Beware of Dog
Chester crouched low in the undergrowth. He silently cursed the full moon for its brilliance. He shivered violently, though not from the cold. He strained his ears, listening for the baying dogs.
The dogs were looking for him, mercilessly searching for their prey. He dreaded to think what the dogs would do if they found him. He could picture their muzzles dripping saliva, their sharp, bared teeth...
His crime seemed mild to be punishable as the dogs owner intended. Chester was a thief. He had stolen part of a ham out of desperation. He only stole to save his children. His sons and daughters were starving. He knew that without food they would soon die. How he wished to see them again.
His thoughts broke off abruptly when he heard a howl from deep within the woods. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He needed to act fast, or he was doomed.
He opted to run. He was in good shape, so at first running was not difficult. Soon, however, his lungs felt as though they were on fire and ready to burst. He almost gave up until he glanced back and sawone of the dogs in the distance. He was suddenly motivated to try harder.
He realized that he could no longer outrun the dogs. He spotted a tree ahead and knew it was his only chance. He climbed the tree as quickly as he could, though his sore and tired muscles screamed in protest. He felt that he had been climbing for hours, but in reality only a few minutes had gone by. He finally found a limb sturdy enoughto hold his weight. He didn't want to take any chances, so he dug his nails deep into the tree's bark.
His heart missed a beat when the dogs approached the tree. They first sniffed around the tree, trying to find his scent. All too soon they became aware of his presence in the tree. The largest, a grey wolfhound, stretched his legs against the tree, trying to climb it. Chester watched in horror as the dog came within a couple of feet of him. The dog let out a mencing growl and dropped away from the tree. The dog began to circle the tree again, looking for a way to reach Chester. The dog gave a defeated whine, then trotted off. The other dogs, following his cue, also left.
Chester warily remained in the tree, waiting to see if the dogs would return. After an hour her realized that the dogs weren't coming back. He cautiously climbed down the tree, fearful that the dogs might still be nearby, waiting to destroy his hopes of seeing his children again.
He looked back a final time, his emerald green eyes glowing in the darkness. He flicked his tail once and started for home.
-srw
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