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I eventually gave up.
And then simply admired dogs from a distance, following about five dozen social media accounts for them. But never having my own.
Not that I was going to have this one.
My lifestyle at the moment wasn’t conducive to a puppy. Besides, he probably belonged to someone. He just wandered too far from home.
I would just get him out of the storm, give him my jerky and some water, then bring him into the closest town to give to the local rescue to hopefully find his owner.
“Sweet baby,” I called as I continued to walk, the cabin becoming nothing but a memory as I followed what I hoped were the sounds of the puppy ahead of me.
It wasn’t long before the sky opened up, pelting relentless rain down on me, soaking me through in moments as I continued to trudge on.
It wasn’t until a flash and crack of lightning filled the sky, completely illuminating the woods for a precious second, that I finally saw him. Cowering next to a downed tree.
“Oh, honey,” I cooed at him, walking slowly forward, waving the jerky in front of me like a peace offering.
His head poked out, sniffing, before another crash of thunder had him curling into himself and trembling.
Giving the slow and easy method the middle finger, I tucked away the jerky, put down the lantern, then lunged for him, grabbing a hold of him, then yanking him up and off the ground, crushing him to my chest, and wrapping him up tight as he struggled.
“Okay, you’re okay. You’re safe now,” I said, tightening my hold when the thunder clapped again, making him shake harder.
It was standing there in the woods with a terrified puppy, that the lightning flashed again, illuminating something I’d missed because I’d been so focused on him.
Proof that humans were even shittier than I already thought.
A big, rusty dog crate set a few yards away, the door ripped off, and two other puppies inside.
Someone had dumped these babies.
In the woods.
With no food or water or chance of survival.
Like freaking garbage.
“Are those your brothers and sisters?” I cooed at the puppy as I carefully leaned down to grab the lantern, holding it in one of the hands I had wrapped around him as I moved forward, wondering if I was strong enough to carry a crate with three puppies back to the cabin.
It didn’t matter if I was strong enough.
I would do it, damnit.
But as I got closer, I realized that it wouldn’t be necessary.
Because those puppies weren’t just trying to find some makeshift shelter from the rain. They weren’t shaking and whimpering.
They were still.
They were dead.
“Oh, buddy,” I whimpered at the puppy, realizing he’d had to witness them dying, had to leave them to try to find food, then made his way back to them when he was scared. “I hope that monster that left you here like this has his rotten heart rot out of his chest,” I said, blinking away the tears that started to fall again.
More grief.
“When the storm stops, baby, we will come back. I will… bury them, okay?” I said, thinking of a small wood or stone graveyard for the sweet souls lost too soon. They deserved that dignity.
Sniffling against the tears that kept falling, I turned, making my way back in the direction of the cabin.
