Lucky held his breath, while Sweet casually swished her tail. Three more dogs had come forward to greet her, and to sniff suspiciously at him. One was the huge black dog he remembered from the fight, almost as big as Martha but without her gentle face. The others were a tan-and-white smaller dog and a long-eared, shaggy-furred black dog with soulful eyes but a nasty expression.
“Who is this?” growled the big dog, snuffing the air. “Don’t tell me it’s another of those pathetic Leashed Dogs.”
Lucky bristled at the insult but he stayed quiet. The Forest-Dog would think him stupid, and unworthy of protection, if he lost his temper in this situation. But he wasn’t going to cringe. If he showed too much submission, a dog as arrogant and powerful as this might simply kill him for fun.
Sweet was not intimidated, even though the black dog was nearly twice her size. She gave him an imperious twist of her muzzle. “He’s with me, Fiery. Do you have a problem with that? If so, we can take it up with Alpha.”
The huge dog glowered, but he clearly did not want to take his argument to Alpha. Before he could say anything, the nearby undergrowth rustled.
Lucky flinched aside as a female black-and-white Farm Dog—not unlike Mickey—poked her nose out of the scrub. “What’s the commotion? My pups are trying to sleep.”
“I’m sorry, Moon.” The old softness was back in Sweet’s voice as she lowered her nose to the Mother-Dog’s. “Go back to your pups. We’ll try to be quiet.”
“I’m sorry, too, Moon.” It shocked Lucky to hear the massive Fiery apologize so meekly. Clearly the Mother-Dog commanded a lot of respect around here.
“Well, since I’m here . . .” Moon stretched out her forepaws, and Lucky caught the scent of warm milk and squirming pups. “I’m very hungry; the pups are growing fast. Someone get me some food, please.”
Instantly Sweet turned and barked toward a little dog skulking at the edge of the clearing. “Omega! Bring food for Moon at once!”
Nervously the small dog trotted out of the shadows; he was a stocky, oddly shaped creature with tiny ears and a wrinkled face. His beady black eyes were suspicious as he paused to stare at Lucky. Something about his sly expression gave Lucky a ripple of unease in his bones.
“I said, at once,” Sweet reminded the little dog darkly, and he shot off across the clearing.
Sweet didn’t bother to introduce Lucky to any of the other dogs, but beckoned him forward with a haughty motion of her head. “Come. I shall present you to Alpha.”
She paced forward, confident but respectful. Lucky followed with rather more reluctance, still taking in his new surroundings. The Pack was larger than Bella’s, at least eight dogs strong not counting Moon and her pups. This unnerved him. Not only that—the dogs seemed very comfortably placed in this sheltered camp—the clean lake was close by and, from the scents drifting out of the trees, he could tell these woods were teeming with prey.
Even at full strength Bella’s Pack would be no match for this one, so well fed, well disciplined, and strong. If the Alpha couldn’t be persuaded to share, Lucky would have to convince Bella that the Leashed Dogs must move on.
“Wait here.” Sweet’s newly commanding voice broke into his thoughts. “Don’t come forward until Alpha summons you.”
Lucky stared at the dog-wolf, sprawled on his rock, nothing twitching but the very tip of his tail. Perhaps he was dreaming, or perhaps he was not quite so fast asleep as he wanted to appear. Sure enough, as Sweet approached him, one cold, yellow eye blinked open.
Lucky could hear nothing the two dogs said to each other, but Sweet did not seem meek in her leader’s presence. She showed respect, but she did not act submissive. She spoke quietly, and Alpha cocked his gray ears to listen closely. At last he turned his head and stared piercingly at Lucky.
Sweet turned too. “Come here, Lucky.”
Under the dog-wolf’s chilly gaze, Lucky felt anger swirl in his belly as he walked slowly forward. This was the monstrous brute who had killed Alfie, and Lucky wanted to snarl at him, insult him, even to lunge and bite and let him know how it felt. But that would be suicide. He remembered Alfie’s life force seeping away, the little body going still and cold as the Earth-Dog claimed him.
I am here to help the rest of Alfie’s Pack, to save them from the same fate. I must not forget it.
Close up, Alpha looked even bigger and wilder, and his yellow eyes were extraordinarily frightening. His huge paws, with their vicious nails, were webbed like Martha’s, but his savage face was nothing like hers. This, thought Lucky, was a true Wild Pack leader.
“So,” the dog-wolf growled. “You want to join my Pack.”
There was scorn in his voice, but Lucky kept his gaze level and brave.
“Yes,” he said. “I’d be a valuable Pack member. Sweet can vouch for me.”
“Yes. Beta already has.”
That title again. And the way everyone deferred to Sweet: Did it mean she was this huge dog-wolf’s second in command?
Alpha sounded bored. “I have no need of another dog in my Pack.”
Lucky sensed that pleading would not have any effect on this creature. He would not respect weakness or submissiveness, yet there was no sense challenging him on his own terms.
He lowered his tail, tilting his head mischievously. “You don’t need any more ordinary dogs, but what about one as strong and fast as me? I catch a good rabbit.”
Alpha yawned widely, showing every one of his teeth. “So does Mulch. And Beta can bring down a deer. But then you know that, don’t you, City Dog? Since you know her so well.”
There was a distinct menace in the dog-wolf’s eyes now. Lucky swallowed, then let his tongue loll. “Seems to me you have a lot of brute force in this Pack. But I am clever. That’s what comes of city life. And I can survive in the wild, too. The Forest-Dog favors me.”
“Is that right?” Alpha rose up on his forepaws, stretching, muscles rippling with malevolence.
Lucky ignored the dog-wolf’s tone. “I can be very useful. I can bring a fresh . . . attitude. I see things differently. That can be helpful in a Pack.”
“Do not tell me what’s good for my Pack,” snapped Alpha, and Lucky took a backward step. He had to tread carefully.
“I would not dream of it,” he said, more meekly. “I was just . . . explaining my experience. The ways I think I can help. You have such a fine Pack here, I want to be part of it.”
Alpha seemed slightly mollified, but the long-eared black dog gave a shrill bark of objection.
“Throw him out, Alpha! He smells wrong. He stinks of longpaws and stone and metal. Chase him away!”
Alpha turned his cold eyes on the black dog. “Mulch,” he growled. “Are you telling me what to do?”
The massive dog called Fiery whacked a paw across Mulch’s head.
Mulch yelped and ducked, backing off. “Of course not, Alpha. I was just—”
“Then keep your jaws shut. Or I will have Fiery give you a proper beating.”
Lucky glanced around at the other dogs who had gathered. It was not only Mulch who cowered, subdued and scared. All of them looked terrified of Alpha, their eyes wary and nervous.
Except for the brutish Fiery. And Sweet.
Because Mulch had not tried to run away, Lucky assumed this was not unusual behavior from Alpha. Despite how harsh and cruel the dog-wolf seemed, none of his followers seemed desperate to leave. Lucky’s old dislike of Packs swelled in him again. The little band of Leashed Dogs traveled together because they wanted to—because they knew one another, liked one another.
What was binding this Pack together?
Lucky’s thoughts shattered like rain on stone when he saw Sweet leap gracefully up onto Alpha’s rock to stand beside the dog-wolf. He did not smack her down or scold her, and she stood with her flanks close to his, proud and strong. If anything, Alpha seemed to stand taller in her presence.
Lucky’s gut twisted with dismay and jealousy. Was Sweet the dog-wolf’s mate?
&nb
sp; His horror melted into gratitude, though, as she began to speak.
“I knew Lucky in the city,” she declared. “He was my only Pack when I escaped from the Trap House, and I would be dead if it was not for him. Several times over.” She paused to look at each of the Pack in turn, and let her words sink in. “He is loyal, brave, strong, and smart. He would be a fine member of this Pack. In fact I asked him to join us before. He said no.” She turned her head to watch Lucky, expressionless. “If he has changed his mind, that is a piece of good fortune for us. You should welcome such a dog, not”—she gave Mulch a contemptuous twist of her muzzle—“chase him away.”
Alpha gave a curt nod. “He may be all those things, Beta, but this Pack is at full strength. We don’t need another dog.”
“Moon will be nursing her pups for at least another full journey of the Moon-Dog. We are one good fighter short. Lucky could take Moon’s place on patrols, and Spring could go back to hunting. Then you can judge for yourself what kind of Pack member Lucky’ll make.”
Slowly Alpha nodded again. “You talk sense as usual, Beta.” She dipped her head in acknowledgment as Alpha went on. “And if you vouch for this City Dog, then he can stay for now.” The cold eyes swiveled to Lucky, and Alpha’s lip peeled back from his teeth. “But he must prove himself of use. If he does not succeed, we can still throw him out—with a beating for his impudence. What does the Pack say?”
Lucky watched the Wild Pack as they reacted to Alpha’s decision. Despite their earlier fierceness, Dart and Twitch looked at each other and their tails quivered in agreement.
“We can use another Patrol Dog,” Twitch said.
Spring muttered something Lucky didn’t hear, shaking her head a little.
“I say welcome,” said the small tan-and-white female beside Fiery.
“Well said, Snap,” said Twitch.
Fiery stayed silent, though his face showed he wasn’t at all convinced. Mulch was looking away, as if he couldn’t trust himself not to earn another whack from the big dog.
Lucky let out a breath for what felt like the first time since he had arrived in the clearing, lowering his head humbly. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“You’ll join the Pack in the place everyone does: at the bottom, superior only to Omega. Your immediate commander is Twitch.” The dog-wolf jerked his head at the limping black-and-tan dog. A smug look crossed Twitch’s face.
“As you say, Alpha.” Lucky faked gratitude by lowering his head even more. He had anticipated that he would join the Pack with low status, but to be placed at the very bottom—above only the Omega—was nevertheless a surprise.
He couldn’t help glancing at Sweet. He couldn’t think of her as Beta. He’d picked up plenty of information about the way Packs worked over the years, from Wild Dogs who came into the city, but it seemed there was still a lot he didn’t understand. It was strange to realize that. He’d gotten so used to being the one in the Leashed Pack who knew about the wild . . . but he was still a City Dog who’d never had to think about rank or status before.
Still, his status was something he could work on. He was smarter than Twitch—and Mulch too, he suspected—and he was sure he could swiftly rise to something better in the hierarchy.
Something closer to Sweet’s rank . . .
“While you’re all gathered . . .” Alpha’s bark became brusque and practical. “Make sure you keep your eyes open for that pathetic gang of Leashed Dogs. I don’t want them regrouping and trying another attack. If you see them, chase them off. If they won’t be chased, kill them. Understood?”
“Yes, Alpha,” came the chorus of yelps and barks.
“You. Lucky. Did you see a band of Leashed Dogs on your way here?”
Lucky felt every pair of eyes fall on him, and his heart tripped and raced. Would it be wiser to admit he had run into the Leashed Dogs—even that he knew them from the city? None of that was a lie. And despite her newfound confidence and status, he felt he could still trust Sweet.
But she is Alpha’s mate now. . . .
“I’m not sure.” Lucky hoped his lie did not sound as obvious to their ears as it did to his. “At least, I think I saw them—a ridiculous bunch of useless pets?—but I have no idea where they were heading.”
“Then let’s find out if they’re anywhere near,” Alpha growled. “They tried to steal from our water supply. That won’t happen again. Lucky, you go with Twitch and Dart and let them show you how we do things in this Pack. Go.”
With that, the dog-wolf slumped back down onto the rock, his eyes narrowing to slits as he watched them leave. Lucky glanced back over his shoulder and noticed that the yellow eyes were still fixed on him. A tingle of apprehension went through his skin, lifting the roots of his fur.
If Alpha ever found out that he had run with the Leashed Dogs, what would happen then? How would he explain his lie? You’ll need all the guile of the Forest-Dog for that one, Lucky, he told himself. And even that might not save you. . . .
Then he was troubled by a second, even more horrible thought. Sweet had vouched for him, had guaranteed his worth in front of the whole Pack—a Pack in which she had real status. What would Alpha do to her if he discovered Lucky had lied, and that she had fallen for it? If Alpha thought, perhaps, that Sweet had deliberately deceived him?
That she was conspiring with a dog from her old life in the city?
Lucky did not like to think about what punishments Alpha would inflict on dogs who betrayed him. He was prepared to take risks—he had done so his whole life in the city.
But he did not want to guide anyone else into danger.
CHAPTER TEN
“Keep up, Lucky,” Twitch barked, as he limped hurriedly along.
Lucky felt a flash of irritation. When he had hung back to sniff right inside that hollow log, he was only being thorough—a lot more thorough than Twitch and Dart were being—and he didn’t think Twitch needed to be quite so bossy. If Pack status could be changed, as he suspected, he might one day be in charge of Twitch. So it wasn’t very clever of Twitch to throw his weight around now.
“Don’t worry about me keeping up,” said Lucky. “But do stop if you feel tired.” He stopped himself from saying, If your bad leg gives up on you.
Twitch growled. “Careful what you say. Respect is very important in this Pack.”
If that were true, Lucky thought, you’d show more of it.
An early mist had lifted from the lake’s shoreline, revealing its brilliant glitter. Pine trees were outlined in silhouette on the distant shore; there was certainly plenty of forest, and that meant plenty of prey. Once again Lucky thought how unfair it was that this Wild Pack would not share food even when they had more than they could eat. If they would, he wouldn’t be in this position of having to deceive other dogs.
As they ventured into a dense copse of pines, Lucky took care to notice not just possible dangers or likely prey, but any cover that Bella and her Pack might use, to stay unseen. He wondered if his two companions thought there was something odd about the way their new recruit was sniffing the surroundings, but they said nothing more. Neither Twitch nor the brown-and-white female Dart were as alert as they should have been.
That’s just my good luck.
So far, Lucky hadn’t seen anything that suggested Bella would have an easy time getting what she wanted from this Pack, but then this was only his first patrol. There was plenty of time for him to snoop around some more, although he hoped he would finish this mission quickly. He did not want to be a spy dog for long.
In his head Lucky dismissed the rocky outcrop as too obvious a hiding place, but he sniffed it over carefully for possible dangers to the Wild Pack. Lucky cast an eye back to Twitch and Dart, swallowing down an arrogant rumble.
Twitch really should be noticing how nosy I am, but he seems completely clueless. Even though they’re sloppy, I shouldn’t take too many chances.
“That’s good, Lucky. Well done,” Twitch yapped.
Lucky was dragged out
of his thoughts, his ears pricking up. Twitch and Dart were both watching him with a sort of superior approval. Though his fur bristled at their smugness, he found himself relieved at the same time. Twitch’s hostility was obviously melting away and, though Lucky wasn’t sure why this was so, he had to admit it would make his task a lot easier.
The trees opened up and suddenly there was the lake again, shining brilliant silver in the light of the Sun-Dog. Lucky gazed, mesmerized by its glitter.
“The poison hasn’t spread here,” he observed.
“The river-poison?” Dart yapped. “No. Anyway, it would take a lot to make this amount of water undrinkable.” There was arrogant pride in her voice, and Lucky cocked his head.
“No wonder the Leashed Dogs were desperate,” he murmured.
“True.” Dart laughed. “Still, that isn’t our problem. You shouldn’t feel sorry for them.”
“They should have stayed at home doing tricks for their longpaws,” agreed Twitch contemptuously. “You may be a City Dog, Lucky, but at least you know about true dog-life, life in the wild, living by your wits and surviving. Those dogs do not deserve to survive.”
Lucky could find no answer to that, so he dipped his muzzle to the cool, clear water and, playing for time, took a long drink. He had never truly appreciated clean water before. In this new and dangerous world, on a bright, hot sunup, there was something blissfully refreshing about a simple drink. Dart and Twitch were still bantering with each other, poking fun at Bella’s Pack, but he took no notice. He did not need to hear their opinions about his friends.
“Anyway, they’ll have moved on, if they know what’s good for them.” Dart padded along the lakeshore, sniffing, then glanced back and barked in horror. “Lucky! We do not indulge ourselves on patrol!”