The black-and-white dog gazed at him without understanding. "So we were wrong. We'll say sorry; we'll explain." He c.o.c.ked his head. "We've been over this. Why do you look so worried?" He glanced at the pups. "You can't abandon us, Lucky. Not now."

Lucky met his friend's eye though his tail hung low. "You chose to leave. It was different for me. I was driven out by Alpha." He lowered his voice so the waiting pups couldn't hear. "He said I was a traitor and that the Pack would be better off without me."

Mickey frowned. "What nonsense. Of course it isn't! You're the bravest, cleverest dog I know." He licked Lucky's muzzle. "Alpha's just intimidated by you, scared of any challenge to his leadership. He's not half the dog you are! Some dogs would have left the pups in the Dog-Garden, but you didn't. Being with you gives me courage. You'll just have to reason with Alpha. You'll manage it, too-you could charm the rabbits out of their burrows!"

"I'll try my best," Lucky murmured, touched but not convinced.

A few dog-lengths away, the bored pups had started play-fighting. Grunt pounced on Wiggle and they rolled in the dirt, growling. Lick snapped her chops around the stems of some wild flowers, chewing, then spitting them out, her face scrunched up.

"Urgh! They're horrible!"

Wiggle scrambled free of Grunt. "When will we have real food?" he whined, smacking his lips. "I'm hungry!"

"Me too," Grunt echoed.

"We'll find some food soon," said Lucky vaguely.

"How about them?" yapped Grunt, bounding toward the lake. He stood at the bank, barking at the waterbirds. Out on the water, the birds turned wary heads toward the pup but soon resumed their indifferent clacks.

Lucky eyed the birds, but he knew it would be impossible to catch them. "We'll get another vole, or maybe even a rabbit. We just need to be patient and see what the Forest-Dog offers us." Not that he'd seen any rabbits all day-but there had to be something here. He started sniffing his way around the edge of the camp. Mickey was right: The other dogs had followed the bank of the lake, away from the forest and the Fierce Dogs' lair with its ominous smells of death and emptiness. Lucky cast a last look in that direction. Far beyond the forest lay the city that had once been his home. With a jolt he remembered the giant loudbirds and wondered if they'd flown this way-perhaps that was why the Pack had left?

"Who's the Forest-Dog?" asked Lick. She skipped along the edge of the overhang, chasing ants.

Lucky blinked at her in surprise. "Sometime I'm going to have to sit you pups down and tell you all about the Spirit Dogs."

"Does the Forest-Dog make food for us?" asked Wiggle in his small, high voice.

"He doesn't make food, but he watches over the trees and animals. He protects us, you see. He keeps dogs safe, and if he is pleased he offers us delicious morsels like vole and rabbit. So it's important to remember the Forest-Dog, and to be grateful to him. If you're hungry, you might say: 'Please deliver me some food, wise Forest-Dog.' And once you've caught and eaten a vole, you would say 'Thank you, Forest-Dog.'"

Wiggle exchanged a puzzled look with Grunt, who was padding toward them. Lick paused, her dark brow wrinkled in thought. "But if the Forest-Dog watches over the trees and animals, doesn't that mean he watches over voles and rabbits too?"

"Where does the Forest-Dog sleep?" asked Wiggle, shaking his floppy ears. "Does he have a camp? It must be really, really big. He must be a giant to see so much."

"We're not even in the forest," Grunt pointed out. "Most of the trees have gone. Doesn't it take more than one or two trees to make a forest?"

The memory of a stormy night came back to Lucky. He, too, had asked his Mother-Dog questions about the Spirit Dogs, desperate to understand the great and mysterious world around him, and she had answered, telling him all about the Sky-Dogs and Lightning.

"That's true," Wiggle put in. "Forests have lots of trees." The smallest pup panted happily, as though he had made an incredible discovery.

Lucky's tail started wagging-the pups had a point. He glanced at the lone tree with a mottled silver bark that stood some distance away around the rocky overhang. He'd forgotten what it was like to look at the world with such curiosity and innocence. Now memories flooded back to him, of a time when he was called Yap, play-fighting with his litter-sister Squeak. She used to ambush him, sneaking up from behind and chewing playfully on his ear.

With a surge of happiness, Lucky spun around and nipped Wiggle gently on his tufty neck. Grunt yapped cheerfully and started running along the bank, back toward the overhang.

"You won't catch me!" he cried. The pup's short legs thundered against the sandy ground and for a moment he had a clear lead before Lucky gained on him. With a friendly growl, he pounced on Grunt and the pup yipped and snarled as Lucky licked his face. He felt Wiggle nip at his legs as he came up behind. All of them ended up rolling and play-fighting.

Lucky panted happily. It was wonderful to see the pups so mischievous and full of energy.

He was hardly aware of Lick until he heard Mickey's voice, warning her: "You'll never reach it!"

Lucky looked up to see Lick quite far away, around the other side of the overhang, running at full pelt. A flash of gray fur shot in front of her.

"I've almost got it!" yapped Lick excitedly.

Lucky saw it was a squirrel she was chasing, and that the little animal was making for the silvery tree. She hurtled after it, her paws a blur as she kicked up soil.

She's going too fast; she'll slam into the trunk!

"Stop her!" barked Lucky in alarm, starting after Lick. His heart leaped to his throat and his paws pounded beneath him.

Mickey was closer to the tree and he made a dash for it, but the squirrel got there first. It burrowed into a hole at the base of the tree, disappearing from sight. Lick bounded after it, diving toward the hole just as Mickey reached the tree. At first it looked as though Lick would squeeze inside the hollow after the squirrel, her head and forepaws disappearing through the gap, but she stopped abruptly.

Half of Lick's body was inside the tree. Her back legs hung out of the gap, kicking desperately, her body twisting and jerking.

"She's trapped!" Mickey whined.

Lucky skidded to a halt by the tree and brought his head close to the base of the trunk. "Lick? Lick, can you hear me? Try not to struggle; we'll have you out in no time."

The pup bucked at the sound of his voice, her tail spinning. Lucky felt sick at the fear scent rising from her small body.

"It's okay; we're here," he a.s.sured her. He turned to Mickey. "Keep her still!"

Mickey lay his long snout and neck across Lick's back and gently pressed her down. Her tail still twitched and jerked, but her body and back legs were held in check as Lucky started scrabbling at the bark of the trunk, trying to force it to widen. It was much harder than he had imagined. It was nothing like digging against soil-the bark was tough and solid.

Grunt and Wiggle stood a short distance away, yipping desperately.

"Our litter-sister!" Wiggle cried.

"Lick!" barked Grunt. "Lick! You have to get out of there!"

The little dog trapped inside the tree trunk must have heard as she shunted against Mickey, her tail jerking wildly.

"Stay calm!" urged Mickey, addressing all the pups at once, though Grunt and Wiggle continued to scamper about frantically.

Lucky ignored them, scratching away at the trunk until a splinter of wood came free. It wasn't enough. . . .

"She's not struggling as much!" barked Mickey, his voice trembling with fear. Lucky pulled back. Lick's tail had fallen limp.

She can't breathe!

Lucky abandoned his efforts at the wooden trunk, sliding his paw beneath Lick's body and jabbing at the soil at the base of the gap. This started to come away and he dug and sc.r.a.ped feverishly. He knew he had to be quick-even now Lick's hind legs were slumping on the ground behind her. He clawed the ground until his paws throbbed with exhaustion and pain shuddered through his limbs. Then all of a sudden Lick toppled back out of the hole and fell gasping on the ground.

Lucky and Mickey yelped in relief, washing her small tan face. Grunt and Wiggle joined in, shunting their litter-sister affectionately.

Grunt turned to Lucky and licked his muzzle. "You saved her! Thank you!" he yipped, before turning back to Lick. Wiggle didn't say anything but he nuzzled his head against Lick's side protectively.

Lucky flopped onto the grainy earth beside them, panting as the tension quivered out of each hair and whisker. He felt a hot surge in his chest as he realized that he would do whatever he needed to in order to keep them safe.

Mickey dropped down next to him with a whine. "That was close!"

"Too close," Lucky sighed. He was finally beginning to relax. He watched the pups from the corner of his eye. They were now walking about in a tight, writhing circle, nipping and licking one another as though nothing had happened. They're so lighthearted and full of energy. Was I like that once?

The sound of paws crunching over earth caught Lucky's ears and he leaped up, ears c.o.c.ked. Something was creeping through the long gra.s.s by the bank of the lake. The rhythm of the pawsteps was unmistakable: It was a dog! Lucky puffed himself up to his full height. His eyes shot to the pups, who were still playing a couple of long-strides away. He made a silent oath that he wouldn't let anything happen to them. Even if the Pack wouldn't let him back in, he'd escort the pups as far as he could. If danger was coming, this time he would be ready.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

The long gra.s.s parted and a small, fluffy, white head appeared.

Daisy!

She barked excitedly, spinning, bounding across the gra.s.s, and leaping in the air.

"Lucky! Lucky! I knew you'd come back! And you brought Mickey, too!"

Lucky felt a burst of happiness. He bounded toward her with Mickey at his side. "Daisy!" he barked, his tail thrashing the air. "We thought you'd all left!"

She lowered her head as Lucky and Mickey leaped around her, giving her delighted licks. "I'm so sorry," she whined. "We should never have let you go. . . ."

"We came back, but you'd disappeared!" Mickey told her.

Daisy raised her head, her eyes sparkling. "They said you were gone for good, but I knew you would come back!" she barked. "I just knew-" Her happy howl died away as her eyes settled on something behind Lucky and Mickey.

Lucky spun around. The three pups were watching.

Daisy whined and took a step back. "What are they doing here?"

Wiggle trotted up to stand beside Lucky, but did not take his eyes off Daisy. Lucky greeted him with a lick to the nose.

"I can smell fear. . . ." Wiggle whined. "Just like Mickey when he first met us."

Mickey heard him and took a step toward the pup. "I'm not scared anymore," he soothed.

"But you were at first," Wiggle barked. "Why were you scared of us?"

Mickey looked to Lucky, who was thinking about what to say. How do we tell them that their parents were killers? Grunt seemed to know that he was a Fierce Dog-but did he understand everything that meant?

The larger male pup trod past them toward Daisy, who backed away. Her fear scent wafted on the air.

Grunt growled: "It's because we're getting bigger every day. Soon we will be huge, just like Mother and the other dogs in our camp. Then no dog will dare to challenge us." Although his voice was thin and high, Daisy shrank, her tail clinging to her flank.

Lucky felt a shiver run through his body. So he does understand, he thought.

"Lucky," Daisy whined, staring hard at him, "did you steal Fierce Dog pups?"

"It wasn't like that. We brought them with us because we had no choice," he answered.

"You took them from the Dog-Garden? After what happened when we were trapped there? Don't you remember how vicious those dogs were?"

Lucky took a step toward Wiggle, who looked bewildered. He nudged the pup with his nose and looked back at Daisy. "There were no adult dogs in the garden, Daisy. Only the pups. We couldn't just leave them there."

"Why not? Surely the Fierce Dogs wouldn't have left their pups alone for long. They'll start searching! Won't they be furious? They'll want revenge against the dogs who stole their pups!" She shuddered, her ears twitching with nerves.

"We're right here, you know," Lick murmured. "We can hear you!"

"Honestly, Daisy, it's fine," Lucky a.s.sured her, stepping alongside Grunt. "The Dog-Garden was empty. The Fierce Dogs' scent was stale-they were not coming back. These little pups were starving and their Mother-Dog was"-he caught himself just in time-"with the Earth-Dog."

Daisy nodded in understanding, though she still looked uncertainly at Grunt.

Lucky went on. "We couldn't leave them there to starve. Any dog would have done the same." He dipped his head to nuzzle Grunt between the ears. The pup didn't respond, his body stiff as he glared at Daisy.

I hope he doesn't do anything impulsive, Lucky thought, remembering how the pup had wanted to confront the coyotes.

Daisy took a tentative step toward them, but froze when Grunt's lip curled back and a thin snarl escaped his throat.

"It's okay," murmured Lucky, lowering his snout to Grunt's ear. "Daisy is a friend; she's from the Pack."

"She doesn't seem like a friend," Lick whined.

"A friend doesn't say such mean things," added Wiggle dejectedly.

Grunt fell silent, though his lips were still parted.

"Where did every dog go?" Mickey asked, casting an eye back at the rock overhang and the peaceful lake. "Why aren't you with the others?"

"After you left, Alpha sent Beta, Fiery, and Snap out to explore. I think he was worried about food, because we hadn't scented any prey near the camp. Spring thinks that the ground around here is too rocky for rabbits to dig their tunnels, which is why we don't see them. So we moved to a new territory beyond the lake, by a river. It could be the same river that pa.s.ses through the forest; I'm not sure. It smells clean and sweet, and the water is delicious."

Lucky gave a nod, relieved that the Pack's decision to move had nothing to do with the giant birds. He wondered at how casually Daisy spoke about members of the Wild Pack-like they were old companions. It hasn't taken her long to adapt to Alpha's rules, he thought with a twinge of resentment, wondering what he would find when they were finally reunited with the Pack. Had they shared the Great Howl in his absence, weaving Leashed and Wild Dog closer together?

Daisy scratched her ear with a hindpaw. "They all said you were both gone for good, but I knew you would return! I've come here a couple of times to check. I couldn't smell anything until now." Her happy barks became sad: "Oh, Lucky, I really am so sorry that you left. The Pack is going to be so happy to see you both! Bella, Martha, everyone!"

Lucky looked to the lake. They won't all be happy that I'm back. His mind strayed to Sweet, and he tried to imagine how she would respond. His chest tightened with sadness as he remembered that angry glimmer in her eyes. Would she ever forgive him?

"Lead the way," he told Daisy, forcing lightness into his yelp.

The little dog turned on her short legs and began retracing her steps through the long gra.s.s, looping around the water. Lucky stood aside so that the pups could go ahead of him with Mickey. Wiggle scampered past, his wagging tail a perfect target for Lick, who nipped at her litter-brother.

Grunt walked just ahead of Lucky, his tail straight behind him, ignoring his littermates. He glanced back once, his expression blank-empty.

A crackle of nerves ran through Lucky's bones. He wondered how Grunt would handle life in a large, mixed Pack. He doesn't like being told what to do . . . and he certainly doesn't enjoy being questioned. If the pup challenged Alpha the way he had stood up to Daisy, there could be serious consequences.

But for who?