15/03/2022
So I had planned to tell the story of Twila, but the other day another story came to me on a Sunday morning and it was one that I really wanted to get down and share.
So below is the first chapter of a big dog and his search for his family. As for my other story on Witch craft? Well that one is still being edited.
The Search
1.
It was a cool autumn Thursday when a family showed up at the farm. Elizabeth and her 2 kids; Stormy and Drake had come to visit looking for a puppy to add to their family. After playing with the puppies all afternoon, they decided that the big white puppy with the brown ears was the pick of the litter. At the time he had no idea what was happening. One minute he was playing with his siblings and the next he was in a car being driven away from the only place he had ever known. The car made loud noises and the people; the woman and her kids, made lots of noises. He wasnât used to all that. Or them. But they coddled him and did the best they could to sooth him on the ride home. When they got home, he immediately relieved himself on the kitchen floor. He had been so scared at the time.
The place he would now call home was completely new to him. With new scents and new things to explore all around. No longer was he outside in the barn with his siblings and other farm animals. The smells of straw and manure were long gone. Now replaced with home type smells of food and candles and laundry detergent. Instead of playing in the grass and mud his life began to consist of leashes and baths in the tub. Hating âbath timeâ was a quick lesson for him. But sleeping on the couch and getting constant head scratches and tummy rubs made up for it.
Now he was 2 years old, and head of the household. At least thatâs what the mother had said. She must have been right as he got all the best toys. The ones with the peanut butter were the absolute best. Followed closely by the ones that squeaked when you bit them. And only he got the âtable scrapsâ. Whatever the family would be eating that day, he had learned if he waited patiently enough, he would get the left-over bits. Occasionally he would have to remind them that he was there, with a little whine, always with respect of course. And at nighttime he got to sleep on any bed of his choosing. Life was good as far as he was concerned.
When the weather was good, they would spend almost all their time outside. Throwing balls and playing tug-of-war and running around the gardens that the mom had expressly forbid him to dig in. He tried to listen. He ready did. But sometimes his nose got the better of him. There were so many interesting things to smell and taste in there. It was a hard rule to follow but he always did his best. Truthfully, it was the fault of those squirrels. They always made a mess in the garden, burying and digging up seeds. To be fair he was only doing his job inspecting what those squirrels were up too.
~~~
It had been early in the morning and the dog was sleeping comfortably under the Stormyâs bed when the mother came in in a rush. She was nervous and it made the dog anxious. âWake up!â Elizabeth shook the girl harshly. âWake up, Stormy! Theyâre here!â Just then there was a loud boom that they could feel in the floor followed by a loud banging at the kitchen door downstairs. And strange sounds were beginning to come from outside. The dog barked in alert and crawled to the end of the Stormyâs bed, watching as the girl hurriedly got up and changed clothes. The mother had gone to get Drake, her son. She was pulling on him to get up and instructed him to change his clothes as well. Letting out a small whine of concern, the dog crawled out from under the bed and tried to nuzzle with Stormy. But she just looked at him with tears and fear in her eyes. She was scared and he didnât know why but it made him apprehensive.
Both children were teary and talking a lot in whispered tones as their mother got herself ready to meet the people outside. Again, came banging at the door and the dog barked feeling that this was the cause for everyoneâs fears. The mother rushed downstairs, and the dog followed closely behind her. Downstairs on the kitchen counters were bags of clothes and bottles of water. It was all very strange, and the woman tried to put the dog outside at the opposite end of the house, but he was too afraid and bucked away from her. He demanded that he stay with them to find out who was banging on their door and causing so much fear.
Usually, he was always permitted to greet the visitors. He was, after all, the head of the household. It was his duty to inspect the strangers at the door and give his approval. He tried his best not to knock them over but there were a few people that he just couldnât help himself with. The old neighbor man across the street was the hardest as he always would bring the dog a treat with every visit. Once Elizabeth opened the door, he realized this time was different. The men at the door had a menacing feel to them. And the scent the dog got from them was a mixture of diesel, gun powder, and aggression. It was not a good mix. And the dog did not want them in his house. Not with his people.
Even though Elizabeth was not able to put him outside she was able to put his leash on which she handed to Drake. He held the leash tightly. Elizabeth and her children seemed to cower when the men walked in and causing the dog to bark incessantly. He wanted to make them leave. His barking was an alert that these were not the men to let into their house. The fear he smelled from the mother was confirmation of this. She was usually never fearful, and the dog always took his ques from Elizabeth. This was fear he had never smelled on her before.
âIs it just you three?â One man said to Elizabeth.
âYes.â She replied with her eyes on the ground and standing in front of her children.
âLicense.â He demanded and advanced a few steps towards her. She handed over what he was asking for. But the dog did not like how close these men were to his people. The strange man looked at the piece of plastic then at Elizabeth. The dog stopped barking and whined with agitation. He stood alert and watchful.
âMake me a cup of that coffee over there.â The man demanded. Elizabeth always had some coffee brewing. It was a smell the dog had become accustomed to. He would always be concerned on days when there wasnât the lingering scent of coffee beans in the air. She turned around and began pouring coffee for the man. There was one man among the 5 who the dog really didnât like. This one in particular was smiling at Stormy. The man had noticed her the minute he walked into the home. She was young and had soft skin not yet touched by age or stress. He wanted to touch that skin. As Elizabeth turned to take the cup of coffee to the one in charge, she caught the glimpse of the man looking at her daughter. Immediately she stopped and stood in front of her children. âPlease donât hurt us.â She said. But there was an air of anger in her voice. The man in charge didnât like that. He wanted order and he wanted things done quickly and with compliance. Anger made those things more difficult to obtain.
âBring me the coffee.â He said demandingly. She didnât move this time. âTake the coffee. Take what ever you want but do not hurt my children.â She stated again. Tension was filling the air and the dog could feel it. The hairs on his back began to raise and he let out a low growl of agitation. The man in charged looked at the dog. âYou better control that dog, bitch.â He said.
âTake your coffee and leave.â She said. âTake what ever you want but donât hurt my kids.â The man who had been watching Stormy took this as his opportunity. âNo one wants you, you old bitch.â He advanced on her intending to take her by the arm and removing her from their way. Elizabeth threw the coffee at the man. The dog pulled violently and tore the leash from Drakeâs hand then jumped onto the man who had threatened his mother. Knocking him down and baring his teeth at him with his clothes and flesh in his mouth.
As the dog attacked Elizabeth thew the empty cup at the men and turned to push her children to run as the sound of an ear deafening crack shook the house. The mother lost all strength in her body, and she crumbled to the floor. Her children stopped and ran back to her as they watched her fall. They screamed and cried for their mother as she tried to say ârunâ. But the word couldnât reach past her lips, only blood.
The sound was overwhelming. It stopped the dog in his fight and he je**ed up to find what the noise was. The man, the one in charge, had something in his hand and it wasnât a ball. He growled low. He wasnât afraid of some toy. The man je**ed it towards him, giving him a sign to back off. The dog did slowly, never taking his eyes off the man in charge. The one on the ground was yelling for him to, âshoot the fu***ng bastard!â. But the one in charge didnât. He just kept the gun on the dog while the children screamed and cried. Drake looked up and saw the gun pointed at his dog.
âNO!â he screamed and rose to confront the man. Another crack echoed inside the house and the dog je**ed again and ran towards the boy. Fear had taken hold of him, and he ran thinking the boy and girl would run with him. He rounded the corner of the living room and was about to head up the stairs but stopped when he realized the boy and girl werenât with him. Looking back, he saw the men had taken hold of both children and were dragging them out of the house. He charged back, teeth bared and growling his furry at them. But they closed the door too soon. The dog slammed against the door barking and frothing, clawing and raking his teeth at the door. Desperate to get to the kids he tried to tear the door down with his teeth. On the other side of the door was the one he had attacked. The one who tried to get a hold of Stormy.
âI swear to fu***ng god, Iâm killing you right fu***ng now.â Said the man.
âLeave him. Heâll be dead soon enough.â The one in charge said.
âWhy didnât you kill him when you had the chance.â He shouted angrily back heading towards the truck.
âItâs a dog. We arenât fighting dogs in this war. Now lets move and finish the job.â He demanded. The children had been loaded up into a box car with other prisoners. Each one huddled with the next. Drake and Stormy held hands as tightly as possible, praying for their mother to be alive but knowing their world was over.
