couldn’t speak. She blinked away the tears in her eyes. Then she turned to look at him.
“Stay close to your sisters,” said Keeva. “Remember your father, Argal—the fiercest, fightingest dog that ever I saw—and be brave.”
Furgul smelled something foul—something evil—and turned his head.
Dedbone and the Gambler were coming back across the yard. Between them they carried a brown cardboard box that was almost as big as a cage. In the crook of Dedbone’s arm was a double-barreled shotgun. Furgul had seen him use it to kill crows.
Furgul turned back to his mother.
“Sure, Mam.” He swallowed the fear in his throat. “Whatever you say.”
C HAPTER T WO
THE BOX
A s soon as Dedbone opened the door of the cage with his huge meaty hand, he slapped Furgul aside and grabbed Keeva by her collar, then shoved a muzzle on her snout so she couldn’t bite him. Eena and Nessa and Brid whimpered with terror. Furgul, dazed by the blow, watched Keeva howl and struggle as Dedbone dragged her from the whelping cage and locked her in a nearby crate. The sound of her cries broke Furgul’s heart. He was small and weak and he didn’t know what to do. Then he saw that Dedbone had left the whelping cage open. Furgul slipped out the door, past the fat, slavering Bulls, and ran toward Keeva.
“Mam!” barked Furgul. “Mam!”
“No!” barked Keeva through the bars. “Run away!”
Furgul sank his teeth into Dedbone’s ankle. But his teethcouldn’t penetrate the leather. Dedbone laughed and kicked him in the chest with a steel-toed boot. Furgul flew through the air, gasping with the pain. Tic and Tac came after him and laughed as they gouged his ears and face with their big yellow fangs. They could have ripped him apart but they wanted to torment him. Furgul fought back, his own fangs flashing, and ripped open one of Tic’s nostrils. Tic backed away with a whimper of shock. Then Dedbone kicked Furgul in the head, and everything went dark.
When Furgul came to his senses, he was inside the big cardboard box that Dedbone and the Gambler had brought with them. Inside the box with him were Eena, Nessa and Brid. The top of the box was closed, and Furgul heard ripping sounds as the flaps were sealed shut. Then the pups tumbled about as the box was lifted from the ground and carried away.
Furgul could hear the masters panting and puffing. Once, the masters dropped the box and the pups were thrown into a squirming tangle in the blackness. Furgul heard Dedbone cursing him and his sisters in his bitter, hateful voice. The Bulls barked with glee. The box rocked over and almost caved in as Dedbone kicked it with his boot, and the pups bounced around inside in a state of panic.
Nessa and Eena and Brid cried out in fear, and one of them—or maybe all three—peed all over the place. Furgul didn’t blame them. He kept telling himself:
Be brave. Be brave
. But he no longer knew what being brave meant, or what goodit could possibly do them. The masters picked up the box again and on they went.
A moment later the box flew through the air and landed with a dull clang on something metallic. Doors opened and slammed. There came a roar and a tremble and a shudder. A burning, choking smell filled Furgul’s nostrils. Then everything moved forward and they swerved first one way and then another. Faster and faster they moved, with more and more roars and shudders. Furgul realized they must be on the pickup truck. He noticed a beam of light coming into the box through a rip in the cardboard on one side. He stood on his hind legs and put his eye to the rip and looked outside.
Green fields and blue skies whizzed by. In the distance he saw that the big wire fence that surrounded Dedbone’s Hole was already far behind. Behind the wire he saw the long stacks of greyhound crates and the squalid cage where he and his sisters had been born.
“What’s happening?” cried Eena.
“Where are we going?” asked Brid.
“I want to go back to
“Stay close to your sisters,” said Keeva. “Remember your father, Argal—the fiercest, fightingest dog that ever I saw—and be brave.”
Furgul smelled something foul—something evil—and turned his head.
Dedbone and the Gambler were coming back across the yard. Between them they carried a brown cardboard box that was almost as big as a cage. In the crook of Dedbone’s arm was a double-barreled shotgun. Furgul had seen him use it to kill crows.
Furgul turned back to his mother.
“Sure, Mam.” He swallowed the fear in his throat. “Whatever you say.”
C HAPTER T WO
THE BOX
A s soon as Dedbone opened the door of the cage with his huge meaty hand, he slapped Furgul aside and grabbed Keeva by her collar, then shoved a muzzle on her snout so she couldn’t bite him. Eena and Nessa and Brid whimpered with terror. Furgul, dazed by the blow, watched Keeva howl and struggle as Dedbone dragged her from the whelping cage and locked her in a nearby crate. The sound of her cries broke Furgul’s heart. He was small and weak and he didn’t know what to do. Then he saw that Dedbone had left the whelping cage open. Furgul slipped out the door, past the fat, slavering Bulls, and ran toward Keeva.
“Mam!” barked Furgul. “Mam!”
“No!” barked Keeva through the bars. “Run away!”
Furgul sank his teeth into Dedbone’s ankle. But his teethcouldn’t penetrate the leather. Dedbone laughed and kicked him in the chest with a steel-toed boot. Furgul flew through the air, gasping with the pain. Tic and Tac came after him and laughed as they gouged his ears and face with their big yellow fangs. They could have ripped him apart but they wanted to torment him. Furgul fought back, his own fangs flashing, and ripped open one of Tic’s nostrils. Tic backed away with a whimper of shock. Then Dedbone kicked Furgul in the head, and everything went dark.
When Furgul came to his senses, he was inside the big cardboard box that Dedbone and the Gambler had brought with them. Inside the box with him were Eena, Nessa and Brid. The top of the box was closed, and Furgul heard ripping sounds as the flaps were sealed shut. Then the pups tumbled about as the box was lifted from the ground and carried away.
Furgul could hear the masters panting and puffing. Once, the masters dropped the box and the pups were thrown into a squirming tangle in the blackness. Furgul heard Dedbone cursing him and his sisters in his bitter, hateful voice. The Bulls barked with glee. The box rocked over and almost caved in as Dedbone kicked it with his boot, and the pups bounced around inside in a state of panic.
Nessa and Eena and Brid cried out in fear, and one of them—or maybe all three—peed all over the place. Furgul didn’t blame them. He kept telling himself:
Be brave. Be brave
. But he no longer knew what being brave meant, or what goodit could possibly do them. The masters picked up the box again and on they went.
A moment later the box flew through the air and landed with a dull clang on something metallic. Doors opened and slammed. There came a roar and a tremble and a shudder. A burning, choking smell filled Furgul’s nostrils. Then everything moved forward and they swerved first one way and then another. Faster and faster they moved, with more and more roars and shudders. Furgul realized they must be on the pickup truck. He noticed a beam of light coming into the box through a rip in the cardboard on one side. He stood on his hind legs and put his eye to the rip and looked outside.
Green fields and blue skies whizzed by. In the distance he saw that the big wire fence that surrounded Dedbone’s Hole was already far behind. Behind the wire he saw the long stacks of greyhound crates and the squalid cage where he and his sisters had been born.
“What’s happening?” cried Eena.
“Where are we going?” asked Brid.
“I want to go back to
Similar Books
Woman Walks into a Bar
Rowan Coleman
Gunship
J. J. Snow
The Portable William Blake
William Blake
Lady of Fire
Anita Mills
Under the Gun (CEP Book 3)
Harper Bentley
Inner Diva
Laurie Larsen
State of Wonder
Ann Patchett
The Cape Ann
Faith Sullivan
Bombshell (AN FBI THRILLER)
Catherine Coulter
The Wrong Sister
Kris Pearson