Chapter Two: Doggy First Aid
Sick and feverish, Franck didn't notice the transition to another world and wouldn't have recognized it for what it was if he had; he was just barely aware that the dog was no longer at his side to steady him when he fell.
A musical gurgling came to his ears, and he stumbled almost instinctively toward it, desperate now for a drink.
When he reached the brook, he fell to his knees beside it, cupping water in his good hand and drinking thirstily. The water was cold and clear, and for a moment the fog in his brain seemed to lift. Wondering where the dog had gotten to, he raised his head to look around.
But the movement was too fast, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. Unable to catch himself as he topped forward, he fell face-first into the brook and lay there, only half conscious and unable to rise.
oOo
The dog sniffed once more all around the gateway through which his human had disappeared. Several times he approached it warily, almost getting up courage to put a paw through, then jumped back at the last second. But at last concern for his friend won out, and with an anxious whine he darted at the gate and was through before he could change his mind again.
And it was nothing so terrible, after all. An electric tingle ran through his fur as he passed, and then he was simply in another place, a nice place, full of wonderful, exciting smells.
But only one smell interested him at the moment, and with his nose to the ground he began to follow the trail Franck had left.
He barked when he spotted him, but Franck didn't raise his head. His position seemed odd, even for a human, who were known to twist themselves into all kinds of strange shapes to accomplish what they needed to get done. But not face down in a stream, some instinct warned the dog, and barking once more, anxiously, he ran forward and seized Franck's collar in his teeth.
Setting his paws, he managed to drag the man back far enough to lie with his head on the edge of the bank. Sniffing and licking anxiously at his face brought no response or movement, and the dog whined anxiously.
Inspired perhaps by some strange instinct, or maybe just a happy chance, the dog jumped with both front paws on the man's back.
Water spilled from Franck's mouth; he gasped and coughed, then began breathing steadily.
The dog whined and licked his face once more, then spun on his paws and dashed off through the woods to get help.
Next chapter coming next week!
I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that this story is formatted using British spellings.)
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