[Explore] Sunrise Cookies

It was Ollie's turn to take the hounds out for their morning stroll, having drawn an early shift the day before and gotten the luxury of a full night's sleep. Knowing that Rob's fishing crew had been out most of the night, hunting the critters of the sea that emerge in the dark, Ollie had roused himself before dawn to let the hounds out before his morning shift on the water.

 

Somehow, this incessant, unpredictable schedule of theirs worked, between the two of them. He and Rob had both become quite adept at handling the hounds, and Ollie was proud to say that Fathom and Leeward both behaved impeccably at just about all times.

 

This morning, given the darkness that still roosted over the city, Ollie decided to free the hounds from their leashes as they walked along the waterfront. Despite the early hour, there was a pep in all of their steps, Leeward trotting forward to lead the way and explore before circling back to pick them up again at regular intervals. Fathom seemed, as always, a bit more inclined to staying near Ollie's side, loitering a few steps back as he sniffed each fence post, studying the traces of hounds that had visited in the past.

 

For his part, Ollie walked along at a comfortable stroll, whistling short ditties in response to the birds who had already begun to sing in their nests. There was a freshness to the air at this hour of day that energized him and made him feel like he could climb a mountain or battle a storm. A feeling of brewing potential seemed to hang over them, a promise of the day to come, that made everything seem terribly exciting.

 

Ahead of him, Leeward slowed in her trot, coming to a stop with her tail raised and ears pricked staring at something farther down the path. Fathom seemed to come alive as well, head lifting as he trotted ahead to join Leeward, coming to a stop with his feet apart and square, chest up, bobbed tail twitching in a cautious greeting.

 

"What's this?" Ollie said aloud, but in a low murmur, sensing a crackle of tension in the air, caught between the hounds and something else he could not yet see. He inched a step closer, each movement slow and measured, tempered by the instinct within him that said they had stumbled upon something quite unlike anything else.

 

Whatever it was, Ollie couldn't see what Fathom and Leeward had spotted in the dark. But to his left on the horizon, the sun was beginning to break and the sky was lightening with tinges of orange and pink, a gentle burst of warmth to chase away the quiet cool of the night.

 

It took several moments, but as the tip of the sun finally crested the horizon, Ollie spotted him - the black stray that had been spotted wandering the city all month as families and friends gathered to celebrate Lost Souls. The more superstitious of the fishing crews had said that the spirits had drawn this wraith-like creature out of the woods with sinister intent. Ollie suspected it was mostly the food.

 

Before him, both Leeward and Fathom had relaxed a touch, the stiffness melting from their limbs. Leeward's tail had begun to wag, a soft, full-tail wag that suggested a friendly but not overbearing welcome. Fathom plopped his haunches down and simply looked at the black stray, no trace of menace in his countenance.

 

Ollie knew this was not the first time these hounds had come across this stray, which explained how at ease they seemed now. Inviting, even. Rob had recounted at length his first encounter with the stray, and it had left Ollie hoping for a glimpse of the creature. And here he was now, quite a glorious animal, with his proud spiral horns and his stark yellow eyes.

 

"Let's not push it then, shall we?" Ollie said quietly. He fished a treat from his pocket, one that he had picked up at the festival just the day before, and set it on the ground beside him. He let out a low whistle to call Leeward and Fathom back to his side. The two hounds complied. 

 

"We'll give him some space, how about?" Ollie said to the two hounds, retreating a comfortable distance away from the treat. He set Fathom and Leeward into a down, and leaned against the fence, watching the sun rise lazily in the distance. Maybe this time, the stray would bite? He'd stay a while, and hope to find out.