It was hard, living by herself. Not the puppies — that had been easy enough, each in its little membrane sac that she’d chewed up so no predator would smell it. She liked the feel of them feeding. Liked the smell of them, that familiar scent of puppy and dog.
It was good not to be the only dog again.
It was food that was so difficult — and dangerous too. Back in the pack the uncles brought the mothers and puppies food. That way the mothers didn’t have to leave the puppies alone and vulnerable to hunt.
The uncles sniffed out danger: few predators would attack a pack of dogs. But there were no uncles here.
She had sniffed out danger here herself, though she wasn’t sure what it was — the scent was unfamiliar. But it smelled like a meat eater.
She thought it had smelled her too. And her puppies.
At least she didn’t have to spend much time away: just long enough to get to Bony Boy’s camp and back. But there were so many things that would gladly kill a small, blind, helpless puppy. Snakes and hawks, to start with. The babies could even just crawl out and fall off the ledge.
She hated being away, but there was no choice. Instinct told her she had to eat so she could feed her pups. She was hungry again now, but she hesitated, sniffing the air as she poked her head out of the crevice, checking to see if she could smell danger before she slunk away.
She stopped. The hair on her neck rose. There was another scent. Bony Boy! She pulled herself back into the crevice just as he limped up the path; she let out a low, rumbling growl.
Humans ate dogs. The almost forgotten fear was back. She wasn’t going to let a hunter have her babies.
Bony Boy stopped. Had he heard her growl? Something clattered against the entrance of the crevice. A spear?
And then she smelled it. Meat. Freshly cooked too. Half a fruit bat, still with the innards that were the bit she liked best.
She pulled it inside hurriedly, then peered out again. Bony Boy sat a little way up the path. He didn’t move.
Not hunting, she thought. He had brought her food … just like an uncle dog did.
The sense of threat faded a little. She still wouldn’t leave her puppies while he was here, even to get a drink. But at least now she had meat. She chewed the bones while her puppies suckled.
And all the while Bony Boy just sat there, in the sun.