Jed awoke with a start. He had gone to sleep sitting against the bear and had slept more soundly than he wished. He couldn’t believe how tired he was. Something awakened him, but he wasn’t sure what. The fire was burned down to just coals, so he stirred it up a bit to get a light flame and then added more wood. He put on smaller sticks to get it blazing sooner and piled some larger, dry branches on top. As the fire flared up he saw eyes glowing at him from the edge of the darkness near Lizzie. Rising to his feet he picked up his rifle, although he was loath to shoot it and frighten Lizzie. Besides, one never shoots at something if he doesn’t know for sure what he’s shooting.
Another set of eyes, and then a third set showed up.
Judging by the height from the ground, Jed deduced they were coyotes. He knew coyotes normally don’t travel in packs, and they normally don’t bother humans. But the bear carcass had attracted their attention, and there was a large group surrounding the fire now. They were hungry and were trying to find a way to get to the carcass, but his presence kept them away.
Jed called out softly, “Lizzie. Lizzie, I need you.” She stirred but did not awaken. He called to her again. “Hey, Lizzie. I need you to wake up.” This time she stirred and then stretched and opened her eyes. “Sorry, but I need a little help. Can you get up?”
“Sure, what’s wrong?”
By this time, the fire had blazed up, giving more light. The coyotes shrank back from the light further as they tried to find a way to reach the carcass.
“Don’t be afraid, but we have some coyotes trying to get to the bear. I need some help to keep them away. Don’t worry. They shouldn’t attack you.”
“What can I do?”
“Pick up a stick out of the fire, and be ready to swing it at one of them if he comes close enough. Usually it’s enough.”
About that time, one of the braver, or at least hungrier, coyotes dashed toward the bear but drew back when Jed stepped toward him. The others edged closer, as if to make a concerted rush. Jed yelled and ran toward one group, which promptly drew back, but others crept forward in their place. Lizzie swung her branch at one venturing a little too close and connected with a solid thump. The coyote yelped and leaped back, hair singed, but he didn’t go far. The scent of the bear was just too tempting.
“I hate to do it, but I may have to shoot some of them.”
Three coyotes edged around the circle and made a dash together when Jed had his attention on the other side. He quickly turned and snapped off a shot, dropping one of the three, but the other two jumped on the carcass and started tearing at the hide. Lizzie swung her stick at the two of them, but they didn’t flinch. Jed couldn’t risk another shot because Lizzie was in the way, so he stepped toward the bear with his rifle reversed and swung the butt. He connected with one’s head with a loud crack, and the coyote fell off. But the other, instead of running away, leaped at Lizzie, teeth bared.
Suddenly, there was a deep battle cry bark, and a black shape leapt from the shadows and collided with the coyote. The battle was short and sharp. Jed turned and fired at two coyotes trying to come from behind him, and Lizzie swung at three others. The coyote that had leapt at Lizzie turned tail and ran from the circle, yelping, with the black creature chasing it. When it saw the coyote was leaving, the black creature turned back toward some of the others and drove them away also.
“Tommy!” Jed cried out.
He finally remembered the name of the dog John Johnson had lost. Tommy had been named jokingly after John’s dad. “Tommy, come here, boy.”
Tentatively, he walked toward the fire, as if deciding he wanted to be with people again. Jed reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of jerky, which he extended toward the dog. This time, he didn’t throw it but held it so the dog would have to come to him if it wanted the treat. Lizzie knelt down in the dirt and spoke softly and gently to him. Gradually, the dog stretched his neck out and snatched the jerky from Jed’s hand. He darted back to safety before gulping it down.
Lizzie continued speaking softly to the dog, holding her hand out to him. He crept slowly back toward her and tentatively reached his nose to her hand, sniffing.
“There you go,” she whispered. “Come on. We won’t hurt you. You look like you could use some loving. Oh, look, Jed. His collar is too tight. No wonder he’s so skinny. He’s probably had a hard time finding food small enough to swallow.”
Jed reached into his pocket and pulled out another piece of jerky. He handed it to Lizzie to feed Tommy. This time Tommy took it from her hand and only retreated a little way to eat. Lizzie got another piece from Jed, held it in her lap, and called the nearly starving dog back to her. It came close enough for Lizzie to stroke the side of its head once as she softly crooned to him. Though Tommy jumped back without the jerky, he didn’t go as far, and, with Lizzie’s constant soft crooning, he crept forward again. This time he allowed Lizzie to place her hand on the side of his head as she fed him the piece of jerky. “Good dog,” she crowed and stroked his head gently yet firmly. “You’re a very good and brave dog. We’ll fatten you up if you’ll let us.” Tommy seemed to like the attention and stood trembling but didn’t pull away.
Jed slowly stood to his feet and started to step toward Lizzie, but Tommy stepped between them and growled low in his throat in warning. Jed laughed and said, “Looks like you have a dog.”
Pulling the last piece of jerky from his pocket, Jed extended it toward the dog but kept it close enough that Tommy would have to come to him to get it. He also extended his other hand to let Tommy sniff his hand. At first all Tommy did was growl, but he didn’t snap. Finally, Tommy allowed Jed to pet his head while Jed fed him the jerky.