Sky Wolves Read Free Page A

maybe that was the third sign.
    Afterwards they went on playing. Sam threw the dart and Jenny caught it, no matter where he threw it, how high or how far.
    ‘Jenny – you’re amazing!’ he said, and just then the doorbell rang, and Jenny shot backwards, barking, under a chair.
    It was Aunty Dot, who had pedalled all the way across the city on her bike to see them.
    ‘I thought we’d take her out, first thing, before it’s too busy,’ she said, and she propped the bike up in the hallway and followed Sam into the front room.
    ‘Watch this, Aunty Dot!’ he said, and he threw the mistletoe dart high into the air.
    ‘Look out!’ said Aunty Dot, but before it could strike anything, Jenny leapt. She flew straight over the back of the settee, caught the dart in her jaws and descended again gracefully to the carpet.
    ‘Goodness!’ said Aunty Dot, and then ‘My word!’ as she did it again. ‘Well, there can’t be much wrong with her hip,’ she added, as Jenny bounded over the high-backed chair.
    ‘It doesn’t matter where I throw it,’ Sam said, ‘she always catches it!’
    ‘Impressive,’ said Aunty Dot, and she patted Jenny’s head vigorously.
    Jenny put up with this politely, but then Sam said, ‘You have a go,’ and as soon as he handed the dart to Aunty Dot, Jenny put back her ears and growled.
    It was an astonishing growl. It rattled all the ornaments on the mantelpiece, and the books and videos on the shelves. The shelves themselves started shaking, the coffee table rattled and the high-backed chair juddered towards the centre of the room.
    Aunty Dot clutched her hat, which she could feel was about to fly off. ‘Oh dear,’ she said. ‘Oh, my word,’ for she had a sudden, fleeting vision of volcanoes erupting and continents shifting deep within their oceanic beds.
    But Sam was beaming up at her proudly.
    ‘She does that an’ all,’ he said.
    ‘Well!’ said Aunty Dot, once she had got her breath back. ‘I don’t think she wants me to have it.’ She gave the dart back to Sam, and instantly the thunderous growling stopped and Jenny wagged her tail.
    ‘Well,’ said Aunty Dot again, ‘I think we’d better takeher out for a walk,’ and from her shoulder bag she produced a collar and lead.
    ‘Cool!’ said Sam. ‘Can I hold them?’
    ‘You’d better get dressed first,’ said Aunty Dot. ‘And tell your mum where you’re going.’
    Sam ran upstairs, where his mother was still in bed. Aunty Dot eyed the little dog intently and Jenny eyed her back.
    ‘You’re not quite what you seem, are you?’ Aunty Dot murmured, bending forward and removing her spectacles. ‘I wonder what your real name is and where you’ve come from. And what that dart is for.’
    Jenny stared at Aunty Dot as though she had never seen her before. Without her glasses she was transformed. White light streamed from her face, which suddenly seemed not elderly and kindly, but magnificent and ageless. Her eyes radiated darkness, while pale fire streamed from her lips. It was obvious to Jenny that Aunty Dot too was not what she seemed.
    Sam came thundering down the stairs again.
    ‘Can I put the collar on her?’ he said.
    ‘Yes, I think you’d better,’ Aunty Dot replied, replacing her glasses.
    There followed a short interlude during which both Sam and Aunty Dot tried to get the collar on Jenny, and Jenny responded by running round in circles, twisting out of reach, rolling over and finally backing into a corner under the chair.
    It was as if she didn’t know what a collar was.
    ‘Right,’ said Aunty Dot, out of both patience and breath. ‘I think I know what’s going on. She’s nervous of traffic,since I clipped her last night. It’s quite understandable, poor thing. But she’ll have to get used to it. See if she’ll let you pick her up.’
    As before, Jenny seemed quite happy to be picked up by Sam. He tucked her under his arm and followed Aunty Dot to the hallway, standing to one side of the bike as she