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“Savannah Friends” by Darius Davis (read by Ta'kom Ironhoof)
With no pack to call his own, a wild dog desperately attempts to make a new life for himself. So, when the canine comes across a neglected red fox out in the Savannah, he is confronted with a choice. Will he feast on the fox for easy sustenance and survive another day? Or will he enlist the fox to become a part of his own pack?
Today’s story is “Savannah Friends” by Darius Davis, a black queer african wild dog author, who uses writing as a way to prime readers to experience new and exciting perspectives.You can follow him on twitter @2DWildDog and his Sofurry page at (2dstories) for future writing projects.
Read by Ta’kom Ironhoof, the Equine Charmer.
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https://thevoice.dog/episode/savannah-friends-by-darius-davis
Transcript
You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.
Speaker:This is Rob MacWolf, your fellow traveller,
Speaker:and Today’s story is
Speaker:“Savannah Friends” by Darius Davis,
Speaker:a black queer african wild dog author,
Speaker:who uses writing as a way to prime readers to experience new and exciting perspectives.
Speaker:perspectives.You can follow him on blue sky at
Speaker:@2dwilddog.bsky.social and his Sofurry page at (2dstories)
Speaker:for future writing projects.
Speaker:Read by Ta’kom Ironhoof, the Equine
Speaker:Charmer. Please enjoy
Speaker:“Savannah Friends”
Speaker:by Darius Davis A primal growl traveled up the wild dog’s stomach
Speaker:as he searched for food.
Speaker:It had been a week since his last meal after he was separated from his pack.
Speaker:They had banished him to the far edges of the Savannah
Speaker:to thin their numbers.
Speaker:With food difficult to come by,
Speaker:the group felt it necessary to shed those who were a burden to the pack.
Speaker:It wasn’t for the wild dog’s lack of hunting skills
Speaker:as they were on par with the others.
Speaker:However, it was the wild dog’s inability to co-mingle with the female members
Speaker:and produce offspring that determined the pack’s decision.
Speaker:They perceived the lack of procreation a threat to their long term survival.
Speaker:And because of that
Speaker:they felt it necessary to cut ties with him.
Speaker:With no pack to call his own,
Speaker:the mid-sized canine continued to travel along the outer edges of his territory.
Speaker:Even though there are risks to travel near human built trails,
Speaker:he felt it was necessary to scout anyway.
Speaker:Sometimes, humans will toss piles of food on the ground throughout their travels.
Speaker:Even if the perishables were spoiled,
Speaker:it was worth the risky exploration.
Speaker:To his surprise, a shiny object had caught his attention.
Speaker:Out along the dirt path next to a tree,
Speaker:a metal cage glimmered from the reflection of the sunset.
Speaker:Human built cages often hinted at trapped animals.
Speaker:And due to the small size of the cage,
Speaker:it meant the trapped animal could potentially be an easy meal
Speaker:for the wild dog to hunt.
Speaker:When he lifted his head,
Speaker:his nose caught the scent
Speaker:of another creature.
Speaker:It was a mammal like him,
Speaker:though foreign in nature.
Speaker:The canine didn’t know what to make of the scent at first
Speaker:as it was something he never encountered before.
Speaker:Yet when he caught a glimpse of a fluffy red tail,
Speaker:he crouched down and hid amongst the tall grass.
Speaker:Whomever this beast was,
Speaker:it could possibly be smaller than him.
Speaker:And if it's small,
Speaker:it means they could serve as potential prey.
Speaker:The wild dog kept his figure hidden in the dried plant life
Speaker:and walked down wind
Speaker:to hide his scent.
Speaker:His paws lightly stepped across the ground
Speaker:and made minimal noise.
Speaker:With his eyes laser focused on the bright red tail,
Speaker:the wild dog stalked
Speaker:and hunted its prey for a few meters.
Speaker:When he felt the distance between the two was close enough,
Speaker:the wild dog sprained his legs forward and pounced on the creature.
Speaker:The two briefly struggled before the larger and heavier wild dog
Speaker:sat on top of him.
Speaker:Before the wild dog committed the kill,
Speaker:he hesitated. It wasn’t a creature he expected to be his prey.
Speaker:Rather than a small rodent prey,
Speaker:he was instead confronted
Speaker:by the sight of a red furry animal, with tall pointed ears
Speaker:and a narrow noise.
Speaker:Its features resembled that of a fennec fox,
Speaker:except larger in overall size.
Speaker:Its fur possessed a brilliant shade of red
Speaker:which contrasted against those gem-like green eyes.
Speaker:Before the wild dog could study its features closer,
Speaker:the red fox kicked itself away with its front paws and tried to escape.
Speaker:Though one of its hind limbs was stuck on a metal trap mechanism which prevented the fox from fleeing.
Speaker:His eyes widened with horror
Speaker:as the wild dog carefully approached him.
Speaker:The wild dog gently bowed its head
Speaker:and released a small squeak
Speaker:in the hopes they would be able to communicate.
Speaker:However, no matter how many verbal calls were made,
Speaker:the vulpine remained unresponsive.
Speaker:The wild dog kept his posture down to the ground,
Speaker:lower than even the fox’s pose.
Speaker:He showed complete submission to the new creature
Speaker:and sought out the fox’s trust.
Speaker:The red vulpine took notice of the submissive gesture
Speaker:and perked his head up.
Speaker:When the wild dog reached the metal cage,
Speaker:he lifted the trap mechanism door
Speaker:with his muzzle and freed the fox.
Speaker:And as the two stood on all fours,
Speaker:they carefully stepped closer
Speaker:and allowed their nose to guide each other’s introductions.
Speaker:They did this to not only become accustomed to one another's foreign scent,
Speaker:but to gauge their emotional states.
Speaker:The wild dog saw an opportunity to become friends with this
Speaker:new creature. He made a play bow
Speaker:and wagged his elegant tail.
Speaker:The fox tilted his head curiously,
Speaker:and sat on all fours to study the wild dog’s behavior.
Speaker:After a few playful pokes and prods from the canine,
Speaker:the two began to wrestle underneath the shaded tree.
Speaker:The wild dog allowed his new friend to rub his fox scent all over him.
Speaker:Their unique fur coats shed onto one another
Speaker:as they adopted each other’s scent.
Speaker:The wild dog’s multi-colored tapestry held hints of red strands
Speaker:that clung to his outer coat.
Speaker:And the fox also adorned some parts of his fur coat as well.
Speaker:When the sun began to set along the horizon,
Speaker:the wild dog called out to his fox companion to follow.
Speaker:Yet, to his bewilderment,
Speaker:the red fox hadn’t responded to his verbal commands.
Speaker:Strangest of all,
Speaker:the fox’s ears hadn’t pointed to the direction of the wild dog’s calls either.
Speaker:With no other option,
Speaker:the wild dog tried to guide his fox friend visually
Speaker:as to where they should go.
Speaker:After he tapped the red fox’s shoulder to get his attention,
Speaker:the canine pointed his head north as to the direction they should head. The vulpine’s head perked up and seemed to understand his motions as he began to stand on all fours.
Speaker:With the wild dog as the lead,
Speaker:the two head their way north away from the main human trails.
Speaker:Even if the wild dog could not find a meal tonight,
Speaker:perhaps the red fox could serve as a companion for his new pack.
Speaker:When the two found a safe comfortable place to rest for the night,
Speaker:the fox sought to cuddle up next to him.
Speaker:They shared a friendly grooming session to pass the time before their slumber.
Speaker:The fox’s unique muzzle and teeth allowed him to pick away at the ticks that had bothered the wild dog for weeks.
Speaker:And in return, the wild dog’s more broad canine tongue
Speaker:allowed him to better slick down the red fox’s fur coat.
Speaker:In a way, the canine felt as though his new companion had fully accepted him.
Speaker:His heart raced when the fox tightly coiled its body against his own.
Speaker:His large ears became warm to the touch as he stayed in place.
Speaker:He allowed the fox to get comfortable before the two dozed off into a deep slumber.
Speaker:The wild dog’s nose then nestled itself into the warmest part of the fox’s coat
Speaker:as he slept. He found the scent to be comforting
Speaker:and sought to share his body heat with his new friend.
Speaker:And from that day forward,
Speaker:the two had become inseparable.
Speaker:Even if the red fox was not native to this land,
Speaker:the two made for excellent hunting partners.
Speaker:The canine would show him which prey was easy to hunt
Speaker:and the fox quickly picked up the skills.
Speaker:Sometimes the canine would stare with wonder
Speaker:as the fox employed hunting tricks and schemes
Speaker:he had never seen before.
Speaker:While the two could never directly challenge larger prey such as elephants,
Speaker:their unique hunting dynamics allow them to eat comfortably.
Speaker:For every night they spent together,
Speaker:the more the two were drawn to each other.
Speaker:After their successful hunts,
Speaker:they climbed inside the makeshift burrow underneath the dead tree
Speaker:and retired for the evening.
Speaker:As with every night encounter,
Speaker:the fox nipped at the canine’s tail to get his attention for more play.
Speaker:And when the wild dog engaged in play,
Speaker:he found himself always drawn to the exotic creature.
Speaker:Even with the size advantage,
Speaker:he submitted to the smaller fox.
Speaker:The red vulpine pants
Speaker:and kept his small paws pinned against the wild dog’s chest.
Speaker:Within a few moments their wrestled antics turned into affectionate licks.
Speaker:The licks had deepened to intimate nuzzling.
Speaker:And the two ended the evening cuddled next to the underground tree roots.
Speaker:Their dynamic was more than a symbiotic relationship by the second month.
Speaker:They had sought out each other’s protection, even at the risk of their own lives.
Speaker:The two’s bellies were always kept full,
Speaker:their food reserves were well maintained,
Speaker:and they had a small section of territory to themselves
Speaker:to call their home.
Speaker:For a brief moment,
Speaker:there was a comforting constant sensation of a routine.
Speaker:Something nature rarely affords wild animals,
Speaker:especially those not native to the lands.
Speaker:Their peace was short lived as warning signs had emerged for the duo. The first was
Speaker:scent markings from the wild dog’s former pack.
Speaker:They had slowly encroached on the outskirts of their territory
Speaker:and within the day
Speaker:the former pact gradually closed in.
Speaker:The canine could tell their numbers had dwindled since his departure.
Speaker:Instead of finding ten unique scents amongst his former pact,
Speaker:it had dwindled down to four.
Speaker:The pact leader was still very much alive
Speaker:and there was only one female left amongst them.
Speaker:The vulpine was too afraid to venture far out from their initial borrow
Speaker:and stuck close to his companion.
Speaker:And the canine always took the front point,
Speaker:especially whenever the two ventured out beyond the dead tree burrow.
Speaker:With the former pack so close,
Speaker:the duo feared that the competition
Speaker:could dwindle their food supply.
Speaker:The wild dog sought to confront his pack
Speaker:before they could claim a foothold in their territory.
Speaker:In the canine’s mind,
Speaker:there were only two options.
Speaker:To fend off the pack and drive them out.
Speaker:Or to give his fox companion enough time to escape
Speaker:while he acted as bait.
Speaker:The fox scratched at various trees
Speaker:and nearby shrubs as a way to mark them.
Speaker:If they could not fend off the pack at a specific point,
Speaker:the two would know where to meet up after the battle
Speaker:if they survived.
Speaker:Once they got closer to the wild dog’s former pack,
Speaker:the canine heard the familiar calls and squeaks of his brethren.
Speaker:Four wild dog’s of various sizes
Speaker:pace and form a semi circle around the duo.
Speaker:Their pack leader
Speaker:didn't bother with formalities
Speaker:and stood in an aggressive pose.
Speaker:In the open field,
Speaker:the two could be easily surrounded and picked off one by one.
Speaker:To which, the fox nipped nervously at his companion’s tail
Speaker:and motioned his head towards the marked dead tree
Speaker:a few meters away.
Speaker:The canine bowed his head and the two quickly split up.
Speaker:The fox fled to the tree
Speaker:as the wild dog tried to draw the stronger male’s
Speaker:in the pack in the opposite direction.
Speaker:The pack had split up,
Speaker:three had given chase to the fox
Speaker:as the pack leader targeted the outcast wild dog.
Speaker:All the canine could do is trust that the fox would stall the attackers
Speaker:until he was finished.
Speaker:When given enough distance,
Speaker:the canine suddenly turned around engaged in combat with the pack leader.
Speaker:They traded scratches, blows,
Speaker:and bite marks within mere seconds.
Speaker:A heavy dust cloud bathed them
Speaker:as the wild dog baited his former pack leader
Speaker:into attacks. He shuffled his skinny legs to avoid the worst of the strikes
Speaker:and kept his muzzle open.
Speaker:When he saw an opening, the canine leaped forward and managed to bite onto the pack leader’s neck.
Speaker:While he was able to shake him off,
Speaker:the pack leader soon stumbled and buckled underneath his own wait.
Speaker:The battle had quickly concluded
Speaker:as the pack leader laid amongst the tall grass
Speaker:motionless. With his task concluded,
Speaker:the victorious canine quickly headed towards the tree. The red vulpine used their better mobility and adaptive techniques that kept the wild dog’s out of reach.
Speaker:Despite their superior numbers,
Speaker:the fox was more agile
Speaker:and continued to tire them out.
Speaker:When the canine returned,
Speaker:he managed to chase them off from the tree.
Speaker:With the scent of their former pack leader on the outcast wild dog’s body,
Speaker:they were made aware of his fate.
Speaker:Tired and malnourished,
Speaker:the wild dog trio
Speaker:had cut their losses
Speaker:and fled into the savannah.
Speaker:When the fox felt safe,
Speaker:he carefully climbed down and met up with the canine.
Speaker:The vulpine’s green eyes glimmered with worry,
Speaker:he spotted the injuries upon his companion.
Speaker:Despite his status as the victor,
Speaker:the canine had come away with multiple scratches
Speaker:and a large gash
Speaker:on his right ear lobe.
Speaker:Blood had flowed down the side of his head
Speaker:and began to pool around their paws.
Speaker:The fox stood up on his hind legs
Speaker:and leaned forward to gently clean the wound with his soft tongue.
Speaker:The two locked eyes,
Speaker:relieved to see they were mainly unscathed
Speaker:of the worst of the attacks.
Speaker:With the wound cleaned,
Speaker:the smaller vulpine’s muzzle buried itself into the canine’s fur coat.
Speaker:And he simply sat on all fours and allowed their bodies to collide in a fury of warmth and love.
Speaker:They had passed their first true test together.
Speaker:No matter what other challenges may face the duo,
Speaker:the two would always be by each other’s side.
Speaker:They had defied nature's natural order
Speaker:and sought to continue doing so.
Speaker:And for them, they wouldn't have it
Speaker:any other way. This was “Savannah Friends” by Darius Davis,
Speaker:read for you by Ta’kom Ironhoof, the Equine Charmer. You can find more stories on the web
Speaker:at thevoice.dog,
Speaker:or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker:Thank you for listening to The Voice of Dog.
