A/N: Hey guys! My internet connection just got fixed! Sorry it's been so
long! Love ya! Enjoy! And, uh, drop me a line in the review box, if you
please. (
Comanche raced around in the grass, his nose to the ground and his head jerking at a sudden, random, unfamiliar smell.
Dave closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of air. It smelled so good here, away from the fields that used cow manure for fertilizer it did at least. Swarms of insects hovered just above the green grasses and wildflowers. Dave hadn't been to this meadow for ages. It felt so good to be back- it had hardly changed since he saw it last. He carefully sat down and closed his eyes again, relaxing as he soaked in the gentle rays of sunlight. It felt so good that he wished to remain there forever. He heard a high pitched yip and looked up to see Comanche wagging his tail as he barked into the distance. Dave slowly clambered to his feet and squinted in the direction his dog was barking. Comanche gave one last bark before scampering over to Dave. Halfway there he turned and began yipping again.
"Chee Chee, come here," Dave clapped his hands, trying to get his puppy's attention. When the sandy fluff ignored him he crouched to look less intimidating and gave a quick whistle. "Cheech, come 'ere boy." Comanche hardly gave him a second glance before bounding off into the distance. It was then that Dave could make out the shape of another dog who had until then been standing perfectly still. The two raced after each other over a small hill and out of sight. "Hey!" Dave yelled, rising and beginning to jog cautiously, not knowing how his healing wounds would respond. Not feeling any unusual pain he broke into a run, fearing that Comanche would get into a fight with the other dog. He could just imagine watching his baby puppy be torn to pieces by another, larger animal. The thought made him run faster. "Comanche!" he yelled as he slowed, looking over the hill for his puppy. He heard barks and yips coming from the left. He turned and fear gripped him as he watched his puppy rise on his hind legs to clash against the larger Australian Shepherd. "Hey! Get!" Dave yelled, picking up a stick. "Go on! Get out of here!" The two stopped their snarling and the Aussie looked surprised to see him standing there. He locked eyes with the red murle for a moment, reading the intelligence written before throwing the stick at it. "Get! Bad dog!" The Aussie easily sidestepped the stick and looked at him curiously. "I said get the hell out of here!" he raised his arm as if he were going to throw and imaginary object at the dog when it jumped back in apprehension.
"Hey! What are you doing to my dog?!" A strong young female voice rang out behind him. Dave turned to see a young American Indian woman striding up to him. He was too shocked to answer. Even from this distance he could tell that this woman was the young girl he once knew. Sandra was now a few feet away.
"Are you deaf? I said what the hell are you doing to my dog?!" by now the Aussie had sidled up to her owner.
"I.I."
She glared at him until she noticed movement from the corner of her eye. She looked from Comanche to him. "They were probably just playing, Cody's never hurt another dog before."
"I'm sorry, I thought." he trailed off in awe of the woman before him. Her long, sleek black hair swung to the side as she crouched next to her animal, scratching its ears. "You poor girl, did that scary man hurt you?"
"I didn't hurt her, I was just trying to scare her. I though she was attacking my puppy."
Sandra looked up quickly as she stood, then froze, suddenly speechless. Dave just looked at her. She furrowed her brow for a minute with her mouth open, trying to form a thought. Dave looked away with his hands in his pockets. "Do you remember me?"
Sandra just smiled with a shocked expression, not being able to speak. After a few more moments of silence Dave became curious and looked at her again. She finally closed her mouth and crossed her arms across her chest. "Well Little Shining Eyes, I'd never expected to see you again."
Dave grinned sheepishly, looking at the ground in embarrassment for a second and then back up to her face.
"And who's this?" she pointed to the puppy that was dragging a stick twice its size over to them.
"That's Comanche."
"I didn't know George and Annette had a puppy."
"They don't. He's mine. All the way from Chicago."
She looked up in surprise. "Chicago?"
Dave gave a slight nod. "It's actually where I live now. I've got a good job there."
"Not still busting tables, I hope," she grinned as she bent down to scratch Comanche's ears.
Dave chuckled. "Nah. I work in an ER."
She gave him her full attention. "An ER? Whoa, so what are you, a nurse?"
"A, uh, a doctor."
"Really? Wow."
Dave didn't know what else to say. "So. how have you been?"
"Well. in the twelve years since I've seen you.." she cocked an eyebrow, then paused. "How come you stopped visiting? Your grandparents have really missed you."
"They have?" Dave didn't mean to sound so surprised.
"Of course they have. You were all they'd ever talk about. You and your mother." She paused for a moment. "So why didn't you come back?"
Dave sighed and turned away beginning to wander before pausing. "Oh, I dunno. family reasons I guess."
Sandra stood. "I've missed you."
Turned back to her. "Yeah, I have to admit, those days in the sandbox were some of the best."
They laughed. "Those were the days, weren't they?"
"Yah they were. So, what's life like here Sandra? I mean, now that you're too big for the sandbox and all."
"It's Snow Hawk."
"Huh?"
"My name. It's Snow Hawk now."
"Oh," Dave cleared his throat. "Sorry, Snow Hawk."
"Don't worry about it. I'm glad that you're here."
"So am I."
"And who said anything about being too big for a sandbox?"
Comanche raced around in the grass, his nose to the ground and his head jerking at a sudden, random, unfamiliar smell.
Dave closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of air. It smelled so good here, away from the fields that used cow manure for fertilizer it did at least. Swarms of insects hovered just above the green grasses and wildflowers. Dave hadn't been to this meadow for ages. It felt so good to be back- it had hardly changed since he saw it last. He carefully sat down and closed his eyes again, relaxing as he soaked in the gentle rays of sunlight. It felt so good that he wished to remain there forever. He heard a high pitched yip and looked up to see Comanche wagging his tail as he barked into the distance. Dave slowly clambered to his feet and squinted in the direction his dog was barking. Comanche gave one last bark before scampering over to Dave. Halfway there he turned and began yipping again.
"Chee Chee, come here," Dave clapped his hands, trying to get his puppy's attention. When the sandy fluff ignored him he crouched to look less intimidating and gave a quick whistle. "Cheech, come 'ere boy." Comanche hardly gave him a second glance before bounding off into the distance. It was then that Dave could make out the shape of another dog who had until then been standing perfectly still. The two raced after each other over a small hill and out of sight. "Hey!" Dave yelled, rising and beginning to jog cautiously, not knowing how his healing wounds would respond. Not feeling any unusual pain he broke into a run, fearing that Comanche would get into a fight with the other dog. He could just imagine watching his baby puppy be torn to pieces by another, larger animal. The thought made him run faster. "Comanche!" he yelled as he slowed, looking over the hill for his puppy. He heard barks and yips coming from the left. He turned and fear gripped him as he watched his puppy rise on his hind legs to clash against the larger Australian Shepherd. "Hey! Get!" Dave yelled, picking up a stick. "Go on! Get out of here!" The two stopped their snarling and the Aussie looked surprised to see him standing there. He locked eyes with the red murle for a moment, reading the intelligence written before throwing the stick at it. "Get! Bad dog!" The Aussie easily sidestepped the stick and looked at him curiously. "I said get the hell out of here!" he raised his arm as if he were going to throw and imaginary object at the dog when it jumped back in apprehension.
"Hey! What are you doing to my dog?!" A strong young female voice rang out behind him. Dave turned to see a young American Indian woman striding up to him. He was too shocked to answer. Even from this distance he could tell that this woman was the young girl he once knew. Sandra was now a few feet away.
"Are you deaf? I said what the hell are you doing to my dog?!" by now the Aussie had sidled up to her owner.
"I.I."
She glared at him until she noticed movement from the corner of her eye. She looked from Comanche to him. "They were probably just playing, Cody's never hurt another dog before."
"I'm sorry, I thought." he trailed off in awe of the woman before him. Her long, sleek black hair swung to the side as she crouched next to her animal, scratching its ears. "You poor girl, did that scary man hurt you?"
"I didn't hurt her, I was just trying to scare her. I though she was attacking my puppy."
Sandra looked up quickly as she stood, then froze, suddenly speechless. Dave just looked at her. She furrowed her brow for a minute with her mouth open, trying to form a thought. Dave looked away with his hands in his pockets. "Do you remember me?"
Sandra just smiled with a shocked expression, not being able to speak. After a few more moments of silence Dave became curious and looked at her again. She finally closed her mouth and crossed her arms across her chest. "Well Little Shining Eyes, I'd never expected to see you again."
Dave grinned sheepishly, looking at the ground in embarrassment for a second and then back up to her face.
"And who's this?" she pointed to the puppy that was dragging a stick twice its size over to them.
"That's Comanche."
"I didn't know George and Annette had a puppy."
"They don't. He's mine. All the way from Chicago."
She looked up in surprise. "Chicago?"
Dave gave a slight nod. "It's actually where I live now. I've got a good job there."
"Not still busting tables, I hope," she grinned as she bent down to scratch Comanche's ears.
Dave chuckled. "Nah. I work in an ER."
She gave him her full attention. "An ER? Whoa, so what are you, a nurse?"
"A, uh, a doctor."
"Really? Wow."
Dave didn't know what else to say. "So. how have you been?"
"Well. in the twelve years since I've seen you.." she cocked an eyebrow, then paused. "How come you stopped visiting? Your grandparents have really missed you."
"They have?" Dave didn't mean to sound so surprised.
"Of course they have. You were all they'd ever talk about. You and your mother." She paused for a moment. "So why didn't you come back?"
Dave sighed and turned away beginning to wander before pausing. "Oh, I dunno. family reasons I guess."
Sandra stood. "I've missed you."
Turned back to her. "Yeah, I have to admit, those days in the sandbox were some of the best."
They laughed. "Those were the days, weren't they?"
"Yah they were. So, what's life like here Sandra? I mean, now that you're too big for the sandbox and all."
"It's Snow Hawk."
"Huh?"
"My name. It's Snow Hawk now."
"Oh," Dave cleared his throat. "Sorry, Snow Hawk."
"Don't worry about it. I'm glad that you're here."
"So am I."
"And who said anything about being too big for a sandbox?"