Dog's Courage by Cameron W. Bruce

Author:Cameron, W. Bruce [Cameron, W. Bruce]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Adventure, Humour
ISBN: 9781250257642
Amazon: 1250257646
Goodreads: 57693341
Publisher: Forge Trade
Published: 2021-05-04T07:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

We were falling behind in our pursuit of Big Kitten. She had sprinted so far ahead, only my nose could find her now—the cubs seemed to be following me as much as tracking their mother. Somehow, in these changed circumstances, they were no longer suspicious of this dog who was friends with their mother.

These kittens were not a responsibility I would have wanted, but I instinctively accepted it. Big Kitten and I were part of a pack—long separated by time and distance, but a pack. I would return to Lucas, of course, but for now, following my friend felt natural and instinctive.

Big Kitten was fast, but my nose told me we were not trailing too far behind her. We ascended a grassy hill, where some fallen trees, the sort Big Kitten could clear in a single leap, slowed us down.

The big beasts were no longer charging us, and the men were far behind, but Big Kitten didn’t seem to realize this—she was still on the move. And moving unnaturally. The cat I knew covered ground in sprints and dashes, moving from one hiding place to another, as if she considered herself prey despite being one of the fiercest creatures in the mountains. But what I found with my nose now was a straight path. Big Kitten wasn’t running to something, she was running away.

Concentrating on Big Kitten’s scent, I could smell her hunger, I could smell smoke from her skin, and I could smell her fear.

Big Kitten had never seemed afraid before, not since she was a baby cat.

The cubs and I caught up to Big Kitten at the top of a fire-blackened ridge, far from where we had started. I picked my way through a field of rocks and joined her. We were all panting. Big Kitten’s eyes seemed larger than normal, and she didn’t greet me as if she knew me, didn’t bend down to her cubs, who sidled up to her, craving reassurance. Her ears pressed back on her skull, her fear plain and frantic.

Down below, at the base of the ridge, I could see and smell a huge fire charging up a mountainside opposite us. Big Kitten was terrified of this fire. I couldn’t tell her that when there’s fire, Lucas and Olivia and the other humans throw dirt at it and put blankets over us and make it safe for everyone.

Though she seemed exhausted, Big Kitten turned and fled yet again. I had no choice but to follow, as the cubs struggled to keep pace with their mother. She moved more slowly now, making it easier to keep her in sight. She was no longer in a mindless panic, but she obviously wanted to be far away from the threat of fire.

There had been many times in the past when I sensed that Big Kitten knew where she was taking me. Her self-assurance was clear and evident in her purposeful stalking.

This was not one of those times. I knew she wanted to flee the fire, but the fire was everywhere, sending her in a variety of directions.

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