TUGGIE'S CANYON

In mountain shadow of the Sleeping Woman, Tuggie’s first mornings were spent peering between newborn eyelids at his bright spot of sun, which he claimed for his own at a very early age. He squinted as the sun drank its fill of morning dew, and feeling warmth on his brown fur, drank his mother’s milk while a gentle harmony danced in his heart.

It was a clear day in late summer when the puppy followed his bright spot downhill into a nearby forest. For hours, he relentlessly chased the ball of yellow amid jumping on leaves, dragging branches and barking at birds. Then Tuggie sniffed the air and wondered where home was. He whispered to the wind-blown shadows, "Mama," and wondered why the bright ball he followed all day had gone into the top of the mountain. With comfort, he remembered it always came back across from where it disappeared.

He was almost homesick when the rippling tail of a gray squirrel sent his instincts into a frenzied delight. Scooping up an acorn with his teeth, Tuggie pranced sideways toward the creature who promptly raced up a nearby ridge and disappeared. The puppy wondered if it, too would come back on the other side, but somehow knew it would not, and headed up the hill puffing and pushing like a little bull. At the top of the ridge, Tuggie was startled by a large, black Angora cat, and nearly rolled back down as the acorn fell from his mouth.

"Who are you, kitty?" said Tuggie.

"Fu," said Fu.

"Is this your hill?" the puppy asked.

"It is everyone’s." Fu replied.

"Who is Everyone?" said Tuggie, peering down the other side. "Does he live here too?"

"Never mind," purred Fu, "come this way."

Tuggie hurried over the ridge as Fu’s big black tail seemed to keep him on the path, and he found himself in a lush green world filled with the song of running water from every direction.

Across the creek and road at the bottom, rose another ridge so tall that he did not see the top. There was only an infinite array of trees, with houses scattered along the hill, well braced against steep landscape.

Dog was barely awake on boy’s deck when he heard Fu and Tuggie making their way through the myrtle. A Blue Jay cried warning, but Dog already spotted them, and descended the eighty stone steps to the canyon road.

Racing across Boy’s log on the creek, Dog bounced up to Tuggie. "Hello," said Dog, "are you lost?"

"No, I’m Tuggie," said Tuggie.

"He’s found." muttered Fu.

"Does that mean I am here?" Tuggie asked.

"It means you are everywhere." Fu replied. "Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it."

"What’s a hangovit?" said Tuggie, imagining food.

"This way," Dog yelped, "you can meet our family." And he ran across the log with ease.

"You want me to walk on that?" said the puppy, eyeing its uphill slant.

"It’s just Boy’slog." Dog said, trying to be nonchalant. "Walk straight, and don’t look down."

‘Is ourfamily anywhere near newfamily?" Tuggie asked as he tottered across. "I was going there before I got found."

Dog glanced at Fu and smiled.

"Maybe he’s hungry," said Fu.

Dog looked up to the deck. "We’ll go tell Boy’smom," he said, "she always has food."