Marked Mark

  In the warm sands of Southern Africa An African Wild Dog desperately digs a hole in the sweltering earth.  Her instinct is signaling the pups arrival.  “Deeper and deeper and deeper,” She thinks.   Her babies must be warm enough in this new den.  Once the hole suits her, she crawls in and prepares to give birth to her first litter.

  As the sun rises the next morning, the pack waits for the new mother to assist her three helpless pups emerge from the tunnel.  These babies cannot see or hear for their eyes and ears are sealed shut in these early days.  Finally, the mother succeeds and the pups are revealed. 

  

  A female dog gasps, “Annie, those are the most adorable pups I’ve ever seen in my life!”  Annie smiles proudly, “Thanks Lillian, I’m overjoyed they have you as their auntie!”  Blushing, Lillian turns to her family, “They’ll have a nice uncle and some fun cousins to play with also!”

  

  Annie searches the crowd of dogs for her husband, Jack.  A deep voice informs her, “I’m behind you with the pups.” Annie immediately turns around and nuzzles Jack.  “We have one daughter and two sons, Rosie, Jake and Mark.”

“Perfect names my darling,” Jack replies, and turns to  let her rest.  “Jackie, could you tell the pack to hunt down some fresh Wildebeest?  I’m starving!  Oh, and tell them to come clean the den,”  Annie requests.

  The weeks pass quickly and Rosie, Jake and Mark’s eyes and ears unseal.  Finally able to observe and navigate this unique world, they explore every nook and cranny of their new home.  Annie watches proudly as her pups gain strength and knowledge; but she worries for the one called Mark.  Sometimes she calls the pups to the den and he  seems  aloof and disoriented, while his siblings understand immediately.

  One day this concern overwhelms Annie, so she walks over to where Mark is basking in the sun. 

  “What color is the sky today my Darling?” she inquires of him.

  “I haven’t the slightest idea Ma,” Mark replies.

Annie sighs, “Hasn’t Mrs. Furrs taught you anything at school?”

  “Oh yes, Ma!  She’s taught me my letters and numbers!”

  “What does Mrs. Furrs look like Dear?”

  “I don’t know…”

  “What is a tree, do you know?”

  “A tree is a stick growing out of the ground that has green ovals on the top,”

  “Have you ever seen a tree Love?” Annie asks.

  “No, all I see are deep colors of darkness,” Mark says.

  Annie chokes back a sob.  “My son is blind, he will be discriminated against all his life and fall prey to a dreaded beast,” she thinks miserably.

  “Come on home now, Sweetie,” Annie nudges him gently toward the den.

  That night Annie gathers Jack and the pups to break the devastating news.  “I fear  my youngest pup here, Mark, is blind…”  Silence wraps its bony fingers around the cave.  Tears well up in Jack’s eyes, “Let me talk to your Ma in private, kids.”  The pups leave the room, and Jack exclaims, “It cannot be!”

  “Shh, Shh, Shh!” whispers Annie, “You don’t want Mark or the others to hear, do you?!”

  “How do you know?”

  “He said all he could see was deep eternal darkness.”

                  After great discussion, Jack and Annie decided to send Mark to a close family friend’s home to live.  It would be safer for him there, they thought.

  Many years passed since Mark’s parents sent him to live with this rouge family.

  Mark still recalls exactly what his parents told him before he departed, “You must go knowing you may be saving yourself from bullies.  We love you, Mark, we truly do.  Other dogs would relentlessly beat you up, it’s for your own good.”  “Gee, I sure do miss them,” he thinks, sniffing to catch the scent of the den.

  “Markie,  come help me hunt down some supper for Millie and little Bill,”  His guardian, Bobby, calls.  “You know ya have the best nose in the country.” 

  Mark sniffs for the smell that he knows is Bobby and trots toward its origin.  

  “Bobby, when can I go visit my family?”

  “Ah, yes, your family, hmm, I’ll have to talk to my wife about that,” Bobby states.

  “I am two years old you know, I should be making my own decisions,” Mark suggests.

  “Fine!  You go visit your Ma and Pa, but be back in two weeks.”

  “Thanks! Oh, I smell an antelope about a mile ahead.”  Then they speed up to track down their prey.  

  That night Mark decides to leave at sunrise.  According to Bobby, his parent’s dwelling is fifteen miles away.  “I wonder if I have new brothers or sisters,” he ponders.

  Early the next morning, he leaves with Bobby’s son, Bill, to lead the way.  After ten hours at a steady trot, they reach the cozy dearth of trees where Mark was born.  Not a dog is within scent; but naturally this does not worry Mark, for most packs hunt at dusk and dawn.  Soon Mark and Bill fall fast asleep.

  At sun up, when Mark doesn’t smell anyone and Bill doesn’t see anyone – they know something’s going on.

  “I see some paw prints and something else… what do they call those things on the end of a human leg?” Bill asks.

  “Feet I believe, foot if singular,” Mark answers, “What about them?”

  “I see some.”

  Mark freezes and sniffs the humid air… humans!  The scent leads to a den, then another den and on and on until finally, Mark figures that the evil humans kidnapped the whole pack!

  “Bill! The whole pack’s been kidnapped by humans!” Mark yelps, “Including my family!”

  “Kidnapped? I’m out of here!” Bill speeds back in the direction of his secure home.

  “Great, just great! Now I have to track down the humans alone!”  Gathering all his strength and courage, he races after the obvious trail of the humans.  “Hopefully,” he thinks, “I won’t run into anything!”

  Finally, Mark reaches a road, he hears large growling monsters moving on it.  He cowers in fear as he smells two humans a few yards away.  He sticks his nose high in the air.  “Gee!  I smell Wild Dogs!  They must be caging them!”

  Mark knows what to do.  He jumps toward the human scent, fur standing, teeth bared, and a seemingly ferocious growl escapes his lips.  The humans scream in terror, he hears a roar as their monster wakes up and leaves.

  Annie and Jack are in a cedar cage while the other pack members are tied to a post.  A few dogs had gnawed through the ropes and are breaking the wooden cage hosting the pack leaders.  Mark doesn’t see them, but he knows they are his parents.  He can smell their fear.  “Ma, Pa!” he exclaims.  “Mark!” his parents chorus, “You saved us!”  Remarks like, “Me too!” or, “Plus us!” were ringing out from the crowd of dogs behind him.  Then Mark runs at full speed toward the smell of the cedar cage.  BANG, CRAAAAACK!  The cage breaks and a cheer rises up from the pack.  Mark is a bouncing ball of joy!

  Jack howls, “Mark, my son, was secretly sent away from our pack.  He is blind and obviously filled to the brim with courage.  I announce, for his noble act of bravery that Mark shall be Dominant Male and leader of this pack!”

    Mark’s mouth is open in awe.  Dominant Male?! This is too good to be true!  “Thank you Pa.  Where are Rosie and Jake?” Mark inquires.

  “Ah, yes, they dug a unknown tunnel off the main hall of our den and promised to stay hidden until we came back… if we could,” explains Annie.

  Mark yips with excitement and replies, “Then by all means, let’s go home!”

So Mark proved himself to all Wild dogs living in his time, therefore his honorable name shall truly go down in history.  

About the Author

Abby Dortch is young author of eleven years and this is the first true book she has ever written.  She enjoys riding her bike and building majestic Lego cities.  She lives with her family (plus pets) in O’Fallon, Missouri and has a peanut and an egg allergy.**


**I actually wrote this in the spring of 2011