Storm of Dogs (16 page)

Snap and Storm turned to look at her, but Lucky couldn't tear his gaze away from the beast. The giantfur's massive head had swung around, her eyes small and red-rimmed. Spit gathered at her mouth, and her muzzle crinkled with fury as she focused her attention on Daisy.

“Storm, remember?” Daisy appealed. “You were very young. Fang barked at the giantfur, and it only made things worse!”

All at once Lucky recalled the encounter on the rocks, which he and the dog-wolf had watched at a distance. Daisy was right! They needed to appease the giantfur, not anger her.

The beast was dragging a forepaw over the ground, leaving long ridges where her claws cut through the earth. She shifted her red-rimmed eyes back to Lucky, Storm, and the trapped dog, releasing another dreadful roar.

“Keep perfectly still,” Daisy urged. “Lower your hackles and look away. She thinks you're challenging her.”

Lucky did what he was told, stooping to the ground and dropping his gaze. Snap and Storm copied his movements. Lucky threw a quick look at the trapped dog. He still watched, wild-eyed, but he no longer barked.

“That's it,” Daisy encouraged. “Now you don't seem threatening. Lucky and Snap, can you dig that dog out? Quickly . . .”

Disturbed by Daisy's yelps, the giantfur paused to watch her while Lucky and Snap fell back, furiously digging to free the trapped dog. He gave a whine of gratitude as he wiggled his tail out from under the fallen tree.

“Now back away,” Daisy told them. “Slowly.”

The giantfur was no longer growling as the dogs shrank back toward Daisy. As Lucky retreated, he kept his eyes on the beast. She had rolled onto her rear paws again, hovering over the dogs with menace. Her lip shook, bubbling with spit. Lucky cringed, forcing himself not to run. He cowered with the other dogs behind a tree trunk, his eyes still trained on the giantfur.

After a moment, she fell onto her forepaws with a thump, turning away from the dogs, as though she had forgotten them. She took a swipe at the fallen tree trunk, rolling it out of the way. With angry grunts she pushed and shoved between broken branches and debris.

“What's she doing?” Storm whispered.

Lucky's voice was low. “I think she wants to get inside that cave.”

Sure enough, the giantfur shouldered her way into a hollow behind the fallen tree, vanishing into the darkness with a huff.

Lucky led the dogs a safe distance from the cave. The gray dog moved gingerly, pausing a few times to lick his tail. When they were at a safe distance, Lucky stopped to rest beneath a tall tree with a thick trunk, and the other dogs gathered around him. The tree was not bare like the others, though instead of leaves it had countless pointed green spikes.

Snap started cleaning her wiry coat. “Of course,” she said thoughtfully. “Giantfurs sleep through Ice Wind. I remember that now, they hate the cold. The Growl must have woken her, and then that tree fell in front of her den. Which means you were in the way too,” she said to the gray dog.

The dog shuddered. “I don't think my barking helped. I was calling my Pack, and it must have annoyed the giantfur. I'm glad to hear it wasn't personal, though,” he murmured wryly. He straightened up and looked at Lucky and the other dogs. “You saved my life. I don't know how to thank you.”

Lucky took a proper look at the gray-furred dog. He was skinny, but his lean legs flexed with muscles. “Are you a member of Twitch's Pack?”

“Yes. I'm Whisper. Do you know our Alpha?”

“He used to be in our Pack,” Snap replied. “This is our Beta, Lucky, and this is Daisy and Storm.”

Whisper gazed at Storm in awe. “Are you
the
Storm? The one who killed Terror?”

Lucky was instantly on edge, remembering Storm's violence that night.

Storm cocked her head. “I was at the fight, and I helped to bring him down. I'm sorry about that. I know he was your Alpha, but he was a mean dog.” She glanced uncertainly at Lucky.

He started to rise to his paws, wondering if he would have to defend her.
What if this dog was more loyal to Terror than Twitch had been?

Lucky was surprised when Whisper threw himself at Storm's forepaws, down on his belly, then rolled onto his back with his legs in the air.

“Our new Alpha told us what you did. You liberated us from Terror! You saved our Pack! We are forever in your debt.”

Storm stared at him in surprise. “I was just trying to help my friends,” she murmured.

Whisper rolled onto his paws but kept his head dipped respectfully. “Then you are as loyal, brave, and humble as Twitch said.”

Storm's narrow tail wagged at this, and she panted cheerfully. Lucky felt happy too.
Maybe she was wrong to kill Terror the way she did, but Storm
is
loyal, and it's about time she received some praise.

He glanced out into the surrounding trees. “Where is the rest of your Pack?”

“I don't know. Everyone scattered when the Growl hit, and no dog has heard my cries for help, so they must not be near.”

“Is your tail okay?” asked Daisy, giving it a sniff. It seemed to have a strange bend near the beginning.

Whisper looked over his shoulder. “I think it may be broken, but it doesn't hurt too much, and the main thing is that I'm alive. I didn't expect to be when I saw the giantfur.”

At that moment Sweet's howl rose over the forest, calling for Twitch. A second later, the dogs heard a bark in reply.

“It sounds like she's found your Pack,” yapped Snap, her tail lashing.

Whisper gave a quick wag of his tail and flinched. “Ouch. I'm very happy, but I need to remember not to do that for a while,” he said with a good-natured tilt of the head.

Lucky barked to Sweet and Twitch, leading the rest of his group through the woods until he saw the swift-dog's slender frame appear between the trees. Moon and her group were already there, greeting each of Twitch's Pack in turn. Lucky made a quick count of the dogs: There was Twitch himself and his black Beta, Splash, Whisper, and five other dogs Lucky didn't know.

The floppy-eared Alpha yipped and wagged his tail, exchanging friendly licks with his old Pack. “Lucky! You're here!” He bounded forward with great agility, despite having only three legs. His Pack approached respectfully, pleased to see Whisper among the Wild Dogs. Lucky greeted Twitch, then hurried to Sweet's side, breathing in her warm scent. Even though they had only been parted for a short time, he found that he had missed her.

“I didn't expect to see you in the woods,” said Twitch. “I hope you plan to stay a while. You are all welcome.” His eyes trailed over the Wild Pack. “But wait . . . where is Spring?” He turned to Lucky and Sweet with an inquisitive look. “Where is my littermate?”

The Sun-Dog's light flickered between branches
as Lucky, Sweet, and Twitch climbed onto the huge, smooth trunk of a fallen tree. There was a faint hum of insects and the rustling sound of wind over broken twigs. The twigs shimmered white with frost. The two Packs were gathered a rabbit-chase away, sharing some kill that Twitch's hunters had buried before the Growl.
That was clever of them,
thought Lucky.
We should learn from that—store
more food and think ahead.

Sweet turned from the Packs to Twitch, who was looking pensive. “It is good of you to share your food.”

Twitch flicked his floppy ears. “Of course. You are always welcome. And Daisy's quick thinking saved Whisper. It's lucky you came along when you did.”

Sweet's voice dropped to a gentle whimper. “I'm sorry we came with bad news about your litter-sister.”

Twitch dipped his head in acknowledgment and fell silent for a while. Yips rose from the two Packs as they finished their meal and played between the trees.

“I didn't know Spring very well,” Lucky admitted. “But she was always a good, loyal dog who put the Pack first. She never shirked her responsibilities and was quick to help and defend the others. She was brave until the end.”

Twitch gave a long whine. “I was sorry that a distance had formed between us since I left your Pack. I don't think she really forgave me. I'm glad that she was happy there.” His whiskers flexed as he looked out across the forest toward the other dogs. “But I had my own Pack to think about. I didn't expect that, but I wasn't going to abandon them. And it wasn't as though I could return to the half wolf's Pack. He took me for a deserter—he would never have let me come back.” Twitch shook his coat, looking about. He turned to Sweet with his head cocked. “What happened to him? Did he die too?”

“He's alive,” she said icily. “He disappeared when we fought the Fierce Dogs. But then we discovered that he's joined Blade's Pack . . . as her
Omega
.”

Twitch stared at the swift-dog in disbelief.

“He thinks he's on the winning side,” she explained. Lucky could tell she was trying to sound matter-of-fact, but he heard the anger in Sweet's voice. “And Blade has all sorts of strange ideas about the end of the world.”

Lucky watched as Twitch frowned, his ears raised slightly. It was odd to see their former Packmate—the Patrol Dog too injured to be taken seriously by the half wolf—talking to Sweet, his former Beta, as an equal.
In the wolf-dog's rigid structure, dogs were too quickly
dismissed
.
That will no longer happen in Sweet's Pack.

Lucky lowered his head respectfully. He felt a sort of wonder that two Pack leaders could meet like this, without a fight. The half dog would never have talked this way. Anger fizzed at the back of Lucky's throat.
That traitor
. . . Their old Alpha had been wrong in dismissing Twitch.
He was wrong about a lot of things.

Sweet filled Twitch in about Blade's prophecies, Fang's brutal death, and the plan to kill Storm. She finished with her realization that they must confront the Fierce Dogs and Whine's decision to leave the Pack.

Twitch cocked his head. “You're going to fight Blade?”

“We know it won't be easy,” Sweet replied. “But we have to put an end to all this.” She watched him evenly. “That's where you come in.”

Lucky watched Twitch, whose eyes were fixed on Sweet. What happened now could change the fortunes of their Pack. Lucky's muscles twitched beneath his coat, and he licked his lips nervously.

Sweet continued, “If our Packs join forces, we would have a real chance of overthrowing the Fierce Dogs. We may not be as strong as them, but together we would outnumber them. We have some great fighters, and we'd have the advantage of surprise.”

Lucky held his breath. If Twitch refused them now, they wouldn't have the numbers to fight Blade. He shuddered.
How long will the Pack keep defending Storm when the Fierce Dogs appear?

“I'm sorry, Sweet,” said Twitch, his voice quiet but resolute. “I want to help you, but I am the Alpha of this Pack. It isn't a position I'd ever anticipated, and it isn't one I chose for myself. But as their Alpha, I won't bring my Pack into danger lightly. They suffered a lot under Terror. Since his death, we've had a peaceful time where the dogs have been able to recover. Some are still nervous, damaged by Terror's brutality. It wouldn't be right to ask them to fight—and it isn't our fight to have.”

Lucky's heart sank. “Couldn't you ask them to choose? Those who want to fight to protect Storm can—the others who aren't up to fighting could stay behind in the forest.”

Twitch gave Lucky a sideways look. “You obviously don't know my Pack very well.”

“What do you mean?”

Twitch hopped off the trunk and made his way between the trees. “Come and see.”

Lucky and Sweet jumped after him, and the three dogs returned to their Packs. While the Wild Pack turned lazily to see their Alpha and Beta, looking untroubled, Twitch's Pack sprang to attention, their bodies lowered and heads dipped submissively. The dogs surrounded Twitch, awaiting instruction.

He lifted his muzzle. “Lie down on your backs and show your bellies!”

To Lucky's amazement, all seven dogs fell to the ground and rolled onto their backs, exposing their bellies. The Wild Pack watched them, exchanging surprised looks.

“Back onto your paws,” Twitch ordered, and his Pack immediately complied. He turned to Sweet. “My dogs aren't used to thinking for themselves.”

Lucky ran his tongue over his nose. A memory of Terror returned to him—the crazy Alpha had abused his Pack, forcing them to cower before him. Those bullied, terrified dogs had hardly dared to breathe without his command. Twitch was right—they weren't used to questioning authority.

Twitch blinked apologetically at Sweet. “If it was just me, I would join you, but I have to think of my Pack now. If I ask them to fight, they
will
fight—to the death. I don't think it's the right thing to do. It isn't fair on them.”