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II - Hiding in the Light

Two days passed since Axius and Sage spoke, but she still got four eggs every morning. She felt grateful that her encounter with a stranger didn't take a turn for the worse. It ended up being alright.

Sage was chopping up wood at the crack of dawn, thinking about having a small bon fire that night when she heard a russle in the bushes. She stopped and held the ax firmly in her hands, staring in the direction where the sound was coming from. She stepped slowly to it when she saw a furry back pulling on something in the bushes. She dropped the ax and smiled.

"Pup! I didn't think you were coming back! You had me worried! What do you got there boy?" She walked closer as pup dragged a deer into view. Pup was a large black dog that was larger than a husky with long rough, shaggy hair. The species she couldn't identify although he seemed unique to her. His paws were as big as her hands. He had a strong sense to hunt like a wolf, and when he could, he'd bring her fresh kill to eat.

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When she first came across the house, she was stumbling onto the porch. It was pouring rain and she didn't have anywhere to go. There were asylum vans and cop cars that patrolled all the day out of the city as they kept getting calls of her being sighted as she made her way to the neighboring town. She shivered on the porch as the rained poured down. It was just near dark when she darted to the woods not knowing she would find a house back there. She looked around and noticed it hasn't been occupied in years, or so it seemed. As she sat there freezing, she heard a noise behind her, when she turned, two eyes reflected back at her as lightning struck in the sky. As the sky lit up she saw an outline of what looked to be a fierce shaggy wolf, but as it came closer it whimpered. Its leg was injured, for it limped slowly toward her before coming feet away and laid down. Sage slowly inched closer to it. Holding out the back of her hand to its nose. It sniffed and turned its head away from her, allowing her to come close and pet him. "Your hurt. Is it alright if I help you?" She spoke softly as she softly pet his head. He rolled over slightly exposing his belly where she continued to pet him before inching her way to his front right paw. He growled slightly when she touched it. She hesitated before continuing on. It whimpered as she massaged the ankle. "It feels swollen but not broken. You may have sprained it. I'll wrap it for you if that's okay?" Her voice as gentle as her touch, she ripped a piece of cloth from her tattered shirt and wrapped it tightly around its paw. He whimpered then started licking her face when it was done. "Haha, its alright. Your welcome. Haha!" it was the first time she laughed in months and it felt great. She smiled and gave him a hug, his body was like hugging another large being for how big he was. "Your the first friend I've came across. I wish I knew your name." She sat back and stared into its golden eyes. He tilted his head while watching her speak. "I know your not little but is it alright if I call you pup? I don't know what else to call you, and I don't want to come up with a new name. I'm sure you have your own. Pup can be a nickname." He looked at her and licked her slightly on the wrist while she scratched his ear. "Then pup it is!" She giggled as she gave him another hug. "Is it alright, if I stay with you here?" Pup got up and turned to go back inside where she followed.

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She leaned forward and picked up the deer, it was a full grown buck with his antlers in great shape. There was a gash in its neck where you could see pup had slashed at.

"I don't know how you do it pup, but I'm glad to have a dog like you. Where were you this whole time? Don't tell me you were hunting the entire time!" She laughed as she layed the carcass on the table and started rinsing it off with buckets of water. Pup barked, its bark rumbled deep in your chest, you'd think a rifle was shooting off with how deep it echoed. She smiled as she started cutting into the flesh with her bowie knife. "You must've been trying to find us something good to eat other than rabbits and foxes. I'm so proud of you." She ruffled its hair before Pup made his way to the porch to lay down. "Get as much rest as you want. I'll take care of this for you."