The two wild dogs were laying together under the high noon sun. It was hot today, the sky clear blue and cloudless, heat rising from the yellow plains and dry brush, obscuring the horizon in waves. It was quiet out here, but still not so much so as when they were alone in their den, in their little patch of green. It was some distance away, however, as they had wandered quite far in their hunt for food. After eating, they were too full to get back and were waiting for the heat to fade and the night to settle before they started to walk again.
Laika rolled onto her back. The pink and white wild dog was eternally happy. She had always been so, happy and full of life and love. She wanted nothing more than to share her love with everyone she met, and she had done a good job in collecting herself a family ever since she was a pup and her dear father Mito, the lion, had taken her in. Now she was an adult, with adult pups of her own, but she remained largely the same. Her love, however, could often be focused on one male wild dog, whom she had devoted herself entirely to after they had met. He was sweet and handsome, funny and loyal. He understood her and was patient with her, and most importantly, he loved her in return.
Zonga, to his credit, lived up to all these thoughts about him that often drifted through Laika’s mind. He was in love with her, and he never wanted anything bad to happen to her. He found himself feeling that she needed someone to keep an eye on her, to make sure she did not try and befriend the wrong kind of creature. He had met her while she was trying to outrun a pack of hyena who had not liked her efforts to be kind to them. They took the food she offered and then chased her off. Zonga had fought them in an effort to protect her once she was cornered, and since then they had been together. It felt like an eternity now. A blissful one.
He looked at her as she lounged on her back, smiling as she looked at him. Her head was upside down, her bright sea green eyes looking up at him innocently. As they always did. He leaned closer and nosed her cheek tenderly, and she flopped over onto her side, her paws falling over his back. She curled against him, her muzzle resting next to his now. He chuckled and closed his eyes, nuzzling her softly. Things were often peaceful, quiet, particularly now that the pups had all grown and were out living their lives. He knew she missed them, and sometimes he would notice her looking around their little patch of green, seeming lonely. If he asked her about it, though, she would always smile and change the subject.
She was not one who spent much time being unhappy.
“Do you miss the puppies, my love?” Zonga asked at last. He sat up, her paws sliding off him as he did so. He looked down at her, expression soft, and she looked up at him. “I see you looking for them, sometimes, or maybe wishing there were more like them.”
Laika sat up, scooting closer to him. He was larger than she was, though she had never been a large dog by comparison to any of them. She nuzzled him, his nose moving through the soft fur of his chest until she was looking up at him, her face resting against him in a way that made it impossible for her to look at him. He simply sat patiently, very much used to her affectionate behavior. He licked her head.
“I do miss them, but I am happy with you, Zonga, you know I am! We don’t have to worry about the puppies, they’re all grown up and strong. I know they’re happy, making their own families, being happy on their own.”
“I know, but I want to know if you… I mean…”
“Don’t be sad, Zonga! I’m sorry if I made you sad,” she scooted closer again and nuzzled him, licking his cheek before bouncing away, her tail high and wagging. She looked back at him, a familiar smile on her face. He stood, padding after her. He bounced after and she sprang again, the two bouncing around each other for a long moment as they laughed, nipping at arms or legs, until Laika caught his tail and gave it a tug. He laughed loudly at that, turning around and butting his head against hers once she released him.
“I’m not sad. I can never be sad when you’re around. You absolutely refuse to let me.”
“Good, I love you when you’re sad but I love it most when you’re happy.”
“Laika, I just wanted to know if you wanted to have more puppies. I know last time was a surprise and we weren’t really ready, but you were amazing with those puppies, and you seemed to… to light up, taking care of them. I know you’re always… happy, and you love to be so, but I think I’ve never seen you that kind of happy before. It was just… perfect. And I want to share that with you again, if you want to take the chance with me. What do you think?”
She looked at him for a very long moment. He knew she understood what he was asking: she always understood. She was energetic and youthful, always innocent and sweet, but he knew she was not stupid. She understood things much better than she let on, more often than not. Never once had he ever had to talk down to her, or dumb himself down in an effort to appeal to her. He wasn’t doing that now: he was laying out his feelings as best he understood them. If he were honest with himself, he would admit that he was the one who wasn’t as smart as he wanted to be all the time.
There was a worldliness about her, a simple kind of sagely insight, that he just didn’t have.
She looked at him now with that thoughtful expression she often got before she said or did something surprisingly profound. Instead, she moved to touch his nose with hers, closing her eyes and lingering there. He closed his eyes as well. In a way, this was his answer, and he understood that she was agreeing with him about having another litter. How she could take a complicated situation and make it seem so perfect and easy, natural, he didn’t know. But without words he understood, and he could feel how happy she was.
“Let’s go home,” she said, suddenly, a bright smile on her face, tongue lulling out of her mouth as she bounced away. He smiled and watched her for a moment, then padded after her.
(Word count: 1,168 in Word)
