Sometimes a challenge is really hard to resist. The Highlander Holy Ground Forum has some doozies and I just couldn't resist the "Holiday Story MWC"
Winter's Night
It's been a year since Connor…died.
I'd watched the seasons from this window, winter to spring, then summer and suddenly the leaves were blowing through Methos' garden and I could see red bows and green and gold ribbons in the shop windows on those rare occasions when I had to go out.
The healing took a long time. Not the physical so much as the grieving. Grieving for so many losses… Losing Darius at the hands of the Watchers was hard but I'd had Tessa. It seemed that after his death the losses came just too fast, too hard for me to get my balance back.
For weeks after the second battle with Kell I would be fine for a few hours, then the truth of the loss would hit again and I'd go from tears to screaming rage in seconds. It took time and a lot of Methos' patience, for me to even get to the point where I could get to my room to wait out the agony.
Then, there would be a knock at the door and Methos or Helen, the estate manager would be there with something for me to eat or a new foal, to visit. They even conned me into helping hand feed a litter of puppies when the German Shepherd bitch had trouble caring for them. I stayed close to the manor house most of the time. I wasn't really anxious to be around people.
In the summer, Joe came up. He stayed for over a month. I finally saw the tape the watcher'd made of the fight. I'd like to think that I might have been able to get out of the fight, but knowing Connor, once he's set his mind on dying… I was shocked and terrified. There was still a lot of anger, at Joe because he should have known about Sanctuary. Irrational, I know. No one outside of the people running it, and recruiting for it, would have been told. Too dangerous and I knew it, but I wasn't feeling too rational at that point.
I was angry at Methos because he should have told me and that was even more irrational. Connor was the original immovable object when he'd decided on a position. Most if all, I was angry at myself for Kate, for Connor… for the other Immortals and watchers who died because of the gnawing pain that drove Kell to such an insane monomania that he could not think of anything but revenge.
Obsession is a frightening thing. I certainly wasn't immune to it.
Now, I could see the holiday decorations and if I turned on the radio, the carols filled the room with the sounds of the season. Snow started falling as I looked out over the wooded area back of the house. I saw the gardener and his wife leave their house, dressed for church. The gate hadn't latched and one of the pups, half grown was there, worrying at it. Suddenly, I needed to get out of the house.
The pup, Octavio, was chewing on the old fashioned latchstring and dropped it to whoof at me. I let him out and started tossing sticks for him to chase. He was the perfect picture of a happy young dog, ears up and crouching down into the snow to watch where the next one landed.
The other dogs, all of them well bred German Shepherds, were making a racket and I finally let the whole lot out. Methos kept them until the seeing eye people* had homes for them. Then after another year, they would begin their training.
I roughhoused with them, tossing the sticks, a well chewed ball and finally, pinecones for them. They had way more energy than I did.
It began to snow and the lot of them were so delighted, chasing snowflakes, each other and finally their own tails, that I started laughing. That decided them that I was the next target and they acted like a soccer team. I was rolling in the snow laughing so hard that breathing was almost impossible.
Laying there in the snow with the dogs licking everything they could reach, I was more content than I could believe. In the kitchen window, I could see Methos, laughing too. I motioned him to come on out. He smiled and shook his head, and I realized that the street lights had come on. "Come on, guys… Let's get you back in before the master of the house decides I'm crazier than he thought."
They followed me to the gate and reluctantly let me lock them in. I patted Octavio and hugged him as a thank you. The rough times weren't quite over, but it was time for me to embrace the living friends I still had. The ghosts would walk with me forever, but those fur friends had made me realize that there was joy in simple things like playing with a dog, and holiday shopping for my chosen clan.
This
is Tasha, a Service Dog trained by a friend of ours. She was seen on the
Mary Tyler Moore Special, "Three Cats From Miami and Other Pet Practitioners" (1998), recognizing the contributions made by these animals and their
human helpers.
German Shepherds are among many breeds taught to be companion animals.
The gentle intelligence of these beautiful dogs is amazing. The groups
that train them are always looking for families willing to take on the
initial socialization and care of these canine friends. These groups can
always use your help, both financial and in working with the animals.
The Delta Society in Renton, WA is one of the groups
assisting in
the training of Companion Animals.
http://www.deltasociety.org/default.htm
The Puppy Place has excellent information on the proceedures for Seeing Eye Dogs. You can contact them at: http://www.thepuppyplace.org/
Feedback is always appreciated...