But something else caught his eye. Wedged against the can was a faded chew toy, shaped like a bone, its once-bright fabric darkened with age. The tuna had seeped into it, giving it a pungent smell. Ethan emptied the bag quickly, laying its contents across the dirt so the dog wouldn’t destroy them.
To his surprise, the animal lunged not for the tuna, but for the toy. It snatched the fabric bone in its jaws and carried it a few feet away, tail wagging weakly, as though it had found something precious it had been seeking all along. Ethan blinked, baffled.