Ellie rounded the house. They kept their dogs in the back, most of them working as guard dogs or scarecrow dogs to keep birds away from their crops. Her uncle had taken them to the field at the crack of dawn, save for Sunflower. She wasn't a field dog. Sunflower was her dog, meant to keep her company throughout the day.

Sunflower leapt up from where she'd been laying, her brown eyes shining. She shook the leaves out of her reddish hair, a cluster of them still clinging to her jumper. As was common with dogs, her outfit was simple, a shirt-and-pants combo stitched together from repurposed fabric. With the season changing, Ellie would have to get her something longer than the shorts she had.

Her tail wagged rapidly between her two legs. She wrung her hands to keep from being overwhelmed from her mounting excitement.

"Here, girl."

She bounded over to Ellie's outstretched arms, her floppy ears bouncing as she moved. Ellie squeezed her close, only taller than her by a couple of inches. At this point, Sunflower was pretty much done with growing. What she lacked in height, she made up with her strength. Her tug-of-war record was spotless.

Ellie let her go, holding her at arm's length and brushing the dirt off of her. Sunflower hummed from the attention. "We're going on a walk today," Ellie told her. "Stay here."

Watching her owner leave plummeted her mood. It shot right back up when she returned, harness and leash in hand. Sunflower stood, arms raised, as Ellie fit the torso harness on her. She made sure that none of the straps were too tight, stopping with every pull to check in on Sunflower. Once everything was right, she clipped the leash to the back.

The groomer had put Sunflower's fluffy hair in a low ponytail, complete with a red bow that was sure to be the cause of envy in other animals. Ellie scratched her behind the ears, earning an esctactic grin from her companion. She then led her to the gate and away from their property.

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A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story's main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well.

The next post will be Chapter 3.4.

Chapter 8 will be posted on the Redwood Crossing website some time on Thursday.