Lucky and Mickey yelped in relief, washing her small tan face. Grunt and Wiggle joined in, shunting their litter-sister affectionately.
Grunt turned to Lucky and licked his muzzle. “You saved her! Thank you!” he yipped, before turning back to Lick. Wiggle didn’t say anything but he nuzzled his head against Lick’s side protectively.
Lucky flopped onto the grainy earth beside them, panting as the tension quivered out of each hair and whisker. He felt a hot surge in his chest as he realized that he would do whatever he needed to in order to keep them safe.
Mickey dropped down next to him with a whine. “That was close!”
“Too close,” Lucky sighed. He was finally beginning to relax. He watched the pups from the corner of his eye. They were now walking about in a tight, writhing circle, nipping and licking one another as though nothing had happened. They’re so lighthearted and full of energy. Was I like that once?
The sound of paws crunching over earth caught Lucky’s ears and he leaped up, ears cocked. Something was creeping through the long grass by the bank of the lake. The rhythm of the pawsteps was unmistakable: It was a dog! Lucky puffed himself up to his full height. His eyes shot to the pups, who were still playing a couple of long-strides away. He made a silent oath that he wouldn’t let anything happen to them. Even if the Pack wouldn’t let him back in, he’d escort the pups as far as he could. If danger was coming, this time he would be ready.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The long grass parted and a small, fluffy, white head appeared.
Daisy!
She barked excitedly, spinning, bounding across the grass, and leaping in the air.
“Lucky! Lucky! I knew you’d come back! And you brought Mickey, too!”
Lucky felt a burst of happiness. He bounded toward her with Mickey at his side. “Daisy!” he barked, his tail thrashing the air. “We thought you’d all left!”
She lowered her head as Lucky and Mickey leaped around her, giving her delighted licks. “I’m so sorry,” she whined. “We should never have let you go. . . .”
“We came back, but you’d disappeared!” Mickey told her.
Daisy raised her head, her eyes sparkling. “They said you were gone for good, but I knew you would come back!” she barked. “I just knew—” Her happy howl died away as her eyes settled on something behind Lucky and Mickey.
Lucky spun around. The three pups were watching.
Daisy whined and took a step back. “What are they doing here?”
Wiggle trotted up to stand beside Lucky, but did not take his eyes off Daisy. Lucky greeted him with a lick to the nose.
“I can smell fear. . . .” Wiggle whined. “Just like Mickey when he first met us.”
Mickey heard him and took a step toward the pup. “I’m not scared anymore,” he soothed.
“But you were at first,” Wiggle barked. “Why were you scared of us?”
Mickey looked to Lucky, who was thinking about what to say. How do we tell them that their parents were killers? Grunt seemed to know that he was a Fierce Dog—but did he understand everything that meant?
The larger male pup trod past them toward Daisy, who backed away. Her fear scent wafted on the air.
Grunt growled: “It’s because we’re getting bigger every day. Soon we will be huge, just like Mother and the other dogs in our camp. Then no dog will dare to challenge us.” Although his voice was thin and high, Daisy shrank, her tail clinging to her flank.
Lucky felt a shiver run through his body. So he does understand, he thought.
“Lucky,” Daisy whined, staring hard at him, “did you steal Fierce Dog pups?”
“It wasn’t like that. We brought them with us because we had no choice,” he answered.
“You took them from the Dog-Garden? After what happened when we were trapped there? Don’t you remember how vicious those dogs were?”
Lucky took a step toward Wiggle, who looked bewildered. He nudged the pup with his nose and looked back at Daisy. “There were no adult dogs in the garden, Daisy. Only the pups. We couldn’t just leave them there.”
“Why not? Surely the Fierce Dogs wouldn’t have left their pups alone for long. They’ll start searching! Won’t they be furious? They’ll want revenge against the dogs who stole their pups!” She shuddered, her ears twitching with nerves.
“We’re right here, you know,” Lick murmured. “We can hear you!”
“Honestly, Daisy, it’s fine,” Lucky assured her, stepping alongside Grunt. “The Dog-Garden was empty. The Fierce Dogs’ scent was stale—they were not coming back. These little pups were starving and their Mother-Dog was”—he caught himself just in time—“with the Earth-Dog.”
Daisy nodded in understanding, though she still looked uncertainly at Grunt.
Lucky went on. “We couldn’t leave them there to starve. Any dog would have done the same.” He dipped his head to nuzzle Grunt between the ears. The pup didn’t respond, his body stiff as he glared at Daisy.
I hope he doesn’t do anything impulsive, Lucky thought, remembering how the pup had wanted to confront the coyotes.
Daisy took a tentative step toward them, but froze when Grunt’s lip curled back and a thin snarl escaped his throat.
“It’s okay,” murmured Lucky, lowering his snout to Grunt’s ear. “Daisy is a friend; she’s from the Pack.”
“She doesn’t seem like a friend,” Lick whined.
“A friend doesn’t say such mean things,” added Wiggle dejectedly.
Grunt fell silent, though his lips were still parted.
“Where did every dog go?” Mickey asked, casting an eye back at the rock overhang and the peaceful lake. “Why aren’t you with the others?”
“After you left, Alpha sent Beta, Fiery, and Snap out to explore. I think he was worried about food, because we hadn’t scented any prey near the camp. Spring thinks that the ground around here is too rocky for rabbits to dig their tunnels, which is why we don’t see them. So we moved to a new territory beyond the lake, by a river. It could be the same river that passes through the forest; I’m not sure. It smells clean and sweet, and the water is delicious.”
Lucky gave a nod, relieved that the Pack’s decision to move had nothing to do with the giant birds. He wondered at how casually Daisy spoke about members of the Wild Pack—like they were old companions. It hasn’t taken her long to adapt to Alpha’s rules, he thought with a twinge of resentment, wondering what he would find when they were finally reunited with the Pack. Had they shared the Great Howl in his absence, weaving Leashed and Wild Dog closer together?
Daisy scratched her ear with a hindpaw. “They all said you were both gone for good, but I knew you would return! I’ve come here a couple of times to check. I couldn’t smell anything until now.” Her happy barks became sad: “Oh, Lucky, I really am so sorry that you left. The Pack is going to be so happy to see you both! Bella, Martha, everyone!”
Lucky looked to the lake. They won’t all be happy that I’m back. His mind strayed to Sweet, and he tried to imagine how she would respond. His chest tightened with sadness as he remembered that angry glimmer in her eyes. Would she ever forgive him?
“Lead the way,” he told Daisy, forcing lightness into his yelp.
The little dog turned on her short legs and began retracing her steps through the long grass, looping around the water. Lucky stood aside so that the pups could go ahead of him with Mickey. Wiggle scampered past, his wagging tail a perfect target for Lick, who nipped at her litter-brother.
Grunt walked just ahead of Lucky, his tail straight behind him, ignoring his littermates. He glanced back once, his expression blank—empty.
A crackle of nerves ran through Lucky’s bones. He wondered how Grunt would handle life in a large, mixed Pack. He doesn’t like being told what to do . . . and he certainly doesn’t enjoy being questioned. If the pup challenged Alpha the way he had stood up to Daisy, there could be serious consequences.
But for who?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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A row of pines masked the air with their sweet fragrance, but Lucky could already pick out the scents of Pack members as they drew nearer to the riverbank. His tail gave a wag as he realized that Martha was close. It drooped when his nose detected the musky odor of a half wolf. . . .
Alpha.
Daisy pawed the ground, then turned an excited circle. “It’s beyond those trees. You’ll love it! The shelter is really safe and warm; it’s a large cave and there are sharp vines hanging over the entrance to scare off intruders. Oh, Lucky—everyone is going to be so happy to see you!”
Lucky wasn’t so sure about that. But they hadn’t come this far to turn back now. He lowered his head to address the pups:
“You three rest here for a while. I’ll come back for you soon. I just need to explain to the others that you’re here.”
Wiggle stared at him. “You aren’t going to leave us, are you, Lucky?”
“They won’t want us,” said Lick.
“They’ll be scared,” added Grunt, casting an accusing eye after Daisy as she bounded off through the trees.
“They won’t be scared, and they will want you,” Lucky assured them all. “Just wait here, and I’ll come and get you.” He gave them each a quick lick of the head before turning to follow Daisy and Mickey through the trees.
I hope I’m right, he thought.
“So the wanderers return.”
Alpha’s yellow gaze was icy, sending prickles of anxiety along Lucky’s back.
Lucky turned away slightly as he looked at the circle of dogs. Bella hung her head as she stood beside Dart and Spring. Large, patient Martha’s tongue lolled between her great jowls. Sweet was very still, her long face blank and her soft ears low. Bruno stood next to her, his tail hanging between his legs.
“What’s going on?” Nose yipped, but Moon silenced him with a nuzzle of her snout. Her ears fell and she exchanged a look with Fiery.
They feel bad about how they treated me, Lucky realized. Well, let them! They allowed Alpha to drive me away. It’s right that they feel shame.
The only dogs who looked pleased to see him were Snap, her wiry tail lashing the air, and little Whine, whose eyes glinted happily.
Lucky had only been away for a few journeys of the Sun-Dog, but it seemed like much longer. He felt every bit an outsider as he realized that the Leashed and Wild Dogs stood in a mixed group. When had they become so comfortable with one another?
He turned to look at Mickey, who was standing low to the ground, waiting for someone to speak. The Farm Dog’s coat was shiny against the soft grass beneath his paws. The meadow was bursting with life. Birds twittered overhead and Lucky could smell warm rabbit droppings. Here, Lucky knew he would be able to keep the promises he had made to the Fierce Dog pups about how well they would eat.
He was impressed by the new camp. The Pack had found a good spot at the foot of a sloping hill, guarded from the wind by surrounding pines and with access to clean river-water. A small meadow rolled down to some distant rocks, the rich smell of wild flowers rising on the breeze. Beyond the rocks, the forest began once more, a blur of green leaves. It was a fragrant, peaceful place. And they had settled here without him. A pang of sorrow tightened in Lucky’s throat but vanished when he returned Alpha’s gaze.
The half wolf sneered at him, his lip peeling back to reveal his teeth. “Couldn’t you and your house-pet survive on your own?”
Behind him, Lucky heard Mickey give a soft whine.
“Where’s your longpaw toy, house-pet?” mocked Alpha.
Mickey stiffened. “I left it behind.” He licked his chops. “I was mistaken in thinking that the longpaws had returned—the city is just as bad as we left it . . . worse.”
Daisy and Martha nodded sadly.
“I was wrong to leave,” the black-and-white dog went on. “I would like to”—he glanced at Lucky—“that is, we would like to join the Pack again.”
Alpha’s muzzle wrinkled, revealing a glint of ivory fang. “If you need the Pack so much, you had better be prepared to prove it.” He jutted his long snout forward.
He means we should be prepared to grovel, thought Lucky, feeling his hackles rising. Well, I won’t grovel before a coward who fell apart at the sight of a black cloud! He took a deep breath, trying to shake away his frustration, remembering the three pups who were waiting alone outside the camp: It was not the time to start arguments.
Alpha took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Lucky. His top lip trembled and spit hung off it, gliding down his shiny fangs. “Prove it, city rat! Prove that you need us!”
Lucky was not going to cower before the half wolf. He raised himself up to his full height and opened his mouth to growl back a reply. But before he could, they were interrupted by a volley of high-pitched yaps.
Lucky spun around. Sunshine had shimmied her way through the circle of dogs to appear between Lucky and Alpha.
“Fierce Dogs!” she yapped breathlessly. “I can smell them, can’t you? Fierce Dogs are close!”
A wave of nervous barks and yelps coursed through the Pack. Fiery pressed closer to Nose and Squirm, growling. Sweet sniffed the air as little Whine whimpered, his curly tail trembling.
“I smell them, too,” snarled Sweet.
Alpha sprang forward, his gray fur puffed up so that he looked almost twice his size. “Where are they? Where are the monstrous cowards? Show yourselves!”
As he turned to face the pine trees, Lucky caught Mickey’s anxious gaze. Their return to the camp was not going the way they had hoped.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Lucky barked above the noise of the Pack. “It’s three little pups. We brought them with us.”
Alpha shot around. “You brought them?”
“Lick! Grunt! Wiggle! Come here,” Lucky called.
The Pack watched as the pups emerged from between the trees. Led by Lick, they walked through the long grass toward Lucky.
Bella, Dart, and Spring fell back to let the pups pass. Bruno scrambled behind Daisy, while Whine hid his head in his paws.
Lucky’s heart sank. He supposed he should have known after Mickey’s and Daisy’s reaction to the pups, but he’d hoped for more from his old Packmates. These dogs lived through the Big Growl—and they’re scared of three tiny pups?
Snap dropped to her haunches, her ears pressed back and her lips quivering. She was usually so easygoing. Lucky stepped around the pups, standing side-on to the hunting dog—he did not like the look on her face. Grunt sniffed in Snap’s direction and scowled. Lucky wondered if he had sensed the hostility rising from her fur.
“What were you thinking, foolish City Dog?” Alpha rasped. “Is this how you take your revenge on me—by bringing evil, vicious creatures to our camp?”
Lick whimpered and Lucky could not contain his snarl. “They’re just pups! Their Mother-Dog is dead, and their Pack left them in their lair to die.”
“Where is their lair?” whined Dart, her shoulders trembling.
“Far away, back through the forest toward the city,” Lucky assured her.
“What if you were followed?” asked Bella. They were the first words that she had spoken to Lucky.
Mickey replied before Lucky could. “We were not followed. The Fierce Dogs had left their camp, and the pups were starving to death. Lucky’s right; we could not have left them.”
Alpha eyed the pups with wary, narrowed yellow eyes. “They may be small now,” he snarled, “but they will grow into Fierce Dogs soon enough. Nasty, wicked creatures.”
Wiggle yipped and pressed himself against Lucky’s flank as Lick and Grunt watched, their short tails low.
“They don’t have to grow up that way,” Lucky countered. “No dog is born vicious. Just like I wasn’t born streetwise. The Fierce Dogs are taught to be aggressive . . . their lives make them what they are.” He looked around the circle of dogs, meeting suspicious expressions. “Alpha, you’re half wolf, aren’t you? Yet you lead a Pack of dogs.” Lucky knew he was t
reading a dangerous line.
Lick lifted her muzzle to Lucky’s ear. “Why don’t they like us?” she murmured.
He met her bewildered gaze. “They’re confused,” he murmured. “They think you’re something you’re not.” He knew this wouldn’t make much sense to the pup, but he did not know what else he could say. Mickey had taken a step closer to Grunt, who was still looking defiant despite his lowered tail.
Alpha ignored Mickey and the pups. “What does my bloodline have to do with it?” he rasped. “I may be half wolf but I’m also half dog, and I know how to lead my Pack!”
He took a step forward, and Wiggle yelped and shot beneath Lucky’s belly. Lucky spoke quickly. “The Leashed Dogs weren’t used to Pack life, but they’ve learned quickly.” He turned to Bruno, making sure his gaze showed mischievous humor when he asked: “Isn’t that right?”
The older dog looked away with a murmur of embarrassed agreement.
“Dogs don’t really change,” said Sweet. “They may pretend to, but that’s not the same thing.”
Lucky felt his chest tighten. What does she mean by that?
“I think they do,” said Mickey, taking a step forward so he was standing on one side of the puppies with Lucky on the other. “You remember what I was like. I never thought that I could cope without longpaws. I couldn’t imagine a life without them. But now, I know they’ve gone for good. And, I know I will survive: I can hunt, and protect myself, and I can contribute to the Pack. Together we’re all stronger, aren’t we?”
Martha barked in agreement and Snap tilted her head, listening with ears pricked.
“If a Leashed Dog like me can adapt,” Mickey continued, “then pups certainly can. Dogs aren’t born bad.”
“I think that’s true,” said Moon, shaking her long, silky fur, her eyes on Lick, Wiggle, and Grunt. “Under the Pack’s influence, we can teach these puppies how to work gently and effectively together. They don’t need to be violent and aggressive like their parents. It’s like Lucky said—if the Leashed Dogs have been able to learn wild survival skills, why can’t these pups learn to be honorable?”