Hunters: The Long Road

Chapter 1

     The farm was Ruby's favorite. While she had only been there once, she already knew it was going to be the best place she would ever visit. The only place where she could run freely without a human growling at her. No leash, no stairs that she had to climb, and best of all, no fence! Back at the house, there was this stupid fence that blocked her way for everything.
     She had tried to tell Bella that it needed to go, and for a while it seemed to be working, but then her mom came out and made sure it was nice and tight in the ground! To make things worse, she filled in the hole that she had spent so long on!
     Ruby, who was laying on a blanket that Bella had left on the ground, was busy thinking about what her littermates were up to. She had many sisters, three to be exact. She also had a brother, but she wasn't sure as to where he was. Lilac, Ruby's oldest sister, was going to be used for shows. The humans called her a 'purebred', whatever that was. Daisy and Cotton were going to be hunting dogs. They liked to brag about that. Her brother, who was called Axle, had run away when they were very young. As for Ruby, she thought she got the best job: simply being the dog. Not just any dog, but Bella's dog.
     For Ruby, nothing was more important than Bella. Bella was a six-year-old with light, brown hair. She came home everyday from a place called school. Her scent was of chocolate and cinnamon. When she was allowed, she took Bella down the street to a place called Tony's House. It still didn't top the farm.
     Bella's grandparents lived on a farm in West Virginia, while Bella lived in a house in a small placed called 'Miller Road, The Turn To The Left'. Humans seemed to like using long names for everything. Like how Bella called the weird treat a sandwich with lettuce and tomato.
     Ruby wasn't the only dog in the neighborhood, that was a well known fact. Tony had a beagle named Sport. Some girl down the street had a border collie named Bailey. The neighbor had small animal with long, sharp nails. Bella called it a cat once, horrid things. The 'cat' was called Marshmallow. Ruby also had a roommate.
     Rocco was a German Shepherd. He wasn't too much older than Ruby, but he liked to act as though he were the alpha. Stupid pup needed to learn his place.
     Ruby lay on the blanket, her mind going back to Daisy and Cotton. Were they in the forest now? It had long been a dream of her's to see the world beyond the fence. A world with no leash or stupid puppies to get in the way. A place like the farm. A sudden call from upstairs made Ruby jump to her paws.
     "Come on, puppies! We're meeting the others at the park!"

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     Ruby was watching Rocco and Bailey chase each other around. Bailey was so much faster than Rocco it was almost sad. Sport was laying against her side, waiting for her to give the signal. She turned to her left. Lilac was placed under a tree, sitting on a blanket. At the same time, she was dangerously close to some mud. Daisy and Cotton were making their ways into position. This was going to be perfect.
     Suddenly, Ruby shot up and ran at Rocco. The pup, scared and confused, ran the other way: strait at Lilac. She jumped off her blanket, running as fast as she could the other way. However, Sport was already there. He forced her to change direction. Without even realizing it, she started running towards the mud. She probably would have made it...if Daisy and Cotton hadn't been there to knock her in.
     "Are you serious! I'm never gonna get this out of my coat!" Lilac yelped as she made her way out of the mud. Sport, Daisy, Cotton, and Ruby were all laughing.
     "I know! Guess your little pampered butt is gonna be stuck in backseat!" Sport called out as she walked away.
     "Can you imagine what would have happened if that had been us?" Rocco asked as he padded past Ruby.
     "Yep, you'd be covered in mud and I'd be laughing at you!" Ruby barked back as she made her way to a spot in the sun.
     Once she was there, she started staring at the fence that covered the area. Did this border follow her everywhere?
     "Something wrong, bud? You look a little troubled there." Sport asked as he laid down next to her.
     "Don't say this is weird, but I wanna know what's out there. In the woods. I wanna see the prey it has to offer." Ruby mumbled as she turned to look at him.
     "I don't think it's weird. I do it too. Marshmallow told me that he knew how to get the doors to open. The ones on our fences. Told me that if I never came back, he would open it. Of course I said no, but you gotta wonder." Ruby just laid there. The words going through her mind. He knows how to get out?
     "Ruby! Rocco! Come on, babies! We need to go home." The two ran at their girl, who hugged them both. While her collar did feel weird during the time, she figured that she'd get used to it.

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     The second Ruby got home, she ran straight to the dog door out back.
     "Marshmallow! Get out here! I need to talk to you!" She yelped as she jumped up, trying to work her way over the fence.
     "What do ya want, pup? I don't have time to deal with your nonsense." Marshmallow hissed as he sat on top of the fence.
     "Is it true that you know how to get out? Do you really know how to open the doors?" Ruby barked, excitement radiating off of her. For a moment, Ruby saw a strange smile on the cat's face. Not the smile Bella gave her every morning, but a new kind, a kind that made her feel like something strange was going on.
     "It's true, young pup. Want me to open it? It's a quick process." His meow was deep, ment only for her, and she knew it.
     "Anything! I'll do anything! Just let me see for myself." She barked back as quietly as she could. His smile only grew.
     "Excellent, Ruby. Meet me here when all the lights in your home are off. I'll be waiting. Only then will I open the door." He meowed, little emotion showing. Ruby had never before left like this when talking to any animal. It felt wrong, and cold.
     "When all lights go out, I won't forget." With that, she ran back to her home's warmth.

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     The time had come. Bella was sleeping soundly. Her mother, who had just closed the door to her room, wouldn't be able to hear her. Rocco had fallen asleep with Bella, so he wouldn't be going with her.
     Ruby walked out into the yard, and just as promised, Marshmallow was waiting on her side of the fence. The fog was strong that night. Marshmallow was hard to find, her sight and sense of smell being weaked.
     "I am going to teach you a trick, one I didn't tell the other pup about. See that can, the one right on the fence? Pull yourself onto it." She did as told, the lid was hard to reach and was very slick on her pads. "If you haven't noticed yet, the can is just a small bit shorter than your fence. Use every ounce of strength and jump over it." Jump? Ruby was very used to jumping, but the thought of jumping into something she couldn't see scared her. At first she was hesitant, but she was still preparing her hind legs when-
     "You're leaving us?" The young voice called out from behind her. Her head shot around to see her adoptive brother. His ear was flopped over and he looked tired.
     "I'm only gonna look! I'll be back early tomorrow morning, before Bella gets home from school if not then." She thought her words were soothing, but he didn't agree.
     "You're still leaving. What is Bella gonna say when you don't wake her up tomorrow? What am I gonna do. You're the only one I can play around." His bark was low and muffled.
     "You can't come with me. If both of us are gone, Bella would flip out. You have to cover for me while I'm out." She pushed her ears up against her face. Her own voice filled with his sadness.
     "I know. I'll cover for as long as you need. I won't tell the others. Just promise me you'll come back." His ears now held high with a new confidence. She smiled.
     "Got it, wish me luck." And with that she was off. A world of the unknown had reached her paws.

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     Ruby was cold. A new world of scents and sounds had entered her life, and she was finding it very hard to keep going in one direction. Do the girls hunt up here? She heard the slightest scuttle and instantly went into a crouch. Her heavy paws skimmed over a dead leaf. A small sound, but loud enough for the animal to hear it. It darted out of its hiding spot and fled into the trees.
     Ruby sat with a huff. Even if it was only a mouse, she still wanted to catch it. Ruby looked around her, scents filled her nose. Trees, trees, more trees,...wait a minute. What's that? In an instant she was surrounded. Silhouettes of dogs forming a circle around her. Her brown eyes met the icy blue of another's. Panic filled her body. She turned to run. Her head was met with cold, hard force. Then everything stopped. The pups eyes rolled as she slid into a world she had only ever heard stories of.

Don't worry, little one.
You'll reunite soon enough

This story will be continued on another account. More information will come once I have everything set up.