Strannik

Ivan and his pack of six hunting Dogs had cornered a large Bear. The Bear was angry and fierce, and fought with all it's might against the Hunter's Dogs. Two of the Dogs had their fangs fixed tightly on either side of the Bear's neck, the Bear clawed one of Ivan's Dogs to shreds.

"Okhotnik!!" Ivan shouted.

The Bear then bit down on another Dog and shook the poor animal violently. 

"Laika!" Ivan yelled in anger.

Ivan aimed his rifle at the Bear's neck, and pulled the Trigger, sending a shell into the Bear's Jugular, felling the animal once and for all.

Ivan looked at the bodies of Laika and Okhotnik, then at the Bear carcass, then said "Thank you..." and carried the Bear with him back to his cabin to prepare the hide, the head and the meat over his shoulders.

Ivan and his surviving Dogs had cleared the forest and saw the Cabin, and picked up the pace. As they walked to the Cabin, they heard snarling behind them. Ivan turned around to see a small pack of Wolves behind the Hunter and his Dogs, growling and arching their backs. Ivan aimed his Rifle, and pulled the trigger when his scope was perfectly aligned with the center of the Alpha Wolf's head.

The remaining Wolves lunged forward, filled with the lust for blood. The remaining Dogs fought off some of the Wolves, and Ivan shot down as many Wolves as he could until his Rifle ran out of Ammunition. When Ivan's Rifle had run out of Ammunition, Ivan made a last-ditch decision to run for it, leaving his Dogs behind.

There were only three Wolves left against three Dogs left at that point. Iskatel wrestled with another Wolf until the Wolf went for Iskatel's neck. The last two Dogs, Buyvol and Boyets, stood their ground. The Wolf that killed Iskatel charged at Buyvol, and Buyvol jumped over the Wolf, dove down, and bit down hard on the Wolf's neck, breaking it. Another Wolf snarled at Strannik, the last Dog, and Strannik whimpered in fear, then turned and ran away in fear.

The Wolf that was snarling at Strannik ran after Strannik, whereas the other Wolf retreated into the Forest. Strannik ran and ran across the field and open woodlands until he found himself at the edge of a cliff overseeing a river. The Cliffside was rocky and uneven, if Strannik managed his footing carefully, he could scale the cliff safely.

The Hunting Dog jumped onto a rocky outcropping in the side of the cliff, then jumped a little lower down onto a Tree growing out of the Cliff's walls, then he turned around and jumped down on to another Tree growing out of the Cliff walls when a rock from higher up fell on Strannik and the Tree, sending the Tree falling into the River below.

The Dog felt a great deal of pain in his hind leg as he clung onto the dismembered Tree for dear life in order to stay above water. The Dog made it a point to stay still, so as to conserve energy, and to keep from hurting his leg anymore than it hurt already. After a few hours of treading water, the current of the River washed the broken tree onto a bank, onto dry, solid ground. Exhausted, Strannik closed his eyes to rest.

When Strannik woke up, Strannik found himself in the corner of a small stable. He looked around and saw a Horse tucked away behind his gate in the stable, and when he looked down at his broken leg, he saw that his leg was shaved and wrapped in thick foam, gauze, and rag bandages, a big bag of ice cubes was positioned underneath.

A Man and a Woman walked into the stable, they gasped when they saw that the Dog had awakened from it's slumber.

"O Bozhe! The poor thing is awake..." said the Woman.

"Natasha, let's sit in here with him. He needs to get used to the idea of being around us!" the Man advised.

"Ok, Dmitiri. Perhaps he would like some Pork Fat? He must be famished after what he's just been through...."

The woman known as Natasha slowly walked up to the Dog with a bag of Pork Fat, Strannik snarled as she slowly offered a handful of Pork Fat to the injured Animal. Strannick barked, and Natasha set the Pork Fat on the floor of the Staple and backed away.

The couple sat on stools and watched the Dog from a safe enough distance for the Dog to feel comfortable. The Dog smelled the scent of fatty Pork Belly meat and he reached his head forward, sniffed the meat, then greedily gulped down the small amount. Strannik felt energy slowly but surely returning to his injured and worn out body with each small mouthful. 

Strannik felt slightly recharged, nowhere near enough energy, but enough to take in his surroundings better. Dmitiri had short black hair, a small, thin nose, an angled face, and was wearing denim jeans and a plaid shirt. Natasha had Metallic Red hair and green eyes, and was wrapped in a thick coat and hat. The Horse in the Stable with Stannick was black with a white on his muzzle and the middle of his forehead. Next to him was a small basin full of water.

"He seems to like the food. Would you like more, little darling?" Dmitri said, offering the Dog another small handful of fatty Pork Belly Meat.

Stannik lapped up the meat. He then looked at his Human roommates as they watched him eat.

"You hurt your leg terribly. You must stay here until you can walk again." Natasha said. "But don't worry, darling, we'll take care of you."

Strannik laid his head down on the bare floor.

Dmitri and Natasha lived in a small town of Farmers, Fishermen, Hunter-Gatherers, and Craftsman. Dmitri was a Carpenter and Craftsman, and Natasha was a Fisherman. The rest of the day, they tended to chores and errands, but they made it a point to stop several times that day to check on their canine charge, and help him get used to them. The next day, when the couple checked in on the Dog, they were accompanied by a Doctor.

"Here is the Dog we told you about, Dr. Smulekoff" Dmitri said.

"Well, I'm technically a Human Doctor, not an Animal Doctor, but I'm sure that a Dog's broken Leg can't be too much different from a Human's broken Leg in principal.

Natasha gave Strannik a Smelt to eat to distract him as Dr. Smulekoff examined Strannik's injured hind leg.

"Hmm...Well, it's not a light fracture, but it's not a severe fracture, either, so, this Dog's injury should be fully healed in around four to eight weeks, provided that you keep it wrapped, bound and numb with Ice and Snow, in the meantime, this furry friend should rest." the Doctor declared.

Every day for the next three weeks, Dmitri and Natasha would tend to Strannik as Strannik rested off his injured leg. Every day Strannik would get more familiar with his caretakers and trust them more and more. On the fifth day of the third week, when Dmitri and Natasha showed Strannik their palms, the Dog let Dmitri and Natasha pet him. Later that day, Natasha sat on a stool in the Stable, and Strannik limped over to her and put his head on her lap.

On the third day of the fifth week, Doctor Smulekoff came over to check on Strannik again.

"This Dog is making remarkable progress! I'd say he'd be good to walk again in two weeks at least!" the Doctor declared.

"So what should we call you?" Natasha asked.

Dmitri suggested "You're in a Stable, so how about Ioshad?"

When Ioshad's leg recovered enough to take the wrappings off, the Dog explored the small town. The men, women and children all said "Hi!" to the Dog. Ioshad was just at the edge of the town when he saw Ivan walking into the village.

"Oh there you are, Strannik! Come now, let's get back to the Cabin!"

Ioshad ran back to Dmitri and Natasha's home.

When Ivan saw his hunting dog slinking behind the couple, Ivan pulled out his pistol.

"You stole my Hunting Dog!! You bastards!" Ivan said, cocking the Gun. Ioshad leapt at Ivan and bit him in the neck just as the Shotgun was fired. The jolt to the side from Ioshad's lunging attack caused the gun to pull from Dmitri's abdomen to his right thigh.

"DMITRI!!" Natasha yelled.

Ioshad bit down on Ivan's jugular, and he bled out in minutes.

Doctor Smulekoff examined Dmitri's injured leg and said "I suggest not putting any weight on it for a couple of months!"

And so, Ioshad watched out for Dmitri as he rested his wounded leg.