Every time I do well, he spoils it for me. I try to get ahead first, but he always catches up”

“Well, you looked pretty good to me” Finn smiled.

Araul blushed, and looked into Finn’s hazel eyes.

“Am I…interrupting anything?” A voice said.

Araul and Finn both looked over to see Sasha.

Finn looked at the ground, and coughed.

Araul blushed as deep as the heart around her neck.

“No!” Araul stuttered.

Sasha raised his eyebrows.

“Whatever you say” Sasha laughed. “Mmm….I’m watching you two”

“Sasha, stop accusing people! You don’t know anything”

“Honestly, Araul, don’t look so confuzzled all the time!” Sasha said, imitating Araul, who blushed deeply.

 

 

 

 

Finn walked with Araul and Sasha most of the night. Araul and Finn kept taking quick glances at each other, and if they caught each other’s eyes, looked away quickly. Sasha felt tension in the air too, and, like he said, was watching them carefully.

He suddenly stopped.

“Honestly you two! If you’re gonna get together, ask each other out and have done with it, rather than peeking at each other!” Sasha groaned.

“Sasha! You’re accusing us again!” Araul said. “Come on, I’ve gotta go back to my barn now. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay!” Araul said, and walked off back to the barn where she slept.

“Well, I’ll be off too then.” Finn said.

“Hang on” Sasha said. “I wanna know. Is there anything between you and Araul at all?” Sasha smiled.

“No!” But Finn blushed. Luckily, Sasha couldn’t see it in the dark.

 

 

Araul woke early, as usual. She sat and stared towards the beach. She had butterflies in her stomach. Was there really something between her and Finn? She wanted to find out. She walked towards the beach. The tide was all the way out, but she could see Finn’s boat parked up by the pier at the end. It was small boat, and the sail was dark green with ‘The Trout’s Finn’ emblazoned across in light green letters. Araul trotted down the sandy wooden pier up to Finn’s boat. She crept on board. She could hear a human snoring through a door, and she peeped around it.

That must be Finn’s owner She thought to herself. She crept across the varnished wood towards the lower deck, and down the steps. There lay Finn, spread-eagled and legs akimbo under a blanket. Opposite him lay a huge English sheepdog, his fur matted and wild. Araul crept in, silently, towards Finn. But she didn’t notice the squeaky toy. She stood on it.

SQUEEEEEEEEEK!!!

The Sheepdog raised his majestic head, and yawned, and then he saw Araul. He snarled.

WOOF! WOOF! His voice boomed across the boat. Finn raised his head, still half asleep.

“Araul?” Finn cried. “Benson, No!”

Benson carried on barking, and barking, and barking. Araul stepped backwards slowly, and then, to her great surprise, she toppled over the edge of the boat, and into the water.

Finn hurried to the edge of the boat, as Sam came out in his pajamas. Finn looked down into the water.

Araul tried to tread water, but, being a lady, water wasn’t her thing. She desperately paddled to the surface, but she could not get any higher, running out of air, her vision became fuzzy, and all went black.

Finn threw himself overboard, and into the water, and gasped. Araul’s limp body floated to the bottom of the sea. Finn was an accomplished swimmer. He was half wolf, and this was a secret he had no intention of telling anyone, especially Araul. But being wolf dog meant he had the stamina to swim in a current. He began to paddle with his legs, and he swam quickly to Araul, and grabbed her by the loose skin on the back of her neck. Finn looked up. He could see the sun through the water. He was losing energy; the water was taking its toll, and he was running out of air fast. It was hard to pull Araul and himself to safety. Finn paddled desperately trying to reach the air. He broke the surface, and dragged Araul to the safety of the sand.

Araul remained unconscious for 10 minutes. Finn looked out to sea. Suddenly, Araul’s spluttering and chocking startled him. He stood over her, and smiled his special lop – sided smile.

“Finn?” Araul asked her voice croaky.

She coughed, and sneezed a couple of times, and then she sat up and shivered.

“Did you save me?” she asked her voice unsure.

Finn nodded.

“I thought I was going to drown! Who was that big dog?”

“Benson. I’ve known him for years”

“He sure scared me”

“He thought you were an intruder” Finn explained. “He’s very protective. I’m sure he’s sorry, when he finds out what you were doing”

Araul nodded.

“What were you doing on my boat?” Finn asked sharply.

Araul blushed.

“I was coming to see you” She said quietly. “I wanted to know if there is anything between us”

“There could be” Finn muttered. He sighed, and took a deep breath.

“I was wondering….if you would mind coming to visit me tonight…for a meal. I saw a place in town….”

“Furgos” Araul told him. “Go on”

“I was wondering if you’d meet me there tonight…say, seven?”

“Yeah, sure. The owners of the shop know me, they used to feed me when I was a pup” Araul explained. “Yeah, sure”

Finn nodded.

“Seven then. Okay, see ya!” She trotted off back to her barn, a huge grin on her face.

Finn breathed a quick sigh of relief. He still had to get past the meal yet.

 

“Where are you going?” Sasha said, as he trotted out of an alleyway.

“No where” Araul answered.

“Ah, I know you, Araul” Sasha laughed. “You’re lying!”

“I am not!”

“Okay, so where are you going?”

“Okay, I’m going to meet Finn”

“Really?” Sasha laughed.

“Yeah, now leave me alone”

“Okay. I’ll be on the beach if you need me, okay?”

“Yeah, bye!”

Araul headed towards Furgos.

 

Finn looked into the puddle that the rain had left, and noticed a hair on his head sticking up. He flattened it with one paw. It stayed down. Then, it stuck back up. Finn groaned. He sighed, and headed towards Furgos.

Araul and Finn arrived the same time.

“Oh, Hi” They both said at the same time.

Araul blushed.

“I’ll get Joey”

She barked three times outside the back door to the kitchen. The door swung open, but Araul’s smile faded.

A huge man with a broom was at the door.

“Shoo, you mutts!” He yelled. He spoke in a rough Italian accent.

Araul smiled. She shot through the man’s legs. Finn stood and watched in awe. Araul skipped across the kitchen, dodging all of the chefs, who had been ordered to catch her. She grabbed the biggest piece of meat on the shelf, and then flew across the kitchen. The big man blocked the door.

“Now, I have you!” He grabbed his rolling pin from the counter. He raised it in the air, ready to hit Araul. Finn flew though the air, and bit the big man on the bum! The man screamed, and turned to face Finn now. The chefs started towards Araul, but she jumped up on the top, and leapt out the open window.

“That’s NOT Joey!” She yelled. “RUN!”

Araul and Finn hurtled down the path, and onto the street, Araul with the meat in her mouth. The chefs and the big man ran after them.

“Down here!” Finn cried, and the leapt down an alleyway. The chefs followed, but only in time for Finn and Araul to realize they had hit a dead end.

The big man came to the front of the men, who were gasping and panting. He laughed. Araul looked up. There was a staircase, and a ladder that was folded up underneath it. Araul took no time to think. She leapt in the air, and grabbed the ladder. It swung down, and whacked one of the men in the face, and knocked him out. Araul and Finn, with the meat in his mouth, hurtled up the ladder, and reached the landing. Araul carried on, to the door. She pushed against it.

“Locked!” She groaned.

Finn looked down, at the men, who were coming up the ladder. He looked, and he saw some tin barrels stacked up against the tall, wooden fence.

“This way!” He said through the mouthful of meat. He leapt on the huge tin barrels, knocking then down. Then fell on all the men, including the big man, and they all groaned in pain and anger as the two dogs leapt over the fence.

They burst out laughing on the over side.

“We sure showed them!” Finn laughed.

“I don’t think Joey works there anymore!” Araul giggled.

The pair rolled on the floor laughing.

“What an escape!” Finn said in an awed voice. “Here’s the meat”

Araul, still laughing said:

“They won’t come after US in a hurry!”

Finn and Araul lowered their heads to eat the meat.

“Ouch!” They both said at the same time, as they hit their heads together. “Sorry!” they said in harmony.

They tucked in.

Araul licked her lips.

“That was the best meal I have had in a long time!” She said.

Finn burped in reply. “Me too”

“So, what do you want to do now?” Araul asked, getting up.

“How about…a moonlit walk in the woods?” He suggested.

“Okay then” Araul agreed. “Chase me!”

“You never run out of energy, do you?” Finn laughed, but he followed her all the same. Araul flew

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