Page 25 of SEAL by Fate

Tilting her chin, she dropped the broom and went into the bedroom. The one closet she hadn’t looked in was this one. Sliding the door open, the floor was empty. Looking at the ceiling, she realized there was a pull-down door, but she was too short to reach it. Grabbing a chair from the kitchen, with a little effort she finally managed to pull the door loose and her eyes widened. It was like Christmas. She dragged out the snow shoes and goggles. How in the world didn’t either one of them think to look for a hidden storage? And why were the things hidden in the first place?

As she was trying on the shoes, she heard a noise. It sounded like it had come from the living room. She stepped into the hallway and listened.

It was a scratching sound at the door, so faint, but she knew it was real.

Her heart pounded. Could it be a wild animal? A bear?

At the window she looked out through the ice, not seeing anything but snow. The only footprints were the ones left by Gray. So then, what had she heard?

Stepping over to the door, she unlocked it and slowly opened it a crack. The porch was empty. Hearing a whimper, she opened the door wider. She hadn’t been imagining the scratching after all. Standing just off the corner of the porch, wagging its tail, was a dog. Switching on the outside light, she got a better look at the German Shepherd mix that was a little on the skinny side.

“Hi there,” she said in a soft voice, not wanting to scare it away.

He stayed back, shifting paws, watching her as if he wasn’t sure she was a friend or enemy.

Squatting, Stormy held out her hand in a friendly gesture. The dog’s ears perked and stared with saucer-sized eyes. His tail had stopped twitching.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

Still no movement from the dog.

“What are you doing out in the cold? This is not the weather for you.”

He stared.

She had an idea.

“Don’t leave.”

In the kitchen she took out a bag of crackers. Probably not the best treat for a dog, but better than nothing. Taking out one of the crackers, she took her position in the doorway, holding out the offering. This definitely got his attention. This time, he shifted from paw to paw, his tongue now wagging.

Stormy waited patiently and finally he took a short step closer, sniffed the air, then took a step back. He did this several more times until finally he was within inches of the cracker. The loud popping of the fire inside made him jump and he darted away from the house, disappearing around the corner.

“It’s okay, girl. You must be hungry,” Stormy said in a soothing tone.

After several patient minutes, the dog finally came back and gave in, taking the cracker in one gulp.

When she had the animal’s trust, four crackers later, she stepped through the doorway. The dog followed, licking his chops.

Bending on her knees, she scratched him behind the ears and then sighed. “Well, I was wrong. You’re not a he, but instead a she. Please forgive me.”

The fire cracked and the dog’s tail stuck straight up in the air inquisitively.

“It’s okay. It’s warm in here.”

Giving her another cracker, and while she chomped, Stormy examined the collar but found no dog tag.

“I bet you’re hungrier for more than just crackers.”

After giving the shepherd more scratches behind her ears some of her tepidness had vanished. Stormy slowly moved toward the kitchen, no sudden movements to scare her new friend. The dog followed and stood staring from a few feet away. Her tail was back to wagging and there was a new shine to her eyes.

“How about some water?”

The dog’s head tilted and her ears perked.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Finding a plastic bowl, Stormy filled it with water and placed it on the floor. The dog lapped up the offering, and when the bowl was empty, she refilled the container, then went to searching for something more she could feed the hungry girl. Settling on a can of chicken chunks, Stormy removed the lid and placed the food on the floor. Within seconds, it was gone.

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