Darkness Falls by Erin Hunter Page B

their soft-hide. One had a puddle of water at its bottom; the other held a few crumbs of dried meat. Lucky dimly remembered that pups weren’t supposed to go more than a few hours without food. They were probably starving.
    He crouched in front of the pups, his posture low and unthreatening.
    â€œMy name is Lucky. My friend’s name is Mickey. We want to help you. What are your names?”
    The three pups stared at Lucky. Did they understand everything he’d just said? He had no idea.
    â€œYou’re not part of our Pack! You shouldn’t be here!” one of the male pups yapped.
    â€œDon’t you have names?” Lucky asked.
    None of them answered.
    Lucky watched them. If they didn’t have names they had to be very young. They needed help—pups this young could not hunt for their food. They would starve to death very quickly.
    He glanced at Mickey, who was standing a couple of paces behind him, then turned back to the pups. “We know you must be hungry,” Lucky went on. “We will help you, but we can’t stay here. There’s nothing to eat. We’ll take you somewhere safe, with lots of good food, and space to play in.”
    The female pup yipped, her eyes widening hopefully. Her thin tail gave a shy wag and she took a clumsy step toward Lucky. At her side, the smallest pup, a male, whined and licked his lips. He shook his head, revealing a tufty neck that gave him a softer appearance than his littermates.
    Only the last pup, the stout male, still looked suspicious. “Go away! You’re not supposed to be here!” he barked angrily. When Lucky approached he snarled and drew back. Lucky glanced beneath his paws at the wooden boards. Somewhere underneath this doghouse, the pups’ Mother-Dog lay dead.
    Their introduction to the world was the death of their Mother-Dog , thought Lucky, his chest tightening with sympathy as he remembered his own Mother-Dog. No wonder this pup was so distrustful.
    â€œI understand,” Lucky said, trying his best to sound calm despite a sudden urge to howl in pity. “Really, I do. I was separated from my Mother-Dog when I was a pup, just like you. I still miss her and think about her.” He lowered his muzzle, his ears low.
    Even the suspicious pup had stopped barking and all three of them watched Lucky with wide brown eyes.
    â€œYour Mother-Dog has passed now,” Lucky whined. “The best thing you can do is give her over to the Earth-Dog.”
    The pups watched him, confusion on their dark, pointed faces.
    â€œWho is the Earth-Dog?” asked the female.
    Mickey stepped forward to whine in Lucky’s ear. “If their Pack’s left them behind, we need to make sure they’re with dogs who know how to look after pups. I think we should take them to the Wild Pack.”
    Lucky shuffled his paws apprehensively. If he wasn’t welcome in the Pack by himself, how would Alpha react if he came back and brought three Fierce Dog pups with him? “They won’t like it,” he said slowly.
    â€œNo . . . but what else can we do?”
    It’s true , thought Lucky. These pups need to be around dogs who understand how to take care of them. Dogs like Moon .
    Lucky touched Mickey’s muzzle with his nose. “We’ll bring them with us,” he agreed.
    He turned back to the pups. “The Earth-Dog is one of the Spirit Dogs,” he told them. “We can tell you about the Earth-Dog along the way.”
    â€œWe have to stay here,” the larger male growled.
    â€œI don’t want to leave Mother,” added the female. “I don’t want to give her to any dog!”
    Lucky’s chest tightened. He settled down in front of the pups. “I’m sorry. I know how hard this must be for you. I was so sad when I had to say good-bye to my Mother-Dog. But only Earth-Dog can look after her now.”
    The pups gazed at him, wide-eyed.
    â€œWill we be able to see