The Trail

Chapter 1 | Pawprints

Pawprints were left upon the dry, dusty road only to be replaced by human shoe prints. As the sand was pressed down, small clouds of dust particles were stirred up. They rose from the ground to leave a trail of golden smoke behind us. Our steps were getting heavier by the minute, making us drag both feet and paws across the ground in order to keep moving forward.

Side by side, we peregrinated through the vast desert while the sun burnt against our backs. Sweat found its way down my neck, leaving the fabric of my checkered shirt drenched and plastered against my back.

The tongue of the black Labrador retriever hung low as she sweated through it. Nearly a year had passed since we turned to the road, yet we still hadn't adjusted to the pulsating heat waves that held the lands in its unforgiving grip.

There hadn't been a single drop of rain for over a month, making it difficult to find any water. What little we had left was lukewarm which didn't leave much of a relief for dry throats.

As we proceeded down a small slope we passed an eucalyptus tree, still in the early years of its growth. The oil in the leaves had began to vaporize due to the extremely hot weather. It rose upwards, leaving a thin veil of blue haze just above the crown of the tree.

Alas, it didn't provide much shade as it turned its teal coloured leaves towards the sun. But no matter how little, it was still enough. If there was one thing that I had learned from surviving in the desert it was to be thankful for what you were given. There wasn't any room to be picky. Picky equalled stupid, and in the desert stupid often compared to dead.

To me, the bleak shadow of the tree was like sticking your head into a fridge on a hot summer's day. With a sigh of relief I stepped into the shade, followed by my faithful companion who threw herself onto the slightly cooler ground.

I removed the backpack which had begun to weigh heavy on my shoulders, and sat down onto my knees. I took out the only water bottle that was still half-full. I had tried my best to save my reserves, but seeing as we weren't going to get out of the desert anytime soon, I knew neither of us would be able to go much further without what was, after all, the very essence of life. So I unscrewed the cork, eagerly pressing the opening of the bottle against my lips. It took a lot of self restraint to not consume what was left of the bottle's content.

When I had finished drinking my share, I took out a small, collapsible bowl.

"Juniper", I called as I poured the last of our water supply into the orange bowl.

The Labrador lifted her warm, tired body before she went over to the bowl. Without hesitation, she pushed her nose into the water and scooped up the water with a gulping sound. As she eagerly drank, she thanked her human companion by wagging her tail.

Once she was done she lifted her head, and with water still dripping from the corners of her mouth she delivered a big, wet kiss right onto my nose. I couldn't help but to laugh, rubbing her behind her right ear in appreciation.

Exhausted from the heat and with our thirst temporarily quenched, we leaned back against the tree. Juniper laid down closely to my side and rested her head upon my lap. She made a pleased sound and sighed, clearly glad to be given a break from the sun.

Slowly, I stroked her soft fur. The familiar feeling soothed me enough to make me drowsy. For a relieving moment it made me forget the challenges that laid ahead of me.

I allowed myself to close my eyes, what was meant to be just for a little while. I knew better than to fall asleep in the heat next to the road. I might have known better, but my eyes burned from the lack of sleep and my body ached from strain. It didn't take long before I had drifted off into a restless sleep...