
She hooked it with a claw and carried it out to the grass. Rummaging about, she was pleased to discover a spiral-bound flight manual. She pawed her way into the broken helicopter’s cockpit. “No surprises there, eh?” said the dog, hoping to befriend the bear.īut the bear only grunted. “The cat told me to tell you she’ll be late,” repeated the horse. “Have the others arrived?” asked the bear. “Good afternoon,” said the dog, as the bear joined them in the shade. This bear was a grizzly, and though certainly fearsome from afar she was not, really, a very strong or well-fed bear. “I thought it would be a snow bear,” whispered the horse. Together they watched her pad along, ropey muscles rolling beneath her fur. Though it had been agreed no animal should harm another for the duration of the meeting, he could not banish instinct. “The cat told me to tell you she’ll be late,” he said, through a mouthful of dandelions.īefore the dog had time to complain about this, the horse snapped his head up in alarm and looked down the promontory. … You bloody fool, added the dog, internally. Catching his breath, he nosed for something to eat in the weeds beside the dog.ĭog and horse regarded each other for a long moment. A brilliant white stripe ran down his muzzle. His almond coat was glossy and his mane was streaked blond from sunshine. Next came a horse, trotting-idiotically, thought the dog-in zigzags, toward the yacht. Anticipating the difficulty of the journey, he had left his pack before dawn and was, in fact, early. He smelled none and so lay down, snout upon paws, to wait. Limping into the shade of a smashed helicopter-fallen from its place on the yacht’s deck-he sniffed the wind for creatures. His undershot jaw, however, retained much of its fierce, stubborn strength. He was grizzled, mostly grey, and arthritic.


It was a vast superyacht, grounded upon a cliff, high above the sea. They chose a location more convenient to some than others.
