Chapter 1
The young dog lay in the shade of the old oak tree he was tied to, stretched out in the cool grass. The past days had been unbearably hot, but fortunately the temperature had dropped down a bit that day. He snoozed contently, his snoring mingling with the buzzing of cicadas.
"Hey, Harley ol' boy," came a gruff voice. The dog raised his head, awake, and wagged his tail at his owner, a scruffy old man named Amos Slade.
"Someone's comin' by pretty soon to take a look at ya. One of his huntin' dogs died and he needs a replacement. All your siblings have found homes, and now it looks like it's your turn." Amos smiled, his huge grayish-brown mustache lifting upwards.
The dog, Harley, let out a happy bark and licked Amos's hand. He couldn't understand exactly what his master was saying, but he liked it when his master talked to him in a warm voice. It often meant something fun or exciting was going to happen, and this time it seemed like it was going to involve hunting. Being just under a year old, although fully-grown, Harley hadn't had too much experience hunting, but he'd accompanied Amos and his mother and father out on a few rabbit hunts. He was a slender but muscular hound mix, his mother a purebred black and tan coonhound, and his father a bloodhound mix. Both were skilled hunters still in their prime, and Harley couldn't wait to become a full-time hunter himself and impress Amos.
Of course, any day now a new master could come and claim Harley. Within the past month, other hunters had come and taken away his four siblings. Harley wasn't surprised that he was the last one left—he'd been the runt of the litter, and the other puppies had been much stronger, swifter, and had better senses of smell. But recently he'd begun to show some potential. Just the other day, Amos had Harley track down a badger that had been sneaking into his chicken coop and killing hens in the dead of night. Harley had managed to find the pesky animal, chase it down, and kill it. Amos had praised Harley like never before, and the hound had been very proud of himself.
Amos untied the rope from Harley's collar that bound him to the tree, letting him stretch his legs for a bit. Harley bounded over to his parents' kennels, which were overturned barrels lined with straw.
"Hey Mom! Dad! Guess what! I think the master's going to take me hunting today!" Harley barked.
His parents, who had also been napping, looked sleepily up at him.
"That's great. Not that I’m surprised, but you are finally starting to show some talent," said his mother with a smile. She stepped out of her kennel and stretched, her black and tan coat shining in the sunlight. Her name was Belle, and she was a prize-winning show and hunting dog. Amos had gotten her through a game of drunk gambling with her old master at the country fair, needing a replacement for his old dog Chief, who had passed away due to his age the year before, and a mate for his younger dog, Copper. Belle's owner hadn't wanted her to breed with a mutt, but a few pints of beer had made him less adamant about that, and Amos won her.
Copper also looked up and smiled at his son. He was a big dog, with the wrinkled face and deep chest of a bloodhound, but his coloring indicated he wasn't purebred. He was golden brown, with a dark brown patch on his back and ears, and white paws, muzzle, and underside. Harley looked almost exactly like him, only his ears were lighter and he had a black patch on his back.
"Hmm, I wonder who that is," said Copper, suddenly turning his head. Harley looked to see a truck pulling up next to the house. It was dull green with patches of rust, and the engine stuttered as it stopped. Tied down to the flatbed was a large dog kennel. A short, skinny man got out, wearing nothing but a white shirt and overalls. He had a long, scraggly red beard, and by the way he walked, he looked like he'd had a few beers on the way over.
"I wonder if that's someone coming to claim you." Copper turned to Harley.
Belle wrinkled her nose with disgust. "He better not be. I can smell the alcohol on him from here. I don't want some wasted idiot training my son." Belle was a very proud dog, and wanted nothing but the best for her and her family.
Amos went lumbering past the dogs, but stooped to untie Copper and Belle from their kennels. "You two can have some time to say goodbye while I talk to Travis," he said, then made his way towards the other man.
Harley suddenly felt nervous. He looked to his parents and said, "Mom, Dad, what if this man is going to take me away? I…I've never been away from you…"
"All dogs have to eventually leave their parents," said Copper gently, touching his nose to his sons'. "Be thankful you got to spend a whole year with us—I was so young when I was taken away from my mother that I don't remember her."
"But I'll miss you," Harley whined.
"We'll miss you too." Belle licked his ear. "But you're a hound, and you've got hunting to do. And I know you'll make your new master proud."
"Just think of all the critters you'll get to chase," Copper pointed out.
Harley wagged his tail. "You're right. Maybe I'll get to hunt raccoons! Or a fox! I've heard they're really fast and hard to catch, and a little dangerous too," he said with a smile.
"You might," said Copper. "You probably won't get to chase one if you stay here."
"Huh?" Harley tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
"Eh, well…" Copper seemed hesitant all of a sudden. "The master's getting quite old, and he can't hunt as well as he used to. Like you said, foxes are very quick, so he goes after easier game, like badgers and rabbits."
But Harley could tell Copper wasn't telling him everything. Sensing the young hound's curiosity, Copper turned to Belle and said, "Do you mind if Harley and I have a man-to-man talk for a moment? I want to tell him a little something before he goes off."
Belle opened her mouth, as if to protest, but Copper raised his eyebrows at her, and she looked at the ground and said, "I guess not. I need to stretch my legs anyways." With that, she got up and wandered towards the hill at the edge of the property.
Copper turned to Harley and said, "I didn't want your mother to hear this because…well, I haven't told anyone what I'm about to tell you."
Harley's ears perked up. "Huh? Why not?"
"Well…despite being old, there's another reason why Amos doesn't hunt foxes anymore," said Copper quietly. "I wasn't going to tell anyone, but I think you'd understand this better than your mother."
Harley was now deeply intrigued. "Come on, tell me!"
Copper looked in the direction Belle had gone, towards the hill. "You see that hill over there? It leads to a clearing where I met my first friend, when I was just a little puppy."
"Your first friend?" Harley cocked his head.
"Yes. His name was Tod, and he was a young fox, about my age at the time."
Harley gasped. "A…a fox? But Dad, we hunt foxes."
"Yes, I know." said Copper slowly. "But let me continue. Tod lost his mother to a hunter when he was just a newborn. You know the old lady who lives nearby, Widow Tweed? She found Tod and took him in, and raised him as her pet. We met up one day and started playing. He was actually pretty fun to play with, even though he was a lot faster and smarter than me." Copper gave a small chuckle.
"Anyways, we were too young to know we were supposed to be enemies. We were playmates for a long time. I'd sneak away from Amos almost every day to go play with Tod. But then hunting season came, and Amos took me and his old dog Chief away on a hunting trip. We were gone for several months. During that time, I learned how to hunt. We killed a lot of animals during that trip—rabbits, badgers, raccoons…and a few foxes."
"Didn't that bother you?" Harley asked.
Copper sighed. "Yes, at first, I was shocked that we were hunting foxes at first. But…they weren't like Tod. Tod was raised by a human instead of in the harsh wilderness, and that made him gentle and kind. But these were nasty, vicious foxes, the kind that prey on farmers' chickens and mock you as they run away from you. They'll even lead dogs into traps sometimes. One of them led me across a frozen lake, knowing the thin ice would break under my weight. I almost drowned, and Amos had to pull me out."
"Well, anyways, after that, I willingly killed foxes on Amos's command. But I still remembered Tod, and the fun times we'd had together. The first night we got back home, he snuck over to visit me. But I knew our friendship couldn't last, since I was now a hunting dog, and I told him he had to leave. But then Chief woke up, and he barked and woke up Amos. He set us after Tod. Thanks to my sense of smell, I knew exactly where Tod was, and led Amos away from him. But Chief found him, and chased him down that old railroad bridge behind the hills. A train came, and…" Copper took a deep breath, as if remembering this part was painful for him. "Tod was small enough to duck under it, but Chief…he had to jump. He landed on the rocks below and was pretty badly injured. He was so old, I'm surprised he survived. But it was still horrible…Chief was like a father to me. Amos had to carry him back to the house, and we thought we were going to lose him. Then…I did something that I regret, to this day. I swore vengeance on Tod."
Copper was quiet for a few moments, until Harley said, "And then?"
"I was shocked and hurt that my childhood friend would lead Chief into a trap like that, and I told myself the whole thing was my fault for trusting a fox. Later I learned that Tod hadn't meant to get Chief hurt, but I was blinded by rage and wanted nothing but revenge. Widow Tweed tried to protect Tod by taking him to live in a nature preserve, where hunting isn't allowed, but that didn't stop Amos and I. We snuck in and found Tod deep in the woods, with a female fox. We chased them both for a long while, until the noise we created disturbed a bear."
"A bear?!" Harley gasped. He had never seen a bear, but had heard stories of them—massive, vicious creatures who could kill a dog with a single swipe of its paw.
"Yes, a bear. It went after Amos first, and he stumbled backwards onto one of his own bear traps, and naturally I fought to protect him. That thing beat me to a pulp. I was on the ground, out of breath, and the bear was about to deliver a killing blow. But then…out of nowhere came Tod, who had been hiding with his mate. He could have easily made it to the safety of the opposite side of the river, but he came back… for me. He attacked the bear and led it away from me, across a log that stretched over a waterfall. The log broke under the bear's weight, and they both went tumbling into the river below. I guess the bear drowned, but Tod was just barely able to swim to the shore. He was too exhausted to move, so Amos tried to shoot him before he got away again, but I wouldn't let him. I stood in between Tod and the barrel of Amos’ gun, because Tod saved my life and I owed it to him to save his. Amos gave up, and we went our separate ways."
Harley stared at his father, too amazed by the story to know what to say. Finally he asked, "Did you ever see Tod again?"
Copper shook his head. "No, I didn't. I suppose he moved on just like I did. I went back to being a hunting dog, and I guess he settled down with his mate. But I'll never forget him. I'm still grateful to him, for saving my life even though I tried to kill him. And since then…Amos changed. He used to get a special kind of pleasure from hunting foxes, but I guess he's grateful to Tod as well, because we haven't hunted a fox since that day. I…I didn't want to tell your mother. She takes pride in her hunting skills, and I don't know how she'd react if I told her I was once friends with a fox. But you understand, don't you, why I couldn't kill Tod?"
"Of course," said Harley. "If it hadn't been for him, you'd be dead, and I wouldn't have ever been born, right?"
Copper smiled. "No, you wouldn't have."
"But Dad…" Harley stared into his father's eyes. "What should I do if my new master wants me to hunt foxes? Do I do it, or…"
"Harley, son, foxes and hounds were never meant to be friends." Copper sighed heavily. "They are our prey, and if our masters tell us to hunt them, it's our duty to do so. It might have been better if Tod and I had never met, but I don't know. I just don't want to hunt another fox, because I scared myself while hunting Tod. I was a raging killing machine, out for blood. That’s not who I am. I don't ever want to let that sort of darkness creep into my heart again."
Copper stepped closer, and murmured in his son's ear, "But Harley, I trust you to listen to your instincts. You've always had a good sense of justice. Hunt only out of respect for the prey and loyalty to your master, not out of anger or lust. You will, won't you?"
"Yes, Dad," said Harley solemnly.
At that moment, Amos and the other man made their way over to the dogs.
"Harley's a young, strong dog. He'll be good for ya, Travis," said Amos.
Travis, the man with the scraggly beard, knelt down and began examining Harley, looking him over and feeling him. He reeked of alcohol, and he had small, beady eyes that seemed to glare right into Harley's. He whimpered, not really liking this man.
"It's okay, son," Copper reassured him.
"Yes, yes he'll do," said Travis, standing back up. "I'll give ya forty bucks for this feller," he said, putting Harley back down.
Belle came trotting back as the men exchanged money.
"Well…I guess he's decided to take me," Harley sighed. He nuzzled both his parents.
"You’ll make a great hunter, Harley," whispered Belle.
"Just follow your instincts," said Copper.
Travis then looped the end of a rope around Harley’s collar, tying it rather tightly, and then gave it a sharp jerk. Harley was startled, but followed him to the truck, where he was ordered to jump up into the kennel. Travis latched the door shut, and then clambered into the front seat.
Amos waved to Harley. "Kill some varmints for me!" he called.
Copper and Belle gave barks of goodbye, and Harley let out a long bay as the truck started up and pulled away. He kept baying until his parents and Amos were out of sight. Suddenly, the truck swerved sharply, and he fell down on the floor of the kennel.
"Shut up, mutt!" Travis barked from the front. "You're my dog now, and you don't bark or howl unless I say so!"
Getting to his feet, Harley peered out of the wire door of the kennel, a feeling of unease overcoming him.
I guess this is my new life now…I hope no matter what happens, I can be as good of a hunter as Mom and Dad, he thought.
