The Rightful Heir (11 page)

Benjamin plopped down and looked around the cave, trying to fit a thousand more animals. “Well…why so many? W-Why right now?”

The fox took a big, deep breath, then slowly exhaled it as he looked around the room at all the animals staring back. He wanted to put it delicately but couldn't. He shook his head in grief. “We're being eaten, Your Majesty.” Everyone gasped. Some even passed out. Although his hind legs stiffened, Roscoe was not one of them.

“Eaten?!
Who…who's doing this?” Benjamin had a hunch but hoped he was wrong.

“There's a creature out there that no one has ever seen and survived—”

“Yeah, Felix, look, we already know about it,” Clementine interrupted, “so why don't you just spare us the—”

“Yes,
Clementine,” Benjamin cut him short. “We know about it,” he looked back at the crowd, “…but
they
don't. Finish what you were saying, Felix. They need to know.” Benjamin looked reassuringly at Roscoe and Clementine, who bowed their heads in regret.

“Well…no one has seen it and lived.”

“Except for a skunk!” Clementine quickly added.

“What?” Felix said, annoyed.

“N-nothing.”

“Whatever
it
is, there's no way we can live in the wild anymore with
it
out there. Almost every morning we hear that it killed during the night. We have to watch for it every moment.” The animals trembled. “So those of us who knew about your kingdom told the others. Now we've all decided this is where we want to live.…” He looked down and smiled at Squeak standing next to his mother and sister. “…in safety and peace.”

Benjamin hesitated, then leaned in. “What do you need from us?”

Felix gulped but looked frankly in the king's eyes. “We need a protected escort. Someone who'll go with me to lead them all back to this kingdom.”

“Someone who'll take you through Persly's Woods, and the tall-grass pastures…with that
thing
, and who knows what else, out there?” Roscoe smirked.
“Safely?”

“Yes.” The fox couldn't look at them.

Roscoe shook his head and lightly stomped his hoof. “Oh, boy…”

“Oh, boy,” Clementine quietly agreed.

Benjamin stood and looked down at the pig and goat, then at the crowd. Every creature felt the tension. They waited in silence for Benjamin to speak. He wanted to tell them about the rattlesnake attack but couldn't. They had enough to worry about
already. “I think we need to make plans on who will lead the fox and his…large group back to our kingdom.” He looked around at the troubled faces. They needed good news. “Also, uh… tonight I'm going to talk to the dog who I believe is King Pugsly's son.” They all loudly cheered. That was what they all had been waiting to hear.

Amid the applause Benjamin spoke quietly to Roscoe and Clementine. “Okay, I want you two guys to come up with a team to help me lead Felix and the others back here.”

“Yes, Sire.” Clementine stood up straight.

“Uh, Your Majesty, may I say something?” the fox asked, unsure.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Well, thousands of us animals out there have always lived in the wild. I'm not sure how to put this…” His eyes avoided Benjamin's as he looked everywhere else. “Um, I don't think you should come along…
Your Majesty.”

“What?!” Roscoe yelped. “Fox, don't you know
he
is the reason we saved the—”

“It's okay, Roscoe. Let him finish.” Benjamin felt insulted but remained composed.

“Well, you see, most of them probably have never seen a human before. And if they have, it tried to catch or kill them. We all were told that your king is a little dog. It's nothing against you, King Benjamin, I just think the others would relate more to, well, other animals.”

“I understand.” Benjamin thought for a second and sighed, “Well, hopefully I'll have your new king on the throne pretty darn quick.”

Roscoe and Clementine looked at Benjamin curiously. They noticed he looked a little stressed, and a little sad. “Are you okay, Your Majesty?” Roscoe asked carefully.

“Yeah…I'm fine. I need to get back home, though. I'll see you in the morning before the school bus picks me up. Hopefully I'll have some good news.”

“Okay, Sire. Good luck tonight!” Clementine said as they watched him go, saying “good night” to the animals.

In the dark tunnel Benjamin not only had Mrs. Crane's death on his conscience, but something was out there eating up animals left and right. He was feeling the heavy burden of ruling a kingdom with enemies. A hint of relief came with the thought that, perhaps, he wouldn't have to worry about it much longer. But something in him didn't want to say goodbye to that. Not yet.

Tom and Carol were on the couch watching TV when Benjamin came in. “You look tired. Where'd you go?” his mom asked.

“Yeah, and did you watch out for snakes?” Tom asked.

“I was in a giant cave full of talking animals, but there were no snakes,” he answered with a tired, half-hearted smile, much to his parents' amusement. “I think I'll go to bed soon.” He wanted to believe it but knew he'd be sneaking out later.

“Yeah, you've had quite a day. Stress will wear you out, son. Just don't let Mrs. Crane's death get to you. It was just an unfortunate incident.”

Grateful for his parents' ignorance, he headed downstairs. “Yeah…well, goodnight.”

“Goodnight, dear.”

Benjamin felt the collar crammed in his pocket poke him in his leg. Closing the door to his bedroom, he took it out and looked at it. It felt heavy on his heart. All the pain and suffering it had put not only him through, but all the creatures in the kingdom…and Mrs. Crane. There was no doubt in his mind the snakes were looking for that hideous dog that was wearing it.
But how did the snakes know he had it?
Then it came to him. The
buzzards! When his dad hit one with his car he said they were everywhere. That was the day before old Mrs. Crane was killed.
So now the snakes are after Pugsly's heir, and that monster is still
in
Persly's Woods eating everyone. And now a thousand others want us to find them and lead them back to the kingdom unharmed. But why would the snakes still be involved? We killed their leader
.

“Oh, this is too much…”
Benjamin sighed as he exhaled slowly through his nose. He thought about the pug with the one black foot that he saw from the school bus everyday. He looked at his clock. It was 9:15. “Mom and Dad will be going to bed in an hour. I'll sneak out after that.” Benjamin set his alarm for 10:30 and tried to get some much-needed sleep. Tonight he hoped to meet the rightful heir.

CHAPTER NINE

B
ENJAMIN FELL IN AND OUT OF SLEEP.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
He jumped out of bed at the alarm's
deafening sound in his ear. Exhausted, almost to the point of going back to sleep and saving his visit to the pug for another night, he knew he had put it off far too long.

He slipped on his shoes and tread up the stairs as quietly as he could. A board squeaked. He paused. Much like the last time he'd sneaked out, when he met Paco, he heard his parents snoring loudly from their room at the end of the hall. He opened the front door carefully, having had practice with it, and smiled when he didn't make a sound. The night was inky black. Thick clouds covered the entire sky.

“Okay, Ben. Keep your bike on the road,” he said quietly, slipping on the collar.

He made it down the driveway with ease, thanks to the lamppost by the pond, but the road was a different story. White and brown gravel by day, it was now almost darker than the sky. It didn't take long for his imagination to start playing tricks on him.

A biting breeze struck his face. He grew edgy at the thought that “it” might be staring at him through the thick, shadowy trees ten feet away. “That's stupid, Ben. There's no way that thing came all the way out here…”
But if it did, the whole kingdom is in trouble!
He put a little more push in his legs and the bike sped faster down the dark road. He rode blind almost the whole way, sometimes feeling dizzy. He stopped a few times to get his bearings, but
briefly, in case his imagination was right about a monster.

A sense of security came over him as he spotted the small, orange-pink lights of the Howells' and their neighbors' lampposts in the distance.
Oh, finally!
Benjamin wasn't tired at all. More anxious than anything. Yes, he might be meeting the new king of the kingdom across the road, but really he looked at it as meeting Pugsly's son. In a way, he thought it would be like seeing his old best friend again.

Benjamin could now see the houses. The first was Jessica Howell's. Not only was the pug with the black foot there, but she was, too! There was a light on in the front corner window behind a closed blind. He stopped his bike on the other side of the road and hid it in the ditch by the hedge trees in case a car came along.
Tha-thoom, tha-thoom, tha-thoom!
His pulse pounded in his ears as his adrenaline rose to a new level. He'd felt something like it before with the giant, hungry warthog and the twenty-five foot python, Farangis. But this was new.

Torn between meeting Pugsly's son and lingering outside Jessica's house at night, he crept over the gravel road, making soft crunching sounds with every step. Something was happening to him. His knees shook uncontrollably and he felt vulnerable leaving the darkness and entering the lamppost's pinkish glow. The neighbors' yard lights were conveniently far enough away that he could hide in the darkness quickly if he had to.

As Benjamin neared the chain link fence around the front yard, out of nowhere came a deep, furious voice. “Hey, you! Get out of here! Go on! I will bite!” He almost fainted with fright. He looked around but couldn't see anyone. He sprinted across the road, faster than he would've ever believed he could, and grabbed the handlebars of his bike. “Get out of here now!” the voice boomed from behind. Benjamin turned to see a full-grown, strong, black Doberman Pincher charging angrily right at him.
“Go on!” The dog's muscular front legs pounded the gravelly road.

“Okay, okay, I'm leaving!” Benjamin managed to say in a shaky voice.

“Hurry up! Move!”

“Alright, I said I was leaving!”

“And don't come back!”

“Don't worry, I won't!” The boy pedaled to get out of the ditch.

“Go on! Get out—” The dog stopped and tilted its head. “Wha…what'd you say?”

“I said ‘don't worry, I won't come back!'” Benjamin tried not to make eye contact and started down the road.

“Wait! Stop!”

Benjamin hesitated, then braked.
Should I really stop?

“How is it you can understand me?” the Doberman asked. Benjamin relaxed a little. The dog wasn't growling, but curious.

“It's because of
this.”
He held out a shaking wrist and the great dog saw the silvery-blue tag sparkling in the darkness. He assessed Benjamin with piercing brown eyes, trying to decide whether to move in closer. Then he slowly approached. Benjamin tried to control his trembling arm.