The young escapee lost track of how long he had been on the run. The sweat and the water from the gully had made his prison clothes heavy and cold. He had shaken off his pursuers with his clever list, but he knew he had to hide somewhere to… get some sleep.
He looked around over the moor. It wouldn't be long before dawn, the sky already seemed a bit brighter to the east. By daylight he would be an easy target, he had to find some kind of shelter.
After searching for a quarter of an hour or so he found an old stone structure. It looked as if it had been some kind of hut in past times. Some sheep were sleeping in the nearby surroundings. The lad shivered from the cold as he entered the tiny building to inspect its inside. From what he could see it didn't look too bad; sure there were sheep droppings lying about and even some sheep, but there was also plenty of hay and these sheep might provide a bit of warmth. The young prisoner crouched further inside and made a sleeping place for himself with hay he found in the cot. His exhaustion did the rest and he quickly drifted away in a dreamless sleep while he was warmed by the breaths and flanks of the sheep.
Day came and the boy slept blissfully through it. Even when the sheep went out for grazing on the fell he didn't wake up. It was only that evening that he woke up to pursue his flight. And as it happened that night fate struck.
The boy was woken up by the ringing of the sheep's bells and the barking of the sheepdog. Wait a minute… sheepdog? The lad was fully awake now. A sheepdog meant a Shepherd was nearby, and if the dog would sniff him out he would be in big trouble. He quietly stole to the farthest end of the small room. At that moment the first sheep entered the cot.
Ack, no! , a big ewe laid down right on top of him. Luckily for him though, the ewe was more wool than sheep, so at least he didn't get totally squashed.
Bwaah, big fluffs of wool were pushed in his face. He silently sputtered, spitting out tuffs of wool. If the wool kept tickling his nose like this he would have to snee…
"Achoo!" The sheep darted off in all directions. The dog started barking. The lad pinched his nose to prevent himself from sneezing again, but the damage had already been done.
No sooner had he tried to stand up as he was faced by the dog. The big collie had entered the cot snarling. It menacingly walked up to the young man, ready to leap at his throat. The lad froze and felt something warm tickling down his leg. He had just soiled himself.
Before the dog could launch at him the shepherd burst into the small building. As soon as he his eyes fell on the young prisoner he grabbed him by his small tuff of hair and dragged him outside.
"What do you think you are doing here?"" he barked. The man's face grew red when he saw that the intruder wore prison clothes. He lifted the lad up by the collar leaving the prisoner's feet to dangle above the ground.
"Thought you could steal some sheep? It is all your fault I can't let me herds graze on the best stubs as these are being kempt through by prison folks."
"Please sir," the boy pleaded, "I only need shelter and a place to sleep. I'll leave the moment I wake up. You'll never see or hear of me again. I promise."
"And getting arrested for helping scum like you?" the shepherd spat at the boy with a disgusted look, "I'd rather die defending me heard than doing that."
He threw the boy on the ground not caring for his safety or even doing as much as blinking when the lad wheezed in pain when his body hit the floor in front of him. He threateningly walked up to the boy,"You let me sheep escape," he added. " I'll make you pay for that." He pulled something from behind his back which the lad recognised as a shotgun. "By the way, the warrant didn't say they needed you alive."
Before the shepherd had the chance to load the gun, the lad ran off in a desperate attempt to get away. The dog immediately chased after him and sunk is teeth into his leg. The lad stumbled trying to fight off the dog. This gave the man the chance to load his weapon. The prisoner kicked the dog in the nose and legged it. All in vain.
Seconds later a loud bang echoed over the desolate moor along with a piercing scream.