Set free from the confines of the truck, Fly and Rex eagerly entered the field and raced across the glittering snow to get to their new favorite mouse hunting spot. It was late in the afternoon and they'd been cooped up in the truck for forever while Humom ate lunch with the other SAR team handlers.
Search had gone well. Taiya's handler mysteriously got buried under snow at the bottom of a hill, but Fly used her avalanche skills and easily found, dug, and barked for Humom to hurry and help Taiya's handler get out of there. Fly remembered that she needed to bark to summon Humom, who is usually far away and never seems to know what's going on. Humom was very pleased and Fly got a lot of fish treats for being helpful. Later, a man in a beaver skin hat ran away, right there in front of the team, but Rex knew where the man was, so he took Humom to the spot and she told Rex he was such a good boy. He knew this already, but it made him happy to hear it and he wagged the white tip on his tail as he ate his fish snack reward. Then, Fly and Rex sat together in the back of the truck and watched the sun finally rise above the mountains and slowly warm the air. Humom said she was cold, but the -22*F temperature didn't bother the double coated Karelians in the slightest.
So, there they were in the field, finally able to hunt the new mouse population that had moved into the area last week. The scent of them wafted up through the snow, especially around the clumps of grass where the mice paused to chew on the frozen stems; the smart Karelians focused their efforts in these areas.
However, the cold temperatures were keeping those soft bodied rodents nesting deep within their burrows and none could be found by the searchers. Even though the air was frigid, the trees and mountains looked as snug and warm as the hiding mice: the sunset painted such a wonderful pink glow on the frosty trees and nearby mountains.
Fly was too busy hunting to notice the scenery.
Rex, a more sensitive soul, did make note of the glowing moon as he took a brief break from all the pouncing and bounding he was doing.
All too quickly the light and the pink faded and with it went the slight feeling of warmth, according to Humom, who announced it was time to return to the house and have some tasty dinner. Reluctantly, but obediently, Fly and Rex left the field with a glance that told any onlooking mice that they had better not even think about moving into the warm house - or they would regret it.
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