Had I imagined it? The wind's persistent howl makes it difficult to hear. No, I was not mistaken... There it is again... A mewling sound, like a sick kitten. No, not a kitten. It's more like...
Wait a minute what's that smell? The howling sound of the wind is distracting me but it still carries the scent... Metallic. Is that... Iron? BLOOD. I can smell blood! I called out to my partner and I ran in the direction of the bloody signature. His flat footed gait was no match for mine. Poor Carrick. He always struggles to keep up.
"Hunter, where are you going?"
I like Carrick, I really do but he is particularly obtuse. He asks me that question a lot. I mean really? Isn't it obvious? Then again, there's no moon tonight. I forget sometimes, that his eyesight is so poor.
"HUNTER STOP!"
Carrick was behind me now with a flashlight. I stopped abruptly. Barbed wire. That was close! The smell is stronger here so I nearly ran straight into it. I should have seen it. It's a pretty long fence. I suppose I'll thank him later.
Right now, he's a little preoccupied. He shines the flashlight along the length of the fence. A scrap of blue fabric is flapping in the breeze, caught on one of the barbs. That's what I could smell! Yes, there he is...
Carrick taps his shoulder and starts talking to himself. It used to confuse me a little when he did that but now I'm used to it.
"Carrick here, K-9 Unit. We've got him Sarg!"
The other officers descend on the man. Not that he can run away. He has an impressive rip along his thigh from where he'd tried to take on the fence and he is bleeding out. His mournful mewling was what alerted me to his location in the first place.
"Well done Hunter. Good boy! I think you deserve steak for dinner tonight."
Steak? YES! I barked my approval. He might be an obtuse human but he is my human and I love him...
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This short story came about as a challenge to write 300 to 500 words incorporating all of the following:
