Day 3 - Scene 4

A dog started barking somewhere up ahead in the forest on the left side of the road. Another one joined in almost right away and then a third. Soon an entire horde of dogs bayed in the distance. Enar stopped and stared into the trees. Tall, straight, pines, growing far apart meant he'd see them coming.

Howling beasts would appear, charging through the forest, any moment now. With no undergrowth to slow them down and with no branches on the trees for him to climb he was surely doomed.

“Come on my friend. It's not far now,” said Rolf. “In case you hadn't guessed.” He laughed and kept on walking.

They'd sat around for a bit after breakfast, watching the kids clear the table and letting their bellies settle on the meal. Beired had brought Enar a rucksack with some apples and sandwiches, and a slab of meat for his guide. She'd also packed him a carved wooden cup and explained that there would be plenty of streams he could drink from; any running water was fine, standing pools were not.

Rolf had talked about what nice animals the dogs were and what a fine old tradition the breeding of dogs was. Beired had shushed him up and said something about how the hills had their secrets and how they would keep them – if she had any say in it.

Without losing a beat, Rolf had changed to tell Enar about when Elsie had run off last summer and one of the dogs had brought her home again. He explained they were often used to carry messages between villages, especially in fall and spring when the roads were bad.

Rolf had talked and talked, as he did, and eventually Enar had come to accept the idea that he'd spend the day with a bloodthirsty, slavering, beast. He'd almost come to look forward to it.

A growing black ball of unease now gnawed at the bottom of Enar's stomach. It didn't matter that the dogs weren't coming any closer. Actually hearing them bark had shaken his resolve. He steeled himself. It wouldn't do to chicken out now. He'd said he'd go.

Without a word he adjust his rucksack and started walking again. He refused to be the silly city fylk who was afraid of dogs. It wasn't as if they were actually dangerous; he was just being irrational. If the locals could handle the animals, so could he.

They turned another bend and he saw the first one. A small, black, creature waited by the roadside, just where a path led up into the trees. Its tail whipping back and forth it barked as if its life depended on it.

Enar stopped and looked. The dog wasn't that big. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. When it spotted them it started jumping up and down, looking very excited.

“You see that my friend? Very well trained.”

“What do you mean?” All Enar saw was an excited, yapping, dog by the side of the road.

“Boundaries. It's just a pup, but it already knows it's not allowed to go on the road so it's staying by the side.”

Just a pup. Enar's heart sank. The mama dog would be enormous and it would eat him whole. “I see. Very nice.”

“Oh, don't be so gloomy. You'll be fine my friend.” Rolf put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. “We'll get you a good guide and you'll be right as rain. Don't you worry.”

As they reached the path and started up it, the dog ran circles around them, barking all the time.

“Go home,” Rolf told it. “Home.”

Without hesitation it set off up along the trail and, still barking, it disappeared over a small rise.

“See, my friend. Very well trained.”

Enar nodded, swallowed, and kept on walking.

A minute later they arrived at a clearing lined with little sheds and full of dogs. Dogs sat, stood or lay everywhere; all shapes and sizes, all of them barking, all of them looking at him like he was dinner.

“So many...” Enar stopped dead, his legs refusing to carry him further.

“Easy now my friend. They're all very well trained and not a single one will hurt you. You have my word.” Rolf looked at him with concern in his eyes. “On Anna's peace – my word.”

Enar looked down at his bare feet, dirty from all the walking he'd done since he arrived. “I... I'm sorry Rolf. I don't do too well with dogs.” Staring at the ground he forced himself to take a step forward and then another. He couldn't well show he doubted his host's word. That just wasn't an option, but the dogs barked so loud.

“Wait,” said Rolf. “I have an idea. You stay here and I'll go get Rufus. I'll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Rolf walked into the clearing, yelling at the top of his lungs. “Rufus, where are you, get out here.” His shouting drowned out even the baying of the hounds. “Rufus!”

Rolf stopped in the middle of the clearing, right among all the dogs. Some of them walked up to him and smelled his legs and hands, but none of them attacked him or even jumped up at him. Enar held his breath.

From one of the little sheds came another shout. Enar couldn't make out the words, if there even were any. A moment later a man appeared, half a head taller than Rolf and wearing a faded old overcoat that had probably once been brown. In his wake came three of the tiniest dogs Enar had ever seen, barely the size of squirrels. Puppies. Puppies couldn't be bad, right? Puppies were small and cute.

Rolf and the man, obviously Rufus, spoke for a moment and then they both turned to look at Enar. Enar swallowed, tried to smile and raised his hand to wave. Rufus didn't as much as nod back and Enar's heart sank; the kennel master didn't like him. He'd pick out a mean, ill tempered, dog as a guide for the wimpy city fylk. It'd be the end of him.

Rolf said something else to the man and Rufus nodded in acknowledgement. He raised a hand, whistled, and snapped his fingers. The barking ceased – instantly. Not a single dog as much as whimpered. They all looked at Rufus – in complete silence. Even the three puppies that had followed him out of the shed stopped bumbling around and turned their noses towards him.

Rufus opened his hand and as he lowered his arm the dogs lay down. All of them lay down, laid still and stayed quiet. Enar just stared.

“Hey, lad, you can come over now. It's safe.” Rufus shouted and waved at him to come.

Enar hesitated only for a moment before he started walking.

“I hear you don't like dogs,” said the man.

“Well...” began Enar.

“Thought so. Hold this for me.” He fished up a small brown and white puppy from somewhere within the coat and plopped it into Enar's outstretched hands. “Don't drop him. He'll die.”

Enar stood absolutely still. He didn't move a muscle. He barely even breathed. His heart beat like it would burst through his chest. The little dog pawed at the air. It lay on its back and struggled to turn over and come upright.

“Hold him close or he'll fall.”

“Yes. Sorry. I will.” He brought his hands close and held the puppy to his chest, pinning it lightly so it wouldn't fall. The little dog gnawed at a fold in his shirt for a moment and then promptly went to sleep. Enar couldn't take his eyes off of it. So small. So warm.

“He doesn't have a name. I'm gonna go get his old grandfather and once I'm back you will have named him.” With that Rufus turned and left.

Enar didn't see where he went. He'd barely heard what he'd said. The puppy slept.

“See there my friend. They're not so bad, are they?”

“Mhm...” Enar nodded.

“What are you going to call it? Do you have any ideas?”

“Yes,” said Enar without taking his eyes off the puppy. “I think so.”

Rolf chuckled to himself but said nothing else.

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Continued in Day 3 - Scene 4 - Part 2.

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