The Rightful Heir (13 page)

The rattlesnakes gathered in the old barn as lightning flashed in the sky around them. Many more snakes were slithering in than ever before. Whispers throughout the main room were interrupted by their new leader.

“A ssstorm isss coming, my friendsss.” The rest of the snakes hissed. “A ssstorm isss coming to the kingdom, with rattlesss and fangsss.” The barn vibrated with thunder and loud rattling.

“Massster…” A snake said, and Siloam hissed with pleasure. “Massster, did you kill the heir to the kingdom?”

Siloam hissed angrily. “No!” Angry hisses surrounded him. “He had already essscaped. I did manage to create a little
havoc
while I looked for him, though.” His evil laugh was joined by others. “I wasss told that thisss heir hasssn't shown up at the kingdom, yet. However…”
BOOM!
“…I have more interesssting newsss.”

“Tell usss, Massster!”

“Hissssssssss
. Their kingdom isss about to grow in numbersss we cannot allow. Over a thousssand othersss are hiding in the heart of Persssly'sss Woodsss. If they reach thisss many, it will be even harder to take them over.”

“How are they going to gain ssso many more?”

“They are waiting for a group from the kingdom to come and guide them back.”

“Can we ssstop them, Massster?”

“Yesss.”

“How, My Lord?”

“I know of
a way.” Siloam shook his rattle commandingly. “All of you will go and find thisss heir. He mussst be sssomewhere to the wessst looking for the kingdom.”

Every snake sounded a shaking rattle.
BOOM!
Lightning illuminated countless rattlesnakes, covering the floor of the barn.

“And if we find thisss heir?” one asked.

“Kill him!” Siloam slithered around the carcass of Farangis. “Kill him and any other creature that you crosss!” The leader of the rattlesnakes slithered out of the barn's entrance. Three others followed.

“Where are they going?” others asked.

“To kill!
Hisssssss
. We have our ordersss. Let'sss move out!”

J
ONAH HAD NOT STOPPED
since taking off after the boy late that afternoon. Miles and miles he'd covered, not knowing where the kingdom was, only that the boy headed south. The little dog had decided not to stay on the road very long. Surely a kingdom of animals wouldn't be close to the road.
Maybe I should have gone west instead of east
.

The thunder got nearer as a cool breeze picked up. It was almost a relief. He was panting, thirsty and hungry after traveling so many hours.

“Owwwwwwwww…ow, owww, owwwwwwwwww!”

Jonah's ears shot up at the sound he'd often heard in pastures outside the old lady's house. “Oh no! Coyotes!” They sounded far away, perhaps miles.
But where am I?
He couldn't see a thing as the sky grew darker, if that was even possible. When the lightning flashed, all he saw was bluestem grass in front of his face and an occasional tree above it.

Jonah sighed, then all of a sudden,
Tap.… Tap, tap, tap
. His nose felt the first light drops of the cool sprinkle of rain. Soon his
body was covered in wet drops of water and the dirty, ugly dog smiled in relief.
“Ohhhhhh
…that feels so good!” Jonah didn't care if anyone was around to hear. The rain soothed his itching body. He rolled around in pure bliss as the wet, thick grass cleaned off the dirt, grease, and who knows what else stuck to him.

He opened his mouth and drank the heavy drops. He gyrated as if in a trance as he lay on his back and let the rain roll across his belly. This was his first bath…ever! The old lady never bathed him, and Jonah hid under the porch from her when it rained. He figured it was better to be under that rotten porch than to be with her.

The ground was getting soaked, but Jonah didn't care. He lay there in contentment, falling asleep in the pasture as the rain drenched and transformed him from the ugly, malnourished dog he'd been into the tan-colored pug he really was—complete with a black smashed-in face, little black ears…and one little black foot!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I
T WAS HOURS PAST MIDNIGHT
when the tired coyote awoke from his short rest in the pasture. His long, skinny, hunger-racked body rose from the ground as lightning lit up the sky and a light rain fell.
He looked over the tall, damp, bluestem grass at the multitude of other coyotes in the pack. Some managed to pick off the last specks of meat from a few carcasses of wild goats they'd killed in a large herd a few nights ago. They were starving again and the leader knew it was time to hunt.

The coyotes had grown very hungry over the last few months. Something was scaring all the animals into hiding. In their desperation they even thought of eating one another. Their ribs showed through their grey and brown nap as they smelled each other hungrily. It was only a matter of time until they acted on their carnivorous thoughts.

Belshak left the pack and entered the dark woods next to the pasture. His mouth watered at the thought of eating another wild goat, or anything else for that matter. He walked for a long time, hoping he'd hear something move on land or smell something in the ground. If it was alive, it would soon be dead. The fierce coyote wasn't going to share anything with the others. The darkness in Persly's Woods felt cool and wet as the damp weeds rubbed against his matted fur.

Belshak's eyes shot from tree stump to tree stump in the lightning, waiting for that split second he'd have to react when he saw a tail or foot. His gray hair stood up at a rattling noise close
by. His breathing became heavier as he salivated, knowing he would be eating something soon.

Rattles sounded around him, off behind the trees, and he heard bodies slithering through fallen leaves. He stood his ground on the wet, cold dirt and listened as the snakes closed in. The hungry coyote tried to figure out how to attack one of them without being bitten by the others. Lightning flashed and he lunged. He quickly retreated when the snake raised its body high and struck, but intentionally missed.

“You don't want to try anything ssstupid…friend,” Siloam said from the darkness in a gentle but eerie way. The other four snakes closed in around the coyote.

“Friend?”
Belshak called out in a raspy, gritty voice. “What makes you think you can call me
friend?” He growled, staring where he thought the rattlesnake was. Lightning flashed and Belshak saw that the snake was eye level with him, staring fiercely back.

“Becaussse,” Siloam said in delight, “I have been watching you, friend, and I know that you and your family are very hungry.” He could hear the coyote's hungry panting. “I jussst ssso happen to know where you can eat your fill for the ressst of the year!”

Belshak licked his lips at the words, even if he didn't believe them. “And where might that be?”

“Ohhhhh…deep in the heart of Persssly'sss Woodsss.”

“You're insane, snake!” Belshak growled. “All of the animals have gone into hiding because of that…
thing
out there. Even my own pack won't go far into the forest!”

“Then perhapsss you can wait for the creaturesss to come to you?” Siloam hissed in soft laughter as the other snakes rattled in the darkness.

“What do you mean?!” Belshak grew impatient.

“Over the next couple of daysss a group from the kingdom—” Belshak interjected a mocking burst of air through his nose. “—will come to lead a large number of creaturesss out of Persssly'sss Woodsss. Over a thousssand of them.”

“A thousand?! How can I trust you?” Belshak barked as his stomach growled.

“Because,
friend
, I have a ssspy who told me thisss. I will sssoon dessstroy the kingdom, jussst asss my former massster wasss about to do.”

“Yes, I heard about that. Wasn't it this same
kingdom
that killed your master?” Belshak smiled at the rattlesnake's angry hiss.

“We cannot allow the kingdom to grow thisss large! By ssstopping their caravan on itsss way, your friendssss can eat more
than they ever dreamed of!” The hungry coyote again licked his lips. “You will be helping me, and I will be helping
you.”