Life Unleashed

At the end of a beautiful summer day I received as a gift from my friend a small ball of fur painted with white and a wonderful shade of orange. It was like a fluffy cloud caressed by the rays of the scorching sun. I named that little wonder Ares, like the well-known god of war in Greek mythology. Besides the fact that I always had a fascination with Greek mythologies, my little friend was a real warrior. He wrapped his sharp teeth in everything he caught, he barked all day long and if you tried to get close to his food you risked unleashing chaos. The first few months were a little harder, but along the way he replaced the bite with kisses and barking with a look that melted your heart. The only thing unchanged was the aggressive reaction he had when someone was trying to get close to his food, but I loved him anyway. For me it was perfect, no matter what.

Living in the countryside, he always had the freedom to run and play freely. Nothing prevented his adventurous instinct and playful soul that brightens even the stormiest days. It was my little oasis of unconditional love. I took him with me everywhere, and he followed me and listened to me faithfully.

While my good quadrupedal friend was a year old, I decided to take him for a long walk. I was just ending a rather heated discussion with my mother and I needed peace of mind, relaxation. On the outskirts of the village where we lived there were several green hills, and at the end of them a forest. I equipped my backpack with a large water bottle and a plastic bowl, a few sandwiches, chicken for Ares (his favorite food), his dear toy (a tennis ball) and we went for a walk.

It didn't take long to get to the outskirts of the village, it was quite small. The houses were strung side by side, small streets and streets winding among them. When we passed the last fountain, the green hills stretched in front of us like a lively realm waiting to be explored. We took it easy to walk on the cobblestone street that was zigzagged lengthening to the end of the hills where we could see the tops of the fir trees. On the left side was arable land, a small army of corn and a larger one of sunflowers. On the right side was a blanket of jade that shone under the rays of the sun that reigned in the clear summer sky, no clouds were revealed on the immaculate navy of the sky. From place to place, there was a flower or a tuft of wild grasses that Ares smelled constantly. Seeing him run freely and happily in that little paradise filled my heart with happiness. It was divine. A pure and loyal soul who loves unconditionally, a puppy who was part of me, roaring in that corner of Heaven and smelling flowers. Not only had I forgotten about all the everyday problems, I had even forgotten about myself. I felt, like him, that we were the same essence, unconditional love, light, perfection.

Among a few constant stops due to Ares' exploratory instinct, we eventually reached the pine forest. I sat under the shade, Ares sniffing and making his needs to the trunk of a fir tree. I let the cool air caress my hot skin and I knew that for my dear puppy it was a blessing to get rid of that hellish heat. I put the water in the bowl I took from home and after that we both had lunch, a real romantic lunch. It was peace and quiet. Ares was lying to the toes at my feet. In front we had the wonderful landscape of the hills, and from behind you could hear in the background the orchestra of the forest that sings on the stave of tranquility. Chirping of walkways, crickets, rustling of leaves and the uninterrupted buzzing of insects. I stayed like that for about an hour. Ares had even fallen asleep at one point, making a cute snoring sound. But then he woke up more energetic than ever and with an unbeatable appetite for play. We pulled Mimi out of his backpack, his ball, and we started playing. I threw it away, he brought it back, I threw it away, he brought it back. And so on.

Until I accidentally threw it into the woods, and Ares didn't return. I called him out a couple of times, but nothing. Even the forest orchestra had stopped, there was total silence. I could hear my heart beating harder and harder and a small shudder of fear had stuck on my spine. I got up and headed to the place where I had thrown the ball. I was struck by that strong forest-specific vile, a cold and hard air that causes you a little stinging at the first impact. I could only see trees, leaves and broken twigs, but my puppy was nowhere. I was starting to get scared more and more, and with the panic, the tone of voice grew when I called out to him. I walked through the tall bodies of the fir trees, keeping me away from their gnarled hands that were trying to catch me, to hold me back. And I was yelling as loudly as I could. I held it like this for a long time, until his white silhouette with orange spots appeared out of nowhere. He nodded his tail and barked happily, his nose was full of dirt, and on his fur he had hanging leaves and a few twigs. I didn't know what to do. To kiss him and take it in my arms or to ruffle him all because I shot a healthy spit ? I opted for the first option.

After I calmed down and cleaned him, I went back. And at some point, after walking long enough, I realized I had wronged that ”back”. I couldn't see the exit from the forest anywhere, it seemed to me that we had sunk even more. My phone was left with the other things, I wouldn't have had a signal anyway even if I had it, but it was still a chance. I was spinning like an idiot in a circle, but I didn't see any clues. I've been kind of bad at orientation since I was born, but it had never happened to me before to ever get lost. I randomly chose a direction and went and went and walked and walked and walked until the top of the fir trees reached the reddish shade of dusk. The feeling of panic began to creep back into my chest. Ares was tired, walked slowly next to me and looked at me confused with his big eyes. He liked the walks, but not so long. And he was hungry, it was his meal hour. We were both hungry. And we were tired. And I was scared, worried and upset. I didn't know what to do, where to go. Tears appeared, they pricked my eyes. I sat down on the wet ground, letting them flow freely. My legs ached terribly, my physical condition had always been pathetic. Ares sat next to me, smelled me worried. He always felt when I was upset, he became agitated. I let him console me, as usual. After I exhaled noisily, I wiped my wet cheeks and looked around. It had darkened even more, everywhere I could see only trees, and in the distance, their trunks seemed to be some odious monsters that undress in the mists of the night. My imagination had gone haywire under the influence of fear, panicking me even more. I did not know what to do !

Ares barked gently and licked my hands trying to calm me down. He grabbed me with his teeth by my pants and pulled me after him. At first I followed him mechanically, without realizing what was going on. By the time I recovered slightly, I was already at the edge of the forest, right where I had left my backpack. I was sleeted, I didn't know how to react. A few minutes ago I was lost in the woods, panicked and scared terribly, and the sky had darkened completely, being sprinkled in places with stars. My quadrupedal half, my intelligent puppy endowed with a coyote nose, saved us. Excluding the fact that he was still to blame for the fact that we got lost at first. I took him in my arms and scratched him by ear, calming me down completely. And guided by the moonlight, we stepped through paradise transformed into a fairy tale, towards home.

Two years after this incident, two years full of countless wonderful memories, my dear puppy went to paradise and stayed there, letting me face reality alone. But he taught me to love unconditionally and showed me that all of us, human and animals, are love. I will keep his pure memory in my soul and I will love him beyond anything.