The Shepherd's Dog
Author: remthedogsitter
Rating: M
Summary: It's been five years since Iruka left the village on an important mission and Kakashi has been searching for him ever since. Kakashi's journey leads him deep into iron country where he is later rescued by a shepherd and his eight dogs. Will Kakashi manage to solve the mystery and save Iruka in time?
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or for
Prologue: The Village
The man gripped his staff in his hand, the old wood felt warm to touch after spending its evening a few feet away from the fire. He could hear his dog's claws click against the floor. They were ready to work and sheep were waiting to be led to pasture. He tied his loose locks securely behind his head before pulling up the fur lined hood of his coat, the winter was rough this year and from beneath the floor boards he heard his flock bleat.
He opened the door to the view of a world of white as he eagerly went down the wooden steps to the gate down below. The dogs barked and the sheep immediately were being herded, there were a few goats as well as they made their way down a worn path. The blizzard the night before had left a few feet of snow and the man's legs sunk down to his knees. They were going to market today trading sheep wool and preserved meat for oil, matches and maybe some chicken eggs if they could get any. The shepherd was going to make stew that his mother used to make.
Despite trading there in the village for years the villagers were still wary of his dogs, a strong pack of seven, scarred and protective of their master. The villagers used to tell stories of those dogs, believed to be descended from the wolves of the mountain who were said to be the messengers of the gods. However, the man raised good sheep and how they thrived up in the mountain where others could not was in itself adding to the mysticism that surrounded the shepherd and his dogs. But they all respected the spirits of the mountain and if they chose to accept this brown skinned shepherd it was not their place to question. The gods of the mountain were vengeful ones, the mountain itself rumoured to be so old that it is the same place where men descended in the times of old as a punishment by the gods.
"Shepherd-sama?" a small child, the son of Rayo came up to the shepherd and the dogs that stood protectively around him gave way and wagged their tails at the familiar child. "Mother sent me to give this to you." He held up an oil lined sack, heavy with roundish things. "She told me to tell you it was an excellent sheep, really fat and tender. But its a shame she couldn't make hash with this"
The man took the item and patted the boy on the head "Tells her she's welcome. We give the gods what to them is due, may the gods of the mountain bless you."
The boy bowed after giving the dogs a few scratches behind the ear.
The shepherd never had any need for a donkey to push his cart, a few of the dogs were strapped down with carrying bags and seemed more than eager to carry loads and some were almost if not a little bigger than he was.
The sun was beginning to set when they shepherd and his flock made their way up the mountain again, the sheep at least were able to pasture that day having gone to the nearby lake which had frozen over they found a lot to eat by the water's side. The shepherd paused when the dogs began barking and nudging him, leading him in a direction a little way away from the path. One of the dogs led his hand near the ground and he touched upon an unconscious man, near death in the cold.
The shepherd wasted no time and easily lifted the man up from the blanket of snow and laid him on one of the biggest dogs, draping his own outer heavy coat over him. He picked up his staff and hurried his pack and his flock up the steep mountain path.
They arrived home near nightfall, the echo of howls telling the shepherd the long night had just begun.
A/N: sooooo should I continue? : ) this story might be a sequel but you don't really need to read the first on to understand that story. This sequel was inspired by the song Wolves by Iron and Wine go go listen to it cause its awesome xD. Thank you also for all who offered to beta for me but unfortunately I'm back in school and very busy so updates will be a little slow ODM might go under revision so I'll ask for your help then :D thanks again.