Courage

Ace was a Bernese Mountain Dog. He more closely resembled a black bear than his Saint Bernard cousins. Although he had never seen an Alp nor been close to a cart, his dense fur and massive bulk told the story of his heritage. To a human, he was 130 pounds of pure canine; to the other dogs around him, he was a chump.

Since he was a puppy, he had dodged confrontation. He often averted his gaze to avoid eye contact with other dogs; was satisfied to eat after everyone else had their fill; and preferred his master's gentle pat of approval to a tone of displeasure. He could not remember a time when he did not accept his fate, go with the flow, or obey a command. As a young puppy, he attended obedience school and outshone his fellow students. His nature was to obey blindly. He was a follower and it served him well in his lot.

Now, Ace spent most days lying in the sunny spot at the end of the barn aisle. Sometimes he moved  when people walked through but usually they just stepped over him. He had become a fixture and was part of the furnishings of the stable. He was a doormat for the cats- literally, they liked to wipe their paws on his black fur when it was wet outside or after a particularly dirty hunt. He would lie in his usual position and it was commonplace to find a cat or two curled into a ball on top his mountainous bulk.

He looked out the doorway through half-closed eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the evening sun baking him. His thick fur served as an insulator to both heat and cold- so it took a while for the radiant energy to reach his flesh beneath.

"Well hello, big guy,"  a male voice spoke from behind him in the darkness of the barn. It was late afternoon- the feeding chores were finished and he had thought he was alone without the people who tended the horses for a few hours. Customarily, they would return later to close the barn doors against the cooling night air and check on the equines who stood in the stalls around him. But for now, he should have been alone.

A chill crept across his gut like a long shadow. He liked people and was always ready for a pat on the head or to meet a new human friend. This one, however, was unannounced and inside his barn. Ace allowed his frame to rise to a sitting position- a great effort for this time of the day. He wanted to get a better look at this new voice. He pushed the shadow in his gut down and cocked his head sideways. Ever a smile on his big face, he wagged his tail slowly sending a friendly volley across the space to the man standing a few feet away.

The gesture was met with a nervous smile but Ace became uneasy when it did not reach the man's eyes. Why was this man standing here breathing short nervous breaths? Why did his eyes dart side to side as if they had a mind of their own rather than meet his warm brown gaze? Ace began to feel an uneasy ball roll around inside his stomach. Different than hunger, the ball rolled against the back of his stomach and he knew he was unsure about this person. He wished that there was a barn person here to greet him in the usual manner- to shake his hand, smile, and inquire about his business. But Ace was alone, here in the barn with a stranger, and he did not like it one bit.

Somewhere to his left, a mare whispered quietly, "Ask his business." With a low nicker, her neighbor- a chestnut mare with light hair sprinkled throughout her brown mane said, "Someone must send him away- he should not be here."

Ace looked down the long barn aisle as if wishing would make a familiar person appear before him. His rich brown eyes always held a hint of sadness, now they were quickly filling with worry. He knew this person should leave the barn. He could not imagine who would tell him to go. Furtively, he glanced behind him. Where were the cats now? Perhaps they would enter en force in all their feline fury and drive the intruder out.

But, alas, there was no cavalry to be seen. Ace was running out of options. The ball rolling inside his stomach was getting larger and causing him to be more uncomfortable. He was becoming agitated by it. A quiet voice whispered to him, "You know, you could tell him to leave."

He cocked an ear to discern the direction the sound came from but could not find the source. He continued to watch the suspicious man and noticed that his arms hung stiffly at his sides. His hands opened and closed into fists in a rhythmic motion. Ace knew that he was a big dog. He had always used caution when he moved close to people so that his bulk would not cause them harm. He had never before contemplated that his size could be used for any other purpose.

That idea settled upon him like a cloak and the ball suddenly settled within him. A tiny seed of courage sprouted from it and began to grow. Faster than an idea can travel from a dog's heart to his mind, Ace opened his smiling mouth and said "Woof." It was a small woof but his sheer size dictated that his voice was baritone and rich. The man took a half step backwards. Without pausing to think again, Ace said a bit louder "Woof."  He liked the way his voice felt rushing across his throat and threw his thick jowls.

Courage welled inside the black beast like a wildfire now. His voice boomed and he was bolstered by the nickers of approval coming from inside the stalls around him. He stood up- an impressive mound of hair, flesh, and teeth and enjoyed the sound of his booming voice as it echoed through the rafters and off the concrete floors. The intruder was retreating now- and quickly. He had come here not expecting to be greeted by this bear in dog's clothing.

Ace watched as the man disappeared out of doors at the other end of the barn. He still felt the ball inside him but now it had moved upwards and was filling his heart. He did not feel afraid nor meek at this moment. He felt proud and vital. He walked the length of the barn once and back again- huge paws falling softly on the hard surface. He accepted the congratulations of the admiring horses as he passed their stalls and beamed.

Once he reached the sunny spot at the end of the barn, he settled back onto a lump resembling a furry rug and let out a satisfied sigh. With half-closed eyes, he resumed soaking up the remainder of the long evening rays of sun.