AllFreeNovel
Share Us
1
“Easy there, Sherlock,” Stephanie crooned to the hound at the end of her leash. The dog was constantly watching the trees on either side of them, his eyes wide and his ears perked in case something jumped out. He calmed only slightly at her words. “You’re all right. That’s a good boy.”
“I’m surprised it’s taking him this long to get used to the leash work,” her daughter Annie commented, “especially with all these other dogs around to let him know it’s okay.”
Stephanie smiled down at the dog, who’d paused and turned his cocoa eyes to her, asking if he was still a good boy and doing everything right. The poor thing needed so much reassurance, and she was happy to give it to him. It was a shame no one had been willing to do so in the first place. “He’ll get it. He’s been through some rough times, and it takes some rescues longer than others to be convinced that nothing bad will happen to them again. We don’t even know the extent of what Sherlock has been through.”
Annie nodded. “Being stuck in that cage overgrown with weeds had to be bad enough.”
“I can’t argue with that.” Stephanie frowned, easily remembering when she’d been called out to the foreclosed home. The mortgage holder had already tried animal control, but the officer was busy. Somehow, Dr. Stephanie Caldwell had been next on the list. It wasn’t the kind of thing she normally did, but her intuition had told her to go. She’d found Sherlock hunkered in the back corner of an outdoor pen, barely visible through the thick weeds that’d grown inside it over the summer. The only reason anyone had even known a dog was present was by its mournful howls. “Out there howling like the hound of the Baskervilles. I doubt he was ever out on a leash during that time. Or if he was, only bad things happened.”
Her daughter let out a long sigh.
“What’s the matter?”
Annie stooped to pick a burr off Jacques, the little chihuahua she was walking. Penelope, the pit bull mix, took great interest and nosed her hand. She smiled and scratched her between the ears. “It’s just that I’ve been doubting the whole vet school thing.”
Stephanie raised an eyebrow. “How come?”
“Well, dogs like these, for instance. They needed help and homes. Now, they have good vet care, plenty of healthy food, and reliable shelter. I’m happy to see they’re taken care of, but I know there will always be more.”
“Veterinary work isn’t necessarily rescue work,” Stephanie pointed out. “I know the two are often intertwined, and I’ve certainly allowed that to happen in my practice, but you have the privilege of choosing what to do with your career. You can move to Beverly Hills and do nothing but give acupuncture to celebrity dogs if you’d like.”
Annie wrinkled her nose. “Yeah right, Mom. You know I’d never do that.”
No, she probably wouldn’t. Annie had always been the kind of kid who’d rather roll in the mud than put on makeup, and that hadn’t changed much as she’d gotten older. She was strong and practical and had always seemed to know what she wanted. That made it all the more surprising that she was questioning herself now. “My point is, you have to do what makes you happy. I’ve always been proud of you for choosing the veterinary path, but my concern has been that you don’t do it just because you think you have to.”
“I’m not. It’s just always felt like this thing I need to do. Tons of animals out there need help in one way or another, and I want to be there for them. I’m just overwhelmed, I guess.”
“It’ll do that to you.” Annie would be finishing her vet tech degree that year and moving on to veterinary school. That would be a lot, but it wouldn’t be the end of it. Stephanie had spent so many days with sick pets, gone to bed completely exhausted, and then dragged herself back up the next day. It was once she’d combined traditional medicine with naturopathic therapies that things had started to feel better for her, more relaxed. It was the path she was destined to find, and Annie would need to find hers, too. “Keep your head up, kiddo. You’re smart, and you’ve been doing great in school. Whatever you decide to do, you’ll be awesome at it.”
Annie gave her a small smile. “Yeah, that’s what Dad said, too. We went out to lunch yesterday, and—whoa! What has gotten into you guys? Easy, easy!” She tightened her grip on the two leashes in her hand. Little Jacques didn’t take much to restrain, but Penelope had pulled her leash to the end and was straining against her harness.
Sherlock was freaking out in his own way. His nose was in the air, and his tail stood straight. Instead of trying to run forward, he was backing up, trying to get away from whatever it was that had spooked him so much. Stephanie put her hand on his back and took a deep breath, trying to tap into his feelings. “He’s really scared. Do you see anything up ahead?”
“Here.” Brave as ever, Annie handed over her two leashes and moved forward.
They’d gone walking in those woods dozens of times, if not more. The most they’d ever encountered were squirrels and other hikers. Stephanie knew she had no real reason to worry, but for once, she questioned her daughter’s grit. With three trembling dogs, she waited.
“Um, Mom?”
“Yeah?”
Annie reappeared from around the bend. “You’re not going to believe this because I’m not sure I do, but there’s a wolf up here.”
“What?” A tremor of energy shot through Stephanie. She loved wolves, and though they were in the area, encountering one was rare. She’d always seen a particular one come around back when she was in college, but it must’ve grown used to people.
“I’m not sure it’s alive, though,” Annie explained, looking over her shoulder. “I’m going to see if it has a heartbeat.”
“Be careful!” The mother in her could override anything else, including the veterinarian and animal lover. This was her daughter; if anything happened to her, she’d never forgive herself. Inside, she was now just as edgy as the dogs.
Annie returned a moment later, shaking her head. “I think it’s a goner.”
“Let me have a look.” Putting the dogs in her daughter’s care, Stephanie headed forward. Her hiking boots were solid against the firm ground, and she felt a cool breeze toying with the strands of hair that’d come loose from her long braid. It pushed her forward on the trail, towards what she couldn’t be entirely sure.
The wolf lay on the side of the path, its jaw slack and eyes closed. It certainly didn’t look like it had any life left in it, but she had to be sure. Slowly, carefully, Stephanie approached. She murmured to the creature as she did so, making it aware of her, even if only on a subconscious level. Kneeling, she pressed her hand gently to the animal’s chest.
She felt nothing.
