Born Under The Stars- Hope Will Lead The Way

Chapter Three

Ashiro's head, neck, and legs hurt. Somehow, she was safe though. Her vision was yet blurry and hard to see, but she could just make out a figure. A figure that showed she had been taken.

This made Ashiro snap her head up to see she was brought to the safety of a small cave-like den. The figure appeared to be a dog, possibly a pet, something Ashiro had never come across. But she wore no sign of a collar. The black and white border collie, with just one patch of grey around her left eye, with a yellow nose and inner ears, stared at her with deep crystalized eyes. She seemed as if she was startled by her sudden movement, but calmly and carefully pushed Ashiro's head back to the ground.

Without hesitation, Ashiro did as was told, lowering her head with a small, painful grunt. The border collie seemed to be helping with her wounds, working her way with cleaning each one. Soon she appeared to be done and Ashiro was now allowed to at least sit up.

"My name is Savinnah, I come from a long line of healthy training dogs, used as a search dog, or helping my old owner around. He was blind."

Ashiro was suddenly taken aback by the border collie's words. They were soft, yet she hadn't suspected she would speak all of a sudden.

Ashiro found it impolite not to answer. "Oh. I'm Ashiro, and what happened to your owner? I mean we are in the middle of no where. I didn't expect dogs to be. . .in the woods."

Savinnah sighed deeply but with a small, sad smile. She cocked her fuzzy border collie face to the side, her ears drooping like they normally did, and studied Ashiro for a full minute.

"He died. The old age can take someone you love so deeply away from you just like that." She said simply.

Ashiro felt her stomach twist. She suddenly felt sad for Savinnah, not that she herself would ever trust a human, but something deep down told her there were things you could least expect. Like a human ever loving a dog enough to treat them as their own.

Savinnah broke the silence as she abruptly left the small den. Ashiro still winced from her injuries, but chose to follow close behind.

The blinding sun made her blink a few times before they finally adjusted to the outside world. She found Savinnah, who had instantly found some leftover berries. She grimaced at the small peices of fruit. Savinnah laughed.

"They aren't so bad, you should try some." She suggested, pushing a full pile toward Ashiro. "You're gonna need it."

Ashiro carefully studied them before nibbling the smallest she could find. Her fox-like tail started wagging. She found herself eating the whole lot and looked up at Savinnah who giggled as she nodded to a small river for her to wash her face.

"Clean up, then we'll meet up at the small mountain, just over there." Savinnah pointed, then gracefully walked away.

Ashiro washed her face and sat down for a few minutes, pondering her thoughts. Her mind swirled with what was happening. She had never experienced much kindness and wondered if Savinnah knew she was part fox and part wolf. Her heart saddened at the thought of Savinnah not liking her anymore if she told her so. But seeing her tail and her more fox-like figures, it's surely easy to know she is a half-breed. So why hasn't Savinnah said anything about it?

Noticing she had left Savinnah waiting, she got up and walked toward the small mountain that nestled just behind the homemade den.

Savinnah sat, back to Ashiro, on the stoney ground, watching the sun fade down. When Ashiro sat beside her she didn't flinch or move. She stared straight ahead, to the beyond.

She finally spoke, "Life has been lonely."

Ashiro glanced at Savinnah who returned a smile.

"I suspect you're on a journey?"

Asiro nodded. "I have travelled far. I'm looking for my brother. We got separated by a fire a few years ago."

Savinnah nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"I still believe he's alive."

"Well, if he is still alive, where do you think he's gone?" Savinnah gave a long glance at Ashiro. That was a good question. Where was he?

"I don't know," Ashiro admitted softly. "I just don't know."

"Then you don't know where you are heading?" Savinnah asked. Ashiro shook her head.

"All I do know is that if I keep walking, things will get better, and I'll be able to find him. It's not easy being-"

"A half-breed?" Savinnah finished for her. So she did know.

Ashiro plainly nodded. "Yeah, my mother was a fox, and father was a wolf."

"I see. Love has strange ways."

"And how about your parents? Were they both border collies?"

"Yeah. Except. . ."

"Except?" Ashiro waited for a reply, but only received a shake of Savinnah's head. She stayed silent, respecting the older kanine's silence, trying not to get into her emotions. Ashiro was never fond of returning to her own emotions, so she left them tucked away, like in an emotion-filled blanket. She was surprised when Savinnah spoke, voice a whisper.

"My parents, along with my two sisters, were killed by the hands of human. I was next to be killed, because I, with my two siblings, was a runt, and seeing that my mother produced such weak pups, they wanted us all gone. Until. . .until Daniel came along. He was a nice old, stocky man, and he loved me," she turned to Ashiro. "Just as I learnt to love him."

"But how could you love a human if they had killed your family?" Ashiro frowned. Savinnah looked patient at Asiro, eyes sparkling.

"Because loyaltly lies within a dog's heart and purpose. To serve, is more of an honor than being served."

Ashiro found Savinnah to be very wise and knowledgeable. But she could never understand the love between a dog and a human.

"You dogs have a weird law."

Savinnah laughed. "It's not really a law, especially when it includes love. It also includes patience and everything must have loyalty. But you must also learn forgiveness."

Ashiro nodded. She changed the subject. "Do you miss Daniel?"

Savinnah nodded, sadly. "Very."

That was enough for Ashiro to hear. She didn't want to make Savinnah upset.

The sunset soon turned to a dark sky and a faint glare off the moon filled the atmosphere. Apart from the moon, Ashiro's lantern still glowed around her neck as she and Savinnah watched the stars together.

A sudden ripple of soft wind rushed through their fur. Ashiro closed her eyes, letting the cool wind send chills through her tufts of fur. She could never feel more free than she was right now. And making a new friend was more than just a new start of progress to life.