The dog no longer dug. With the fabric bone clutched gently between its jaws, it lay down beside the hole, tail giving a slow, weary thump. Its eyes, which had burned with a strange fire for days, seemed calmer now. As if the search had ended the moment the toy surfaced.
Ethan crouched beside it, frowning at the untouched can of tuna still leaking on the ground. He picked it up carefully and tossed it into a nearby trash bin, not wanting the dog to risk its health on spoiled food. In its place, he left a small bag of biscuits and a bowl of water he’d fetched from the corner shop.