Dog

The Tales

Rambi, Limber and I talked for a while. They made me laugh for the first time in forever. That night, I could never stop smiling.

Limber went out into the woods to get some firewood as Rambi and I set up a campsite. Rambi didn't talk much, and neither did I. I mostly was talking to Limber this whole time. But I needed to get a conversation started.

"So, Rambi, where are you from?" I said, trying to stop the silence.
"Well, it's a long story..." She replied.
"Do you mind telling it to me? I have time." I replied, trying not to push. 
"Sure."
As I put the last log down, I sat down to listen. Rambi sat down as well.

"Well, I was born in Denver, Colorado. Once I was born, my family left me for... unknown reasons. Then, I was found by some nice humans, and I was taken to a small shelter. I lived in the shelter for a month, until a young boy came in with his mother. The boy's name was Toby, and he adopted me. I lived with him until I was 3. Toby and him mother and father needed to move somewhere, and they gave me away to another person. I couldn't stand being with another person other then Toby, so I ran away. I hopped on many, many buses and cars, and I finally came here, to Hill City. Here, I found Limber. Limber was living in the woods, and she became like an older sister to me, so I decided to live here in the woods with her..."

"Wow... Umm." I said, not able to get the words out of my mouth. "I'm so... I'm so sorry, Rambi."
"It's okay. Really."

"Guys!" Limber yelled as she came in from the woods. "I found a bunch of wood! But I can't carry it on my own. Can one of you come and help me? Please?"
"I, umm. I'll come." I said, running towards Limber.
"Okay, let me show you where I found the wood!" She said, as we left Rambi behind.

As Limber and I finally got to all the wood, Limber attempted to start a conversation.
"So..." She said. "Where did you get such a... unique name?"
"Dog is what everybody calls me." I answered. "Well, at least now they call me that. I used to have a different name, when I still lived in France."
"Really? What was it?"
"I don't remember..." I said, frowning. "I was separated from my owner as we sailed across the sea on a ship. The ship crashed into some rocks, and I never saw her again. I don't remember much from that day, though."
"Oh, I'm so sorry... I had no idea."
"It's okay." I said. "So, what's your story?"
"Honestly?... I don't know." She said. "All I remember is living peacfuly with my family until one day, when they all disappeared. I was only a little kitten. From then on, I lived here, by myself. Even though I was a kitten, I quickly learned how to survive on my own... But, let's not talk about sad stories, okay?" She said, and kept walking forward.

Limber and I got back to the campsite, meeting up with Rambi.
We sat around the campfire, telling stories to each other.

As the night grew darker, we grew sleepier. We all laid our heads down on a pile of leaves, and fell asleep...