Chihuawolf (9 page)

“Let's go!” Paco yelled and made a dash for the green cab. His friends followed. Standing in the parking lot, they introduced themselves to the dog high above them in the cab window.

The black dog was called Teddy. He was glad to meet them. But, he asked, what were they doing here at a truck rest stop?

Talking quickly, Paco told their story. He ended by saying they needed a ride to Mount Diablo to save their children. “So you are going that way?
Sí?
Is the driver coming back soon? We're running out of time.”

“Don't worry. Don't worry,” the black dog barked. “Driver Jim only went to the restroom. He's coming right back. We're on our way home. Don't worry. I'll help.”

“Thank you!” the posse below yelled.

Teddy the Schipperke grinned a doggy smile. “Tell you what. I'll get this door open. You hop in. Hide behind the seat. Jim won't even notice. When we get to Mount Diablo, I'll tell him I need to ‘go.' You know what I mean. Soon as he opens the door, you guys run.”

“You sure?” Paco thought about all the things that could go wrong—in particular, what if driver Jim didn't stop when Teddy asked to “go”?

“Absolute-ally! Come on. Hurry. I see Jim starting this way.”

Teddy pressed down on the door handle. He pushed the cab door open wide enough for the cats to clamber up. Then B-Boy, whose legs worked like coiled springs, bounced into the cab without a bit of trouble.

Tiny Paco jumped only as far as the running board. “I can't make it,” he whimpered.

“Hang on!” B-Boy leaped back out. He got behind Paco and pushed. Teddy reached down and grabbed Paco's collar with his teeth. With a heave and a ho, Paco found himself inside the truck. B-Boy came in right behind him just as a tall man wearing bib overalls and a red-and-black plaid jacket shouted, “Hey! The truck door's open! Teddy! Stay!”

His face turning white, his heavy boots going thud on the pavement, Jim the truck driver rushed to his vehicle and slammed the cab door shut. It narrowly missed Paco's tail.

Jim peered up at Teddy, whose head poked over the window ledge again. “How the heck did you get that door open? Gee whiz, little guy, that was close.” Jim took off his cap and scratched his head. He studied the door. Not seeing anything amiss, he went around the truck to get in on the driver's side, muttering, “Doggone it. Near took ten years off my life, seeing that door open. Could have lost my dog. Doggone it!”

Jim turned on the engine. He changed the gears. He pressed the gas, and the eighteen-wheeler rolled back onto the highway. He flipped on the radio and sang along with a country song. Jim sang loudly and not very well, but he sang with gusto.

Squatting down behind the passenger seat, the little animals listened to Jim bellow out some words about being on the road again. They huddled together. They could feel each other's hearts beating. But they only heard Jim sing three more tunes before Teddy started whining and scratching at the window.

The long journey along the white highway took Coco and Paco many hours to travel. Now it took just a few minutes.

Jim looked over at the black dog. “You got to go already?”

Whine, whine
cried Teddy. He circled around several times on the seat just to make his point that the situation was urgent.

“Hang on, hang on, I'll pull over at this exit,” Jim promised, his voice kind. He did love his dog a great deal and didn't mind.

He eased the truck onto the off-ramp. Paco spotted the overhead exit sign through the truck window. It was for Mount Diablo. Teddy got it exactly right. He heaved a sigh of relief.

As soon as Jim opened the door on Teddy's side of the truck, two cats and two dogs jumped out and scattered as fast as they could.

“Holy Hannah!” Jim gasped, his eyes as big as dinner plates. “Where did they come from?”

Teddy barked loudly.

Jim began to laugh. “So you picked me up some hitchhikers, did you?” Then the truck driver smiled so wide it made his cheeks ache. Whistling another song from the radio, he snapped on Teddy's leash and lifted him down from the cab. Jim looked forward to telling his wife about what Teddy had done
this
time.

Meanwhile, B-Boy, Norma-Jean, and Little Annie scampered along behind Paco until they reached a fork in the road. Without hesitation, the Chihuahua took the white way to the right. “It's not much longer,” Paco called out.

“I wonder where the children are?” B-Boy asked.

“I wonder too.” Paco felt a squeeze of anxiety in his chest, but he didn't slow down. He had to have faith in Pewmount and the plan. He ran on.

S
uccess
owes
much
to
luck. It owes more to good planning. Most of the time it needs a good dose of both
.

Professor Pewmount's sainted mother told him that.

The wise old skunk got busy after talking with Paco. He called a meeting with the nosy chickadee who woke him, two red squirrels who were eavesdropping in a nearby tree, and five loud-mouthed blue jays he happened to know personally. He asked them to take Paco's request for help to the wild creatures.

The Professor was much respected by everyone, a true senator of the forest. He got a quick response. Birds, insects, and four-legged forest animals of all kinds showed up at his den. He didn't have to twist any arms to make some of them agree to play tricks on the children. Animals loved to outwit humans, and Paco's ideas were grand. Also, all wild creatures felt strongly about protecting their young.

And then Pewmount turned to some of the others. He chose them because they were the swiftest—they must travel a long way in a very short time—and because they had some very special talents. He explained Paco's second request. They listened. They asked a few questions. They agreed to do it, even though it sounded very dangerous. They understood that this terrible creature must be driven away or destroyed before it ate them all, one by one.

“You must hurry,” Pewy said to these bravest of the brave. “If you are late, it will be too late…for all of us.”

They left as fast as they could.

Then Pewy turned to those whose job was to delay the children. “Chickadee will be your spotter. She'll fly above the children. Listen for her signal. Then move in!”

“Why is Coco howling?” Olivia asked Sandy. She stood next to her bike in Sandy's backyard where the four children gathered.

“She didn't want me to go out. Each time I walked away, she struggled to get up and started crying. I hated to leave her. How long do you think we'll be gone, Tommy?”

“Let's see.” Tommy looked at his wristwatch. “It's nearly six now. We've got two good hours and maybe even three before dark. We can cover a lot of ground by then.”

“Where are we going?” Olivia's face looked worried.

“We need to start where Natasha was last spotted with the big animal. Victoria, do you know that exact place?”

“Yes, I'll take you to the street. It's not far from here.”

“Great. They were headed toward the highway. We'll follow the same route.” Tommy threw his leg over the bar of his bike and prepared to push off.

Olivia didn't move. “Wait a minute. What happens when we get to the highway? We can't ride our bikes along the interstate.”

Tommy grinned. “I already thought of that. I Googled a map on my computer. A hiking trail runs in the same direction as the highway, but through the woods. It leads toward Mount Diablo. We can ride there. OK?”

“That sounds OK, but—” Olivia's voice held a heavy load of doubt. “Let's watch the time. I wouldn't want to be in the woods when it's getting dark.”

“Me neither,” Sandy spoke up.

“Ahhh, don't be sissies. Nothing out there can hurt us. Our bikes have headlights if it gets too dark to see. I even brought a megaphone for Victoria to call Natasha.”

Victoria looked at Tommy as if he was her hero. “Oh, Tommy, you're always so smart.” Victoria smiled, showing perfect pearly teeth.

A red blush crept up Tommy's neck and spread roses into his freckled cheeks. “I brought a leash and some dog treats too.” He gave her a dreamy look for just a second before his voice filled with command. “Get on your bikes, gang! We'd better get going.”

Olivia still didn't move. She heard something, and it wasn't Tommy. “Shhhhh. Wait a minute. Listen. What's that sound?”

“That's just a chickadee,” Tommy dismissed her. “It's nothing! Come on!”

“No, not the
dee
dee
dee.
Listen again. Is it a cat? Not quite like a cat, but something crying—oh, look up!”

The children lifted their faces toward the sky.

A big gray gull flew over the housetops and circled above them. He was calling in a high-pitched mewing voice
.
Another gray gull quickly appeared, calling back. Then two more. Then a squadron of ten. Soon, the sky turned dark with the gulls. Their cries filled the air.

“I never saw this many gulls above my backyard before.” Sandy's voice held a hint of wonder.

“I once saw this many at the seashore,” Victoria remembered. “A little boy tossed cheese doodles in the air. Dozens of gulls came out of nowhere and started fighting for the food. And all of a sudden—”

Before she could finish, a large gull folded back its wings and dove low over the children. Something went splat on the payment. Another gull swooped down toward Tommy. A white blob hit the fender of Tommy's bike.

“Hey! Quit that!” he yelled. A third gull flew directly above his head. Something wet smacked down on his hair.

Then blobs of white started dropping from the sky like a hailstorm.

One hit Sandy's shirt. He stared at it. Understanding hit him like the flash from a camera. “It's bird poop! They're pooping on us! Run! Run for the garage!”

“My hair!” Victoria screamed. She dropped her ten-speed and raced toward the garage door. White blobs streaked her long golden tresses.

“Euccch. I've got bird poop on my arm!” Olivia cried. She pushed her bike as fast as she could toward shelter while poop rained onto the ground, turning it white.

The seagull poop attack lasted only a minute or two, but the damage was done.

As soon as the gulls flew away, Sandy hurried into the house for wipes and paper towels. He handed them out. The children cleaned themselves and their bikes.

The minutes ticked by.

Victoria held back tears as Olivia wiped the white stuff out of her hair. “Can you get it all?” she whimpered. “It's so gross.”

“Don't worry. It's coming out. But you know, that was very weird,” Olivia said when she finished helping Victoria. She cleaned her bare arms where the poop had landed and wiped the blotches off her shorts. “They seemed to be aiming at us.”

“It's a bad omen.” Sandy sounded terribly serious. “We've already lost some time. Maybe I shouldn't go.”

“You are such a wimp.” Tommy's voice held disgust. “It was just a lot of bird poop. Nobody got hurt.”

Victoria turned her violet eyes filled with pleading toward Sandy. “Please go with us. I'm so worried about Natasha. We won't be long.”

“I know, but—I don't like sneaking away. I told my Dad I was going to Victoria's.”

“So what?” Tommy responded. “The rest of us said we're taking a swim in your pool. Look, nobody will know we're gone. We'll be home safe and sound before dark—and maybe we'll have Natasha with us! I bet we do.” Tommy sounded confident.

Sandy pushed aside his worries. “You're right. Victoria needs us. Let's get going.”

Tommy mounted his bike. The other children got on theirs. They pedaled out of the yard and into the quiet, tree-lined street.

“It's this way,” Victoria called out. She took the lead.

Nobody noticed the lone chickadee flying behind them all.