and
snarling as he settled in behind me.
It
was of course at that moment, that the striking, white figure of the guide came.
He stalked out of the forest and into
view.
“What
exactly is going on here?” he asked, sounding rather agitated.
“I’m
sorry,” I replied, lowering my head in respect. “It was a minor
disagreement sir; that’s all.”
The
sleek white dog strolled through the small crowd, observing injuries,
especially those of the yellow female.
His ice blue eyes met my gaze, “If this is minor, I’d hate to see what
you consider to be a serious
disagreement.
“I’ve
heard of you Faolan, and they were all good things. This is not what I expected to find… What
were you fighting about?”
“We
were fighting because he’s keeping prey from us.” One of the dogs barked, and
the others were quick to support him.
“Is
this true?” the guide asked me sternly.
“No,”
I replied. “I was protecting another
captive that I freed from the same camp they were in. Someone they all failed to mention when I asked
them if there were others imprisoned.”
“We
told you the truth, there were no other dogs there!” the yellow dog growled.
“Quiet!”
the guide barked angrily. “Faolan, who
or what were you protecting?”
Without
a word I stepped aside, revealing the agitated tabby that had been hiding
behind me. At the sight of the cat, the
white dogs’ ears came forward and he almost seemed to relax.
“Well,
this is very interesting.” He said, almost under his breath.
“So,”
one of the dogs called out “what do you
say? Is the cat prey? Can we kill it?”
I
strangely felt myself shudder at the thought of being ordered to step aside and
let the others have their way. After
saving his life, twice, I had no desire to see the cat die.
“I say,
that I would love to see any of you try to attack the cat without your rescuer
here turning on you again. Better yet,
I’d love to see you try to attack Faolan, without the cat attacking you again.
Those are cat scratches on some of your faces, aren’t they?”
The
others tensed for a moment, as if thinking about attacking one or both of us,
but then relented. When they all walked
back to their resting places, the guide came closer and sat beside me.
“So
you’ve made a new friend?” He said smiling.
“We
can’t be friends,” I protested, “it’s unnatural.”
“That
never stopped my friends,” He sighed. “My
apologies, I haven’t even introduced myself. My name is Fintan. “I’m
glad to see you all made here safely… more or less.”
Suddenly,
the guide had my full attention, “Fintan?” I whined in excitement, “The same
Fintan who traveled with Tor and fought with him against the Morta Sango?”
“Yes,”
He replied, “along with many others… and not all of them were dogs. Tor had a friend named Cuan, who was a sand
rat. There was also a raven, and at one
point, a ferret joined the pack.”
“You mean
they didn’t befriend any cats?” I asked, half joking.
“If
you count the cougars as cats, I suppose they did.”
My
eyes widened in surprise. I had heard
others talk about the cougars before, but it was a part of the legend I always
thought too crazy to be true.
Fintan
and I rested and talked for a short while. I was thrilled to be sitting with a Kero
warrior of such high status, and asked him questions for as long as he would
answer them. I asked about the legends,
about his life as a warrior and guide, and if Promeso looks as glorious when
you return home, as it does the first time you arrive. Eventually, he cut me off and turned to the
tabby, which was curled up and pressed into my side.
“So,
our little trouble maker, tell us about yourself.”
The
cats’ eyes widened and he glared back and forth from Fintan to me several times
before responding.
“Well,
my name is Niall. I lived in a place
very far from here, but… but, that place is gone now and so is my family. I have only one purpose left in this life.” And though the guide asked him to tell on,
Niall would say no more.
Before
long, Fintan was on his feet again, rousing the other dogs from their naps and
helping them to their paws. They had to
be going, and so did I. I needed to keep
moving, to put as much space between myself and the Morta Sango as possible. Unfortunately, it seemed I had gained a
traveling companion, for as soon as I began trotting away, Niall was at my heels. © 2014 Brittany L. EngelsAuthor's Note
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StatsAuthorBrittany L. EngelsGAAboutI have every intention of enjoying my life. -Job 33:28 (NCV)... I do enjoy my life, whether I'm doing what I love or doing what I must. What I 'love' (of course) is writing, I have a series of novel.. more..Writing
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