The Giant Forest - COMPLETED - True to life adventures of preteens.

Why The Giants Ran

As Mousi watched Og and his friends disappear into the dark her shoulders lifted noticeably and her tiny chest expanded as she breathed in deeply, then exhaled completely for the first time in what seemed like forever but was probably not more than 10-15 minutes. It's really hard to keep track of time when you are scared out of your wits.

"I'll bet you guys have been afraid to think that you may never have something else to eat again. But have you ever been afraid of being eaten before?"

Mousi shuttered. Her whole body shook, yet her feet remained motionless. She resembled a dog shaking its body in parts, heads, shoulders, body, rump, then finally just the tail. Only her tail, er, feet didn't move. Tiny tears began to trickle down her puffy cheeks. She couldn't tell if the tears were sweet or salty. Her nose began to run.

"I have, have, have ..." she stuttered, "never been so so so so so frightened in my life."

While digging into her pockets to look for something to blow her nose on Mousi stuttering continued, "I don't, don't know if these, these, these tears are from, from the joy of relief at, at, at knowing I am not, not going to, to, to, to be eaten alive or from knowing I have such precious friends."

Bligh just stared back at her.

"You, you guys are are ... " she couldn't find the right words to express the feeling of appreciation she had for Bligh ... and his friends. "You are more valuable than family!" she finished with confidence, minus the stutter.

When Bligh had howled he was not trying to scare Og and his friends away at all. What Bligh had done was call for help from his friends. And help had come.

Those who have dogs will understand right away what had happened.

Dogs often seem to speak to one another. Dogs play 'telephone.' When one dog barks through the screen door at the back of the house another dog will answer from beyond the fence though she may be tied to a rope attached out back behind her owner's home. And yet another will yelp in delight and another whine in despair all while carrying on a conversation that is understood only by the canines.

"Woof! Woof! What did you have for dinner?"

"Bark, bark, grrr bark! I had leftover sloppy joes. How about you?"

The barks and woofs sound differently to humans but are still indecipherable. Dogs, however, can change their pitch ever so slightly when barking, withhold the volume put into a yelp, or add a bit of a growl to a yip in order to express different meanings. They can even smell the difference in the way they talk, er, yap at each other. They can also know what friends have had for dinner by sniffing at one another's butts.

In this way, dogs can dialog with one another and keep up on the latest doggie news.

"Growl, growl. I got my fur cut last night."

"Yurp, yurp! We saw you, Huff, huff. You sure look stupid!"

"Howl, howl, howl, howl," they would all laugh together. "Not as ridiculous as you look with that satellite dish on around your neck! Woof, woof."

"Ruff, ruff. Yeah, but the reception is good. I can watch the doggie treat cooking reality show on dogflix when my owner is gone. But it's a secret. Don't tell. Ruff!"

However, when Bligh howled this time as Og looked down at him with gritted teeth, Bligh wasn't in a laughing nor a conversational mood. Bligh was calling for his friends. He and his friends learned how to do this from a Disney movie.

Bligh's friends came. His friends came in packs.

All of Bligh's friends who showed up were mutts. They were, however, not ashamed of who they were. They knew that having mixed blood made them sometimes stronger, sometimes more handsome or more beautiful. What people might have thought about them did not matter when they were called this time. When Bligh called out to his friends, he was telling them someone they loved was in trouble.

The packs of mutts knew what it meant to be in trouble. They wanted to show kindness in a way in which they had been shown kindness. They also knew what it meant to love someone for they themselves had been show real love at one time or another ... by Mousi!

There were packs of dogs that were part terrier, part hound, part beagle, part shepherd, part kelpie, part collie, part poodle, part maltese, part dachshund, part chihuahua .... and part rottweiler, part pinscher, part pit bull, part bulldog, part boxer ... even part wolf! Only a real animal, real dog lover like Mousi would be able to recognize which part was which.

All of the dogs had two things in common.

Firstly, all of them at some time had been shown a kindness by Mousi.

Secondly, all of them were there to give their lives if necessary to protect this one person who had shown them love when no one else would, who had given them a tender touch when others had kicked at them, who had given them food when others had thrown sticks or stones in their direction. It was evident from the outset that EACH of the many dogs present wasn't there just to fight. They had enlisted in the fight and were prepared to give their all, their lives, if necessary. Mousi had a great uncle who had given his all in one of the World Wars. Her dad had told her about him briefly. They had an American flag folded in the shape of a triangle encased a box the same shape on the mantle of their home to remember him by.

When all the mutts showed up they stood in line several rows deep and encircled the field where Mousi and the giants were ... leaving only a small opening to give the giants an escape route.

The four giants knew they were beaten even before the battle began ... this time. The giants lumbered hurriedly away leaving Mousi behind with her friends.

By now Mousi's tears stopped. Yet a foreboding sense told Mousi that this wasn't the last time she would see Og and his friends. She didn't, however, dwell on her uneasiness because she knew she was surrounded by friends ... and she was safe ... for now.