Misty: A Dog's Life

Prologue

The dog trotted along the side of a quiet road, only the occasional cars driving by at magnificent speeds. Snow swirled down from the dull gray sky, landing on the ground. The dog shook her fur as it settled along her back, the frosty wind piercing her thick black and white fur chilling her to the bone.

The trees at her side were bare and leafless, besides the pine trees and thickets that were scattered throughout the forest.

The dog found her thoughts wondering to the days of warmth in a nice home and a family the loved her. That seemed like such a long time ago, though it was only mere months.
Her mate had been taken along with the family when they had moved. She longed for the companionship, but now the only thing that kept her going was the pups that filled her belly. Sadly those pups were the reason she had been abandoned.

Curling her lip as a speeding car sent bits of cold mud and ice onto her haunches and a cloud of smoke in her face. Shaking her fur in irritation she turned towards the forest deciding to leave the road, she needed to find a place to give birth to her pups.

Trotting into the forest, dim rays of light shining through the branches casting shadows across the ground.

She knew when the sun went down the temperatures would drop and there was a chance of freezing. She had already come across a small dog that had died from the cold, only days before.

Quickly making her way along a trail made by deer, the small shrubs and trees at her sides made the trail easier to follow. The small leaves of the winter plants were nibbled away by small deer herds and rabbits. The deer had stripped the bark of some trees as they moved through the forest.

Raising her muzzle in the air she caught a familiar scent in the cold breeze. The scent of humans and the small fires they made inside of their homes.

Nibbling on the corner of her lip she decided to make her way towards the source of the smell.

Passing by a small pine thicket she paused inspecting the space beneath it. The main tree had two smaller trees growing nearly against it, forming a nest above the snow as the pine needles piled under the trees.

Sniffing the ground she caught the faint scent of a deer, a doe by the smell of it. Satisfied she curled onto the nest of pine needles resting her head on her paws.

The dog noticed a small white rabbit hop cautiously into the open, nibbling at a few sparsely covered bushes. Her haunches quivered with excitement, but weariness drew her into sleep.

Bright morning sun shone brightly through the thick branches warming her fur. Today she would find the house.

Standing she stretched her legs letting out a yawn, shaking off the feeling of sleep. Sniffing the air she caught the scent though stronger now.

The sky was clear and the sun warm even though snow covered everything. She could see her breath as they floated into the air like clouds, before disappearing.

Setting off at a steady pace following the scent. She had to find somewhere to have her pups soon. Her gaze fixed on the horizon she trotted through the forest.

By mid-day she stood at a treeline staring at a clearing. A large house sat on the far side of the clearing with a barn a short distance away.

Glancing across the clearing she loped towards the barn, stopping short when she reached a tractor. Peering out from behind it she froze tracking a human with her eyes from the house to the barn with a blue bucket in his hand, he was young by the look of it .

The dog watched as he walked in and soon two large brown animals ran into a fenced in area. Horses, she recalled from a distant memory of her life as a pup.

The man watched them for a while before walking back to the house. Once he had disappeared from view she loped to the barn. Standing in the doorway she looked around before slowly walking inside.

It was obviously warmer once she was inside. Sniffing around the barn she found a disused pen in the farthest corner of the barn, after inspecting the horses pens she decided on that one being suitable.

Human and horse scent had long since faded from this pen, though there was the musky scent of mice. A squeak from above made her look up. She saw a small black cat in the rafters with a mouse hanging in its jaws.

Cats didn't bother her in the least. There were always cats around her as a pup. She learned to accept them and they accepted her after a time.

The bales of hay were stacked up to the height of the open window. Walking around the corner of the pile she found a comfortable corner that was large enough for two dogs to stretch out in. Sniffing the corner she yipped in relief at finally finding a place to have her pups.

Movement at her side made her lunge forward snapping a plump mouse from the hay, now hanging from her jaws.

Quickly gobbling it down she felt warmth fill her belly. Circling around a few times, heaving a sigh, she lay in the corner on the hay, by morning she knew her pups would arrive.