Storm of Dogs Read Free Page A

have: the dreams about the Storm of Dogs. When he opened them, he thought he saw a flash of dark fur slip between the trees.
    Lucky’s breath caught in his throat. He blinked, peering at the trees. Had he imagined it? He trod stealthily over the frost, doing his best to stay quiet. There was no scent on the air, and no paw prints were etched in the hard ground. He examined the circle of trees, his muzzle low. There was no sign of an unfamiliar dog, but Lucky knew he’d seen someone. His hackles rose as his eyes traced the horizon.
    Was some dog here, spying on me?
    Rising from the valley, Lucky could hear the yaps of the Wild Pack—they must have finished their training session. It was strange and unsettling to hear them sounding so cheerful and at ease when tension was skittering through Lucky’s belly like ants. With a last glance over his shoulder, he turned tail and made his way back to the camp.

CHAPTER TWO
    By the time Lucky was past the pond and hurrying toward the clearing near the rear of the camp, the Sun-Dog was high in the sky, bounding over the low trees and brushing away the clouds with his golden tail. The air that drifted under him was bitterly cold, and Lucky gazed up a moment, confused. Why does the Sun-Dog’s heat feel so far away during Ice Wind?
    He remembered the dark flash of fur that he thought he’d seen between the trees, and his pace quickened. It was probably nothing to worry about, but Sweet needed to know.
    As Lucky arrived in the clearing, he was surprised to find the Pack gathered in an anxious circle. Sweet gave a sharp bark when she saw him and lifted her muzzle inreproach. “Where have you been ?”
    Lucky dipped his head, giving her a conciliatory lick on the nose. “I went for a walk.” He was about to mention the dark-furred dog he’d spotted when Sweet cut in.
    â€œDart and Moon have just come back from a patrol, and they’ve seen something . . . strange .”
    Moon stepped forward, her blue eyes sharp. “We were patrolling the perimeter of the town down by the Endless Lake.”
    Lucky flexed his whiskers. “Just the two of you? You shouldn’t go there without a bigger patrol—you know that’s where the Fierce Dogs have made their camp.”
    The Farm Dog raised her white muzzle. “That’s just it. We didn’t smell any Fierce Dogs.”
    â€œIt’s like they just vanished ,” Dart put in. The skinny brown-and-white chase-dog paced nervously next to Moon, gazing beyond the trees to the distant cliffs.
    â€œBut we did hear something else,” growled Moon, her lip peeling back. Her long ears flattened in agitation, and Lucky grew wary. “ Longpaws ,” she spat. “Just when we thought we were rid of them.”
    Bella and Mickey took a step closer, and the Pack exchanged worried looks.
    Moon turned to Sweet. “It sounded like there were a lot of them, and we thought we should check it out with our Alpha before going any closer.”
    Bella cocked her head, puzzled. “Do you mean to say that the longpaws have returned, after all this time?”
    Looking back toward the cliffs, Lucky was thoughtful. The longpaws had been gone so long, and so much had changed. He remembered treading the streets of the city, begging for a meal at the Food House and sleeping in the park. But that was a lifetime ago, before the Big Growl.
    Sunshine scrambled between Bruno and Martha, her filthy tail giving a cheerful wag. “The longpaws? Back in their cities and towns?”
    Sweet frowned. “Surely the important question is, what sort of longpaws? Are these the nasty, yellow-pelted creatures that captured Fiery?”
    Moon growled, her hackles rising. “We weren’t close enough to see them, but if those yellow longpaws have dared to come back, I’ll get rid of them!”
    Beetle and Thorn yipped their agreement, making a show of snarling and bounding in