Wide eyes full of wonder

“Kodi this is stupid.” Dusty said matter-of-factly, stopping cold in her tracks, mud slinking up between her toes and flowing over on tops of her paws. She opened her eyes for the first time in nearly a hundred yards, filled with contempt that came full thrush through her face in a scowl of her gentle lips and a lowering of her eyebrows.

In front of her, Kodi squeezed under a branch that leaned exceptionally low to the trail. His belly dragged against the mud until his weight actually rested on his stomach and he pressed himself forwards with his back paws, guiding himself with his front. Coming full upright on the other side of the branch, Kodi turned half around and faced Dusty with his body sidelong. Mud coursed down the fur along his belly, large chunks of rock, sticks, and other god-only-knows stuff stuck stubbornly to his loose fur. When his eyes locked onto Dusty’s a dejected sigh escaped him. “Dusty, you need to keep your eyes closed or else it won’t be a surprise.”

“A surprise!” Dusty yelled. Her mouth spewing forth an astounded befuddlement of indignation that shocked Kodi and made him retreat back mentally. “You call this a surprise? … I’ll have you know Kodi, when I agreed to go do something fun with you. I expected more than a trounce through a swamp.”

Kodi felt his mind regrouping for the rebuttal. “It isn’t a swamp.”

At that moment, from just off to Dusty’s right, a black as coal puddle exploded. A creature leapt forth, his green back legs splayed far out behind him and his green snub nose flying right for Dusty’s right paw. Shock heaved slow up Dusty’s spine, and when it finally hit her brain, she exploded backwards with a girlish scream that silenced the nightmarish shrub trees and every bug, animal, or anything else that made noise, around them.

“Ribbet, Ribbet” The frog that sat in between Kodi and Dusty puffed his throat out like a giant balloon. Croaking one more time, the frog deflated his throat, swirled his deep black eyes towards Kodi, then back to Dusty, before throwing himself into another puddle on the other side of the trail.

Kodi’s eyes stayed locked on the ripples that the frog had left slowly pulsating out. They vanished slow and Kodi’s eyes gradually moved up to Dusty’s. She looked at him with acid coldness.

“Give me one reason I shouldn’t just call this date off and go home to clean myself up.” Dusty ordered with - what seemed - an unusual calm voice; considering how angry and frightened she had been just moments earlier.

Shrugging his shoulders Kodi began to turn away from Dusty and down the dark trail that led to the surprise. “Because if you do you’ll never know what I wanted to show you.” Kodi said slyly and turned full around with an optimistic swish of his tail. In truth, Kodi did fear that Dusty would just walk away. She was strong enough in the mind that she didn’t need somebody constantly by her side talking. And if she didn’t bight on to what Kodi taunted her with, he knew he would truly be screwed in the non-literal sense.

Dusty raised her upper right lip, letting her glistening white teeth show through and her right eye close halfway like she had gone insane at someone scratching their nails on a chalkboard. She growled deep and sullenly. Rolling her eyes up towards the low red sky above, she continued on. Pushing her body under the branch she slid her belly along through the mud and stood. A heaved breath of dissatisfaction broke away from her as she looked down along her left side, mud covered her entire undercarriage, all the way up to her shoulders and haunches. This better be a good surprise. Otherwise I’m going to rip that dog’s head off. She thought to herself. Giving a good boost of speed to her paws she caught up with Kodi before he turned the corner in the tightly packed trail and gave a growl, just so Kodi would know she wasn’t happy.

Kodi grimaced. In all his daydreaming and planning of this evening he never thought about checking the place out for real – specifically the trail to this place. Kodi was sure that the place in question hadn’t changed much since he was a puppy; only his dad and mom knew about it and had been the ones who showed it to him. But that was long ago. Had the special place changed in that time? Kodi hoped not.

On they continued up through the dark grey swamp, Kodi leading as strong and proud as he could look; Dusty followed with her distempered scowl and inner nagging.

Sometimes I just want to rip his head off. Dusty thought calmly, her eyes locked square on the back of Kodi’s fat head. Her mind began to drift back to when she agreed to go on this stupid date, and how much she would have loved to yell at herself. Stop, don’t do it! You have no idea what kind of trouble you’re getting yourself into! All he’s going to do is lead you into the bowels of Dead-pup Swamp for a scamper through the mud! She could see herself now in her minds eye, standing stupidly over a bowl of half finished slump behind the post office licking her chops. Kirby and Ralph had both finished their food with exceptional speed, leaving just her and Kodi.

“Wait up guys.” Dusty called after the two fleeting friends. But they didn’t even stop, not even slow, not even acknowledge her.

It was then that Kodi made his move. As casually as he could he moved away from his bowl of slump. Across his face he held a smug grin, his steps slow, somewhat like a strut; at his back he held his tail high and proud towards the sky. Then, with the most grace Dusty had ever seen, Kodi slipped; his front right foot sliding across a piece of black ice and mud and directly into Dusty’s food bowl. Kodi’s chest hit the spring snow and mud. Slump flew into the air; Dusty leapt back, and then the slump came down on Kodi’s face.

Dusty had never laughed so hard in her life as she stared down at the white mush that cascaded down his rust colored cheek. Kodi looked up at Dusty in pain, but not of the body. This was the pain that comes to a male dog when his dignity is rubbed through the dirt and laughed at. A tear began to form on the edge of Kodi’s eye, but he sniffled, and it fell into his fur without notice.

Kodi stood, obviously in physical pain too. No longer had he looked like he wanted to ask Dusty if she wanted to go do something. He began to turn when Dusty stopped him.

“Wait.” Dusty said with a reassured power to her voice. Kodi turned sheepishly “Did you want to ask me something?”

For a moment Kodi was silent. Then he began slow … “Well, I – I mean me, as in alone, I … would like to see if you, Dusty, would like to spend some – you know, time with me, doing something …fun?”

Dusty had expected the question full on so it didn’t surprise her in the least. She calmly smirked at Kodi, and bowed her head. “I’d be delighted.”

Delighted my foot! Dusty barked in her mind. A stick had just slashed across her face, narrowly missing giving her a good slap across her left eye.

“It’s just a little further.” Kodi stated reassuringly. “Don’t worry we’ll be out of this in a moment.” Kodi turned his head slightly over his shoulder and caught a good look at the side of Dusty’s face as she looked off into the brush. She never looked so beautiful. Even with all the gunk and junk stuck to her fur, she looked like an angle that had fallen from on high just to grace him with her beautiful presence

For weeks leading up to the actual ‘date’ Kodi had done research and planning on how to keep a girl interested – even though now it didn’t seem to be working very well. All the research started when a young brown husky of about 10 months of age (Or what would be considered 18 in human years) began frequenting the back area behind the post office when the team harnessed up and ate. At first he didn’t say anything and watched the team from afar with mild delight. Kirby, Ralph, Dusty, and Kodi all thought that maybe he was looking to get on the team. Mr. Simpson even took heed in the young dog’s interest in his team and began to throw him a piece of jerky every now and then.

Then one day the young dogs true reason for watching the team came foreword. A sudden burst of bravery pulsated through the young dog, and he stepped forwards through the team, making his way for one dog in particular, Dusty. His eyes looked set on one goal and nothing else; and his quarry didn’t see him coming until it was too late. Dusty gave an odd look when she looked up at the young dog not more than six inches away, his eyes straight and still. The entire team drew silent as they waited for something to happen. Then it did.

Lashing his tongue out in a doglike kiss, the newcomer kissed Dusty square on the lips. The young dog then leapt away with an excited yip and vanished around the side of a building. Leaving Dusty blushing so hard that not even the fact that her face was covered with fur, (not to mention the fact that dogs can’t blush,) stopped her face from turning bright red.

The team had a good laugh about the incident for some time and jokes fell hard on Dusty. But several days later when the same dog showed up with a muscular cocksure swagger about him; he learned his lesson about stealing kisses when Dusty chased him down and slashed his shoulder open. The young dog never returned.

It was this sudden act that made Kodi begin thinking about Dusty and how strong his feelings