Nika had never seen her dog like this before: his eyes were blazing with rage, his mouth was bared menacingly. Before she could even think, he rushed towards the man who had grabbed her hand, knocked him to the ground and, growling menacingly, hung over him like a terrifying silhouette…
When Nika turned seven, she got her own spacious and bright room. But the girl categorically refused to sleep there alone. Every evening, one of her parents – either her mother or her father – lay down with her so that she could fall asleep. And if she woke up at night and no one was around, she took a pillow, a blanket and moved to her parents’ bedroom. Neither persuasion nor educational speeches helped – nothing changed, despite the fact that the girl was growing.
And then one day the solution unexpectedly rolled right at her feet – in the form of a white fluffy lump, which first barked in fear, and then immediately made a puddle under itself. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an adorable puppy, so cute and touching that Nika immediately exclaimed: “Mom, let’s keep him for ourselves!” And negotiations began: study well, keep order, walk the pet on her own and … sleep in her room without mom and dad. Nika agreed to the first three conditions without hesitation, but she thought about the last one, but quickly realized: “Now I won’t be alone!”
So Lyalka appeared in the house – according to the documents, a white terrier, by character – a 100% young lady with character. And what is amazing is that Nika kept her word. With the appearance of Lyalka, she began to sleep in her own room, and the dog became her faithful companion – both in night dreams and in everyday affairs.
Lalka was a real beauty: well-groomed, confident in her irresistibility, with the manners of a real lady. She ignored the other dogs, but treated the children who constantly wanted to pet her patiently, even condescendingly – as if agreeing with their praise. However, if other dogs approached her, she immediately showed her teeth and began to squeak indignantly.
To change Lyalka’s behavior, Mom and Nika signed up for classes with a dog trainer and regularly attended the course for three weeks. But either the instructor was not very experienced, or Lyalka was too independent – there was no change in behavior. The result was the specialist’s conclusion: “She considers you her pack. She doesn’t need anyone else.” Oh well – they were fine with the three of them.
For walks, Nika and Lyalka chose an abandoned vacant lot behind the house. Previously, there were barracks there, but they were torn down, leaving only fragments of the foundation and wild fruit trees. On one side, the vacant lot bordered on the private sector – old wooden houses living out their days. Most dog owners walked their dogs on a landscaped area, but Nika and Lyalka preferred this romantic corner with an atmosphere of privacy and freedom.
It was there that Lyalka met her destiny.
That summer, Nika turned fifteen, Lyalya turned eight. The girl was already slim, beautiful, with a dreamy look and a phone in her hand. And Lyalya behaved like a mature lady with character, confident in herself. They were walking through a vacant lot: Nika was lost in her thoughts, and Lyalya was sniffing the grass, and suddenly – an unexpected attack! A huge shaggy dog, similar to a shepherd, but with more tousled fur and restless energy, flew at Lyalya. Cheerful, large and noisy, he circled around her, poking her with his nose, licking and literally infecting her with his joyful mood. Lyalya froze, not knowing what to do with such an impudent fellow.
– Don’t be afraid of him, my dear! – an old woman with a cane, seventy years old, hurried to Nika. – He is kind, a prankster, but affectionate. He has never bitten anyone!
“Yes, I already understood,” Nika sat down, and the shaggy ball of joy began to lick her hands with enthusiasm, wagging his tail so that the dust rose in a column. “With someone like that, the only thing you can be afraid of is that he’ll lick you to death!”
– He never walked on the street before, only in the yard. And yesterday my grandson came and let him out. He became so happy! So I thought: I’ll go with him, let him run. And when he saw your dog, he went straight to her.
– And she can’t take her eyes off him. It looks like she’s fallen in love!
– Well, that’s great. It’s more fun together. They call him Druzhok. And I’m Marya Vasilievna.
From that evening on, Druzhok became a regular participant in evening walks. Sometimes he would be waiting by the vacant lot, and if he was late, Lalka would perform a ringing inviting trill – and a minute later he would rush to meet him. They would run around the grass, play, roll around in the dust.
Nika would take a blanket with her, spread it out in the shade of an apple tree and read. And Lyalka and Druzhok, having played enough, would settle down nearby and, pressing their noses together, rest. Sometimes Marya Vasilyevna would join them – she would bring pies, sit on the edge of the blanket and tell stories. Nika liked to listen – the grandmother lived alone, her son and grandson rarely visited. She had been given a puppy about five years ago, they thought that it would grow up small, but it turned into a giant.
“I couldn’t have done it without my son’s help. Feeding him on my pension alone is a real ordeal,” sighed the grandmother, and Druzhok looked at her with adoration and a satisfied smile.
With the arrival of September, the walks shifted to the evening. On one of those days, they had just reached the wasteland, and Druzhok was still nowhere to be seen. And then a black jeep flew over the bumps, loudly roaring music and three drunk guys. Two of them fell out and, staggering, began to approach Nika, going around from both sides.
The girl retreated under the apple tree, quickly turned on the microphone on her phone and hid it in her pocket. Then she whispered to Lyalka:
– Call Buddy. Urgently!
All she hoped for now was for him to hear.
There was no need to persuade Lyalya – she immediately began to bark loudly and sonorously, calling for help.
– Wow, cool! – one of the guys rejoiced, looking around with undisguised pleasure. – It was worth stopping here!
“What a great dog!” his friend chimed in, smiling contentedly, and Lyalyka, hearing her name, immediately bared her teeth, wrinkled her nose, and let out a low growl.
“Why should we stand here?” the first one continued, unexpectedly grabbing Nika’s hand. “Let’s go for a ride! I promise we’ll bring it back in one piece…”
“Or almost whole,” the second one laughed, grabbing the girl’s other hand.
“You guys won’t like this,” Nika said with a stony face, stalling for time. “Another dog is about to come running. You better get out of here while you’re still in one piece…”
– What, another cur? – the first one grinned and, roughly pushing Lalka away with his foot, dragged the girl towards the car. – Well, well, I hope at least it will be more fun.
“He might just eat us,” the second one laughed, loudly slapping Nika on the thigh. But the fun didn’t last long – the next moment he was thrown aside with the force of a battering ram: Buddy, who had arrived in time, attacked with his whole body.
Nika had never seen him like this before: his eyes were filled with scarlet, his gaze became almost insane, his mouth was open, foam was flying out of it, his teeth were bared so that it seemed like he was about to bite.
Before anyone could even figure out what was happening, Buddy lunged at the man holding Nika and knocked him off his feet with a furious roar, instantly appearing above him like a looming mountain of canine anger.
The second guy crawled to the jeep in a panic, jumped inside, slammed the door, and literally immediately stepped on the gas – the car took off and disappeared into the darkness.
Nika took out her phone, turned off the microphone recording and immediately called the police.
Meanwhile, the first of the attackers continued to lie under the weight of the enraged dog, wet with dog saliva, trembling with horror. The police officers who arrived at the call found exactly this picture.
“That’s enough, Buddy,” Nika said calmly, gently tugging at his collar. “Ugh! Don’t choke on that nasty stuff. Let him go and dry his pants.”
The law enforcement officers took him away by the arms, and there really were wet spots on his trousers…
Still holding the dog, Nika knelt down and pressed his heavily breathing muzzle with one hand, and with the other she hugged the still trembling Lyalka, who was whining and looking into her eyes, as if asking: “Are we safe?”
“And your mistress said that you don’t even know how to growl…” she leaned towards Druzhok and added tenderly: “You certainly can… Thank you, hero!”
The October evenings were getting colder. One of them, he and Lyalyka went out into the wasteland again – but Druzhok was not there. Lyalyka barked, as usual, loudly and cheerfully, but there was no answer.
When they approached Marya Vasilyevna’s house, an ambulance was standing at the gate. They were carrying out the grandmother on a stretcher.
“She got really sick,” explained the neighbor standing next to her. “She’d been coughing for the last few days and could barely move. And then I heard Druzhok howling like crazy. And he’s a silent type – he doesn’t bark for no reason. I went there, and she was unconscious, in a fever… So I called an ambulance. I hope she pulls through!”
– Everything will be fine. I’ll visit her tomorrow.
– God willing… But I don’t know what to do with the dog. I have my own male dog – two of them won’t get along…
– We’ll take him. There’s not much space, but I’ll talk to his parents – they won’t refuse.
Druzhok, finding himself in a new home, was of course happy to have Lyalka’s company, but the melancholy did not leave him. Every time Nika returned from Marya Vasilyevna’s hospital, he ran up to the door and looked into her eyes – with hope, with the expectation that she would say: “Let’s go, she’s waiting for you.”
Grandma’s condition was improving, and Nika brought her a tablet one day. From that day on, she and Druzhok began to “see” each other regularly via video link. First, he sniffed the screen, then wagged his tail, then lay down in front of the camera, not taking his eyes off. Marya Vasilyevna laughed and stroked the air with her fingers, as if she were patting a dog on the scruff of the neck. They both felt better.
A few days later, Marya Vasilyevna’s son arrived. He asked everything, thanked Nika for her help and said:
— We decided to take Mom to live with us. I can’t leave her alone anymore. But… There’s no place for a friend. We have three, five, and now Mom. There’s simply no place for the dog.
– Don’t worry. He’s already at home, the parents don’t mind. Just take away the tablet – let them keep the video call. It will be more fun for the friend and grandma…
Autumn rustled underfoot, poured with rain and tickled the windows with the wind. On the wide windowsill, wrapped in a blanket, sat Nika and looked towards the wasteland.
Nearby, on the floor, lay two dogs, their noses buried in each other. One story had ended. But ahead, beyond the rain, beyond the horizon, a new one was beginning. In which there was a place for home, warmth, and a devoted roar that sounded louder than any words.
