It was a normal walk home from school for Rex and Theodore the next day.
Until it wasn’t.
The pair were not quite halfway home when they heard faint cries drifting off the rocks and desert sand. The ground along the outskirts of Sedona was hard and sprinkled with cacti and small bushes along with the occasional agave plant. It was considered unwise to venture off the designated roads and sidewalks into the desert, but that did not often stop some of the more adventurous or mischievous school children. This is what piqued Rex’s attention, for along with the faint cries of anguish, pain, and fear was a distinctive tone of youthful laughter. Without giving it a second thought, Rex took off into the desert toward the sound.
“Careful, Rex!” Theodore shouted from behind him. “You don’t know what’s out here. You may step on something that doesn’t want to be stepped on or trip and fall onto a cowboy killer.”
Despite his admittedly valid protests, Theodore was right on Rex’s heels as they raced toward the cries for help. When they crested a nearby hill, the pair skidded to a halt amidst a field of pebbles that topped a small rise in the desert landscape. Below them, hidden from view of the road and neighborhood behind them, was a truly horrible sight. Four of their schoolmates, led of course by head hooligan Patrick Hollowell, were surrounding a small dog who was obviously hurt and the source of the pained and pleading cries. The boys were poking it with sticks and kicking the poor thing between them like a soccer ball.
“Why doesn’t it run?” Rex gasped, a small tear of anguish escaping from his left eye.
“It can’t,” Theodore said sadly. “They’ve hurt it bad.”
Rex couldn’t watch the horrid display. He bowed his head in sadness. His tears mixed with rage and the horrible feeling of helplessness. These boys were going to kill this poor dog, and they were laughing about it. He stared at the rocks at his feet and kicked a few pebbles in disgust. Then, he picked one up.
“Rex,” Theodore asked. “What are you doing?”
“Little guy can’t fight for himself,” Rex said, his face turning from hurt to determined. “So I’m gonna fight forhim.”
He threw the first rock and hit Patrick Hollowell in the back. The bully turned around in a rage and eyed his attacker. He pointed and started to yell, but another rock hit him in the gut. Now, all four boys had turned their attention on Rex and Theodore. Rex threw more rocks, and Theodore joined him. Every rock Rex threw found its mark. He threw with his right arm and his left arm. It didn’t matter. The rocks he threw had accuracy and bite. The four boys started ducking for cover instead of advancing on them.
“Rex,” Theodore said from beside him. “I’m afraid I’m going to hit the dog, so I’m just going to pick up rocks for you. You’re better at this than I am. Get ’em, Rex.”
And so began a barrage of biblical justice. The larger rocks that Theodore found, those that were fist-sized, Rex threw at the boys’ midsections. The smaller pebbles he aimed at their heads. They ducked their fair share of projectiles, but Rex connected on more than enough to do the job. The bullies managed to throw a few rocks of their own, and one of them connected with Rex’s temple. He paid it no mind and just kept up his unrelenting attack. Eventually, the four boys went running away. Rex threw one parting shot as the four retreated, a rock slightly bigger than the palm of his hand. He flung it sidearm with incredible velocity. It hit Patrick Hollowell right in the ass as he retreated. The boy’s cry was a fitting victory knell.
Rex wasted no more time or thought on the four bullies. He rushed to the dog’s aid. It was a medium sized puppy that looked to be a mix of a beagle and a Brittany Spaniel. Its breath was ragged, and one of its hind legs was swollen.
“Look,” Theodore pointed to the swollen leg. “No wonder the little guy couldn’t run. Snake bite.”
Rex scooped the puppy into his arms and began running back toward home. “We’ve got to get him to dad!”
Theodore was right behind him.
They were fortunate to find their dad at home. Thomas McMasters was the best vet in the west. At least, that’s what Rex said every time he introduced his dad when he came to visit his classmates on career day. Thomas didn’t ask the boys any questions. He simply took the dog and began to work.
“I didn’t see the snake, dad,” Theodore said excitedly as Thomas began to work. “I don’t know what kind it was.”
“It’s okay, son,” Thomas said, not breaking concentration. “I can take a pretty good guess based on the teeth marks here and the time of year. Rattler, I’d say.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Rex’s tears welled up again, and he felt his mother’s arms embracing him from behind.
“I’m going to fix up this bite first,” Thomas said. “Then we’ll have a look at these other injuries. This poor guy’s been through it today.”
“Patrick and his goons were torturing him,” Theodore said. “But Rex drove them off.”
“We both did.”
“Nah, I wasn’t much help this time,” Theodore said. “You’re the hero today, Rex.”
“Only if he’s going to be okay.” Rex turned into his mother’s embrace and let tears fall from his eyes. He couldn’t fathom why anyone would treat a living creature in such a horrible fashion. His mother held him tightly and kissed him on his head. She told him how proud of him she was for finding his strength.
“What happened to your head?” Maria said as she pulled Rex away and examined his injury. “You’re bleeding.”
“He got hit with a rock,” Theodore said matter-of-factly. “I don’t think he even felt it.”
“You’ve got a knot the size of a golf ball, boy. Come here and let me clean it up. Let your father do his work.”
As the day turned into night, the puppy’s condition did not seem to be improving. While the swelling from the snake bite had gone down, its other injuries seemed to be more severe. Thomas kept eye over his patient, but a tight sadness had set around his eyes. “I’ve done all I can for him, but he’s still suffering.”
“We can’t let him die,” Rex fought back tears anew. “He didn’t deserve to be treated like that. He doesn’t deserve to be in this pain. We have to help him.”
“There’s nothing more I can do, son,” Thomas said sadly. “I’ve done as much as science allows.”
“Thomas,” Maria spoke with a resolute tone that allowed for no argument. “Get the jeep. Boys, jackets and boots on. Rex is right. This little one does not deserve this fate.”
Moments later, Rex and Theodore waited in the jeep, the hurt puppy in a pet carrier buckled between them in the back seat. Their father sat behind the wheel, waiting for Maria to join them.
“Do you think it will work, Dad?” Theodore asked.
“I would never doubt your mother,” Thomas said. “If she says it can be done, then we will see that it is.”
Maria joined them with bag of items and directed Thomas to drive. She told him when to turn and how fast to drive, and he followed her instructions without questioning where they were going. Rex knew she was taking them to a healing vortex, but it was not one that would be known to visitors or even most residents of Sedona. Maria knew things about the desert that few understood.
They drove for nearly an hour before she instructed Thomas to pull over to the side of the road. From there, Thomas grabbed the crate with the hurt puppy and the four of them walked for twenty minutes into the desert amidst the darkness and red rocks that surrounded them. The sky was clear, cool and crisp in the winter air. Maria did not use a flashlight. She walked with certainty guided by the starlight alone. The three followed her in single file with Thomas bringing up the rear, cradling the hurt dog as gingerly as he could.
They climbed up a winding path amidst the red rocks that dominated the region. In the darkness, Rex couldn’t see too far in front of him, so he was careful to follow his mother’s footsteps and trusted her to know the way. When they finally reached the vortex, Maria instructed Thomas to lay the puppy on a blanket which she pulled from her bag. She then lit a few candles and placed them around the hurt dog. She lit different kinds of incense and wafted the smoke over the animal that was still struggling to breathe. She murmured soft chants and moved around the dog in a circle. All the while Thomas and his sons sat quietly by, watching.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Rex wasn’t sure how long the ceremony lasted, but when his mother finally came and sat down beside him, she was exhausted. She said nothing as she took a moment to catch her breath. Rex reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a grateful and hopeful squeeze.
“Shouldn’t we be worried about coyotes getting the poor little guy out here in the open like this?” Thomas asked after they had let the silence linger for some time.
“Not here,” Maria smiled absently. “This is a place of healing that is sacred. Predators respect its power.”
A rustling of bushes off to the right drew their attention. Suddenly, flashlights snapped on from five different sources.
“Well, well, well,” a voice boomed from the darkness. “What do we have here? I’ve had my boys keeping an eye on you for days, Doc. Imagine my surprise when they told me you were heading out into the wild on a cold winter’s night. How fortuitous my evening has become.”
“Mr. Hollowell,” Thomas stood. “Let’s not—”
“You know, you could not have picked a better place, Doc,” Grant Hollowell, the biggest rancher in northern Arizona spoke right over their father as if he wasn’t even there. “Hell, ain’t no one around for miles to hear these gunshots, much less find your bodies.”
“Boys, run!” Maria ordered as she stood up to shield them from the newcomers.
Rex and Theodore did what they were told, fear and despair hastening their steps. They heard cursing and two gunshots that were the loudest sound Rex could have ever imagined. He was too afraid to turn around to see what had happened to his parents.
“Get them you idiots!” he heard Mr. Hollowell scream into the night.
Rex and Theodore ran. The darkness was as much their ally as it was their enemy. As high up as they were, they could not run flat out for fear of falling over the edge. A gunshot rang out, and rocks exploded at their feet. They ran faster. Rex’s feet slipped in the loose gravel, and he tumbled forward, his jacket flailing in the crisp winter air. Theodore looked on in horror as he watched his brother tumble over the edge into the darkness below.
As the insistent shouts of their pursuers grew closer there was nothing Theodore could do. His brother was gone. So were his mom and dad. He did the only thing he could. He ran. He had no idea where he was or where he was going, but he ran nonetheless. Fighting back tears, he ran for his life.