Evan and his mom moved to a new town, so he joined the Boy Scouts to meet new people. During a walk, though, he got lost. A stray dog found him and kept him safe all night. Evan was finally saved, and his mother had to decide what to do.
“Evan, we can’t get a cat or a dog right now. We just moved in, and I have to go to work. There is school. A dog, especially a puppy, needs a lot of care, attention, and trips to the vet. “It’s not that easy,” Evan’s mom, Octavia, said as she drove him to his new school one morning and shook her head.
Evan was tired of being lonely and not making friends in their new town, so he asked for a dog or a cat. But his mom said no.
“I promise to take care of things! Now that I’m old enough, I can do anything. Evan kept pleading, “I can clean up after it and take care of it, too.” “Mom, please.”
“Honey, I already said. Right now, we can’t. We are just getting settled in. Do you want to make friends? Because you’re a great kid, and you’ll make friends quickly at school,” Octavia told her. “Also, you can’t join some groups if you have a pet at home. And joining a club is the best way to meet new people. So, could you? For now, let’s drop the subject and work on getting used to this new place. OK?”
“OK,” Evan said with a tone of failure. Even a small fish is a lot of work to take care of, and Octavia felt bad, but there were more important things to worry about right now.
Evan got out of the car, fearing his first day at a new school, but maybe his mom was right and it wouldn’t be so bad. It wasn’t the best because he was the new kid, but everyone was nice, and he got to sit with a few interesting people.
But the boy still wanted to persuade his mom to let him get a pet. The first step was to be extra responsible and hardworking. He also helped make dinner and clean up afterward.
“Did you join any of the school clubs? While they ate, Octavia said, “It would be best to do something that takes up the whole afternoon so you won’t be lonely here until I get home.”
“I’m not sure. Evan answered, “I checked a few, but I don’t know which one to pick.”
“Know what could be fun? Boy Scouts. “They are a good group, and since we live in a wooded area, you might benefit from learning how to survive in the wild,” his mother said.
“Isn’t that a bit weird?”
“Please, kid, nerdy things are cool now. “Get with the times!” she joked with a laugh. “But, whatever happens, they will teach them how to be responsible and independent.”
“If I join, do you think I’ll be able to take care of a dog?” Evan spoke up, his eyes wide.
Octavia gave a sigh. “Well, perhaps. I already told you why I don’t think getting a dog right now is the best idea. I don’t have time for you, and you’re still a child. But we can talk about this again if you can show that you are responsible enough to join a club, work hard in it, and keep your grades up. “What do you think?”
Evan finally woke up, and he gave his mom a smile. “Yay! OK, I’ll join them the next day!”
Octavia gave a small smile and shook her head. She might have to give in on the dog problem at some point, but she’d rather wait a few years until Evan is older and can take care of any pet properly.
“Let’s say hello to our new people. Let’s start with Evan over there, shall we? Evan, stand up and tell us why you joined the Boy Scouts, Mr. Davis, the Scoutmaster, who was also Evan’s grade school Biology teacher, told him.
All of the boys were on the floor in their cute outfits, ready for their first lesson. Evan slowly stood up and said his name. “Hi, my name is Evan. I just moved here and don’t know anything about woods, so I joined the club. “My mom thinks that if I do well here, I’ll be able to take care of a dog,” he told the other kids, making them laugh.
Mr. Davis was happy. “Your mother knows best. But you’ll learn a lot more with us than just how to take care of animals. Have you ever lived close to a bush or woods?”
“No,” the child said, shaking his head.
“Then, if something happens, you need to learn how to live in the wild. The Boy Scouts also teach duty, friendship, working as a team, and a lot more. So, Evan, we’re glad you’re here,” Mr. Davis said, and everyone in the room applauded.
Evan was glad that he wasn’t the only new kid on the team because it meant he didn’t have to talk about himself. As their first meeting went on, the 11-year-old got more and more excited about being in this club, especially because Mr. Davis was showing them so many fun things to do.
“In fact, yes. Mr. Davis told the boys, “We have a big hike a week before winter break, and I need you all to be ready and get these permission slips signed by your parents.” The boys were all excited about the walk.
Evan only joined the club to make his mom happy, but he was happy when he got home and told her all about it. At that point, he forgot all about getting a pet.
When the day for hiking came, Evan was laughing and having a good time with his best scout friends. The last few weeks were really good. He had real friends, and school kept him so busy that he never bothered his mother about getting a pet.
He wanted a dog, but he didn’t mind waiting until he was bigger and could take care of himself.
His main goal was to learn everything he could about surviving in the wild, and Mr. Davis’ regular compliments had already helped him do well in several lessons.
“OK, fellas. On this walk, we have to stay together unless I tell you otherwise. We’re going to look for some plants that can grow in snow and some sites that can help you find your way if you get lost in a winter forest. “Come on!” Mr. Davis said something, and they began to walk.
The land they went through wasn’t very steep or hard to get through. It looked like a normal hike trail that many other people had used, but it was still exciting.
Barton, Evan’s friend, said, “I can’t wait until we finish so I can get my first medal.” The other kids agreed.
Evan said, “But let’s focus on finding flowers or anything unusual in the snow so that Mr. Davis will be more impressed,” and they all nodded.
They had to walk for a long time, and it seemed like snow covered everything. Evan was very interested as Mr. Davis showed them how to start a fire even when it was wet and cold. But he really wanted to do something different and show the others how valuable he was.
He saw a flash of color, and he thought he saw something purple off to the side. But he didn’t know for sure. It was far from where the path went.
“Hey, y’all. “Cover for me,” he told his friends, who stopped for a second as Evan walked away from the path and into the forest.
They whisper-yelled, “Evan! Evan!” because they didn’t want to get Mr. Davis’s attention. Evan didn’t pay attention, though. He kept going. He also didn’t notice when his friends kept going with the rest of the team, but he really wanted to find this flower.
There was a single camellia plant growing in spite of the cold and the thick layer of ice. It was great, and Evan picked it so he could give it to Mr. Davis.
He thought it would be easy to catch up with the other scouts because their master had taught them so much. But from his new point of view, everything looked different, and even the set path was almost hard to see.
Still, he walked… and walked… and ran. He ran and shouted for anyone to come. But he was so far away that he couldn’t even hear his friends. It was so strange and strange. He finally got tired and sat down at the base of a close tree to rest.
He couldn’t believe it when a dog showed up out of nowhere. Evan was scared at first because he thought it might be a dog. He looked around for a weapon. There was nothing around him that could have helped him fight off the wild animal. But as the dog got closer, he saw that his tongue was hanging out and his tail was moving.
“Hey, friend. “You scared me,” he said, unable to catch his breath.
He petted the dog, who was sitting next to him while he took a breather. “You must have gotten lost, huh? Why did you come all this way?”
The dog just looked at him with the most honest look on its face. Now, he wanted to get home, not only for himself but also for the animal. So, he got up and began to walk again. Nothing.
And, sadly, it was getting darker and darker and darker. As a Boy Scout, he had to carry a small lamp in his bag, but it wouldn’t last for long.
Still, he knew that soon someone would find him. They must be looking all over the forest for him and calling his name. Evan told the dog, “Buddy, let’s wait here and see if we can hear my group calling,” and then he sat down near another tree.
When it got cold, he did what Mr. Davis told him to do and built a small fire to stay warm. They didn’t hear anything, though, and it was getting colder and colder. He told the dog, “Come on, boy,” and walked away. He finally found a small group of rocks that gave him a little bit of protection, so he went inside.
Evan made another small fire and sat down next to the dog, who curled up close to him. Even though the 11-year-old tried his hardest, he fell asleep. At some point, he heard growls, which made him open his eyes quickly. He couldn’t see anything because the fire was out. But he saw the dog standing at the door to their temporary shelter.
Evan couldn’t see what was making him growl, so he couldn’t tell what it was. But there was a growl back from another animal. Evan wiped his eyes and looked outside to see what was making the stray dog so nervous and angry. As his eyes adjusted, he saw what looked like a big fox, and the boy thanked God that he wasn’t alone. He had heard that foxes were not dangerous, but this one didn’t look like the others.
The fox left in the end, and the dog stopped barking, but it stayed alert for a while longer. After a few more minutes, he felt better and went back to Evan’s side to warm him up. But even though it was warmer now, Evan began to cry. He was shocked that no one had found him yet.
What if no one had noticed that he was gone? What about the people he knows? Didn’t they try to find him? His mother might be the only person who is really worried. He laughed when he felt the dog’s wet tongue licking his tears.
“Alright, alright. Many thanks. “Thank you for keeping me safe and for being my friend,” he told the dog as he hugged it tighter.
Evan had gotten farther and farther off the original path as he tried to find his friends. So he got lost in the woods and stayed there for two days with only a stray dog and some food and water in his bag.
But after he found the rock shelter, he stayed close to it and tried to stay as quiet as possible. On the second morning in the woods, he woke up to the sound of his mother screaming.
“Evan, Evan, Evan!” Holy crap! My child!” She cried out in pain and ran into his arms. Even though he knew there were other people with her, Evan’s eyes got cloudy. But he gave his mother a hug like he’d never given her before and told her he was sorry for getting away from the group.
“I’m terribly sorry, Mom!”
When they were no longer upset, Octavia wanted to leave, but Evan told her what the dog had done for him. “He kept me warm, kept wild animals away from me, and was my friend. “Please, Mom, we can’t leave him here,” the boy begged, and his mother was happy to agree.
“Let’s go home quickly,” she said. Two days ago, they started the long walk back to where they had started. Evan couldn’t believe how far away from the path he had gone.
He took a warm bath when he got home, and the dog never left his side. They ate dinner, and his mother gave the animal a bowl of food and kissed him on the head. “Thank you for keeping my boy safe,” he heard her say.
“Can we hold on to him?” Evan wanted to know when Octavia would join him for dinner.
“Oh, that dog is part of the family now,” she said with a nod. “Pick out a name.”
Evan gave him the name Scout with a smile.
What does this story teach us?
A boy’s best friend will always be his dog. Children learn a lot about duty and caring from their pets, which is a big plus. A dog can also save the life of a child.
Learning not to put yourself in dangerous situations is part of growing up. Evan found out the hard way that it’s easy to get lost in the woods. He got lucky when Scout showed up.
Tell your friends about this story. It could make their day and give them ideas.
If you liked this story, you might also like this one about a woman’s father’s dog who came to her and whined until she followed him.
