The Great Adventure

Finding your sick dog is not a great way to start the middle of your day

The sky was bright, and Caitlin's favourite shade of blue. She gazed out into the woods behind the field, seeing the tall evergreen trees clustered tightly together, making it impossible to see beyond the net of what was there.

Birds were flying around in the air, a flock of ducks going overhead in the direction of where Caitlin knew there to be a pond. Butterflies were moving from flower to flower while a dragon fly flew by her head.

There was a bumble bee climbing along the grass near her feet. Caitlin stepped back, not wanting it to get to close.

"Are you even listening to me?" Luke grumbled from beside her, snapping Caitlin out of her daze. "Your dog has been out in that wood for ages now."

"Has he?"

"Yes!" Cried Luke, exasperated now, his curly brown hair that Caitlin had convinced him to grow longer- almost at eye level now- swinging around violently, "I wouldn't be surprised if he was dead!"

Caitlin started running, "Don't say things like that Luke!" She called back at him as he started following, gaining on her quickly with his longer strides.

"Scouts dead, scouts dead, ha-ha ha ha ha-ha ha."

Caitlin whacked him.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"I told you not to say things like that."

"I didn't!"

"Don't lie to me."

Luke got down on his knees and began waving his arms around, "Oh I am so sorry Caitlin, my master! Will you ever find it in your kind heart to forgive me?"

She whacked him again.

"No.  Now get up and come on! And don't beg at my feet either," Caitlin said, assuming that was what her friend was doing.

They continued running until they got to the trees, up close now looking menacing.

Caitlin stretched out her hand to touch the edges of the trees and took a step closer. She was drawn to them, it was like they were calling her, beckoning her to come closer. She took another step. And stretched her hand further-

"What are you doing?" Luke said, drawing her attention towards him, "Come on, we need to go in."

Luke lead Caitlin into woods, ducking under a low hanging branch as he went. The trees were so densely packed it was hard to tell which way to go, and Caitlin could no longer even see from where they had come in. The leaves inside were more of a dark, sickly yellow colour, instead of the lush green the woods appeared to be from the outside, and the bark was black and cracking.  A strand of Caitlin's brown hair got tangled onto one of the twigs, although how shoulder length hair managed to do that she didn't know.

As they got further in, the trees began to start looking mangled up. Several trees had what looked like carvings of parallel lines on them. A dull trickling sound was coming from their left. Caitlin walked in that direction to see what it was and Luke followed. They broke through a wall of vines and came across a river.

It was a dull black, the same shade as the trees that Caitlin had been seeing. The water was running slowly, looking much thicker than usual and as if there were shadows clinging to it.

"Don't touch the water," Luke warned.

There was a tree to the right that had fallen over, making a bridge across the river. Caitlin made her way over to where the trees roots were and tested her weight on it.

"Seems safe enough," she motioned for Luke to come after her.

"Yeah, that's safe," he said as he began to climb onto the trunk behind her. It started creaking under the two of them.

"It's the only way across," Luke interjected before Caitlin could say anything.

"Okay, just go slow then."

She began making her way slowly along the tree when a sharp yelp cut across the air, followed by a series of whimpers.

"SCOUT!" Caitlin screamed.

Luke cursed, "Don't run!"

But Caitlin was already running. She leapt over the branches at the other end and dashed of into the trees, now hidden on the other side.

The trunk started creaking more and began to splinter. Luke ran and leapt, just as the trees snapped beneath him, barely landing again on the other side, and raced of into the woods after her.

As Caitlin broke through one more layer of trees, not even taking in her surroundings anymore, she found a black lump in a heap on the floor. It was moving slowly, then crumpling back down.

"Scout," Caitlin cried out.

The stepped forwards and sank down into her knees. "What happened?" She whispered.

She gathered him up in her arms and hugged him, burying her face in his curly black fur. She was aware of a hand on her shoulder.

"Check him over," Luke encouraged.

She pulled her face away, her brown eyes wet with tears.

"Start with the legs," he said comfortingly.

Caitlin started to feel up Scouts legs for any damage, and between his toes. Then moved up onto his back and sides. Her fingers stopped when she felt something warm and sticky, and a ragged flap.

"No," Caitlin whispered.

"Keep going," Luke insisted, "You need to check all of him."

Caitlin continued to check him over and found nothing. She started to pick Scout up, but he suddenly convulsed.
Caitlin dropped him back down to the ground, carefully, and asked, "What do we do?" She looked around and noticed more of those carvings. Except this time, she saw that they were more like slices, or scratches. Like something had attacked them.

"Let me look," Luke said. He bends down next to Scout and brings his head closer. After a few seconds, he stands up and turns away.

"What is it?" Caitlin asks him.

Luke takes one more look at Scout, and their brown eyes meet.
"Follow me"

***
It broke my heart to write about scout in pain :'(
But as the author this time, I have power 😏