out my hand. "Memberi."
Achoo hesitated, eyeing me. She shook it again.
"I said, memberi" I told her. "Don't diddle me, wench."
She thought it over a moment more, then trotted forward and dropped the shirt at my feet, her tail wagging.
I looked around. No one was there to see me. I knelt and scratched behind both of her ears, mindful of her sores. "Good girl," I told her softly. "Good hound. Just, no mauling my clothes about, all right?"
Achoo licked my face.
"Silly thing," I whispered, touched. Pounce isn't much for animal affection. "Don't do that. Folk will say we aren't tough."
She licked my face again.
Back to Phelan, Kora, and Pounce we went. Phelan apologized for forgetting to put the word "stop" on his list. It was berhenti . I had a chance to use it almost immediately when the flock of pigeons descended on us from above. Achoo thought they had come for her. She raced at them, jumping and biting, yanking her leash from my hand. I'd been stupid enough to let my hold on it go loose. That's a bad idea with a hound who likes to chase things.
"Achoo! Berhenti!" I cried, lunging after her. "Tak , Mithros take you! Berhenti ! They're friends – kawan , curse it all, kawan!"
She halted in mid-leap to stare at me. I suppose in her world no one had ever claimed pigeons as friends before.
I turned to Pounce. "Will you explain it to her, please?"
He jumped down from Kora's lap and stretched. Very well. I doubt she will understand about the pigeons if I don't .
"I'll get the bird food." Kora jumped up and ran into the house.
"Achoo will be quicker to obey as she gets used to you," Phelan told me. "I see some of her handlers let her get bad habits. She's never had a female to work her, either, that may have sommat to do with it. She has to get accustomed to your voice."
"I've seen handlers give their hounds treats when they do tricks or work well," I mentioned, watching Pounce talk to Achoo. I couldn't hear anything, so he must have spoken to her in her mind.
"Ah – thank you for the reminder!" Phelan said. He took a packet from his tunic and opened it for me. It was full of strips of dried meat, each about two inches long. I sniffed them. Unless I was mistaken, they were goat and mutton. "You want to keep plenty of these with you," Phelan told me. "Hounds love to be praised, and they love to be petted and scratched, but a hound loves you best of all if you look after her belly. Reward her with jerked meat – not too much, but then, you're a sensible mot, Beka – and she'll love her work with you. Oh, aye, you know I've brought the treats out, don't you, girl?"
For a moment I thought he meant me. Then I saw that he spoke to Achoo, who was watching us, her tail wagging. She had seen, or smelled, the meat.
"Kemari," I said. When she came, I gave her one of the strips. "Good girl," I told her as she gobbled it.
"Don't give her meat for everything," Phelan warned me. "It's good to start with, but you want to keep it for harder or unusual work."
I looked at him and sighed. "I'm not a dolt, Phelan Rapp."
We spent a couple of hours in the garden with Kora, Achoo, and Pounce. Kora had thought to bring my journal with the bird food, so she tended Achoo's sores while I fed pigeons, taking notes from the ghosts who rode them. Then, when we ran out of bread crumbs and corn, Phelan, Achoo, and I went back to work. Phelan explained how the usual hunt went as Achoo and I practiced commands and Kora hid things at greater distances for us to find. Pounce took a seat atop Mistress Trout's chicken coop and napped.
Phelan also taught me hand signals to show Achoo for when it was too dangerous for us to talk. They were the same as the ones Dogs used for those times, but I had to hold my hand where Achoo could see it to make the open palm for "stop," two flicks of the hand for "guard," and so on. We practiced those several times until I knew them well.
We halted when it was time for me to get ready to go on duty. I thanked
Achoo hesitated, eyeing me. She shook it again.
"I said, memberi" I told her. "Don't diddle me, wench."
She thought it over a moment more, then trotted forward and dropped the shirt at my feet, her tail wagging.
I looked around. No one was there to see me. I knelt and scratched behind both of her ears, mindful of her sores. "Good girl," I told her softly. "Good hound. Just, no mauling my clothes about, all right?"
Achoo licked my face.
"Silly thing," I whispered, touched. Pounce isn't much for animal affection. "Don't do that. Folk will say we aren't tough."
She licked my face again.
Back to Phelan, Kora, and Pounce we went. Phelan apologized for forgetting to put the word "stop" on his list. It was berhenti . I had a chance to use it almost immediately when the flock of pigeons descended on us from above. Achoo thought they had come for her. She raced at them, jumping and biting, yanking her leash from my hand. I'd been stupid enough to let my hold on it go loose. That's a bad idea with a hound who likes to chase things.
"Achoo! Berhenti!" I cried, lunging after her. "Tak , Mithros take you! Berhenti ! They're friends – kawan , curse it all, kawan!"
She halted in mid-leap to stare at me. I suppose in her world no one had ever claimed pigeons as friends before.
I turned to Pounce. "Will you explain it to her, please?"
He jumped down from Kora's lap and stretched. Very well. I doubt she will understand about the pigeons if I don't .
"I'll get the bird food." Kora jumped up and ran into the house.
"Achoo will be quicker to obey as she gets used to you," Phelan told me. "I see some of her handlers let her get bad habits. She's never had a female to work her, either, that may have sommat to do with it. She has to get accustomed to your voice."
"I've seen handlers give their hounds treats when they do tricks or work well," I mentioned, watching Pounce talk to Achoo. I couldn't hear anything, so he must have spoken to her in her mind.
"Ah – thank you for the reminder!" Phelan said. He took a packet from his tunic and opened it for me. It was full of strips of dried meat, each about two inches long. I sniffed them. Unless I was mistaken, they were goat and mutton. "You want to keep plenty of these with you," Phelan told me. "Hounds love to be praised, and they love to be petted and scratched, but a hound loves you best of all if you look after her belly. Reward her with jerked meat – not too much, but then, you're a sensible mot, Beka – and she'll love her work with you. Oh, aye, you know I've brought the treats out, don't you, girl?"
For a moment I thought he meant me. Then I saw that he spoke to Achoo, who was watching us, her tail wagging. She had seen, or smelled, the meat.
"Kemari," I said. When she came, I gave her one of the strips. "Good girl," I told her as she gobbled it.
"Don't give her meat for everything," Phelan warned me. "It's good to start with, but you want to keep it for harder or unusual work."
I looked at him and sighed. "I'm not a dolt, Phelan Rapp."
We spent a couple of hours in the garden with Kora, Achoo, and Pounce. Kora had thought to bring my journal with the bird food, so she tended Achoo's sores while I fed pigeons, taking notes from the ghosts who rode them. Then, when we ran out of bread crumbs and corn, Phelan, Achoo, and I went back to work. Phelan explained how the usual hunt went as Achoo and I practiced commands and Kora hid things at greater distances for us to find. Pounce took a seat atop Mistress Trout's chicken coop and napped.
Phelan also taught me hand signals to show Achoo for when it was too dangerous for us to talk. They were the same as the ones Dogs used for those times, but I had to hold my hand where Achoo could see it to make the open palm for "stop," two flicks of the hand for "guard," and so on. We practiced those several times until I knew them well.
We halted when it was time for me to get ready to go on duty. I thanked
Similar Books
