"You will be well looked after," Martha a.s.sured them. She turned slowly, making for her den, and the pups tumbled after her. He watched them for a moment. Perhaps everything was going to work out after all.

Then his gaze fell on Sweet, who was sitting nearby, washing one elegant paw, a strange expression on her face as she peered at him. Was she sad . . . or angry? Lucky's ears drooped and he c.o.c.ked his head at her, but the swift-dog looked away, twisting around to groom her tail.

Lucky turned to a nudge from Bella. He hadn't noticed her approaching. Her pink tongue lolled in her panting mouth and she reached forward to lick his nose, but he backed away.

"Don't be like that!" She pawed the ground, then approached again, but he raised his haunches and she stopped in her tracks. "Please, Lucky. I'm so sorry for everything. We haven't even had a chance to talk alone since the dogfight. I have to talk to you."

Lucky made as if to leave and she called after him. "What I said to Alpha was true. I was a fool to attack the Wild Pack, and even more of a fool for doing it without warning you."

Lucky raised his muzzle. "And the foxes?"

Bella dropped her head. "That was a terrible mistake. And I should have spoken up for you when Alpha told you to leave the Pack. I really wanted to, but . . . I just felt like, more than anything, I had to do my best for the Leashed Dogs. I was scared of what would happen if Alpha attacked us or kicked us out. I didn't know how the Pack would survive. Can you forgive me?"

Lucky felt a tug in his chest. He tried to chase it away with an angry growl. Bella stayed silent when Alpha cast me out, he reminded himself. She let me carry the worst of the blame for the dogfight. She betrayed me! What she did was unforgiveable.

His tail shot out behind him and he tried to walk away, but he hadn't gone three dog-lengths when she called to him again.

"Yap . . . ?"

Lucky stopped in his tracks. In an instant he was at his Mother-Dog's side, his littermates jostling against him in a jumble of soft bodies. He turned and met Bella's eye. Her long snout was low and she gazed up at him, her eyes large and sad.

Lucky sighed. "I know that you did it for the Pack. Your heart was in the right place. It always is."

"Can you forgive me?" she repeated in a whisper.

"Come here," he replied. She bounded up to him and licked his muzzle, nudging and whining with relief.

I can forgive you, Bella, he thought. But I can't forget.

He wanted to trust his litter-sister, but he couldn't-not after everything she had done.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

Lucky yawned and settled down in the long gra.s.s, listening as Mickey told Bella, Daisy, Bruno, and Sunshine about the state of their homes in the crumbling city. Martha was sitting some distance away with the Fierce Dog pups. The rest of the Pack was scattered around, resting before nightfall.

Lucky looked around appreciatively. The camp was every bit as good as Daisy had promised, with its sun-soaked meadow where the dogs had gathered, and a large cave at the edges of the forest where they could sleep in warmth and safety. Deep inside the cave was a nook selected to be the pup den, where Moon nursed Nose and Squirm.

It felt wonderful to be back in the safety of the Pack after the hardships since he had left.

"You wouldn't believe it," Mickey whined. "The city was worse than it had been the last time we were there. All the front yards are wild, and the streets have even more wounds in them-with foul liquid pouring out."

"There was no sign that the longpaws had returned?" asked little Sunshine as she miserably tugged at a burr caught in her filthy white tail. "Not one?"

"They can't have come back," Mickey yowled. "Everything there was stale or wild."

"It's still hard to think of the city without longpaws, even though I've seen it with my own eyes," said Bella.

Mickey sniffed. "There were some longpaws-a couple at least."

Bruno p.r.i.c.ked up his ears and Daisy jumped to her paws.

"But they were not good ones," Mickey added quickly. "These longpaws were mean and angry. They were the kind that want to hurt dogs."

"The scary ones with the yellow pelts and black faces?" asked Bella.

"No, these longpaws were scraggy and old. They were entering houses and stealing things! We defended my house, didn't we, Lucky? I-I mean Omega," the black-and-white dog added.

Lucky gave him a nod. It's all right. I agreed to be Omega-let Alpha have his rules.

Mickey's black ears fell as he went on. "But the house was all broken, and then it caved in. It was horrible. All of you were right-there's nothing for us in the city anymore."

Lucky lifted his muzzle and gazed into the sky. The Sun-Dog was starting his slow descent over the high white clouds. Lucky's head sank back against the moss, his eyes closing. It had been a long few days and it was pleasant just to sit and think.

"So they really have gone for good," said Bruno sadly.

"Well," sighed Sunshine. "We have to do our best to put them completely out of our minds. That is the only way we can survive now."

Lucky opened one eye and looked at her. He was impressed that she, of all the Leashed Dogs, would show such resolve.

Sunshine noticed him looking at her. "Omega," she began nervously. "What made you decide to come back? Oh, I'm so glad you did but . . . I didn't think that you would."

Lucky sighed. "It's like Mickey said, the city is ruined. And then we found the pups. We knew they'd be safer here."

Mickey yipped in acknowledgment.

Sunshine c.o.c.ked her fluffy white head. "Is that the only reason?"

Lucky was about to admit that he'd missed the Pack when he was distracted by a distant thrumming that reminded him of fluttering bugs he had once seen in trees. His ears p.r.i.c.ked up and he raised his snout.

Night insects . . . He looked up at the sky. It was not dark yet. Why are they out before the Sun-Dog has finished his journey?

Lucky's thoughts were drowned out by the sound, which was rapidly growing in volume to a deep drone. The dogs raised their heads in unison and Mickey yelped: "It's the giant loudbirds! We saw them in the city!"

Lucky squinted at the sky, fear clenching at his stomach. What are the loudbirds doing now? Are they still searching for sick longpaws?

Mickey was right-several of the huge birds were swinging into view, gliding over from the forest. Panic coursed through the Pack. Sunshine and Bruno whimpered and cowered. A short distance away, Alpha and Sweet were on their paws, barking. Mickey was still saying something but one of the birds had dropped overhead and was hovering in the sky, thrashing the air so loudly with its wings that it swallowed his words. Lucky saw Mickey back into Bella. Bella threw up her head and barked. The two dogs stood close as chaos broke out all around them.

The loudbird leaped up high enough for Lucky to catch what the dogs around him were saying.

"Longpaws!" barked Daisy. "There are longpaws trapped inside the birds!"

The dogs fell silent a moment, staring up at the bird. Yellow-furred longpaws were hanging out of the gashes in the bird's flank.

"It's true!" Bruno gasped. "There are longpaws up there trying to escape the belly of that hideous creature!"

"We should help them!" Sunshine howled. Lucky threw her a wary look. Had she already forgotten her promise to put longpaws out of her mind?

"No, Sunshine," Mickey warned. "These longpaws are no friends of dogs! We need to stay back."

Snap had drawn closer, perhaps realizing that Mickey and Lucky had something to say about the giant bird. Dart and Spring followed her and they huddled close to Lucky, waiting for him to speak.

"They aren't trying to escape," Lucky barked, raising his voice as the huge bird swept a loop over their heads. "We saw a bird like this settle in the forest. The longpaws left and returned, which means that they are not prisoners. I think they are controlling the bird somehow."

Alpha and Sweet approached, their eyes fixed to the great bird overhead. They growled and barked as it started to sink over the valley, whipping up a ferocious wind beneath its wings that flattened their fur and shook the pine trees at the edge of the camp.

"It's going to land!" barked Bruno. "Maybe the longpaws will get out, like they did in the forest." He started pawing the ground excitedly. "We should try to find it! We should help the longpaws." The bird was moving back to the deep forest, beyond the cl.u.s.ter of pine trees. Bruno started after it. Lucky saw Alpha's eyes darken. The dog-wolf was about to say something, but Bella got in first.

"No!" she barked, and Bruno stopped in his tracks. "No dog chases the bird!" She turned to each Leashed Dog, giving them a stern look. "That goes for all of you. Don't you remember how the yellow-furred longpaws treated Daisy? They are not friendly. I'd never trust a longpaw that covers its face, much less one that chooses to live inside the belly of a loudbird!"

Alpha growled his agreement and Bruno dropped guiltily to the ground, his tail pressed to his flank. Sunshine crouched beside him.

Lucky stood by, his ears p.r.i.c.ked. The shiny bird disappeared beyond the pine trees. Eventually its whirring drone became quieter. The branches of the pine trees went on swaying but their trunks grew still. Lucky craned his neck, his body frozen. He could hear the crunch of the longpaws as they ambled heavily over twigs and leaves. Their harsh barks sounded sinister in the silence that followed the bird's descent. Lucky's ears flattened and his stomach clenched.

After a short while, the terrible thrumming began again. The Pack waited tensely, low to the ground. They watched, wide-eyed, as the loudbird rose from the forest floor and swept away beyond a bank of tall trees.

Lucky rose to his paws, his ears p.r.i.c.ked and his tail straight behind him. What can this mean? he wondered. What are the longpaws up to?

Lucky wandered along the edges of the camp, feeling a shiver of loneliness as he looked beyond the rushing water to the thistles on the river's far bank. He shook the feeling away. He had work to do before nightfall-Omega work, gathering bedding for the shelter. He used his snout to shuffle some dried leaves and twigs into a pile, then scooped them up in his jaws and made for the cave. He dropped them at the entrance by the overhanging brambles and retraced his steps to the riverbank. He padded around, sniffing until he found a nice, damp clump of moss. He began digging it up with his paws-it came up easily enough into a wet pile. Once the moss dried out, it would make a comfortable bed to sleep on.

A prouder dog would have said these tasks were beneath him, and even Lucky found himself fighting the impulse to dip his head in shame when he pa.s.sed Dart and Daisy on patrol.

He trudged back to the shelter with a mouthful of moss. Whine appeared from behind a tangle of nettles, his long tongue lolling from the side of his mouth. "You dropped some, Omega."

Lucky's neck snapped around and he glared at the little dog.

"Just trying to be helpful," Whine yapped. Lucky could see the glint of pleasure in the other dog's eyes. The former Omega was enjoying Lucky's humiliation. Lucky raised his tail and strutted past Whine toward the shelter, his head held high. As he rounded down the slope toward the brambles he almost dropped the moss in surprise-the pile of bedding that he'd gathered had doubled in size. Lucky blinked at it, confused, when little Sunshine scampered up to him and added some leaves.

Lucky dropped the moss and rubbed his paw against his chops, wiping away the bitter aftertaste.

"Sunshine, what are you doing?"

She wagged her tail, turning proudly to the mound of bedding. "Helping, of course. When I was Omega, I did this a couple of times. I figured out where to find the softest leaves. The trick is not to go for the really dry ones; they just crumble when you sit on them. When I was making up the bedding in the shelter, I'd set down the moss first, then soft twigs, then half-dry leaves. You have no idea how comfortable a bed all that makes. It's even better than the soft-hide my longpaws gave me!"

Lucky stared at her, his head c.o.c.king. "When you were Omega?" he asked.

Sunshine yipped, tidying the pile with careful shunts of her muzzle.

"But I thought Whine . . ."

"No, it was me."

Lucky's head drooped sadly at the thought that poor Sunshine had to take the lowest position in the Pack.

Sunshine raised herself to her full height, jutting out her snout. "Don't look at me like that, Lucky! I don't need your pity. I actually liked being Omega. Bella, Martha, and Daisy were still nice to me, and so was Snap. Anyway, I'm good at all those jobs-you know, the ones most dogs feel they're too n.o.ble for." She narrowed her eyes, sniffed the pile, and pulled out an old leaf. "Too crumbly," she murmured. She turned back to Lucky. "My longpaws loved it when I helped them, and I was great at it! Every day I would run to collect the papers that came through the door and I'd bring them to my longpaws. In the evening, I'd bring them their paw-covers."

"Paw-covers?" Lucky had never heard of anything like that.

"Soft pelt covers," said Sunshine, as if it were obvious. "Longpaws have furless paws, you know-they get cold!"

Lucky could not imagine such a thing. "You're really good at this," he told her. "And I appreciate your help. But I don't think Alpha would look kindly on it. . . . I don't want him to think I'm slacking off."

Sunshine nodded. "I understand. It's too bad, though. Will you at least let me help you take the stuff inside?"

Lucky dipped his head and the two dogs carried the bedding beneath the brambles into the cave. Then Sunshine shuffled forward on her short legs and Lucky licked her nose. "You're a good dog, Sunshine," he told her. "I bet you made your longpaws really happy."

"Thank you," she murmured, burying her muzzle against his neck. Then she turned and scampered away to join some of the others in the meadow.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

"Are you ready?" asked Lucky.

"Ready!" yipped Wiggle. He dived at Lucky, who sprang back, just out of the pup's reach. "I'll get you!" joked Wiggle, charging forward on his thick little legs. This time Lucky let the pup pounce on him and they jostled and sparred. He was surprised at Wiggle's strength. It took some effort to flip him over and pin him down.

"You're a great wrestler," Lucky panted, impressed not only with the pup's strength, but by his speed and technique.

Lick and Grunt watched, their short tails lashing. Lucky glanced up and met Sweet's eyes, narrowed in concentration as she observed the lesson.

Is she here to observe the pups . . . or me? he wondered. Even though this was one of his agreed duties, it wasn't exactly Omega work. Lucky was sure Alpha had sent her to keep an eye on him as much as the three Fierce Dog pups.

Wiggle yipped, struggling to escape Lucky's hold, and Lucky turned his attention back on the wriggling pup. His grip was firm but gentle, careful to avoid Wiggle's throat and belly-the delicate areas.

The pup is growing up fast. Soon he'll be the one who'll have to go easy on me!

If Lucky could teach the pups to be honorable and good-natured, they would certainly be an a.s.set. Who would dare attack a Pack with Fierce Dogs among them?

"Lunge for his neck, Wiggle!" barked Grunt. "If you can't reach, kick with your legs! Imagine you're being attacked by a monster-it's evil and cunning, but you're smarter and faster. Try to find any soft bits of his body, like the neck or the muzzle, and bite as hard as you can!"

Wiggle twisted and thrashed, planting a firm kick on Lucky's chest that winded him, though he didn't release the pup.

"That's no good!" Grunt snarled. "Come on, Wiggle! If the coyotes had caught up with you, you'd be dead by now! Use your teeth!"

Lucky shot Grunt a look, painfully aware of Sweet's eyes on all four of them. "It's not about the damage you can do to your opponent," he said mildly. "It's about protecting yourself and the Pack while keeping your honor. In the first place, fights should always be avoided. But if you must fight, the focus should be on defense, not uncontrolled aggression." He looked down at Wiggle, who was bucking and bending in frustration. "Wiggle is in a dangerous position right now, but he can protect himself, even on his back. Like this. . . ." Lucky dropped onto Wiggle and flipped him around so the pup was on top; then he wrapped his paws around Wiggle's head, forcing his snout to the ground. Wiggle snarled and Lucky spoke over him: "You see? The worst injuries you can suffer from another dog are inflicted by the teeth, and this maneuver will limit your opponent's ability to bite. By gripping Wiggle's head, I've stopped him from taking a chunk out of me!