December 4th 2009 4:10 am
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Everywhere, dogs and cats celebrated the defeat of Leviticus.
They also rejoiced in the return of the Rainbow, its vibrant colours emanating throughout Turtle Pond and beyond. The red, yellow, blue and green cascaded down, blanketing everyone with a powerful feeling of love.
Australian Shepherd, Carrie rushed over to Daisy and hugged her sister. She had been so worried for Daisy during this entire ordeal. Just days earlier Carrie had celebrated her crossing anniversary without Daisy by her side. Mandy and all the family happily joined in on the hug.
Just steps away another reunion was taking place. Buff was overjoyed to see April, a Blue Heeler mix and his former wrestling buddy. The two had played together when Buff was young. April had her two siblings, Katie and Bart with her. Buff excitedly called over Jack a Roo and Flopsy. With the six of them together Flopsy made the introduction and said, “Jack a Roo, these are your family’s dogs before you were born.”
Lucy Kitty and Ollie wrestled open a bag of catnip that Tonka had been saving. The three waved Eclipse, D-Max, White Boots and Misty over to share in the hallucinogenic goodness.
The details of how it happened quickly spread to the thousands of dogs and cats on the distant ridge. Before the floating doghouse returned to Turtle Pond for Levitcius’ so-called ascension, Alex and Max had left the group and traveled to the base of Husky Mountain. The two led everyone back home to Turtle Pond, where they assembled on the ridge in time for Rosie to fulfill her destiny.
The excitement hit a feverish pitch. Dogs and cats eagerly shared their stories with one another. Momas told the story of how he narrowly escaped the jaws of the hideous skeleton Jackal to Hannah, Lydia Rose, Cash and Popeye. The group huddled around him and listened intently to every word.
For others, it was simply a joy to be back home. Lucas headed straight for the water and began retrieving rocks from the bottom of Turtle Pond. Sadie Mae looked on and tossed her head in laughter. Buddy got right back to chasing the Frisbee that Daisy tossed for him.
A celebration wouldn’t be complete without a feast. Beezer fired up the BBQ while Mulligan and Samson prepared the meat. Cotton and her friends Sparkee, Putter, Pookie, Bear, Bambi and Kelly Ann set up tables and chairs.
Pongo sat with Callie and Raffles. He told them how The Vermont Labbies singlehandedly took on six coyotes. As they listened, they sipped steaming cups of coffee. Remy saved his highest premium beans for a special occasion and there was no better time than today to roast them. Cheyanne and Autumn pulled up a seat next to Pongo. Remy poured them each a cup. The strong aroma lingered in the air and soon Roman, Sam, gossip Hound Daisy, Sheba and Sydney joined them.
Remy’s bro, a Cocker Spaniel named Bailey, was watching his family in Putnam Valley, New York. Often Remy and Bailey would gather with friends and watch over their family. The leader of their pack on earth is an Australian Cattle Dog/Bluetick Coonhound named Oliver Louis. The “O-Man” knew how to shake his spots and dots. His performances were legendary. Not wanting to miss the show, Tinsleigh, Kirby, Jordan and Cleo pulled up seats next to Pongo and the others. Carmella sat under Tinsleigh’s seat chewing on a rawhide she had stolen from Kenny’s stash.
Bailey called out to Remy, “Hurry, the O-Man is starting!”
They watched as Oliver Louis began tapping his paw to the beat.
The O-Man sang:
“I GOTTA FEELING . . .
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD, GOOD NIGHT”
Remy rushed over, his tail wagging enthusiastically. The group started to tap along with the tune as they watched Oliver Louis perform.
“I GOTTA A FEELING (WOOHOO) . . .
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT”
Backing the O-Man up and singing the WOOHOOs were his Golden Retriever brother, Dudley and younger sister, Anne Marie. Remy put his paw around Bailey’s shoulders and beamed with joy while watching his pack.
Nearby, Rosie stood with Oberon. She never gave up on the coyote, always certain that there was good in him; he just needed a little help to find it. Through Rosie’s faith in him and the loyalty shown to him by her friends, Oberon learned that the power of forgiveness and unconditional love are stronger than any ancient legend.
Cookie watched everyone from underneath a nearby tree. She was happy there was joy at The Bridge again. Stryker came up to the tree and sat next to her. Side by side, the two lost themselves in thought over how much had happened since they first saw the coyotes. After all this adventure, they could use some quiet time and a good night’s sleep. Elvis called out and broke their thoughts. “The O-Man is putting on another one of his legendary shows. Come and join us!” Elvis and Mercury headed off to join the others for the show.
Stryker got up and extended his paw to assist Cookie. She smacked the paw away and barked out, “Race you!” The two ran towards the gathering. When they arrived, the O-Man was hitting his stride:
“TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT
LET’S LIVE IT UP
I GOT MY MONEY
LET’S SPEND IT UP
GO OUT AND SMASH IT
LIKE OH MY GOD
JUMP OFF THAT SOFA”
The angels watched Oliver Louis, Dudley and Anne Marie jump off their sofa and land on the floor in front of Trusty and Kylie. The move startled Kylie, and she bolted from the room. Golden Retriever, Trusty shook his head at Kylie and then looked around for any baked goods that might have mistakenly been left behind.
Without missing a beat, Anne Marie took over for the O-Man and sang:
“I KNOW THAT WE’LL HAVE A BALL
IF WE GET DOWN
AND GO OUT
AND JUST LOSE IT ALL”
Back at The Bridge, Alex and Max joined Remy, Bailey and the others. At the very moment when Anne Marie sang, “WE’LL HAVE A BALL”, Max’s red and blue toy bounced into the crowd. Everyone howled at the impeccable timing.
The laughter and fun encouraged others to join in. Miracle, Sheba and Spike began shaking their bums. New arrival, Australian Shepherd, Abby joined her new friends, showing off her dance moves. Whiskey, Riley and Cisco Kid couldn’t resist a party and hurried over. Golden Retrievers Butch, Duster and Cosmo clapped their paws in rhythm. Ruger started a conga line and a Great Dane/Dalmation mix named Giorgio recruited others to join in. Poco Loco, Indy and Crystal happily took up space in line.
The O-man belted out the chorus:
A FEELING (WOOHOO) . . .
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD, GOOD NIGHT”
Remy and Bailey started singing along with their fur bro on earth. Moe sang back up:
“TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT (HEY!)
LET’S LIVE IT UP (LET’S LIVE IT UP)
I GOT MY MONEY (I’M PAID)
LET’S SPEND IT UP (LET’S SPEND IT UP)
GO OUT AND SMASH IT (SMASH IT!)”
For a little extra drama, Remy threw his coffee cup to the ground, it smashed into pieces.
Pongo turned to Stryker and raised his cup towards him. Stryker was holding the carafe.
Pongo sang the words to the song: “Fill up my cup”. Moe sang the back-up, “Drank”.
Stryker filled his cup and sang: “Mazal tov”. Moe leaned in and sang, “L'Chaim”.
Remy and Bailey went back to watching the O-Man, Dudley and Anne Marie on earth. The three danced in front of the couch. Kylie returned and stood next to Trusty. The O-Man sang and Annie and Dudley backed him up:
‘LET’S PAINT THE TOWN (paint the town)
WE’LL SHUT IT DOWN (shut it down)
LET’S BURN THE ROOF (Woooooo)
AND THEN WE’LL DO IT AGAIN”
At The Bridge, Moe began jumping around and pumping his paw into the air while singing:
“LET’S DO IT . . . LET’S DO IT . . . LET’S DO IT
DO IT AND DO IT AND DO IT”
Everyone joined in with Moe and shouted:
“LET’S LIVE IT UP”
Moe continued to sing:
“AND DO IT, AND DO IT . . .
DO IT . . . LET’S DO IT . . . DO IT . . . “
The Vermont Labbies busted into a full dance routine. Magnum and Remy swung their paws up and down while Kayla and Beary twisted their hips back and forth. Jake, Nari and Joey joined in as back-up dancers. Magnum shuffled along the floor doing the moonwalk. The others rhythmically slapped their paws in unison.
Everyone joined in and danced while singing:
“MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY (DO IT)
FIRDAY, SATURDAY
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY (DO IT)
WE KEEP, KEEP, KEEP, KEEP ON GOING
WE KNOW WHAT WE SAY”
The group threw their paws in the air and shouted:
“PARTY EVERYDAY
P-P-P-PARTY EVERYDAY”
Cookie leaned into Stryker and said, “I don’t know about you, but I think I’ve had enough adventure to last forever.” Stryker looked at Cookie and humorously sang, “I gotta feeling there are more adventures in our future.” The two rolled their eyes and laughed.
Everyone went back to watching the O-Man and his pack bring it home, all the while singing along and dancing:
“AND I’M FEELING (WOOOHOOO) . . .
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD, GOOD NIGHT”
Vermont Labbie, Remy scooped Rosie up and gave her big labbie kisses. The Pointer blushed and giggled.
“FEELING (WOOOHOOO) . . .
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT
THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD, GOOD NIGHT”
Rosie temporarily broke from Remy’s embrace and closed out the song: “WOOOHOOO!”
********************************************* ************************************
Dedicated to all of our cherished family members that watch over us from The Bridge. Your guidance and love know no boundaries.
December 3rd 2009 4:27 am
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Rosie stared down at the ground. Next to her Leviticus raised his arms to the sky and screamed into the heavens. The black wolf was deeply immersed in his greed for power, in his need to bully and intimidate, to conquer and rule.
The soft female voice she had heard before, whispered in her ear: “Your destiny.”
She raised her head and peered up at Leviticus. He was still drunk in his glory and didn’t notice her looking at him. Her once spiritless eyes glittered and sparkled with hope.
“Your destiny.” She heard again.
She turned her head and looked to Oberon. The stern-faced coyote nodded.
“My little Rose Bud,” said Leviticus. “Because of you this new world blooms.”
Without hesitation she reached under her cloak and pulled out the Ankh. The Ankh was given to her by Oberon.
Earlier in the day, Cookie and the other cloaked dogs infiltrated Leviticus’ inner circle to confront Oberon. He always knew that they would come for Rosie but when he saw them and realized how much they had risked, he understood the depths of their love. For the first time, he witnessed unconditional love, and he made his choice. They entrusted him with the Ankh, the one thing that could save them.
Before Rosie got on the golden chariot, Oberon slipped her the Ankh and gave her instructions on how to use it. She now held the Egyptian Key of Life in her paw. Its beauty was mesmerizing.
“Your destiny.”
With conviction Rosie reached up and slammed the Ankh against the Amulet around the wolf’s neck. The contact of the two precious stones made a piercing sound. Cookie and the other dogs raised their heads. Rosie held the Ankh against the Amulet and wiggled it around. With a click, it slid into place.
Leviticus looked down at his chest. Confused and surprised he turned to Rosie. She stared back at him and said, “Because of me your world wilts and dies.”
The wolf watched as the Amulet began to dissolve and disappear. “Noooooo!” he screamed. He lunged for Rosie and locked his paws around her throat. His grip weakened. In horror, he watched his paws dissolve. Just like the Amulet, he was disappearing.
He stared at Rosie. Fear swam in his yellow eyes, and then he was gone.
December 2nd 2009 4:26 am
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Sirius reached its zenith in the sky. Its brilliance lit up all of Turtle Pond.
Rows of coyotes and foxes lined a pathway that led to the dais. Next to it was The Bridge, where each animal made its journey to the afterlife.
Oberon stood to the right of the dais, the black crow perched on his shoulder. On the other side of the dais, stood Captain Negasi. Oberon turned his attention to the group of dogs and cats standing next to the Captain. Just as he predicted, Rosie’s friends had come for her. Surprisingly, they put up little resistance and easily submitted. Now they stood three deep before the dais as they were ordered. In the front row, Cookie, Stryker, Pongo, Mercury and Elvis glared over at Oberon.
Oberon turned away and looked down the pathway. In the distance he saw the first glimpse of the Royal Bearers. The coyote took a deep breath and nervously prepared himself for the arrival of his master. As the Royal Procession started down the aisle, trumpeters signaled the start to the ceremony. On the backs of eight bearers, Leviticus sat atop a golden chariot. Next to him was Rosie.
Daisy let out a low growl as Leviticus approached. Remy fought the urge to rush the bearers. As the procession approached, Leviticus looked over and smiled at the sight of the dogs and cats having submitted to him. His spirit soared. Everything he had envisioned was unfolding. Before stepping from the chariot onto the dais, Leviticus looked approvingly at Oberon and said, “You have redeemed yourself.”
“I exist only to serve you, my Lord,” Oberon replied.
The mighty wolf looked out onto his subjects. Next to him stood Rosie, dressed in a red cloak. Her head was low, her eyes cloudy and distant. Her body just an empty vessel, void of any spirit.
Leviticus stood on his hind legs and raised his front paws outward. The Amulet of
Kelb-tal Fenek gloriously dangled from around his neck. His gesture prompted a roar from the sea of coyotes and foxes.
“Sirius, Queen of the night,” Leviticus proclaimed. “Rising in the sky, our guiding light. The dawn of a new birth is upon us. The blooming of a new world shall manifest. This mission began so very long ago. Tonight our journey is complete.”
Cheyanne’s heart sank in despair. Lucy Kitty trembled. Autumn stared ahead in fear. Moe was ready to bark in protest, but Poco Loco put a paw over his mouth and Indy signaled the feisty Terrier mix to be quiet. Jack a Roo and Flopsy held Buff.
Leviticus walked towards the edge of the dais and pointed to The Bridge. “I am the gatekeeper. From this moment onward, only those who kneel before me and worship their new master shall enter this paradise.”
Cleo hung her head in sadness. Tinsleigh put her paw around Kirby and tried to comfort Jordan. Sam looked at Roman, the two felt their spirits plummet.
Leviticus looked down at the dogs and cats. He motioned for the guards to lead the front row forward. Cookie, Stryker, Pongo, Mercury and Elvis looked up at the wolf. In the distance, Leviticus could see thousands of shadows emerge, all those who were at Husky Mountain, now stood together on the ridge. The sight pleased him as they were all present to witness his ascension.
Leviticus signaled for Rosie to join him. She reluctantly approached. She kept her head low and couldn’t look at any of her friends, especially Cookie.
Leviticus stared down at the dogs before him. “Kneel before me,” he ordered. “Kneel before your master.”
The five bent down and bowed their heads.
Sheba couldn’t watch anymore and turned away, burying her head into Kayla’s shoulder. Jake held Nari and Joey tightly. Ollie jumped into the arms of Beary. Sydney helplessly watched as Stryker kneeled before the black wolf. Momas stood motionless, Kenny, Daisy and Tonka at his side. Carmella looked up at Magnum, his big dark eyes filled with an unfathomable sadness.
Leviticus triumphantly proclaimed, “The light surrounds me. The light comes through me. I am the light.”
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