miracle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tux was glad to be home. His first day had drained him and something about what the strange spaniel Milo had said to Ruffian disturbed him. 'Ruffian wouldn't let him do anything to her, she almost tried to kill me! Gosh that dame's got grit' Tux thought to himself.

Supper was surved. After eating Ruffian immediately went to sleep, looking much too tired to snub the new guy that night. Full to bursting, Tux lay on the couch with Nicki and Angele while the family watched the talking box.

"You shouldn't listen to 'em Tux, that Bianca anyway. Ruff's a good girl at heart she is, just has a sorry way of showin' it sometimes," Angele told him.

"Or a lot of the time," Nicki quietly added.

Tux rested his head on his paws, thought for a moment, then looked sideways at Angele, "What's.....exactly, WRONG with her though?"

Angele sighed, "Don't you find it a little early to be askin' those kinds of questions, Mista Tuxedo." And with that said, Angele went to bed.

Tux looked over at Nicki who turned her head quickly. 'They know,' he mouthed, 'something'.

David didn't go to any camp that night, nor the next. Ruffian didn't go anywhere either. She didn't leave the property with the others to socialize at Ripley's place. She wouldn't join Tux, Angele, and Nicki with David and little Anna to the annual Lyonelles community barbeque either. Tux had had such a wonderful time at the barbeque. There was food everywhere. Humans made lovely comments about him to David and he even got to meet a few other dogs from around Lyonelles. Ripley, Revel and The Girls were there as well. Hannahbelle, Reggy Sue and Oliver performed with their cowgirl owner a kind of line dance routine. Tux was impressed, he had no idea the three showgirls were that talented.

"All in the basic package, sugar," Hannahbelle winked.

But for the life of him, he couldn't get Ruffian off his mind. Nicki and Angele didn't seem very bothered by her situation-perhaps they really didn't know what was going on- so why in the world should he? Back in the circuit there was pleanty of scandal. Pleanty of abusive stud dogs and equally violent brood females. Here such a thing seemed so personal. Maybe there was something even more individual to what he was feeling. Something about Ruffian.

"Come on girl! Dont'cha wanna go down fishin' at the creek, Ruff?" Anna begged, straining to pull Ruffian off of the porch by her vibrant pink nylon leash. Ruffian resisted greatly, whining and barking. The little girl clipped off the leash and began running away from the house, calling back, "Suit yourself!" Ruffian flopped onto the back porch. She thought of Milo's request. It was the fifth day. She hadn't seen him, hadn't heard him- but he was there and he would stop at nothing once time was up.

Tux followed David who was out in the pasture on Deaux, to see what he was doing with the cattle. It was time for their vaccinations and he was to herd them into a holding pen with a little help from some other humans. Tux watched Deaux and David work from affar. They ran behind the cows, pushing them toward the awaiting pen. Deaux cut around the herd to keep a few runnaways from straying. It was a daring display, though a ways off. Tux couldn't help inching closer and closer until he wasn't very far away at all. The fatal thought struck him late: the herd was running straight for him! He became paralysed. All he could hear were pounding hooves. All he could see were the massive bodies hurtling for him. He shut his eyes tight, hoping in the moment only to die quickly.

"BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK!!!"

Tux felt the herd fly off to the side, only feet from where he now lay. His eyes were still sealed shut. Dirt coated the inside of his his mouth and nose. He could hardly catch his breath. But Tux felt something else as well. He had been knocked over on his side and whatever had was still laying over him, breathing heavily. He opened his eyes to Ruffian who had her head burried in his neck. She had scared the herd the other way. She had saved his life.

"Oh you idiot!" she panted, pushing in harder.

Tux couldn't speak. He wasn't back to Earth yet; the only thing he could feel conscientously was the rise and fall of Ruffian's body against his own. She looked into his eyes and he suddenly snapped back. Ruffian quickly corrected herself, stumbling off of him. He pulled himself up as well, shook the dirt from his coat and spit it from his mouth, then stared over at her, awestruck. Ruffian's ears were pulled back. She hoped no one had seen.

"Why did you do that?"

"I.....I don't know....." studdered Ruffian, embarrassed.

"Ruffian, you just...."

She ran. She ran for the farmhouse, not looking behind. Tux's heart was still racing. He darted after her with a surge of speed he had never experienced before and cut her off. Both were panting now, standing stock still for a moment, almost nose to nose. Then she rammed him aside and continued on, still not looking back.

Tux spent the rest of the afternoon in the barn, thinking. The same question ran through his mind over and over: why would she risk her life for a dog she didn't even remotely like? He tried to reason with himself, trying to find an excuse.

By bedtime he was past ready to retire for the night. Ruffian had made herself scarce at dinner. David offered her portion of scraps to Tux but he refused them. Nicki and Angele looked quizically at each other; Tux had grown very fond of scraps and it wasn't like him at all to turn them down. He curled up in his bed, Ruffian still wasn't around. Nicki and Angele had already gone to sleep right after the lights were turned out. Though he was quite tired, something urged him up and out the front dog door. He silently tip toed out into the warm spring night where those thousands of beautiful smells drifted into his nose. One was particularly beautiful. He followed it, turning to find Ruffian perched at the very end, staring off into the distance. He quietly went too her, walking low to the ground, and came up beside her. He expected her to be surprised but she didn't look it. She only turned to see him slowly, lightly smiling.

"I know why, Tux," she whispered dreamily, inching closer to his muzzle. She gently touched her face to his, wagging her stump of a tail ryhmically. Ruffian's eyes were intranced in his own.

"I think I do too," he told her sternly, pulling away. "I think you want a body guard."

"No Tux," she near gasped, "I....I love you."

Tux had no idea what to think. He was once an extremely popular stud. He had flirted, he had mated...but loved? All of this time he had struggled to find the missing link between his own "kind"- the show dogs- and these rowdy small town dogs. Maybe it was their strange capacity for such a thing.

"You don't!"

"I do!" she snapped. For all the weakness she was showing she still had the same fire inside as the moment he had first met her. But even deeper inside she was still helpless and frightened; somehow, he could see it coming through.

"I'm so sorry, I've treated you awfully, Tux. All I ask- I...I guess- is for you to forgive me. Nothing more if you don't want me"

"Want you? You're a little conceited for 'sorry'." He growled. Tux couldn't imagine why he felt so angry.

"Please," she sighed, nuzzling under his chin.

Tux shivered. He couldn't help it and he certainly hoped she didn't feel it. But she had; she ran her entire back under his muzzle, from head to tail. She circled him like a lioness readying to take down her prey. But instead of the killing bite she passed her warm tounge over his face. The anger left him. The tenseness left him. The only thing left of him was raw dog, drained of all the senseless pride and superior bearing of his past self. All this time he had been in Lyonelles, trying his hardest to make do of the life that he had been thrown into, he had felt it nearly hopeless to fit in. For all of the progress he would make in his transition, he would always backslide. The stampede earlier had secured it in his mind. But in Ruffian there was hope. She could teach him to work like a farm dog, to play like a farm dog- to start over. Could she actually teach him to love as well?

She waited for his answer, now keeping a little distance. Ruffian knew the conseqences, she knew this would push her reputation over the edge but there was no turning back for her. She needed Tux and she knew he needed her, somehow.

Tux made up his mind. He touched his cold nose to hers, tail wagging gaily. Ruffian nudged her head under his where their chests touched. His dream was now reality; he felt her warmth and heartbeat against his own. That was all that mattered now, not even what all of this would ultimately lead to mattered.

"I'll protect you Ruffian. No one's going to lay a paw on you."

"You know? You know about....him?"

"I heard you talking to Milo at the clearing. I think it's disgusting."

"Oh Tux!" she sobbed. All of Ruffian's hurt spilled out. She told Tux painfully how Milo constantly dominated her, shoving and biting and altogether abusing her into submission. She even told Tux how he was to force her into preganancy and then later into leaving her home to be isolated with him as a stray when he would break away from his pack to start his own. He could hardly bare to listen to her. He wanted so badly to defend her and now felt as if he could personaly tear the vile stray limb from limb, though he knew he would never have a chance against Milo.

Ruffian ended her sad account with a trembling breath. There was nothing else for her to say. The moonlight seemed to seemed to single the pair out like a spotlight in the darkness. They were locked together in the silence of the night, in what felt like a dream. The two's eyes met and they gazed tenderly at each other.

She whispered, caressing his neck, "C'mon

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