Animals We Made

Ash Land | Part 6

Chickpea woke at dawn when the fire had shrunken to embers. Nico paced about with his tail bobbing and his eyes gleaming, aware, never dismissive.

"Have you seen the wolves?" said the dog.

"You ask this at the end of the night?" The feline scoffed. "I remained awake with the crows while you slept in the human's lap."

The dog blinked. "I was comforting him."

"Oh, that's rich!" Nico pawed at the dust. "Comforting, eh? Hah!"

"You are jealous."

At this, Nico quit pacing. "What?"

The dog slid off the boy's leg. "I am the human's favorite, and you . . ." Chickpea let his tongue emerge and hang. ". . . are jealous."

Mrumph snorted awake.

"Jealous!" Nico lunged at the dog.

"Yes!" Chickpea sidestepped him. "Jealous and bitter!"

"Fool!"

"I am lovable!"

The cat frowned miserably. "As am I!"

"No, because you have no feelings!"

"I have feelings!" shrieked the cat. "Mine are just philosophical, complex, Victorian, for I am a scholar, a pooper in sand!"

"You . . ." Chickpea braced, aware his next insult might've been his last. ". . . have pooped without."

"Impertinence! Effrontery! Rancor!"

"More words you ought not to know!"

Nico lashed out a paw, which Chickpea avoided by rolling in the dirt.

"Enough enough!" Mrumph, often the voice of reason, thumped her feet but was ignored. "Enough enough enough! Enough enough enough enough enough!"

The dog and the cat bumped heads, then jetted apart.

"I am lovable!" insisted Nico, foaming at the mouth. "I, however, have standards! You . . . you—you—you throw yourself at—at everyone!"

"My love is unconditional!" the dog argued. "To be lovable, you must love, and I love without judgment!"

"That is why your love means nothing!"

Chickpea barked ferociously at this.

"You'll wake the boy!" hissed Nico.

The dog scampered about, left and right, right and left. "Prepare for assault!"

"What will you do?"

"It is coming!"

"You are just skipping to and fro!"

"I will attack!"

"When?"

Chickpea leaped and leaped. "In a moment!"

Nico stood rigid. "I am bigger than you."

"Only by a few inches!"

"Well, attack me then."

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

"You are only barking."

"I am warming up!"

Nico lowered himself to pounce. "Seems you're all bark and no bite."

"I bark and bite!"

"Well, I hear only bark."

"Enough enough!" At that point the rabbit sounded livid. "Enough enough en—!"