A carriage ride trough Willingden

I am happy

EPILOG - GRUMPY POV

It's been a long time as we visited my siblings and then came back.

Furthermore I didn't manage to get these white things out of the water, my mistress says they are "Waves you can't bite", but I keep trying.

My human and I worked on our new home every day. His wife always came by with food and often they played hide and seek with me. Although sometimes they did not want to be found, I always caught them. Only later, when the house was finished, they played unfairly and closed the door.

They still do that.

The green hills turned brown at some point and I was finally allowed to wander around alone. My people say I'm old enough for that. But my human got upset when I put the rabbit in front of his feet. He said I couldn't just bring it into the house. His female then laughed and praised me for my great prey.

"He still has a lot to learn" she had said and I could only agree with her.

When it got cold and all white outside, I got a place inside the house. Next to this box that is always so warm. When we were outside, my humans threw the white balls at me, but I mostly bit them. Then my people laughed and threw the cold stuff at themselves until they ran into the house with red noses.

At some point we went with these long-legged companions they call horses, into town. There I always had to behave in the house. The only good thing was that my friend was there too, he belongs to the pack of my human. The cozy one, who always gave me treats from his food.

Eventually we returned to our hill. It was wonderful to see everything from up there. Then everything was green again and we often went for walks and we played with the sticks. With my human I was swimming in the sea and with my mistress at the construction site. I brought them the screeching birds, ducks and again some rabbits. But now I always put them in front of the front door, so that my human can be more happy about it.

I don't think my human knows that his wife can walk properly. Because I have seen him again and again how he simply grabbed her and carried her into the house, even when she was digging the garden or picking flowers. It didn't seem to bother her, because she always laughed.

When she was kneading dough in the kitchen, he would hug her from behind and nibble at her neck. Then the air always had that strange glimmer. I still can't stand it and I try to get in between when I can. Many times my human simply lifted her up and carried her out of the room. But sometimes they also took consideration of me and stopped and said something like "This will happen to you, too" and that always sounded like a subliminal threat.

At some point it became a bit cooler outside again and the brown leaves fell from the trees. It was probably because my human was behaving so strangely. He ran up the stairs all day long to the special room, then he came down again and drank that brown stinking liquid.

Then this morning this man came with whom we came here when I was a little puppy. This man who smells so unpleasant, kind of pungent. He sent me out of the house, but I just snuck back in.

I went to find my master. He was sitting on the floor in front of the room, which he apparently was not allowed to enter anymore. My human looked tired and I lay down on his lap like a ball to comfort him.

There were agonizing noises coming from the room. The stinking man seemed to hurt my human, because behind the locked door I heard my mistress crying. It still hurts my bones when I think about it. And it hurt my master too, I saw it on his face.

I growled, but my human said everything was all right. Apparently I fell asleep at some point, because when my mistress called for my human, he already ran into the room as if there was a flock of sheep. I scrambled up to find out what was going on. My mistress lay on a lot of pillows and my master lay half on top of her and nudged her with his nose. The strange glimmer between them was there, but slightly changed. He talked so softly that I could not understand anything.

Than the stinking man had told my master to leave the room. But my human said in this voice, which always lets me do whatever he wants, that he stays where he is.

I am proud of him.

Later I must have dozed off briefly next to the warm box, because suddenly the voice of my master roared against my ear and I looked around sleepily.

"Come here Grumpy," now he says happily, though I can hear tears in his voice. Is he happy or sad? I'm confused.

He sits on the cuddly sofa, where I always lie secretly when they have disappeared in that special room. I stretch out and trot over to him.

"Look."

He grins from ear to ear and puts a package in front of my nose. It smells kind of yummy. It's sweet. Like the stuff they never let me eat. I look at my master, what does he expect me to do?

"May I introduce?" He asks and I wag my tail as a precaution, that's probably what he wants to see.

"This is Avery."

And what am I supposed to do with this information?

"You must protect her."

I finally look into his eyes, a warm feeling flows through me. We had this connection from the beginning and I understand. It is his cub.

He is scratching me behind my left ear. I lay my snout on his lap and sniff this human child more closely, pick up her scent. My pack has suddenly grown. And my human trusts me to take care of her. Of them all.

I am happy.