Alone (19 page)

He practiced daily until he became proficient. He used the bow on occasion, but preferred the stopping power of the rifle and decided he would use the bow only if it was a last resort. He kept remembering the lions and he didn’t think he would have been able to stop them if he had been limited to a bow. Bow hunting did prove quick useful when he was after rabbits or deer.

Time passed as it always does. He planted, tended and then harvested the garden. Cold weather moved in and winter covered the land. The following year, he noticed that there weren’t as many deer and rabbits. It seemed as if a balance had been reached.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

One day in late spring, several years later, Ralph and Jason were hunting. Jason had hunted many times and he was as quiet or quieter than Ralph. After a morning tromping thru the trees, they paused to eat lunch. Ralph had packed some dried meat and shared it with Jason. After eating, Ralph sat and studied the countryside.

“You know Jason,” he said looking around at a group of young saplings. “I think this is the park.” He stood and peered around. In the distance, he could see a clearing. Together they headed over. It was a basketball court. The concrete was broken and weeds sprouted in every crack.

“With no one taking care of it, the forest is taking this land back.” Ralph said.

Jason, who had been sitting silently beside Ralph, perked his ears and stared off to the left. Ralph broke off his musings and studied the direction Jason was staring. He didn’t see anything.

“What is it boy?” he spoke softly as he leaned over and touched the dog’s head.

Jason did not move his eyes. He sniffed the air and then got to his feet. He growled faintly.

After all this time, Ralph had come to depend on Jason’s senses to warn of approaching danger. He quickly looked around and decided that this was not a very safe spot.

“Come on boy, let’s get out of here.” He said turning and striding thru the woods.

Jason fell in behind and together they quickly walked away. At the top of a small rise, they found the remains of a small cinderblock building. The roof had fallen in, probably collapsed from a heavy snowfall and the door was hanging by a single hinge. Ralph stepped inside and found that it had been a restroom.

“Jason, come here.” He said as he peered into the ruined building.

Together man and dog took shelter in the ruins. Ralph tried to move the door and caused it to fall. The echoes of the crashing door faded away. Ralph winced at the sound.

“Sorry about that.” He whispered to Jason.

Jason glanced his way, huffed and then returned his gaze outside.

Ralph grabbed the fallen door and laid it sideways across the opening. He crouched down behind the door and studied the countryside. He still couldn’t see anything.

“Jason, are you sure something’s out there?” he said.

Jason moved closer to Ralph and leaned over to lick his face, but his attention was still focused outside. Together they remained that way for several minutes. Just when Ralph was ready to move, he heard a stick break. Jason growled softly and then was quiet.

The sounds of the forest retuned to normal. In the distance was a slight rumbling sound. The rumble became louder and louder.

“What the heck is that?” Ralph wondered.

The rumbling filled the air and now Ralph could hear other sounds mixed in. They sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place them. In the distance, he saw a large dark body moving slowly. It was followed by another and then another. Soon the forest was filled with the slowly ambling animals. The broad humped shoulders identified it immediately.

“Buffalo.” Ralph said in awe. He knew that buffalo had once covered the country and knew that they had almost been wiped out by man. He never expected to see anything like this. It was not a herd to rival those of the past, but it was the largest group of animals he had seen in a long time and it was the first buffalo he had ever seen. Ralph started to stand to get a better view. Jason gently took Ralph’s arm in his mouth and would not let go.

“Jason, what’s wrong with you? Those are buffalo and they aren’t dangerous. I wouldn’t want to get closer to them but I don’t think they will bother us if we don’t bother them.” Ralph said as he struggled to stand.

Jason growled and kept his hold on Ralph’s arm. Ralph dropped back down and looked at Jason.

“O.K. boy, I won’t get up. I’ll sit here with you until they’re gone.”

With that, Jason released Ralph and stared at the passing herd. Soon the herd thinned and the stragglers passed by. These were the old and the young, the weak and the injured, struggling to keep up. Within a short time, they too had passed and the rumble of their passage faded away. Jason continued to sit and stare into the woods. Just as Ralph was about to try and stand again, Jason froze. His attention was focused back in the direction the herd had come from. His lips pulled away from his teeth, but he remained silent. Ralph followed Jason’s gaze and saw several shapes slinking thru the trees. They were hard to see, but Ralph thought they were a wolf pack. They were following the buffalo, waiting for a chance to strike. If Jason had not been there, Ralph would have walked right into the trailing pack. He had heard that wolves didn’t attack humans, but that was before. He was positive that given a chance, the pack would be on him. The wind was blowing into his face and he could smell the dank smell of the buffalo, now overcome with the smell of the wolves. It was a musty, wet dog kind of smell. Ralph and Jason remained hidden as the pack trailed the buffalo. When they too, were out of sight, Ralph remained on his knees beside Jason. Finally Jason moved and Ralph followed. They headed off ninety degrees from the direction of the buffalo and wolves.

“Thanks buddy.” Ralph said as they walked away. “That’s another one I owe you.”

Jason continued to glance behind them, but they didn’t see the wolf pack again.

As the cold weather moved in, most of the animals migrated to warmer climates. Ralph prepared for winter. He and Jason roamed the hills hunting. By the time the first snow had fallen, the pantry was stuffed with preserved meat. The winter passed uneventfully.

After winter passed, the weather once again turned warm, the animals returned. The garden was planted and Ralph and Jason took time to enjoy the warm weather. That spring and summer were perfect. The days were warm and the nights cool. Nothing bad happened all summer. As they were both getting older, they slowed down somewhat and took each day as it came.

Later that fall, Ralph noticed that Jason was spending more and more time just lying in the sun. He even stopped accompanying Ralph on his trips outside the stockade. A young dog, which he named Sparky, after a dog he had when he was young, started following him and even though Sparky was just as quick to give warning of danger, Ralph missed Jason. The two of them had been through many trials and Ralph was constantly calling Sparky Jason.

One afternoon, after a day spent hunting deer, Ralph and Sparky returned home. Ralph carried the deer on his shoulders and once inside the stockade, quickly butchered the animal. The dogs stood around for scraps and he tossed them bits and pieces as he worked. He saved some scraps for Jason and roasted them over a small fire. When the meat had cooked and cooled, he carried it to the porch which was Jason’s favorite place to lie. He saw Jason lying on his side on his blanket. Beside him was the old tattered teddy bear from so long ago. Ralph grinned and called to Jason as he climbed the steps.

“Jason, old boy, I’ve got some nice roasted venison for you. Come and get it.”

Jason did not move.

“Jason are you all right?” he said. Still Jason did not move.

Ralph walked over to him and squatted down beside the dog. Jason’s eyes stared sightlessly out into the yard. Ralph reached down and gently shook the old dog. Jason was cold.

Dropping to his knees, tears streaming down his face, Ralph leaned over and whispered into Jason’s ear.

“Good boy. You rest now, old fellow. That’s a good boy.” Ralph sobbed as he sat by the body of his long time friend and companion. He gently stroked the old dog’s head and whispered “Good boy.” All evening he sat by Jason’s side. As darkness began to fall, Ralph staggered to his feet. The roasted venison lay forgotten by his feet. He slowly walked into the house. His shoulders were stooped and it felt as if he were carrying the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. He gathered a soft blanket from the bed and stepped back onto the porch. The air was still. Sitting in a ragged row in front of the porch, the other dogs silently watched as Ralph gently wrapped the body of Jason in the blanket. He carried Jason into the yard and laid him beside the porch. He slowly walked to the barn and returned with a shovel. He began to dig. As darkness fell, the dogs remained immobile. The night air was broken by the repeated sound of the shovel and by an occasional sob. When he had finished digging, Ralph gently laid Jason into the grave. He stood looking down at the small blanket wrapped bundle.

“Goodbye old friend. I’m sure going to miss you.” He sobbed.

He slowly filled the grave in. When he had finished, he dropped the shovel and walked into the house. He neglected to close the front door. He sat in front of the fireplace and stared at nothing. Outside, the dogs sat by the grave in silence. A look passed among them and Sparky rose to his feet and walked into the house. This was the first time he had been inside. As he passed thru the door, the dogs rose as one and filed away.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Ralph awoke the next morning, still sitting in the chair. A weight rested on his thigh and he glanced down to see what it was. Sitting beside him, with his head on his leg was the young dog Sparky. Seeing him, Ralph broke into tears. After a few minutes, Sparky gently licked Ralph’s hand. This brought a fresh bought of tears and Ralph leaned over and hugged Sparky.

“You’re a good boy.” He said. Sparky wagged his tail.

Ralph missed Jason greatly and on occasion he still looked for him to come thru the door. As time went on, Ralph and Sparky became closer, but they never grew as close as Ralph had felt toward Jason.

Ralph talked to Sparky all the time just as he had with Jason. Most of the time he called the dog Sparks.

“Good morning Sparks. How are you doing today?” Sparky rose and wagged his tail. Together they would eat in the small kitchen and then head out to tackle the chores of the day.

The days and nights blended together as time passed. Several years went by. Ralph’s days had settled into a routine. He now lived by seasons rather than hours and days. He could not remember exactly how many years had passed since he found himself alone. He no longer struggled to keep as much food on hand as he once had. He was able to plant a smaller garden. Most of the farm animals had gradually been released into the wild. He still had chickens and a few sheep at home along with a horse and cow. Life became easier and it was no longer a constant struggle to stay alive. Many years after Jason’s death, exactly how many Ralph didn’t know, Sparky was killed by a wild boar. Ralph had been walking thru the woods hunting the boar with Sparky by his side. He followed the trail as it led around a large thicket. Sparky immediately stopped and growled at the thicket. They had been tracking the boar all morning and Ralph was tired. He just wanted to finish the hunt and go home. The weather was turning colder and it looked like it was going to start raining.

“Come on Sparks.” He said in irritation. “There’s nothing in there. The tracks lead away from the thicket.”

Sparky stood his ground and continued to watch the thicket. His eyes constantly roamed thru the trees and he stood frozen in place.

“Crap dog!” Ralph said. “What’s the matter with you? Come on.”

Ralph turned away and headed after the boar. He had only taken a few steps when he heard the rustling in the brush behind him. As he glanced back, the enraged boar erupted from the thicket behind him. Ralph had turned and brought the rifle to his shoulder, but there was no time to shoot, the boar was almost upon him. At the last instant a snarling blur leapt into the air and collided with the boar. This gave Ralph the few seconds he needed to bring the rifle to bear. He fired and the boar dropped to the ground.

“Boy Sparky, you saved my life.” Ralph began. “I’m sorry boy, I should have paid attention to you.” The words slowed and stopped when he saw Sparky struggling to rise. Ralph dropped to his knees beside the dog and gently held him.

The boar had ripped Sparky open from hip to shoulder. There was nothing Ralph could do except pet the dog and talk to him. Sparky licked Ralph’s hand, shuddered and died. Ralph left the boar where it had fallen and had carried Sparky home. He buried Sparky beside Jason in the yard. As much as Jason’s death had hurt, Ralph thought Sparky’s death hurt even more. Jason had lived a long life and had died in his old age. Sparky died while he was still a young dog and he had died because of Ralph.

Ralph stood by the now filled grave, tears running down his face. A cold wind began to blow and a cold rain fell. Ralph stood by the grave and cried.

“I’m sorry Sparks. You tried to warn me but I wouldn’t listen. This is all my fault.” He sobbed

As they had in the past, the other dogs watched silently as Sparky was buried. When Ralph finished, they glanced at each other as if they were making a decision. When Ralph staggered into the house, a young dog arose and followed him. The other dogs turned and headed to the barn.

This spectacle was repeated several times through out the years. Ralph didn’t notice it the first few times. But once he did, he watched carefully. It seemed as if the dogs were appointing one of their numbers to protect and accompany Ralph while the others stayed at the farm.

Ralph did not understand why or how they did what they did, but each time Ralph lost his companion, another took its place. The new companion was sometimes male and sometimes female. All were young dogs and all stayed by Ralph’s side until they too died.

As the years passed, the front yard filled with graves. Every dog that passed on the farm, be it one of his companion dogs or one of the others, Ralph buried them in the front yard.