She watched her puppies play with Bony Boy. Somehow he wasn’t just Bony Boy now. He was the man-uncle who brought food, helped guard the den, who played with the puppies and nipped them if they bit too hard. The world was almost right again.
She was hungry though. Fish filled her belly, but she wanted meat. She sniffed the air. There was food down there, hopping through the grass. They were fast, those hoppers. She’d tried to catch them before. A pack of dogs takes it in turn to chase their prey, turning around in wide circles till they were tired, then a fresh dog could leap out and grab one for the pack to eat. One dog alone couldn’t hunt like that.
But she wasn’t alone any more.
She got to her feet, stretched, checked her puppies were safe with Bony Boy, then padded down the path.