“Oh, Alpha,” whined Martha, the huge Leashed Dog with webbed paws. “Be merciful!”
By her side, little Daisy yipped: “Please. Lucky will do everything you say; we promise. You don’t have to do this.”
Lucky whined softly with gratitude as Twitch and Spring joined the chorus of protests. “We agree,” barked Twitch. “Becoming Omega is enough punishment.”
Fiery cocked his head questioningly and even Sweet seemed unsure, though she stayed silent.
Alpha howled to be heard, his wolfish cry cutting through the whines and yaps. “The Pack will need stricter rules if it’s to survive with all these extra dogs! That will be the price of Lucky’s treachery and deceit.”
Lucky couldn’t imagine any stricter rules—Alpha’s Pack was already so organized, the hunting and eating rights clearly regimented. A dog’s rank even dictated where he slept!
Lucky had risked his life to battle the foxes, and yet the Wild Pack’s leader was determined to hurt and humiliate him. His leg throbbed and his head felt thick and heavy, a grim reminder of that furious tussle.
The dogs were growling, barking, arguing with one another—divided over Lucky’s fate.
“Wait!” snapped Mickey, the Farm Dog. He stood over his longpaw’s glove, his ears flat but his head held high. “We’re wasting time fighting with one another. We should be devoting our energies to surviving in this strange world, not arguing about who is higher in the Pack.” Mickey tapped the glove absently with his paw. “Bella and Daisy are good hunters. The Pack would benefit from their skills. Why wait to use them?”
“Because we must have order,” said Snap, the white-and-tan mongrel from the Wild Pack. “It’s not about whether you like it—a Pack can’t work without order. That’s how it’s always been.” She spoke reasonably, without anger or malice.
Mickey’s ears pricked up. “The Big Growl changed all the rules. Leashed Dogs are joining Packs, and Pack Dogs need to change too. Hierarchy doesn’t seem necessary—not anymore. It just makes things complicated.”
Lucky had rarely heard Mickey say so much.
Snap watched the Farm Dog, as though considering his words. But before she could speak again, Alpha sprang toward Mickey. Standing over the cowering black-and-white dog, he snarled: “The Big Growl is an even greater reason to stick to order and tradition. The world is more dangerous than ever. What we need is discipline, not some lazy group of ill-trained house-pets.” He lifted his muzzle, his yellow eyes cold.
Most of the dogs lowered their heads, careful not to challenge the half wolf. None of them spoke.
Alpha looked from each dog to the next, then glared at Lucky. “It’s time for the marking ceremony. Hold him down.”
Panic surged through Lucky’s body, his legs trembling and his paw pads growing damp with sweat. His eyes shot across the dogs, wondering who would launch the attack. Several of the Leashed Dogs whimpered, but they didn’t dare speak up for him anymore. Even Bella, who had risen to her paws, said nothing.
Sweet broke forward. Lucky yelped in dismay as she pounced at his back, hugging his shoulders with her paws and bringing him down. His shoulder smacked the earth and a twinge shot through his injured leg. His body crackled with fear and panic. Sweet was stronger than she had been when they had escaped the Trap House. Snap leaped forward to assist Sweet, slamming into Lucky and helping to keep him pinned down. Lucky whimpered as Sweet’s teeth sank into his neck.
“Relax,” she whined as he kicked and twisted beneath her. “It will be easier for you if you don’t struggle.”
Lucky’s heart thumped faster in his chest but for a moment he froze, seized by panic and confusion. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Leashed Dogs cringe. Sunshine started barking in her shrill yap. Martha looked away with an unhappy whine.
Bella found her voice again. “Please let him go; this isn’t fair! What is the point of injuring him so badly that he can’t hunt or shield us from attack? What good will that do any dog?”
Alpha growled impatiently. “None of an Omega’s duties are so honorable. I won’t cause him any serious injury.” His lip curled as he approached Lucky, who started to thrash again, fighting against Sweet and Snap. “Just a good bite. Something he will never forget.”
The surrounding dogs were barking wildly, scared and excited, as Alpha stepped forward. He loomed over Lucky.
Alpha snarled. “Be brave, traitor. It’s time to take what’s coming to you.” His yellow eyes glittered and he licked his chops.
No! I won’t let you do it! thought Lucky with a surge of anger. You will not touch me!
He shook and scrambled against Sweet until she loosened her hold on his neck; then he growled as he threw his forepaws against her. Sweet fell back, stunned, and Lucky spun his whole body around, forcing Snap off his back. He scrambled to his paws and pushed through the circle of dogs.
He threw a breathless look over his shoulder. The dog-wolf wasn’t prepared for this. Alpha barked in fury as Lucky passed Bella and Daisy, who made no move to stop him. Sweet looked surprised, even upset.
I’m sorry, Sweet. I just can’t stay here!
Lucky hesitated long enough for Snap to launch a second attack. He was about to throw her off when a great weight fell on top of him. Thick brown fur with black patches obscured his vision for a moment, and then he looked up into the pointed face of Bruno. His heavy, powerful body pressed Lucky to the ground and Lucky yelped, more from shock than pain.
Bruno! But he’s a Leashed Dog!
Lucky could hardly believe it. A moment later Sweet had joined him, her forepaws digging into Lucky’s neck. With three dogs holding him down, there was no way he could flee.
The dogs surrounding Lucky were barking feverishly. Sunshine, the white long-haired dog, hopped and spun in panicked circles while Mickey retreated a few paces, his longpaw glove held protectively between his teeth.
Alpha’s shadow fell over Lucky as he drew closer, baring his gleaming fangs.
“A traitor walks among us,” Alpha began. “According to tradition, he must be marked so that all may know what he has done. As Alpha, it is my duty to make this mark.”
Lucky closed his eyes. He promised himself that, however badly it hurt, he would never let them know it. He would not whine, yelp, or howl as Alpha’s teeth sank into his flank—he would not give Alpha the satisfaction.
Alpha brought his face to Lucky’s ear and snarled softly. “You can forget your life of freedom now. You will be known as a traitor for as long as you live. No Pack will ever make the mistake of trusting you again.”
The half wolf dipped his head, about to bury his fangs into Lucky’s fur and flesh.
There was a high-pitched sound like shattering clear-stone. The air felt cold.
Alpha froze. The sound grew in volume, almost unbearably sharp. It clawed into Lucky’s mind and chilled his blood. Pressed against him, he could feel Sweet’s heart pounding and hear Snap whimpering with fear. Even Bruno gave a yelp of confusion.
Lucky’s eyes rolled up to the sky. Squinting, he saw only the pale blue of sunup. Then another sound roared through the air. It was coming from the direction of the city, sounding like thunder—but longer, lower, and more menacing. Waves of anxious yaps ripped through the group of dogs.
“A storm!” barked Sweet, her heart racing as she pressed closer to Lucky.
More high-pitched shattering sent tremors through Lucky’s whiskers. It sounded as though the sky were about to fall right on top of them! A moment later the air howled so shrill and loud, it drowned out even the wildest barks.
Lucky was dizzy with terror, his stomach clenching and his flanks heaving. The sky was sick, whining desperately like a dog in pain. This was no ordinary storm.
The howling air had nothing to do with the Sky-Dogs.
CHAPTER TWO
Sweet released her grip on Lucky, stumbling back, and Snap and Bruno followed her lead. The shrill, high whining was still hanging in the air. Lucky shook his fur with a w
ave of relief, his neck and leg throbbing.
“It is a storm, isn’t it?” whimpered Sweet.
Lucky knew that it wasn’t. The sky overhead was still bright blue, despite the shattering and whining that sent quivers through his whiskers. No rain fell, and he did not pick up the scent of its approach.
“I think it has something to do with the Big Growl.” Lucky didn’t want to scare her, but he could not tell lies, either. That low roar had been like the sound the Trap House had made when it was falling down all around them—but much, much louder and far more terrifying.
The surrounding dogs shot him nervous looks. Another roar of not-thunder made several of them jump. Daisy yipped nervously while Lucky tried to focus, training his senses, sniffing the air. He could just catch a strange smell on the wind, a hint of acrid earth, a tang of foul liquid. It reminded him of the poisoned river with its shimmering green water. He stepped forward, his jaw slightly parted, craning his neck with his ears pricked up.
Bella arrived by his side. “Bad smells.”
“Yes,” Lucky agreed. The putrid scent stung his nose.
The other dogs could smell it now too. The younger ones started barking, spinning in circles. Lucky’s paws quivered with the intense urge to run, but to where? He wasn’t even sure where the noise and the foul scents were coming from.
The frantic yaps of the other dogs broke over another roar far away, and Lucky turned to Alpha, wondering if he would silence them. The dog-wolf was frozen to the spot, staring into the sky.
“What’s that?” Mickey yelped. Lucky turned to where a dark smudge was rising beyond the forest, his breath catching in his throat. It was like a storm cloud, but even darker. It looked more like the cloud of smoke Lucky had seen in the city once, after a pack of loudcages had attacked one another in the road and burst into flames.
That was where the foul smell was coming from. The city. Had the earth torn again, as it had during the Big Growl? But they hadn’t felt the Earth-Dog shaking. . . .
One after another, the dogs fell into stunned silence, taking in the dark cloud.
Mickey’s pointed ears were pressed back. “Can it hurt us?”
Bella shifted from paw to paw. “Surely it’s too far away.”
“Let’s not risk it,” Sunshine barked. “We should leave.”
“And go where?” asked Snap. She eyed Moon and her pups. “It isn’t practical to start moving the camp, is it?”
“I really don’t think it’s safe to stay,” whined Mickey, his dark eyes fixed on the smudge that rose in the distance.
Spring, the long-eared black-and-tan female, growled at him. “Go where you like, Leashed Dog! This is our territory and we’re not about to abandon it!”
“I’m not scared of a cloud!” barked brown-and-white Dart, but her voice quavered and her tail hung low behind her.
Sweet shuffled her paws indecisively. “I’ve never seen anything like this. What do you think, Alpha?” She tore her eyes away from the dark cloud in the distance to look to the Wild Pack’s leader.
Alpha was still standing on the same spot, his tail limp and his flanks heaving. Lucky watched the dog-wolf for a moment, amazed at his transformation.
He doesn’t know what to do, Lucky realized. Some dog needs to take control here.
He turned back to the sky. Plumes of black smoke rose from the distant woods. The dark cloud was swelling as it caught the wind and seemed to be drifting toward them. It was still far away but Lucky could smell that it was filthy—even from a distance, the rancid scent that stung his nose also made his belly and chest heave. What would happen if it reached them? Could a cloud hurt them? Lucky had never heard of such things—but there had been a time when he’d never heard of foul water, and hadn’t Bruno gotten sick from a poisoned river? They were learning new truths every day.
“I think we need to get out of here,” he told Sweet. Several of the other dogs heard and they turned to him.
Twitch growled stubbornly. “It’s our camp. We shouldn’t abandon it!”
“There will be others,” Lucky replied. “Mickey’s right; it isn’t safe here.”
“What does he know?” Dart snarled, baring her teeth at Lucky and then turning to the rest of the Pack. “He’s a traitor, after all. This is our camp; he can’t just tell us to leave it at the first sign of trouble!” She looked to Alpha to back her up, but the half wolf stayed silent, still transfixed by the black cloud.
Bella turned to Dart and Twitch. “If Lucky thinks we should leave, I agree with him.”
“He’s not our Alpha,” whined Twitch, “and neither are you.”
Lucky was watching the black smoke twist in the sky, rankling at the foul odor that burned his nose. “The cloud is made of bad air. It will make us sick.”
“Lucky has good instincts.” It was Sweet. She had been watching quietly, looking from the cloud back to Alpha and Lucky. She spoke with authority, addressing all the dogs. “I know this . . . from before. If he thinks it is dangerous to stay, I trust him.”
Lucky’s tail rose at her words. He turned to the other dogs. “Twitch, Spring, you have the best noses of any dog here. Don’t you think the cloud is bad?”
The dogs turned to the littermates, waiting for their response. Alpha didn’t move, except for curling his lip scornfully, but his legs were trembling and eyes wide.
Twitch sniffed the air. At his side, Spring breathed deeply and winced. “Yes, it’s definitely bad. You can all smell it, can’t you? That’s no natural scent.”
Twitch sniffed again, his ears flicking back. “You’re right,” he conceded. “It’s dangerous.”
This sent fresh yaps of fear through the circle of dogs.
Lucky barked in acknowledgment. “We need to find a new camp, far away from here. Somewhere with better shelter if the cloud does come. We should leave right now!”
This time they all yelped in agreement, even Twitch. No single dog, Lucky noticed, had turned to Alpha for his opinion. They know their leader has turned coward, he thought. This gave him no pleasure. All he knew was that the new Pack needed to survive. I don’t know where we should go, but I know we shouldn’t go toward the city. He peered up at the tree-covered hill stretching away from the terrible sounds. They would be safer in the shelter of its high reaches and tall branches.
“Follow me! Hurry!” Lucky headed toward the hill beyond the camp, away from the newly torn earth and the black breath that burst out of it. Sweet was right behind him, Spring and Snap by her side. Moon carried Squirm, while Fiery scooped up Nose. The Leashed Dogs were on the move too, Bella leading the way. Lucky glanced back to see if Alpha would stay put, and whined in relief to see the half wolf following the Pack, though he hung a few paces behind the others.
Lucky wove through a row of tall trees onto a rocky outcrop, small pebbles slipping beneath his paws as he skated across them. To the left, the land rolled steeply to a deep ravine. With a shudder, Lucky could just make out a jagged rock at the bottom, and a single, twisted tree stump. He could hear Sweet’s light paws as she pranced behind him.
“Keep going,” he called to the others. “Over the hill—don’t look down!”
He raced up the slope as it bent sharply to the right, the ground growing softer beneath his paws. Burrs dangled from low branches, and Lucky ducked under them to avoid their hooked pods becoming buried in his fur. This far up it was easier to run, his claws finding purchase in the grass and mossy soil.
Eventually the hill reached a plateau. Beyond it Lucky could see a new part of the forest, and smell the fragrant scent of thick green leaves. He turned with an excited yap. Sweet and Bella were on his tail but some of the other dogs had fallen far behind. Taking a few paces back and around the sharp bend, Lucky saw that Sunshine was skidding on the rocky outcrop. Some of the Wild Pack dogs were also struggling—smaller ones like snub-nosed Whine, and injured dogs, like Twitch with his bad leg. Lucky scrambled down the hill, passing Alpha, who strode silently forward, his glance se
t ahead and his ears pressed back.
As Lucky reached Sunshine, he saw her skid backward, her small paws scraping against the pebbles, unable to find a grip. A large stone became dislodged near her forepaw and rolled off the edge of the hill, plummeting into the ravine below. Sunshine yelped, scrambling away from the edge. She puffed herself up and tried again, pluckily attempting to mount the hill. Lucky closed his jaws gently around Sunshine’s scruff and tugged her over the worst of the rocks. As he released her, she shook her fur proudly.
“Thank you, Lucky,” she murmured. “I could have done it myself, I suppose, but . . . it’s kind of you to help me.”
“Of course,” Lucky replied. She touched his nose before dashing after the others. Lucky watched her go. She’s really grown up since the Big Growl, he thought.
A flash of the eyes from Twitch warned Lucky not to try lifting him by his scruff, so instead he circled the long-eared dog and shunted him along from behind until Twitch was able to climb the rest of the hill by himself. Watching Lucky in action, Fiery set Nose down. Moon gathered the pup to her alongside his litter-sister, who watched, wide-eyed.
“What’s he doing?” asked Squirm.
Moon licked her ears. “He’s helping.”
Fiery nudged Whine over the worst of the rocks without difficulty. The short-legged, snub-nosed dog mumbled his gratitude and continued his clumsy clamber up the hill, his flanks heaving.
Fiery yapped to Lucky and returned to Nose, scooping him into his jaws before he and Moon went on with the puppies.
Lucky looked back at the dark cloud, which was spreading toward the camp below. From his vantage point, he could see that it was rising from a valley behind some low-lying trees, probably not far from the city. It hung close to the ground, not high overhead as clouds usually did. But at least they were escaping it; soon they would be far away, building a new camp.
When he turned back to the hill where the last of the dogs was disappearing, Lucky heard a howl of terror.