Zena's Journey

Zena curls up in her little doggy bed and kicks out her legs as if running. Zena is running, in her dreams. She is racing through the lush green forest chasing after rabbits and squirrels. She spots a squirrel hiding in a bush near her and she abruptly changes directions. She lets out a joyous bark and leaps through the air. Zena falls back to the ground and trips over a tree root, landing on her nose. This sends her popping up out of her dog bed rubbing tenderly at her nose. Zena sighs as she realizes her joyous freedom was merely a dream. She saunters across the kitchen and rubs her head against her owner’s legs. She lets out a little whine and looks up into his eyes. He laughs and slips a piece of steak into her slobbery mouth. She licks the grease off her whiskers and trots to the door. Her owner stands up and opens the sliding door. Zena runs around the yard trying to relive her vivid dream. She flops on the ground and begins rolling in the light of the setting sun. Suddenly, she hears the rustling of grass coming from the field beyond the fence of her yard. Zena hesitates before deciding to go investigate this noise. She sticks her nose through the fence and sniffs the air. She doesn’t smell anything but the crisp air. Before she knows it, she is stepping into the tall grass of the field. Her owner has walked her around here before, but she has never walked here alone. As she is stepping quietly through the waving grasses, she hears a deep growl. Zena freezes and remembers the stories her neighboring dogs have told her of the mountain lions that sometimes come down from the mountains. Zena holds in a whimper and turns around to race back into the safety of her home. When she whirls around she is face to face with a large feline. The cat has dark fur around her face, but white fur around her mouth. Even though Zena has never seen one, she instantly knows that this is the feared mountain lion. Unfortunately, the mountain lion is blocking her path to her home. So, Zena spins around and launches herself into a speedy race with death. She knows she can’t outrun this giant cat, so she thinks how she could outsmart her as she runs faster and faster. Millions of scenarios race through her mind and she chooses the one she believes she finds most probable for survival. She turns toward the woods and runs past dense trees and overgrown bushes. After running for a few more moments, she turns sharply around the corner and hunkers down in a thorny, flowered bush. Zena sits as still as possible and hopes the leaves and flowers cover her well enough. Even if the cat doesn’t see her, she still may be able to smell her. Fortunately, the mountain lion continues leaping determinedly through the forest. Zena doesn’t dare move a muscle until she is very certain the giant feline is gone. It is only after she emerges from the overgrown bush that she realizes she doesn’t know where she is. She doesn’t know how to get home. She’s lost. She takes a deep breath and begins padding along the moss and twigs searching for anything she recognizes. After searching around for a few minutes, she begins to panic. The forest has grown dark and soon the night is upon her. She perks her ears up just in case she might be able to hear her owner calling to her through the darkness. She hears nothing except the chirping of crickets and croaking of frogs. Zena curls up against a tree and whimpers in defeat. She thinks of all the dangers of the woods around her and she shivers in the cold night air. She closes her eyes and imagines she is in her warm dog bed at her home, or even snuggling in the arms of her owner. Before she knows it, she is opening her eyes to the morning sun. Zena sits up abruptly, momentarily forgetting where she is. She whirls around, staring in every direction. Everywhere she looks, there are only trees and more trees. She runs for a while frantically looking for a path. Eventually, she realizes she is nowhere near home. She has just reached the base of the mountains, which are not very near her house at all. Zena feels like crying, but she won’t let herself rest until she gets home. Suddenly, she has an idea. What if I climbed to the top of the mountain and looked all over the ground for my home, Zena thinks. With a sudden new burst of energy, she begins the climb up the rocky terrain. After a while, when it is about mid-day, she stops to rest. She lays down against the sun-baked rocks and lays her head down on her paws. She has only been resting here for a minute when she feels a sudden, sharp pain in her back leg. Zena whips her head around and sees a horrible sight. A long snake is curled up, ready to strike again. She gives a large bark and launches at the snake, though this decision may be risky. With a final hiss the snake retreats into a crack in the rocks. Zena turns her attention to her wounds. A severe bite is marked into her skin, and the burning pain matches the appearance of the wound. She flinches as she licks the blood away. She hasn’t had much experience with snakes, and she isn’t sure if this particular snake was poisonous or not. Zena decides that she has to push on so that she can get home as fast as she can. She takes extra care to avoid suspicious looking holes, as to avoid any other snakes. Finally, she reaches the top of the small mountain and she heaves a great sigh and plops down on the ground. After catching her breath, she looks out at the view. She scans the ground and looks for her house. It takes a few minutes, but she finally pinpoints her house and she feels a wave of relief. She rests a moment longer and memorizes the direction that her comforting home is in. After taking all the time she needs, Zena begins making her way back down the mountain. She takes ginger steps and cringes every time she puts pressure on her snake bitten leg. Pretty soon, night falls again and Zena must find shelter. She makes a place inside a hollow log and closes her eyes. By this time tomorrow I’ll be home, she thinks with hope, I can’t wait to cuddle with my owner! With this final thought she falls into a restless sleep. In her dreams, she is running away from a giant snake with legs. She is about to be eaten, when she suddenly wakes up. Taking deep breaths, Zena tries to calm herself down again. The sun is barely beginning to rise and the sky is still dark, but Zena decides to start making her way back home anyway. She is shocked to find that her leg looks even worse than yesterday, for it is all swollen and is caked in dried blood. She tries to lick some of it clean, but abandons this idea after finding that it makes no difference. The need of getting home is growing stronger and stronger in Zena’s heart, so she forces herself to stand up and begins limping towards her house. It isn’t long before she reaches the edge of the woods, but it feels like an eternity to her. The pain in her leg is almost enough to make her cry out, but she holds it back knowing that this is the territory of the mountain lion. Pushing her way through the grasses, she soon sees the familiar fence of her home. She’s almost there! Zena tries to move faster and she is nearly to the safety of her yard, when she hears a menacing howl behind her. She freezes in place expecting to see the mountain lion standing behind her, but it isn’t the mountain lion, it’s two huge wolves. The wolves’ bright yellow eyes squint at her. She backs up slightly hoping that she may be able to slip into her yard. Knowing that she isn’t close enough to her house, she comes up with a different plan. She takes a step forward trying to seem menacing. The wolves shrink back in fear and they turn on their heels and run into the woods. Zena smiles in satisfaction and turns back around, excited to see her owner and feel the comfort of her doggy bed. Standing right behind her is the mountain lion! So it wasn’t Zena that scared away the wolves, it was the large cat. Zena freezes and doesn’t move an inch, but the mountain lion doesn’t attack her this time. Instead, she gives what Zena believes to be a slight nod of her head, and leaps back into the grasses of the field. Zena takes a moment to process what has just happened, but she doesn’t ponder long because she remembers how close she is to her home. She hobbles through the fence and up to the door. After whining for a moment, her owner slides the door open and scoops her up into his arms. Zena settles into his warm grasp and has never been happier to be home.

The End.