Chapter 13
RAVEN
It was still lightly raining outside when Munch and I fled the cabin. I stood on the step, waiting for Munch to explore the yard and do his business. It was pitch dark out, so I could barely see Munch walking around.
Munch stopped and stood at attention for a moment and then darted off into the woods.
“Munch.” I yelled. “Get back here, Munch.”
I paused, listening, hoping to hear him coming back.
“Muuuunch.”
The door opened behind me, and Nash joined me on the step. “What’s going on? Where’s Munch?”
“He took off running into the woods. Must have seen an animal and chased it.”
“Show me where he went in. I’ll go search for him.”
”Right over there.” I pointed to a space between the trees. “But I’m going with you. No way I’m standing here in the dark by myself, just waiting.”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
Nash turned on a flashlight, and I followed close behind him. Both of us shouted Munch’s name.
“He couldn’t have gone far. Could he?” My voice squeaked with worry.
“Hard to say. He’s a fast runner.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “But I’m sure he would have ended his chase, turned around, and started coming back by now. We should find him soon.”
I could tell Nash was just trying to make me feel better. Honestly, Munch could be a mile away by now. He was a really fast runner and didn’t tire easily. It’s possible that if his prey kept running, he would, too. That’s what scared me.
“Has he ever run off before?”
“Not really. He likes to run on the farm, and he does chase the animals sometimes, but he always comes right back. Especially if I call him.”
I hollered for him again.
Nothing.
We searched for what seemed like hours but was probably about thirty minutes. Nash stopped and scanned the area with his flashlight. “Maybe he circled back to the cabin already. Let’s head back that way to check.”
“But what if he kept going? He could be miles away by the time we go to the cabin and come back.”
Nash put his hands on my shoulders and tried to calm my fears. “Listen. Our best bet is to stay close to the cabin. He’s never gone far from you before, and he’s a smart dog. He’ll most likely come back the way he came. You need to be there when he does, so he doesn’t go looking for you.”
As much as I wanted to argue, he was right. I wanted to be there when he came back. When he came back. I appreciated Nash’s optimism. Munch would return. I just felt so helpless waiting.
“The more you walk around these woods, the more your scent will be everywhere, and that could confuse him.”
“I didn’t think of that. Okay. Let’s go back.”
Nash surprised me by taking my hand and leading me back toward the cabin, retracing our steps as we continued calling Munch’s name.
The zing I felt when he first touched my hand in the cabin shot back through me, but it was coupled with support and reassurance. His hand in mine was the lifeline that kept me from freaking out and losing it altogether.
The cover of trees shielded us from the rain, but the path was slick with water flowing down the hill like a river. Nash’s flashlight provided enough light to look for paw prints in the mud, but the flow of water surely would have washed them away. It was impossible to tell if we were even on the right path.
If I hadn’t been following Nash, I would have gotten lost myself. I prayed Munch had an easier time finding his way back than we did.
“Hey, Nash?” I said, “You really think he’ll be able to track my scent? Even in the rain? Or will the rain wash away the scent?”
“Good question. I don’t really know. I’m sure it makes it more difficult, but I believe he’ll find his way. It just might take him a little longer in this weather.”
“I wonder what it was that he wanted so badly that he would go so far in these conditions. He never does this.”
“There’s a lot of wildlife out here, so it could be anything.”
A new thought jolted me. I grabbed Nash’s shirt to get his attention. He stopped walking but continued to scan the woods with the flashlight. “What if he chased something dangerous, like a wolf or a bear? He could be hurt and unable to make it back.”
“A wolf would have fought him right away and wouldn’t have just run. It would have been a dog fight, and you’d have heard it. I don’t think we have to worry about bears. It was probably something small, like a raccoon or a fox.” He put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “He’ll be fine. Put those thoughts out of your mind and envision him being on the step, waiting for us.”
“I’ll try.”
It took us about a half hour to reach the cabin. I hadn’t realized we’d gone so far. “Munch. We’re back. Where are you, bud?” My heart sank when I saw the vacant step. My dog wasn’t there.
Nash, still holding my hand, led me to a chair under the eave. “Sit here. It’s mostly out of the rain. I’ll go inside to get a few things and be right back. Okay?”
I nodded, my gaze scanning the area for any sign of my dog.
Where could he be?
Munch, please come back to me.
Alone in the darkness, a tear streaked down my face. I couldn’t lose Munch. He was all I had. We had bonded the moment we met and had been pretty much inseparable ever since. He followed me everywhere, glued to my side. My protector. My confidante. My shoulder to cry on.
Munch, please come back. I need you.
The door opened and Nash returned. In his arms, he had blankets, snacks, and two steaming mugs.
“Here. Take one of these.” He said, looking at the mugs.
I took both of them, so he wouldn’t spill them. “What’s this?”
“I found some hot chocolate packets in the cupboard. Hopefully they’re still good. Who knows how long they’ve been in there?”
“Thanks. That sounds great.”
He wrapped one of the blankets around me. Then found another chair and set it next to mine. When he was ready, bundled in the remaining blanket, I handed him his mug.
“I’ve always been impressed with how well-trained your dog is. Did it take you long to do that?”
“Not really. I got him as a rescue, and he was a few years old already. I don’t know if his previous owners trained him, or if he was just a quick learner, but it didn’t take long at all.”
“You’re lucky you found such a great one. Some rescues can really be a handful. One of my clients had a rescue dog who had been abused, and that dog was afraid of every noise, didn’t like people or other animals. The owner couldn’t take it anywhere because the dog would be in a panic the whole time.”
“Poor thing. Don’t you wonder what happened to cause that? Though we probably don’t want to know. How can people be so mean? I’ll never understand that.”
“Me either.”
“Dogs are all about unconditional love. All you have to do is love them and they’ll be devoted to you.” I sipped my cocoa. “Did you ever have a dog?”
“No. But I always wanted one. The closest I ever came was playing with the animals you had on the farm. Remember when Paisley had puppies? They were the cutest things I’d ever seen. I begged my mom for weeks to let me have one, but she worked all the time and said I should just enjoy them when I visited the farm.”
A rustling sound caught our attention on the opposite side of the yard from where Munch had disappeared.
“Munch? Is that you, baby?” I called out.
A few seconds later, Munch slogged out of the woods, his tail drooping, but it perked up when he saw me. He still moved gingerly. I ran out to meet him, wrapping my arms around him. He whimpered.
I stepped back to look him over. He was bleeding.
“Nash, he’s hurt.” My eyes scanned Munch’s fur, trying to determine how badly his injuries were, but it was too dark to tell. I cupped his head in my hands. “What happened to you, Munchie? Come inside. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Nash’s calm voice soothed my nerves. “I have a first aid kit. We’ll have him fixed up in no time.”
My heart warmed at his attentiveness. What would I have done if I’d have been here by myself? Nash had comforted me when I’d needed it. He’d taken care of me, and now he was taking care of my injured dog.
It was easy to imagine him taking care of us like this on a daily basis. He really was one of the good ones. Being around him like this was making it impossible to get over him.
Do you still want to?
There was a reason I resisted Nash so hard. Why being with him was a bad idea. But after watching him gently scoop my dog in his arms and carry him inside… for the life of me, I couldn’t remember what that was.