A walk home

It was late afternoon and he was coming home from work. The wind was really cold and he was in a lot of pain. He hadn’t been out in a while and was thinking about calling in sick for the week. Just as he was about to hide behind a big tree, he saw something move in the snow – it was still too far away for him to make out what it was, but it was definitely not a person. It wasn’t until it came closer that he realized it was a small dog, and his heart sank.

It was fine

As the animal got closer to him, he could tell it was in pretty good shape. It was full of energy and didn’t look like it had any frostbite or anything. He was worried that if it had been here for a while, it might have been affected by the cold, but it didn’t seem like that was the case. He tried to pet it and it was still warm to the touch. He noticed it had a collar on it, but it jumped away when he tried to grab it. This made him think it had an owner.

He took the risk

The animal barked a few times and then began to walk away from Mark, pausing to see if Mark would follow him. It was getting close to dark and he was still far from home, and the darkness would make it even colder. He did not want to be outside in the cold, but he also did not want the animal to be cold, either. Taking a chance, Mark followed the animal, hoping that he would be able to catch and bring it home, or to its owner if he was safe from the cold.

A happy dog

The animal was very happy, almost jumping and wagging its tail as Mark watched, and Mark was so pleased that he smiled. However, the smile quickly faded when he realized where the animal was leading him. The first two minutes were spent walking deeper into the forest, and Mark began to doubt himself as he walked away from home. Every time he slowed down or tried to turn back, the small dog began to bark again, almost pleading with him, “Don’t leave me!”

Out of options

Mark felt he had no option but to follow his dog and hope he was close to where the dog was going. After about ten minutes, it looked like they were getting somewhere, but from Mark’s perspective, nothing much had changed. They were still on the forest path they had been on before, but this time the dog seemed to be responding to something. The dog’s tail had stopped wagging and it was lifting its nose like it was trying to catch a scent. Instead of following the trail, it was going in circles, looking for something.

A familiar scent

Mark was a bit curious and thought it would be a good idea to pick it up and bring it home. The dog didn’t move away from him when he got closer, but he was too curious about what it was looking for to do anything about it. After a while, the dog stopped and pointed its nose toward a bush. It didn’t look like much at first, but after looking at it for a bit, Mark noticed there was less snow on it than the rest of the bush. It looked like it had been shaken up recently.

Sudden disruption

The tranquillity of the forest was abruptly disrupted by the dog, who began to bark ferociously towards the bush. Initially, Mark was taken aback, but now it was evident that there was something in the bushes that he should be wary of. As he approached the bush, he was uncertain of what he was facing and if it could be a threat to his safety. It could be an animal, and if it had been struggling in the storm, it could have been capable of anything.

A sense of danger

His hands were trembling as he attempted to part the bushes, and the air was filled with a sense of impending danger. Suddenly, something moved and almost emerged from the bushes, out of the way and away from the trail. Mark was in a state of shock, but before he could process what had happened, the small dog he had been following suddenly shot him in the leg.

A dilemma

Mark had a dilemma. Should he just walk away and go home where he knows he’s safe, or should he take a chance and go after the dog? The former was the obvious choice, but Mark didn’t make it. So, against his better judgment, he started to follow the dog he had been tracking for the past 20 minutes. He’d come this far, and he wanted to know what was happening. Fortunately, the dog was still barking, so it was easy to pick a direction. It didn’t take long for Mark to realize he was getting closer to the sound of the barking.

A small cave

The dog had stopped running, and he’d soon have it in his sights again. But the dog’s attention was on something else, and it didn’t seem to notice him. And when Mark finally caught a glimpse of what it was, it was more than he’d bargained for. The dog began to bark in the direction of a small cave, indicating that the animal had likely entered the area. Mark was eager to investigate the situation, but as he had previously observed bears in the vicinity and believed it to be a suitable place for them to hibernate, was skeptical.

Unfriendly weather conditions

The storm had begun to worsen, and the visibility was poor, making it difficult to see. He knew that he could not return to his home in the snow and that waiting in the cold would result in his freezing to death. Consequently, he decided to return to the cave and locate the entrance. Despite his apprehension, he returned to the cave with a sense of relief.

Both scared

Mark could tell that the dog felt the same discomfort as he did. He was quiet with his tail tucked under his legs. Mark was certain that there was something in the cave, but what? He was torn between the idea of waiting near the entrance and being attacked, or of exploring the cave thoroughly and knowing what awaited him. He had decided that he would rather face danger than hide in fear, so he removed his phone flashlight and began to descend into the cave; the dog followed him, but did not seem to dare to look back.

A sudden noise

The further he went, the more relaxed the dog became. He had not yet detected any signs of bears in the cave, thankfully. Perhaps he was overreacting. This moment of serenity was short-lived, however, as a sudden sound came from the depths of the cave. It was a dog, and it was barking at something. The noise seemed to rattle something inside the dog, and it began to bark again.

The bottom of the cave

The dog ran ahead of him, out of range of his flashlight, and Mark had no choice but to follow it blindly. He was tired of this, but he had no choice in the matter. He hurried into the cave, hoping this dog wouldn’t give him any trouble. After a series of turns, Mark finally found the dog. They had reached the bottom of the cave, and to Mark’s relief, there were no bears or anything else at all.

A cat

There were just a few rocks, and the dog barked at them. With a flashlight in his hand, he confidently approached the rocks, still uncertain of what to expect. As he shone the light, he was met with two pairs of intense eyes on a creature he had not expected to see: a small cat! It was evident that the cat had been suffering from the extreme cold of the preceding days.

A young cat

The animal was still quite young, and Mark could not comprehend how it had managed to survive without its mother. He decided to take the cat with him and, with the help of his small dog, made his way back to the cave entrance, where the snowstorm had finally subsided sufficiently for him to return home.

A visit to the vet

Mark’s initial step was to visit the veterinarian, where he promptly paid for a comprehensive assessment of the cat and canine companion. Fortunately, the veterinarian found nothing to be amiss with either animal, and they were able to recover from their injuries for some time.

Adopted

 

However, the next step was to adopt both cats and dogs. Fortunately, Mark did not have to wait long to do so, as Faith had brought the animals with her. He was not intent on hunting the animals, and they are now living with him, making his life much easier.