The pup started mounting the incline again, taking small steps. His quick pace sent clouds of dry earth behind him, and he soon reached the top of the hillock.

Lucky and Alpha walked in silence, keeping a slow pace upwind of Daisy and the pups. Lucky sniffed the air, enjoying the rich scent of earth, pine, and gra.s.s. Then he froze: He could smell something else, tangy and familiar-the scent of a dog. Lucky suddenly realized that it was the same odor he had detected on the dead pigeons that he and Bruno had found in the forest near the camp. He glanced at Alpha, who seemed not to have noticed.

A few paces on, Lucky spotted the remains of a small creature. He tapped it with his paw and lowered his muzzle to take a sniff.

"Mouse," said Alpha. He stopped to stretch, showing off his long, muscular limbs.

Lucky caught a trace of that tangy smell. "It was killed by a dog," he told Alpha.

"I know," replied the half wolf indifferently. "It was Twitch."

"Twitch?" Lucky echoed. He looked up, his eyes trailing over tree trunks and a low bush. He remembered the pathetic, injured dog he'd seen while making his way to the city-the dog who'd limped through the forest. How could a dog like that hunt? How could he survive?

Alpha stared down his nose at Lucky. "You seem surprised. Do you think it's so hard? That only a City Dog can manage without a Pack? Twitch was always self-reliant. He got along fine, despite his injury. Perhaps because of it."

Lucky's tail gave a wag at this. He had a.s.sumed that Twitch wouldn't make it, and he was pleased to know the injured dog was surviving on his own. He watched Alpha from the corner of his eye. He had not imagined that the half wolf would ever stand up for another dog. Perhaps there was something gentler beneath that pelt of gray fur.

"Maybe he's thinking of returning to the Pack," Lucky wondered aloud.

Alpha rose to his full height, glaring out into the forest, but he spoke quite calmly. "He deserted us as a coward-he would not be welcomed back." He turned his wolfish face to Lucky. "And if I catch him hunting in our territory, I'll have him killed."

Beyond the hillock was a plateau from which it was possible to see the white ridge looming in the distance. There were trees up here but the cover was spa.r.s.er, with skinny pines replacing the thicker-trunked hardwoods. The terrain was rocky. It would be unforgiving for small, delicate paws.

Lucky and Alpha crouched behind a boulder, within earshot of Daisy and the pups. As the Sun-Dog bounded over the sky, Lucky pitied the three young dogs-they would surely be tired and hungry by now. Their coats gleamed under the gaze of the Sun-Dog and they panted breathlessly. But they persevered, trotting slowly behind Daisy.

"Are we almost there?" yipped Wiggle.

"We'll go a little farther; I can smell water," Daisy told him.

Lick turned to her. "Water? I'm so thirsty! Where is the water?"

"It isn't possible to smell water," growled Grunt.

Daisy stopped. "If you take a very deep sniff, you'll be able to smell it too." She crouched down, rested her muzzle on the rocky ground, and took a long breath.

Lick and Wiggle mirrored Daisy's movements, lowering themselves onto the ground. Lucky tensed, wondering what Grunt would do. He watched Alpha from the corner of his eye. The dog-wolf was also observing the exchange. Please, Grunt, don't challenge Daisy's authority, Lucky silently willed.

Grunt looked skeptical, but he dipped his head and sniffed. For a moment he hardly moved. Then his tail leaped up behind him.

"Water!" he barked. "Not far away! I can smell it!"

"I can, too!" yipped Lick. She bounded up to Grunt and they tumbled on the ground, rolling and barking. Then they raced off in the direction of the water.

"Not too fast," Daisy called after them, but her tone was cheerful and she started after them with her tail thrashing.

Only little Wiggle stayed where he was. "I can't smell anything," he whined.

Daisy skidded on her paws. She returned to the pup and licked his ear comfortingly. "Keep trying," she told him. "You will."

The little stream cleaved a shaft of gray rock that cut through the pines. Daisy and the pups drank thirstily and washed their paws. Then Daisy led them toward the white ridge.

She wants to be far enough away from the stream to allow me and Alpha to drink without being detected, Lucky realized. She knows we're following, but doesn't want the pups to realize. Clever Daisy! He watched her from a distance, a warm tug of affection at his chest.

As the Sun-Dog eased himself lower in the sky, Daisy and the pups settled down for no-sun in the shelter between two rocks, under the small green leaves of a bowing tree. It would be some time before the sky was black, but Daisy seemed reluctant to go any farther, and the pups were more than happy to flop down onto the ground after walking for the entire journey of the Sun-Dog.

Not far away, Lucky and Alpha found a shaded spot beneath a low tree with branches that trailed down like pup-tails. Lucky was grateful to Daisy for having chosen to stop and make camp. The pups must be exhausted, he thought. She's making sure they preserve their strength. That warm feeling coursed through him for the kindhearted little dog and the pups in her charge. It vanished when he turned back to Alpha.

The dog-wolf yawned, baring his huge, pointed fangs. He stretched out his forepaw and licked the livid scar.

"How did it happen?" asked Lucky, looking at the wound. "How did you get in a fight with Fierce Dogs?"

Alpha drew his paw toward him and snarled. "Why do you want to know? Do you enjoy hearing about my weakness? Is that it?"

"Of course I don't enjoy it!" Lucky whined, struggling to control his voice. He looked out toward the rock shelter where Daisy and the pups had made a camp. If they hear me, they'll know we've tricked them. They'll never forgive me. His eyes trailed back to the dog-wolf. Anyway, what will it help to provoke Alpha? He spoke again in a gentler voice. "I just want to understand why you hate Fierce Dogs so much."

"I don't wish to talk about it," Alpha growled. "Especially not with you, City Dog!" He tossed his head. "Why do you have so much faith in these pups? Everyone knows they're killers."

"I have faith in the Pack," Lucky told him. "With the right support, even young Fierce Dogs can learn to be good. Look how well they're responding to Daisy."

"I'm impressed that you think so highly of the Pack," said Alpha, relaxing onto his side. "But the truth is, a dog never changes. I've been around long enough to know that. Look at you-you're a Lone Dog; it's in your blood."

Lucky grew cold and his hackles started rising. He took a deep breath and fought the impulse to snarl back at Alpha.

The dog-wolf went on: "Your Lone Dog nature will always get the better of you. First you joined the Leashed Dogs, then the Wild Pack. Now you have taken it upon yourself to foster the Fierce Dogs. I doubt your commitment will last. I'll wake up one morning to discover you've deserted the Pack, including your precious Fierce Dogs. We'll be left to pick up the pieces." He stared at Lucky as if silently inviting him to rise to the goading-to fight back.

I won't give him the satisfaction, Lucky thought, turning his face away and trying to hide the disgusted curl of his lip.

There was no point trying to reason with this half wolf.

Alpha yawned again. "The problem with you, Lucky, is that-"

Crash!

The sound of branches breaking had both dogs leaping to their paws, their ears p.r.i.c.king and bodies tensing. Beyond some nearby pines, the thump of heavy, lumbering paws rose through the dusty soil. Hackles up, Lucky watched as a dark ma.s.s shifted between the trees. From the noise it was making, and the s.n.a.t.c.hes of movement, he knew it had to be huge. He sniffed, catching its thick, musty scent. He heard another crash as whatever it was shoved more branches aside. Spraying the air with pine needles, the thing burst out from the tree cover and stumbled onto the rock plane.

The beast was many times larger than the biggest dog Lucky had ever seen. Its fur was black, thick, and s.h.a.ggy and it thumped its paws as it moved. Its body was broad and tailless. A giant head was covered in the same s.h.a.ggy, black fur, with round ears, small, angry eyes, and a snout the color of scorched earth.

Fear shuddered through Lucky's body. "What is it?" he gasped. He could barely breathe.

Alpha was frozen to the spot, his eyes wild. "A giantfur! They live in forests and hunt alone. They are stronger than the fiercest dogs. Even wolves are scared of them!"

Thankfully the beast had not noticed Lucky and Alpha. He turned with lumbering strides, moving toward the white ridge.

Lucky's breath caught in his throat. Daisy and the pups! He spun around, looking Alpha in the eye. "I know this wasn't part of the plan, but we must wake Daisy! She and the pups are in terrible danger!"

He made a move toward the white ridge but Alpha leaped ahead, blocking Lucky with his broad, wolfish body.

"You're not going anywhere!" the dog-wolf snarled.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

Lucky tried to push past Alpha, but a paw sent him reeling back. "We have to help them! Don't you understand? What's wrong with you?"

The horror made Lucky's heart thump through his chest. There wasn't a moment to waste!

The wolf-dog gave a cruel laugh. "This has worked out even better than I'd hoped. Now we'll see what the Fierce Dog pups are really made of. Let them face this challenge alone."

"No, I-" Lucky began, but Alpha gave such a ferocious snarl that his words dried up.

"That wasn't a request, City Dog. That was an order." His yellow gaze traveled over Lucky's back at the retreating giantfur as it plunged through the foliage. Alpha's eyes lit up. "We'll see the true nature of those Fierce Dogs." His gaze came back to settle on Lucky. "Are you worried that their nature is a savage one?"

Lucky shook his coat and glared at Alpha. "What worries me is whether they will live or die." He hadn't felt so helpless in a long while. Had he rescued the pups just so that he could stand by and watch as they were mauled?

The giantfur trod heavily toward the white ridge. Before the beast had reached the two rocks where the dogs had settled to rest, Daisy's small face poked out, eyes wild with fear. The giantfur paused, turning its head this way and that, sniffing the air. Lucky noticed the long, jagged claws at the end of each huge paw.

Don't challenge him, Daisy! Lucky willed. His eyes flicked up to the sky. Which Spirit Dog could protect Daisy and the pups? He sent a silent message: Spirit Dogs. Dogs of the day and of the night; dogs of water and of earth; please protect my friends. I beg you!

Grunt suddenly appeared at Daisy's side, growling at the giantfur, his short tail standing upright.

"Get back!" Daisy ordered, but the pup ignored her, standing by her side as Lick and Wiggle huddled just behind them.

Watching from a distance, Lucky pleaded with Alpha. "We have to help them! We can't leave them to face this danger alone!"

"Yes, we can," Alpha snarled, square on to Lucky. "I've told you. This is an important test for the savage pups."

The giantfur took a few steps forward and stopped. It dropped its head, sniffing the dusty earth, ignoring Grunt, who had started to bark in his high-pitched pup-voice.

Without warning, the beast bounded toward Daisy and the pups. The dogs scrambled away, cowering around the rock as the giantfur roared and threw himself up on his hind legs. Even Grunt moved out of the way, darting next to the base of a pine tree.

The giantfur raised a huge paw, but instead of lashing out at the dogs, he swiped the branches of the bowing tree, sending a storm of leaves through the air. His ragged claws sank into what looked like a nub of yellow bark and emerged sparkling in amber liquid. He stuffed his paw in his mouth and sighed, a dreadful, rumbling sound. In a moment a blizzard of bees swarmed over the beast's face and he shook his head, his round ears twitching. Licking the last drop of amber juice from his claws, the giantfur took another swipe at the tree as the bees buzzed around him in a frenzied cloud.

Lucky shuddered with relief. "He's not interested in the dogs," he sighed. "Look, he's ignoring them. There's something in that tree he likes; that's what he's after."

Alpha didn't reply, his eyes fixed on the giantfur.

Lucky began to relax. They're going to be fine. As long as Daisy and the pups keep calm, nothing will- Grunt stepped out behind the giantfur as Daisy, Lick, and Wiggle cowered against the rocks.

Lucky felt a tremble of dread. What's he doing?

"Get back here, Grunt!" Daisy urged the pup, who was squaring up to the beast.

"I'm not scared of him!" Grunt barked, stalking forward. "I don't care how big he is!"

"That pup is a fool," Alpha snarled.

Lucky tried desperately to keep calm. "Please, Alpha, we have to help! He's young; he doesn't know what he should do. He needs the help of senior dogs in the Pack-dogs like you."

Alpha tossed his head dismissively. "Fierce Dogs are unruly mutts! I told you that right from the start." He held his stance, refusing to let Lucky pa.s.s. "We must let this play out."

Daisy was pleading with Grunt to stand down. "You're just making him angry!" she yapped.

"A dog never backs down in the face of the enemy!" barked Grunt.

"A wise dog knows when it's best to avoid a fight," Lucky heard Daisy warn him. "You can't win against a creature this big-none of us can!"

"She's right," barked Lick. "Look at the size of him! And you're just making him angry!"

As though to prove Daisy's point, the giantfur finally turned to Grunt, his eyes glistening as he stared down at the pup.

No. Oh, no. Lucky tried to dart forward, but Alpha moved again, blocking his path. He had to crane to see over Alpha's back.

The giantfur reared back on his hind legs. He swiped his forepaws in the air, claws glinting. One paw still oozed with amber liquid. He threw back his huge head and roared, revealing a dark red mouth framed by long, yellow fangs.

The beast took a thumping step toward Grunt, who cringed and backed into Daisy and his littermates. The dogs were cornered against a wall of rock.

Lucky was sick with fear. His heart thundered in his chest. "Please, Alpha! We have to help them! Even if you think nothing of the pups, do it for Daisy! She's always been a loyal Pack dog; she accepted this mission without complaint, and has done her best by you and the others. She does not deserve this! We can't abandon her!"

Alpha's ears p.r.i.c.ked up and his body tensed as he watched Daisy and pups cower. The giantfur towered over them, then lunged forward, a giant forepaw slicing the air. Daisy let out a short howl and rolled away, dragging the pups with her. When they climbed back to their paws, Lucky could see a trickle of blood in Daisy's fur where the giantfur's claw had snagged her skin. The giantfur roared again, and Lucky felt sure he could hear the sound of delight.

Daisy was looking around desperately and now her glance came to rest on Lucky and Alpha.

Feeling his stomach shrivel with shame, Lucky shoved himself up against Alpha. His voice was hoa.r.s.e with desperation now. "What will your Pack think if you allow a loyal dog to die for no reason?"

The half wolf's tail twitched.

Near the white ridge, Daisy howled in despair. "Help! We're trapped!"

Something pa.s.sed across Alpha's face-a shadow of doubt. "Fine. Follow my lead." He bounded toward the giantfur, Lucky close behind him.

Lucky slowed as he approached. He kept his stance low as the giantfur spun around and stared at him. Trembling by the wall of rock, Daisy and the pups whined with grat.i.tude.

Alpha stepped closer, level with Lucky. His gaze was steady and his stance spoke of quiet pride. The giantfur's eyes narrowed as he inspected the Pack leader. Alpha stood his ground, refusing to move or attack. Lucky had to admire how clever he was. The half wolf was making it clear that he did not want a fight, but that he would not back down, either. Slowly, surely, he began to circle the giantfur in order to stand in front of Daisy and the pups, signaling that he would protect them. Lucky came to stand beside him.

The giantfur watched, but made no move to get closer. Lucky started to speak in a soft, gentle voice. "Daisy, when I say so, start taking small steps back along the rock wall, away from the giantfur. The same goes for you pups-just very small steps. Not yet," he warned, as he saw Wiggle panic and turn to run along the side of the rock. Wiggle froze.

"Only when Lucky says so," Daisy confirmed. Standing alongside her, Lick dipped her head in acknowledgment. Even Grunt was silent.

"Omega and I will take small steps back too," Alpha said, not taking his eyes off the giantfur. "Nothing sudden that could alarm him."