The Last Frost

The Last Frost

The car stops to the end of the dirt road, dog whimpers in the back seat nervously waiting for the man and the license to rush to frosty morning of October. Sound of front door shut and the back door opens making creeking sound in frozen air of North, man pets a dog and talks to it in soft voice. The vapor from breath and talking rises from mans lips as he reaches for dogs collar and unleashes him saying excitedly “go get them, go get them”. Dog rushes from the car in youthful enthusiasm, but the man looks from distance and shakes his head as the dog is looking so stiff, still the dog runs with its best effort to the pine woods that no man has laid his hands on with the saw, keeping his nose high and seeks for the scent of Capercaillies, bears, moose and grouses.

The man looks sad in the eyes and talks to himself “he sure has the effort, but this seems to be the last frost to you my brother”. Dog is old already, his mind is like a razor, sharp and quick but those extra moves and lightning fast direction changes from the youth are in the past. At home all the fuss and running from window to window are gone also, man walks slowly in old scenic pine woods and looks dogs work giving him cheerful shouts from time to time. Dog works hard, he runs far away seeking game and comes back in 20 minutes to check the man and to see the direction of advance. Dog always comes from behind touching the man with is nose to a knee, as offsetting the calculator to the next round of search. Dog does not see very well anymore, hes hearing is not good anymore but the nose works like a young lion, with hes sens of smell the dog finds all the game from nearest kilometer, but because of the hearing and eye problem he no longer finds the birds from the trees. From every round the dog makes it arrives seemingly chagrined. Sometimes when the bird has checked out the dog starts barking to the scent, he knows he is doing wrong but the smell is too strong for him and he cannot help it, man walks by and spoils the joy by saying “quit it”.

Dogs pointy ears fall to the side and it speeds by man continuing hes work. After an hour of walking the man whistles loudly as the dog is on its search, takes an axe from back pack and starts preparing a fire from a tar stump. Dog never hears the whistle but from the old habbit and over a decade of journeys together he knows how to act and arrives after half an hour with his nose up a looking where the man is since he is not walking anymore. Dog sits next to a man and pant but changes a place because the fire blows its ugly and bad smelling smoke to his face.

The old dog lies down and closes his eyes but the nose is living his own life, it circles and does its work all the time the dog seems to be sleeping and when the man opens the sausage package with his knife the nose goes wild just before dog jumps up and gets closer to a man. Old brother knows already since he is experienced dog “I am just about to get treats” he thinks. Man talks to a dog like to his only love, pets him, says nice things to him and of course gives him a piece of a sausage in the end. Man gets up, lifts hes back pack and asks the dog: “go get them?”

Dog starts working again and a man thinks he is going to circle around a small swamp an head back to a car, he does not want to wear down an old dog. In five minutes a man hears a sound of checked out black grouse, then surprisingly he hears hoarse barking of an old dog. He looks stunned as he walks closer cautiously: “that is a damn surprise” he thinks while he drops in to hes knees and starts crawling closer to see what the dog barks about. Soon he sees a young female grouse in the lowest branch of a pine and old almost grey Finnish Spitz under a tree barking to a bird, keeping the birds eyes to himself and pointing with hes nose exactly where the game is. Man looks the situation, smiles a little and becomes sensitized, lifts a gun and shoots down the bird that drops almost in dogs mouth.

Oh man how the old brother gets excited, he growls, barks, runs between the man and the bird, licks the mans face, he talks to the man in his own way: “look daddy, look daddy what I got for you, look what I catch for you”. Dog looks with its brown big eyes when a man walks to a bird and takes a knife, carefully takes out the guts and lifts heart, lungs and kidneys to dog. Dog waits until they get a little colder and eats them with good appetite, licks hes lips and gets ready to carry on.

After short walk man and his blood brother arrive to a car, dog looks surprised and confused even he sure knew where they we´re heading. Man can get lost in the woods but Finnish Spitz never does, but when the man starts calling him in to a car he realizes that this fun ended too soon. Dog sits 50 meters away from the car ears pointing to the side, he does not like the situation at all, he hates it. Dog tries to bark, whine and growl to a man that: “lets go, we always stay here days, weeks.. I do not want to go home”. Man sits on a stump next to a car with sadness and longing in hes eyes, he also smiles at the same time when tears fall in hes face, he tries to hide them.. he tries to hide his tears from a dog? The man takes his time and tells the dog in strict tone “Riko in the car now”. Dog runs to a man, jumps in to a car and does not even look the man when he puts a collar on, talks to it, pets and gives greetings with tears in hes eyes. Dog is hurt, he is confused and angry, why so short trip?

Man drives home, takes dog inside, gives him tasty food and massages dogs muscles in the mans own room, man talks to a dog. He talks things that even most of the closest humans in hes life will never hear ever, the man trusts his dog and the dogs trust to a man is like a mountain.

Nine months after the last hunting trip with a man the dog makes a little bit more fuss with a man. He wants to come close, licks a mans arm, enjoys from his touch. He is old, mostly lying but always follows the man where ever he goes. Night falls and the man and the dog put their heads on the same pillow and fall asleep.

When the morning comes a man sees that the dog has closed his eyes for the last time, man looks behind him as making sure that his wife has gone to work and his kids have gone to school. Man takes his best friend in to his laps, pets him and talks to him, remembering the old days and the good trips when young 8 months old Finnish Spitz enters the room. Young spitz smells carefully his best friend, starts whining and goes away with his tail down. Man puts his head down and his shoulders jump up and down for a while.

Man walks to his yard, digs a hole in the ground and carries his brother and best friend to the hole, puts him on his favourite blanket, lifts a big juicy bone next to his best friends head, shovels the hole full and strangely shakes leaning to the shovel. Man wipes his eyes and goes to a garage to work on a sign to his best friend, best friend who has slept hundreds of nights with him nose to nose in wilderness. Best friend who had given his life for this man if it would be the case. Man remembers all, all the feelings of joy, all the feelings of friendship in the wilderness not just because of the man but just because of the brotherhood and the feeling of being one, disappointments and happy moments, all the sights that his best friend is happy. The man feels happy afterall, there would be things in his mind that no one could take away, no one.