We went out into the night, the five of us; my two oldest rug rats, Grump and Smooch and me. I had the flashlight (the boys were looking forward to playing cops & robbers again), and Nalou had the squeaky balls for the doggies. Grump had already disappeared into the dark, headed for the side bush where he does his needs.
Wait! I heard a voice. Ah, no! It was the neighbour and I could tell he was drunk. And he was calling his dogs.
“Nalou, don’t throw the ball.....”
But it was too late. The ball was gone down the hill, with Smooch sprinting after it.
“Stay right here! Don’t move” I yelled at the boys. I flashed the light ahead of me as I began to run, fear coursing through me....with good reason.
Not even halfway down the hill and I saw them come out of nowhere and jump on him. He was intent on the ball, and looked up just as they hit him. They are both bigger than him and seasoned fighters...they have already killed two dogs in our area. In spite of his size, Smooch is still a puppy. He went down hard, not even a yelp; the only thing to be heard was their ferocious growling and my screams as I raced toward them.
From the corner of my eye I saw a steak of white float from the bush, then another passed me from behind; Grump and the beautiful Louka! I watched as they threw themselves into the fray – now the noise was wild! A dip in the driveway made me stumble. I dropped the flashlight, and by the time I picked it up all the dogs and the fight had already moved out of sight into the bush between my place and my neighbour’s. That terrible growling and then howls of pain, and ...oh God, who is getting hurt??? I ran as hard as I could, gasping for breath, heart in my mouth and still hollering “Stop!! Git home!! Stop!! Git!”
To be continued
No comments:
Post a Comment