THE YARD

Chapter 21

"Flare." A nervous voice from afar calling to her awoke Flare, and the tan dog stretched her muzzle in a yawn.

"Flare. Hey!"

Her eyes flicked open wider now. The voice had sounded familiar. Shadow? Tail wagging with exhileration, the young dog stood up.

Flare stepped over Crow, feeling a bit guilty that she'd been laying so close to him last night. He vanished from her mind quicker than snow under the sun, however.

"He's not awake, is he?" Shadow's voice called worriedly from beyond the fence. He spoke in a hushed tone, and Flare pressed her face right up against the fence with her tail wagging gleefully.

"No. But I'm so glad you're here!" Energy surged throughout her body, and Flare's shoulder knocked into the fence.

"Shh! Your making a lot of noise," he said affectionately with an amused undertone. Flare could practially hear his ego soaring.

"I missed you too- a lot. I'm sorry I couldn't come back sooner." Shadow said in a hurried whisper.

Oh yeah. I should be mad about that. Flare's tail stopped moving as she stiffened.

"I'm so sorry. Flare, I was starving. I got lost for two days, as well- the whole time I'd been away from the yard I was trying to figure out a plan that would get you out."

That doesn't explain everything. Flare thought for a moment and then tilted her ears.

"So you did? You know how to get me out of here?" She finally barked, hopeful. They could discuss the rest later.

"Well- no... But if he's still asleep, you can jump the fence now."

Flare turned her head quickly towards the yard, but her heart sank. Crow had awoken and was near a water bucket, bending to take a drink. His eyes were on Flare right as he looked up. A bolt of lightening-like fear jolted up her spine. Without a second thought, she bent to sniff at the grass.

"He's awake, Shadow- I can't." She muttered out the side of her muzzle. "I think he sees me talking to you right now-" Flare gasped.

"-and he's coming over here..." Swallowing nervously, the tan canine hoped she wouldn't be punished by Crow. She knew how heinous he could be.

"That's fine!" Shadow yipped with confidence. Flare heard the sound of paws pushing off dirt and a rush of wind as Shadow randomly bounded away. His brown pelt vanished from the fence's thin slits, replaced by dull green grass.

Confused and a bit crestfallen, Flare heard the echo of her own heart beat in the uncomfortable seconds of silence. Crow was still stalking towards her, and she stayed where she was as she began hearing Shadow bark from someplace beyond the fence.

"What?" Snarled Crow, his lips peeled back to expose his gums and fangs as he halted.

Jax began barking alongside Shadow, and White Dog approached Flare's far right flank.

"It sounds like he's at the front door."

Since the sun was just rising, Flare knew there was about a halfway chance of the man being awake or just now waking up. She was relieved to not hear any screams erupt from The Man, and pricked her ears as the tiny sound of a door squeak drifted towards them.

Shadow stopped barking straight away, and all the dogs stood tensely. White Dog pricked his ears behind Flare, while Crow simply vibrated with irrefutable anger. Just as Flare began to work out for herself what was happening, the back door swung open.

The brown coon-dog bounded through the doorway like an excited rabbit, launching himself off the porch eagerly. He smelled like concrete, smoke, trash and rubber as well as rolling-dens. None of that bothered Flare, though- she bounded forward to meet him.