Page 75 of Phoenix's Fire

"Lansin!" he bellowed. "Your dog's loose!"

So I sat up, refusing to jump away. "That's a dog?"

Zasen ruffled the creature's neck. "Yep. You should pet it."

Since I'd already survived a bear, I decided I had nothing left to lose. Reaching out, I ran my hand over the thing's head - but jerked back when it moved. Surprisingly, the creature was soft. Very soft. Timidly, I reached out to pet it again, and the dog liked it enough to leave Zasen and come press against me.

Twenty-Three

Ayla

In the compound, I'd read about dogs. They'd been included in books about domestic animals, so I'd seen pictures of the small ones on people's laps. Others had shown black-and-white ones moving sheep. Some had protection animals biting people in padded suits.

This dog looked like none of them.

Yes, it was clearly a canine, but so were wolves and coyotes. But where all of those had hair long enough to grab, this one's coat was short and sleek. The hair felt silky. Also, its ears were floppy, hanging down to its cheeks. The coat was mostly brown, but there were tiny black lines running across it looking almost like wrinkles in the fur made of only color.

Never mind its size! Sitting on the ground, I had to look up at it. This animal had to be at least waist high if I was standing! It was slim and lithe, looking like it was made to run, but also broad enough across the chest to appear powerful, yet the warm brown eyes seemed happy as it looked at me.

The dog shoved its side against mine, wiggling its lean tail as fast as it could. The length hit me a few times, then Zasen caught it, making the dog spin to face him. Laughing, he rubbed its head again.

"Is it safe?" I asked, unsure why the thing would be here.

"Yes," Zasen said around a laugh. "Ayla, it's just a dog. She probably smelled the bear, saw us, and now wants to be petted. Reaper dogs are safe. She's fine."

That was enough to make my lips curl, and I dared to caress the beast again. "It's so soft!"

My words made the dog lurch in to lick at my face. Laughing, I pushed it back, but that only made the thing bounce on its front legs, looking thrilled at my reaction.

"Holly!" a man snapped, making both me and the dog look over. "No! Come!"

Immediately, the animal rushed towards him, but at the last minute, it spun to walk beside him, mirroring the black dog the man had on his other side.

"Lose your dog, Lansin?" Zasen taunted.

The man, clearly one of the Reapers, shrugged. "She's still learning." Then he reached down to pet the brown dog's head and his voice changed to something softer and sweeter. "Aren't ya, girl? Yeah, you're a silly puppy, hm?"

"Puppy?" I asked, because I was pretty sure that meant a baby dog. This one did not look small enough to be a baby.

"She's a year old," he explained. "So full-grown, but not necessarily grown up." He ruffled her ears, then tipped his head at the black one. "This guy's four, and he knows his manners."

"And they're both dogs?" I asked, sure that was a stupid question. "Why's that one black?"

Lansin's face immediately split into a grin. "Why is your hair yellow and mine's black? Same thing, just four legs." Then he turned and offered Zasen a hand. "You killed a bear?"

Zasen slapped his hand in the man's, then groaned when Lansin pulled him up. "It wasn't planned, trust me. I was supposed to be gathering meat for this upcoming cookout I was told I'd attend."

Then Zasen turned to offer me his hand the same way Lansin had done to him. I accepted, but when he pulled, all the muscles down my back protested. My shoulder burned as the new scabs on it cracked, so the moment I was up, I pulled my hand back and pressed the other as close to the injury as I could.

"Oh," Lansin groaned, stepping towards me. "You're bleeding."

I stepped back. "Yes, I know. Zasen is hurt too."

But Zasen shoved his hand out, pressing his palm against the man's chest so he couldn't invade my space. "She has reason not to trust men." The look he gave the Reaper was pointed.

Lansin just nodded. "Right. Moles."

"Exactly," Zasen said. "And speaking of Moles, how long are you and Irrik staying?"

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