S1 E8 - What About Harry?
The big dog revels in the breezes blowing over his face. The smells... the SMELLS! Greens and water and hot bark and goats and other dogs and... he pulls his head in to stare at the not-quite-stranger-man in front of him. He seems different. Harry sniffs carefully. Yes, this man is on the hunt, his scent sharp and focused. Harry swivels to stare at the friend-woman sitting beside the man. Her scent has changed too. This puzzles Harry... but only for a moment (which is several minutes in dog-time)... then he shoves his head back out the Jeep side window and goes back to nasal appreciation of his world. Car rides are seldom and to be savored.
Harry flexes his right shoulder. There's a sore spot but it's fading. The needle-people had poked him sharply but he had endured a lot worse for the proffered liver snacks. He turns his head so his ears flap and laughs but the Jeep is slowing and now he smells food. He's somewhere new, new can be good, especially if the people are friendly, and there's FOOD.
The humans get out. His friend snaps on his lead and takes him inside. He sees other people. His nose picks up a familiar scent, someone he remembers, but his friend is scared so Harry ignores everything to comfort her in his canine way, whining and lifting a paw to her lap. She smiles, ruffles his satellite ears, and murmurs, "Good boy." Harry agrees then lays watchfully at her feet as the hunt-man enters the room and begins to speak to the group. Within moments, Harry is dozing. Humans can talk for ages (which is also ages in dog-time).
Sometime later, Harry is nudged awake by the tension in his friend and the change in the smells in the room. Fear. Excitement. Alpha. The room is aswirl with emotion yet the humans sit still, listening to the hunt-man. Harry cocks an ear. He wishes he could understand the sounds. He also wishes he could go to his long-ago friend to comfort him. The fear smell rolls off him in waves, along with a new smell, one he's never associated with this man before. Regret? Longing? Harry snorts to clear his nose and leans forward. The long-ago friend needs comfort. Just then Harry hears the quiet click of his leash catch and the pressure on his collar is gone.
The room is very quiet as Harry gratefully trots to the fearful man. He lifts his head and gets one half-hearted touch to the ears before bedlam breaks out! His man jumps to his feet and bolts. The strange women at his man's table recoil. Before Harry can chase after his man to help him, one of the other men nearby trips over him and goes down, hitting Harry right on his sore spot! The other nearby man leaps over both dog and man to chase after the fleeing man. The man on his knees leaps up and hares off in pursuit. Harry gathers himself to chase after the three men but one of the women hauls him out of the way. Harry whines and resists but this human is surprisingly strong and drags him back to his friend-woman who refastens his leash and ties him to a post. Harry's part in this story is done.
So it is that, although Fidel Best is standing closer to Aidan Miles during 'the big reveal', it is Dwayne Myers hot on Aidan's heels during the chase.
END