LJ Idol Exhibit A: Week 2: Throw Back the Little Ones
F-list peeps: I'm still working on this, but I'm posting now so I can edit and hopefully link to the entry thread from work. Feel free to comment on the WIP if you are so moved.
Apologies, I was five minutes late getting back from lunch when I finished, and I forgot to delete this header.
“Oh, honey, you don’t want that one. . . “
“But Mommy, it’s so tiny and cute!” .
“How come it’s not feeding with the other puppies?” her older brother asked.
“It’s the runt. Sometimes there’s one puppy that’s littler than the others, and its brothers and sisters won’t give it room to eat. A lot of times they don’t even make it.”
“What if we took it home now? We could save it!” Said the boy.
“Yeah!” the little girl said, her braids bouncing as she jumped. “We could give it a bottle like a baby!”
Their mother sighed. “It just doesn’t work that way, sugar. And I don’t want you to pick a puppy that might not survive long enough to bring home, even if the breeder hand-feeds it. Now, what about that one with the big, brown spots? That one’s pretty cute, too . . .”
~
Spike watched the humans for a few minutes more before he darted out from his vantage spot under the bush and headed back to the abandoned coyote den under the train tracks. Most of the animals were napping just outside the den, as usual, but this was no problem for the agile tabby. He slunk between the sleepers to the best sunny spot, where, Maizie, a collie, lay, and batted her in the nose.
Maizie jumped up with a yelp. “What was that for?”
“We’ve got another one, boss!” Spike said, flipping his tail back and forth.
“So you have to wake me up with your claws?” Maizie pawed at her muzzle.
“Sorry, boss.”
“Hmph. Right, then, what have you got?”
“Cocker spaniel litter, maybe three weeks or so, not far from here. Red Stumpy found out about them through the Squirrel Network and alerted me a little over a week ago, but I saw them outside today for the first time. Several groups of humans were looking at the puppies. There’s definitely a runt--can’t get in to nurse, poor little thing.”
“And the humans?" Maizie asked.
“The humans in the house seem okay--they’re bottle feeding the little guy--but the none of the others showed any interest."
Maizie rested her snout on her front paws. "All right," she said. "I don't think there's any cause for alarm yet. Continue watching the litter; let me know if there's any change. I’ll get the crew ready, in case we need to move quickly.”
Several of the other animals in the den were already awake and listening, but they waited for Maizie’s signal--a series of three barks. There was a flurry of shaking and stretching, and within a minute Maizie was surrounded by a motley assortment of wild and feral animals.
“Spike has reported from the Little Tree section. We need to prepare for a possible new addition--a puppy, cocker spaniel. Raccoons, I need you to check the kibble supply. You might need to go to the Big Place--they throw out bags all the time.”
“But the rats . . .” one of the raccoons started.
Maizie interrupted with a great woof. “The rats are smaller than you, I’m sure you can take them on. Get a big group together if you have to. Some fresh bedding would be nice, too, bits of blanket, towels, whatever you can find. It’s been a while.
“Berda, Farlo, I’d like you to dig a new burrow in the den.” Two badgers nodded their assent. Maizie turned to a red fox. “Gree, I’ll need you for the snatch, if it comes to that. Don’t range too far for a few days.
“Felines, get in touch with some of our outliers. If we bring in the puppy, we’ll need some extra patrols for a while. Dogs, spread the word to the Taken In. Find out what they know about the litter and the humans--and use the Squirrel Network to find out if any of our friends have had a litter recently. Feral or Taken In, it doesn't matter. Anyone who might have milk. Go.” Another series of barks, and the group scattered.
~
“The puppy isn’t doing so well.” A week had gone by, and the whole group was in council. Spike sat on a fallen tree trunk so everyone could see and hear him. “The mother is rejecting him entirely, and the humans are worried.”
“We’d better take him, then,” Maizie said. “Who else has a report for me?”
Skittles, a tortoiseshell, spoke for the Feline Patrol. “We found about a dozen solitaries willing to help patrol for a few weeks.”
Next, a small mutt chimed in. “I talked to Fizziwig in the dog park! His humans took him to the vet and he heard about the puppies there. The runt’s name is Doodlebug. The vet says there isn't anything they can do if he refuses to feed."
"Thank you, Lulu. That means milk is a big priority. Where are we on that?"
Chester, a lab mix, spoke up. "There's only one litter I've heard of, boss, but you won't like it."
"Well?"
"Larina."
A couple of coyotes at the back of the group yelped.
"Larina isn't one of us anymore!" one said.
Maizie bowed her head. "It’s true my nursemate has grown proud since founding a pack with her own kind. I fear she may not remember her friends."
The meeting was interrupted by a howl from within the den. The group fell into a hush as the Matriarch, a coydog, padded out.
"If Larina has forgotten where she came from, then we shall remind her. She will talk to me. Have Grey Stumpy arrange a meeting."
~
They met at night, at the border of Larina's pack's territory. Maizie and the Matriarch didn't know what to expect, so they brought Jinka the bobcat and Rollo, a German Shepherd who had been Taken In, but could jump his fence if he wanted to get out. But Larina came alone.
The coyote stood tall and proud as Maizie approached her. "You wish my help?" she asked.
"We are bringing in a puppy from Little Tree. He is very young, and hasn't been feeding well. He is in great need of milk if he is to survive. We have heard you have a new litter."
"Many pups do not survive. I have lost a number my own now. It is the way of things."
"Do you not grieve those lost pups? Would you not have them survive if you could save them?" Maizie asked.
"The strong ones survive." The coyote shrugged.
"How can you have become so cold?" Maizie asked.
The Matriarch appeared by Maizie's side. "You were not one of the strong ones, yet you survived with our help. Or have you forgotten that you suckled at my teat instead of your own mother's?
"You are one of us. You would not be what you are now without the very help we are asking of you. In fact, I remember you brought a pup from your first litter to protect him from his brothers and sisters. He is with us still."
Larina hung her head. "Very well, Matriarch. I will do this for you. Send word when you have the pup, and I will come." She turned and loped away into her territory.
~
"The humans have stopped bringing Doodlebug outside with the other puppies," Spike announced. He, Maizie, and Gree were the next yard over from the house.
Gree the fox yelped her disappointment. "How will we get him now?" She asked.
"One of the raccoons will have to do it," Maizie said. "Spike, you said there's a basement window with a hole in the screen?"
"Yup. I'm sure we can widen it enough to get in and out."
"Send a squirrel to fetch the coons right away."
It was a tense wait, but finally the pup was in paw.
"He is awfully tiny," Maizie said. "Send for Larina; this is going to a tough one."
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