Maybe it’s better if I approach him side-on. From behind, it might feel like a challenge.

Lucky trod a wide arc between the trees, along Twitch’s left. The injured dog moved a few paces to the right, taking a defensive stance. A low, unfriendly growl rumbled in his chest.

He obviously wants to be left alone. Didn’t Twitch understand that the wild world was no place for a dog with a damaged leg? That he had almost no hope of surviving without some dog to watch his tail?

Lucky took another step forward, but Twitch shook his head and turned away, vanishing into the forest as quickly as his injured leg would take him. Lucky thought about following, but what could he do? He couldn’t force Twitch to come with him. If this was his decision, Lucky had to respect it, even if it meant Twitch’s death.

Lucky’s tail drooped despondently as he turned away, resuming his path through the forest. Twitch’s scent was soon lost beyond the smells of foliage and small creatures.

A wind rose through the trees, making branches shudder and leaves rustle. The Sun-Dog had moved across the sky and left a deeper shade of blue in his wake. White clouds hung long and the air felt damp. Coursing between them, the black cloud was like a dark lake hanging in the sky. Lucky’s tail wound around his flank as he gave a whimper.

Forest-Dog, I know you’re here, watching me as you watch over everything in the forest. Please keep me safe as the Sun-Dog moves toward his rest.

As he peered into the darkening sky, Lucky felt a drop of water tap his nose, and another blur in his eye before he blinked it away. He hurried beneath the trees, seeking shelter under a large tree with a broad trunk and a web of bulging roots that looked like snakes burrowing into the soil. Huddling among them, Lucky made himself as comfortable as he could.

The rain started coming more quickly, sheets of water escaping between the branches and tapping down from leaves. Lucky licked his sodden paws. How has life come to this? he thought miserably. He gave a long, lonely whine and lowered his head to ground.

A large raindrop hit Lucky’s forehead above his eyes. Unlike the others, this one seemed to stay where it had fallen. Lucky felt a warm, tingling sensation creeping through all the way to his skin. He barked, shaking his fur to chase away the strange feeling of heat. He pawed at his head and looked up in time to see a dark flake fall on a raised root. It settled there, heavy and damp, the air above it twisting with steam. It was like black snow, the same color as the dark cloud.