The prey-scent was drawing closer. The three dogs hung by the rock so they couldn’t be seen. Lucky’s belly growled with hunger and he licked his lips.
Snap took the lead, creeping around the rock. She turned to Lucky and Mickey with a look that said, Wait for the signal. She paused, one forepaw raised, before barking, “Now!” and charging around the rock. Mickey sprang over the center of the rock and Lucky looped around the other side just in time to see Snap slam her forepaws onto a large white bird. It squawked and thrashed, one huge wing flapping while the other jerked more feebly.
The wing must be broken. That’s why it didn’t fly away. . . .
Mickey fell on the bird, holding it down with his forepaws as Snap closed her teeth around its neck. With a firm shake, the bird was dead.
Lucky sniffed it appreciatively. It was a plump creature, large enough for every dog to have at least a mouthful to eat. He licked his chops, lowering his muzzle, when a flutter of white fur caught his eye.
A rabbit!
Lucky froze. No, there was brown fur too. . . . That wouldn’t do for the Moon Pelt. It would certainly do for a meal, though. Lucky charged between the rock crags as the creature zigzagged fearfully. For an instant it seemed to have disappeared. Lucky froze, sniffing the air. It’s close; I can sense it. . . . He took a cautious step forward and spotted the rabbit by the edge of large rock, twitching. As he moved to pounce he saw a silhouette farther up the cliff, the dark figure of a muscular dog with pointed ears. As Lucky landed on the squealing rabbit, he looked again but the figure had vanished.
A tremor of fear clutched his chest. Are the Fierce Dogs tracking us? He wondered if he should tell his Packmates, but decided against it. I’m not sure what I saw . . . and it will only panic them. It sounds like Alpha is preparing to leave the camp. We’ll be away from the Fierce Dogs soon.
The Sun-Dog was drifting low in the sky when Lucky, Mickey, and Snap arrived back at the camp. Alpha threw a disapproving look at the mottled brown-and-white creature as Lucky dropped it at his paws.
“It was the only rabbit the mountain offered,” he explained, his throat dry. His limbs ached and he longed to lie down and rest.
“Its belly is white,” barked Sweet encouragingly, padding up to Alpha’s side.
Alpha’s yellow eyes rested on the limp body of the rabbit. He tapped it with a forepaw. “Yes. Maybe it will do—for a Fierce Dog.”
Lucky flinched. Several of the dogs were approaching, with Bella and Bruno already in earshot. It was lucky that Storm was too far away, as Alpha’s words would have upset her.
Mickey had managed to catch a mountain rat, and together with the white bird there was plenty to go around. The Pack scarfed down the prey with satisfied crunches and slurps. Mickey tore the prey into pieces before stepping back and letting Alpha select the juiciest morsels. Then Sweet took her share and offered the rest to each dog along the hierarchy in turn.
Beetle sighed. “That bird is delicious!”
“New favorite food!” Thorn agreed.
Lucky struggled to share their enthusiasm, thinking of the pointy-eared dog he thought he’d spotted on the jagged cliffs. He tried to reassure himself that he had just imagined it, but another possibility nagged at him. The Fierce Dogs know we are here.
A sharp wind rose over the valley. The Sun-Dog bounded into the warmth of his camp beyond the horizon, trailing his burnished tail. Alpha strutted to the center of the Pack, casting a cool eye over Beetle and Thorn.
“Tasty it may be, but it won’t fill us up for long.”
The young dogs fell silent, the Pack growing watchful. Alpha’s voice rose on the cool air. “And if this is the best that the hunters could do, despite shelter and fresh water, there is no use staying in this camp.” He scowled at Lucky, Mickey, and Snap.
Lucky’s muscles tensed with anger and his hackles rose instinctively, though he did his best to coax them down. How dare he blame us for not finding more food? I didn’t see him out there on the cliff. He was probably snoozing all afternoon.
The dog-wolf sat, stretching out one hind leg. “We know the Fierce Dogs are in the town. We leave at sunup.”
There were whimpers from the Wild Pack.
“Again?” asked Daisy in a small voice.
Whine licked his snub nose and little Sunshine whined.
“Anyone who wants to stay is welcome to wait here for the Fierce Dogs!” snapped Alpha.
Despite his irritation, Lucky agreed with the half wolf. The Fierce Dogs are too close. We’re in danger.
As the last fizzle of the Sun-Dog’s light evaporated on the horizon, the dogs waited for Storm’s Naming Ceremony. The young Fierce Dog’s tail lashed and she pawed the grass, gazing up at the darkening sky. Lucky watched too. When the Moon-Dog appeared, Lucky’s tail sank dejectedly—half of her face was in shadow. She hadn’t been full on the night of Storm’s previous ceremony, but it hadn’t mattered. Tonight was different. Doesn’t Alpha want to do it “properly”? He looked to the dog-wolf, expecting him to say they would wait. He was surprised when Alpha rose to his paws and addressed Snap and Mickey.
“Bring the rabbit to me.”
The hunters scooped up the rabbit as the Pack gathered closer. Storm’s tail stopped wagging and her face grew serious. She licked her chops nervously.
“Hold it down,” ordered Alpha.
Snap and Mickey pinned down the creature’s head and hind paws. Alpha stepped over it and plunged his fangs into its throat. He skinned the rabbit with a single jerk of his gray head.
These are such lean times, thought Lucky. I wonder if I could get Sweet to ask him to save the rabbit for the Pack. It seems such a waste not to eat it. He knew Alpha would never accept the idea if it came from him.
The half wolf sniffed the furless body. “Take it to my den,” he growled at Snap. She dutifully gripped the body in her jaws and made for the camp.
Lucky’s fur prickled with anger. He’s keeping it for himself!
Alpha held up the brown-and-white pelt to the low light of the half moon. There was no slab of rock in the grass clearing. Instead he dropped it on a patch of grainy earth. It fell, slightly crumpled, dusted with sand. A clod of soil hung off a patch of white fur.
This isn’t right! thought Lucky, remembering the quiet enchantment of Beetle and Thorn’s Naming Ceremony. The Moon-Dog had shined brightly and the white rabbit fur had glowed under her light.
Alpha didn’t seem to care. He nodded curtly at Storm. “On the rabbit skin, Lick.”
Lucky tensed. He watched the young Fierce Dog anxiously, hoping that she wouldn’t rise to Alpha’s jibes or the taunting gleam in his yellow eyes. He was proud of the dignified way in which she walked toward the skin. She stepped onto it carefully. The rabbit had been skinny, not like the plump ones they’d caught near the forest, and Storm was now so large that her hindquarters covered the whole thing.
“Look at the Moon-Dog and choose your name,” growled Alpha, barely sparing her a glance.
Storm gave a confused whine. “But . . . but I already chose my name.”
“We haven’t got all night!” he snapped impatiently.
Lucky cringed. There was nothing special about this ceremony. It couldn’t have been more different from that magical night when Beetle and Thorn had chosen their adult names.
He could see that the young Fierce Dog was trying her best not to show her distress. She licked her lips and looked at the Moon-Dog, whose thin light was partially covered by a bank of ghostly clouds.
When she spoke, her voice was clear and calm. “I choose the name Storm.”
Anger flashed across Alpha’s face and he slammed down a forepaw. “You can’t have that name!” he snarled. “You chose it during a false Naming Ceremony. That name is lost to you forever.”
Lucky rose to his paws, clenching his teeth against a growl. The half wolf had gone too far this time. He wants to talk about false Naming Ceremonies? Here, while the Moon-Dog is half-asleep, with the pelt of a
brown-and-white rabbit he means to keep for himself, and without a rock for the pup to sit on!
The dogs exchanged worried looks. Martha made a move toward Storm but was stopped in her tracks by a warning glance from Bella.
Alpha’s tail shot out behind him. “Choose a name now, or I will choose one for you!”
Storm swallowed. Lucky could see how hard she was working to stay calm, and his heart swelled with pride. “I choose Storm.”
Alpha snorted. He started pacing a slow circle around the seated Fierce Dog. “Very well,” he snarled in amusement. Storm bristled as he slipped behind her, but kept her position on the rabbit pelt. When he looped around to face her, his teeth were bared in vindictive triumph. “By the Moon-Dog, as you have foregone the opportunity to choose your own name, I will name you, as is my right and duty as the Alpha of this Pack. This name will be yours for the rest of your life, and others must use it when addressing you.” At last, he met the Fierce Dog’s eyes. “From now on, you will be known as Savage.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
As the Sun-Dog rose over the valley, the Pack started down to the waterfront. Alpha took the lead, his webbed paws thumping down on the sand and his tail billowing in the wind. Sweet trotted awkwardly at his side. The usually graceful swift-dog struggled to keep her balance on the sinking earth.
Lucky trailed behind them with the rest of the Pack. He yawned, gazing over the Endless Lake. A low mist clung to the water, bleeding into the white-capped drifts. The bank followed the path of the waves as far as the eye could see. The white cliffs hung over the bank, sharp and imposing.
What if it’s like this around the next set of cliffs? What if the bank and the water go on forever?
Lucky’s thoughts were interrupted by Beetle’s excited yapping.
“A bird! Like yesterday!”
“Let’s get it!” howled Thorn.
The young dogs eyed the waterbirds that circled overhead. They barked and pounced up toward the sky, gnashing their teeth.
“I’ll have you, bird!” Thorn snarled, leaping into the air, only to topple back onto the sand.
Alpha’s head snapped around. “Foolish pups! Can’t you see that the birds are well out of reach? Keep up, all of you. We can hunt when we reach the next camp.”
Beetle winced and Thorn dropped her muzzle dejectedly. Moon hurried to their sides.
Lucky hated to agree with the dog-wolf, but he was right: The dogs would never reach one of those birds. They’d only caught one yesterday because it was injured.
If only he’d send a proper hunting party inland, away from the Endless Lake, where everything’s so salty that the grasses and trees can’t grow. There’s got to be prey to be found somewhere, even in Ice Wind. Lucky resolved to speak about it with Sweet the next time they stopped. Maybe she could convince Alpha to lead the Pack away from the shore of the Endless Lake, beyond the rocks and cliffs. She was the only dog who had a chance of getting through to him. Alpha would listen to Sweet.
Lucky’s lip twitched and his back curved, as though preparing to fight. Sweet was Alpha’s Beta; he respected her—she had won that privilege in a challenge. Lucky watched the lean swift-dog. She and Alpha were ahead of the others, talking in hushed tones. Lucky’s muzzle crinkled. For the first time he admitted to himself that he was uneasy with their relationship. It wasn’t unusual for an Alpha and Beta to become mates. . . . He knew that. The thought made his belly crackle with anger and he snorted irritably. If only Alpha would disappear!
The dog-wolf spun around. For a horrible moment, Lucky was sure that he’d somehow read his thoughts. Then he realized that Alpha was looking past him, at Storm.
“Keep up, Savage!” he barked, before returning to Sweet.
Storm recoiled as though struck. Lucky hung back. Forgetting his own troubles, he waited for the young dog to catch up.
He gave her an affectionate lick. “We all know that ‘ceremony’ wasn’t a real one,” he whispered. “It doesn’t count, whatever Alpha says. And he’s the only one who uses that . . . fake name. He should use your real name.”
Storm nodded but her dark eyes were downcast.
Lucky licked her ear. “It won’t stick because you’re not savage by nature.” He uttered the words with so much conviction, he felt sure, just then, that they were true.
As the day drew on, the mist thickened over the water. The waves of the Endless Lake lapped closer, climbing over the sand so that the dogs had to creep closer to the rocks. The cliffs had petered out. Beyond the rocks, there were swells of yellow sand and still no sign of greenery or prey.
Lucky plodded at Storm’s side in silence. The Pack walked listlessly, working hard to progress over the sand.
A sharp yap made Lucky jump.
It was Daisy. “Look!” Her short tail wagged furiously.
Mickey joined her. “A house!”
Lucky gazed across the mist. He could just make out the contour of a building. If it was a house, it was a tall one, shaped like the trunk of a large tree. It must have been striped red and white, but only the red stripes showed against the mist. Lucky squinted. It can’t be, can it . . . ? The house seemed to be floating on the Endless Lake. At the very top, the walls seemed to be made of clear-stone.
All the dogs stopped in their tracks. Lucky frowned. Why is a longpaw house out here, over the lake, so far from a settlement? Don’t longpaws usually group together?
“We need to go there!” barked Daisy, hopping on the spot, prancing forward, and turning to the Pack.
Mickey pawed the ground excitedly. “She’s right! There could be longpaws in that house. They might have food!”
This was enough to get Sunshine going. “We should see!” she yipped in her shrill voice.
Bella met Lucky’s eye, her tail low. She must have been thinking the same thing. After all this time, are the former Leashed Dogs going to go back to being helpless and dependent on longpaws, like they were before the Big Growl?
His stomach growled as he remembered what Sunshine had said about her two bowls of food a day. Was it hunger that had awakened this behavior? Lucky was worried about how Alpha would react. What would Sweet think? Would she try to stop them?
Sunshine didn’t wait to find out. The little white dog bounded toward the longpaw house with a rush of energy. Her froth of white tail lashed the air as her short paws scrambled over the sand. Lucky had never seen her run so fast. Her pale coat soon vanished in the swirling mist.
It was too much for Mickey and Daisy, who burst after her.
Alpha’s face darkened. “Get back here immediately!”
They didn’t listen—they sped across the bank of the Endless Lake, making for the red-and-white house as fast as their paws could carry them.
The half wolf fixed Lucky with a stern glare. “I doubt they’ll find their precious longpaws in that strange building. I don’t care about the Omega—that little white rat we can do without—but the Pack can’t afford to lose Mickey or Daisy. Not when it’s clear we’re short of competent hunters.” His gaze lingered on Lucky meaningfully. “Get them back, Street Dog! Immediately!”
Lucky flinched, not because of Alpha’s insults—he was used to the dog-wolf putting him down. It was the thought of poor Sunshine, who tried so hard to fit in and contribute to the Pack. Alpha probably doesn’t even know her name. To him, she’s just Omega. At least the half wolf was keen to keep the Pack together.
With a nod, Lucky spun around and started after the three former Leashed Dogs.
He heard determined barking behind him. Bella was coming too, and so was Storm. Lucky glanced back to see the rest of the Pack following and felt his tail wag with pride. They were in this together.
The mist curled around the striped house and sprawled over the sand. Lucky could no longer see his friends on the horizon, not even the black patches of Mickey’s coat. “Sunshine!” he barked. “Daisy! Mickey! Be careful—you don’t know what’s out there!”
He scrambled to a halt, spot
ting some paw marks. He was surprised to find that they ended at a hardstone road, which seemed to lead over the Endless Lake directly to the house. He caught the excited barking of Daisy and Mickey up ahead.
“This way!” he told Bella and Storm. They hurried along the lake road, overtaking little Sunshine, who had run out of energy. “Stay with the others!” barked Lucky.
Sunshine nodded, panting heavily, her eyes dark circles against the mist.
Lucky and Bella ran on, Storm just behind them. The water of the Endless Lake crashed against the edge of the road, showering them with white foam. It churned and bucked angrily, threatening to rise over the hardstone and pull them into its grip.
Bella froze in her tracks, her eyes wild. “Mickey and Daisy have woken up the lake!” she whined.
Water frothed over Lucky’s paws and he fought the fear that was clutching at his belly. He knew he needed to keep the other dogs calm and remembered how it had worked in the tunnels. “It must be the Lake-Dog. . . .”
“The Lake-Dog?” echoed Bella. She clung to the lake road, her haunches trembling.
Lucky nodded. “Remember how the River-Dog is always running? Sometimes she’s fast, sometimes she slows down, but she never stops. . . . The Lake-Dog can only run in circles. Remember how we used to dash about, Bella, when we were milk-pups and the longpaws kept us inside? We had so much energy and nowhere to go. . . . Maybe that’s what happens to the Lake-Dog. She’s just playing a little rough because she’s got nowhere to run.”
Bella’s trembling subsided and she turned to Lucky with a grateful nudge. “That makes sense.”
Lucky turned back to Storm, worrying that the young dog would be terrified. She was sniffing the water that hissed over her paws. Lucky noticed with surprise that she didn’t seem frightened at all.
Other Pack members appeared behind her, silhouettes in the mist, stopping short of the lake road. Sweet stood panting next to Spring, just ahead of Alpha and Moon. The dogs stopped, their ears flat, watching the foam break over the road.