such bullying, it sprang out of the hole it had been trying to shrink back into.
Kelsang hadnât realized that his body seemed to be waiting for this moment. His blood raging, he instinctively jumped to his feet and bit hold of the fleshy marmot, twisting its legs with all his strength.
The marmot thrashed and struggled.
Although Kelsang had strong neck muscles, he was still only a puppy. His paws gripped the ground tightly, and his teeth now held just as tightly to the marmotâs throat. Then he felt something break, and a warm liquid flowed down the marmotâs glossy fur, trickling into his mouth. He snorted with pleasure as the marmotâs wriggling body slowly went limp, until it stopped moving altogether.
Kelsang placed the marmotâs plump little body in front of his master.
But Master simply patted him on the head, then took a piece of dried meat from his fleece bag and put it in Kelsangâs mouth. Kelsang lay down as Master took the knife tucked into his waistband and began carefully skinning the marmot. That afternoon, before they drove the sheep back to camp, Master took the marmot fur, which was already half-dried by the sun, and hung it from his waist.
As soon as they returned, Masterâs son ran out and tried to grab hold of Kelsang. But even though there was nothing else to play with on this bleak scrap of grassland, Kelsang ran away. He wasnât going to let Masterâs son grab hold of the fur on the back of his neck anymore. Those kinds of games no longer interested him.
The weather was unusually fine when Kelsang followed his master to put the sheep out to pasture for the third time. As soon as they found some good grass, Master took out his ball of wool and spindle. Kelsang lay down beside him. He began to feel dizzy as he watched the twirling spindle and closed his eyes.
All these first experiences were to become essential memories that would guide him in the future â when he next wanted to deal with a startled marmot who wouldnât come out of its hole, for example.
The marmot was behaving like any animal that finds itself trapped. Kelsang dug his head into the hole to catch the nasty little fellow, whose wrinkled features resembled a frightened cat. But it wasnât that simple. A pair of sharp fangs appeared before him, which he now knew didnât belong to a grasslands rodent. Panic swept over him as he imagined something coming from behind, blocking the hole on top of him.
Darkness fell. The rays of light that had leaked into the hole from behind him disappeared, and the wrinkled features of the marmot, baring its teeth and waving its paws, sank into darkness. The blackness flooded everything like lake water. The thing that Kelsang most feared had come to pass. He was suffocating in the hole.
Terrified, he strained his neck and barked furiously, his muscles tightening and pressing against the walls. He felt a knock on his head.
Kelsang woke up on his back, his paws in the air. A cloud swept across the peaceful sky, making a huge, fast-moving shadow over the grasslands. Master was spinning. He had not been trapped in the dark, musty hole after all. Feeling almost hysterical with relief, he jumped to his feet and began to rub his neck against Masterâs boots in delight.
But Tenzin wasnât particularly interested in the dogâs affectionate behavior. His gaze was fixed on the movements of his flock down in the low-lying meadow. He quickly swung his baiga , propelling a stone from its pouch. But it landed yards away from the flock â they had gone too far. The sheep kept their heads bowed low, eating the fresh grass as they drifted still farther away and began to round a small hillock, where they would soon escape from Tenzinâs view.
Tenzin sighed, about to fetch them back, when Kelsang shot out like a burning black meteor, barking as he charged toward the sheep. It was only as he was flying down the hill that he himself realized what