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The water tasted of dirt, animal dung and dead bugs, fermented grass and bitter bark. Shadow sputtered, struggled to keep his head above the tumbling torrent, and lunged once more. He grabbed and latched onto cloth. A familiar scent, one never forgotten, filled him with confusion.
Protectiveness. Affection. Distrust. Fear. Memory of the "other-ness" of his-boy pointing the gun that bit a good-dog's ear.
He gulped air in panting breaths. Small scared whimpers escaped but he didn't dare let go his grip on the coat. Nose thrust hard against Steven's back, Shadow's jaws ached with tension and his stomach churned. When his flank smashed into something hidden beneath the rush of dark water, he nearly lost his grip, but didn't yelp. Shadow drew his paws up tight, helpless, riding the whims of the water.
His-boy's odor crinkled Shadow's nose, the bite-sharp terror spilled through Steven's clothing more potent than the cat pee dribbling from the little orange cat. Smells choked his throat. Water filled his ears, muffling the flood's roar and cat's screams. Shadow wanted to shake his head. But he clenched his jaws and hung on.
Bam!
The sodden bale hit, stopped, tipped downward. One of Lenny's arms flopped into the water. Shadow's hold broke loose when the bale reared high, a legless horse vaulting a hidden obstacle.
He flailed; paws churned to find solid purchase, and turned water to filthy froth. The wet, muddy bank beckoned, only a dog-length distant. Current tugged him away.
Steven's arm whipped out. His-boy grabbed Shadow's collar, and kept his other fist latched onto Lenny’s bale. Steven had grown in the time away, and his legs were much longer than Shadow's. When he found his feet, Steven stood chest deep and braced himself against the surge.
Shadow reluctantly met Steven's eyes. Neither of them liked eye contact with strangers, and after all the time that had passed, they were strangers. But something had changed. The "other-ness" in Steven's eyes remained but it no longer spoke of danger.
The floating bale bucked again. Shadow's collar tightened. Steven swung him through the water closer to the bank where shallow water pooled.
Shadow didn't think. As his paws touched, he clawed and scrambled out of the water. He shook himself so hard, he nearly fell over. He panted and shivered at the same time, then in one convulsive heave, threw up.
The current continued to push wreckage along the water's surface. An underwater tree had hooked the bottom of the bale. The tree bobbed up and down in the current. When down, the bale tried to squeak over the branch, which then boosted it up again.
Steven waited until the bale dipped low, then grabbed something shiny and flat from between Lenny's legs. With a smooth gesture, he Frisbee’d it toward Shadow.
Shadow lunged and caught it. He recognized it from the earlier show-me game. Steven didn't smile, but sensed his-boy's approval. He wagged.
Shadow cocked his head when the orange cat yowled with each bounce of the floating bale. He wondered why the cat didn't jump off and race to higher ground. Macy-cat picked a safe tree to climb and wait for Shadow to seek and bring him home. But this cat didn't move, merely kept his claws secured in Lenny's shirt, and burrowed closer to the boy.
Steven clung to the bale, wading with careful small steps to reach the bank. He had to let go of the bale to climb up like Shadow, but kept slipping back into the water. The bank's soggy mud turned loose of trees and grass so there was nothing his-boy could grab. Boys don't have claws like dogs.
Shadow put down the tablet he’d caught, and slowly put one paw and then another on the fallen tree. His weight held it steady. When Steven reached out, Shadow stretched his neck and grabbed the end of Steven's coat sleeve, and tugged.
That gave his-boy enough help to scramble up on the tree limb. With both Steven and Shadow standing on the slender trunk, though, the limb sank further beneath the current, bouncing the straw bale and giving it enough leeway to pass over the temporary snag.
Steven sprang at Shadow, and Shadow nearly dodged away. But something told him to stay still.
"Good-dog."
Shadow pricked his ears with surprise. His-boy had never told him that before.
He held still, marveling at Steven's gentle touch. His-boy quickly pulled off Shadow’s collar and tossed it toward Lenny, just as the current again captured the bale and swirled Lenny and the cat out of sight.
