Page 20 of The Endless Lake


  “Of course Storm should stay,” yipped Daisy in a small voice. “But what will we do? Where will we go?” She threw a nervous look over her shoulder. “We can’t stay here, can we?”

  “She’s right,” agreed Bruno with a gruff nod. “We all heard it—the Fierce Dogs swore to destroy us. So we’ll have to run. Again.” He shook his head, looking old and weary.

  Lucky sighed. His heart sank at the thought of moving once more. But what else could they do?

  “We can’t move again,” whimpered Sunshine, sinking onto her belly. “We’ve all been turned out of our homes or had territories destroyed, first by the Big Growl, then the Dark Cloud, and now the Fierce Dogs. All we want is somewhere to make a real camp for the Pack where we can live in peace.”

  “Alpha knows this place,” Mickey murmured sadly. “He’ll tell his new Pack. This is the first place they’ll look for us.”

  “That traitor!” hissed Whine, his eyes bulging. “Acting like our leader all that time. And you were so close to the half wolf,” he sneered at Sweet. “How do we know that we can trust you?”

  Lucky sprang to his paws, furious that anyone could doubt her. “Every dog knows that I always hated Alpha!” he barked. “Even when he seemed to be the popular choice. Even when others defended him.” His eyes lingered on Whine, who cringed away. Lucky raised his muzzle stiffly. “But I never doubted Sweet—our new Alpha—and neither should you.”

  “But they were very close,” reasoned Snap.

  “That doesn’t mean she’d leave us for the Fierce Dogs!” yapped Dart.

  Whine pawed the ground. “How can you be so sure?” he muttered.

  Lucky’s fur rose in alarm at this division in the Pack. Why don’t they trust her like I do?

  “Silence!” barked Sweet. “I’m as shocked by our former Alpha’s treachery as the rest of you, believe me. I understand Whine’s concern. If any dog wants to fight me for leadership I will, of course, accept the challenge.” She didn’t meet Bella’s eye. “But first, there’s something you deserve to know.” She looked at Lucky. “Something that could affect the Pack’s future.”

  Lucky blinked at her, confused.

  She nudged him with her muzzle. “Your dreams.”

  Lucky stiffened. In an instant he was back amid swirls of snow, his limbs frozen to the earth as the barks of fighting dogs filled the air. He pulled himself into the present. The Pack was watching curiously. Sweet’s right. If there really is something to my visions—if they are flashes from the future, or warnings of some kind, my Packmates deserve to know.

  He cleared his throat. “I’ve been having strange dreams . . . about the Storm of Dogs.”

  The Pack broke into fearful yaps.

  “Wasn’t that the horrible battle between the Spirit Dogs? Back at the Dawn of Time?” barked Dart.

  Moon shook her head fiercely. “No, no, it’s a real fight here on earth. It’s foretold to take place at the end of all things, when the sky turns white and the rivers flow red with blood. That’s what my Mother-Dog used to tell me!”

  Lucky gasped and his jaw fell limp. Moon’s description was chillingly similar to his visions. What if her Mother-Dog was right? The Big Growl was the warning, and the Storm of Dogs takes place at the end of all things.

  The Leashed Dogs looked to one another, confused. It seemed that only the original Wild Pack had heard of the Storm of Dogs, though no one could agree what it was.

  “I’m sure it involves the Spirit Dogs,” barked Snap.

  Storm cocked her head. “Funny . . . It’s sort of got my name.”

  Lucky watched her briefly. Her whole body was trembling. The young dog had been already suffered so much; he didn’t want to upset her even more. “I think you came to that name for a reason,” he said carefully. “That something made you choose Storm.”

  The young dog didn’t answer and the rest of the Pack became quiet.

  Lucky shook his head slowly. “I see visions of Packs clashing, as though every dog in the world has come together for a terrible fight. I don’t know what it means, when it might happen, if it will happen. But I have realized something.” He licked his lips, hesitating. Saying it out loud would make it real somehow. But he couldn’t deny it any longer. “The Fierce Dogs will never leave us alone as long as things aren’t settled between the Packs. Eventually we will have to stop running. We will need to make a stand, to fight the Fierce Dogs and win.” Only we may not win, he added silently. We may not survive the Storm of Dogs.

  “We’ve just had a battle with the Fierce Dogs, or at least Storm has,” Daisy pointed out. “How do you know that wasn’t the Storm of Dogs? She outwitted Blade. Maybe it’s all over now?” Her eyes were wide with hope.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured, “I know that wasn’t the one. I feel it. And the images from my dreams . . . It is even colder, and the land is white. The frost clings to fur and cracks paw.” His voice trailed off. Against the deepening red of the Sun-Dog’s last light, a powdery wisp drifted in front of his nose. It fell slower than rain. When it reached the grass, it settled as a tiny heap of white.

  The first snow.

  A stab of terror ran through Lucky’s heart and he stumbled. The Storm of Dogs is coming. . . . It’s nearly here.

  He felt a warm touch on his neck and turned to see Sweet. Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at him, and his heart surged with hope. At least I will have Sweet by my side. Her scent lingered on his fur, giving him the courage to go on.

  “Sweet’s right. If the Storm of Dogs is real, if it’s coming, it is better that we’re all prepared,” he told them. “Every last one of us has fought against hardships and learned to cope in an altered world. Soon we may have to fight once more, to battle for our very existence, perhaps for the last time. No dog here will stand alone. We are the Wild Pack; we are survivors! If the Storm of Dogs is coming, we will meet it together.”

  BACK ADS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ERIN HUNTER is inspired by a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior. She is also the author of the bestselling Warriors and Seekers series. Visit her online at www.survivorsdogs.com.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors and artists.

  Books by Erin Hunter

  Book One: The Empty City

  Book Two: A Hidden Enemy

  Book Three: Darkness Falls

  Book Four: The Broken Path

  NOVELLAS

  Alpha’s Tale

  Book One: Into the Wild

  Book Two: Fire and Ice

  Book Three: Forest of Secrets

  Book Four: Rising Storm

  Book Five: A Dangerous Path

  Book Six: The Darkest Hour

  THE NEW PROPHECY

  Book One: Midnight

  Book Two: Moonrise

  Book Three: Dawn

  Book Four: Starlight

  Book Five: Twilight

  Book Six: Sunset

  POWER OF THREE

  Book One: The Sight

  Book Two: Dark River

  Book Three: Outcast

  Book Four: Eclipse

  Book Five: Long Shadows

  Book Six: Sunrise

  OMEN OF THE STARS

  Book One: The Fourth Apprentice

  Book Two: Fading Echoes

  Book Three: Night Whispers

  Book Four: Sign of the Moon

  Book Five: The Forgotten Warrior

  Book Six: The Last Hope

  DAWN OF THE CLANS

  Book One: The Sun Trail

  Book Two: Thunder Rising

  Book Three: The First Battle

  Warriors Super Edition: Firestar’s Quest

  Warriors Super Edition: Bluestar’s Prophecy

  Warriors Super Edition: SkyClan’s Destiny

  Warriors Super Edition: Crookedstar’s Promise
br />   Warriors Super Edition: Yellowfang’s Secret

  Warriors Super Edition: Tallstar’s Revenge

  Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans

  Warriors: Cats of the Clans

  Warriors: Code of the Clans

  Warriors: Battles of the Clans

  Warriors: Enter the Clans

  Warriors: The Ultimate Guide

  Warriors: The Untold Stories

  MANGA

  The Lost Warrior

  Warrior’s Refuge

  Warrior’s Return

  The Rise of Scourge

  Tigerstar and Sasha #1: Into the Woods

  Tigerstar and Sasha #2: Escape from the Forest

  Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans

  Ravenpaw’s Path #1: Shattered Peace

  Ravenpaw’s Path #2: A Clan in Need

  Ravenpaw’s Path #3: The Heart of a Warrior

  SkyClan and the Stranger #1: The Rescue

  SkyClan and the Stranger #2: Beyond the Code

  SkyClan and the Stranger #3: After the Flood

  NOVELLAS

  Hollyleaf’s Story

  Mistystar’s Omen

  Cloudstar’s Journey

  Tigerclaw’s Fury

  Leafpool’s Wish

  Book One: The Quest Begins

  Book Two: Great Bear Lake

  Book Three: Smoke Mountain

  Book Four: The Last Wilderness

  Book Five: Fire in the Sky

  Book Six: Spirits in the Stars

  RETURN TO THE WILD

  Book One: Island of Shadows

  Book Two: The Melting Sea

  Book Three: River of Lost Bears

  Book Four: Forest of Wolves

  MANGA

  Toklo’s Story

  Kallik’s Adventure

  CREDITS

  Cover art © 2014 by Julia Green

  Art direction and cover design by Cara Petrus

  Cover design by Megan Stitt

  COPYRIGHT

  SURVIVORS #5: THE ENDLESS LAKE

  Copyright © 2014 by Working Partners Limited

  Series created by Working Partners Limited

  Endpaper art © 2014 by Frank Riccio

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  www.harpercollinschildrens.com

  * * *

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Hunter, Erin.

  The Endless Lake / Erin Hunter.—First edition.

  pages cm.—(Survivors; #5)

  Summary: “Lucky and his Pack must learn to survive in their new home, at the edge of a strange lake that seems to go on forever”— Provided by publisher.

  ISBN 978-0-06-210272-0 (hardback) — ISBN 978-0-06-210273-7 (library)

  [1. Dogs—Fiction. 2. Wild dogs—Fiction. 3. Survival—Fiction. 4. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 5. Fantasy.] I. Title.

  PZ7.H916625En 2014

  2013047944

  [Fic]—dc23

  CIP

  AC

  * * *

  EPub Edition © APRIL 2014 ISBN: 9780062102751

  14 15 16 17 18 CG/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  FIRST EDITION

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  Erin Hunter, The Endless Lake

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