The Great Eight

Chapter 60

"Daddy! Daddy, watch me!"

"I'm watching!" Riley called to Lily, one of his daughters. The little tan and white female kicked her hind legs into the air and for a few seconds, walked solely on her forepaws before crashing down into the grass.

"That was amazing!" Riley praised her.

"I can do it for longer!" Lily yapped. "Watch this!"

As she got to her paws, Ivy suddenly came up behind her and pounced on her. The two female pups rolled in the grass, growling playfully and nipping at each other's ears.

Riley smiled fondly at them. The pups were now three months old, and Ivy was getting along splendidly adopted siblings. She and Lily were the liveliest of the bunch, and were always getting into mischief together.

It's like me and Ricochet, Riley thought. I just hope these pups can hold on to their innocence longer than we did.

Nimble lay next to him in the sunshine, watching her pups with a loving gaze. They had taken them to play in a forest clearing. It was now early spring. Tiny flowers dotted the grass, insects hummed in the air, and the sky was a clear, perfect blue.

Riley looked to the four other pups. Two of them, Rex and Rose, were playing tug-of-war with a stick. Sadie, who was the fluffiest pup, was watching a butterfly. Her scruffy ears and gentle demeanor reminded Riley of her namesake.

The last pup, Chase, who was named after Nimble's father, was sitting by himself at the edge of the clearing and staring up at the clouds. He was the most timid and quiet of the pups, often preferring to be by himself. 

Suddenly, a bigger pup burst out of the bushes and leaped at Chase. The latter let out a yelp as he was pinned to the ground.

"Jack!" Ricochet entered the clearing, calling to his son with a stern voice. "How many times do I have to tell you? Chase doesn't like it when you do that!"

"I was just having fun!" said the bulky tricolor pup.

"Say you're sorry," Ricochet growled.

"Sorry, Chase." Jack got off of him.

"Are you okay?" Sadie was helping her brother to his paws.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Chase quietly.

Violet came into the clearing, with the rest of her pups trailing behind her. Their names were Jasmine, Clover, Cedar, Sunny, and Shadow. At four months old, they were twice the size of Riley and Nimble's pups, but still just as playful. Rex leaped at Cedar and playfully tugged his ear. Rose, Sunny, and Clover piled on each other, squealing with delight. Jasmine hurried over to Lily and Ivy with a long branch in her jaws, and the three of them tugged on it in different directions.

"What is that!?" Jack barked at a dragonfly, which was lazily humming through the air. He bounced up high , trying to catch the creature in his jaws. He and his brother Shadow raced after the dragonfly, nearly bowling Chase over in the process. The smaller pup hurried over to Nimble and hid behind her.

"I don't like it when the others play rough," Chase whimpered.

Nimble licked her pup between the ears. "Just tell them how it makes you feel, and they'll stop."

"They never listen." Chase murmured. He buried his face into his mother's coat.

Before Riley could say something, the bushes rustled, and Maverick's pointy face appeared.

"What are you poutin' about, sonny?" he asked Chase.

Chase perked up. "Oh, hi Uncle Maverick!"