Page 34 of Wind Rider

Dove seemed to be holding her breath, but she nodded quickly. “Is it supposed to be wet, or is he upset?”

“Oh, no! He’s not upset at all. And his nose is supposed to be a little wet like it is. Here.” Mari guided Dove’s hands along Rigel’s back to his wagging tail. “Feel his tail going back and forth like that?”

“I do!”

“That means he’s happy.”

“Oh, he’s so, so soft! I had no idea. Different from a rabbit or a deer, and nothing like a bird’s feathers. Unique and soft.” Dove leaned forward and sniffed at Rigel, which had him lifting his muzzle and licking her face.

“Oh, sorry. That’s a canine kiss. It’s slobbery, but honestly given.”

“He kissed me? That is so lovely!” Dove giggled, looking very young, and very happy.

“May I touch him, too?” Lily asked.

“Of course!” Mari nodded encouragingly, and Lily leaned across her friend to stroke Rigel’s fur.

“Oh! I didn’t think that his fur would be so thick!” Lily said.

“May I touch him all over? I’d like to feel his paws and get an idea of his size. All of the canines sound so large when they bark,” Dove said.

“Sure, Rigel doesn’t mind. But you should know that he’s young and only about half grown. I’ll call his father, Laru, so you can get an idea of how large he will be when he’s full grown.” Mari paused, finding Nik over by the bonfire talking with Wilkes and Claudia, who had moved their makeshift pallets as close to the fire as possible for warmth. “Nik!” she called. He looked up, smiling, at the sound of her voice, and Mari gestured for him to join her. She saw him say something quickly to Wilkes before he made his way to her, Laru, as usual, by his side.

“Nik, do you or Laru mind if Dove touches Laru? She sees by touch, and I wanted her to feel the difference between a Shepherd pup and a mature Shepherd.”

“Oh, well, no—I don’t mind, and I’m sure Laru won’t either.”

“Thank you, Nik,” Dove said politely.

“No problem. It does make sense that you’d need to touch to see. Go ahead, Laru.” Nik gestured for Laru to lie beside Rigel, which the big Shepherd did with no hesitation whatsoever.

As she did for her with Rigel, Mari guided Dove’s hands first to Laru’s large head. From there Dove gently felt all along his body as her lips lifted. “He is so big! And strong—I can tell that from his muscles. So magnificent! And Rigel will get this big?”

“I think Rigel will even be bigger,” Nik said. “He’s bigger than I remember Laru being at his age.”

“Do you know where Davis and Cammy are?” Mari asked Nik.

“Yeah, they were helping Sheena and O’Bryan get the food ready for the canines. Thankfully, it’s almost time for all of us to eat. Want me to get them for you?”

“That would be great, thanks.” As Nik and Laru headed to the shore, Mari continued. “Davis is Cameron’s Companion. Well, mostly we call him Cammy or Cammyman. He’s a Terrier.”

“Do they like to be touched, too?” Lily asked.

“I think almost all canines like to be touched, but they each havedifferent personalities, like people do,” Mari said. “Cammydefinitelylikes to be touched.” Just then a little blond whirlwind came running up. He greeted Mari first, climbing up on her lap and licking her face. “Well, hello, Cammyman! Where’s Davis?”

“Davis is still helping with the food,” Nik called across the sand to Mari. “But I told him why you needed Cammy, and you know how much Cammy likes attention.”

“I do!” Mari laughed as Cammy licked her face, huffing happily. “Okay, hang on, Dove wants to meet you. Ready to meet a Terrier, Dove?”

“Yes, I am!”

“He’s a lot smaller than Laru and even Rigel, so get ready. Here he comes.” Mari picked Cammy up and deposited him on Dove’s lap.

“Oh!” Dove squeaked, and her arms immediately went around the Terrier, holding him close. Cammy sat his butt down and lifted his muzzle, licking Dove directly on her mouth. She sputtered and then laughed as she ran her hands along his face and body, all the way to his tail. “He’s wagging!”

“Cammy is very friendlyandvery happy,” Mari said.

“His fur feels so different from the Shepherds’. Do all the Terriers and Shepherds feel the same?”