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The Rescuers

Published: Mar 25, 2015

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Description

Josephine grumbled and huffed as she made her way through the field, picking her paws up awkwardly high and almost jumping from place to place in an attempt to avoid the slush and mud. "Oh I don't know why I bother." she whined out loud, nose crinkled in distaste. One of her human's baby sheep had wandered off while he was busy doing some other dirty farm thing. Josie had tried to alert him but he had pushed her off and now it fell upon her to bring the stupid thing home. It wasn't as though she actually cared about the filthy wretch, but someone had to find it. She hadn't realized she'd wandered so far away until she caught a faintly familiar scent. Looking around she spotted a dog she thought she'd met once or twice. Oh, but what was his name? Ah, now she remembered!
"Ahem, excuse me!" she called. "Crash? Have you seen a baby sheep?"

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Walking through the field, giving each heifer and steer a check up, Cash's ears perked at the pathetic little sound of a lambs cry. Peering over at the fence he noticed through the wood panels a little white -ish sheep wobbling around the mud, looking very lost. Bounding across the field toward her, the little lamb noticed him and took off.
"Eh! Wait wee one!" He barked hurrying after it. Jumping through the gap in the fence, the black and white cattle dog sniffed across the mud looking for the sheep, before a voice caught his attention. Head snapping up he heard a woman talking to someone.
Trotting through the grass and mud the mutt came through the grass to see a rather awkward looking woman standing in the mud. She was very familiar, a neighbor, but her name slipped his mind. Smiling with his tongue hanging out, the underside of Cashs fur was heavy with wet and mud, the white nearly completely stained brown.
"Howdy! You talkin about a lamb? I saw it just a few seconds ago. Want some held rounded the wee one up?" He asked with a friendly cock of his head.

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Josie's nose wrinkled considerably and she drew herself up, leaning her weight back as far as she could away from the other dog. He was absolutely covered in filth. "Oh no, that's quite alright, no need to come closer."she called with a wave of her paw and a grimace. "Oh good, you saw the baby sheep. But...help 'round up?'" she said the words as if they left a bad taste in her mouth. Eying the other dog warily she took a few more cautious steps forward, arching her back to avoid dragging her long belly fur through the mud.

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Cash saw the woman flinch away, repelled by his presence, and wrinkled his brow with a bit of confusion. Ears perked the cattle dog watched her curiously. She was an odd one. Maybe she smelled somethin' foul, he thought giving the air a bit of a sniff and didn't notice anything other than mud, cows, and the faint smell of a lamb.

The caution she had in her steps made Cash come to an innocent conclusion. She must be frightened of him! "Oh don't be worryin' darlin' I ain't got no bite in me," he chuckled smiling at her. "Yeah, round up? Gather, send home, yeah know, git the little bugger back where he belongs," he mused trotting around her playfully.

"Went this way!" He hollered before bounding off into the mud causing bits of muck to fly this way and that.

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Josie barely stifled a cry of dismay and disgust when Cash came loping toward her, spraying water and mud and who-knew-what-else everywhere. "Could you please NOT!?" she squealed, back pedaling in an attempt to put more distance between them and only succeeded in stepping in some outrageously cold slush.

Before she could voice her displeasure the other dog had already run off. Josie growled after him and muttered under her breath, "Oh, what a foul creature! I can't believe this is what my life has become absolutely repulsive..." She walked awkwardly after Cash as she grumbled.

When she caught sight of him again she picked up her head and cleared her throat loudly to get his attention. "Well? Where is the baby sheep? I can't be out here all day!" she cried, tossing her damp ears out of her face with a pout. This was the absolute last time she attempted a good deed.

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Cash didn't hear her snarky comment, only the irritated and whiny one when she caught up. "I smell em, just can't seem to find it," he barked back walking back and forth through the mud. In the quiet they both heard a pitiful cry.
"This way!" Bounding through the muck Cash came upon a very dirty, and very stuck little lamb. It was stuck up to its belly in mud. "You sure got your self in a pickle," the cattle dog grumbled as he walked around the lamb. "Over here!!" He barked to the other dog.
"How we gunna get you otta there..."

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Josie sulked darkly as she picked her way through the disgusting, muddy field. Of course the baby sheep had wandered into the dirtiest place it could. She glanced down at herself and shuddered at the mud covering her paws and beautiful fur. She came to stand next to--but no too close--to the farm dog and noticeably deflated at the sight of the baby sheep stuck in the mud.

"Oh goodness. How on earth are you supposed to get it out of there?" she groaned, nose wrinkling at the sight and smell.

With a dismissive sniff she looked over to Cash and eyed him expectantly. "Well? Fish it out or something." she quipped, tone clearly annoyed.

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Cash cocked his head thinking. "Not quite sure," he thought for a long moment. In the midst of his thoughts she decided to give him an order, which didn't bode well with the cattle dog.
"Excuse me miss, but that be yer lamb. Why ain't you jumpin your pretty little tail in that mud and fishin her out?" He grumbled with a tight gaze as he looked at her.

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Josie audibly gasped and looked at Cash with her mouth gaping open, completely scandalized. "You expect me to jump into that disgusting mud pit? For a baby sheep? Sir, you are out of your mind." she quipped, putting sarcastic emphasis on 'sir' as she said it. Clearly she thought this dog was no such thing. "And here I thought country dogs were supposed to be true gentlemen." she sniffed and tossed her ears dismissively. "Perhaps I need to find some other dog around here who can actually be helpful."

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"We're very gentlemen like miss, but we ain't no pups takin orders from some pet. You go git some other helper from a house a few miles off, er your human. I ain't yours to be bossin,"</b> Cash spoke calmly, but harshly. His patience with her was at a minimum. Turning the cattle dog started to trott away, leaving her and the lamb in the mud.

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Josie stared after the cattle dog in complete shock, ears pushed forward and mouth hanging agape. How dare he? She stomped her paw on the ground and cried, "But you have to help me! Who else is going to get the baby sheep out of the mud? Do you want it to die?"</b>

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Cash turned on her, ears back, and lips curled. "NO! You ARE going to get it out! Right NOW!" He snarled in her face. "Uncurl your damn tail, jump in there, grab the back of its neck and pull it out," he growled, fur standing on end. "You hear me girl? Git on with it!!"

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Josie was momentarily stunned by Cash's outburst and looked physically taken aback. "Why...why I never!"</b> she cried with a dramatic pout. She flipped her ears with a hmph and tried to hide how uncomfortable she felt. "Fine! I'll get it out myself! And when we both drown in the mud I hope you feel very proud of yourself!"</b>

After she was done shouting she looked back at the baby sheep where it baahed weakly for help and struggled feebly. Josie stole herself and took a step forward, recoiling but pushing on regardless. Her paws were soon swallowed entirely and pulling them out took a great deal of effort and splattered even more mud everywhere when she paw was freed with terrible squelching. Josie's bottom lip shook as she pushed herself forward, determined not to cry in front of the terrible oaf that was forcing her to do this alone.

She finally reached the lamb and it looked up at her with pleading eyes. Josie tried to paw at it's back to pull it loose and only managed making it even filthier. Swallowing her pride she daintily grabbed hold of the small animal's wool, right behind it's head, and tried to pull it free that way, lips curled back and tongue nearly down her throat in an attempt to minimize contact.

The lamb didn't budge. Josie released it's scruff and whined, glaring back up at Cash and trying not to look as desperate as she felt. "I can't get him out alone!" she barked in frustration. It didn't help that she could feel her back paws becoming more and more engulfed and tried to ignore the small bells of panic in her head.

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Watching the woman finally roll up her sleeves and get to work brought a little bit of pride to his eyes. She may not like it, but at least he pushed her too do her job.
Being little and not adjusted to actually working, the lamb didn't budge. Striding into the much head first with out even a flinch Cash dug his teeth into the thick matted fur on the back of the lambs neck and started pulling. With a few quick jerks she loosened and started to slide out.
Giving the red head an expecting look to help he started walking backward, dragging the little lamb with him.

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Josie's nose wrinkled at how easily the mutt could just wade into the mud without a single care the in the world for his coat, matted as it looked. And no wonder. she thought bitterly, thinking of her own beautiful coat, now ruined.

But he had managed to pull the damned lamb from the worst of it. With a small struggle she freed her own legs enough to follow suit, helping move the lamb along by pushing it from behind with her large chest.

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Stopping once they were out of the thick mud Cash huffed letting go of the frightened lamb and stepping back. "Think you can manage gettin' er home?" He asked in a short tone. He had no more patience for this woman and just wanted to get her on her way.

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Josie narrowed her eyes at the other's dog's tone and sniffed delicately. "Yes. Quite well, thank you." she replied tersely, her tone clipped. "Thank you for your assistance." she added as she turned the sheep back toward home, trying her best to look as though she knew what she were doing.

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Comments7

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She-Hound

Mar 26, 2015

Hahaha! I love this! The art, characters, everything!

Haha, Josie reminds me of Effie Trinket from the Hunger Games. XD