Darkness Falls (24 page)

“They're here, Alpha!” he howled. “This mutt has brought them to us.”

“Good work, Mace!” Blade barked. She still towered over the Packs from her vantage point at the pine trees.

“As you commanded, Blade!” he barked back, his sour breath in Lucky's face. Lucky noticed that Mace had grown sinewy. There was a sharpness to his cheeks and a wiriness to his muscles that hadn't been there when he'd encountered him in the Dog-Garden. Away from the longpaws' feeding routines, the dog had become lean and hungry—it only made him more fearsome.

Blade bounded down to the meadow and looked along the Wild Pack, her snout crinkling. “Pathetic mongrels! See how easily you are brought to submission?” Bruno and Dart whimpered in fear as she slowly circled the Wild Dogs.

Lucky trembled as she drew nearer to him. He felt movement behind him and Alpha appeared at his side. The half wolf seemed perfectly calm, even though his Pack was utterly at the mercy of the Fierce Dogs. Only Lucky could see the rapid movement of his chest as his breath came in pants.

Alpha squared up to Blade as she trod closer. “Why are you here?” he asked, his growl low and even—neither submissive nor aggressive.

Blade took a step closer and looked Alpha up and down. He was taller than she was, but she was broader, her muscles flexing beneath her glossy coat. “You
stole
our pups,” she snarled.

Lucky felt Grunt push against him but he held firm, remembering the Mother-Dog that he had buried.
I heard her crying out for help. These dogs killed her
, he reminded himself. His gut churned with dread. What would these Fierce Dogs do to her pups?

Alpha held Blade's gaze. “We did not steal them. Our Omega found them alone and abandoned. He brought them here so that they could be taken care of. He thought your Pack had left your camp for good.”

Blade turned her dark eyes on Lucky. “You! You broke into our camp once before, you filthy rat! Why did you take the pups?”

Lucky's legs trembled and it was all he could do to return her gaze. “I did not mean to cause any conflict. They were starving, and we . . .
I
. . . just wanted to help them.”

“The camp had
not
been abandoned!” barked Blade. “The pups belong with their Pack. They
will
follow me.”

Standing behind him, Grunt seemed to relax, as though he had expected the Fierce Dogs to come for them all along. He bounded up to Blade. “I'm here!” he barked in a high voice. “Reporting for duty.”

Blade nodded with satisfaction. Lucky watched, his ears low. Had Grunt always been waiting for this moment? Was there nothing he liked about Lucky and the Wild Pack?

Lucky hoped that Grunt's ready defection would satisfy Blade, but he doubted it.
She spoke of pups—she wants
all
of them
.

“And the others?” she barked, confirming his fears.

A deep yelp broke from the circle of dogs. Martha raised her large, gentle head. “Alpha, you can't let her kidnap the pups! We promised to protect them!”

The half wolf turned to Martha, fixing her with a hard stare. “I will do what is right for the Pack,” he replied. He turned back to Blade. “Take them.”

Martha barked angrily. “How could you hand them over to
her
? She'll hurt them! Don't you see?”

Lucky watched, feeling a rare pang of sympathy for Alpha. What could he do? Surrounded by so many Fierce Dogs, he could not afford to challenge them.

Blade ignored Martha, turning to Lucky. “You are fortunate that our only interest is in the pups. I
might
have taken the opportunity to chew out your tongue, mongrel dog, for tricking me in my own camp! I still might if you get in my way.” Her lip twitched, a flicker of white fang flashing threateningly. “Where are the other two? I want my pups back.”

Lucky's ears pricked up. Was Blade claiming to be their Mother-Dog?

Alpha narrowed his eyes. “If they are your pups, they
must
go with you.”

There was a murmur of agreement from the Wild Dogs. Lucky's head cocked as he wondered:
If Blade is their Mother-Dog, then who did we bury in the garden?

“Yes. The pups
should
be with their Mother-Dog,” said Moon, relaxing her stance.

“It's natural,” Snap agreed. “It isn't right to separate them. They belong with their own kind.”

Sweet watched through narrowed eyes. “I thought the Mother-Dog was dead?”

So did I
, Lucky thought. He caught Mickey's eye and he looked from him to the pups and then to Blade, his ears flat against his head.

But most of the other dogs were keen to do whatever it took to bring this situation to an end. They were not asking the questions that Lucky, Sweet, and Bella were.

“The pups
should
go to the Mother-Dog,” Spring agreed, speaking quickly.

“It would be best,” said Bruno, “for them to be with their own kind.”

Lucky wrestled with the urge to call Blade a liar. What use would it do? Most of the Wild Pack had been suspicious of the pups even before Alpha's test, and Grunt had already defected. Now, surrounded by Fierce Dogs, what choice did any of them have but to agree to their enemies' demands?

The air was shattered by a sharp howl from Blade. “Give me my pups! I've waited long enough!” She bounded around the circle of dogs and launched herself at Daisy. Caught off guard, Daisy tried to spin around but couldn't escape in time.

Blade clamped her massive jaws around Daisy's neck. The little dog froze, her eyes wild with terror as the Fierce Dog Alpha pinned her to the ground with her strong forepaws.

“I want my pups back
right now
!” Blade barked. As she twisted her neck to look at Lucky, he spotted a fang-shaped white mark just below her ear. He remembered the dead pup that he and Mickey had buried alongside the Mother-Dog.
That pup had worn the same mark on its fur
.

At his side, Mickey murmured: “The dead pup . . . Blade must be its Mother-Dog.”

Lucky gave a nod. Understanding was starting to ripple through his body. “Maybe Blade's instincts are telling her that she needs pups to look after—
any
pups, as long as they're Fierce Dogs.”

Lucky stared hard at the Fierce Dog. Was he looking at a mother driven wild by grief? That would certainly explain her ruthlessness—if she thought the Wild Pack had the thing she craved more than anything in the world. If she hadn't been such an expert killer, Lucky might have felt sorry for her.

He was jolted from his thoughts by Daisy's yelp. Blade's jaws had tightened around her neck.

Alpha turned to his Pack. “Let the pups go!” he commanded.

Blade gave a nod and one of the Fierce Dogs surrounding the Wild Pack stepped back to create safe, neutral space. In the center Bruno, Whine, and Dart parted to reveal Lick and Wiggle.

“Pups, go back to your Pack,” Alpha told them. His words were stern but his voice was soft. Lucky thought he might have heard a hint of regret.

Lick walked past the Wild Dogs until she was standing a short distance from Blade. Her head was held high and her stubby tail pointed behind her. Lucky's heart swelled with pride. The female pup had learned and grown up so much in such a short time. With her bold, fearless nature she could have been a great asset to the Pack. But now she would be brought up to be aggressive and savage—she would have no choice but to
become
the dog that Alpha feared.

They could all have been good dogs, Lucky felt sure.
Even Grunt
. . . He looked at the glossy-furred pup, who joined his sister with a lick of the nose. She returned his gesture, then searched the crowd of dogs. She found Lucky's face and blinked at him sadly.

Only Wiggle held back, reluctant to join his old Pack. Martha had drawn closer to him and he backed against her, whimpering. “I don't
want
to go with them. I want to stay with you and Lucky, and Mickey and the others.”

Martha looked around her, addressing all the Wild Dogs at once. “Are you
really
going to let this happen? How can you hand the pups over to these brutes?”

“Come, Dagger!” barked Mace. Blade's Beta marched forward alongside a stubby-faced Fierce Dog with lighter brown fur. The Wild Dogs fell back, allowing them to pass. Wordlessly the Fierce Dogs flanked Wiggle, who had no choice but to walk with them.

Martha turned away with a sad whine, backing out of the circle of dogs. She ignored the Fierce Dog standing guard, loping past him through the meadow with her head bowed.

The Fierce Dogs led Wiggle to his littermates. He leaned against Lick, his ears flat. “Do we really have to go?” he whimpered.

Grunt scowled at him. “We belong with dogs like these—fierce, brave warriors—not that ragged bunch of scroungers who cower at the sight of a silly giantfur!”

Blade's ears pricked up and she cast a curious look at Lucky. The other Fierce Dogs growled, as if the giantfur was in earshot. That they were not terrified of such a beast made Lucky's tail droop in unease.

At last Blade released her grip on Daisy, who scampered away, trembling at Bella's side. “Prepare to leave!” Blade barked. The Fierce Dogs stiffened.

“I don't want to go!” Lick whined.

“Me neither,” said Wiggle. “Mickey, don't let them take us!”

Mickey lowered his head. “We won't forget you,” he murmured pitifully.

Blade glared at him. “One more word, fluffy pooch, and I'll rip your throat out!”

Mickey flinched. Lucky tensed by his side, preparing to fight if he had to.
If Blade touches Mickey she'll have to deal with me—even if it's the last thing I do!

Blade lifted her muzzle, trailing her challenging gaze around the circle of dogs. Then she turned away, her body stiff and triangle ears pricked. The Fierce Dogs started marching toward the pine trees—Blade in the lead, Mace at the rear, and the pups trapped in the middle.

Lucky stood bolted to the spot, watching as the puppies were led away.
Forest-Dog, protect these pups. They're so young and innocent, and their Pack is so vicious. Please don't let them come to any harm
.

The Sun-Dog bounded above the Fierce Dogs, making his descent over the horizon. Lucky looked into the clear blue sky. How could it be so peaceful when there was so much chaos in the world beneath it? He remembered the storm that had terrified his Pup-Pack as they had cowered at their Mother-Dog's side. He thought of the mighty Sky-Dogs. Weren't they the most powerful of all the Spirit Dogs?

Lucky sent out another prayer.
Please, mighty Sky-Dogs, keep my little Packmates safe
.

Wiggle pressed to the edge of the Fierce Dog Pack so he could throw Lucky a final sad look. Lucky cocked his head, his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth. He forced his tail to wag. He hoped this was encouraging, that it would give the pup some strength for the long road ahead.

It was a struggle to find the energy not to howl or turn away. Inside, Lucky's heart was twisting in sorrow.

A low mist gathered around the
branches of the pine trees, drifting down to the meadow and wrapping it in a gray pelt. The Moon-Dog's light pierced through it, but the stars were invisible in the murky no-sun.

Sitting between the pine trees and staring blankly beyond the camp, Lucky shuddered. The sharp fang of the rising wind caught at his fur. Still he kept watch for the puppies who never arrived. Several times he thought he could make out their shadowy shapes bounding along the lake toward the pines. From the corner of his eye he caught a flash of their glossy coats. His ears twitched at the imagined sound of their excited yaps, the soft crunch of their paws on the earth.

Lucky sighed and sank into the long grass. The pups would be far away by now, settling down for the night with the Fierce Dogs. How would they cope with such a brutal Pack?
Even Grunt is more vulnerable than he thinks, and Lick has learned a lot, but she's still so young
.

Then there was poor little Wiggle . . .

The camp had been unusually quiet since the Fierce Dogs had left. Mickey had gone to find Martha, who sat despondently by the pup den. Fiery had led a hunting party; Spring, Dart, and Daisy had gone on patrol. They had eaten early, barely exchanging words as the food had been distributed by rank, as was the Wild Dogs' custom. Then Alpha had retreated to the cave. No one had mentioned the Great Howl and Lucky was secretly relieved.
I know it could help to make the Pack feel more whole again. But I'm not ready to share something like that with these dogs, not yet—not after they allowed the Fierce Dogs to take the pups away
. Lucky thought bitterly of how panic had broken out among the Wild Pack—while the Fierce Dogs remained calm and regimented.

We let the pups down
. . . .

He scented Sweet before he saw her. She had climbed the hill to the pine trees and appeared beside him, ghostly in the mist. Lucky felt a twinge in his chest, a confused emotion that he couldn't place. He kept his gaze focused on the woods in the distance.