Ally's Arc

Chapter 3 of 3

Ally reached the pond ahead of the shaggy family. The young dog trotted beside her, nose twitching. The flat rock waited by the water. But something was wrong. The family's bucket lay on its side in the mud. Fish bones trailed across the grass. A thief had come before them. The shaggy giants arrived and saw the mess. The tallest one bared his teeth and snorted. The two broad ones scanned the trees, eyes hard. The little one hid behind a thick leg. Ally understood. A bolder beast had been raiding their catch. Now every grown one watched the treeline instead of the water. When the young dog stepped near the empty bucket, the tallest giant stamped and growled. The young dog flinched back against Ally. They would never share a trout while they feared a raider. Ally saw her chance. If she drove the thief off, the wary ones might trust her at last. She found the scent at the pond's edge. It was rank and wild, clawed deep in the mud. Ally followed it into the brush with the young dog at her heels. The trail led uphill through brambles. Then she stopped cold. In a clearing stood a mother moose and her calf. A fresh gash cut the mother's flank. Bandage-white scars crossed her legs. The calf pressed against her side. These were not the thieves. They were only hurt and hungry, drawn to easy food. But the mother lowered her huge head and snorted. She stamped a front hoof. She saw Ally as the next danger to her baby. The young dog did the thing it always did. It moved too soon. It darted forward with a yip. The mother moose charged. Ally did not run. She knew the oldest trick. She dropped flat to the ground. She rolled her shoulder down and showed her soft belly to the sky. She lay still in the dirt, loose and low, telling the moose: I am no threat. The young dog froze, then copied her, pressing its chest to the earth. The mother moose stopped. Her hoof came down an arm's length from Ally's head. She breathed hard. Ally held still. Slowly the great head lifted. The mother turned, nudged her calf, and limped away into the trees. The raids were over. The hungry pair had moved on. Ally led the young dog back to the pond. The shaggy family stood by the righted bucket. Ally walked to the empty bucket and sat beside it, calm, showing them the treeline was clear. The tallest giant studied her for a long moment. Then his shoulders dropped. He did not growl. He reached into the bucket and pulled out a trout. He tossed it. Ally caught it in her jaws. But he pulled out a second fish and tossed it to the young dog too. The grown ones watched and let it happen. They were jumpy no longer. Now Ally had to win the whole family's bucket, trip after trip.