Red In The Morning

Chapter 2

Bitzer stood at the grave as the casket was lowered into the ground. The dog was in tears, helpless in how he couldn't change a thing.

... his master was gone and the dog for the first time didn't know how to go on.

None of the farm animals were at the funeral, it would've been considered odd, but that didn't mean they didn't want to be there.

Bitzer took a deep inhale and exhale out, closing his eyes as tears slipped down his cheeks.

"Pss!"

He jumped a little at that noise, and turned, seeing Shaun hiding behind a grave. The sheep gave him a small wave, but it was evident that Shuan was just as heartbroken.

Bitzer waved nervously back at his friend, and after the funeral mass was over, the dog stood before the buried grave of his master.

Shaun approached nervously, and placed his hoof on Bitzer's shoulder, nodding his head when he saw the dog gaze over at him.

It was a wet country day, and the two looked at the tombstone of the farmer.

What was to happen now? That thought probably ran through both their minds, but neither expressed it outwardly.

Finally this tall heavy blonde man pushed between the two of them, surprising the dog and sheep. The man dropped on his knees, tears rolling down his cheeks, and the two of them stared at the man, mistified.

"Baa..?" Shaun asked Bitzer, pointing his hoof at the man who was in bits, asking with his eyes who this stranger was.

"Woof woof..." Bitzer replied, and pulled out a photo, showing a picture of their farmer as a kid, next to a blonde younger child.

The two's eyes widened, when they realized that the blonde man was the farmer's brother.

After Blondy (That's what they called him) had finished saturating the ground with tears, he stood up and blew his nose in his hands, patting Bitzer and wiping the mucus onto the sheep dog.

Bitzer shivered at this, disgusted, whereas Shaun just giggled at his friend's disgusted face.

Bitzer growled at Shaun, but Blondie suddenly yanked the dog into his big arms, and cried on Bitzer's shoulder.

The dog didn't know what to do, but pat Blondy on the back with his free paw, and the man sobbed desperately into his fur.

He finally placed Bitzer down to the ground, the dog shaken up at all that had happened.

The blonde man pulled out a leash, and chained it to Bitzer's collar, tugging the dog away. Shaun's eyes widened when he saw this scene, and he grabbed Bitzer's paw, trying to pull the dog free.

Blondy was too strong though, and Bitzer was yanked from Shaun's grip.

Blondy placed Bitzer into the passanger seat of his van, before slamming the door shut and getting in the other side.

Shaun watched from the distance, and not knowing what to do, grabbed hold of the handle of the van, jumping onto it's metal rear.

He had to hold on tightly, becasue the van was speeding down country bumpy roads. Shaun watched as the scenery went by in a flash, and realized that they were going the direction back to the farm.

When they reached home, Blondy got out, and pulled open Bitzer's door, lifting the dog out and putting him on the ground.

Shaun himself hopped off the back of the van and headed to his flock, not wanting to be spotted and taken away from his family.

Blondy pat Bitzer on the head quite hard, and the dog had to fix up his hat after the patting.

He watched as Blondy headed to the farmer's old house and opened it with some spare keys. Pidsley, the cat, was asleep on the living room's armchair, and Blondy shook him awake, the cat meowing annoyed.

The man pointed the cat to go outside, and Pidsley, not knowing what to make of this, obeyed. Something a bit odd for a cat.

The flock of sheep all laughed at the ginger cat and Pidsley hissed at them, before finding a warm place with shelter, snuggling up and bathing in the heat.

Shaun saw Bitzer had headed to his dog house, his head hung low and his eyes dreary and depressed.

It hurt Shaun's heart seeing his good friend so down... but Bitzer was grieving, and in fact, the whole farm was grieving too.

Shaun sighed, and lowered his head, kicking a rock away and going into the barn. He lay on his own bed, covering himself with a warm cosy blanket.

His flock soon joined him, as the sheep all snugled together quietly, feeling half alive but mostly dead.

Soon the heavy dark clouds let rip a bolt of lightning, and Bitzer huffed, not giving a damn.

A tear slipped down the dog's cheek, as he thought of his deceased master, and what he meant to him.

Dogs were known well for one thing, loyalty.

Bitzer didn't even bother to pull his head in his kennel.

For some reason the rain stopped splashing on him, and he blinked his eyes drearly, looking up and seeing Shaun holding an umbrella over his friend's head.

"Baa," Shaun said with a warm smile, and pointed Bitzer over to the barn. The dog didn't care what happened to himself, but Shaun helped lifting him up, and guided the depressed Bitzer over to where all the sheep were sleeping, snuggly and warm.

Bitzer cuddled into the sheep who kept him warm with their wool, and he nodded weakly to Shaun, showing his thanks with a small smile, and a calm closing of his eyes.

Shaun nodded back and fell asleep with his flock and friend.

What ever came next, it had to be better than the pain the farm animals were feeling now.

But grief never really goes away... and changes sometimes can make things once familiar, foreign again.

When the new day broke with the rising sun, all the animals felt half beaten. But when Blondy ran the bell, Bitzer jumped alert, and ran to the sound of his master's chime.

In his half sleepiness, he thought for a moment that Blondy was the farmer, but he stumbled back confused, when he realized it wasn't his master.

Blondy was wearing his master's old farm clothes, and that... that made Bitzer suddenly furious.

He charged at Blondy, about to bite him on the arm for the man's careless disrespect – but Shaun bashed into the dog, throwing him to the ground.

Bitzer hit the muddy floor aghast. He looked at Shaun, who shook his head, pointing up to Blondy, and indicating to the dog that it wasn't worth it.

Bitzer sighed, knowing in his heart that was true.

But was everything going to change now...?

Only time would tell.