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

If Dogs Could Smile

25

Mousi sat down in the field now empty of the giants who planned to have her for their dinner. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and folded her hands. She wasn't going to pray, but perhaps should have. Prayer should be a first or even middle resort, not a last resort. Worse yet, is not praying at all. Mousi didn't want her grip to come loose. Mousi was small in stature. She rocked slowly to the left and right a few times, then fell over on her left side. When she rolled over in this position she was tiny enough to be completely unseen in the tall grass.

Bligh said nothing. Dogs can't talk. But what Bligh could do very well was snuggle. Bligh tentatively approached Mousi, lowered himself front paws first, then rear paws and curled up alongside Mousi, his back against hers. In these positions they were nearly the same size. If Mousi had fur or Bligh had on a hoodie you would not have been able to tell which was which.

A couple of Bligh's friends also crept up more closely. The motley pack of three dogs created a wall of warmth around her that felt like love. Mousi's tears didn't stop. She sniffled and let go of her grip just long enough to wipe her nose with her right arm. She quickly resumed the tucked position. Bligh and his friends didn't mind a woof. The dogs seemed quite content to be the givers of reassurance for a change instead of the receivers.

Once Mousi's heart was partially refilled and she realized she really was safe, she sat up, placed one hand on Bligh and the other hand on a dog that, lying down, was as big as Bligh and Mousi together. The big dog looked to be part wolf. Maybe it was a wolf that was part dog. Mousi stroked their fur. Neither dog budged any more than a twitching ear to send a fly on its way and a small tail wag.

A third dog, no bigger than maybe half a giant's foot sat in the remaining space of the circle around Mousi created by Bligh, the wolf dog and itself. The 3rd dog, however, did not curl up. The third dog sat with hind legs curled beneath and front legs standing at attention, face forward and eyes glistening in the moonlight. The little dog's tail wagged as predictably as a metronome keeping time while also keeping watch over Mousi and her other two friends. Mousi rolled over again, this time on her right side and closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply. A few dozen ticks of the metronome tail later, Mousi sat back up. She stretched her legs out in front of her and to the side of the small dog that was keeping watch.

Mousi softly touched the back of the little one. There was a stone-like stillness, except for the tail. It's head didn't flinch and the ears didn't twitch.

"I think I'll call you, 'Sentinel.'"

Mousi decided to look more closely. "Why? Wow! I didn't expect that you were a ... I think I'll call you 'Senti' for short. It's, how shall we say, more befitting a lady. Thank you for watching over us."

Senti continued to look forward, eyes moving back and forth keeping watch. Her tail picked up a few beats.

"You ..." Mousi rocked her head to try to get a glance at some determining factor for the big dog. "Ah!" she continued. "Got it. I will call you, 'Mountain.' Mounty for short. I am confident nobody can move you from my side. Thank you for your protection."

Mousi's tears stopped and she wiped her nose on her sleeve again. She looked around to see if anyone saw her doing it this time though she knew full well that it wasn't likely she had been seen. She bent her legs back towards her upper torso and stretched them out again, this time to the right of Senti. Mounty and Bligh shuffled their positions. Senti stood fast.

"You three are better than family. Better than my family for sure. I'll tell you about them sometime. Maybe while we are on our way. However, before we go I need to figure out where 'our way' is.

"Where are we? Do any of you three know where we are? Gosh, I wish you could talk. Well, at least you can listen. Even that's a first for me ... to have someone like family who will listen to me. My mom and dad? Well, they are fully absorbed in raising my little brother. He's really selfish, spoiled. Well, I think so anyhow. Yeah, mom always listens to him. Tries to pacify him. Bends to his whining. Dad does, too ... when he's around."

Mousi stood up. Mounty and Bligh reacted by jumping up. Each stood to one side of Mousi. Senti raised up to stand on all fours but continued facing in the same direction. The three created a "V" around Mousi.

"Any ideas which way we should go? I suppose any direction is as good as any other. You think?"

Mousi turned around with Senti at her back and Mounty and Bligh now on the reverse sides that they were previously. She took a step but was instantly blocked by Mounty and Bligh from going any further.

"Ooooo...kay, then. I won't go that way."

Mousi spun around and pointed in the direction that Senti was staring previously. "How about we go this way?" Senti took a few steps. As would be expected Senti needed more steps to cover the same distance as her friends. Mousi took a step in the same direction. Senti took a few steps more and Mousi followed.

They were off. Mousi was not sure where they were going. She was, however, sure of one thing. She was certain she could trust this new 'family' of hers. Receiving trust was familiar to her. Giving trust to others, however, was a new sensation.

"It feels good to have a family now that I can trust, that I can talk to and who will listen to me," Mousi said out loud though nobody was around to hear her.

Mounty, Bligh and Senti did hear her. Dogs, however, can't smile. But if they could, they probably would have.