Nixi Adventure
The action of the week had ended with full bellies for everyone, including Brandon who felt as though he’d gained ten pounds. Nixi felt like she’d gained ten ounces, but that was a lot when you were a small pup with a curly tail.
So it was obviously wise to get some exercise to try to work some of the extra off. The only downside was that it happened to be strangely cold. It was that way for a reason though, which was mainly due to the ridiculous amount of snow on the ground. Rarely had neither pup nor people around this area seen so much before, but such is the way of the inconveniences of mother nature.
Nixi’s sweater was snug warm on this cold day. It wasn’t too bad though. The sun shined through and had cut back the drifts along the pathway. Her paws were padded and protected against the salty walkway, which Brandon had to repeatedly stop her from licking. The booties had been a challenge to put on though. No easy challenge for Brandon, but now Nixi was glad she had them.
Brandon was padded up as well, wearing two coats and two pairs of pants to keep the cold at bay. This made him waddle like a penguin, which was only suiting with the present weather conditions.
The park wasn’t far away, but it was a long trek along busy streets. Despite the cold, there were lots of people moving about, though few cars made an appearance. The stores and diners were full of life and people staying warm while they browsed wares. Most of them seemed oblivious to the world as they stared intently at signs and displays that demanded their attention.
Nixi had no interest in such things. She just wanted to get to the park. Brandon had promised, and she needed to get a good stretch after being cooped up in the apartment the past few days. Her paws were itching for some adventure, even if she would have to brave the cold to get it.
The park came quickly, mostly due to the vast entertainment the walkways had provided; a lot of chatter, casual rushing about, but not like the normal way Nixi was accustomed to. The snow fluffed out and away as Nixi dove into the drift. Snow was a magical thing to her. Something that was so rare that it had to be taken full advantage of when it did appear. She dug deeper, enjoying how the snow felt against her padded paws. The nails wouldn’t dig in, but the snow was paddling out smoothly.
Then there was a stick. It was there, but it wasn’t coming loose. For a pup who won’t admit defeat, this was a standstill challenge that couldn’t be understood by the average person passing through the neighborhood. Others just looked, considered, and scratched their head. Nixi on the other paw, had to unlock this new achievement.
Nixi dug down deeper rather than along the branch though. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but her strategy didn’t really work for something laying crossways along the park’s snowy terrain. So no matter how deep she dug, the branch wouldn’t budge.
The hole was already fairly deep when Brandon tossed in a helping paw. His big fuzzy mitts did look like paws, and they did happen to be ideal for digging away fluffy snow. Nixi and Brandon dug together, moving what seemed like a mountain of wet snow away from the huge branch that was gradually revealing itself to be much larger than it first seemed.
At one point, Brandon and Nixi ended up on two opposing ends, resulting in snow being tossed back and forth at one another. Brandon’s jackets were turning white and Nixi was getting buried. After a brief meeting concerning better teamwork, the two started working together a little better.
Eventually, their goal was reached. The branch was big. A big stick. A big trophy, at least according to Nixi. She stared at the magnificently huge stick, a length that amounted to at least four of her lengths from tail to nose. She couldn’t even drag it.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Nixi woofed to Brandon. “Throw it already!”
Author:
Jason Duron is a short story writer and author of several fiction stories. Curious and lovable as dogs can be, the Adventures of Rocky, Nixi and Dante give you a chance to see daily life from a “dog’s eye view” and share in their thoughts. Please enjoy, and we hope that you’ll feel free to comment and give us insight into your dog’s very own adventures.
