Darkness Falls (15 page)

Mickey lay his long snout and neck across Lick's back and gently pressed her down. Her tail still twitched and jerked, but her body and back legs were held in check as Lucky started scrabbling at the bark of the trunk, trying to force it to widen. It was much harder than he had imagined. It was nothing like digging against soil—the bark was tough and solid.

Grunt and Wiggle stood a short distance away, yipping desperately.

“Our litter-sister!” Wiggle cried.

“Lick!” barked Grunt. “Lick! You have to get out of there!”

The little dog trapped inside the tree trunk must have heard as she shunted against Mickey, her tail jerking wildly.

“Stay calm!” urged Mickey, addressing all the pups at once, though Grunt and Wiggle continued to scamper about frantically.

Lucky ignored them, scratching away at the trunk until a splinter of wood came free. It wasn't enough. . . .

“She's not struggling as much!” barked Mickey, his voice trembling with fear. Lucky pulled back. Lick's tail had fallen limp.

She can't breathe!

Lucky abandoned his efforts at the wooden trunk, sliding his paw beneath Lick's body and jabbing at the soil at the base of the gap. This started to come away and he dug and scraped feverishly. He knew he had to be quick—even now Lick's hind legs were slumping on the ground behind her. He clawed the ground until his paws throbbed with exhaustion and pain shuddered through his limbs. Then all of a sudden Lick toppled back out of the hole and fell gasping on the ground.

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.

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?

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.