The Dog in the Snow

The snowshoe trail began behind the lodge and climbed gently through a forest of tall pines. Jarrah walked at the back of the family line. Her father's old red hat was pulled down over her ears. In front of her, Ulrich, their young dog, was pulling at his leash with all his strength.

Jalur sepatu salju itu dimulai di belakang penginapan dan mendaki landai melewati hutan pinus yang tinggi. Jarrah berjalan paling belakang dalam barisan keluarganya. Topi merah tua milik ayahnya ditarik rendah menutupi telinganya. Di depannya, Ulrich, anjing muda mereka, menarik talinya sekuat tenaga.

At the first clearing, her mother let him run free. For ten minutes, he raced in happy circles. Then a white hare jumped out from behind a rock, and Ulrich shot after it. He crossed the clearing and disappeared into the trees before anybody could call him back.

Di tanah lapang pertama, ibunya melepaskannya. Selama sepuluh menit, ia berlari berputar-putar dengan riang. Lalu seekor kelinci putih melompat dari balik batu, dan Ulrich melesat mengejarnya. Ia menyeberangi tanah lapang dan menghilang ke dalam pepohonan sebelum ada yang sempat memanggilnya kembali.

"Ulrich!" Jarrah shouted. The only answer was the soft sound of snow falling from a branch.

"Ulrich!" teriak Jarrah. Satu-satunya jawaban hanyalah bunyi lembut salju yang jatuh dari sebuah dahan.

"Stay on the trail," her father said. "We don't want to lose two of you."

"Tetap di jalur," kata ayahnya. "Kita tidak mau kehilangan dua sekaligus."

"I'm not going far," Jarrah said. "I only need to see which way he went."

"Aku tidak akan pergi jauh," kata Jarrah. "Aku hanya perlu melihat ke arah mana dia pergi."

At the edge of the clearing, she found his paw prints, deep and wide apart. Next to them ran the thin line of the hare's. She followed them for twenty steps, stopping every few seconds to listen. The trail markers, bright orange tags on the pine trunks, were still visible behind her. She made a rule: if she could not see one, she would turn around.

Di tepi tanah lapang, ia menemukan jejak kakinya, dalam dan berjarak lebar. Di sampingnya terbentang garis tipis jejak kelinci. Ia mengikutinya sejauh dua puluh langkah, berhenti setiap beberapa detik untuk mendengarkan. Penanda jalur, label oranye cerah di batang-batang pinus, masih terlihat di belakangnya. Ia membuat aturan: kalau ia tidak bisa melihat satu pun, ia akan berbalik.

"Ulrich!" she called again, and held her breath. Far to the left, she heard a faint, high whine.

"Ulrich!" panggilnya lagi, lalu menahan napas. Jauh di sebelah kiri, ia mendengar rengekan pelan yang nyaring.

She followed the prints around a fallen tree and down a short slope. The tracks changed. The paw marks became deep holes, and then a messy hollow. It looked as if the dog had been jumping and sinking again and again. At the bottom stood a thick bush covered in snow, and under it, she saw two brown ears.

Ia mengikuti jejak itu mengitari sebatang pohon tumbang dan menuruni lereng pendek. Jejaknya berubah. Bekas kaki itu menjadi lubang-lubang dalam, lalu menjadi cekungan berantakan. Tampaknya anjing itu telah melompat dan tenggelam berulang kali. Di dasarnya berdiri semak lebat yang tertutup salju, dan di bawahnya ia melihat dua telinga cokelat.

Ulrich was stuck up to his chest in a drift. He was shaking, but his tail was wagging. Jarrah knelt and dug the snow away with her mittens. Then she pulled gently on his harness until he came free.

Ulrich terjebak sampai dadanya di dalam gundukan salju. Ia gemetar, tetapi ekornya mengibas. Jarrah berlutut dan menggali saljunya dengan sarung tangannya. Lalu ia menarik tali dadanya pelan-pelan sampai anjing itu terbebas.

She carried him in her arms back to the trail, counting the orange markers as she went. Her family was waiting with worried faces. "He is fine," Jarrah said, "and so am I. Next time, he stays on the leash."

Ia menggendongnya kembali ke jalur, menghitung penanda oranye sambil berjalan. Keluarganya menunggu dengan wajah cemas. "Dia baik-baik saja," kata Jarrah, "dan aku juga. Lain kali, dia tetap pakai tali."

Ulrich licked her chin, and she could not stop smiling the whole way back to the lodge.

Ulrich menjilat dagunya, dan Jarrah tidak berhenti tersenyum sepanjang jalan kembali ke penginapan.