The Empty City
Authors: Erin Hunter
ERIN
HUNTER
For Lucy Philip
Special thanks to Gillian Philip
MAP
Yap wriggled, yawning, and gave a
small, excited whimper. His littermates were a jumble of warmth against him, all paws and muzzles and small, fast heartbeats. Clambering over him, Squeak stuck a paw in his eye; Yap shook his head and rolled over, making her fall off. She squeaked with indignation as always, so he licked her nose to show there were no hard feelings.
The Mother-Dog stood over them, nuzzling the pups into order and licking their faces clean, treading her ritual circle before curling around them, ready for sleep.
“Wake up, Yap! Mother's going to tell us a story.” That was Squeak again, bossy and demanding as ever. Their Mother-Dog washed her affectionately with her tongue, muffling her yelps.
“Would you like to hear about the Storm of Dogs?”
A thrill of excitement ran down Yap's spine, and he whimpered eagerly. “Yes!”
“Again?”
whined Squeak.
But the others tumbled over her, drowning her protests. “Yes, Mother! The Storm of Dogs!”
The Mother-Dog settled around their small bodies, her tail thumping. Her voice grew low and solemn. “This is the story of Lightning, the swiftest of the dog warriors. The Sky-Dogs watched over him, and protected him.... But the Earth-Dog was jealous of Lightning. She thought Lightning had lived too long, and that it was time for him to die so that she could take his life force. But Lightning's speed was so great that he could outrun the Earth-Dog's terrible Growlsâhe could outrun death itself!”
“I want to be like Lightning,” murmured Yowl sleepily. “I could run that fast; I bet I could.”
“Shush!” said Squeak, squashing his nose with a golden-furred paw. In spite of her protest, Yap knew that she was caught up in the story like the rest of them.
“Then came the first great battle,” the Mother-Dog went on, her voice hushed. “The terrible Storm of Dogs, when all the dogs of the world fought to see who would rule over the territories of the world. Many stories are told of those dreadful days, and many heroes were made and lost in the battle.
“At last, the Earth-Dog thought, Lightning's life force would be freed and she would take his body, as was her right. But Lightning was cunning, and he was sure that with his speed he could dodge his death once more, so the Earth-Dog laid a trap for him.”
Yip's ears flattened against her head. “That's so mean!”
Their mother nuzzled her. “No, it isn't, Yip. Earth-Dog was right to claim Lightning. That's the way things should be. When your Sire-Dog died, his body fed the earth, too.”
Suddenly solemn, all of the pups listened in silence.
“Lightning tried to escape the Storm of Dogs with his speed. He ran so fast between the warring dogs that none of them could see him to tear his body apart with their teeth and claws. He was almost clear, almost free, when the Earth-Dog sent a Big Growl to open the ground in front of him.”
Even though he'd heard the story so many times, Yap held his breath and huddled close to his littermates, imagining that this time Lightning would fall and be eaten by the terrible rip in the earth....
“Lightning saw the ground open up to swallow him, but he was speeding so fast that he couldn't stop. He feared that the Earth-Dog had him at last. But the Sky-Dogs loved Lightning.
“Just as Lightning started to plummet to his death, the Sky-Dogs sent a great wind that spun so fast and so strong, it caught Lightning as he fell, lifted him up, and whirled him into the sky. And there he remains, with the Sky-Dogs, to this very day.”
The pups snuggled more tightly against the Mother-Dog's side, gazing up at her.
“Will he always be there?” asked Yowl.
“Always. When you see fire flashing in the sky, when the Sky-Dogs howl, that's Lightning running down to the earth, teasing Earth-Dog, knowing that she will never catch him.” She licked Yap's sleepy face. He could barely keep his eyes open. “I've heard dogs say that one day, there will be another great battle, when a dog displeases the Earth-Dog. Then, dog will fight against dog, and great heroes will rise and fall.”
Yowl gave a great yawn, floppy with tiredness. “But not for a long time, right?”
“Ah, we don't know. It might come soon; it might not. We must always watch out for the signs. They say that when the world is turned upside down and broken open, the Storm of Dogs will come again and we'll have to fight to survive once more.”
Yap let his eyelids droop. He loved to fall asleep to his mother's stories. This was how it would always be, he knew: her voice, fading as sleep overwhelmed him and his littermates. The Mother-Dog curled protectively around him, the end of the story the last thing he heard. It ended the same way each time....
“Watch out, little ones. Watch out for the Storm of Dogs....”
Lucky startled awake, fear prickling in
his bones and fur. He leaped to his feet, growling.
For an instant he'd thought he was tiny once more, safe in his Pup Pack and protected, but the comforting dream had already vanished. The air shivered with menace, tingling Lucky's skin. If only he could see what was coming, he could face it downâbut the monster was invisible, scentless. He whined in terror. This was no sleep-time story: This fear was
real
.
The urge to run was almost unbearable; but he could only scrabble, snarl, and scratch in panic. There was nowhere to go: The wire of his cage hemmed him in on every side. His muzzle hurt when he tried to shove it through the gaps; when he backed away, snarling, the same wire bit into his haunches.
Others were close ⦠familiar bodies, familiar scents. Those dogs were enclosed in this terrible place just as he was. Lucky raised his head and barked, over and over, high and desperate, but it was clear no dog could help him. His voice was drowned out by the chorus of frantic calls.
They were all
trapped
.
Dark panic overwhelmed him. His claws scrabbled at the earth floor, even though he knew it was hopeless.
He could smell the female swift-dog in the next cage, a friendly, comforting scent, overlaid now with the bitter tang of danger and fear. Yipping, he pressed closer to her, feeling the shivers in her musclesâbut the wire still separated them.