The Pup Who Cried Wolf Read Free Page B

part of the pack. My training plan will turn me into a strong, trim hunting machine.
    I make myself a promise that I’ll do anything I can to grab this chance.

5
On the Trail
    The entire week, Mona packs for Yellowstone. Honestly, I don’t understand why anyone needs so much stuff. I say, just grab the dog food and let’s go.
    Finally, the big day arrives. I sit on the front seat of the car knowing we are heading for the best place on earth for a wolf brother.
    Yellowstone Park is wolf heaven. Summer nights are warm and perfect for the hunt. After the howls go up, the pack becomes silent and moves through the trees like shadows. Smallanimals burrow into their holes or scamper up into the branches. But the pack takes no notice. The wolves seek larger prey. I wonder if elk or deer will be on the menu the first night.
    In the winter, the bears sleep in their caves and snow covers the land. Bison gather in groups for warmth. But not the wolves. Cold does not bother them. On the ground, the animal tracks lead the way, and the wolf pack is on the move once again.
    Now I’m on the move too.
    Dogs love road trips. We are delightful traveling companions. It’s a quality that sets us above many other animals. Hippos come to mind, for instance. You hardly ever hear about hippos on road trips, and I’ve heard it’s because the minute you get on the freeway, they need to go to the bathroom. When you ask why they didn’t go before you left, they say they didn’t need to before but now they do.
    Dogs take exactly the right number of potty breaks.
    Think about it. Would you rather go on a trip with a dog or a spitting cobra? A dog or a cricket? A dog or a slug? Everyone knows that spittingcobras get grouchy after the first twelve miles, and after that they just lie there and stare at you without blinking.
    Crickets sing the same song over and over, and just when you think you are going to lose your mind, they sing it again.
    Slugs are easygoing and they don’t ask for much. Everything might look just fine until you decide you’d like some conversation. You can ask a slug questions all morning long and not get an answer.
    While we’re on the subject, you might add rats and parrots to your list. Parrots get carsick. They moan and sway inside their cages.
    As for rats … well, they just act like rats.
    Lucky for Mona, she has a dog. Having a good trip is obviously all up to me.
    Mona’s car is a hot little sporty thing. It’s one of her best features. You can put your front feet up on the armrest and hang your head out of the window even if you’re small.
    Not that I’m small. A little undersized, maybe. Which could be a good thing.
    On the freeway I hang my head out of thewindow. The wind whips my ears back. I bark at anyone who gets too close, one lane away or so. Maybe two. Just in case they get any funny ideas of bothering me or Mona. Mona tells me to pipe down.
    Pipe down, indeed. She should tell the parrot, moaning and groaning under the towel over her cage, to pipe down.

    Mona doesn’t understand about all the dangers out there. It’s like a sixth sense for me, and poor Mona just doesn’t have it. But I pipe down to be polite—and so she doesn’t roll up the window. Driving with the window down and your head in the wind is like being on a hunt. The smells come by so fast, you need a wolf’s powerful mind to sort it all out. Which, lucky for me, I have. Being a wolf brother is a big advantage.
    Unfortunately, if you’re not careful, a big whoosh of wind can plow right up your nose when you don’t expect it. Wind going that fast can rearrange things up in there. That’s what happens to me. I have to sneeze about five times to get my nose back to normal.
    Mona seems to think that I’m spraying dog spit all over the car. I don’t think it’s such a big deal, but up goes the window.
    Heckles sniggers. With my sharp hearing, I