by Andrew Kole
Instinctively, the frightened animal turned and lifted its tail to Shuttleworth. The powerful sulfur-containing compounds released from the glands in the skunk’s rear end hit Shuttleworth right in the face. Satisfied with its work, the skunk trotted off into the bushes.
Shuttleworth gagged as he hastily tried to wipe the liquid off his face. Amos wrinkled his nose. A skunk’s spray can be smelled by a human nose up to a mile away if the wind is blowing the right direction. For Indy’s powerful sniffer, the skunk smell was almost unbearable. He rubbed his nose in the dirt, trying and failing to reduce the stink.
“Skunk’s a good judge of character,” Amos chuckled. “Very funny,” Shuttleworth said.
“I guess I am pretty funny.”
Although Aldo had done such a good job finding Lady Maya, Bohdi decided he needed to take the lead if they were going to find Taylor and Spencer. The Westminster dogs were not hikers. Plus, they were exhausted. And Duke’s wheezing was getting worse. The higher they went, the thinner the air, and the more trouble he had catching his breath.
Duke found enough air to complain however, when he broke another one of his nails on a sharp rock. “I can’t believe this. That’s the third nail I’ve either broken or chipped. I’m not going to be able to compete until they grow back.”
The dogs all made a variety of sympathetic noises. Except for Lady Maya who muttered, “At least you’ll be able to compete again.”
That made all the Westminster dogs very uncomfortable. They all knew, even if they didn’t want to admit it, that any of them could get hurt and end up unable to compete, just like Lady Maya.
Winnie’s nerves were already stretched to the breaking point. Stressed out, she started to scratch uncontrollably. Suddenly a large hunk of fur fluttered to the ground. She stared at it in horror. “No!... Somebody put it back. I can’t have a bald spot,” Winnie wailed.
Piper tried to comfort Winnie, “Don’t worry. It’ll grow back. You just have to stop scratching so much.”
But Winnie’s hind leg seemed possessed. She sat on the trail, scratching at what was left of the fur on her neck. “It’s just all so awful Lady Maya will never compete again.”
“This competition really means a lot to all of you, doesn’t it,” said Bohdi.
“It means everything,” sniffed Major. “We’re show dogs. It’s our purpose in life,”
“Was my purpose,” Lady Maya corrected. “Now, I’m useless.” She sagged under the weight of her feelings.
“What’s wrong with just being a dog?... A pet?” Bohdi asked.
“You don’t understand,” Lady Maya said, sounding discouraged.
“Bohdi, we are not regular dogs,” Winnie injected.
“Winnie’s right. We’ve been told we’re special our entire lives,” said Aldo. “My father was used for stud after his show career ended,” said Sandor. “After that, he was sent to a farm in the country to live out the rest of his life.” “I already know where I’m going to spend my golden years,” said Piper, sounding less than excited, “I’m going to Florida to live with my owner’s
parents in a retirement community. It’ll be pretty boring.”
“Bohdi, it’s not that we’re treated badly after our careers end,” lamented Lady Maya. “We’re well cared for... The problem is we’re basically forgotten.”
Bohdi couldn’t stand to see Lady Maya looking so sad. Despite himself, Bohdi had started to care about these dogs and was coming to realize they had more in common than he'd thought. He thought about the time he’d spent alone in his life. He’d thought that the freedom he enjoyed was everything. But he was beginning to understand that having a purpose in life was far more fulfilling. And thinking about how his own life had changed gave Bohdi an idea of how he could comfort Lady Maya.
“You love your person, Spencer, right?” Bohdi asked.
“Of course,” Lady Maya answered. “I love him more than anything.” “And no matter what we say and do you won’t stop trying to find him.” “That's right.”
“I might be just a mutt, but it seems to me that has been your true purpose all along. To be Spencer’s friend. To be there for him. That sounds like a real champion to me,” Bohdi said firmly.
Lady Maya stood tall for the first time since the mountain goat knocked out her tooth. She knew Bohdi was right; she had a pur- pose and it was important. Bohdi’s words inspired the other dogs, too. Aldo was ready to move out, Duke found his second wind, and Winnie stopped her manic scratching.
Major rolled his eyes. “Such unprofessional sentimentality.”
Just then, the dogs’ sensitive ears picked up a rumbling sound. “Uh, Duke,” said Sandor carefully, “that wheezing of yours doesn’t sound so good.”
“That’s not me, old chap” insisted Duke. “That’s –” Duke stopped talking when the rumble grew in volume. The dogs desperately looked around for the source.
Finally, Major had the idea of tilting his ears upward. “That’s a plane!”
“They’re coming for us!” Winnie said excited. “Where is it? I can’t see it?” Sandor questioned. “This way!” Bohdi yelled.
They raced through the trees, towards the sound.
“Hot bath here I come,” said Piper.
“A pedicure!” Duke said joyfully.
“Food! Glorious food!!” Aldo said, running as fast as he could.
The dogs broke out of the trees into a clearing, looked up, and scanned the sky for the plane, but the thick grey clouds hung low over the mountain like a heavy quilt and they couldn’t see any sign of the plane they knew had to be up there. Somewhere.
After a few seconds, the engine noise faded to silence. Feeling completely defeated the dogs just fell to the ground. The temporary hope of rescue being pulled out from under them was too much to bear.
“No one’s going to find us,” said a discouraged Piper.
“We’re going to die out here,” Winnie moaned.
Shuttleworth was having trouble breathing and trying to keep up with Amos’ steady uphill pace.
“Need a break?” Amos asked, genuinely concerned.
“I’m fine,” Shuttleworth said unconvincingly. He didn’t want to be shown up by the older man. Amos realized Shuttleworth was never going to admit he was spent.
“Let’s take a short break,” Amos said as he found a log and sat down. He then took off his backpack and put it down on the ground. Amos pulled out his canteen and handed it to Shuttleworth. “Drink some water.”
“Okay, if you need a break, I’ll join you,” Shuttleworth said gratefully.
Shuttleworth was gulping down the water when a ringing noise broke the mountain quiet. Indy barked at the sound. Amos pulled the satellite phone out of his backpack and answered it.
Shuttleworth waited anxiously as Amos listened. After a few seconds, Amos hung up.
“Tell me!” Shuttleworth demanded.
“They sent up a spotter plane,” said Amos, before going silent. “And?”
“The clouds were too thick. They couldn’t see anything,” “Damn!” Shuttleworth said, his frustration momentarily getting
the best of him. “What if we can’t find Spencer and Taylor?” “We’re gonna find them,” Amos said with a fierce look of
determination on his face. “I’m not gonna lose any more family to the mountains.”
Shuttleworth nodded. He was going to be right there with Amos, every step of the way.
Chapter 15
The Bowline Knot
Taylor and Spencer’s clothes steamed near a small camp fire. Taylor put the fini
shing touches on a pair of “shoes” she’d made for Spencer using a piece of the relatively water-resistant fabric of the garment bag for the outside and a trouser leg from one of Shuttleworth’s suits for insulation.
“Why Las Vegas?” Taylor asked abruptly.
“Why Las Vegas what?” Spencer didn’t understand what she was driving at.
“Why were we flying the dogs to Vegas? Is that where your mom lives?”
“No,” Spencer shrugged. “She lives in San Francisco. I don’t think she would have been too happy if I’d turned up without calling first. Especially with a bunch of dogs.”
“But she’s your mom. Doesn’t that mean she’s always happy to see you?”
Spencer sighed. It was hard to explain his relationship with his mother. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her son, not exactly. She just seemed to consider him part of her life with his father. A part of her life that was over. She couldn’t look at Spencer without seeing his father and that made it hard for her to be near him.
In the end, Spencer just said, “My mother and I aren’t really that close.”
He changed the subject back to something safer. “I just figured Las Vegas wasn’t too long a flight, and that I could find a small airport where we could land. Plus, the weather’s usually good, so I wouldn’t have to worry about a bumpy landing.”
“That would’ve been nice,” chuckled Taylor.
Taylor could tell how much Spencer blamed himself for what happened. And it was his fault. But it was hers, too. She knew better, even if he didn’t.
She continued, “You were hurt and angry. People do stupid things when they’re upset. I should have stopped you. Friends stop each other from doing stupid things.”
“We’re friends?” Spencer asked hopefully. He really didn’t have many friends so Taylor’s answer was very important to him.
“Aren’t we?” Taylor asked in return.
Spencer grinned. “Yeah.” As if in agreement, Spencer’s stomach growled loudly.
Taylor laughed – both at the volume and the timing. “Guess I’m hungry,” Spencer said with a shy smile.
Taylor reached into what was left of the garment bag. “Well, we’re a little light on supplies, but... I found a pack of gum.”
“Not quite a steak dinner,” Spencer said with a smile.
“No! No! Don’t talk about steak! You’ll make it worse!” To prove her point, Taylor’s stomach made a loud gurgling noise. And that was all it took for both teens to howl with exhausted laughter.
The Westminster dogs pressed on up the mountain, exhausted from hunger and unfamiliar effort. Aldo was particularly hard hit as drool dribbled down his chin.
“Steak. Sausage. Chicken. Meatballs. Waffles,” muttered Aldo.
“Stop it! You’re making it worse,” scolded Piper.
“But I’m so hungry, so very, very hungry” Aldo said, for what seemed like the hundredth time.
“We’re all hungry!” Duke insisted.
Aldo’s stomach grumbled so loudly it was like a blender had just been turned on in the forest. “I need food!” Aldo announced as he sat down, his enormous bulk blocking the entire trail.
“Come on, Aldo,” said Lady Maya encouragingly. “If we find Spencer, he’ll have food. I’m sure of it. But we have to keep moving!”
Aldo spotted something moving in the nearby trees. “Look!” Aldo said in a hushed voice. The other dogs looked where his nose was pointing.
Bohdi spotted what Aldo was looking at – a chipmunk, sitting on a rock, chewing on a pine cone. It was adorable. Big eyes. Soft brown and black fur. The epitome of cute. It looked up at them.
“What is that?” asked Piper.
“It’s a chipmunk,” Bohdi answered. “You’ve never seen a chipmunk?” “I told you I was a city dog,” replied Piper. “Not a lot of chipmunks
on Park Avenue.”
“It looks... delicious,” Aldo said, as his gigantic tongue licked his lips. The chipmunk saw Aldo looking. Saw how Aldo was eyeing him. Aldo lunged! The chipmunk ran for it.
“What is that big lug doing? That chipmunk has fur! We don’t eat things with fur,” Duke said, horrified.
The tiny chipmunk and Aldo raced around, weaving between the trees and boulders. The chipmunk could change its course eas- ier than the lumbering Aldo, but his longer legs kept it interesting.
“Food comes in cans… or bags... you big oaf!” Piper called out.
Aldo chased the chipmunk through the trees. The other dogs followed, not wanting to miss a second of the absurd spectacle. Blinded by hunger and his prey drive, Aldo charged after the adorable rodent, apparently unaware of the dangerous drop off right in front of him.
“Aldo! Stop! No!” yelled Bohdi.
But Aldo didn’t stop. At the very last second, the nimble chipmunk veered and scampered along the edge. But Aldo’s bulk meant he had a lot of momentum – he couldn’t stop if he’d wanted to. He spotted the edge, but it was too late for him to stop! He dug in his claws, but he continued to slide, like a baseball player trying to steal third base, to disaster.
Bohdi raced over and threw his body in front of Aldo to stop his slide. But Bohdi was no match for physics. The dogs teetered on the edge, like a seesaw, before they toppled over and disappeared from view!
“Bohdi! Aldo!” Lady Maya cried, but there was no response. The dogs tiptoed to the spot where Aldo and Bohdi had vanished. They peered over the edge and saw a very steep slope that led to trees and bushes below. There was no sign of the dogs.
“Helloooooo?” called Duke. “Are you alright, old chaps?”
Silence answered him, causing Piper to panic. “Now we’re in even bigger trouble!”
“We’re going to be lost forever,” Sandor said.
“I can’t handle this,” a depressed Winnie added.
Major stayed silent. He had nothing reassuring to say.
When Bohdi and Aldo tumbled off that edge, they were so startled, they didn’t have the breath to bark. All they could do was hang onto each other as they slid and bounced and rolled down the side of the mountain. After a few seconds of terrifying, runaway sliding which carried them a couple of hundred feet down and away from the other dogs, Bohdi and Aldo crashed into the bushes and lay still, dizzy and breathless. Bohdi and Aldo laid side by side for a few minutes, until...
“Are you okay?” Bohdi asked.
“I’ve been better,” Aldo said.
“Anything hurt?” Bohdi continued his questions. “My butt got bounced around pretty good,” Aldo said. “Lucky for you it’s well padded,” Bohdi said.
This made Aldo laugh. Although even laughing hurt.
Spencer rubbed his hands over the flames of the campfire while Taylor played with a piece of rope, tying and untying a very specific knot over and over again.
“What’s that?” Spencer asked.
“It’s called a bowline knot,” Taylor said.
“Show me... You know, so the next time I fling myself off a cliff, I can do it with a rope,” Spencer said with a smile.
Taylor smiled as she demonstrated. “You twist a hole into the rope. The end is the rabbit. You run the rabbit out of the hole, around the tree and back into the hole.”
“Why not say, ‘make a loop, go around the rope and back in the loop?’” he asked.
“It’s how my mom always said it,” Taylor said.
“And I guess rabbits live in holes, not loops?” Spencer asked, then smiled.
Tayl
or pulled the rope tight. It made a lovely bowline knot. She stared thoughtfully at the rope in her hand. That knot made her think about her mom, her grandfather and the love she had for her family. “I think you’re wrong about your dad… I mean, that he doesn’t care,” Taylor said tentatively.
“You came to that conclusion from all the time you’ve spent hanging out with him?” Spencer asked harshly.
Taylor knew she was treading on sensitive territory. But she decided Spencer really needed to hear this. She took a deep breath and answered him. “No. His voice on the radio. I’ve heard that before. On rescues. That was a father who was terrified of losing his son. A father who loves his son more than anything.”
A spark of hope lit in Spencer’s chest. Maybe, just maybe, Taylor was right. And he wanted her to be right so very much. Taylor was sensitive and knew Spencer might not be ready to talk about it yet though. So, she changed the topic, thrusting the rope into Spencer’s hands and said, “You try it.”
Spencer looked at Taylor for guidance. “Make the hole... Or, your loop...” Taylor said, walking Spencer through the steps. “Rabbit comes out of the hole…” she continued, guiding his hands. “Around the tree… And back into the hole,” she finished.
Spencer pulled the knot tight and grinned. “I did it!”
Taylor grinned back. “Practice a few dozen times and you’ll be ready for your next rope emergency.”
“I’m definitely hoping that is not in my immediate future,” Spencer said.
“Tell me about it,” responded Taylor. And the two teens smiled at each other, really friends at last.
Led now by Major, weary and depressed, the Westminster dogs trudged through the fast approaching dark, until Winnie spotted a unique rock, and stopped dead in her tracks. “We’re walking in circles,” Winnie announced.
“What are you talking about?” Duke asked.