she made the last attempt. “Don’t worry, I will go with you!” Tim nuzzled her… maybe more than she would have allowed him.

‘Great!’ She thought downheartedly.        

            And Tim came sooner than she had expected. She sighed when she realized the Doberman won’t get any food from her. He wouldn’t have died for sure but… well… she felt something more towards him. Towards the dog she had fed twice. So therefore she didn’t enjoy the party. All she was doing there was nothing but lying and weeping softly.

‘Of course, he won’t die… I’ll come tomorrow.’ Voice in her head said.

‘But what if he dies, huh?’ Another voice added maliciously.

‘Then it wouldn’t be my fault.’ The first voice replied.

‘Oh maybe not… but I bet you want to see him once more.’

‘No! Uh… well… you got me…’

            Well… the Doberman was sleeping. To be exact, he was pretending the sleep so he could catch the mysterious helper. Alas, he wasn’t successful. The one he had been waiting for didn’t come.

“Well, maybe it’s a ghost that comes only when I sleep…” the Doberman yawned and closed his eyes. He needed the real sleep.

            Starlett didn’t like the party at all. Her head was too full to enjoy all the pleasures the party offered. And there was no chance to leave it without being asked why. No one was paying attention to her and it suited her well. She just couldn’t be happy when she knew somewhere there was the abused dog which was something more than a dog for her.

‘You love him, right?’ Again, that goddamned voice teased her.

‘It’s not your business!’ the first voice snapped.

‘So whose then?’

‘… You got me again… ‘

            The morning came. It is the one of the few things you can be sure of. Well, you could ask why did the new day come or why is the night gone. And answer would probably be the same as the one used by the people that don’t know the true answer. Or just don’t want to think about it. The answer is: Because. And it seems it’s good enough for the majority.

            Anyway, morning was pretty cold. And it was really weird because it was in the middle of the summer. Starlett’s owner watched the weather forecast and his expression was far from happiness. A cold weather wouldn’t change; at least they said it; for the next week.

“Love?” The man called and his wife responded quickly: ”Is there something I can do for you?” The man just pointed at the screen. “Oh, Mike, this means-“

“Yeah… so I suppose we won’t go there. I want to have a good weather when we are at a vacation. So we will stay home. Anyway others wouldn’t go as well.”

His wife nodded. It had to be a common vacation, but her husband insisted they would go by bikes and Starlett would go with them. But the rain and really cold nights almost destroyed their plans.

            Starlett was licking her paw like it was sort of a candy. Although the night, and especially the morning, was cold, she didn’t mind. Her thick coat protected her well. She stopped licking suddenly. But what about those who didn’t have fur like she had? And of course, the first in her thoughts was the Doberman. He didn’t even try to lie to herself. The master who is able to keep his or her dog in such state has no needs to let his or her dog in when the night is cold. And Starlett was sure the Doberman’s master’s heart was as hard as a really hard stone. Yeah, and pretty ugly, she added. There wasn’t even the slightest possibility that its master would care about its health. He hadn’t been able to build or to get a proper kennel.

But there was one thing she was able to do. And she was determined to do it…

            Evening came again. And maybe it was just Starlett’s feeling but it came faster than usual. She decided not to take any food because she was afraid it could give away her presence and destroy everything she had done. She let her legs to lead her. Weird… she had gone there just few times but she already knew the way well.

            The Doberman was watching lights behind the windows of his master house. And when they went out his wishes for dinner vanished like the lights. He looked up at the sky.

“Well… so this isn’t good,” he whispered and quaked for it was unusually cold. “Can the weather change so sudden?” the Doberman wondered but it was all he could do. His kennel wasn’t providing any sort of a shelter. To be honest, even the Doberman wondered the kennel was still standing. Its collapse was just a matter of the time and the Doberman was determined not to be inside during it. So he stayed outside and after he made himself ready for yet another sleepless night, he felt asleep. And no wonder. He was doing his best. The whole day on the guard is exhausting and when you haven’t got enough food and water you get tired really fast. But the Doberman didn’t have even a proper sleep.

            But the night was different.

            Starlett watched the other dog carefully. She knew one bad step could betray her and ruin her work. So her steps were slow and quiet. ‘Weird…,’ she thought, ‘I have never been so cautious. So why am I now?’ It took her almost ten minutes to get close enough to the Doberman. And she was ready to run away if he woke up. But she didn’t need to run. Finally, she was so close she could hear his breath. ‘Boy… you should be awake and guard your master’s property,’ Starlett wanted to say, ‘but I understand you. Maybe I am the only who understand’. She looked at him better. He was thin and his body was bruised by numerous kicks and other actions that weren’t supposed to be the part of a good care. Then Starlett’s eyes slipped down the chain. She guessed it weighted more than the Doberman. The Doberman’s collar was pretty old. It was made from leather, Starlett was sure. A simple plain collar. But… she had been expecting something more. Like a spiked or a chain collar. Because bad and evil dogs are supposed to have such things around their necks. Or, to be exact, their bad and evil masters suppose so. It isn’t the dog who chose the collar. It is always the master.

            No. The Doberman wasn’t a monster as everybody claimed. It was just a lone and abused dog. Nothing more. Nothing less. And even if he had been a killer and a monster Starlett would have run away. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if the Doberman had woken up and… well, attacked her. She would have been surprised. But the Doberman wasn’t in the condition to kill anybody.

            And then Starlett gathered all her courage and curled around Doberman’s quaking body. He was cold and he squirmed when Starlett touched him. But he kept sleeping unlike Starlett. She knew she had to stay awake for the whole night. But she didn’t mind it. And soon she realized she was feeling something more to this dog although she had never spoken with him before. She didn’t know the tone of his voice but she imagined the Doberman’s voice was similar to her master’s. Soft but strong. And not deep. She wanted to hear his name said by the voice she dreamed of. And she was sure his name was short and sharp. Just two syllables full of a strength and a power.

            But there was one thing Starlett didn’t count with. The master. Suddenly, one of lights was turned on. Starlett held her breath and tried to be invisible. And then she saw the face of the man she disliked. He was completely different. He didn’t look like a drunkard or a brute. At first sight, he looked like an average man with short hair and… well, you wouldn’t be able to find him in a crowd. ‘Whoa… stereotypes,’ Starlett’s thoughts couldn’t resist and made at least one note. But her situation wasn’t as bad as it could have been. The light illuminated just a small area and the dogs remained in the dark. She sighed with a relief when the man turned the light off. She laid her head on her paws and waited for the morning.

            The Doberman opened his eyes. Something strange had happened during the night. It had become warmer suddenly. And again… that scent. It was all over the place. The Doberman cursed. The one who cared had come but he simply hadn’t noticed.

“I don’t know who you are… but you can be sure I will wait for you.” The Doberman whispered. And Starlett would have been really delighted if she had been able to hear him. His voice was nearly the same as she thought.

            During the day, Starlett acted normally. She didn’t want others to know her little secret so she took a quick bath in a mud. So when she came home her first road led to the bathroom.

She hated bathing, but she was sure the Doberman’s scent was vanishing from her fur and leaving her along with the mud she was covered in. Her master allowed her to be in until she was dry. Then she decided to take a nap outside and while she was lounging near the fence, Tim came.

“Hi, Star,” he smiled, “wouldn’t you mind if I join you in your doing nothing at all?”

Starlett nodded and let Tim to come closer. He lay near her and after a while