Survivors 1: the Emty City
PrOLOGuE
PrOLOGuE
Yap wriggled, yawning, and gave a
small, excited whimper. Hislittermates were a jumble of warmth against him, all paws andmuzzles and small, fast heartbeats. Clambering over him, Squeak stuck a paw in his eye; Yap shook his head and rolled over, making her fall off. She squeaked with indignation as always, so he lickedher nose to show there were no hard feelings.The Mother-Dog stood over them, nuzzling the pups intoorder and licking their faces clean, treading her ritual circle beforecurling around them, ready for sleep.“Wake up, Yap! Mother’s going to tell us a story.” That wasSqueak again, bossy and demanding as ever. Their Mother-Dog washed her affectionately with her tongue, muffling her yelps.“Would you like to hear about the Storm of Dogs?” A thrill of excitement ran down Yap’s spine, and he whimperedeagerly. “Yes!” "Again?”
whined Squeak.But the others tumbled over her, drowning her protests. “Yes,Mother! The Storm of Dogs!”The Mother-Dog settled around their small bodies, her tailthumping. Her voice grew low and solemn. “This is the story of Lightning, the swiftest of the dog warriors. The Sky-Dogs watched over him, and protected him. . . . But the Earth-Dog wasjealous of Lightning. She thought Lightning had lived too long,and that it was time for him to die so that she could take his lifeforce. But Lightning’s speed was so great that he could outrun theEarth-Dog’s terrible Growls—he could outrun death itself!”“I want to be like Lightning,” murmured Yowl sleepily. “Icould run that fast; I bet I could.”“Shush!” said Squeak, squashing his nose with a golden-furredpaw. In spite of her protest, Yap knew that she was caught up inthe story like the rest of them.“Then came the first great battle,” the Mother-Dog went on,her voice hushed. “The terrible Storm of Dogs, when all the dogsof the world fought to see who would rule over the territories of the world. Many stories are told of those dreadful days, and many heroes were made and lost in the battle.“At last, the Earth-Dog thought, Lightning’s life force would be freed and she would take his body, as was her right. ButLightning was cunning, and he was sure that with his speed hecould dodge his death once more, so the Earth-Dog laid a trap forhim.”Yip’s ears flattened against her head. “That’s so mean!”Their mother nuzzled her. “No, it isn’t, Yip. Earth-Dog wasright to claim Lightning. That’s the way things should be. When your Sire-Dog died, his body fed the earth, too.”Suddenly solemn, all of the pups listened in silence.“Lightning tried to escape the Storm of Dogs with his speed.He ran so fast between the warring dogs that none of them couldsee him to tear his body apart with their teeth and claws. He wasalmost clear, almost free, when the Earth-Dog sent a Big Growl toopen the ground in front of him.”Even though he’d heard the story so many times, Yap held hisbreath and huddled close to his littermates, imagining that thistime Lightning would fall and be eaten by the terrible rip in theearth. . . .“Lightning saw the ground open up to swallow him, but he was speeding so fast that he couldn’t stop. He feared that theEarth-Dog had him at last. But the Sky-Dogs loved Lightning.“Just as Lightning started to plummet to his death, the Sky-Dogs sent a great wind that spun so fast and so strong, itcaught Lightning as he fell, lifted him up, and whirled him intothe sky. And there he remains, with the Sky-Dogs, to this very day.”The pups snuggled more tightly against the Mother-Dog’sside, gazing up at her.“Will he always be there?” asked Yowl.“Always. When you see fire flashing in the sky, when the Sky-Dogs howl, that’s Lightning running down to the earth, teasing Earth-Dog, knowing that she will never catch him.” She lickedYap’s sleepy face. He could barely keep his eyes open. “I’ve hearddogs say that one day, there will be another great battle, when a dog displeases the Earth-Dog. Then, dog will fight against dog,and great heroes will rise and fall.”Yowl gave a great yawn, floppy with tiredness. “But not for a long time, right?”“Ah, we don’t know. It might come soon; it might not. Wemust always watch out for the signs. They say that when the worldis turned upside down and broken open, the Storm of Dogs willcome again and we’ll have to fight to survive once more.”Yap let his eyelids droop. He loved to fall asleep to hismother’s stories. This was how it would always be, he knew: her voice, fading as sleep overwhelmed him and his littermates. TheMother-Dog curled protectively around him, the end of the story the last thing he heard. It ended the same way each time. . . .“Watch out, little ones. Watch out for the Storm of Dogs. . ."
CHAPtEr OnE
Lucky startled awake, fear prickling in
his bones and fur. He leaped tohis feet, growling.For an instant he’d thought he was tiny once more, safe in hisPup Pack and protected, but the comforting dream had already vanished. The air shivered with menace, tingling Lucky’s skin. If only he could see what was coming, he could face it down—but themonster was invisible, scentless. He whined in terror. This was nosleep-time story: This fear was
real.
The urge to run was almost unbearable; but he could only scrabble, snarl, and scratch in panic. There was nowhere to go:The wire of his cage hemmed him in on every side. His muzzlehurt when he tried to shove it through the gaps; when he backedaway, snarling, the same wire bit into his haunches.Others were close . . . familiar bodies, familiar scents. Thosedogs were enclosed in this terrible place just as he was. Lucky
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raised his head and barked, over and over, high and desperate, butit was clear no dog could help him. His voice was drowned out by the chorus of frantic calls.They were all
trapped
.Dark panic overwhelmed him. His claws scrabbled at theearth floor, even though he knew it was hopeless.He could smell the female swift-dog in the next cage, a friendly, comforting scent, overlaid now with the bitter tang of danger and fear. Yipping, he pressed closer to her, feeling theshivers in her muscles—but the wire still separated them.“Sweet? Sweet, something’s on its way. Something bad!”“Yes, I feel it! What’s happening?”The longpaws—where were they? The longpaws held themcaptive in this Trap House but they had always seemed to careabout the dogs. They brought food and water, they laid bedding,cleared the mess . . .Surely the longpaws would come for them now.The others barked and howled as one, and Lucky raised his voice with theirs.
Longpaws! Longpaws, it’s COMING. . . .
Something shifted beneath him, making his cage tremble. Ina sudden, terrible silence, Lucky crouched, frozen with horror.
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Then, around and above him, chaos erupted.The unseen monster was here . . . and its paws were right onthe Trap House.Lucky was flung back against the wire as the world heavedand tilted. For agonizing moments he didn’t know which way was up or down. The monster tumbled him around, deafening him with the racket of falling rock and shattering clear-stone.His vision went dark as clouds of filth blinded him. Thescreaming, yelping howls of terrified dogs seemed to fill hisskull. A great chunk of wall crashed off the wire in front of hisnose, and Lucky leaped back. Was it the Earth-Dog, trying totake him?Then, just as suddenly as the monster had come, it disappeared.One more wall crashed down in a cloud of choking dust. Torn wirescreeched as a high cage toppled, then plummeted to the earth.There was only silence and a dank metal scent.
Blood!
thought Lucky.
Death . . .
Panic stirred inside his belly again. He was lying on his side,the wire cage crumpled against him, and he thrashed his strong legs, trying to right himself. The cage rattled and rocked, but hecouldn’t get up.
No!
he thought.
I’m trapped!
“Lucky! Lucky, are you all right?”
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“Sweet? Where are you?”Her long face pushed at his through the mangled wire. “My cage door—it broke when it fell! I thought I was dead. Lucky, I’mfree—but you—”“Help me, Sweet!”The other faint whimpers had stopped. Did that mean theother dogs were . . . ? No. Lucky could not let himself think aboutthat. He howled just to break the silence.“I think I can pull the cage out a bit,” said Sweet. “Your door’sloose, too. We might be able to get it open.” Seizing the wire withher teeth, she tugged.Lucky fought to keep himself calm. All he wanted to do was fling himself against the cage until it broke. His hind legskicked out wildly and he craned his head around, snapping atthe wire. Sweet was gradually pulling the cage forward, stopping occasionally to scrabble at fallen stones with her paws.“There. It’s looser now. Wait while I—”But Lucky could wait no longer. The cage door was torn at theupper corner, and he twisted until he could bite and claw at it. He worked his paw into the gap and pulled, hard.The wire gave with a screech, just as Lucky felt a piercing stab in his paw pad—but the door now hung at an awkward
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angle. Wriggling and squirming, he pulled himself free andstood upright at last.His tail was tight between his legs as tremors bolted throughhis skin and muscles. He and Sweet stared at the carnage and chaosaround them. There were broken cages—and broken bodies. A small, smooth-coated dog lay on the ground nearby, lifeless, eyesdull. Beneath the last wall that had fallen, nothing stirred, but a limp paw poked out from between stones. The scent of death wasalready spreading through the Trap House air.Sweet began to whimper with grief. “What was that? What
happened
?”“I think—” Lucky’s voice shook, and he tried again. “It was a Growl. I used to—my Mother-Dog used to tell me stories aboutthe Earth-Dog, and the Growls she sent. I think the monster wasa Big Growl. . . .”“We have to get away from here!” There was terror in Sweet’s whine.“Yes.” Lucky backed slowly away, shaking his head to dispelthe death-smell. But it followed him, clinging to his nostrils.He glanced around, desperate. Where the wall had tumbledonto the other dog cages, the broken blocks had collapsed into a pile, and light shone bright through the haze of dust and smoke.
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“There, Sweet, where the stones have crumbled in. Come on!”She needed no more urging, leaping up over the rubble. Aware of his wounded paw, Lucky picked his way more carefully,nervously glancing around for longpaws. Surely they’d come whenthey saw the destruction?He shuddered and quickened his pace, but even when hesprang down onto the street outside, following Sweet’s lead, there was no sign of any longpaws.Bewildered, he paused, and sniffed the air. It smelled sostrange. . . .“Let’s get away from the Trap House,” he told Sweet in a low voice. “I don’t know what’s happened, but we should go far away in case the longpaws come back.”Sweet gave a sharp whine as her head drooped. “Lucky, I don’tthink there are any longpaws left.”Their journey was slow and silent except for the distant wail of broken loudcages. A sense of threat grew in Lucky’s belly; so many of the roads and alleys he knew were blocked. Still he persevered,nosing his way around the broken buildings through tangled,snaking coils torn from the ground. Despite what Sweet thought,Lucky was sure that the longpaws would return soon. He wanted tobe far away from the destroyed Trap House when they did.
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The sky was darkening by the time he felt it was safe to rest;Lucky sensed anyway that Sweet couldn’t go much farther. Maybeswift-dogs weren’t as good at long journeys as they were at quick dashes. He gazed back the way they’d come, shadows lengthening across the ground, hiding spaces emerging in dark corners. Lucky shivered—which other animals might be out there, scared andhungry?But they were both exhausted from escaping the Big Growl.Sweet barely managed to tread her ritual sleep-circle before sheslumped to the ground, laid her head on her forepaws, and closedher troubled eyes. Lucky pressed himself close against her flank for warmth and comfort.
I’ll stay awake for a while,
he thought,
Keepwatch . . . yes . . .
He woke with a start, shivering, his heart racing.He’d slept no-sun away. His dreams were full of the distantrumbling of the Big Growl and an endless line of longpaws running away from him and loudcages whining and beeping. There was nosign of others here now. The city seemed abandoned.Beneath the thorny scrub, Sweet slept on, the flanks of hersleek body gently rising and falling with each breath. Something about Sweet’s deep sleep was comforting, but suddenly he needed
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more than the scented warmth of her sleeping body; he neededher awake and alert. He nuzzled Sweet’s long face, licking her earsuntil she responded with a happy murmuring growl. She got toher feet, sniffing and licking him in return.“How’s that paw, Lucky?”Her words instantly brought the sting back. Remembering the wound, he sniffed at his paw pad. An angry red mark scoredthe flesh, pulsing with pain. He licked it gently. It was closed, butonly just, and he didn’t want to make it bleed again.“It’s better, I think,” he said, more hopefully than he felt;then, as they both slunk out from beneath the dense branches, hisspirits slumped.The road before them was broken, wildly tilted, and cracked.Water sprayed into the sky from a long tube exposed by crumbling earth, making rainbows in the air. And it wasn’t just here; in thesloping city streets, as far as Lucky could see, the light of the rising Sun-Dog glinted on tangled metal. A slick of water lay where heremembered that there had once been gardens, and the longpaw homes that used to seem tall and indestructible were now crumpled as if pummeled by a giant longpaw fist.“The Big Growl,” murmured Sweet, awestruck and afraid.“Look what it’s done.”
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Lucky shivered. “You were right about the longpaws. There were packs and packs of them. Now I don’t see a single one.” Hecocked his ears and tasted the air with his tongue: dust and anunder-earth stink. No fresh scents. “Even the loudcages aren’tmoving.”Lucky tilted his head toward one of them, tipped onto its side,its snout half-buried in a collapsed wall. Light gleamed from itsmetal flanks but there was no roar and grumble; it seemed dead.Sweet looked startled. “I always wondered what those werefor. What did you call it?”Lucky gave her a doubtful look. She didn’t know what a loudcage was?“Loudcages. You know—longpaws use them to get around.They can’t run as fast as we can.”He couldn’t believe she didn’t know this most basic detailabout the longpaws. It gave him a bad feeling about setting out with her. Sweet’s naïveté wouldn’t be much help when they weretrying to survive.Lucky sniffed the air again. The city’s new smell made himuneasy. There was a rottenness, a lingering whiff of death anddanger.
It doesn’t smell like a home for dogs anymore,
he thought
.
He padded over to where water sprayed from a wound in the
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earth. In the sunken hole was an oily lake, its surface shimmering with rainbow colors. It gave off an odd smell that Lucky didn’tlike, but he was too thirsty to care and lapped the water greedily,doing his best to ignore the foul taste. Beside him he saw Sweet’sreflection as she also drank.She was the first to lift her dripping muzzle, licking herpointed chops. “It’s too quiet,” she murmured. “We need to getout of this longpaw town.” Sweet’s fur lifted. “We should go to thehills. Find a wild place.”“We’re as safe here as anywhere else,” said Lucky. “We can usethe old longpaw houses—maybe find food. And there are plenty of hiding places, believe me.”“Plenty of places for
other
things to hide,” she retorted, bristling.“I don’t like it.”“What do you have to be scared of?” Her legs looked long enough to race through high grasses and her frame was slenderand light. “I bet you can run faster than anything!”“Not around corners, I can’t.” She glanced nervously to leftand right. “And a city has lots of corners. I need space to run.That’s where I can pick up speed.”Lucky scanned the area, too. She was right—the buildingscrowded in on them. Maybe she had good reason to be edgy. “Let’s
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at least keep moving. Some of those longpaws might still be closeby, whether we can see them or not. I don’t want to go back to theTrap House.”“Me neither,” Sweet agreed, her lip curling to show her strong white teeth. “We should start looking for more dogs. We need a good, strong Pack!”Lucky’s muzzle wrinkled in doubt. He was not a Pack Dog.He had never understood what there was to like about living witha big mob of dogs, all dependent on one another, and having tosubmit to an Alpha. He didn’t need anyone’s help, and the lastthing he wanted was someone who needed his. Just the thoughtof relying on other dogs made his skin prickle.
Obviously that isn’t how Sweet feels,
he thought. She was enthusiasticnow, rattling off stories. “You would have loved my Pack! Weran together, and hunted together, catching rabbits and chasing rats. . . .” She became more subdued, and looked longingly towardthe outskirts of the wrecked town. “Then the longpaws came andspoiled everything.”Lucky couldn’t help responding to the sadness in her voice.“What happened?”Sweet shook herself. “They rounded us up. So many of them,and all in the same brown fur! Staying together, that’s what got us
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trapped, but”—her growl grew fierce—“we wouldn’t leave a singledog behind. That’s Pack law. We stuck together, in good timesand . . . bad.” Sweet paused, her dark eyes distant, unable to repressan unhappy whimper.“Your Pack was with you in the Trap House,” murmuredLucky sympathetically.“Yes.” She came to an abrupt halt. “Wait, Lucky, we have togo back!”He darted in front of her as she spun around, blocking her way. “No, Sweet!”“We
have
to!” Lucky scrambled sideways to stop her fromslipping past him. “They’re my Packmates. I can’t leave until Ifind what’s happened to them! If any of them are still—”“No, Sweet!” Lucky barked. “You saw how it was in that place!”“But we might have missed—”
“Sweet.”
He tried a gentler tone, tentatively licking her unhappy face. “Back there, it’s ruined. They’re all dead, gone to the Earth-Dog. And we can’t hang around here—the longpaws might comeback. . . .”That seemed to convince her. Sweet glanced over her shoulderonce more, then turned away again. With a deep sigh she beganto walk on.
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Lucky tried not to show his relief. He walked close beside her,their flanks brushing with every second step.“Did you have friends in the Trap House, too?” Sweet asked.“Me?” said Lucky lightly, trying to cheer her up. “No thanks.I’m a Lone Dog.”Sweet gave him an odd glance. “There’s no such thing. Every dog needs a Pack!”“Not me. I
like
being on my own. I mean, I’m sure a Pack’sbest for some dogs,” he added hurriedly to spare her feelings, “butI’ve walked alone since I left my Pup Pack.” He couldn’t repressthe proud lift of his head. “I can look after myself. There’s nobetter place for a dog than the city. I’ll show you! There’s food forthe finding, and warm crannies to sleep in, and shelter from therain—”
But is that still true?
For a moment he hesitated, letting his eyes rove over thesmashed streets, the shattered walls and broken clear-stones,the tilting roads and abandoned loudcages.
This isn’t safe,
Lucky thought.
We need to get out of here as soon as we can.
Not that he was going to share that fear with Sweet; she wasalready so anxious. If only there were some distraction—
There!
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Lucky gave a high bark of excitement. They’d turned a corner,and right in the road was another wreck. Lucky scented—
food
!He broke into a run, leaping in delight onto the side of the huge overturned metal box. He’d seen longpaws throwing things they didn’t want into these, locking them afterward sothat Lucky was never able to feast on the unwanted food. Butnow the box was on its side, the half-rotten contents spilledout across the ground. Black crows were hopping and jabbing around the piles. Lucky held his head high and barked as loudas he could. The crows cawed, alarmed, as they half flutteredaway.“Come on!” he yelled, springing into the stinking pile. Sweetfollowed, barking happily. As Lucky nosed his way through the mound of scraps, heheard the dull fluttering of wings as the crows descended again.He leaped and snapped his jaws at an indignant bird and it dartedinto the air, its wings beating strongly.Lucky sent a final snarl after the departing crow as he landedback on the ground, his paws skidding in the dirt. Immediately his wounded pad howled with pain. It was like the fangs of themost vicious dog, biting all the way up his leg. He couldn’t holdback his whimper of distress.
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As Sweet dashed through the cloud of crows, chasing them clear, Lucky sat down and licked the hurt away. Heeagerly sniffed the air, enjoying the scent coming off the pilesof discarded items that had spilled out across the ground.Contentment began to settle over him again, and he wasdistracted from his pain.For a while the happy mood lingered as Lucky and Sweetsnuffed out the delicacies the crows had left. Sweet pulled chickenbones from a cardboard bucket, and Lucky found a crust of bread,but the pickings were poor, especially after they’d worked up suchan appetite.“We’re going to starve in this city.” Sweet whined, licking anempty box that had once held some food. She pinned it down withone paw as she poked her nose inside.“I promise we won’t. It’s not all scavenging.” Lucky’s mind was flooded with an image of a place he used to visit. He nudgedSweet’s flank affectionately. “I’ll take you somewhere where we’lleat like Leashed Dogs.”Sweet’s ears pricked up. “Really?”“Really. This place will change your mind about cities.”Lucky trotted confidently down the road, his mouth already watering at the prospect of food. Sweet was right behind him. It
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was strange how happy he was with her company, how much heliked being able to help her.
Usually by now, he’d be itching forsolitude, but . . . he wasn’t.Maybe the Big Growl had changed more than just the city.
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CHAPtEr tWO
Sweet pressed close to Lucky’s side
as they walked through the desertedstreets.He had expected to see other dogs by now, and certainly a few longpaws. But the city was empty and far too quiet. At leastthey had found a few stale scent-marks; that was reassuring.He stopped to sniff at an upturned longpaw seat that had beenmarked by a male Fierce Dog.“They can’t be far.” Sweet interrupted his thoughts. She benther muzzle to the scent, ears lifting. “This is a strong message. And there are others! Can’t you smell them?”The fur on Lucky’s shoulders bristled: Why was Sweet sodetermined to find a Pack? Wasn’t his company enough?“These dogs must be long gone now,” he said, backing away.“We won’t catch up any time soon.”Sweet raised her nose in the air. “They smell nearby to
me
.”
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“But this only smells strong because it was their territory.They marked it over and over. I’m telling you, Sweet, they’re faraway already. I can pick out their scent in the distance.”“Really?” Sweet sounded doubtful again. “But
I
could catch up with them. I can catch
anything.
”
Why don’t I just let her?
Lucky wondered
. If she’s so desperate to find aPack, I should just tell her to run away as fast as she likes.
Instead, he found himself rumbling a warning growl. “No,Sweet, you can’t.
Shouldn’t
, I mean,” he added quickly as shebristled. “You don’t know the city; you could get lost.”Frustrated, Sweet cast her nose around in the air, then barkedangrily. “Why did this happen, Lucky? I was fine before. My
Pack
was fine! We were so happy in the open country, and we didn’tdo any harm to the longpaws. If they’d only left us alone, if they hadn’t rounded us up into that awful Trap House—”She’d come to a miserable halt, and Lucky sat down besideher, wishing he could think of something to say. But he wasn’tused to being responsible for another dog. Already it gave him anache in his heart that he would rather live without.He opened his jaws to try to reason with her some more, butstopped, gaping, as a gang of fierce, furious creatures tumbled, yowling and squealing, into the street right in front of them.
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Lucky felt fear tear through his hackles as his back stiffened. At first, he thought the fighting bundles of fur and teeth weresharpclaws, but then he realized they were different—very different. These animals were round and bushy-tailed, and they didn’t hiss. They weren’t dogs, and they weren’t huge rats. Lucky gave an alarmed yelp, but the creatures didn’t respond—they weretoo busy squabbling over a carcass that was so ripped and torn, hecouldn’t tell what it had once been.Next to him, Sweet stood alertly, her eyes on the other animals.She took a moment to nuzzle his neck. “Don’t worry about them;they won’t hurt us.”“Are you sure?” asked Lucky. He’d caught sight of the face of one of them, a sinister black mask that seemed full of vicious littleteeth.“They’re raccoons,” Sweet replied. “We’ll be fine if we givethem a wide berth. Try not to show too much interest and they won’t feel threatened. I bet they’re as hungry as we are.”Lucky followed Sweet’s lead to the far sidewalk. She shot theraccoons a fierce, bristling glare as she went. Lucky copied her,feeling prickles of anxiety in the roots of his fur.
We’re not the only ones looking to fill our bellies,
he realized. Witheverything torn from the ground and lying in ruins, easy pickings
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were a thing of the past. This was about survival now. He pickedup his pace, keen to put as much space as he could betweenthemselves and the raccoons. A few streets beyond, Lucky tasted familiar air and gavea happy bark. It was the alley he’d been looking for! He ranforward a few paces, then sat down and scratched at his ear witha hindpaw, enjoying the moment, anticipating Sweet’s delight.The delicious smell of food was getting stronger. Here, at least, hecould guarantee a meal.“Come on!” he yipped. “I promise, you won’t regret this.”She padded up behind him and cocked her head quizzically.“What is this place?”He nodded at the panes of clear stone. There were long tubesthere. Normally they breathed chicken-scented steam into theair—but not today. Still, this was definitely right. Excited, heturned a couple of circles, tail wagging quickly.“It’s a Food House. A place where longpaws give food to otherlongpaws!”“But we’re not longpaws,” she pointed out. “Who’s going togive food to us?”“Just you watch.” Lucky jumped forward mischievously,dodging around tumbled trash cans and a small heap of rubble.
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He tried not to think about how ruined everything was, or thatthey hadn’t seen a single longpaw walking the streets. “We’ll do what Old Hunter does. He’s the expert!”Sweet brightened. “Old Hunter? Is he a Packmate of yours?”“I told you, I don’t have a Pack. Old Hunter is just a
friend.
Even Lone Dogs can find huntingmates, you know! Watch this.Copy what I do. . . .”It was such an easy method of getting food, and it took no timeto learn—Lucky was pleased to be able to teach Sweet something.He sat back on his haunches, tilted his head, and let his tongueloll out.Sweet slowly slinked around him, studying the posture. Herhead cocked. “I don’t understand,” she whined.“Just trust me,” Lucky growled.Sweet whined again, then turned to sit down beside Lucky asshe did her best to copy him.“That’s it!” Lucky barked. “Now, lift one ear a little higher.Like this, see? And a friendly mouth—look hungry but hopeful!You got it!”Lucky wagged his tail as he gave Sweet an affectionate nudge with his muzzle. Then he turned his attention back to the FoodHouse door, and waited. A longpaw would spot them soon. Slow
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moments passed and Lucky’s tail began to wag more and moreslowly until it came to rest in the dust. The door stayed resolutely shut, so Lucky padded over to scratch at it. Still no reply. He gavea small, respectful whine.“How long do we stay like this? It’s a bit—undignified,”said Sweet. She licked her chops, then let her tongue hang outagain.“I don’t understand. . . .” Lucky’s tail drooped in embarrassment.Where was his friendly longpaw? Surely
he
hadn’t run from theBig Growl. Lucky scratched at the door again, but still there wasno reply.Sweet’s nose was back in the air. “I don’t think it’s working.”“The longpaws must be busy, that’s all,” Lucky grumbled.“This is an important place for them. They wouldn’t have just
left
.” He tried not to notice how high and anxious his voicehad become. He trotted behind some bins and spoil-boxes andscratched his way through to a side door. Up on his hind legs, heput his paws against the wood and felt it sag and creak.“Look! The Food House is broken.” He tugged at a sagging hinge with his teeth. “That’s why the longpaws are busy. Comeon!”The smells from inside must have been enticing enough to
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make Sweet forget her doubts, because she helped him nose andpull and tug at the broken door until it cracked open. Lucky wriggled through ahead of her, his tail thrashing in anticipationof scrumptious food.He slowed, glancing from side to side. This room was a strange place that he hadn’t seen before, lined with huge metalboxes. There were snaking, shiny lengths of what looked likelong worms. Lucky knew that these usually hummed with thelongpaws’ invisible energy. But nothing hummed now. Abovehim, water dripped from the collapsed roof, and broad cracks ranalong the walls.There was a blurred reflection of him and Sweet in the big steel boxes. Lucky shuddered as he saw how distorted their faces were. The food smell was strong now, but old, and he felt pricklesof uncertainty.“I don’t like this,” said Sweet in a low voice.Lucky whined his agreement. “This isn’t the way it normally is. But it should be fine. It’s probably just a little bit of damagefrom the Big Growl.” Tentatively Lucky pushed on throughthe rubble and mess. Sweet watched him, her muzzle wrinkl-ing with uncertainty. “Don’t look like that,” he told her.“Come on!”
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She lifted her slender paws high as she moved around broken,splintered shards of white stone that covered the floor.There was another door, but it was easy to push open—almosttoo easy, because it swung wildly back and forth, nearly bumping Sweet’s roving nose and making her jump. As it grew still again,Lucky sniffed the air.The chaos was even worse in here, beyond the room of metalboxes; longpaw stuff was flung in heaps, sitting-boxes broken andlisting together, thick dust falling from the broken walls to covereverything. Shivers rippled through Lucky’s fur. Abruptly he stopped, drawing his lips back from his teeth.
What’s that smell? I know it, but . . .
He couldn’t repress a frightenedgrowl. Something moved in the corner.Lucky took a few hesitant paces, crouching low to the ground.The scent felt strong inside his nose. He bounded forward andpawed at the fallen debris. There was someone here!White dust stirred and swirled; Lucky heard a groan, and a breathless rasping of longpaw words. He recognized only one.“Lucky . . .”The voice was weak, but it was familiar. Whimpering,Lucky sank his teeth into one of the huge broken beams andleaned his weight back on his paws, heaving. His whole body
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trembled with the effort, and he could feel his teeth being pulled from his jaws. It was no good! He released his bite andfell back, panting with the effort. The longpaw lay still andunmoving beneath the beam, a trickle of dried blood tracking down his face.Lucky drew closer, ignoring his instincts, which were telling him to run away as fast as he could. Behind him, he could hearSweet pacing with anxiety. Lucky lowered his head over thelongpaw’s body. One arm was free of the rubble, twisted at anunnatural angle. The longpaw’s face was pale as snow, his lips a horribly unnatural blue, but they curved in a smile as his eyes metLucky’s.
He’s alive!
Lucky licked at his nose and cheeks, gently clearing some of the coating of dust. If Lucky could just clean the longpaw up, he’d look much healthier—just like his old self. But as Lucky stepped back, he saw that the skin beneath the dust was gray.The longpaw’s ragged breath was the faintest of whispers, barely stirring the fur on Lucky’s muzzle.The longpaw’s eyes flickered open, and with a groan of pain helifted his trembling free hand to pat Lucky’s head. Lucky nuzzledand licked him again, but the hand fell away, and the eyes closedonce more.
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“Wake up, longpaw,” Lucky whined softly, his tongue lashing the cold, pale face. “Wake up. . . .”Lucky waited. But the lips were still and cold.The whisper of breath was gone.
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CHAPtEr tHrEE
A yelp of despair shattered the
silence. Turning hurriedly away fromthe dead longpaw, Lucky stared at Sweet. Every hair on her sleek coat seemed to bristle with fear. Stiff-legged, she backed away, tailtight between her legs.“I don’t want your city!” she whined. “There’s death anddanger
everywhere.
I can’t stand it!”She let loose a howl of disgust and sprinted, making the doorswing wildly once again as she shot through it. Lucky scrambledafter her, knowing he had no hope of catching a swift-dog.But Sweet’s speed did her no favors in the close quarters of the steel room. She was hemmed in, dashing desperately fromreflection to distorted reflection, crashing wildly into the metalboxes, and skidding on the slick floor. When she slammed intoa wall in her terror, Lucky lunged forward and pinned her to theground.
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She squirmed beneath him, panicking, but Lucky kept hisforepaws firmly on her sweating flank, his eyes fixed on hers.“Calm down! You’re going to hurt yourself.”“I can’t stay. . . .” As Sweet’s barks fell away to anxious pants, Lucky let his weight gently flop down on her. “It’s nothing to be scared of,Sweet. He’s only dead.” He repeated what he was sure she already knew, hoping to calm her. “It’s a natural smell: the longpaw’s lifeforce. Just like when we die—our selves leave our bodies, becomepart of the world.”Lucky had been taught ever since he was a pup that that wasthe way of life and death. When a dog met his end and his body went to the Earth-Dog, his self floated up to meet all the scentsof the air, to mingle with them and become part of the whole world. That’s what was happening to the longpaw now, Lucky wascertain.Sweet’s flanks stopped heaving as her panting breathssubsided. Lucky could still see the whites of her wide, fearful eyes.He cautiously released her and she climbed to her feet. “I know that,” she growled. “But I don’t want to be anywhere near escaping longpaw spirits. I want to find as many dogs as we can. We needto track down other survivors, and get us all out of here
right now
!”
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“But there’s nothing we need to get away from—nothing willhurt us now, Sweet. The Food House fell on the longpaw in theBig Growl, that’s all. . . .” Lucky needed Sweet to trust him. If hecould reassure her, perhaps all of this would make sense to Lucky,too.“Where are the other longpaws?” Sweet barked, tossing herhead. “They’ve either run away or they’re dead, Lucky! I’m leaving this city, and I’m going to find a Pack. So should you!”Lucky opened his mouth to speak, but the words dried up inhis throat. He could only stare at her sadly. Sweet half-turned toleave, then froze with one paw raised and all her muscles tensed,eager to flee. She gazed at Lucky for a long moment, licking herlips uncertainly. “Aren’t you coming with me?”Lucky hesitated. The idea of a Pack didn’t appeal to him onebit, but—for some reason—he didn’t want Sweet to leave. He likedhaving her around. For the first time, he felt himself tremble atthe prospect of being alone. And she was waiting for him, earspricked, eyes hopeful. . . .He shook himself. He’d spent his whole life on these streets.That’s what he was—a Lone Dog.“I can’t.”“But you can’t stay here!” Sweet howled.
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“I told you: I’m not a Pack Dog. I never will be.”She gave a sharp bark of exasperation. “Dogs aren’t meant tobe alone!”Lucky gave her a regretful look. “
I
am.”Sweet sighed, and padded back to him. Fondly she licked hisface. Lucky nuzzled her in response, fighting down a mournful whine that wanted to erupt from his belly.“I’ll miss you,” she said quietly. Then she turned to wrigglethrough the door.Lucky padded forward. “You don’t have to . . .” But with a flash of her tail, she was gone. Lucky found himself staring at anempty space.For a while, Lucky didn’t feel like moving. He settled down onhis belly, chin resting on his forepaws as he listened to the click of Sweet’s claws on the ground, fading into the ruined emptiness of the streets. Even when he could hear her no longer, her scent stillclung to the air. He wished it would vanish—and take this terriblepang of loneliness with it.Lucky shut his eyes and tried to focus his mind on other things.But that just left the hunger.It was like a set of sharp teeth, gnawing and chewing at hisstomach. Lucky was almost relieved to feel the pain—at least it
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took his mind off Sweet.
That’s why I don’t let myself get close to other dogs,
he thought.Back in the room with the dead longpaw, Lucky sniffed andscratched in every corner, licking at crumbs and grease. Some of the broken things on the floor held smears of food, so he lappedat them, trying not to cut his tongue; then he leaped onto oneof the untoppled tables to find small scraps to nibble on. There was so little, and the tantalizing taste of it only made his stomachgrowl louder, the teeth bite harder. He didn’t go near the longpaw,forced himself not to look.
I’m on my own now. This is the way it should be.
The steel room would have food, he was sure—that was whatmust be in the metal boxes lined up around the walls. But when hescratched at them, they refused to open. Whimpering in hunger,he tugged and bit at the metal doors. They stuck firm. He flung his body against them. Nothing. It was no use: He was going tohave to wander farther, see what else he could find. At least he’d be in the open air again, he thought: free andeasy, the way he used to be. He had looked after himself just fineuntil now—and he would keep on doing that.Lucky headed back out into the alleyway. It seemed so muchemptier than before, and he found himself scampering as fast
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as he could across the rubble, until he reached the broad openspace beyond. Surely he’d find something here? It had alwaysbeen such a bustle of noise and energy, full of longpaws and theirloudcages.There were plenty of loudcages, sure enough, but none of them was moving and there was still not a longpaw in sight,friendly or otherwise. Some of the loudcages had fallen onto theirflanks—a big, long one had crashed its blunt snout into an empty space in the wall of a building, shattered pieces of clear-stoneglittering. Picking his way carefully through the shards, Lucky felthis hackles rise. The scent of longpaw was back in the air, but it was not comforting: It was the scent that had settled on the FoodHouse owner when he had grown still. The silence was oppressive,punctuated only by the steady drip and trickle of water. Above him the Sun-Dog, which had been so high and bright, was casting long shadows from the buildings that had withstoodthe Big Growl. Each time he passed through one of the pools of darkness, Lucky shivered and hurried back into the light. He keptmoving, the patches of light growing steadily smaller, the shadowslonger, and the ache of hunger in his belly sharper.
Maybe I should have gone with Sweet
. . .
No.
There was no point thinking that way. He was a Lone Dog
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again, and that was
good.
He turned and trotted determinedly down another alley.This was his city! There was
always
food and comfort to be hadhere. Even if he had to dig deep for the leftovers in Food Housespoil-boxes, or find another overturned smell-box in the road,there would be something the crows and the rats hadn’t found.He was self-reliant, independent Lucky.He was not going to starve.Lucky drew to a stop as he got his bearings. This alley wasn’tas damaged by the Big Growl as other places, but there was onedeep, vicious crack running up the middle of it, and two spoil-boxes had been knocked flying. There might be a real feast
there,if he rummaged. Lucky bounded up to the nearest one—thenfroze, nerves crackling beneath his fur. The scent was sharp andstrong, and he knew it well.
Enemy!
Lips peeling back from his teeth, he sniffed the air to pinpointthe creature. Above him was a set of slender steps going up a wall,and his instincts pulled his eyes, ears, and nose toward it: That was the kind of place where this enemy liked to lurk, ready topounce, needle-claws raking.There it was: striped fur bristling, pointed ears laid flat,
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and tiny, glinting fangs bared. Its low, threatening growl waspunctuated by vicious hissing as it crouched, every muscle taut forits attack.
Sharpclaw!
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CHAPtEr FOur
The green-yellow eyes glared down at
Lucky. He fought to suppress thetight ball of nerves in his belly even as his neck fur lifted. Thesharpclaw would smell fear, he knew that; it would sense any hesitation—but Lucky would not hesitate.His lips pulled back from his teeth and he raised his head tobark the most ferocious bark he could muster.
I’m dangerous, too, sharpclaw. . . .
It got to its feet, stiff-legged and swollen to what seemed liketwice its size, fur standing on end all over its arched body. Onepaw almost lifted, claws unsheathed and ready to strike. Lucky told himself not to look away and trained his gaze determinedly on the other animal, deepening his snarl.Its growling and hissing were ferocious now, and Lucky feltsharpclaw spit land on his nose. The creature launched itself fromthe rickety ladder, and Lucky forced himself to hold his ground
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as the sharpclaw landed lightly, perfectly, on a half-wreckedloudcage. It drew itself up with a lethal glare. And then the loudcage woke up.Raucous wails ripped the air as it screamed and howled,flashing its orange eyes and its white ones. For an instant, bothLucky and the sharpclaw were startled into frozen silence. Then,at the same instant, they bolted.Panic lent Lucky speed, despite his injured paw, but it madehim breathless, too. He found himself yelping as he ran, the shriek of the loudcage almost drowning him out. Careening around a corner, Lucky ran as hard as he could away from loudcages andhigh buildings.There in his path stood another sharpclaw. It was as black asno-sun, and as rigid as a tree.Lucky didn’t even slow down. The sharpclaw’s ears flattenedand it opened its mouth in a snarl. Lucky darted to one side,racing around it, growling, his hackles up. He had to end thisfight—quickly. He launched himself into the air, landing on hisenemy. Almost immediately he lost his footing and found himself tumbling with the sharpclaw, which yowled in panic. One flailing claw caught Lucky’s shoulder with a glancing scratch.Rolling to his feet, paws scrabbling, he saw the black sharpclaw
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racing down a nearby alley. It had clearly decided escape was moreimportant than fighting—Lucky’s attack had worked, howeverfumbling. Panting, his legs trembling beneath him, Lucky blinkedand listened to the silence. The loudcage had stopped howling.Well,
of course
it had. They always did in the end.Lucky felt a pang of hurt pride as his flanks twitched andcalmed. Lucky—Lone Dog, Street Dog, City Dog—scared of a loudcage howl! He was glad Old Hunter hadn’t witnessed
that
!
But he quickly shook it off. That was the reflex of a proper LoneDog. The moment’s slight embarrassment gave way to pride. He was still on his paw-tips, smart and streetwise as ever. No Growl,Big or Small, could take that away from him.Lucky felt his muscles stop shivering. He trotted on; this roadseemed to lead away from the once-crowded center, and that wasa good direction for the moment. It was his own decision, his ownchoice: one of the big advantages of being a Lone Dog.Lucky glanced around with curiosity as he walked toward theedge of the city where most of the longpaws lived; it didn’t seemquite as bad here. There wasn’t so much to shatter; these longpaw houses didn’t have as far to topple. At last he stopped, turning a circle and eyeing his surroundings.This was one of those streets where longpaws lived and slept. And
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it wasn’t the kind where the longpaws lived piled on top of oneanother in stone cages . . . no, here the longpaw houses were setin neat little squares of garden that were full of intriguing smells. And the most intriguing of them all was . . .Lucky opened his jaws, pricked his ears, and eagerly sniffedthe air. Elusive but distinct, the scent made his stomach churn with anticipation.
Food!
He bounded toward its source. Meat! Meat was cooking onone of those metal longpaw fireboxes! The invisible fires thatmade the raw meat turn dark, that made the food-smell so strong and tangy and
. . .
A bird clattered from a tree with a flap of black wings, bringing him to a startled halt. He needed to slow down. Hunger should notmake him reckless. He knew from experience not every longpaw was friendly when it came to food. Some of them were reluctantto share, protecting their food the way Mother-Dogs protectedtheir pups.Still, he wasn’t about to give up altogether. At a more cautiouspace he padded forward, his fur bristling all over with longing. Hecould almost taste the food now, feel it filling his belly, warm andsatisfying. Not far now!
Not far!
He paused in the shadow of a stunted tree, his tongue lolling,
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jaw wide and grinning, his tail thumping the ground hard and fast.There it was: a rundown wooden longpaw house, set in overgrowngrass and shaded by straggly branches. And there was the firebox,gently sizzling and steaming. And there was the longpaw—well-fed, by the look of him, with a belly that bulged right through hisfur. And there—also looking well-fed—was his Fierce Dog.They were both snoozing in the shade, the longpaw sprawledon a raised surface by the firebox, the Fierce Dog lying at his feet.Lucky knew its kind from many a tussle over food. It wasn’t very big, but it was deep-chested and heavy-jawed and, probably, short-tempered.But maybe this one would be happy to share?Lucky hesitated, catching a tiny whine in his throat. Thefood-smell was so tempting, but . . .Why were they here? Weren’t all the longpaws gone, or dead,like the friendly one in the Food House? Why hadn’t this longpaw left, too? Dozing beneath the Sun-Dog like this, he seemed not tohave noticed the Big Growl at all.Or maybe this
longpaw
was
dead, and so was his Fierce Dog?Lucky sniffed the air uncertainly. The strong tang of grilling meatcould have been masking the death-smell. . . .
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Warily Lucky took a pace forward, then two, his tail raised,his muzzle dripping with eagerness. He licked his chops. Neitherthe longpaw nor his dog moved.He had to try. Close to the firebox now, Lucky eyed a chunk of sizzling meat. The distance and angle were just about right. . . .He lunged.The longpaw’s eyes flew open, and he leaped to his feet,brandishing a stick. His barks stung Lucky’s ears. The Fierce Dog had woken too, springing to the attack position, legs stiff as heunleashed a furious volley of fight-barks.“GET BACK! It’s MINE! Want to fight me for it? FIGHTME OR
RUN
!”Lucky was no match for the longpaw’s stick, let alone for theFierce Dog and its savage jaws. Turning tail, he bolted from thegarden, sharp terror overwhelming the gnawing ache of hunger.He leaped a crumbling wall and raced down the hard road.He was sure the Fierce Dog must be chasing him, but he didn’tdare turn to look. If the Fierce Dog caught him, he wouldn’t standa chance. His paws skidded on the broken and uneven ground,almost tripping him. Panting, heart thrashing, fear biting hard athis guts, he bolted along a road that seemed never to end.Until it did.
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Blackness opened before him. He automatically flung his weight sideways, halting his momentum, his haunches scraping painfully on the rough road surface. His claws rattled againstunyielding stone, his tail lashed over hideous emptiness, and atlast he stopped, aching with terror and pain. His injured paw throbbed with each beat of his heart, and Lucky was sure the wound had opened again.He raised his head. He was lying on his flank on the brink of a vast black hole in the earth. He scrambled to his feet and loweredhis head to sniff fearfully at the crack in the road. It was widerthan he was long, and the bottom was hidden by shadows thickerthan clouds.Bristling, he took a nervous step away, then shook himself,and risked another look. Was Earth-Dog down there, waiting forhim as she once waited for Lightning? Would she spring suddenly from the darkness and drag him down? He was almost afraid topeer closer, but he found it hard to believe that Earth-Dog hadlet the Big Growl happen. Why would she let it destroy her ownhome? Perhaps Earth-Dog, too, was afraid of the Growl. . . .Lucky found himself trembling, but there was no movementfrom within the black depths, no sinister snarling. Breathing deeply, he paced along the edge, feeling his courage return.
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He had to get around this hole. He loped first one way, thenthe other. Panic began to rise in his chest again. There was no endto it: It extended through gardens as far as he could see in bothdirections. Even a longpaw house had collapsed into it, leaving rooms on each side open to the sky. Back and forth he ran again, yipping with desperation.He didn’t dare go much farther; there were trees ahead thatobscured his view of the crack, but they were distant, and as far ashe could see the gap only seemed to get wider. It was too big a risk.Street Dogs were more sensible than that.Then, not far enough in the distance, he heard the FierceDog’s voice.“You!
Food-stealer!
I’ll teach you a lesson!
Come back and try that again!
”Lucky stood still, pricking his ears toward the furious barking.Thank the Sky-Dogs his new enemy liked to talk so much; if hehad more breath to spare he might have caught Lucky by now. Butthe Fierce Dog was going to catch him soon. . . .There was nothing else he could do. Lucky hurtled back the way he’d come, hearing his pursuer lumbering closer all the time.He had to give himself a good running start, because he wouldonly get one chance to clear this chasm.
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He had to hope he could live up to his name.He spun to face the opening again, and began to race. Fasterand faster, his paws flew across the ground. As the bottomlesscrack opened before him, he launched himself from the edge. Now,there was nothing below his belly but death and blackness. . . .The Earth-Dog waiting to swallow him . . .He landed hard. He tumbled and rolled, welcoming the painhe felt in his paw and bones.
He was alive!For long moments he let himself lie there, his flanks heaving as he shut his eyes and felt the deep relief flood him. There was no way the stocky Fierce Dog could clear that great rip in the earth.He was safe!Safe . . . but starving.Lucky’s hunger returned, as painful as being kicked in the gutby a cruel longpaw.Desperate and miserable, he laid his head on his paws and whimpered softly to himself. He was alone. Alone, lost, andscared.Maybe he should have gone with Sweet. . . .But then what? They might
both
be starving by now, and he’dhave a second belly to fill. This way, Lucky had only himself tolook after. And he had always been
good at that.
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As he rose to a shaky standing position, though, his ears werelow and his tail was between his legs. He needed food, and soon.The shadows had lengthened even more, swallowing the lastpatches of light; the blackness of no-sun would soon be here, andhe knew he shouldn’t stay in the open.Slowly, painfully, he slunk into an alley and began to hunt fora sleeping-place. As he sniffed at doors and gaps in the rubble, hecouldn’t help thinking about that terrible void in the Earth. HadSweet, too, come upon such a crack? He hoped she hadn’t slippedinto the Earth’s jaws, as he nearly had. . . .He crossed three separate roads, all the while limping badly,before he finally found a wrecked loudcage whose door hung loose. Lucky barely had the strength to haul himself into it, buthe was rewarded with a scrap of shiny silver paper that smelled of food. It felt tinny and strange against his teeth but when he peeledit open, there was a piece of stale bread with old-smelling meattucked inside. A longpaw had taken a bite of it, no more.It wasn’t firebox steak, but it would calm the raging hungerjust a little. Gratefully Lucky wolfed it down, then licked andchewed the last scraps from the paper, not caring that he wasswallowing bits of that as well.Lucky raised his head and closed his eyes, quietly thanking
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the Sky-Dogs for that small morsel of luck. Feeling a little better,he paced a tiny circle in his familiar sleep-ritual, then curled up,tucking his tail around him.
Please, Earth-Dog, keep the Big Growl silent during this no-sun
.Settling his head on his forelegs, he licked as well as he couldat his sore paw until sleep overwhelmed him.
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CHAPtEr FivE
That sound . . . what was it . . . ? The Big Growl—back to finish him off?The noise filled his skull, stung his ears, made his head ache. Not just thehowling and snarling that seemed to echo from every direction; worse, therewas the savage ripping of flesh, the snap of vicious jaws.The sound of dogs, fighting. Fighting to the death . . .Could it be the Storm of Dogs? Was it here? No, it couldn’t be—couldn’t—Pressing himself to the ground, lowering his ears, Lucky whimpered his fear and horror. It was coming to swamp him. Just like the Big Growl.There was no escape. He had to turn and face the Storm, and fight for hislife—But as he leaped to his paws and spun to face the savage warrior hounds, he saw—nothing. Nothing but more darkness, emptiness, as gaping a void as thehole in the earth that he’d leaped. And all he could hear was a distant, fading, terrifying howl—
* * *
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He woke with a start.
Sweet!
No. Sweet wasn’t here now. And it was a dream. The Storm of Dogs had been nothing buta dream . . . except that it had felt so real. Sounded and smelled soreal. Was it hunger-madness, or was it worse than that—a visionof something that was yet to come . . . ?
Nonsense
. He couldn’t afford to think of such things. Tired andstiff and sore, Lucky recognized the hiding place he’d crawled intolast night. It smelled of hot metal, of tanned hide and the strangejuice the longpaws fed their loudcages. The Sun-Dog was shining,but he still missed the warmth of Sweet at his back. The lonelinessfelt like a great stone in his belly. For a moment he wanted to bay his misery out loud to the empty blue sky.He didn’t know where he was or where he was going. Perhapseven a Lone Dog sometimes needed a traveling companion:someone to hunt with, sleep beside, someone to watch his back.Someone he too could protect.
No.
He walked
alone
,
and he liked it.The heat in the loudcage was growing stifling, his hungerunbearable. Slinking out, he glanced once in each direction, thenset off hesitantly down the side street. And just at that moment,something black took off above his head with a clatter of wings.
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Pausing to pant and lick his dry chops, Lucky stared up at thecrow; it didn’t fly far. It flapped and perched on a broken metalpipe that led down from the roof of the longpaw home. Theremust have been water caught there, because it dipped its black beak to the pipe and drank. Then it cocked its head and eyed himdirectly.It was just like the crow that had flown out of the tree yester-day, warning Lucky to be careful. It might even be the same one.
Don’t be silly. All crows look alike!
Lucky scolded himself. Still . . .that crow yesterday had appeared at just the right moment, or he’dhave run headlong into the jaws of the Fierce Dog. Maybe it hadbeen sent by the Sky-Dogs to warn him; it certainly seemed to be watching him very closely. He raised his gaze to the bird’s, and yipped with respect.It tilted its head to the other side, gave a caw, and flappedlazily away.Half-sorry to see the bird go, half-glad it wasn’t staring athim any longer, Lucky set off again, taking a shortcut through thenarrowest of alleys and emerging onto a broad avenue. On eitherside were large longpaw homes that had crumbled into piles of dust and rock. The power of the Big Growl was displayed here forany dog to fear.
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