The Sweetest Dream

Her head lay in Mommy's lap, Mommy stroked her head. She always loved it when Mommy stroked her hair and sang to her. She loved the smell of Mommy. Sometimes she understood words Mommy used, her favorite was "bright-eyes." Mommy would kneel down next to her and say "bright-eyes" while rubbing her head or when she called her for a walk. Mommy would say other things but she knew she was "bright-eyes." It was her pack name, the name her Mommy used only for her. "I'm tired, Mommy, and it hurts," she tried saying but knew that Mommy did not understand but some how she knew. She tried to take a deep breath but it hurt so much. She felt another arm around her. It was Little Girl! She loved to play with Little Girl, Emcee was her pack name. They would run and run together in the wildflowers, through the wood, and chase the birds in the field. She remembered how small Emcee was when The Man brought her here. She was not impressed with Mommy back then, she tried to laugh but it hurt. Mommy never licked Emcee! How was Little Girl to keep clean if she was not properly licked? So, when Mommy would bring Emcee outside and work in the dirt and was not looking, she would lick Emcee clean. Mommy was singing the Bright Eyes Song now and stroking her head. Where was Big Girl? Where was Boy? She hated when the pack was not together. She looked up at Mommy with fluid brown eyes, "Where are they?" Mommy just bent down and kissed her head, she smelled of flowers. She loved that smell. Then she remembered that Big Girl and Boy had left the pack, they were grown. She missed them. What was that smell? She raised her head a bit. She knew the smell, and loved it's promise. It was of wood and small animals. It was the smell of the chase. She found herself running, running fast after a rabbit. "I'm going to catch it this time, Mommy" and she was off through a never ending field of wildflowers. "Mommy?" "Yes, M-C, Mishka is living her sweetest dream."