finished+story

__Shiloh__

Shadows spattered like ink under the red and gold of the autumn trees. Busily pursuing a nut, a squirrel slid up an almost leafless bough and retrieved an acorn. It scampered back down the trunk, headed for its stash of nuts, and practically landed on the dog that was sitting patiently below. It was a huge German shepherd, black and tawny gold, tail curled precisely around its four paws and its ears tipped forward, focused on the squirrel. Tipping its black and gold head to one side, it said, "When was the last time you saw the Lawsens' little boy?" The squirrel looked toward the white Victorian - style house, just visible through the trees. "I remember distinctly being chased off of their front porch with a stick yesterday morning," it said. "The boy chased me. The older one. The little one was watching from behind." The dog snorted. "That's what you get for trying to steal their peanuts." He scratched behind his ear with a hind paw. "You seen him since then? The little one, I mean." "No. He missing? There was such a commotion over there last night it woke me up all the way in my nest." "Yeah. Apparently Mrs, Lawsen went in to check on the boys and he wasn't there. They share a room, too. It's hard to figure he could just disappear like that without his brother even noticing." The dog stood up. "Do you know where the owl stays during the day?" "Hah. If I knew I still wouldn’t go near it." The dog rolled his eyes and wove away through the trees.

Officer Frank Harrison was greatly perturbed. The way the remaining family told their story, it was as if their youngest son had evaporated. Nothing had awakened his older brother during the night, though they shared a room upstairs. The parents hadn't heard anything from their room downstairs. The boys' bedroom showed no sign of a struggle. The family dog, sleeping on her fluffy pillow in the foyer, hadn't raised an alarm. "When was the last time you saw him?" He asked Mr. and Mrs. Lawsen. "After dinner when we tucked him in. Brian noticed that he wasn't in his bed when he woke up during the night. He couldn't find him anywhere in the house, so he tried the outhouse." "Outhouse?" "Yeah. We upgraded from a hole in the ground, but we don't have the money or time to move the facilities indoors just yet." "Well, that opens up a whole new spectrum of possibilities. If you'll excuse me." Harrison strolled back towards his car. He pulled a dog whistle from his pocket and discreetly blew into it. In a matter of minutes, the gold and black dog came trotting out of the trees and towards the car. Pretending to be looking through papers for the Lawsens' sake, he quickly informed the dog on the latest turn of events. "They have an outhouse instead of an indoor bathroom," he explained. "The boy very well could have been picked up, that is to say, kidnapped, on his way either to or from the outhouse. That would explain why their dog didn't make a fuss, and why no one heard a commotion." The dog sat patiently, apparently listening. "I want you to go sniff around the outhouse. If his scent is there recently, I want you to let me know. Then I want you to go back and see if you can sniff out a potential suspect. Anyone's scent who doesn't live here. If you know them, even better. Get to work." Harrison got out of the car, gave the dog a piece of jerky, and made his way back to where the Lawsens were standing.

After chewing on the jerky, Shiloh sniffed around the truck's wheels for any scraps before setting off at a lazy foxtrot. He made his way towards the back of the house, sniffing with vague interest at the various different plants lining the house. Turning the corner to the back of the house, he could see the outhouse down the yard a little ways, right up against the tree line. He trotted up the steps to the back door to sniff around, and was promptly attacked. His only warning was a scratching of claws on the planks before he got a faceful of claws and teeth. Yelping, he shook his head until the thing flew off. It bolted under the bench swing and stared at him with glowing yellow eyes. It was a cat. His first instinct was to eat it. But he had a job to do, and this cat might be able to help. "Did you see the kidnapping?" He decided it was better to get to the point. The cat relaxed almost imperceptibly. "So you're not on her side?" This vaguely bothered Shiloh. "Her?" "Yeah. The one who took the little boy." "You saw her?" "Yeah. I know where she is right now. She has the little boy… It's not far from here." Shiloh stood still. Fate seemed to have dealt him a good hand. "I'd have to go get the officer." The cat slunk out from under the chair swing. Her yellow eyes were in sharp contrast with her coal black fur. "She never stays in one place for long. A few hours at the most. I've been following them since the boy was taken." She sat and curled her tail perfectly around her paws. Contemplating him with her yellow eyes. Staring. "She won't be there much longer, I expect. If we go now, we might be able to hear where she's going next, or follow her there. Then you can bring your police friends in for the kill." It was a cat. His second instinct was not to trust it. But this was the best lead he'd gotten all day, and if the cat wasn't lying, he had a huge opportunity to make himself useful. If it wasn't lying. "All right, let's go."

Tapping his foot impatiently on the bristly grass, Officer Harrison sat waiting on his car's bumper. He didn't want to whistle for the dog, in case he had actually found something. But it sure was taking a long time. The family had long since gone back inside. Occasionally a random animal would wander across his line of vision, usually a goat or chicken. One time a cow, probably a fugitive from the nearby pasture. After waiting for almost forty - five minutes, Harrison started to get worried. It shouldn’t take that long to sniff out the trail of a potential kidnapper, and it wasn't like Shiloh to run off after a scent without alerting him first. Sighing, he stood up and made his way around the back of the house, trying not to trip in the gathering darkness.

"And you said it wasn't far!" Shiloh grumbled as they finally reached their destination. "We've been running for almost half an hour!" The cat merely stared at him. Shiloh rolled his eyes and proceeded to take in his surroundings. In the half - darkness that preceded sunset, he could make out a small cabin - like structure at the far end of the clearing. A small corral in front contained three small horses with thick fur and unshod hoofs. Their manes were thick and fluffy, and they almost looked wild. The door to the cabin was slightly ajar. Wandering closer to the horses, he contemplated the closest one. It seemed to be the bravest, because it was the only one that didn't shy away at his approach. It was vaguely the color of ash, although it was hard to tell in the dusky light. Tipping its head towards the cabin, it said, "There's a little boy in there, and a crazy lady. I wouldn't go in if I were you." Shiloh looked towards the door, where the yellow - eyed cat was waiting patiently. "I've got to help the little boy," he said to the horse. It looked at him quietly, with a sort of pity, almost. Then it sighed, as though giving up. "Nothing I can do about it." Shiloh padded towards the door, and followed the cat inside.

After walking around the property three times, Harrison was forced to face the truth: Shiloh wasn't there. He tried the dog whistle over and over again to no avail, even though on a windless night it could be heard a mile away. He stopped when he heard the family dog barking in irritation. Finally, he gave up and got in the car. Shiloh was an important part of this small - town police force, not to mention being dear to the hearts of his fellow police officers as well as himself. If he got hurt on this job, Harrison would feel responsible. He needed to find him as quickly as possible, not only for Shiloh's safety, but also for the little boy's. Ten minutes later, he pulled into the sorry excuse for a building they called the police station. It was about four rooms, one story, plus a holding cell for the crooks. Located right across the street from the saloon. Anyone wanted the police, that's what they were told. Right across the street from the saloon. Typical. A couple of the horses at the hitching post danced at the approach of the car. They were a rarity in rural towns like this; most people still drove buggies. However, being the police chief, he had managed to obtain a Model T Ford from a friend in Delaware. Harrison parked the car and went inside. Eli Morgan, the officer on duty, was tossing darts across the room at a poster of an apple tree. The one apple on the tree remained unpunctured. Eli sighed and dropped the remaining darts on the desk. "Who am I kidding, I'll never hit it," he said, half to himself and half to Harrison. "Hey Frank, why're you back so late?" He looked around. "Where's Shiloh?" "No idea. He vanished. I think he might've gotten a lead, but he didn't let me know, so I'm not sure. Where's Stan? I'd swear that's his horse outside." "Right here." Stan Shurtleff wandered out of the adjoining room. "You lost Shiloh?" Frank sighed. "He might be in trouble, too. Could you saddle up Dakota for me? I think it'll be better if we look for him without that noisy clunker." He was referring to the car. "I'll get the artillery." Ten minutes later, they headed back towards the Lawsens' property.

The inside of the cabin was dark, dusty, and dry. A vague light shone out of a doorway that had been left open at the end of the hall. Shiloh headed for it, forgetting about the cat. He slunk down the hallway and peered into the room. A little boy was sitting with his back in the corner, hands and feet tied with thick cords. He looked up when Shiloh entered the room, but not at the dog - at something above and behind him, and with an expression of terror. Shiloh whirled around, but it was too late. He got a passing glimpse of pale skin, long, dark hair - then the door slammed shut. He could hear the bolt slide into place on the outside of the door. Barking, he charged the door, scratching it - but it was shut tight. Finally giving up, he walked over to the little boy. He appeared to be about eight or nine years old, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Instead of being scared, he seemed to be smiling at the dog from under the cloth tied over his mouth. Shiloh tugged at the cords around his wrists. The ties weren't done well and it came loose easily. The boy petted him on the head before untying the ropes on his ankles and the cloth over his mouth. A soft metallic noise distracted Shiloh. He looked behind him. A tiny trapdoor above a bookshelf in the corner was being pushed open from the inside. Out came the cat. "Gotcha," she said, looking pleased. At that moment, the door to the hallway also swung open. The dark - haired woman walked inside and shut the door behind her, carrying a large branch of some sort. She stared at Shiloh, fear and triumph twisting through her already slightly maniacal expression. "How're your little police friends gonna catch me now? Huh?" She swung the branch at Shiloh. Yelping, he dove out of the way. "Can't catch me now, can't catch me now!" She chanted in time with the swings of the branch. She didn't appear very strong, and her branch wasn't very heavy, but she still knocked Shiloh off his paws a few times. Landing on the hardwood floor hurt, too. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the boy edging towards the bookcase. He selected a particularly heavy volume, and started creeping up behind the crazy woman. "I know you tell them, I know you do!" She shrieked. It was hard for the boy to get close enough to her when she was whirling about everywhere. Shiloh lunged forward and sunk his teeth into the branch, holding it. The boy only had a few more steps, and he lunged forward eagerly. But they forgot about the cat. As the boy jumped forward, the cat screeched, and the woman spun around. Seeing the little boy, she shrieked with rage and started forward with the branch. Seizing his opportunity, the dog jumped on her from behind, knocking her forward. She smelled like raw meat and mushrooms. Disoriented, he paused. The little boy ran forward and knocked her over the head with the book, just as she was trying to get up. He whacked her again, just for good measure, and she fell still. For a second Shiloh just stared. He couldn't believe he'd taken down a criminal on his own, with only a little boy to help him. He looked for the cat, but she had vanished. Trotting over to the corner where the boy had been tied, he picked up the cords and dropped them on top of the unconscious woman. Then he sat and stared at the boy, who got the point and tied her hands and feet. Then Shiloh tugged on the boy's shirt, and walked out into the hall. The boy followed. He pulled the door closed and slid the bolt in to place. When they walked outside, the horses whinnied. "You got back out!" said one excitedly. Shiloh guessed it was the gray one, but it was far too dark to tell. It was too dark for him to even tell which direction they came from, much less which way the town was. He padded over to the corral, the boy close behind. It was indeed the gray who'd greeted them. "Would you mind carrying the little boy back to town? And showing us the way? I don't think I could find it and keep track of the boy at the same time." The horse seemed a little nervous, but he agreed to do so if his two companions and himself were allowed to go free after they reached the town. "Sounds fair enough," agreed Shiloh. It took a few minutes, but Shiloh finally got the boy to open the gate and get on the gray horse. The three horses then set off at a slow trot through the woods, with the boy riding the gray and Shiloh following close behind.

After searching for Shiloh for half an hour, all the remaining daylight had dissipated. Even with their bright gas lanterns, it was impossible to see any possible clues to where he might have gone. "We keep tramping around like this," Stan said, "And we'll erase any tracks there might have been. It's useless, Frank. If he's not back by the morning we'll start looking again." Frank reluctantly agreed, and the three got back on their horses and headed back towards the Lawsens' property, barely visible through the trees. Just as they came out of the woods, Stan's horse jumped sideways. "Something scared her," Stan said. Suddenly a cat jumped out of the tree and landed in front of them. All three horses startled. "Hey, kitty kitty," Stan said amiably, but Frank didn't like it. He didn't like the way it was glaring at him with those yellow eyes. Finally it streaked off back into the trees, its black fur making it look like no more than a shadow. He watched it until it disappeared, then followed his two companions. "That was strange," he said to nobody in particular. Dakota flicked an ear back at his voice. "What, the cat?" Asked Eli. "It was just a cat. It was kinda weird that it was staring at us like that, though. Like a deer in headlights." More like a hawk looking at a rabbit, Frank thought, but said nothing. They rode in silence until they reached the police station in town. To their great surprise, there were three horses standing at the hitching post. An even greater surprise was the little boy sitting on the rocker, with Shiloh standing off to the side. At their approach, Shiloh barked excitedly and ran circles on the porch. "Looks like he solved the case himself!" Eli said. They got off their horses and tied them. When the strange horses saw they had arrived, they turned and trotted away. Shiloh whined at Officer Harrison and pulled on his shirt. Then he sat down very quiet and still and stared at him. Harrison looked around expectantly. "We still don’t know where our criminal is," he said. Shiloh barked, then got up and pulled on his shirt again. He smiled and said, "I think Shiloh does."

T H E E N D