SEARCH AND RESCUE
It was raining. Not a steady downpour, just the constant uncomfortable cold drizzle that the state of Washington was known for. His hair soaked up the moisture and directed a fine runnel of cold water to dribble down his neck.
Blair sighed deeply and shifted uncomfortably. The tree he was leaning against was scant shelter, but that was all he had. He squirmed and removed a pinecone that was digging into his backside. He just hoped he would be found soon.
******
Sharp eyes scanned the underbrush. His nose twitched as a familiar scent wafted faintly to him and ears attuned to noises far beyond human range pinpointed his goal. Determinedly, he broke into a run leaving the rest of the search party to follow as best they could.
Blair grinned as the figure burst from the underbrush. He held out his arms in invitation and was almost bowled over by his rescuers enthusiastic welcome. He received a wet sloppy kiss from the search and rescue dog who was barking happily and wagging his tail.
"Good boy." The dog's handler crooned as he came running up a few moments behind the dog. The dog was rewarded with a bedraggled tennis ball. "Twenty-five minutes!" The rescuer grinned. "Not bad considering the weather." He extended a hand to help the damp Blair to his feet. "We'll have a good chance to win the regional service dog competition."
"I was glad to help out." Blair said as he smiled at the dog that was happily mangling his toy. Now, wouldn't it be interesting to know if Jim could find him in less time than a trained search and rescue dog...