Riley didn’t mind pup-duty. He welcomed the chance to give Raider an opportunity to stretch her legs — and reacquaint herself with the scenery she’d sorely been missing. Now that the wilds were in full summer bloom, Riley was taken aback by how beautiful their home was. He hoped Raider enjoyed how the greenery seemed to unfurl as one walked, an open palm waiting to greet you.
He rough housed (gently) with Rowdy, nosed some interesting bugs @Ruckus’ way, and groomed @Riot — telling each of them that their mother would be home soon, hopefully with snacks.
But soon seemed to take an awful long time.
Riley seized Rowdy and propped him between his legs, giving him a rough do-over with his tongue. The boy was practically disheveled as Riley released him. A quiet thought wormed its way to the front of his mind. The sun was hazy and low in the sky. How long had Raider been gone?
He frowned, but hid his concern. He didn’t want to rile up the kids, and maybe she’d just found a particularly interesting track. Or maybe she’d come to her senses and realized the married, shackled-with-kids life wasn’t for her (kidding…).
A little later and the dusk time chorus of crickets began. Riley frowned and eyed the distant western rim. There was but a haze of dark red on the horizon. And no Raider.
He set the kids to bed, pulling bits of meat from the cache to regurgitate for them. While they fussed and turned he briefly left the den and issued a single, lonesome howl for his mate — listening with ears strained as nothing but the rush of night greeted him in return.
He slept fitfully, the dull throb of his hip often forcing him to turn to a new side as the night advanced to an unwelcome and lonely dawn.
He rough housed (gently) with Rowdy, nosed some interesting bugs @Ruckus’ way, and groomed @Riot — telling each of them that their mother would be home soon, hopefully with snacks.
But soon seemed to take an awful long time.
Riley seized Rowdy and propped him between his legs, giving him a rough do-over with his tongue. The boy was practically disheveled as Riley released him. A quiet thought wormed its way to the front of his mind. The sun was hazy and low in the sky. How long had Raider been gone?
He frowned, but hid his concern. He didn’t want to rile up the kids, and maybe she’d just found a particularly interesting track. Or maybe she’d come to her senses and realized the married, shackled-with-kids life wasn’t for her (kidding…).
A little later and the dusk time chorus of crickets began. Riley frowned and eyed the distant western rim. There was but a haze of dark red on the horizon. And no Raider.
He set the kids to bed, pulling bits of meat from the cache to regurgitate for them. While they fussed and turned he briefly left the den and issued a single, lonesome howl for his mate — listening with ears strained as nothing but the rush of night greeted him in return.
He slept fitfully, the dull throb of his hip often forcing him to turn to a new side as the night advanced to an unwelcome and lonely dawn.
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