“Ramsey!” Bella stood just outside of her door and whistled again. The sun was hot and Bella wanted the dog inside. Unlike the other animals at Ithemba, Ramsey wasn’t built for this heat.
“Bella!” Belie came running from the guest house. “Where are you going? It’s bloody hot out here!” “I’m looking for--” Bella halted as she spotted Ramsey lying underneath a tree. She smiled, relieved to see her dog, but soon the smile faded. She moved as fast as she could go. “Ramsey?!” The dog didn’t budge. Bella clumsily got down onto her knees and placed her hands on Ramsey. For a while, she stared in silence, waiting to feel Ramsey’s chest expand, waiting to see her belly move. Her hand went to Ramsey’s nose, but there was no sign of breathing there either. Tears came to Bella’s eyes. “Oh Ramsey…” She stroked her fur. Belie stood there for a while before kneeling beside Bella. She did the same things Bella had done, even leaning over to see if she was breathing, but the dog was gone. It had been eight years since Bella had gotten Ramsey and her brother from Lexie. She was still young, wasn’t she? They’d been everywhere together. Bella wiped away her tears and sniffled. “Want me to get Nathan? We can.. bury her. If you’re ready.” Bella nodded. “We can’t keep her out here in the heat,” she said, sniffling again. “No.” Belie sighed. “I’m so sorry Bella.” She glanced at Ramsey again. “You go back to the house. Get out of the heat. I had to head over to the Cheetah Coalition anyway, so I’ll send Nathan, ok? I’m sorry.” Bella nodded again. This was the first death on Ithemba and hopefully the last one for a very, very, long time. Belie helped Bella up and as Bella headed back to the house she thought of all the great times she’d had with Ramsey. How well Ramsey had gotten along with Asha. She would miss seeing the two play together… She sighed and headed back into the cool indoors to digest what she’d just discovered. Ramsey was gone.
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Isabella Kaylee DwyerWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2017
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