Brothers Campfire Shepherd’s Business-An Ongoing Tale Chapter 99

Caydon Berengar left his classroom with his bag. The Man with the Shepherd’s Crook stopped him. “Caydon, come here.”

“Yes sir!” 

“You are limping. What happened?” 

Caydon hesitated. “I am fine.”

“I see your bag is moving around. Did you catch an animal?” 

“yes! Do you want to see? I caught a baby Pequin!”

The Shepherd’s Crook Man was perceptive.

” did it bite you?”

“Not bad, a little on my leg.”

He lifted his pant. There was a sizable bite mark on his calf. 

“does your mother know about this?”

“I don’t want her to know. She will be upset.”

He watched as the boy winced holding the baby pequin. The skin was burning Caydon’s arms.

“That pequin doesn’t look to healthy for you. Have you thought about letting it go?”

Caydon winced. “I love my pequin. I don’t want to.” 

“Does it love you? It took a nice bite on your leg and it burns you when you hold it close. You can’t play with a pequin and not get burned. That bite will leave a scar, Caydon. You may have it for the rest of your life.”

Caydon began to cry. ” I don’t want to let it go. Hannah said it would be nice if I mentored it.”

The Shepherd’s Crook Man looked sad. 

“Caydon, a pequin is a pequin and it will not change no matter how hard you try. It bit you because it feeds off of your fears. You are afraid it will bite you and the creature grows. One day, it will be too big for you to handle.”

“Here, I will make a trade.” He took Caydon to a barn stall. “I have a young goat that needs taking care of. You can have him. Do we have a trade?”

Caydon agreed. 

The Shepherd’s Crook Man was relieved. He took the young pequin into the forest and quickly killed it. A pequin is nothing for a boy or even a grown man to trifle with.