glimpse into the swirling air, he was relieved to see thelongpaw reaching his paws over the edge of the pit and scrambling up the stick onto the ground. He rolled onto his side, stunned and panting for breath.
Lucky looked around. The last of the orange longpaws were scrambling up the strips of fur into the bellies of the giant birds. Lucky shouted to Mickey over the noise, âIf he doesnât go now, theyâll leave without him!â
Mickey was quick to understand. He rushed to the longpawâs side and licked his rough orange fur to revive him. Then he started to head-butt the exhausted longpaw, whining as loudly as he could.
The longpaw no longer seemed to be afraid of Mickey. He rose to a sitting position and reached for the Farm Dog, resting an orange paw across his head.
Mickey whined louder and the longpaw looked around, then seemed to come to his senses. Stumbling onto his hind legs, he started to run with lurching steps, making for the last of the giant birds, which was lifting itself into the sky.
I guess thatâs all poor Mickey gets for gratitude, thought Lucky bitterly. A pat on the head for saving his life.
But as the longpaw reached the strip of fur dangling from the giant bird, he turned around. He stared at the dogs, then reached out his foreleg, barking and beckoning to Mickey. It was clearly an offer.
Snap whined, her tail between her legs.
Lucky felt a whine rising in his throat. Heâll go with the longpaw! Itâs all heâs ever wanted.
Mickeyâs tail thrashed, and he panted at the longpaw. Then he turned and ran back to the other dogs. He didnât even watch as the longpaw climbed the strip of fur and was helped by others into the belly of the bird, which then rose into the air and flew away toward the forest and far into the distance.
Lucky was astonished. âYouâve always wanted to be with longpaws, and now, when you had a chance to go with them, you didnât take it!â
âHe wasnât my longpaw,â Mickey barked. âAnd anyway, things have changed. Iâm not the same dog that I used to be. I donât belong with longpaws anymore. I belong with my Pack.â
Lucky panted happily. Theyâve all come such a long way, he thought, bursting with pride. Not even Sunshine was watching the retreating loudbirds as they disappeared with their bellies full of longpaws. Lucky felt a warm flush of affection for all these dogs, who had once resisted losing their leashes and had mourned for so long for their lives before the Big Growl.
The Growl!
Lucky came to his senses. This was no time to relax. The earth was shaking harder, and water was fizzing and spluttering from the yawning gaps in the hardstone street. He cast a wary eye toward the Endless Lake. The water was lifting and bucking furiously, rising in the distance and channeling toward land with great speed.
âItâs time to go!â he barked.
As the dogs turned toward the banks of the lake and the jagged path to their camp, a deep rumbling rose from the cliff. They watched, ears pricked and bodies tense, as rocks started tumbling from the cliff face.
âOur path home!â barked Mickey, wild-eyed.
Luckyâs pulse raced in his ears. âThe rest of the Pack is up there!â he yelped.
The jutting edge of the cliff gave a furious growl and collapsed into the lake.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lucky stared at the swirling clouds of dust and dirt that floated around the broken cliff. His heart throbbed with tension. He could think of only one thing: Sweet! She was up there, on the cliff, with the rest of their Pack. Were they far enough from the cliff face? Were they safe?
âThe lake!â barked Bella.
The dogs spun around to see the bubbling, frantic waters. The giant white wave was charging toward the bank, building every moment, sucking the water nearby into itself. At first it was the size of a loudcage, then a loudbird, then a longpaw house.
âLake-Dog
Lucky looked around. The last of the orange longpaws were scrambling up the strips of fur into the bellies of the giant birds. Lucky shouted to Mickey over the noise, âIf he doesnât go now, theyâll leave without him!â
Mickey was quick to understand. He rushed to the longpawâs side and licked his rough orange fur to revive him. Then he started to head-butt the exhausted longpaw, whining as loudly as he could.
The longpaw no longer seemed to be afraid of Mickey. He rose to a sitting position and reached for the Farm Dog, resting an orange paw across his head.
Mickey whined louder and the longpaw looked around, then seemed to come to his senses. Stumbling onto his hind legs, he started to run with lurching steps, making for the last of the giant birds, which was lifting itself into the sky.
I guess thatâs all poor Mickey gets for gratitude, thought Lucky bitterly. A pat on the head for saving his life.
But as the longpaw reached the strip of fur dangling from the giant bird, he turned around. He stared at the dogs, then reached out his foreleg, barking and beckoning to Mickey. It was clearly an offer.
Snap whined, her tail between her legs.
Lucky felt a whine rising in his throat. Heâll go with the longpaw! Itâs all heâs ever wanted.
Mickeyâs tail thrashed, and he panted at the longpaw. Then he turned and ran back to the other dogs. He didnât even watch as the longpaw climbed the strip of fur and was helped by others into the belly of the bird, which then rose into the air and flew away toward the forest and far into the distance.
Lucky was astonished. âYouâve always wanted to be with longpaws, and now, when you had a chance to go with them, you didnât take it!â
âHe wasnât my longpaw,â Mickey barked. âAnd anyway, things have changed. Iâm not the same dog that I used to be. I donât belong with longpaws anymore. I belong with my Pack.â
Lucky panted happily. Theyâve all come such a long way, he thought, bursting with pride. Not even Sunshine was watching the retreating loudbirds as they disappeared with their bellies full of longpaws. Lucky felt a warm flush of affection for all these dogs, who had once resisted losing their leashes and had mourned for so long for their lives before the Big Growl.
The Growl!
Lucky came to his senses. This was no time to relax. The earth was shaking harder, and water was fizzing and spluttering from the yawning gaps in the hardstone street. He cast a wary eye toward the Endless Lake. The water was lifting and bucking furiously, rising in the distance and channeling toward land with great speed.
âItâs time to go!â he barked.
As the dogs turned toward the banks of the lake and the jagged path to their camp, a deep rumbling rose from the cliff. They watched, ears pricked and bodies tense, as rocks started tumbling from the cliff face.
âOur path home!â barked Mickey, wild-eyed.
Luckyâs pulse raced in his ears. âThe rest of the Pack is up there!â he yelped.
The jutting edge of the cliff gave a furious growl and collapsed into the lake.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lucky stared at the swirling clouds of dust and dirt that floated around the broken cliff. His heart throbbed with tension. He could think of only one thing: Sweet! She was up there, on the cliff, with the rest of their Pack. Were they far enough from the cliff face? Were they safe?
âThe lake!â barked Bella.
The dogs spun around to see the bubbling, frantic waters. The giant white wave was charging toward the bank, building every moment, sucking the water nearby into itself. At first it was the size of a loudcage, then a loudbird, then a longpaw house.
âLake-Dog
Similar Books
