The Empty City (23 page)

Lucky swallowed. He hoped not.

Blade took a menacing pace toward him. “Tell me, Street Mutt. Where are they hiding? They can't have gotten out. Not even with one of their miracle jumps,” she sneered.

Lucky managed a hoarse, brave bark. “I don't know.”

“You don't know? Well, let me see. I could tear you into pieces right here, or you could help me round up your miserable little friends.”

“Yes,” snarled Dagger. “And then we won't hurt you. Not too much, anyway.”

“That's right.” Blade wore a horrible grin. “It'll be better for all of you if you tell us where they're hiding. You know, don't you? You've been hiding from us since we caught your little
Pack
”—she spat the word with derision—“so you know where they are now. Speak, stupid dog, and you'll live. You
and
your inferior friends. Submit as you should, and we won't kill you. I think that's as fair as I can be, isn't it? You can hardly ask for a better deal.”

Mace sniggered at his leader's side.

Lucky stared into Blade's eyes, trying to control the trembling of his limbs. There wasn't a hint of mercy in those dark depths.

This dog was going to kill him no matter what he did. She was going to kill them all, if she got the chance.

At least the others had escaped. Lucky raised his gaze to look beyond Blade and her cohorts, away into the trees beyond the fence.
Thank you, Forest-Dog
, he thought.
You couldn't save us all, but you saved my friends....

A distant clatter of wings.

Lucky blinked.

A crow had flapped up from the tangled branches of the wood, and now circled in the sky, cawing.

A crow, in the dark hours of no-sun? He'd seen the bird before. It was the same crow, the crow that he'd seen in the city, calling to him when he needed a kick of courage. There'd been one in the Fierce Dogs' garden, too.

These sightings were a message, surely, reminding him of where he'd come from and what he was: He was a Lone Dog. A Street Dog, cunning and dirty and wise. It was time to start acting like one.

Lucky followed his instincts. He dived straight between Blade's forepaws. She was shocked motionless just for an instant, staring down; then Lucky rolled, snapping his jaws at her soft underbelly. His teeth closed satisfyingly on skin and flesh, and he tasted blood on his tongue as he heard the Alpha's bark of pain and rage. He squirmed out from beneath her, his teeth still tearing free. Then he was past them all, and racing for the fence.

Surprise had won him a snatch of precious time. There was no ducking and dodging now; just a desperate headlong race for the hole. The big dogs were slow to turn, chaotic in their fury; but now they were after him. He could hear their pounding paws, their wild, enraged howls. But above that, there was his own desperate ragged breathing.

He burst through bushes, his muscles and chest burning. His legs felt as if they wouldn't carry him any farther, but he forced himself on, running till he thought his heart would burst. The hole in the fence was so close now, so close, and the Fierce Dogs were crashing through the bushes behind him.

Don't stop. Don't stop. I don't want to be Fierce Dog dinner....

He could almost feel their hot breath on his haunches as he blundered through the last branches and scrabbled for the hole. It wasn't there—
no
!

Lucky pushed on, sensing the jaws of Blade and her Pack right behind him. How could he have missed it?
Had
he missed it? If he'd missed it he was dead—

There!
The hole was ahead of him, a dark smear on the earth, smelling of Daisy and Alfie and Bella. Lucky dived, scrambled, kicked with his hind legs.

For suffocating seconds the hole was dark and horribly endless. Lucky pulled frantically with his forepaws, squeezing himself through the crushing earth. In a miraculous instant, his head was free, breathing the open air. Then the rest of him was free, too, and his tail was thrashing, scattering earth and dirt. Staggering to a trembling halt, he shook himself violently, then bolted away from the horrible Dog-Garden as fast as his shaking legs would take him.

Behind him, the Fierce Dogs crashed against the fence, flinging themselves in mad rage onto the wire. They couldn't have seen the hole, even when they were right by it. He'd outsmarted them after all. Blade and her cronies were the prisoners now—penned in by that high fence. He heard the crash of their bodies as they ran farther along the wire, searching furiously for his escape route.

“Pesky Street Dog!” Blade was snarling.

Lucky bolted farther up the slope, then halted and stood very still, panting hard and listening for strange, threatening sounds behind the darkness. At this height, the night was still, punctuated only by the song of crickets and the rustle of a faint breeze, and the aggressive hunting sounds of the Fierce Dogs, fainter now.

Where are the others? Have they gone?
Lucky looked around him, sniffed the ground for any trace of Bella, Daisy, or Alfie. There was a faint scent of them, but they weren't close by.

They left me
, thought Lucky. The others had run for it, leaving him to fend for himself. And that was fine. Finally they were thinking like sensible dogs, and running as fast and as far as they could. They'd be okay now.

The bark of delight was almost at his ear, and he jumped.

“Bella?”

His litter-sister charged out of the undergrowth, panting with relief. She put her paws on his shoulders, licking his face enthusiastically. A wave of embarrassed happiness surprised him. They'd been upwind of him; that was the only reason he hadn't smelled them. He must have used up all his Forest-Dog blessings escaping from the Fierce Dogs to have missed them.

“Lucky!” Bella barked. “You made it!”

Suddenly the others were there as well: Alfie, yapping his excitement, and little Daisy capering at his forepaws, trying to dislodge Bella so she could lick his ears, too.

“Daisy! Alfie!” He crouched on his forepaws, wagging his tail frantically as they exchanged happy greetings. “You waited for me!”

“Of course we did!” yipped Daisy, spinning a circle. “How could we leave you, Lucky? You saved us!”

Alfie's stubby tail thrashed the air. “You were wonderful!”

“You risked your life for us!
Again!
” Daisy was beside herself with gratitude.

“Oh, Daisy,” he sighed, nuzzling her. “How could I desert you after you brought me that mole?”

Bella seemed calmer now, almost subdued, though her tail still wagged as she pressed her face to Lucky's. “I'm sorry, Lucky. I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you.”

He blinked at her, sniffing her face, unable to speak.

“You were right. And I should have listened,” she told him softly. “I won't make that mistake again.”

His heart swelled. “It doesn't matter.” He licked her forehead. “Don't worry, Bella. Right now we need to get moving. Listen.”

The four dogs stilled, ears pricked to the night. Not far away they could hear the growls and snarls of the frustrated Fierce Dogs, hunting up and down the fence that stopped them from escaping. They weren't all-powerful—and they weren't Free Dogs, either. For all their acute sense of smell, they hadn't found the hole yet—and even if they did, it would take some digging to get them through it. But Lucky wasn't taking any more chances.

“It's time to go,” he insisted quietly. “Come on.”

This time there was no argument from the others. Alfie sped off into the night, finding the track they'd followed from the camp, and Daisy and Bella followed close at his heels.

Lucky paused to glance back at the fence. He knew the desire for vengeance would be burning in Blade's chest. To be outsmarted would be far more than a humiliation for that proud dog: It would be a challenge.

This wasn't the last they'd hear of her; Lucky was sure of that.

When he woke, Lucky could make
out a pale gray line on the eastern horizon, and their surroundings had taken on colorless but distinct shapes. Thorns and twigs pricked at his hide. The others must have had an uncomfortable night's sleep, too, but Lucky had insisted they lie low in the undergrowth until sunup. If they were tracked down, he didn't want to lead Blade and her Pack to the others back at the camp.

He blinked his eyes clear of the blur of sleep and stretched his stiff and aching muscles, languidly wagging his tail. He padded to the sleeping form of Daisy and nudged her ear.

“Come on, Daisy. Time to move on.”

She jerked awake, still nervous after her adventures, and was soon yipping softly at Alfie and pawing him, desperate to get moving. At least, thought Lucky, they finally understood the importance of caution.

“I don't think those Fierce Dogs have found the hole yet,” said Lucky quietly, “but we shouldn't hang around. They're bound to try again in daylight.”

“Oh yes.” Daisy shivered.

Alfie stretched and scratched before trotting on in an eager fashion. The other three followed him, keeping up a brisk pace. The more distance they put between themselves and the Dog-Garden, thought Lucky, the better it would be. They had to leave Blade and her Pack far, far behind them, and the only way to do that was to keep moving.

And, he realized with a heavy heart, it wouldn't even be safe to stay in the camp. He dreaded breaking that news to the others.

Walking was doing his aching body some good, but Lucky still felt sore and tired, and his dark thoughts weren't helping. Bella kept giving him anxious glances, but he wasn't ready to talk.

They came to the long open slope and were in sight of the camp sooner than he expected, but that only reinforced his certainty that they had to leave. They were far too close to danger here.

Mickey bounded to meet them, his intelligent face creased with worry, and Sunshine was at his hindpaws, already barking with relief.

“You're back! Thank goodness! What happened?”

“I'll tell you about it when we're all together, Sunshine.” Lucky licked her nose and butted her back in the direction of camp. He tried not to notice how Mickey was looking at him, the anxiety etched on his face.

The Leashed Dogs quickly gathered around, gently placing their longpaw things on the earth before them. When they heard what had happened—mostly in breathless snippets from Alfie and Daisy—they were simply glad to have their friends back. No one was disappointed at their failure to bring back food.

“I can't believe you got away from them.” Martha shuddered. “They sound dreadful. And frightening.”

“They were
very
frightening,” declared Daisy emphatically.

“You should have seen Lucky run!” yipped Alfie. “I thought he was done for, but he got the better of them!”

“He was so brave!” Daisy panted, gazing adoringly at Lucky.

“Will they track us back here?” asked Sunshine.

“No,” said Lucky, and took a deep breath. “They
will
track our scents to this camp. But they won't find us here, because we're moving on.”

For a moment all the dogs were stunned into silence, tails and ears drooping.

“No!” wailed Sunshine.
“Already?”

“Come on, Sunshine.” Martha licked her affectionately, almost knocking the little dog sideways. “I know it's perfect here, but we'll find somewhere else that's just as good.”

“Not easily,” said Mickey bleakly. “But I do see what Lucky means.”

“We're leaving.” Bella's tone was brisk. “Unless you want to stay here and wait for Blade and her friends. And let me tell all of you, you do
not
want to wait for Blade.”

“No,” agreed Alfie with a shiver. “I'm sorry, Sunshine.”

Sunshine gave a last mournful whimper, glancing back at the glade with its shade and fresh water. “All right.”

“Let's just get going,” Bella broke in. “Pick up your longpaw things.”