Jericho:Coming Home

 I was barking madly the day it happened.

 I flushed down the river and down the waterfall.

              2 Hours Before

 "Jericho,come on boy!"Kiera called.I followed eagerly.We walked up the hill to a small stream.Kiera jumped in the water,I followed.We splashed eachother as we played.

            Now

 I chased her further down to a larger river.I started to wag my tail when a huge current swept Kiera down even further down.I jumped out of the water and made a mad dash to follow her.I saw her holding tighly onto a rock.I dove in head first and managed to reach her.As I helped her to shore,i accidently exposed myself to the rapids.

 It drug me down as I yelped with fear.Kiera ran after me,but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the waterfall."JERICHO!NO!"She screamed.As I went down the 13 story waterfall,I twisted causing my collar to snag on a rock.I twisted back around and grabbed it.I locked it down with my jaws.I looked  up as I yelped.I saw Keira.Waving.With tears in her eyes,I faintly heard her say,"Goodbye...Jericho."Blink.Water rushed into my dark chocolate eyes.I closed my eyes.They didn't open for a while.I woke up on shore.Clearly,I wasn't in Idaho anymore.I limped up a hill to see a highway.I must've beed swept further down the river,I thought.I followed the highway to a small town called,Helena.I walked some more.

 Finally,I found a small grassy spot to snooze in.I woke up a couple hours later,in the local dog shelter.A girl similair to Kiera was staring at me with sparkling blue eyes.Her name was Minnesota.I looked up at her and cocked my head to one side.My collar still in my mouth.Two other people walked up to my kennal.One of them opened my cage and fastend a leash around my neck.He took my collar and read,"Jericho,that must be his name!".Minnesota loved the name and obviously me as well!The man handed the leash to Minnesota who beamed down at me.

 The next thing I knew,I was in the back of their truck,sitting next to Minnesota,who said,"Good boy,Jericho!"I beamed with pride.I was a border collie mix.A scragley one at that.I was really tall,with these super long legs.I was dark brown-black and white-ish creme.

 I missed Kiera.But,now I have a new home,with Minnesota.I planned to run away and visit Kiera.Then come back to Minnesota.

 But what I had planned for the futute wasn't what I got...At All!

 Many weeks later,I followed thru on my plan.I set out on a journey.A journey home.

 I walked and walked,then walked some more.I was almost halfway home by the end of the day!

 But I was getting sleepy,and didn't want to stop.So I kept going.I walked sleepy eyed,not watching where I was going.I walked right off a cliff and twisted as I fell.I went wide eyed and saw that I was falling.Down,down,down.And finally I hit the ground.Or so it seemed.But I kept going down.I realized I was in water and tryed to swim up to breathe.But the current kept pushing me down under.I was swimming with current until I saw the edge.I turned and pushed myself to try and go back.

 "Reverse,Reverse...DETOUR!"I yelped as I went down.I hit the water hard,a little too hard.The river flushed me down further.I stumbled onto a floating log and sat down.I kept going down the river for what seemed like hours.To tell you the truth,it was hours.And more hours.Finally the current died down.I jumped out of the river like a jack-in-the-box.

 "Land,sweet land!"I barked joyfully,as I licked the ground and rolled in the dirt.I love land,I thought.Then I smelled the grass."Hmm...I say,uh,Tenessee.

 Well, it was going to be a long day. And I knew that.I started toward the river again.I had decided to follow it home.

 I walked and walked.By the end of the day,I had probably reached the end of Tennesse.I curled up in a tight ball and slept.

 The next morning was fairly hard on me.The morning dew had stiffend and ruffeled my dirty chocalte brown coat.I shook it off vigourously."I better head off!"I barked at myself.I started to run again.I followed the river until I saw a city.I ran faster and then stopped as I neared a road.Suddenly a large monster roared over to me and stopped right before my nose.The people inside it opened one of it's mouths and threw out a bundle of rags.

 Then it roared away.I cocked my head to one side and then the other.I about jumped out of my fur when to bundle moved moved and squeked.I cautiously moved over to it and sniffed it.

 "YUCK!"I barked."Smells like cat!"

 The bundle moved again and I smelled it again.I saw a small opening and took the bundle with my teeth and pulled it open. And there layed two furballs.A puppy and a kitten.Great,I thought,Just great.

 The small puppy was a german shepard mix.The kitten was a tabby.I nosed the two to their paws and pushed them onward."Come on then,Come on!" I barked.I started to walk and the two followed.We were headed home.

 We reached Missouri and continued our long trek home.At the end of the day we finally reached Kansas.

 We curled up together and slept a nice cozy sleep.I decided to name the two.I would call the pup,Paws. And the cat would be Meow.

 As we woke up the sun had already risen.We all got up and started at an easy pace.I dug a small hole in the ground and  told Paws and Meow to stay here in the hole.They obeyed and I started to trot into the forest.

 I walked onward until I smelt rabbit.I followed my nose to the source.I finally saw what I wanted,Rabbit.I charged at one,and before it saw me,pounced on it.I grabbed it in my jaws and went back the hole.

 There was Paws and Meow,sleeping the day off.I dropped the rabbit and barked.Meow was the first to wake.The Paws woke up.I walked over them and tore off parts of rabbit for them.They goobled up their share and then I ate  my own.We walked toward a small stream.I nudged Paws toward it. As he neared it,I grabbed his tail so he would'nt fall in.Next was Meow's turn.I grabbed her tail as well as she dipped her face in to drink.

 After we all had a drink,we started walking again.We reached Olathe within an hour.We stopped there to rest.

 We sat down near a road preparing to cross.As one monster passed i looked to each side.No monsters.So I picked up Paws first.Between his fur,I barked Stay Here to Meow.I ran accross the road with Paws. As I turned to go get Meow, I flashed with panic. Meow was trying to cross the road. And a monster was coming!

 I bolted to her and picked her up.I attempted to run back accross but another monster was coming.I crouched over Meow to protect her.The two monsters passed by quickly. I got up and looked down at Meow,who was curled in a ball. I picked her carefully and ran accross. Paws was standing there with wide eyes and mouth dropped open. I calmed him down and we started toward home again.

 Days passed and we were finally in the Idaho.We continued our long journey.We were finally almost there!

 As we neared Keiras house,I barked madly and loudly.As the house came into view I bolted even faster.Paws and Meow attempted to go faster,but their little legs could'nt go any faster.The pup about tripped over his own paws. I But stopped dead when I saw another dog playing with Keira.The dog looked exactly like me.Just a little darker.The dog had sky blue eyes.Keira thru a ball and the dog chased after it.I saw the ball coming at me.I went wide eyes then it hit me.I got up and shaked myself.Then fell backwards.The dog jumped thru the tall grass and accidently landed on top of me.Her nose touched mine causing her to bounce backwards. Paws about yelped completely terrified.

 "Um...hi!"She said energetically.

 "Hi,Um...are Keiras dog?"I asked.

 "Um.yeah im the new dog!Her old dog,well,he's gone."She said with tears in her eyes.

 "Well then,her old dog,me,should probably say Hi to her!"I said right back.

 She looked up at me and with shining eyes asked,"You're,you're Jericho?"

 I looked at her and responded,"Yeah."

 "Hi!" Barked Paws.

 She moved so I could get to Keira.She watched as I grabbed the ball and ran back to Keira.

 "Good girl Delil...Delilah?"She said

 As i got closer Delilah came out of the tall grass.Keira saw that the dog who was coming at her was'nt Delilah.

 "JERICHO!JERICHO!"She yelled.Her mother bolted out of the house to see if I was really there. Paws and meow hid. When she saw me,she ran faster to give me a huge hug.Keira dashed toward me as I dropped the ball and ran faster.Finally I got close enough.I jumped into her arms knocking her down.Delilah ran and stared licking us both.Her tail was wagging furiously.Keiras mom finally reached us and put her arms around my neck.She hugged me.Delilah was bounding in circles barking happily. Paws and Meow just sat there.

 When I was finally let down,I rushed to Delilah.I noticed how pretty she was.I ran to her and touched her nose with mine.That nose touch turned into a nuzzle.And we both decided we liked each  other.I stayed "home" that night.I slept in my old dog bed with Delilah. Paws slept on the carpet with Meow at his side. While the humans were sleeping,I told Delilah my plan to return to Minnesota after a long visit.At the name "Minnesota" Delilah lokked to the floor and whimpered softly.

 "Delilah?What's wrong?"I asked

 "My girl,is what."she said

 "You mean