Chapter 8
Rust sat and replayed that fight in his head. He really was sorry, he just hoped that Sonja and the wolf believed him. He sighed as he remembered how close to dieing he had really been. He looked at the wounds and was relieved that the human had been nice enough to fix him up. Sonja looked as if she was talking to the kid and he wondered why. Humans couldn't understand dogs! Could they? Rust had been ignored most of his life by humans when it mattered most.
"Excuse me, Sonja?" Rust yelled to the beautiful husky "mind filling me in?"
She looked at him then back at the human. Rust felt like he was about to hear something that he wasn't ready to hear.
"Hey Rust!" Sonja yelled jogging back over "say something to the human would ya?"
"Why?" Rust replied "he won't understand me!"
"Just do it Rust!"
He sighed and looked at the boy. He was sitting down.
"Hey! uh...thanks for uh...helping me earlier" Rust stammered
"Hear that Dan?" Sonja said looking at the human.
"Sorry Sonja, no I don't!" The kid, Dan, replied throwing his hands in the air.
Sonja sighed "Rust ignore us for a while okay?"
Rust didn't know why she wanted him to do that, but he agreed and walked back to his home.
Dan didn't know why he couldn't understand Rust, and frankly he didn't care. He did care that Sonja didn't believe him. They began to walk back after Rust left, when something happened. Dan's eyes began to burn, like someone was holding a match by them, like they were actually being burned out.
"AAAHHHH!" Dan yelled grabbing his face "IT BURNS!"
Sonja looked at him and began to ask questions as fast as a .50 cal firing.
"Whats wrong?!? whats happening?!? are you okay!?!"
Dan's vision was getting brighter and brighter. And yet the sky was getting darker and darker. He couldn't see anymore and his eyes were still burning, but not as intensly as before.
"Wait here!" Sonja yelled "I'm gonna get Balto and Jenna!"
"Cant exactly SEE Sonja! I'm not going anywhere!" Dan yelled back causiously taking a seat.
It seemed like forever before he could hear Sonja talking, then silence, then Sonja talking again. Some one else was there he was sure of it!
"He says he cant see Balto!" Sonja yelled frantically
There was silence.
"He cant hear you, at least he claims that! Don't bother! Just help me get help, or stay here!" And he could hear Sonja's footsteps fading away.
Then a few minutes later he heard a familier voice "oh my gosh!" came Davids voice "What happened!?!"
David was in disbelief. Dan's usual Green eyes were now a golden yellow, and they were misty as well.
"Come on! Lets get you to the doctors!" David yelled picking the boy up "he might be able to help!"
"No! Don't waste anymore money on me!" Dan replied getting up slowly "just take me back home, I think ill be fine..."
David could tell that he wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to take any chances "no! I'm taking you to the doctors and thats final!"
They made their way to the doctors, with Sonja following them closely. Dan made small talk with her and they finally got to the doctors and David wasn't ready for the results.
"Listen, Mr. Miller" the Doctor began "I cant explain the sudden change in his eye color, let alone why he went blind without reason..."
Throughout the entire conversation Dan just sat there, intently listening. Not phased that he may never see again. Finally he said "I want to go home now..."
"What?!? you cant go your blind!" the Doctor began
"NO! I'm going, I can make it back..." Dan replied as he got up without hesitation "Ill just take Sonja with me"
Sonja barked in response with her tail wagging, and David nodded "Doctor thank you for all you've done, but I trust he can make it back. Ill pay you while he goes back to my house..."
"Thanks David, ill be fine" Dan said "come on Sonja"
And they left.
Sonja was amazed at Dan. He was sauntering around like he could see everything that was happening. Except...he couldn't, at least she was sure that he couldn't. She WAS sure that he couldn't hear Rust, since he couldn't hear Balto. But she still wasn't sure. He tripped and fell and flipped on his back and began to laugh. But why? What was so great about falling in the snow?
"You alright Dan?" Sonja asked him
"Yea I'm fine" he said slowly getting up "just cold and wet"
Sonja laughed and bit his sweat shirt to guide him the last forty feet or so back to the house.
"So, getting your sight back yet?" Sonja asked getting to the door.
"Yea, a little" Dan replied "its still really hard to see, except its REALLY bright" he said searching for the doorknob.
"To the left...up a little" Sonja guided him smiling "there!"
He found it and turned it and walked in. "My sights come back a little..." he said searching for the couch.
"Whats it like to be blind Dan?" Sonja asked sitting on the couch
"Uh...technically I'm not blind" he replied looking at her "I can see moving shapes now, outlines really..."
"Really? Well still whats it like!?" Sonja insisted
"Its weird...everything is bright and my eyes are burning..." Dan replied looking forward.
"Oh...sorry to hear that" Sonja replied
Dan started laughing "No my eyes don't burn although I DO just see basically just white."
"Oh, THATS good to hear!" Sonja replied with a laugh "you haven't changed a bit you know that?"
"What?!?" Dan replied "changed from when?"
"From the first time a met you!" Sonja replied "Remember?"
"Yea...I do" Dan replied
(flashback)
Sonja walked through the halls. She was nervous, it was her first year here and people were giving her strange looks. She wore baggy pants with a pink shirt. She was a red head, more accurately described as Strawberry Blond. She began to walk faster when she knocked into some one and she looked at the boy. He was maybe a couple inches taller than her, so maybe 5' 8''. He had blond hair, and he had cool blue eyes that seemed to be mysterious, yet telling.
"Here, let me help!" he said reaching down to help her up "I should watch where I'm goin!"
"No its my fault! I'm sorry!" Sonja replied "I'm Sonja!"
"Thats a nice name, I'm Daniel, you can just call me Dan" the boy responded.
"Its nice to meet you Da..." Sonja couldn't finish her sentence because of the huge bully that slamed Daniel into the lockers.
"Well well well!" he said in a menacing voice "the little punk! Got in my way!"
"OH MY GOD! OH I THINK YOU BROKE MY ARM!" Dan yelled with tears coming down his eyes "OH JESUS!"
"Well I think you've been in enough pain!" the enormous kid laughed "See ya later pip squeak!" and he left
"Holy crap!" Sonja yelled "you okay!?! lets get you to the nurses!"
"No need Sonja" he said getting up and wiping his eyes "I'm fine, that really did hurt though..."
"Don't do that again!" Sonja yelled "but, that was a nice trick see you later?"
"Yea, you got it" Dan replied rubbing his side "Jees that kid can really..."
His voice faded away as he walked further away. Sonja smiled and walked to class. Maybe she already had a friend for life.
(end flashback)