Lucky lifted his dripping muzzle, astonished.
“A quick lap, that’s all,” said Twitch sternly. “Alpha says if we eat and drink on patrol, we will not see properly. Indulging our own appetites is disregarding our duty.”
Disregarding our duty? Lucky was shocked to his core. How did these mutts ever come to think like this?
Still, as much as their attitude horrified him, Lucky didn’t want to cause any trouble. He backed away from the water and followed them again. Clearly Alpha was serious about discipline—and he had to admit it was true: With his tongue lapping the clear, delicious water, and the lovely coolness of it in his throat, he had been unaware of what was going on at his back. Danger could have fallen upon him, and he would have been completely caught off guard.
“One of our Pack dogs learned that lesson recently,” said Dart. “Found a rabbit corpse while he was out on patrol. Ate it himself.”
Twitch shuddered. “Alpha did not take kindly to that.”
Lucky felt his own skin shiver. “Which dog was this?”
“He is not in the Pack anymore. We do not mention his name.” Dart seemed nervous, and she gave her coat a massive shake before she trotted on. Lucky guessed that whoever the nameless dog had been, he was not in anyone’s Pack now.
“Lucky, check that hillock,” commanded Twitch. “Three dogs could hide behind that rise.”
He had been going to do it anyway, but Lucky kept his jaws shut and did as he was told. To be truthful, he was glad of a moment’s breathing space in the wake of that story about the nameless Pack member. He could not let himself forget that he was playing a very, very dangerous game. There were chills in his spine as he shoved his muzzle into hollows, pawing aside long grass to look for anything that might be hiding, ready to attack. The sharp odor of raccoon made him tense up with alarm, but when he followed the trail a rabbit-chase or two, he realized it was too old to worry about.
He looked back toward Twitch and Dart, a strange thought tugging at his fur. When those two dogs sniffed at the air, and at the ground, their tails stayed down. Nothing they scented excited them, even though Lucky knew they had to be teased by the scent of prey, old and new. But they stayed calm at all times.
I don’t understand that.
Loping back toward Twitch and Dart, he said, “Is there anything particular we’re looking for? There are so many scents, so many traces . . .”
“Alpha wants to know about anything at all that might be a threat,” Twitch replied. “Other dogs, obviously, and of course, foxes and raccoons. Sometimes there are sharpclaws, and they can be sneaky.” He shivered, perhaps at the memory of an old attack; Lucky, too, knew just how much a sharpclaw scratch could sting, and how quickly the wound it left could become poisoned.
“If there’s a small threat, we handle it ourselves, just the patrol,” Dart grumbled. “And if we need support, I head back to the camp to gather the hunters. That’s why there are always at least three dogs on patrol. There has to be one to run back while the others fight. There is no getting the better of our Pack. Spring was patrolling with us while Moon looked after her pups, but now you’re here, so Spring can go back to hunting. More food for all of us.”
“That was good work you did, Lucky,” said Twitch. Lucky couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw approval in the mongrel’s eyes. “I saw how thoroughly you . . . checked.”
He’s testing me, Lucky realized with some annoyance. Then it struck him why Twitch was acting like a strict but indulgent Mother-Dog.
Lucky had taken Twitch’s place at the bottom of the Pack hierarchy.
Being low in this Pack’s order clearly made life even harder than it had to be. Once again Lucky found himself longing for Bella’s scrappy Pack. They might have needed a lot of teaching in the ways of surviving but, when it came down to it, the Leashed Dogs pulled together. They cooperated because they cared about one another. They shared food and tasks equally because they thought of themselves as friends and equals, not as rivals for Pack position or as possible threats. Lucky felt a sudden urge to confront Twitch and Dart, to force them to question the savage rules they were living by. He wanted to tell them that their way was not the only way, that a Pack did not have to exile or kill dogs just for making a single mistake in a moment of desperate hunger. . . .
But Lucky clamped his jaws together and kept his silence. It would not do to start questioning the ways of Alpha’s Pack so soon after he had begged to join them.
Besides, he had not just pleaded to join—he had lied, too. I’m playing tricks on these dogs—and they are not the kind of tricks my Mother-Dog would have liked.
He could hardly lecture Twitch and Dart about friendship and honor. . . .
Ahead of him, Dart had finished a long lap of the bay and was now absently sniffing the length of a huge driftwood log. For all their talk, Lucky thought, his companions’ inspection of their surroundings seemed a bit brief. Dart had barely gotten to the end of the log before she jumped down and trotted straight toward a copse of pines on a small headland. Twitch was winding through tree trunks at the forest’s edge, checking the roots of each, but to Lucky’s eyes he seemed more concerned with following the trees in the right order than with actually examining them properly.
Lucky took a last careful sniff at the rocks under a sandy bank, then leaped up it to join Twitch and follow him into the next stretch of woodland. “Moon would usually lead this patrol, is that right?” he asked. Alpha had said that Moon wasn’t patrolling because she was caring for her pups, and the respect the other dogs treated her with made Lucky think the Mother-Dog must be higher in the Pack hierarchy than Twitch or Dart.
“Yes,” Twitch replied. “When she’s on patrol, nothing escapes her. She could be a hunter, but she’s so good at tracking and scenting—the best in the Pack.” Twitch’s voice held an awe and respect that told Lucky a lot about Moon’s status. “But of course she’s nursing her pups now—hers and Fiery’s. They are such strong dogs, that pair, and so experienced. They’ve been running with Alpha for a very long time.”
Lucky tilted his head as he walked beside Twitch. “And has Sweet—Beta—been with him a long time too?” He was very curious to learn what had happened to his friend since he’d known her in the city. . . .
“Beta? No. She’s the newest member of the Pack!” If possible Twitch’s eyes grew even bigger and rounder. “She joined maybe half a Moon-Dog journey after the Big Growl. But she is so fast, and clever—and ruthless. She became Beta very quickly!”
“That’s . . . impressive,” said Lucky, feeling a strange twist of pain deep in his belly.
“Enough,” said Twitch, putting his paws up against a tree and sniffing thoroughly at a hole in the trunk. “It’s really important we check the boundary just the way Moon would, or she’ll have something to say to us about it later.”
Lucky cocked his head thoughtfully. But how would Moon know if you had done your job well or not? Is she really so terrifying that you think she can see you from back at the camp? You are so afraid of Moon and Fiery and Alpha—and Sweet—you don’t dare do anything even the tiniest bit different. . . .
The tree shadows had shortened since they had set out. Lucky followed carefully in Dart’s and Twitch’s tracks, but as he sniffed and peered, he noticed that they were following old paw prints. When the other two stopped to scent-mark, a stale, similar odor was easily detectable in the same place. As his nostrils flared, Lucky tasted the same scents on his tongue, but even older.
They’re following the same tracks they follow every day, Lucky thought, astonished. The same routine, every time. This is crazy! When Dart glanced up anxiously at the Sun-Dog and yapped, “sun-high,” they turned back toward camp as if ordered by an invisible Pack leader.
Now their route took them deeper into the forest, where there were hollows and hillocks and thick scrub to check and double-check, and Lucky had time to think. He doubted that Moon would approve if she knew how slavishly these two followed
her old example. Any strange dog who watched the patrol for two or three Sun-Dog journeys would notice the pattern and know how to avoid it.
Alpha had created a disciplined Pack and provided them with a secure and comfortable home, but perhaps even that had disadvantages. Lucky and Bella and the Leashed Dogs had always been alert, always ready to flee or defend themselves at a moment’s notice, simply because they felt so insecure. In contrast, Alpha’s Pack felt too safe, too confident. They must have been here for a long time, perhaps even since before the Big Growl.
It seemed likely. Twitch and Dart were not on constant lookout for trees crashing down, and there certainly was not the kind of devastation here that there had been in the city—or even farther down the valley. One or two fallen trunks blocked their way, but Twitch and Dart bounded up and over them quite dismissively, taking little notice, and showing no sign of nerves. Perhaps, thought Lucky with a small shiver, this Wild Pack was simply too tough and hardened to be bothered by an occasional shake or snarl from the Earth-Dog? On the other paw, perhaps they simply didn’t recognize the danger.
From the top of a rough, sandy ridge, Lucky panted as he pricked his ears and stared across the next bay. Yes, it was as he had thought—if Bella and her Pack kept clear of this jutting tongue of land, and the bay to this side of it, there was a shallow gully that they could slip along unseen. If they kept quiet, and stayed careful, and avoided a windy day when their scent might carry far enough for Alpha’s Pack to catch it, he thought they would be able to sneak down to the farther side of the lake, and drink there.
Lucky felt a surge of satisfaction. His friends had a good chance.
“Come on!” yipped Dart imperiously as Lucky hesitated on the ridge.
Reluctantly Lucky followed.
The trees were thinning again as they got closer to the camp. Across a broad green meadow Lucky could see the dense, dark line of another forest, one that seemed even vaster than Alpha’s territory. A little way ahead, prey-creatures burst from the grass in a panic, hurtling for deeper cover as they scented the dogs, and Lucky’s heart leaped with the thrill of the hunt. Almost at his feet, a small shadow flickered in the grass, and Lucky pounced, his paw catching the mouse’s tail and pinning it.
He was about to bark his success to the others when he felt a weight slam into his side, knocking him onto his flank. As he hit the ground, Lucky saw the terrified mouse scuttle and vanish, and he stared after it in disbelief. Then he rolled to his feet, hackles up, and glared at Dart.
“Why did you do that? I had it!”
“You had no business having it!” snapped Dart.
Twitch hobbled up. “We do not hunt,” he said sharply. “Not on patrol.”
Lucky panted in disbelief. “What are you talking about? Why would you not hunt when food walks right in front of you?”
“Maybe you hunt alone in the city,” said Dart scornfully. “But we are a Pack, and the Pack tells us when to hunt. And that will be when we have earned our place as hunters!”
“Your place?” Lucky yelped, unable to believe what he was hearing. These dogs seemed . . . trained. “All dogs hunt! It’s natural.”
“Not patrol dogs. If we get promoted to the hunting den, it will be because we have earned it. Hunting is not our job, and it is not our right, either.”
Lucky looked from one to the other. They stared at him with such disapproval, he could not help his head dropping. “But I was not going to eat it straight away. I was—”
“The hunters will come out later,” Twitch told him. “Fiery will lead them out just as the Sun-Dog starts to yawn. That way the patrols are back in camp to support Alpha and guard Moon, and the food is brought back to camp to be shared at no-sun.” As Lucky opened his jaws to object, he snapped, “That’s how it works! Don’t bring your city ways to our Pack, Lucky.”
Lucky scratched fiercely at one ear, then shook himself and followed the other two obediently, with just one longing look after a last fleeing mouse. He supposed it was natural that the Pack would wish to defend their food source, and ensure that all the food was shared equally by all. If dogs hunted individually—like that nameless one who had eaten the rabbit—they might be tempted to take more than their share.
Oh, Forest-Dog, he thought dismally, I have so much to learn about Wild Pack life. Don’t let me make another mistake like that. . . .
He could not help a heavy sense of sadness in his gut, though. Twitch and Dart had been perfectly content to let all that prey elude them, which meant that there had to be a lot of food in this territory. Yet Bella and her Pack were farther up the valley, desperately hungry and unsure how long they could survive without taking serious risks, like stealing from the Wild Pack. If Alpha had been willing to share, there would be more than enough for all the dogs. It seemed such a waste, and so unfair.
There was no point in Lucky suggesting such a thing, though. One word in favor of the Leashed Dogs, and his new Packmates would be instantly suspicious.
And Lucky had a feeling that Alpha would need no more than a twinge of doubt to throw him out of the Pack, or worse. Do not let them get the faintest scent of what you really are, Lucky, he told himself.
He was treading on the shakiest of river-stones. He did not want to fall and be swept away—and become just another dog the Pack was afraid to name.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
By the time the Moon-Dog was stretching lazily on the horizon, Lucky was regretting the loss of the mouse more than he’d thought possible. Hunger bit at his stomach. He lay with his head on his paws, licking his chops and trying not to seem impatient in front of the others. At least, from what Twitch had said, the Pack did share the prey that the hunters would bring.
Finally, the hunters returned. The other dogs in the Pack rose to greet them, ears pricked and jaws wet with eagerness, and Lucky took the chance to glance around the camp.
Yes, all the dogs were here—all the ones he knew about, at least. Only Moon was out of sight. She had to be with her pups in their cozy nest. With the whole Pack waiting eagerly for food, this would be a perfect time each day for Bella and the Leashed Dogs to creep down unseen to the lake’s far shore. As the undergrowth rustled with the sound of returning dogs, Lucky stored away the knowledge for later, feeling pleased with himself.
Bella’s plan might actually work.
The big brown dog—Fiery—advanced into the center of the clearing and dropped a small corpse of prey. He turned his head, sniffing the air, proudly howling to Moon: “We have mice and voles, rabbits and gophers.” And a fat game bird, Lucky thought, his mouth watering. And a couple of squirrels. Not a bad share for each of us.
Spring dropped her catch onto the pile, growling at the broken body of a rabbit. “That one was slippery,” she panted. “It almost got away.”
Snap gave her ear an affectionate lick. “But you caught it in the end!” Lucky noticed the little dog’s fur was stained with mud and blood.
The hunters joined their friends, sitting down to relax. Spring trotted over proudly to Twitch, her head high, and began telling him about the hunt as the limping dog listened appreciatively, his eyes wide with admiration. Mulch and Dart began to tussle, the long-eared black dog rolling the brown-and-white smaller dog over in the dirt as she snapped irritably at his paws. Lucky’s stomach growled. He was so hungry.
At last, Alpha stalked forward, sniffing approvingly at the prey, and Lucky rose and started eagerly toward the gophers.
He swallowed a yelp when he felt a hard nip on his flank, and turned to see Dart baring her teeth in a warning.
“Not yet!” she growled in a low voice.
Mistake! None of the others had made a move, so Lucky quickly backed down and lay beside Dart and Twitch. “Sorry,” he murmured. “Does Alpha divide the food himself?”
They watched as Alpha selected the plump bird along with the best of the rabbits, and settled himself down to pluck and tear at the prey with his teeth.
Lucky glanced around at the oth
er dogs, but none of them had moved at all. They either lay with their heads on their paws, or sat patiently, with their tails flicking the grass, while Alpha ate his fill. On the other side of the circle, Fiery was deep in conversation with Sweet.
Lucky’s stomach rumbled. “I don’t understand,” he said. “Don’t we all get to eat?”
“One at a time,” said Dart, her eyes glimmering in amusement. “Who in the name of the Moon-Dog taught you manners?”
“It was different in the city,” Lucky grumbled.
“We have rules here,” said Mulch, his nose tilted arrogantly. “We’re not greedy scavengers.”
Lucky decided not to answer. He had a feeling that, whatever he said, Mulch would scoff.
Alpha was taking his time, cracking the bones with his jaws and licking them clean of meat and marrow. Only when he had filled his belly, stretched, and padded away did Sweet step forward; and only when she had eaten a gopher and two whole voles did Fiery approach the prey. The huge dog tossed a whole squirrel toward the cowering Omega, who barked a humble “Thank you” before taking it away toward Moon’s nest in the undergrowth.
Drool slowly fell from the little dog’s jaws, but Omega didn’t even dare lick at the prey in his mouth. He dropped it at Moon’s paws. Lucky realized Omega thanked Fiery for nothing more than the “privilege” of taking Moon’s food to her. As he watched three squirming pup noses sniff curiously at the meat even though they weren’t old enough to eat it, Lucky pondered how odd the rules of Pack life were.
Could I ever get used to living like this?
Lucky’s dismay mounted as he watched the heap of food shrink. The game bird was gone, as were all but one of the rabbits. There were far fewer mice, too. What’s going to be left for me? He had never really considered it before, but now he keenly felt how rotten it was to be bottom of the Pack.
Fiery was still gobbling down a gopher, licking his red muzzle before tearing into its rib cage again. Lucky’s tormented stomach was growling like an angry Alpha, so he almost missed the slinking shadow off to his left. Then he started, and turned.