The Wounds We Heal

Chapter forty-seven: Scents Trails

"Yuck!" Chase groaned once more, spitting to get the taste out of his mouth. "How can someone eat that?!"

"Because people have different taste buds than dogs?" Snowflake responded.

"Woah, hey, go easy on the chocolate there little dude, you might not wanna find out what that'll do to you, man." Jake advised.

"Bluck! No problem there." Chase replied disgustedly.

"Hopefully the next scent will be better," Snowflake replied.

"Hopefully!" Chase agreed, then took off on the hunt again. Though his gait was hobbled slightly, he soon slowed to his very focused walk that still held a bit of oddness. But it was lost in the pleasure they took in his pinpoint hunting.

Where is it? Wheere.. is it?.. he thought as his nose kept searching. The others walked quietly behind him watching carefully.. but they weren't prepared for when he suddenly stopped and shouted.

"Liver sausage!" Then his wide upright stance turned into a slightly quicker tracking pace.

"In a bowl?" he soon added. Pausing from sniffing for a moment.

"Dude, you're good!" Jake marveled. "Aw..I knew we shouldn't have dished it out that way."

"No worries, Jake." Everest shrugged. "He's still gotta find it.. we hid this one really good. So it won't be easy."

A challenge huh? Chase thought.

"Oh it's on!" The German Shepherd said, jumping upright once more. Then building more of a momentum, he tracked with a bit more intensity and it gave him more confidence to speed up as he went. Till he was pretty much running down the path, and to a scratchy looking bush, which he dove right into with a bit of a tumble.

"Oh no, Chase is so excited to find the liver sausage he's turned into Marshall with a tumble!" Snowflake joked with a giggle.

"Um, Chase? Are you okay? You just jumped into that bush!" Snowflake asked. Turning to Everest, she thought of something.

"Kinda surprised you're not racing Chase to find the liver sausage," the husky commented.

"That's because I snacked on one while we were placing them for him to find." Everest chuckled, making the three of them laugh. But then they realized Chase still hadn't resurfaced.

"Chase?! Are you there? Are you hurt?!" Snowflake called out now, getting concerned.

Suddenly the German Shepherd popped up with the bowl of liver sausage in his mouth, keeping some leaves and twigs on his head and fur.

"I found it." He muffed through the plastic.

"Heads up, Everest!" He called, maneuvering the bowl forward to toss one of the liver links toward the husky, who caught it.

"Mm! Thanks!" Everest beamed. "But don't you want to eat them both?"

"Nah.. not that big of a liver fan." Chase answered after emerging from the bushes to set the bowl down. Then leaning down, he picked up the last liver link and ate it almost gracefully.

"Ready to keep going?" He asked.

"Yes, but ummmm.. you got sticks and leaves in your fur," Snowflake said with an embarrassed look.

"Nothing a good shake won't fix." The German Shepherd responded. And just as he said, a vigorous shake of his entire body displaced all of the debris.. other than one twig that slid under his collar.