"Oh god, Splinter. Don't die. Stay with me." Billy knelt on the forest floor, struggling to gather the big dog up in his arms. "Help me!" he begged Lance, his voice cracking. "We have to get him out of here!"

Lance stood his ground, eyeing the two men suspiciously. "Who fired the shot? Was it one of you!?"

"It came from the woods!" the officer said. He swung his gun in the direction the shot had fired. "He's somewhere out there, hiding. We need to head back. It's not safe here."

"What we need are some real cops out here that know what the hell they're doing!" Lance spat. He turned, catching sight of us. "When did these two get here?"

His brow furrowed as his eyes came to rest on Sparky, still perched proudly on Winnie's back. His mouth formed a word that hung on his lips. "What the hell is going on here?" he said finally.

"Please," Billy pleaded from the forest floor. "Help me pick him up so we can get him back to the car. He's been shot in the hip. It's bleeding pretty bad."

Something bit me, Splinter projected painfully amidst all of the chaos.

Hang in there, monster dog, I said, eyeing the bullet wound on his hind quarters. Dark, nearly black blood seeped from it.

Splinter must have possessed nerves of steel. He managed to maintain his composure, giving not so much as a flinch under the severe pain of the bullet lodged in his hip. In front of me, Lance ran his hand through his hair, clearly trying to pull himself together. He stripped off his shirt and rolled it, kneeling next to Billy and the bleeding dog. With swift movements, he tied it firmly around the dog's wound, applying as much pressure as he could to stop the bleeding.

The stubborn dog tried to get to his feet, pulling himself up with his front legs. The scent is so close. I must go there. I must finish my job.

You were shot, ignorant canine! Stay still before you bleed to death! Sparky chastised from Winnie's back.

Splinter's dark eyes fired at the bird as he desperately tried to stand on all fours. He growled. You are a very small bird, I could fit your whole little body in my mouth.

Splinter managed to rise, rocking back and forth as both Lance and Billy tried to hold on to him. 

"Calm down, boy. Calm down," Billy whispered. "We've got to get you back to the car."

With Lance's help, Billy gathered the defeated dog up in his arms, stumbling as they trudged back the way they came. The officer followed in the rear, he gun cocked and ready, swinging at the slightest sound in the brush.

Halfway to the clearing, a shock of terror spread over my body. From my neck to my tail, the fur stood on end. Overcome with a strong magnetic pull, my eyes were drawn to the branch of a dying pine tree above me.  The hypnotic yellow eyes of a large owl held mine, sending a chill that racked through my body like a lightening bolt. With one fell swoop, it dove into the woods.

                                                                                            *** 

Winter and her father were sitting on the porch swing when the first three shots rang out. They both sprang to their feet and stared woodenly at the trees, Winter covering her hand with her mouth. The swing rocked behind them, hitting the backs of their knees.

Silence. Nothing but the cheerful chorus of birds singing in the distance. A minute or two later the fourth shot rang out. Agonizing cries echoed from the forest.

"Oh god!" cried Winter, stepping forward. "Somebody's been shot!"

Before she could start off for the woods,  her father grabbed her arm. "Wait."

"We have to do something." she said, pulling at his arm.

His eyes held hers, trying to reassure her. "If anyone was shot, it was José. Both officers have guns. The best thing to do now, is stay here and wait."

"I can't. I can't just sit here and do nothing," Winter said. She turned to her father, her long braid swinging over her shoulder. She pulled his hand from her arm firmly. "I'm tired of being scared to walk around my own yard. Tired of wondering if a shadow is lurking around the next corner. I've never been this scared in my life!"

"Winter." Her father stepped closer.

Built up tears streamed down her face. She hated herself for crying. Everyone was protecting her. She wanted to protect them. But she was a coward.

"I ran away that night," she choked out. "I left Barnabas to die by himself. I'm not going to let that happen again."

Her father's face softened.  He pulled her head to his chest. "Is that what this is about? Baby, you did the right thing. I'm so glad you ran that night. Every night, I thank God you ran."

Footsteps sounded on the gravel behind them. "I heard shots," Sheldon said.

Mr. Rose gave him a stern look. "Lance and the two cops went off in the woods with the police dog to search for José."

Sheldon turned to the woods. "And the shots?"

Before they could answer, Lance appeared in the clearing. "Bring the truck over," he yelled. "We gotta get this dog to the vet!"

Mr. Rose sprinted for the pick up truck. Sheldon rested a hand on the back of Winter's arm. "It's going to be okay," he said.

The truck started with a sputtering roar behind them. It ground over the gravel road and bounced out into the grass clearing where the men stood waiting. After loading the dog on a mound of blankets in the truck's bed, Mr. Rose and Billy took off to the nearest vet, several miles away.

Swearing under his breath, the officer made a beeline for his patrol car. He sat spitting out words, his radio to his mouth.

"Come on," Lance said, motioning Winter and Sheldon to the house. " It's not safe outside."

***

I'll watch over the house. Sparky leaped from Winnie's back. Spreading his wings, he flapped in place before he flew off to a sturdy branch near the kitchen window where he could get a good look inside.

Winter gathered Winnie and I up and placed us back in the animal refuge with my dog mother and brothers. With one last anxious look, she locked all of the doors, and headed to the house with Sheldon and Lance by her side.

Winnie stiffened next to me as she watched them go. We're running out of time. We must get out of here—quickly.

Is he coming for her now? I studied her face. She looked panicked, her eyes wide.

He's—she stopped the thought—glanced up at the ceiling and stomped in frustration. Damn your laws! she projected fiercely.

I sighed. Ahh, the spirit law. You can't tell me. But, there has to be some way you can show me. How will I help her?

We must go back to the woods. Winnie said, her look fierce.

Back to where Splinter just got shot? My heart raced at the thought. Not really how I wanted to die—a second time.

Winnie was not moved by my attempt at humor. We must.

I had two choices; place all my trust in Winnie and blindly follow wherever she led me, or wait to see what happened if I didn't. Her blue eyes held mine. I decided to follow blindly. There was something about Winnie that made me—a former low life with no care in the world for anyone— want to prove myself to her. I wanted to prove that I could be somebody good—or die trying. There had to be a reason she chose me. I needed to prove I was worth choosing.

Her expression changed to something I could not read when she plucked my thoughts from my mind. She was struggling with something, once again hiding her thoughts from me. Glimpsing deep into her mind, I found I was able to pull out fragments of thoughts. With those pieces, I was able to make out that she was wrestling with the fact that she had feelings—for me.

I stepped back, surprised.

Get out of my head! She shot a paw at my face, scratching my nose with her sharp nails. A menacing growl emitted from her lips.

I would have laughed at that moment, if I hadn't seen the hateful look in her eyes, mixed with dark irritation. I stepped backwards, giving her some distance. Quite a bit about Winnie, or Aria, was a mystery, and she was going to keep it that way.

Swallowing, I focused on the task at hand, pretending nothing happened. Then, how do we get outside? The doors are locked.

We find a way, and we do it quickly. Winnie said, the anger gone.

My mother and brothers had immediately fallen asleep atop the blankets, curled around each other contently. Not a care in the world, oblivious to the danger lurking outside.

The window behind the bench was locked, but it was possible we could turn the latch and open it far enough to slip out. Winnie followed my thoughts and we both scrambled onto the bench to reach it. The window was the kind with a crank that turned to open the window outwards. Turning the crank was easier said than done—let's just say I found out how useless paws are when it comes to human contraptions.

After trying unsuccessfully to turn the crank with my paws, I ended up taking the thing in my mouth and turning it a little at a time, until the window was opened far enough for us to slip through. The worn screen was an easier matter. I stuck my paw through one of the many holes and pulled it inwards.

We squeezed out of the window,  and landed on the grass outside. It was nearing dusk. The outdoor lights flipped on. Something fluttered and landed on the ground near us.

All is well in the house, came Sparky's thoughts.

We're going back to the woods, Winnie said.

The little bird straightened, his head cocked. I will stay here then, and keep watch.

I couldn't help but find it funny that the small bird was offering to be a watch guard. What would he do if José came to the house? Peck his eyes out? An image of that old Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds leaped into my head.

Sparky glared at me. Watch it, canine. You have no idea how strong I am. Don't underestimate me, or you'll regret it.

Once again I wished for some privacy when it came to my thoughts. Winnie humphed next to me, reminding me I wasn't the only one who wished that.

Come on Pickle, we need to go—now! she said, heading off towards the woods. I followed her—blindly.

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for supporting my story. I hope you are enjoying it! Please vote if you are! Thanks again! This chapter is dedicated to @kristiekc, thanks so much for your support and amazing sense of humor. Check out her story, Girl with the Straw in her Hair, a supernatural story based on the end of the world with a unique twist.