Darkness Falls (5 page)

Lucky turned toward the lake. “The water looks fresh.” He led the dogs to the bank of the lake, where they drank eagerly.

Once they were revived by the cool water, the exhausted dogs retreated to the sheltered area beneath the overhanging rocks. The Pack gathered together, their mood miserable. Lucky's neck felt stiff and his leg still throbbed, but it was good to take the weight off it at last.

Spring lapped at a gash in her tail. She cast an angry look toward Martha. “That was
your
work,” she snarled. The water-dog dipped her head submissively and took a place next to Daisy.

While the jagged rock overhead would protect them from the worst of any wind or rain, the shelter was far from comfortable—the earth beneath it was sandy and damp. Twitch limped to the edge of their new camp and slumped to the ground, nursing his injured paw.

“It's been a difficult journey but this will do for now,” said Sweet, treading over the damp ground.

Spring yelped in frustration. “It would have been easier if we weren't carrying unnecessary weight.” She cast an accusing eye toward Sunshine and Whine, who stood next to each other. “Those two are too small to hunt or fight. What use are they to the Pack? We should have left them behind. They're nothing more than a
burden
.”

“We do not leave any dogs behind!” snapped Sweet. “All dogs have a role.”

Snap backed her up. “Not everyone has to hunt or fight. Sunshine and Whine can be the eyes and ears of the Pack.”

“Sunshine has a wonderful nose,” Mickey pointed out loyally. “She would make a good patrol dog. She can sniff out danger a mile away.”

“I agree,” Sweet said. “They can watch over the camp when other dogs go on patrol.”

Spring narrowed her eyes. Whine glanced about fearfully, his short tail curling between his legs.

Sunshine wasn't so easily silenced. “Who are you calling a burden?” she growled, glaring at Spring. “I didn't see you fighting so courageously with the foxes. You bark and make a lot of big noise, but when it comes right down to it—”

“How dare you!” howled Spring, leaping toward Sunshine with her teeth bared.

Sweet moved to block her. “Enough! Both of you, stop it—right now!” she snarled.

Spring fell back, hackles still raised but head dipped. “Sorry, Beta,” she murmured, unwilling to challenge Alpha's second-in-command. Appearing from the shadows beyond the rocks, Alpha himself sauntered toward them, staring down his nose at Spring.

“Squabbles. Pointless squabbles.” He turned away with a dismissive flick of the tail.

Lucky stared at him, amazed by the change in the dog-wolf's demeanor.

It's as though nothing happened
.

Sunshine swallowed a yap, glaring at Spring, but Twitch's litter-sister was looking elsewhere.

“Where's he off to now?” she barked loudly.

The dogs turned to see Whine slipping out of the camp. He spun around guiltily.

“Try to run away, would you?” Spring accused. “What a coward!”

“Coward! Coward!” yapped some of the others, their exhaustion turning to frustration.

Bruno snapped at Whine as he slunk past, nipping him on his flank. It wasn't a deep bite, but Whine yelped and scrambled beneath the overhang, shrinking against the wall.

“Stop that at once!” Bella barked at Bruno, who reared away from the little snub-nosed dog.

Lucky watched with his ears pressed flat. In the desperate time after the air had whined and acrid smoke rose in the distance, the dogs had set aside rank and rivalry to get everyone safely away from the old camp. But now the dogs were turning on one another again, forgetting how well they had worked together as a Pack.

Twitch kept away from the others, his tail limp at his side as he tended to his bad paw. Lucky noticed Dart speaking to Sweet, both of them looking troubled—though he couldn't hear what they were saying. Sweet glanced up and met Lucky's eyes with a wary, uncertain look. Lucky tipped his head to one side.

Will Sweet ever forgive me for helping the Leashed Dogs?
he wondered.

Moon was nursing her pups as Fiery stood by, making sure that the bickering dogs didn't come too close. Alpha pushed past them.

“Settle down, all of you! Your whines are growing tedious.” Alpha directed this order at Bruno and some of the others, but Fiery bristled.

Nose panicked at Alpha's loud voice, trembling and yipping. Both pups refused to suckle, despite Moon's gentle coaxing. Her dark eyes, wide with distress, shot to Fiery.

Lucky saw something pass between them; then Fiery turned to Alpha. “Careful,” he growled. “You're upsetting the pups, putting them off their feeding.”

The half wolf's head snapped back and he locked eyes with Fiery. The stocky brown dog rose to his full height, his ears pricked forward and his tail jutting out, as though he was about to challenge their leader.

Lucky's belly burned with unease. This was dangerous. A conflict between Alpha and a rival dog—especially one as powerful as Fiery, who was already only a few ranks below the Alpha position—could completely unbalance the Pack.

There would be torn allegiances, combat, bloodshed . . .

Alpha and Fiery stared at each other for a few moments as the others watched in anxious silence. Then Fiery looked away, dropping his head. Alpha snarled in warning and Fiery lowered his hackles and took a step back. Satisfied, the Pack leader raised his muzzle and glanced around the surrounding dogs in challenge. No one met his eye.

Daisy sidled up to Lucky. “Why does everything have to be so hard? Each time we get settled, something happens that forces us to move on. It's cold here, and we haven't eaten all sun-high.” She gazed at him sadly, her ears drooping.

Lucky licked her ears and tried to soothe her. “Give it a chance,” he told her. “I know it seems a bit unfriendly here, but we're safe from the cloud and near fresh water. Tomorrow will be better.”

Mickey had overheard him and whined unhappily: “All we do is run and hide. We form camps but then have to move on, constantly looking over our backs to invisible dangers. It wasn't like this in the city.”

“But the city is the most dangerous place of all,” yelped Daisy sadly.

“It might be safe now.” Mickey tapped the leather glove with his forepaw. “Did you see that black cloud? It wasn't just a shapeless thing.”

Lucky's ears pricked up. Had Mickey also observed the figure of a dog in the sky?

“Didn't you notice anything unusual about it?” Mickey's tail started wagging. “It was the shape of a giant longpaw. It was a master's paw
pointing
!”

Several of the Leashed Dogs crept toward him, listening intently. It hadn't looked like a longpaw to Lucky, but he didn't interrupt.

“It's like the safe caves by the river,” said Mickey. “It's a sign. Our longpaws were pointing the way
back
to the city.” His voice rose in excitement, his tail lashing the air. “They want us to come home. Maybe they've returned!”

Alpha stalked between the dogs, pushing his way to the front of the group. Lucky watched him suspiciously—where had this kind of confidence been when it
mattered
? He remembered how the half wolf had cowered beneath the black cloud. Now he was strutting around as though he had been in complete control the whole time.

“Longpaws, longpaws, longpaws—that's all you Leashed Dogs ever talk about! Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? You especially, Farm Dog.” He glared at Mickey with disgust. “Why are you still carrying around that strange longpaw thing? Isn't it time to get rid of it?” Alpha sniffed the glove and Mickey snatched it up in his jaws, stepping back and holding it close. Alpha's lip curled as he growled: “If you're so keen to get back to your masters, why not run away to the city? We don't want Leashed Dogs here.”

Mickey dropped the glove between his forepaws.

“Good idea!” he replied. He turned to the other Leashed Dogs. “It's time to go back to the city—time to find our longpaws. Who's with me?” Mickey cast his eyes around the group of dogs. While a couple of the Leashed Dogs whimpered, none would meet his gaze. Martha licked her feathery tail, removing the last of the burrs. Daisy gazed out beneath the overhang to the peaceful lake. A long silence followed while Lucky stared at his paws, not sure what to say.

Mickey's ears flicked back. “I don't care what you think. I know they've returned. I'll go alone if I have to!” He scooped up the glove and started along the shore of the lake, toward the place where the Sun-Dog was settling to his rest beyond the horizon. It was almost dark out there.

Lucky stood in his way. “Don't do this,” he whined. “We've only just escaped all the danger that's behind us, and now you're planning to retrace your steps to the city? Even traveling in a Pack we didn't escape unscathed.” Lucky thought sadly of Alfie, who had almost died when his longpaws' house collapsed . . . and who had been killed in a fight between the Packs. Killed by Alpha.

Daisy caught up with them. “Please don't go,” she whimpered.

Mickey was resolute. He dropped the glove so he could speak. “I don't belong here. I don't like all the arguments, all the troubles in Pack life. I need to leave. My longpaw is waiting for me. I can feel it.”

Lucky growled. “It isn't safe for you to travel alone. I won't let you!” He squared up to the black-and-white dog, his body stiff.

“You can't stop me,” said Mickey. He shoved past as Lucky looked on, tail lowered. Then he paused and turned. His face was softer now, his brown eyes warm.

Lucky's tail thrashed happily.

He's changed his mind!

Mickey stepped forward, dropping his glove to lick Lucky's muzzle. Then he turned to Martha and Daisy and did the same.

Little Sunshine yipped, bounding out from beneath the rocky overhang.

Mickey lowered his head and licked her white ears. “I hadn't forgotten you,” he murmured.

Lucky's tail sank. “You're still going?”

Mickey turned to him. “I have to.”

This time Lucky didn't try to stop him. He stood between Martha and Daisy, watching as Mickey picked up his glove and turned away from them one more time.

The last time
, Lucky thought, sadness like a claw lodged in his flesh.

The Farm Dog's outline soon merged with the creeping darkness. Several of the Leashed Dogs stood a while longer, but Lucky returned to the camp beneath the rocks and sank to the floor, listening to his friend's retreating pawsteps. The crunch of stones on the rocky path disappeared as Mickey scrambled up the rock shaft. Then there was only the rippling water on the lake and the wind in the cool night air.

Dogs snarled and spat at one another, tearing at one another's throats under a boiling black sky
.

But this was no honest battle of Pack versus Pack. Litter-siblings had turned against one another. Dogs who had fought side by side bit and clawed indiscriminately at their comrades
.

Is this the Storm of Dogs? When Packs tear themselves apart?

Lucky barked desperately, pleading with the shadowy dogs to cease their battle
.

We must stick together!

But the fighting went on and on, until the field was soaked in the blood of friend and enemy alike. . . 
.

Lucky's eyes flicked open and his ears pricked up as he awoke to the sound of angry growls. Looking around, it took him a moment to remember where he was. The Sun-Dog was rising behind the valley and touching the lake in the distance with shimmers of light.

Beneath the rocks it was shadowy and cool. Most of the dogs were still sleeping, curled up close to one another for warmth. Lucky got to his paws with a yawn and stretched. He felt stiff and tired. His head and hind leg still ached from the clash with the foxes.

Then he heard a growl. Just beyond the rocks he saw Bella and Sweet. He couldn't make out exactly what they were saying but by their postures he knew that their peace had been short-lived. He stepped warily around the sleeping dogs and out into the low light of sunup.

Sweet was snarling at Bella as Lucky approached. “Your Pack has brought us nothing but trouble since the moment you arrived in our territory. You'd better get out of here before everything falls to pieces!”

Bella did not budge. “It isn't my fault, or the fault of my Pack, that Twitch decided to leave. We slowed down for him. We tried to help him. He was with
you
when he got hurt.”

Sweet growled angrily at this but Lucky interrupted:

“What happened to Twitch?”

Sweet turned to look at him, her eyes cool. “He disappeared in the middle of the night. Nobody knows where he went.”

Lucky absorbed this news with a shiver of dread. He thought of the unhappy dog with the injured paw. Twitch had struggled to make his way through the forest last night and had scarcely managed the descent by the lake. How would he fare out there in the wild, where foxes and other creatures stalked? How could he hunt? How would he survive?