Following the sun

Luthor stretched out placidly in the sunlight coming through the window. His master's bed was soft and warm. The puppy loved that bed, he had memorized every nuance of its scent and every loose thread. The mattress sank slightly under the canine's weight and wrinkled the sheets. A man entered the room with Luthor's leash in his hand, stroked his head, scratched behind his ears, and patted his back a couple of times. After hooking his pet to the leash, the owner, with his head down, led him out the door without saying anything. After several minutes in the car, he took his dog down and tied it to a post, then got back into the car and left. Luthor was confused, had they forgotten him? He thought so, he sat back and waited. Hours later, awakened by the growls of a huge white dog, Luthor jumped and quickly stood up. It was night and the stars were twinkling.

"Can I get you anything ... sir?" He asked fearfully.

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The dog stood still, wrinkling his muzzle and showing his teeth, but was silent.

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"I'm sorry, I'll go."

Luthor tried to walk away but the leash stopped him. The dog relaxed his expression when he realized the situation.

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"Boy, how long has your owner been gone?"

"I don't know, when he left it was daylight."

The giant dog's tail suddenly dropped and its ears drooped. The puppy noticed the change and began to get scared, had something bad happened to his master?

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"Do you know your address?"

"No."

"Any reference point?"

"No."

"Anything your owner has said that tells you where you live?"

“Well... he often says that we live in the East, since we moved, we live in the East."

The animal remained thoughtful for several seconds and then sighed.

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“I don't think there's much I can do for you, but if you want to go East, follow the direction of the sun when it rises."

The dog, who said his name was Colin, released him from the leash and recommended that he look for food in restaurant trash cans in case it took a long time to arrive. Luthor thanked him and lay down far from the road, spending the night in the cold, longing for his master's bed.

When Luthor woke up he saw the sun rising, he excitedly ran towards it and slipped on a puddle. As it fell, the puppy rolled and crashed into a cat, crushing it.

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"What the hell!"

"I'm so sorry! I slipped."

The cat looked at him, sullenly. The feline's fur was dull and its ribs were visible under the skin, you could see the anger in its eyes, apparently it had had a bad day. The animal let out a snort, shook its tail, and took long strides away. Luthor went after him, having received no response to his apology.

"I'm truly sorry."

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The cat quickened its pace, ignoring him.

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"Sorry!" he insisted.

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Did not answer.

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"Are you angry?"

"Shut up now! Leave me alone".

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Luthor wrinkled his nose.

"We're both little, don't call me a brat like I'm a puppy."

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The cat just kept walking, irritated. Luthor followed him, curious, to a lake, where the feline remained still in front of the water. Luthor sat next to him.

"What's your name?"

"Zeth."

"Luthor."

"Did I ask you?"

"No."

They both remained silent for a few minutes, Zeth couldn't stop looking at the water. Suddenly, the cat stuck its paw into the lake and pulled it out along with a huge silver fish, scaring Luthor away. Zeth bit the fish, ending its life, and devoured it. Luthor watched, disgusted and shocked.

"Disgusting."

“Delicious, take a bite.”

Luthor hesitantly approached to sniff the fish, it smelled horrible, but to please Zeth he took a bite. The taste was strange, but not all bad.

"Good, right?"

"Yes, good."

Zeth cleaned his paws and then the rest of his body with his tongue, Luthor tried to imitate him. After a few hours following the cat, Luthor realized that he should follow the sun. He was almost hidden, so he ran as quickly as he could and heard Zeth sigh in relief behind him.

Several months passed, Luthor met Colin again several times. He became great friends with Zeth and now hunting fish with him was part of his routine. He completely forgot the reason why he followed the sun, he forgot his master's bed, he forgot his face, but what he never forgot was the feeling of the heat of the sun on his skin, as he lay on that sheet. Life with Colin and Zeth was better than her owner could ever give her.