The Good Dog (12 page)

Aspen nudged her friend's shoulder. “The boy can wait. We need to get to Lupin.”

“I hate you, McKinley!” Jack shouted tearfully. “I'm sorry I saved you. Don't ever come back! Do you hear me? Don't ever come back!”

McKinley, hearing
Don't come back
and
I hate you,
felt a stab of pain. But he pushed on, no longer looking to see if the boy was following or not.

T
he snowdrifts made running impossible. McKinley, with Aspen just behind, had to leap to move forward. The falling snow made it hard to see, too. Only when they reached the main ways, where early morning snowplows had already passed, was it possible to move quickly.

As they hurried along, McKinley turned to Aspen. “How did you get the pup to come for me?”

“McKinley, do you have any idea how you worry me?” she panted.

“Worry? You? Why?”

“You're always trying to take care of everything.
The dogs in town. In Strawberry Park. Your humans. Duchess. Now Lupin. You make me edgy. Last night when I heard you go out, I followed.”

McKinley glanced at his friend with real surprise. “I had no idea.”

Aspen wagged her tail and gave a yip of amusement. “I saw you go to Redburn's house first. Then Duchess's. I watched everything that happened. I thought of jumping in, but it all happened so fast, I couldn't. Then I had to wait until Pycraft went back into his house. When he did, I tried to get the entryway open. But he had fixed it so I couldn't. That's when I barked to you. Even though you answered there was nothing I could do. I went to get Jack.”

“How'd you do that?”

“For someone who takes care of so many things, you don't always notice what's around you. Do you know how often I've seen you open your house door? Enough to know how to do it. But I didn't think it would be too smart if I went in during the night. Might scare them.

“So as soon as there was a little daylight I crept
inside. Your male and female were still asleep, but it was easy enough to sniff out Jack's room. He was awake. And angry, McKinley. I think he was surprised it was me—not you. Don't you ever wish people were smarter? I do. It took a while, but he finally got the idea I needed him to follow me. Hey, why did you chew up his backpack?”

“He was going to run off with Lupin this morning. The man and woman had no idea. I couldn't figure any other way to stop the pup. I hated to leave him just now. He was really unhappy.”

“You did the right thing,” Aspen barked. “No saying what's going to happen. You got a plan?”

“I better check Redburn's house first. Maybe his human saw the snow and decided not to go.”

“They'll go. From what I'm hearing, the humans are terribly upset about Lupin. You go ahead. I'll run back home. There's some food I can get for her. Meet you at the little house.”

McKinley barked, “Great!”

“Fast as I can.”

“Aspen!”

She paused and looked around.

“You're the best friend a dog ever had.”

She wagged her tail, then raced away.

•  •  •

A few lights were on in Redburn's house. Though McKinley lifted his head and barked loudly, there was no response.

But even while he looked the lights in the house went off and the front door opened. The female Sullivan emerged and stepped into the snow. She moved toward the garage, her hand outstretched. The door began to move up. As she waited for it she saw McKinley. “McKinley!” she shouted crossly. “Get away from here!”

As soon as the garage door opened, McKinley saw that there was only one car inside. Wheeling about, he galloped down the way toward Strawberry Park.

As he ran he pondered: If the hunting party had already begun searching—and he was now sure it had—the best thing would be to keep Lupin in the cabin by the creek. With luck, Redburn would
lead the hunters to the boulders where the wolf had been last seen. That would make sense. But Lupin couldn't be tracked from there. They would have to give up.

But what if somehow Redburn
did
track her to the little house? McKinley was sure the people would not go inside. Humans didn't like to share their houses with other humans, something McKinley had never understood. So everything depended upon keeping Lupin inside the cabin.

When he reached Fox Haven Way, he was happy to see it had not been plowed. And snow was still coming down. But there were new car tracks. It looked as if the people had just recently pushed through.

McKinley nosed the ruts. He could distinguish four vehicles. They had come one after the other, as if traveling in a pack. One, he was pretty sure, was Sullivan's. It was an easy track to follow.

Halfway up the way, McKinley stopped to sniff again. As he did, he heard the sound of a car behind him. He turned and stared back along the way.

A car was moving slowly toward him. Some
other hunter? As it drew closer, however, McKinley saw that on the top of car were some snow-sliding sticks.

He barked with dismay. The snow! Sliding time had arrived. Lots of humans would be coming. This car must carry the ones who used the little house. But when they opened their door, they would discover Lupin.

McKinley felt a brief moment of panic. Then—without dunking of the danger—he raced down the middle of the way toward the car, barking furiously.

He could see the man at the wheel peering out at him. But the car did not stop.

McKinley, continuing to bark, held his ground.

The man tried to swing around him. The car skidded. As the man wrenched his wheel, the rear of the car shifted sideways, finally dropping into the ditch at the edge of the way.

McKinley kept barking.

The car spun its back wheels—and sank even deeper into the ditch.

The man opened the door. “You dumb dog!” he
yelled at McKinley. “Why don't you get off the way! You think you own it?”

Two other car doors opened. Two pups emerged.

“Are we stuck, Dad?” one of them asked.

“Darned right we're stuck” the man said angrily. “Stupid dog. Has no brains. You guys get behind the car and push. I'll see if I can get us moving. Otherwise we'll have to walk to the cabin.”

McKinley did not wait a moment more. With a bound he raced up the way.

When he reached the little house he found two cars and two trucks sitting in front of it. No people were around. Instead, footprints led directly into the field. McKinley lowered his head and sniffed. Redburn was with them.

Then McKinley checked to see if anyone had approached the cabin door. No prints. So far, so good.

He dashed around to the back of the house. On the snowy wood surface he crouched, then sprang at the still-open window, clearing it cleanly and landing inside.

The wolf was nowhere in sight.

“Lupin!” he barked. “Are you here?”

A low growl came from the far room.

McKinley ran to it. Lupin was stretched out on the sleeping place, her head resting on a soft lump. When McKinley came in, she looked up and around.

“Are you all right?” McKinley barked.

“Pretty well. A little stiff. There's been a lot of commotion around here. I smelled people. A dog. I tried to get out, but both door things were closed. Then things quieted down. What's happening?”

“Lots,” McKinley growled. “Lupin, you can't stay anymore. The humans who live here are right down the way. They'll be arriving soon. And what you heard and smelled before was a hunting party. They're searching for you up in the hills.”

Moving stiffly, Lupin crawled off the sleeping place.

“Follow me,” McKinley barked. “See this here?
Soon as I open it, go. Stick close to me. How fast can you move?”

“Where are we heading?”

“Ready or not, you're going to have to start back to the wilderness. We'll take the stream again.”

“Where's Aspen?” Lupin whined. “Where's Duchess?”

“Aspen's on her way. I freed Duchess, but I have no idea where she is. Hiding, I hope. Lupin, we really have to go.”

Lupin refused to move. “I only spoke to a few Steamboat dogs.”

“Lupin,” McKinley barked, “you spoke to me. I'm head dog here. I promise! I'll give the rest of them your message.”

Lupin looked at him. “A real promise?”

“Can't you trust me by now?” McKinley snapped.

Lupin gazed at him with her bright eyes. “I have no choice, do I?”

“No, you don't. And if you want to stay alive, you better hurry.”

McKinley turned to the rear door. He had hardly got the knob in his mouth when the front door burst open. There stood the three humans who had been in the car.

T
he people gawked at McKinley and Lupin.

“Dad!” one of the pups cried out. “It's wolves!”

“Lupin! Follow me!” McKinley barked as he dove for the front door between the people's legs and the snow-sliding sticks they carried. He got by easily and headed straight for the creek. But when, in the next moment, he realized that Lupin had not followed him, he wheeled about.

Too frightened to move forward, a snarling Lupin was still inside the house.

The humans backed away from the door.

“Lupin!” McKinley yelped. “Get out of there! Hurry!”

Growling nervously, the wolf plunged out the door, but in her confusion she turned in the opposite direction, away from McKinley.

He rushed back, leaped at the wolf, and nipped her neck. Feeling attacked, Lupin twisted around, growling angrily.

“Lupin,” McKinley snapped. “This way!” Once more he headed for the creek.

The people held out their snow-sliding sticks to defend themselves.

Tail bristling, Lupin bared her teeth and began to snap at them.

“Ignore them!” McKinley yelped, trying to distract the humans.

The pups turned on him, swinging their snow sliders wildly. Though aware that the man was closing in on Lupin, McKinley, fearful for himself, fell back.

Suddenly, a brown blur arched through the falling snow. It was Aspen, with a package in her mouth. She leaped at the man, pushing him away.

“Lupin! Come on!” McKinley barked.

The wolf, limping badly, lumbered toward McKinley.

With a growl of success, Aspen joined them and the three splashed down into the creek. There were a few more shouts from the humans, but the sound quickly faded.

“We really have to hurry,” McKinley barked, pausing only to look around and make sure that Aspen and Lupin were still behind him.

Head bowed, panting, Lupin struggled to keep up. Aspen, the package still in her mouth, stayed close to her.

After leading them upstream some distance, McKinley halted. The snow was coming down harder, making it difficult to see or to gather in smells.

He knew that if they followed the creek they would get back into the woods and hills. That was where Lupin needed to go. But that was the way the hunters had headed. If he led her the opposite direction, across Strawberry Park, they would be
free of the hunters, except going south—into town. What's more, crossing the open valley meant passing any number of human dwellings. No telling what dangers they might run into.

While McKinley thought about what to do, Aspen presented Lupin with her package. The wolf sniffed at it, took it into her mouth, and tried to bite through the wrapping. With a growl she spat it out into the water. “What is that?”

“It's meat.” Aspen pounced before it was washed downstream. “But it's in a package.”

“What's a package?” Lupin growled.

Aspen, her tail wagging, took up the meat by one end and swung it around so McKinley could grab the other end. Together they pulled. A slab of bacon fell into the stream.

Lupin sniffed at it briefly, then bolted it down hungrily.

McKinley faced her. “Are you well enough to travel back home now?”

The wolf turned to inspect the wound on her shoulder. A scab had formed. But blood had begun
to ooze out from under it. Even so, she growled, “I can move.”

“Lupin,” Aspen said, sighing, “there are people up there hunting for you. They probably have guns.”

“Your humans,” the wolf snarled. “They're so full of hatred. How can you bear to stay with them?”

A frustrated McKinley looked into her eyes. “Lupin, if you're going to stay alive, we've got to move fast.”

Lupin stared up toward the hills. The falling snow framed her broad face. Her breath puffed white. Her bright eyes grew sad. She turned to McKinley. “You said you'd bring my message to the Steamboat dogs: That my pack needs dogs if we're to survive. Will you tell them that?”

“I promised, didn't I?”

“Very well, then. I'll go home.”

Aspen leaned forward and licked the wolf's nose.

McKinley barked. “I think we'd better start. Once we get you by the hunting party, you'll be safe from humans. But that might not be . . .” He didn't finish. Instead, he turned to Aspen.

She looked into his eyes. “I understand.”

McKinley turned back to the wolf. “Lupin, if people appear, we'll shield you. But whatever you do, don't attack. It'll only make things worse. And if we become separated, stay high on the hill and keep working your way north.”

The wolf avoided McKinley's gaze. “How many humans do you think there are?”

“Not sure. And there's a dog with them.”

“What dog?” Lupin growled, her lip curling.

“The same as before: Redburn.”

Lupin lifted her head and shaped her mouth into a circle.

“Don't!” McKinley snapped.

Lupin lowered her head.

The snow was falling harder than ever now. It frosted their backs. It masked their faces. Their breath made foggy plumes.

“Ready?” McKinley growled softly.

No one replied.