Storm of Dogs (9 page)

Lucky's eyelids were heavy as he
shook away the pelt of sleep and blinked into the
darkness. His foreleg throbbed where the dog-wolf had bitten him, but at least he was warm now. Sweet, Bella, and Storm were still curled around him, sleeping deeply.
It's thanks to them that I escaped,
thought Lucky.
We're safe at the camp now. I should feel relieved.

Instead a familiar sense of foreboding crept along his whiskers. There was a hint of something metallic in the air. The Earth-Dog was silent, but Lucky's neck fur still bristled; something was shifting beneath his paws.

A delicious smell tickled his nose, distracting him. All at once he realized how hungry he was. His belly growled, and he smacked his lips as Sunshine padded to the den's entrance. She held a breast piece torn from one of the plump geese. She trotted toward him and laid the meat at Lucky's paws.

Sweet opened one eye. “That's all yours, Beta,” she murmured. “You need it. The rest of us will eat later.” She closed her eye and let her head loll.

Lucky stared hungrily at the piece of bird.

“Bruno caught it specially for you,” Sunshine explained. “We were all so worried—we knew you wouldn't have just left us, and when you didn't come back, we thought something terrible had happened.”

Lucky cocked his head gratefully. He ran his tongue over his lips and tried to speak, but his voice cracked. He felt too weak and thirsty to eat.

Sunshine watched for a moment, her nose twitching with concern. She spun around and ducked out of the den. He could hear her scampering about outside, then a rustling and dragging sound. The dirty white dog reappeared, backing into the den with a piece of bark in her jaws. Lucky saw that it was curved like a bowl, water glistening inside it. As Sunshine set the bark in front of him, he fell upon the water and lapped it up thirstily.

“Thank you, Omega,” he whispered. “I needed that.”

She wagged her knotted white tail. “And now you need to eat something! You'll feel so much better for it.” She tore off a mouthful of the prey-creature and fed it to Lucky. He chewed the tender morsel, feeling the juice run down his throat. Sunshine was right—he felt better already. The little dog continued to offer Lucky small chunks of meat, licking his nose
as he gobbled them down. Then Lucky tensed, remembering Fang's brutal death. “Has there been any sign of the Fierce Dogs?”

“You're safe now,” Sunshine murmured. “You're surrounded by the Pack, and we have Patrol Dogs everywhere. No one can get through. So you should just relax and get better.”

Lucky let his eyes close. He hadn't felt cared for like this since he was a pup.

Yap sighed as his Mother-Dog licked his nose. He nuzzled against her coat, his belly round with milk and the soft meat that the longpaws put out for the Pup-Pack. The longpaw den was cozy. Light glanced through the clear-stone, warm against Yap's fur. He yawned contentedly and opened his eyes.

“Mother, will you tell me a story?”

Yap snuggled closer as his Mother-Dog rested a comforting paw across his back. “Very well. I will tell you about Lightning, the swiftest of the dog warriors.”

Yap's tail gave a cheerful wag. This was one of his favorite stories!

His Mother-Dog cleared her throat. “The Sky-Dogs watched over Lightning and protected him. But Earth-Dog was jealous. She thought Lightning had lived too long and that it was time for him to die so that she could take his life force.”

A chill crept over Yap. The beam of sunlight had disappeared. Clouds drifted outside the clear-stone, darkening the sky. His Mother-Dog's voice grew deeper, and her body stiffened.

“One night, Lightning began to tease the Earth-Dog. He was always a little wicked and crafty, clawing the ground quickly before racing back to the sky, where he was safe.”

Yap craned his neck to look at his Mother-Dog in surprise. He knew that Lightning and the Sky-Dogs could be mischievous, but it was always in the spirit of fun. He'd never imagined that Lightning was actually
mean
to Earth-Dog.

The Mother-Dog's paw across Yap's shoulder felt heavier. “Earth-Dog had anticipated Lightning's tricks this time. She lay quietly, waiting, until the touch of Lightning's claws became so regular that she could predict where he was about to land next.” Her voice became louder. “Earth-Dog waited and waited, licking her chops. When Lightning sprang
down toward her, what do you think happened?”

Yap watched his Mother-Dog, wide-eyed.

She continued, her voice growing shrill. “With a terrible growl, Earth-Dog opened her mouth wide and swallowed Lightning whole!”

Yap gasped in shock. He'd heard this story before—and this wasn't how it was supposed to end! He buried his head in his Mother-Dog's coat. Her muscles flexed beneath the fur, and Yap pulled back, looking up at her for reassurance. He whined in horror—it wasn't his Mother-Dog staring down at him.

It was Blade!

The Fierce Dog flashed her teeth and lowered her head to his so that their whiskers were almost touching. Her breath smelled metallic, like blood.

Yap cowered from her, but Blade pinned him to the ground, her paw bearing down on his back.

“What have you done with Mother?” Yap whined. “Where is my Pup-Pack?”

Blade's eyes sparkled gleefully. “Wicked dogs must be punished,” she snarled. “The Earth-Dog swallowed Lightning whole! And the ground was soaked with blood.”

Her paw against his back was so heavy he could hardly breathe.

Lucky's eyes snapped open to see the Sun-Dog beaming down on the den. He sprang to his paws, his heart racing. There was no sign of Blade beneath the bright-blue sky.

With a sigh of relief, he shook off the memories of his bad dream and looked around. Sweet, Storm, and Bella were no longer in the den. Lucky yawned and stretched out his legs. He wouldn't think about the nightmare, he told himself. His belly still felt pleasantly full, and his body was stronger after a good sleep. Even his paw hardly hurt anymore.

Lucky padded down to the pond between the trees. There he drank deeply. Outside the comfort of the den, the wind pierced Lucky's coat and he shivered. The trees were bare, and even the long grass by the pond bowed under frost. Lucky sniffed the ground.

The frost disguised scents, but there was a hint of something unusual down there. He sniffed again. A whiff of sourness came from the soil. The air hummed with a faint vibration.
The fur rose along Lucky's back as he experienced a familiar sense of dread.

This is how it felt before the world fell apart.
Earth-Dog was still unsettled—still dangerous. What would it take to appease her? Lucky thought with a shudder of Blade's dark prophecy.
She's wrong,
he told himself firmly.
This has nothing to do with Storm.
But his anxiety lingered.

I have to warn the others! We need to find somewhere safe.

He could hear barking toward the edge of the cliff, and he hurried to join the others. Sweet was gathered with the rest of the Pack. There was no need to warn them—they had guessed what was happening.

“We can all feel it,” yapped Snap. “Shouldn't we get out of here?”

Dart, the little brown chase-dog, spun a quick, anxious circle. “Last time the Growl tore down trees, and the ground . . . the ground just fell apart!”

Daisy's ears pricked up. “My longpaws' house shook and shook. And when I barked for them, they weren't there!”

“The clear-stone shattered!” barked Bruno, his brown ears flicking back. “It just shattered!”

Whine huddled low to the ground, his small body shaking.

The Pack started panicking, and Sweet barked loudly to silence them. “Dogs, stay calm. We all remember the Big Growl. There's nothing to be gained in dragging out bad memories.”

Lucky came to her side. “We have to leave, to get as far away as possible.”

“But where would we go?” Sweet gazed beyond the valley to the cliffs. “We could never outrun the Growl. At least it's fairly open here, and the trees are mostly by the pond. Don't you remember the longpaw city, or the town down by the Endless Lake? When the Earth-Dog shakes, tall and heavy things become
dangerous
. Isn't it better to be out in the open when the Growl arrives?”

Moon rose to her paws. “Alpha is right. Don't you all remember how the ground shook and the trees started falling in the forest? Most of us survived because our camp was in a
clearing. We're better off staying in a more open space like this rather than trying to find a better place that we don't even know exists.”

Dart whined and hid her head between her paws while Daisy hopped in circles.

Lucky thought about this. Sweet and Moon had a point. Where would they go? How could they escape the ground they walked on?

Sweet turned to him. “What do you think, Beta?”

He dipped his head. “I agree. We're better off staying where we are. We should probably keep away from the edge of the cliffs, though. In the Big Growl, some of the longpaw houses collapsed—it would be dangerous if the same thing happened to the cliffs and we were standing nearby.” He thought of the longpaw town down by the Endless Lake. The streets had been covered in sand and river grass. Had the lake broken its bank during the Growl, spraying its water over everything? Lucky shuddered. “And we should keep our distance from the lake.”

A calm fell over the Pack.
They are reassured by the agreement between their Alpha and Beta,
he realized.

Daisy stepped forward nervously, her tail pointed down to the ground. “What about the longpaws you saw in town?” she asked. “They're too close to the Endless Lake—the Growl will get them!”

Sweet's ears flicked back. “That isn't our problem. Sorry if it seems uncaring, but it isn't like they went out of their way to help
us
.”

Original members of the Wild Pack were quick to agree.

“The longpaws think they're so clever,” muttered Moon, her blue eyes cool as the sky. “Well, let them work it out for themselves.”

Former Leashed Dogs looked less sure, exchanging worried glances. Mickey stepped forward. “Some of us lived with longpaws. They looked after us, they fed us, they even loved us.” He paused, looking into the distance. Lucky wondered if the Farm Dog was picturing the young longpaw he had once thought of as his closest friend. Mickey appealed to Sweet. “Don't misunderstand me, I'm a Wild Dog now, we all are. I don't want to join the
longpaws or wear a collar ever again. But we should make sure the ones in the town know that the Growl is coming back. Otherwise they'll be killed. Whatever you think of the longpaws, it feels very wrong to leave them to that fate.”

His words had a powerful effect on the other former Leashed Dogs. Martha padded to his side, and Bella raised her muzzle rebelliously. Sunshine looped anxious circles around them.

Sweet's jaw stiffened.
She's going to forbid them from going anywhere near the Endless Lake,
thought Lucky. He watched Bella. He knew how stubborn his litter-sister could be. They didn't need tensions in the Pack right now, with the Growl coming and the Fierce Dogs nearby.

Lucky spoke quickly, careful to keep his eyes low and submissive. “Alpha, if you allow it, I could lead a group of dogs to the town to try to warn the longpaws. They are clever creatures, but their instincts are poor—they won't be able to sense the Growl coming.” He lowered his head farther and spoke to the ground. “I promise we won't waste time. We'll be safely back up the cliff before the Growl comes.”

Lucky stood very still. He could feel Sweet's eyes bearing down on him.
She knows I can't possibly guess when the Growl will arrive—no dog can. There's a risk we won't make it back. But she must understand what this means to the Leashed Dogs. And she's not like the last dog we called “Alpha.” She will care.

He held his breath hopefully, feeling the anxiety of the Leashed Dogs.

Sweet sighed. “I think it's foolish, but I won't stop you.”

Lucky raised his head and blinked at her, grateful.
Nothing like our old Alpha!
he thought.

Sweet looked at him sternly. “Be careful, Beta. And hurry!” She turned to the other dogs. “Who's going with him to help the longpaws?”

“I will,” said Martha in her deep, soft voice.

Bella's golden tail gave a wag. “Me too. It will be the last thing I do for the longpaws. After that, they can go their own ways, and we will go ours.”

Mickey trotted up to her, his eyes sparkling. “We'll help them. It's the right thing to do. But we'll be quick,” he assured Sweet.

Sunshine and Daisy skipped excitedly.

“We'll save the longpaws!” Sunshine yipped.

But Bruno sidled up to Moon and sat heavily. “I'm staying here. I'm a Pack Dog now. My longpaws abandoned me, and the ones in the town are strangers.” His eyes were cold, and Lucky looked at the old dog in surprise.
He's telling the truth. He doesn't care about his longpaws anymore.

To Lucky's surprise, Snap ran up to the Leashed Dogs who were preparing to leave for the Endless Lake.

“I'll come,” she yipped.

Bella turned to her. “But you were always a Wild Dog.”

“I want to be useful,” she said, flicking her ear dismissively.

“Thank you,” murmured Mickey, tenderly licking the small dog's ear. She looked up at him with a softness in her eyes. Lucky cocked his head.
Mickey and Snap are mates! How could I have missed it?

Lucky felt a tap on his leg and turned to see Beetle looking up at him with admiration. “I'll go!” he offered.

Moon sprang forward and grabbed her pup by the scruff. “Oh no, you won't!” she snarled. “Longpaws killed your Father-Dog. Let the Leashed Dogs get this misplaced loyalty out of their systems. We owe the longpaws
nothing
.”