Chapter Twelve

Well, it took some doing. First Freddy fox set up a Foxy Yell (go here to hear a fox yell) Then Freddy made a huge dash into the now empty of water canal.  All this started the coyotes hollering (go here to hear the sound of coyotes hollering), which made Mindy claw her way onto my back.

The second I felt her claws latch onto my thigh then onto my back I took off running as fast as I could.

Now you must remember…I am NOT a young beagle anymore. I am actually an ancient beagle…just say’n.

Thus, being elderly I couldn’t run as fast as I would like and on top of me was a five-pound cat!  Now this cat was NOT just sitting up there enjoying herself, she was digging her mouse-killing claws into my back as far in as she could dig.  AND SHE WAS YELLING AT THE SAME TIME!

I tried to run and tell Mindy to hush up, but that was like pushing water upstream.

Finally, I fell down in a huge panting heap. I was totally exhausted… (older dogs have a tendency to gain weight, you do realize, don’t you?)  So, Not only was I old, and exhausted my weight got to me. I thought I was having a heart attack I was so tuckered out.

Mindy screamed at me to get up, to keep running.

I just couldn’t go any further.

I was done.

I laid there on the soil panting and huffing when Freddy raced by covering me in dirt.  He screeched to a stop, turned around, started walking back to Mindy and I.  Mindy peeled out off my back and climbed straight up on some of Dad’s equipment I was resting by.

Just as Freddy got two feet from my face three coyotes arrived. Splitting up one went one way, the other went the other way and the third one just stood and stared at Freddy, Mindy and I.

Mindy screamed and scrambled way deep into the corn combine.  I just laid there.  The end had come. I was done for, there was no way I could run, besides there were three coyotes on three sides of me and a big combine behind me so…lets’ face it I was trapped.

It was over, I was pretty sure.

Suddenly Freddy started yelping his Foxy call; dashing toward one coyote; then the other.

“You just think you nasty creatures are going to get us—” Freddy taunted, swishing his big fluffy tail this way and that.

The main coyote growled, placed one paw in front of the other, slunk way down to his belly and started coming closer and closer.

When out of nowhere a nose-stinging, eye-burning green fog filled the air all around us—Freddy, Combine, ME and the three coyotes!

Everyone was rolling on the ground, digging at their eyes and noses whimpering.  Freddy jumped up first, scampered through the three coyotes and was gone.

Then the three coyotes dashed into the deep darkness of the night yelping and hollering

I was so stunned with the green fug that I could not only not see, or smell anything I couldn’t even THINK what to do, or what had happened.

“Hi, Boomer!” Oreo greeted me. “Seems you were in a bit of mess, just a little second or so ago.  I thought I might help you out.”

Oreo was laughing and chuckling almost rolling on the ground.

“OREO! You are a life-saver!” I put my paw on his tiny little paw and gave him a little paw hug.

“Yes, I think so.” Oreo modestly replied.  “Well, off now, I have grubs and bugs to find to fill my tummy.”

I watched him walk off, turn around once he got out into the field and give me HIGH TAIL WAVE!

So, there you have it.  Mindy crawled out the combine, not a whiff of green fug on her fur, the coyotes were gone. Freddy left. And we were not far from the house and our beds inside.

“Say”, Mindy told me as we walked toward the back door, “I like going on adventures with you, Boomer. Let’s do it again sometime.”

I gather up what strength I had left and I ran to the back door and bayed and bayed until Mom came; opened the door where we both dashed inside.

Which after a long scolding, a big bath…Mom gagging all over the place. I finally got to go to sleep.