Despite his mostly cranky demeanor; “little dog” remains, well below the surface of his agitated appearance, buried beneath barks and behind bravado….cautiously optimistic.

His pragmatic nature reminds him that “the people” rarely drop food onto the floor.
Whispers that hot dog pieces and cheese bits and rolled up slices of lunch meat usually contain a bitter pill, meant to cure this or prevent that.

Assures him that bunnies and squirrels and birds are meant to be chased but will forever remain just out of reach.

Reaffirming and validating his belief that strings are usually attached, vigilance is always needed and guards should never be let completely down.

He remains, despite our best efforts, traumatized by something in his long ago past. He keeps his expectations low, holds the hopeful piece of his heart close to his ribs.

He vibrates with each beat and breath, unable to contain the internal struggle between hope and disappointment which duel for control just below the surface of his thin, fragile, trembling skin.

And so today, as we were walking, when he heard the clatter of something above falling to the ground below, he thought only of magnolia pods and rotted pieces of tree branch.

He huffed aloud, annoyed that we had stopped short, embarrassed as we dared to acknowledge and look in the direction of this benign, sure to disappoint, dislodged item.

He looked up only when he heard the raven call down. The frantic, hostile tone of its voice drawing his attention to the treasured item that had slipped from the talons of the disgruntled bird.

Miraculously and against all odds, the raven had dropped (I kid you not) a piece of fried chicken onto the street below.

“Little dog” was denied this treat.

Pulled away under the watchful gaze of victorious, coal black eyes.

We continued on our way back home.
Barks and growls and bristled hackles replaced by wide eyed wonder and slack in the leash as he lowered his guard and dared, for just a moment, and in spite of his instincts, to look up at the sky and dream of impossible things.