From the patterned skin of the tailed to the ferocity of these dogs, we used the world around us to survive. Even our venom was natural in its own way. Genetically manipulated, sure, but I considered it natural. And all those things gave us an advantage the Moles would never have. We could survive up here. We wouldn't run out of people, but they could run out of guns. Then there'd been their grenades. Those things had hurt as many of their own people as ours.
But what I liked most was seeing the smile on Ayla's face as she worked with the animals. Something about her relaxed with the dogs. Plenty of times, she fell completely silent, not needing to talk to them to be understood. There was a sort of grace inthe way she inherently understood them that I knew I'd never be able to have.
It made me happy for her. Once, Lansin had said she could do this for a living. Dogs weren't as popular in Lorsa as here. They were insanely expensive to start with. Then there was keeping one. A dog ate as much meat as a child. They had to be watched just as much too.
For a Reaper, having one made sense. Their dogs were their tools. In Lorsa, a dog was a luxury - usually. I didn't think Holly was, but most people weren't hell-bent on getting revenge the way my little Phoenix was.
"Rymar!" someone called, making me look up. "Again?"
I waved her down. "I need a breather."
"I'll do it!" Xav volunteered, jogging over.
So I passed him the gun I was holding, then patted his shoulder. "Make the dogs work for it, and if they come at you straight on - "
"I know," Xav said with a grin. "I may have trained one dog already. Go sit, Rymar. I think your brain's been addled."
I grunted, not impressed with getting picked on, but he was right. My brain was addled, but the dogs had little to do with it. It was the way Ayla smiled when she hugged that black and tan dog over there. It was the lift to her shoulders when Lansin complimented her. It was realizing that this amazing woman had picked me, even after all that had been done to her.
I found a fallen tree and eased myself onto it. All around me, people had broken up into smaller groups. Some were using a stick as a gun to convince their dogs that "fetching" it so hard would be okay. Others were still working on associating the word with the weapon that was being passed around.
Kicking out my feet, I stretched my legs out. The pain in my ass was probably going to turn into a bruise. The ground out here hadn't been cleared, and I was sure I'd landed on at leastone stump. I didn't want to reach back to rub it, though. That was something I'd never live down, but stretching worked.
Then someone called Ayla's name. She and Holly headed over, crossing the clearing right before me. Without thinking, Ayla reached down, trailing her fingers on her dog's head. Shit, but she looked good like that. Strong, the way she deserved.
But in the middle of my appreciation, a dark streak raced toward her, pushed between her and Holly, then pranced at her side. Ayla laughed, but from behind her, the dog's owner was clearly getting annoyed.
"Pepper!" he snapped. "No. Come!"
"Go," Ayla said, pointing to the dog's owner.
And while the dog was oblivious to the man's demands, it darted off in the direction Ayla pointed. Just more proof she was meant to do this, I decided. If the dog handler couldn't train his pup, but my girl could? Yeah, she really was that amazing. It wasn't my imagination, or Lansin trying to make another sale. Ayla was justgoodat this.
I got back up to hold the gun again, so Xav could have a break. This time, I made laps up and down the middle of the clearing. When they were ready, a handler would give the command, and I had to wait for a dog to charge me.
Most didn't quite get it. Once, Ayla used Holly again to demonstrate, and that seemed to help a few others. But then, while Ayla was teaching a dog that "disarm" meant the gun, someone ordered their dog to come at me.
It didn't.
The tri-colored dog raced after the first gun it saw - the one in Ayla's hands. She didn't even see it coming, but Holly did. That dog snarled in a way that made my balls suck up, and Ayla's head snapped over.
"No!" she said, pointing at me. "Disarm!"
The tri-colored dog turned, saw me, and started running - and then somethingelseslammed into me from the side. A grunt flew out. The gun fell from my hands, yanked with enough force I knew it had to be a dog, and I tumbled twice before I could stop myself.
"Good girl, Pepper!" Ayla was squealing in delight. "Yes! You did it! Oh, that's a good girl!"
"Fuck yeah, she did it," I grumbled as I rolled onto my hands and knees, trying to make the world stop turning.
That dog's handler jogged over, offering his hand. "Sorry," he said, helping me up. "Apparently, I'm shit with the dog."
"New dog?" I asked.
He murmured, tilting his head as if that was only partially right. "She was my partner's. Narina loved that dog, but when the Moles came..." He shook his head. "She was killed that first night. Pepper was locked inside the cabin. Couldn't get out. Now I have a dog and not my partner, and no fucking clue how to use her."
"You do know Ayla will help, right?" I asked.
He laughed once. "She's great with Pepper." Then he patted my back, knocking some dust and debris free. "The dogs were Narina's thing, not mine. I should've sent Pepper on to the winter camp, but I was so..."
