Chapter 181: Chapter 181
Tor POV
Tor
My love,
For all the times I pushed you away
My heart was trying to pull you closer
"Grab the rope out of the truck," I yell to Thalen.
"Tor, you can't go down there with your back problems," Thalen says.
"No shit. That's why you're going. Get the fucking rope."
Tavian laughs as our brother takes off for the truck.
"It's about time the kid gets his hands dirty," he says.
"True, bro. Let's not drop him, though. I'm not going in after him and the dog."
We stare down over the side of the bridge as Thalen runs back to the truck. The river is raging beneath us, and a black lab is clinging to the side of the embankment, his back legs already in the water. It's a miracle he's not being swept away by the current. The only thing keeping him there is that his collar must be snagged on something — a rock or a tree branch. If whatever is holding him lets loose, he'll be dragged down into the water and most likely drown.
It’s almost impossible to climb down the steep hills on either side of the river. So he either fell in, or, more likely, got thrown in. This bridge is nicknamed Suicide Bridge because a few people have jumped to their deaths off it over the past few years. The river runs over huge granite rocks that are sometimes covered by the water when we get heavy rain and flooding. I'm not sure how the dog survived if he was thrown in.
When Thalen comes back with the rope, we rig it around him and he climbs down the steep embankment while Tavian and I hold the rope at the top of the bridge. When the dog sees him, it starts to get excited and digs frantically at the embankment with his front paws, whining.
Tavian and I are both pretty big guys, so we don’t have much trouble holding up our 180-pound little brother, but the weather is stormy today with strong gusts of wind that keep blowing him around.
"Thalen is Mom's favorite, ya know. If we lose him, she's gonna kill us," Tavian teases.
"I'm Mom's favorite, asshole," I joke back. "If we lose him, I'm telling her you pushed him in."
"Grab the dog, you wuss! I got shit to do!" Tavian yells down at him. "Don't make him nervous, man."
He gives me his evil grin. "It's good for him. Too bad Ty's not here. He'd jump right the fuck off this bridge and grab that dog in about two seconds flat. We wouldn't need this rope bullshit."
Thalen reaches for the dog, tries to grab him, misses, and tries again.
"Let's lower him a little more."
A few more inches of rope gives him enough slack to grab onto the dog, but he's struggling to hang on to the rope with one hand while reaching with the other.
"This wasn't our best plan," Tavian observes, lighting up a cigarette.
"Probably not."
"Grab him and haul his ass up!" Tavian yells.
"He's stuck!" Thalen yells back.
"What the fuck? I should have done this myself."
I lean over the bridge, trying to see what's going on.
"Relax, man. He's trying."
Finally, Thalen grabs onto the dog's collar and yanks him up, hoisting him under his arm. The dog is soaking wet and obviously scared out of his mind, clawing at his chest.
"Pull me up before I drop his ass!" he yells at us.
We haul him up the slippery hill. I grab the dog when he reaches the top edge of the embankment and loop a slip lead leash around his neck. I kneel down and check him over while Tavian gets Thalen untied from the rope.
The dog seems fine, despite being very thin and malnourished. I'm pretty sure this is the dog we've been trying to trap for months. I can’t wait to tell Kyra. She was getting so frustrated that he wouldn’t go into the traps to eat the meat we kept leaving for him.
The dog is trembling but still wagging his tail, probably feeling somewhat triumphant for eluding us for so long, but now happy to be safe.
My favorite part of dog rescue is how happy most of them are to finally have a person touch them gently and treat them with care. Their appreciation is evident in their eyes as they bravely make eye contact with us, hoping we're someone they can trust.
"Alright," I say. "I'm going to drop him off at the vet. I think he's okay, but who knows if he's got some internal injuries." I fist bump my younger brother. "You did good, Thalen."
"I wasn't expecting him to be so fucking heavy. He was like dead weight."
"They usually are when they're scared like this. They either freeze up, or worse, they try to bite us or run off."
"Well, I'm glad he's okay."
Tavian punches him playfully in the arm. "You better start lifting some more, little bro."
Thalen laughs and heads back toward the truck. "Whatever, old man. Let's go."
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By the time I take the river dog to the vet, get home, shower, and eat, it’s after nine and I’m beat from running around all day. Diogee and the kitten join me on my king bed as I get comfortable on what has become my side. I put something mindless on Netflix until my brain settles down enough for me to fall asleep.
I’m just dozing off when a melodic chime sounds from my nightstand, making my eyes snap open. It’s the new tone I programmed for Kyra’s messages. I fumble for the phone and squint at it in the dark.