your eyes...”

“Shhh!” said husky. “Don’t tell anybody. Just come here!” youngster obediently went to friend. “Guide me to doctor Tazaku!”

*

Cher was sleeping in main doctor’s room, next to the door. Quickly she heard a quiet scratching in wood so she opened her eyes and stood up.

“Who’s there?” she asked with curiosity. When no answer came, some unusual interest forced her to exit via dog-hatch into the winter night. Without word she stood before door and then she screamed. She saw a ghost.

“Hush!” said Daniel, seeing as unexpected bark of cherry-furred dragged some attention. Few lights were switched on and from Tazaku’s house came some Japanese curse. “Cher, listen to me!” added with exited voice. “I will tell them nothing, you got it? Nothing! Because I love you! I will never blame you, because I wish you to understand what I feel. This will be ours secret, my love...”

And then master Arashi opened his door and notice Cher and other dog before him. He bended down to stranger then cried with amaze.

“Daniel!” Ice and few dogs came, alarmed by Armand. “God, Daniel is alive... Come here, my boy...” he grabbed husky’s back. “What a mess!” murmured seeing scars on his face. “I must take you in...” He took a dog inside and wanted to close the door when he noticed David, standing nearby with confused stare. “You may go in.” decided doctor. “The rest: go to sleep!” he ordered to both humans and dogs.”

“Dad! Uncle is alive!” barked Ari with joy.

“He is!” agreed greenland. “But we won’t help him. We must trust in master Tazaku’s hands.”

*

Of course, Japanese couldn’t return husky eyes, but he cleared wounds, removed few last shots from under scabs and set a professional bandage. Soon the muzzle of dog was looking like the head of mummy. Then Tazaku put his patient next to Cher on bedding.

“It’s almost impossible that you have avoided an inflammation.” Said old doctor. “I guest some angel was looking after you.” And she left both his dogs alone.

“Cher... are you awake?” asked blind dog. She wanted to pretend she was sleeping but sudden burst of cry betrayed her. “Don’t worry... We will manage it.” Added husky, sure he finally got her as a mate. If not thanks to love, thank to remorse and their little secret. Anyway – the effect mattered.

*

Cher was living like in haze. For next few days, when all dogs community heard Daniel’s tale, cherry-furred was thinking only about two things – how make sure that husky would never say the truth and prove Ice she had no obligations towards Daniel.

Blind dog changed his story a bit, but that difference... was huge a difference, showing acting of Cher in much more favourable light.

“I fell with human to some blasted crack.” Explained Daniel. “Leaving Cher upthere. In fact I have no chances to survive... a miracle happened – I hit the snow-drift in that cave. Thank God that before I fell I managed to order Cher to run. She tried to find me, the snow-den would be probably collapse and we would be both dead now.”

“Anyway, he saved you.” Said Ice, looking on cherry-furred. “For the second time. I think that means something...”

“Yes...” said  Cher with weary voice. She wished that he never reminded that.

Ice seemed to be completely indifferent on her beauty. She so many times suggested him by gesture, allusions and even touches that she was interested in him. But he hadn’t noticed it or pretended the hadn’t.

She left the kennel into the January night. She had to invent something to catch Ice’s attention, but she had no idea how. “He thinks I owe my life Daniel. Well, I do, but Ice want me to return it to my twice-time-saviour. Ice... he is so noble and honourable... He wouldn’t even look on me if I left such a debt behind me. And there is also Jack... JACK!” he thought and smiled. Like summoned in mysterious way, Jack exited the kennel and stood before her.

“Cher?”

“Yes, Jack, we must talk.” She said. They started into Tazaku’s house direction, but husky, uncertain and scarred by whet he would hear, was silent. “Jack... I don’t know how to start.”

“Say it straight.” Advised dog. “The sooner we get through this, the better.”

“Right... Jack... we won’t search for Aleu anymore.” Said with quiet voice.”

“I understand.” Replied husky. “But I must know: why?”

“Because... I have to stay in Buckland.”

Jack gasped although he had knew it earlier. “Ice.” He thought. “I have to kill Ice. It is so simple...” He barely repressed his cry of anger. Cherry-furred felt what was happening in dog’s soul, thanks to sixth sense of her emotions and long-taught practice.

“Jack, please, don’t be angry on me.” Whispered Cher with sweet and innocent voice. It sounded so spontaneously because it was so well trained. “Unintentionally, I’ve made some debts. Life debts, honourable debts... Those I must pay.”

“I think you owed me something a bit earlier than you owed Ice... So why you have to deal with him? The facts don’t matter. You love him!”

“Ice?!” she yelled. “No, of course not!” added with emotional voice, praying that Jack believed in that lie.

“So what did you mean by...”

“Daniel.” Whispered cherry-furred with well played tone of remorse and despair. “He saved me twice... And he is blind because of me...”

“He presses you because of that?” gasped husky with growing hatred.

“No, forgive me, Jack...” yelled Cher. “Once I thought that I’m just grateful to him. But when he got lost... and we were thinking he was dead... I realised that...” she turned her stare into Jack eyes. “I love him. Forgive me.”

Husky was standing for over minute, to shocked to even think. Then he turned his stare to the ground and whispered.

“You did nothing wrong. I’m sorry if you thought that I could blame you for my own failures... Just...” he took a deep breath and added with tensed voice. “Ow, never mind.” Then he turned into forest direction and started to run.

So Cher remained alone on Buckland’s main street. She was both shocked and exited – she predicted almost every reaction, word, even thought of Jack. She was still queen of that dog and she had a final quest for her subject. A gambit. To get the king. Cher turned back to the kennel...

*

Daniel was telling his story again to rest of dog-community. With every word he said a pleasant thought grew in his mind. He had Cher. She was in his might or almost in his might. That why his eyes hurt no more and even the perspective of endless night wasn’t too scary. He had what he wanted to.

“And then I got a scent of sled and I set off home.” He finished his factious tale. Dogs thanked him with grateful murmur, full of admire and sympathy. But after few minutes almost all of them got to rest. Only David came to his twin.

“If you want to say, what really happened, just say it.” Whispered husky, like he was reading the deepest thought of twin. In some way he was.

“Huh?” surprised darker dog. “I don’t understand.”

“Never mind.” Replied David. He took a look around and made sure no one was listening. “Don’t worry, bro. Everything will be all right and as was in old times... I’m with you...”

“From now on, not only you.” Said Daniel and smiled. “I hope you will use to your new sister-in-law...”

“Dan!” gasped lighter husky. “I hate to say it but... open your eyes!” suddenly he understood what a faux-pas he had made and added. “Ow, I’m sorry...” But his twin just burst in quiet laughter.

“Open my eyes! That was good!” yelled with airy voice, still laughing. “Technically, I’ve already done it. My eyes are permanently open and...” he stopped, took a deeper breath and continued. “But anyway... You don’t trust Cher, but she loves me. You will see...”

“Just don’t let her fool you. She is just an actress, who play before you, Ice and that guy, Jack... She isn’t...”

But in that moment door to the kennel opened and cherry-furred entered. Ice stood to see who it was but stopped, seeing known silhouette.

“I’m sorry to wake you.” Whispered Cher with innocent voice. “But I came for Daniel... if he want to go to doctor Tazaku...”

“You will take him?” asked Ice with both confusion and joy. His friend was about to be rewarded for torment he had been through.

“If you don’t mind...” said cherry-furred and greenland just smiled.

“Not at all.”

“Do you see?” asked Daniel. “Bro, she came for me...”

“Yes...” agreed David. “I’ll just make sure she will give you back.”

Cher came to twins and bowed before David.

“Hello, Dave.” She whispered with hypnotizing voice. “Don’t you mind if I take your brother to me... that is: to doctor Tazaku’s residence?”

“Well...” replied husky uncertainly. “Go ahead...”

Cher came to Daniel and helped him to raise. Husky went out of the building, guided by cherry-furred. When they were on the street, she asked.

“Does it still hurts?”

“Not at all.” Replied dog. His spirit was dancing with the stars. “Not when you are close.”

“So I have to be close all the time.” Said Cher, nestled to Daniel’s side and licked his cheek. She hoped that Jack was seeing it and she was right.

*

Jack was standing on a slope of town’s valley. His sharp sensed showed him whole scene, as Cher was guiding blind dog to Tazaku’s house. Desperate husky didn’t heard a word, but he didn’t have to. In fact, he also wasn’t able. His world inflamed with clear hatred towards dark-furred rival. Inside he was boiling and wanted to run in random direction – to escape the dreadful whispers in his ears.

Something told him to bare his teethes and tensed his muscles. He knew that he hadn’t to kill Daniel but also he had to. He was accustoming to that idea for long minutes. Then to hot emotions joined a cold reason. He had to have a plan.

“With cripple!” he thought. “She left me for that blind invalid!” whispered

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5

Next page