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Helmut's tail whips the back of his human's legs and the legs of the passengers waiting to exit the bus behind them. The doors have opened and he can smell the thousands upon thousands of scents permeating Gourd Lake.
Familiar smells - his favorite kind - and new smells - his other favorite kind. Squirrels, ducks, foxes, mice. The car oils and the rainwater and the earthworms stuck to the wet pavement. The dead leaves crunching under his paws as they reach the pathway into the park. The soil underneath the dead leaves. The lingering scent of a female dog who'd squatted just outside the gate. Her owner was feeding her salmon-flavored kibble. Helmut buries his nose in the grass to investigate further. She also lives with another dog, a male one, and he'd stopped too, and he'd been eating the same kibble…
"Forward, Helmut. There's a good boy."
Helmut pauses at the sound of his human's voice, then takes one last whiff. He thinks they might live with a cat too…
His human gives a gentle tug on the harness and Helmut straightens up. At least there will be just as many interesting smells deeper in the park.
He hears a familiar, high-pitched cry: "Race you!", and wags his tail at the sound of laughter just up ahead. That is the sound that his human's pups make when they are happy. They chase each other down to the edge of Gourd Lake, then double back to return to him and his human.
Normally, the two pups run at the same pace, and the outcomes of their races are close. Sometimes they break out into fights over who actually won, and his human has to intervene. But today, the pup that goes by "Bronco" is clearly in the lead. The other one, who goes by "Simeon," keeps stopping to catch his breath. Bronco notices too as he glances over his shoulder, and comes to a halt. "Simeon? You okay?"
The other pup gets his breathing under control. "Yeah. I'm okay." As Bronco goes over to check on him, he adds, "Just needed to do…this!" and then speeds past him.
"Heeeeeeey!" More laughter breaks out. Simeon has almost reached Helmut and his human when Bronco catches up and tackles him.
Bronco is still laughing, but Helmut hears Simeon's heart rate spike. His body freezes up. They're close enough that Helmut can gently pull his human forward and nuzzle the two pups apart. He remains still until they are both able to get up and stand on their own two feet. Their hands feel cold when they pet his fur, but they once felt much colder.
Humans tend to notice the cold sooner than Helmut does. Their strange fur coats, which seem to change in color and size every day, don't work nearly as well when the temperature drops. Today, for insistence, while Helmut finds the weather to be pleasantly cool, the humans have each added an extra layer to themselves, something that they call "light jackets."
The night that he first discovered the pups was another matter entirely. On that occasion, the ground was covered in some kind of white substance that soaked his paws wherever he stepped. The sharp wind blew through his fur coat and settled into his bones.
If he hadn't picked up the scent of distressed humans and tracked it to one of the metal box-things that often rolled down their street, if his human hadn't managed to pry it open, his pups wouldn't have lasted very long in the cold. Helmut could tell as much from how faintly their hearts were beating. At the time, he'd decided that the best thing to do would be to lie down on top of them to share his body heat.
Gradually, he heard their heartbeats grow louder. His human carried them home and placed them on a spare bed, where Helmut resumed lying on top of them.
"Keh heh heh." His human had stroked the top of his head. "You like these pups, don't you, boy?" Helmut had thumped his tail. "Well, we can't keep them, I'm afraid. Neither of us would make a suitable guardian. Tomorrow they go to the orphanage."
They never made it to the orphanage.
The pups' hearts beat healthy and strong now as they chat with his human, while he scratches Helmut's head. People call his human by many names: "Kanis," "Bodhidharma," "Mr. Kanis," "Sir," and sometimes, "Oh-No-It's-You!" His pups started out with "Sir," before shifting to a new word, "Dad." That one seems to amuse his human the most.
They're saying it now as they switch positions. Bronco is now holding Helmut's leash, and Simeon has taken Bodhidharma's hand. "Dad." Bronco is rolling his eyes. "We're not 'pups.' We're ten."
That makes Bodhidharma laugh. "You see someone coming, you put the leash back on. Understand?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
It occurs to Helmut that if Bronco is getting the leash, that can only mean one thing: play time is imminent. He prances around and smacks the ground with his front paws. Any moment now, he will hear his favorite command.
"And don't wander too far from us."
"I know."
Helmut whines. Humans have an annoying tendency to hint at wonderful things like "walks." And then, rather than immediately deliver on those promises, they stand around and talk or search for things in their pockets and take much longer than expected. Simeon notices his frustration and rubs his ears. "You'll get to go soon, don't worry." Helmut licks his face and he giggles.
Something about Simeon smells different today. The other humans haven't noticed, but Helmut has come to realize that the humans aren't very good at noticing such things. Nonetheless, it's not a good scent. Helmut considers staying with him rather than running off with Bronco.
But then he hears the magical command, "Go play," and Bronco calling to him, and forgets everything else.
Bronco unclips his leash and they race together to the edge of Gourd Lake. A breeze blows his ears back and the bell on his harness rings out. He can smell lots of fish underneath the surface of the water. And birds flying over their heads. And the last of the bugs that have not died out from the chilly air. And squirrels. Lots of squirrels waiting to be chased.
"Helmut! Look what I've got!" Bronco holds up a stick and Helmut knocks him over to get it. They roll around in the sand, Helmut wagging his tail and the pup laughing as he just manages to keep the stick out of reach. A long piece of fabric catches Helmut's attention, draped around Bronco's neck, something that the humans call a "scarf." It strikes him that this would be more fun than the stick, so he grabs it in his teeth and runs off.
"No, you don't! Get back here!" Bronco gets up and chases after him. As he dodges the pup's swipes, Helmut notices Bodhidharma and Simeon following behind them at a much slower pace. He leaves them alone, knowing that they will take care of each other, and goes back to teasing Bronco by keeping the scarf just out of reach.
He loves all three of them in different ways. Bronco is the best companion for tug-of-war and dog-wrestling and chasing games. Simeon gives the best belly rubs, and he always has a treat ready for any little thing that Helmut does correctly.
Bodhidharma Kanis is different. He is the one who gave Helmut a home, just as he eventually gave the pups a home. He is the one who taught Helmut fun games such as "find it," "forward," and "when to stop at the edge of a sidewalk." He is the one who remembers to feed Helmut whenever the pups forget, takes care of him when he isn't feeling well, and takes him on hunts at night.
They haven't been on a hunt in some time. Helmut doesn't know why, but he trusts that his human has a good reason for it.
"Ha! Got it!" Bronco manages to grab hold of the scarf and tugs it away. "C'mon, boy! Come get it!" Helmut chases him for a time, then turns his attention to the rest of Gourd Lake.
There are all kinds of tracks in the sand, and the scents left behind tell him that a whole pack of dogs and their human came by, about a day ago. Some gulls are resting up ahead, but not for long. He rushes at them and they all take off at once while his pup cheers him on. "Yeah, get 'em!"
Helmut circles back and returns to his side. They slow down and veer away from the shore, following the trails that lead into the wooded areas. Helmut pauses at each tree trunk and occasionally marks them to add his own scent to those of the other dogs who came before him. Bronco kicks up leaves and jumps wherever a pile has accumulated.
The trail takes them back out of the woods and into a wide area where humans sit at tables eating food. Helmut stops, and his tail points straight out. He doesn't know any of these humans. They don't smell hostile, but that doesn't mean they couldn't hurt his pup.
Bronco clips the leash onto his harness. "Okay, c'mon, boy." His heart is beating quickly, and he sounds nervous. If he's nervous, then perhaps there is a threat here, one that Helmut hasn't detected yet. He doesn't move. Not until he knows that his pup is safe.
"Helmut. Come."
His ears go up. Some humans are approaching them. They are young, like his pup. Young humans are usually not a threat. They aren't old enough to know any better. Helmut lets out a warning growl so that they know to stay back.
Instead, they come closer. Bronco grips the leash with both hands.
"Hey, can we pet your dog?" one of the boys calls out.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Bronco warns them. "He doesn't like strangers. He could totally bite your head off."
Helmut isn't familiar with that command, but he feels confident that he could do it if Bronco taught it to him.
"Relax," says the strange boy. "I'm like a dog-whisperer!" He smells like hot dogs, but that doesn't endear him to Helmut. When the boy takes another step towards them and stretches out his hand, Helmut snarls.
"Seriously, don't," says Bronco. He positions himself in between Helmut and the other boys. Helmut nudges him out of the way - he is the protector, after all.
The other strange boy pulls at the first one's arm. "Larry, maybe he's right. We should go."
"C'mon, just let me try petting him…!"
A sharp voice calls out, "Phoenix! Larry! Over here, now." The boys finally run back to one of the tables, where a woman proceeds to scold them. "If someone tells you that their dog isn't friendly, you listen to them, do you hear me?"
Helmut's tail twitches. Bronco is safe, thanks to him. He plops down and waits for his reward.
"What?" says Bronco. "You don't get a treat for growling at people."
He isn't sure what that means, but his pup is clearly a little confused. To help Bronco out, he starts nudging around the pup's coat pockets with his nose. There are definitely pieces of beef jerky in there.
"Stop," Bronco giggles. "I'm not giving you any!" Helmut keeps nudging, and Bronco finally gets the picture and tosses some jerky his way. "Alright, c'mon. Let's go find Dad and Simeon." Helmut perks up at the sound of their names and follows Bronco back the way they came.
They find the other two members of their little family seated on a bench looking out over the lake. Helmut leaps up to place his paws on Bodhidharma's shoulders. "Back already, are you? Are you having fun, boy? Yesssss, yes, you arrrrre." Helmut licks his face.
"Hey, Simeon, they're selling snacks up there by the picnic tables," Bronco tells the other young pup, jerking his thumb back towards the trails. "Want to get something?"
"Okay!"
"Oh?" Bodhidharma smirks. "And how were you planning to pay for your snacks? Or are they giving away food for free?"
Bronco shifts back and forth on his feet. "I was kinda hoping you could give us some money? Please, Dad?"
"Please?" echoes Simeon. This sets off a chorus from the two of them, as they sometimes do when they want something. The same noise repeated rapidly, over and over: "Please-please-please-please-please…"
It's a sound that exasperates his human. But Bodhidharma agrees and reaches into his pocket for the funny treats that humans seem to like so much. Helmut has never understood the appeal. They don't smell good, or taste good. They're just wrinkled up pieces of paper. But the pups act as excited as he does when he gets beef jerky. "Thanks, Dad!"
Helmut watches them dash off. Once again, Simeon's movements are slower than Bronco's. And he still smells different from usual. Helmut keeps an eye on them until they disappear through the trees.
Bodhidharma shakes his head and reaches over his shoulder to scratch Helmut's ears. "To think that I, Bodhidharma Kanis, could have grown so soft," he mutters. "What has become of me, Helmut?"
Helmut isn't sure what the answer to that question would be. He doesn't really understand the words coming from his human. But he likes hearing his human's voice, so he wags his tail anyway.
"Perhaps we need to go on another hunt, eh, boy?" He grins, and Helmut lifts his ears at the word "hunt." "At least one more, for old time's sake? Yeeeeesssss, yes, we shoooooould."
But then his grin fades, and he sits quietly for a moment while Helmut comes around to the other side of the bench and lays across his feet. "…No," he says softly. "I suppose there's no fighting it now. I have learned much in the ways of death, but our paths diverged some time ago. Didn't they, boy?"
Helmut still doesn't understand, but nuzzles his human all the same.
"Daaaaaaad?"
They both hear the fear in Bronco's voice, and they both jump to their feet at the same time. Bodhidharma grips the handle on Helmut's harness, while the latter lifts his nose in the air to sniff out his pups. It turns out to be unnecessary. They are already coming back out of the woods. Bronco has his arm around Simeon's shoulders, and Simeon stumbles alongside him.
"Dad, something's wrong with Simeon!"
"I'm…I'm…" Simeon's teeth rattle together. "I'm r-really cold…"
"You don't feel cold," Bronco says. "You feel really hot."
Bodhidharma urges Helmut forward, then drops down to inspect the ailing pup himself, placing his hand against his forehead. Helmut is not surprised by the scene unfolding. He is only surprised that it took them so long to realize that something was wrong, and he wonders how humans get by with noses that barely smell anything.
"Why didn't you tell us you were feeling ill?"
"I wasn't sick!" Simeon protests. "I was just tired! And…and kinda cold."
"Whatever you felt before, you're feverish now. Time to go home."
The pups usually complain when they hear the words "time to go home." Helmut isn't too fond of that command either. But none of them complain now, as Bodhidharma redirects Helmut towards the nearest park exit and Bronco helps Simeon along.
Back at home, Simeon is put to bed and Helmut sniffs along the gap between the floor and the bedroom door. No amount of sighing and whining gets him inside. Fortunately, Bronco shows up and leans against the doorframe. Helmut whines again.
"Dad says we're not allowed to check on him because he's contagious."
He tilts his head. "Contagious" is not a human word that he's familiar with.
Bronco grins and reaches for the knob. "Good thing I'm not Dad…"
Helmut wags his tail, out of eagerness to be let inside and because he can hear the footsteps of his human approaching. As Bronco opens the door to Simeon's bedroom, Bodhidharma Kanis comes around the corner and calls out, "I know that I must be hearing things, because my son would never think of going behind my back after I told him not to do something."
Bronco jumps backwards. "I wasn't!"
"Keh heh heh. Of course you weren't." Bodhidharma reaches them both and stretches out his hand to place it on Bronco's head, but misses and catches his shoulder instead. "We never finished our game last night. Why don't you run along and find your chessboard?"
Bronco looks back at Simeon's door and grumbles, "Fine."
They lay the board down in the hallway and he sets up the little wooden pieces. "You needn't worry about him," Bodhidharma says. "It is a simple fever. He will be up and about in a few days."
Bronco taps one of his pieces against the board. "I know. But he was shivering a lot, and he doesn't like being cold. You gave him extra blankets, right?"
"Of course I did, you silly pup. Now, where did we leave off yesterday?"
Helmut watches them play for a few rounds, but humans sliding wooden figures across a checkered board is not something that interests him very much. He gets up and finishes nudging Simeon's door open, which Bronco had left slightly ajar.
Though he didn't understand the whole conversation, he too knows that Simeon doesn't like being cold. Perhaps he needs to try the same trick that saved them both when he first met them.
The bedroom is dark, but he can hear Simeon shaking under the blankets. He leaps on top of the bed and settles down, laying his head down over the pup's chest. Simeon lets out a tiny "huh?" noise. But then he smiles, just a little bit, and pets Helmut. His hands, once frozen, are now burning hot. "Good boy."
Helmut thumps his tail and closes his eyes. He already knows that he's a good boy, but he never gets tired of hearing it.