★★★

Within an hour of the call, Billy sped his patrol car, donned with the words "canine unit", up the gravel driveway. I could see the excitement on his face as he pounced out of the car, hand on his weapon, overjoyed that he might have a chance at some real action. Harnessed to a thick leather leash, a gigantic German Shepard climbed out after him, all muscle and teeth.

Despite my current predicament, I couldn't help imagining the theme of the reality show, "Cops" playing behind them, as the rookie and his monster dog strolled up to where the rest of the humans stood.

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

Winnie turned to me, her eyebrow raised as she captured my thoughts. She must've thought I was beginning to go insane. Who knows? Maybe I was.

Focus, she projected, effectively putting an end to my amusement.

She'd become distant after the discovery of the bloody bat in the barn, as if she were deliberately hiding her thoughts from me. The sadness in her eyes was working my nerves. Winnie knew much more than she was willing to disclose. Her expression signaled that something bad was waiting right around the corner.

Billy danced from one foot to the other, close to peeing his pants with anticipation, his hand gliding over the gun in its holster.  "Boy oh boy!" he said. "Never would have imagined all this commotion going on all the way out here at the Rose's place."

The older officer tucked the blood covered baseball bat, secured in a large black trash bag, into the trunk of his patrol car. "Those little fellas found this in the barn loft," he said, gesturing to Winnie and I.  He opened the bag a bit, allowing Billy to peek his head in for a look at the evidence. " That's when I decided it was time to bring you in. If he's hiding out here somewhere, we're gonna need a professional to sniff 'em out."

Monster dog stood at attention next to his owner, ears forward, awaiting his orders. The look on his face signaled he was far too important to entertain our presence. He was the real-life Rin Tin Tin—forget us rookies.

The sun hung midway in the sky. I guessed it was somewhere around noon. My stomach turned and growled. My attention was drawn to Hank and Boon on the hill. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves; barking and chasing  a group of terrified chickens around.  I sighed. Carefree. It would be nice to be carefree.  Maybe I'd just run off and join them, forget about the current mess we were in. Let whatever was meant to be—be. I'd already lived one long, hard life. Why not make the best of this one?  I could live out the rest of my life chasing chickens and laying in the sun.

Winnie let out a low growl, the fur standing on the back of her neck as she glared at me. Once again, she was reading my thoughts. The whole transfer thing did not come without its price. Privacy was not an easy thing to achieve as a dog.

Winnie I— A fluttering of wings interrupted my train of thought. Somewhat ungracefully, Sparky perched himself on a clothesline above our heads. His black eyes beat down on us.

Good old Sparky. I hadn't seen him in awhile. His eggs must have hatched and flown out of the nest by then.

Let me guess, I projected sarcastically, glancing up at him. Do you want us to—stay away from your nest?

The bird gave me a disdainful look, catching me off guard. No, he answered. I need to speak to Aria.

I nearly jumped a foot in the air at his unexpected words. Winnie stiffened next to me, giving the bird a scrutinizing look.  A sly expression came over her face as the bird's identity hit her. Well, well. Look who's broken the rules now! You stubborn fool! I knew you'd come around and see things my way!

She stepped back studying him, her eyes laughing. You're a sight for sore eyes, Bastion. But, why this little bird of all things?

He looked down at her, straightening himself—chest puffed out, his head raised proudly. It was this or that crippled horse. I refuse to take the body of a flee bitten canine.

Winnie's mood seemed to brighten tremendously at the surprise appearance of her companion. She jumped and twirled around in the air, barely able to contain her joy. What made you do it Bastion? You missed me, didn't you? But what made you decide to throw away your innocence to be a co-conspirator to my crime?

Sparky's beady black eyes glared at her. I simply can no longer sit back and watch the two of you screw this whole thing up. If you're foolish enough to finagle with the past, you must at least be prepared to deal with the consequences.

A gust of wind sent the clothesline rocking and the indignant little bird flipped twice around the line, finally tumbling in a whirlwind of flapping feathers to the tall grass below. 

Funny—this flying bit is much harder to master than I thought, he projected sheepishly from under the blades of grass.

Winnie bent down and scooped him up with her nose. He scrambled clumsily over her head until he was sitting on her back.

I huffed sarcastically. That won't draw attention at all.

I turned to find the humans moving into action. Billy was giving monster dog José's scent. The huge dog barked excitedly, his eyes widening as he sniffed it in. For the first time it dawned on me. I could relate to what he was feeling. That crazy, insane drive to follow the scent. A strange thing, connecting to a dog on that level.

The officer, Billy, Lance, and monster dog began the search. Winter and her father stayed back, choosing to sit on the front porch swing. Sheldon had disappeared into the refuge after the discovery of the baseball bat. Knowing myself, it didn't surprise me. Avoidance had been one of my main tactics when I was alive.

Follow the big dog. Sparky ordered from his perch atop Winnie.

Winnie's eyes momentarily held a frightened look. But it was quickly replaced with a look of determination, and she started off, giving the little bird on her back a jolt.

Monster dog was well trained in tracking. He harnessed the possessive drive of the scent and walked slowly, his nose to the ground, muscles tense. He was like a machine, methodically following the trail with ease. Everyone was so focused on the search, they didn't noticed us following behind. Two dogs side by side, one carrying a bird on its back. A fancy sight to see.

Should we be prepared to attack? I asked. Judging by that brief look of fear in Winnie's eyes, it seemed a plausible question. If the two spirits knew what was coming next, the least they could do was prepare me.

Winnie stopped walking, turning abruptly to face me. Her blue eyes held a new kind of despair I'd never seen before, as if she was wrestling with something. The question is, are you ready to attack—no matter who the enemy may be?

I stared at her, puzzled. What kind of question was that? Did she really think I was that much of a pansy? Was she afraid I'd take off with my tail between my legs?

Of course, I projected. I've already died once. Kinda takes the thrill out of it—if you ask me.

I wasn't afraid to die. But, I couldn't call myself a martyr either. Just—experienced in the art of dying. It'd look good on a resume—if I wasn't a dog.

Winnie rolled her eyes in the air as she read my thoughts. But, they were filled with amusement when she looked at me. Funny, it was usually her to cheering me up, not the other way around.

Sparky gave me his best attempt at a disgusted look. Keep up with the humans, he ordered.

We trotted on behind them. Monster dog caught a scent, but he wasn't heading towards the barn this time. After a few moments of silence, Winnie released a pent up thought. We are treading new territory now, she projected. Some of these things have not taken place in the past.

I stopped short. What?

Careful. Sparky warned from his position on her back.

Winnie ignored him, her thoughts drenched with anxiety. The baseball bat wasn't discovered until much later. By finding it now, we've changed, or at least sped up, some events of the past.

My heart banged in my ears as I mentally ran through the days events. It made sense the bat wasn't found right away. The officer probably came, looked around and called it good. Without the two of us readily available to sniff it out, the bat was hidden well enough in the corner of the loft to go unnoticed—although it was still strange it was there at all.

A sudden chill crept through my body as I eyed Winnie. I have to admit. I had a lot more confidence when I believed the two of you actually knew what was coming next. 

As I watched monster dog, his nose to the ground several yards in front of us, my thoughts shifted to Barnabas's tragic end. In an instant,  I started rethinking the not being afraid to die act. 

Hello readers! Thanks a million for your support! When you get a chance, check out that_dam_gymnast she's got lots of stories to fill your reading needs and did I mention she has some beautiful poetry.