“General Pincher,” Snapper said.
The great wolf walked between the two sheep without looking at them. “Bring that beast down!” he barked with his gunshot-like voice.
Snapper and Dreamer struggled to get to their feet after the old general was gone. Ponder settled on the ground next to them.
“Hurry!” she said. “We have to help Mauler.”
Without stopping to rest, the two sheep ran on until they came upon the one sight they had hoped not to see.
The wrought-iron gate was shut and Mauler was on the floor grappling with the two ceremonial Doberman guards. The other dogs gathered around but did not get in the way.
Snapper put his head down and charged into the pack, bleating angrily. He took aim at the legs of one of the red-cloaked guards holding Mauler down. He never reached his target.
His back and hindquarters were caught by several sets of teeth. He kicked and swung his head but could not hit anyone.
Boxer’s students drove into the crowd as a single unit. They had no hope of overpowering this group of sixty-plus dogs, but they could use the element of surprise to break through and pile onto the two Dobermans.
Mauler pulled free and jumped clear of the brawl. He crawled up the metal gate and grabbed hold of the lock. With a roar, he tore it free. The gate swung inward. He disappeared down the tunnel on the other side and every dog in the place dropped what they were doing to follow him.
Abandoned by his attackers, Snapper stood up and took a second to heal his wounds. He did the same for Dreamer.
“Come on!” Ponder called out. “He has reached the end!”
The two sheep ran through the gate and came to a quick stop as the tunnel suddenly opened out into a massive chamber.
Snapper had never seen such a sight. This vertical shaft was hundreds of feet across. At the far end, a projecting stone platform bore a huge carving of a mouth full of fangs. The red glow came from a pool of magma far below them at the bottom of the chamber. The sixty hunting dogs were crowding the catwalks, scrambling across metal platforms bolted to the wall, or clawing their way over cut stone paths.
Mauler, claws fully extended, was climbing the walls of the cavern.
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Mauler traced his route with his eyes. He could move along the roughest parts of the wall and then jump to the central platform bearing the image of Karkus. The only way on or off was the narrow rope bridge. With that bottleneck, he could force them to face him one at a time, as the quarry dogs had had to do while climbing the stairs up the wall.
Letting out a roar, Mauler gave a great heave and threw himself towards the shrine. He landed hard on his belly.
Instantly, as if someone had detonated a bomb inside the room, the entire cavern erupted in chaos. A tremor ran through the walls and floor. The dogs gave a collective yelp of fear and rushed back for the relative safety of the exit tunnel. No one acknowledged Ponder or the two sheep.
Mauler got to his feet, looking up at the imposing stone figure above him. Stalactites broke loose from above and fell down around him. Some of the metal platforms began to come undone. The rope bridge snapped. Chunks of stone fell out of the walls, past the shrine, and plunged into the lava below, causing plumes of molten rock to shoot up nearly to the ceiling.
He looked uncertainly back at the entrance tunnel. Snapper, Ponder, and Dreamer watched from among the terrified dogs. Ledger and the other students were there. Everyone had stopped fighting. All of them wanted the same thing—to see what would happen next. All of them, except Pincher.
The General alone had braved the tremors and climbed out onto one of the dangerously swaying sheets of corrugated steel. He howled and made a wild lunge across the gap. Before Mauler could turn around, Pincher landed right on top of him.
The two beasts rolled over, clawing and snapping until they separated, the grinning face of Karkus between them.
“I know you,” said Mauler. “You caged me. You chained me. You forced me to fight.”
“Ah, it speaks,” Pincher snarled. “One would think you’d welcome the chance to fight. The pig thinks you are the champion of Karkus. Some champion. Boxer defeated you. And Boxer is a puling little whelp compared to me.” He started forward. “I’ll prove your unworthiness and throw your corpse back into the pit you crawled out from!”
He pounced. Mauler met him in the air. But the more experienced fighter prevailed, driving Mauler headfirst into the stone floor.
Pincher landed effortlessly on his feet. Mauler swung his claws viciously, but he was dizzy from the blow to his head. The old dog slipped past and drove in for a counterattack. The bone of Pincher’s foreleg crashed into Mauler’s jaw, snapping the beast’s head to the side. Pincher followed with a strike with his other elbow into the exposed hollow between Mauler’s neck and collarbone.
Mauler’s entire left arm seized up and went numb. He cried out and tried to swipe with his other arm. Pincher dropped to all fours and ducked low. When the arm passed over his head, he threw an uppercut into that armpit.
Mauler roared again in pain and doubled over, unable to move either of his arms. He could do nothing to defend himself as Pincher wound up and put all his weight into another blow to the jaw. A shoulder charge knocked Mauler over on his back, where he lay stunned. The wolf placed his front paws on Mauler’s chest and turned his head sideways, preparing to bite down into the unprotected throat.
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Snapper reached the edge of the magma pit and gingerly reached out a hoof to place on the swaying metal platforms. Dreamer caught his shoulder and tried to pull him back.
“What are you doing?” she demanded. “You’ll get killed!”
“If we leave Mauler to fight alone,” Snapper said, “we’re no better than Pincher. Now let go of me.”
She complied. Snapper stepped up onto the protesting metal bridge. He took a running start to cross a gap onto another catwalk, then climbed high and looked down at the shrine. Pincher struck a blow that stunned one of Mauler's arms, then the other. Snapper had taken enough anatomy to know what was happening. Pincher was targeting nerves. There was no time to waste.
Snapper jumped down—oh crap, too high—and landed hard on his chest. Dazed by the blow, he nearly lost consciousness. But he could see Mauler pinned down. He forced himself to his feet and dove forward.
Instead of Mauler’s throat, Pincher’s teeth struck Snapper’s forehead. Pincher jumped back, startled. Then his astonishment became amusement.
“Well, that’s the most courageous thing I’ve seen a sheep do in years,” he said. “Then again, you are the son of the Trampler. You’re as foolhardy as he was.”
Mauler's arms twitched. Slowly, he rolled over and pushed himself to his feet.
Despite the blood dripping down Snapper’s face, he smiled. “You’ve heard of me. I know about you too, General Pincher. You make a big show of being a follower of this god right here, but it’s all an act. I know you’re just a paid shill for the pigs.”
The old wolf roared in outrage and lunged at Snapper.
Mauler collided with Pincher from the side and ran with him directly into the vertical stone base of the shrine. There was a sickening crack from somewhere inside the general’s body.
The instant the unconscious Pincher hit the ground, everything changed again. The tremors, the unrelenting noise, the pillars of fire all ceased. No one and nothing in the chamber made a motion or a sound—except for one thing.
Above Mauler and Snapper, the massive stone teeth took on a molten orange glow of their own. They began to slide freely along the vertical wall, as if they were images cast by a projector rather than carved out of the wall itself. Snapper drew back, but Mauler took a step forward and dropped onto his knees.
A deep, rumbling voice filled the chamber, seeming to emanate from the molten earth below. The stone teeth moved to match the words the voice spoke.
“My creation... my Mauler.”
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nbsp; Snapper stood rooted in place, staring at the moving stone and hanging on every word the voice said.
“You have defeated the strongest of the dogs and proven your courage. You have earned the answers to any questions you may have. Be aware there are many things in this world that even I do not understand.”
Mauler’s mouth worked silently for a few seconds before he found his voice. “Are you Karkus?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yes. I am the god of fire and earth, creator of dogs and of you. I have watched you throughout your many trials. Your journey back here, among the very people who imprisoned and abused you, demonstrates your bravery and determination. These are the traits I admire most. You are truly a beast made in my own image.”
A ripple of amazement traveled through the observing crowd. Snapper noticed Pincher slowly open his eyes and raise his head. He pushed himself up with his front legs, but his back legs and tail did not move.
Mauler did not notice; he was staring at the living stone above him. Then he finally uttered the question Snapper had heard him mull over since Ponder had given him words. “Why am I here?”
The carved teeth positioned themselves into a smile. “I made you and put you here because the balance of power in this world has shifted. Once, Optera and I ruled supreme. But we were young and foolish and our people suffered for it. We allowed Toxid to take power because of our squabbling. The swine that oppress you are his children. As the influence of dogs withers in the world, so does my power. Every day Toxid feeds on sheep blood and grows stronger, the outlook for the rest of us appears more hopeless. You, Mauler, are my final play. You are here to unify and rally my dogs with your unmatched power.”
Mauler lowered his head in a slow, solemn nod.
“And you,” said Karkus. “Young sheep. Flesh-Mender.”
Snapper blinked, startled. “Me?”
The stone grin stretched wider. “You were not similarly born of my hand, but I have seen the miracles you perform. You stitch living matter together with a talent that outreaches even mine. This is a power I do not understand, but I respect it—and the furor with which you chase your dream of freedom. I did not give you these qualities, but I would have you use them to help the Mauler.”
Snapper, too, was compelled to give a firm nod.
“I have assigned you both the task of unseating the pigs from power, ending the blood sacrifice of sheep, restoring dogs to glory, and ultimately starving Toxid out of our world. Step forward.”
Both of them complied in an instant.
“Mauler, I am going to increase your physical strength and the toughness of your hide so no one will stand against you and few weapons on this earth will be able to pierce you. These dogs will have no choice but to look to you as their leader. Young sheep, I will bring your innate power to the surface so you will be able to call on it instantly rather than having to stop and concentrate. You will undo what few wounds the tools of pigs can inflict on my Mauler. You will make him unstoppable. Our victory is certain. Together, you two manifest my will. Go with the blessing of Karkus.”
The stone teeth returned to their original position and color. All was silent in the chamber once again. Mauler and Snapper exchanged a satisfied look. Then they noticed Pincher dragging himself toward them.
“He is no threat to us anymore,” Mauler said.
Snapper sighed. “You’re right.” He stepped up close to the seething general.
“You’re both going to regret this,” Pincher hissed in Snapper’s ear. “Karkus is out for only one thing—his own supremacy.” He grabbed a tuft of wool on Snapper’s chest and yanked him in close. Mauler took a step forward, growling, but Snapper stopped him with a raised hoof.
“He says these things,” Pincher continued, “but he will use you and cast you aside as he did me. You think I betrayed Karkus and turned to the pigs, do you? That’s what Boxer thinks, because he too is blinded by devotion to that monster. Just like the rest of my people. But I’ll tell you the truth: Karkus betrayed me first. He let me think I was his champion, that I would lead his dogs to defeat the pigs. But I was not strong enough.” He pointed to the nasty scar on his snout. “I was beaten. And Karkus refused to speak to me ever since. He is no benevolent god. He has replaced me with the Mauler, who will suffer the same fate I did. The pigs are more powerful than he is, but he will not accept it. He will keep treating his people as disposable playthings to be thrown into the jaws of Toxid. The Devourer is the true god of this world. The sooner we all realize that, the more likely we are to survive.”
Snapper pulled free. “You’re bitter. I understand. Let me help.”
“You can do nothing for us.”
“We’ll see.” Snapper’s eyes flashed green. Just as Karkus had promised, it took much less effort for him to call upon his power. His own forehead closed up almost without him having to think about it. He could see Pincher’s spine was broken. That was an easy fix. While he was at it, he went to work on the facial scar as well.
“Go ahead, General,” he said when he was finished. “Stand up.”
Pincher braced his forelegs against the ground. His hind legs moved, his tail flicked, and he pushed himself up onto his feet.
The cavern filled with approving barks and astonished howls from the crowd of witnesses. They had seen their god, heard his voice, seen this mere sheep perform a miracle, and they made their feelings known.
“The Mauler!” the crowd bellowed. “The Mauler!”
“The Flesh-Mender! The son of the Trampler, the Hell-Horn!”
“What is his name?” someone called out. “What do we call the Trampler’s son?”
“His name is Snapper,” Mauler said.
Snapper turned to look across the pit at Dreamer. Something was changing in him. Part of it was the increased power granted by Karkus, but there was something else.
This is what I’m here to do, Dad.
From the chamber entrance, Dreamer stared right back at him. The look of determined joy on her face told him her thoughts.
Do it, her eyes told him. Say it.
“No,” Snapper said to Mauler, swallowing hard. “Snapper was the name of the Old-Timer’s son. The name of Trampler’s son… is Healer.”
“Healer!” the dogs roared. “The Healer! The Flesh-Mender!”
Mauler’s smile was so wide that the young sheep thought his jaw was going to fall off. The beast grabbed hold of him and held him off the ground, presenting him to the dogs.
“Healer!” Mauler bellowed, so loud he drowned out the mass of dogs. “Karkus sent me to him!”
Snapper—Healer—chanced a look back at Pincher once Mauler finally set him down.
The general was still glaring.
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“This changes nothing,” the old wolf said, drawing threateningly close to the newly christened sheep. “You’re making a mistake. If you challenge the pigs, we will meet again as enemies.”
“That’s fair,” Healer replied. “My intent in fixing your back was not to humiliate you. What I wanted to do was give you a chance to change your mind, see things our way. In exchange, I thought you could give us the same courtesy. Why don’t we call a temporary truce, where you let us leave peacefully? All we want is to get Boxer free. And that’s all his students wanted. He was your friend once too, wasn’t he?”
Healer waited for an answer that never came.
“Look, General,” he said, through gritted teeth, “I healed you. I even left you better than the way I found you. No one died, on your side or ours. No harm, no foul. If you’re right about Karkus, I’m sure we’ll find out for ourselves.”
Pincher’s pale eyes flicked from Mauler to Healer and back again. “Fine. Leave my territory immediately. Do not return.”
“We still have a long journey to make. We’re going to need to rest.”
A long sigh. “Twelve hours.”
“Thank you, General.”
Mauler picked Healer up and tucked him under his arm. He step
ped to the edge of the platform nearest the broken catwalk Pincher and Healer had used to cross the gap. Then he turned back.
“It is a very high jump to get back,” Mauler said.
Pincher shook his head. “I want to be alone. My men will find a way to retrieve me eventually. Get out of my sight and take those rebellious old fools with you.”
Mauler shrugged, bent his legs, and leapt up onto the metal sheet. He wasted no time in jumping from there to the entrance of the tunnel, where his allies waited. The hunting dogs, realizing their leader was still not on good terms with these two, stayed well clear of them. They chose to busy themselves with engineering a way to get Pincher back across the chasm.
Mauler set Healer on the ground and pulled Ponder into his arms, startling the Flaxers into scattering. Healer ran to Dreamer and embraced her as well. All four of them were giddy with excitement and relief. Ledger, Berger, and Tuxer stood off to one side with the rest of the Tooth & Claw dogs, smiling warmly.
“I am so proud of you,” Ponder murmured. “You did it, Mauler. You were so strong. And now you know why you were sent here.”
Mauler said nothing, just clutched her wooden body tightly against his chest.
Beside them, Healer gave Dreamer a kiss and held her close.
“Look at you now… Healer,” Dreamer said. “You were amazing.”
“All thanks to you,” he replied. “I was stupid to think this wouldn’t work. I should have had more faith in you.”
“It’s alright,” she replied. “I wasn’t always sure it would work either. It was a big gamble. But it paid off. We’re that much closer to saving my dad, Caper, and Boxer. But Pincher is right, we should go.”
Healer nodded. “Mauler, let’s get out of here.” The Flaxers picked up Ponder and the group joined the Tooth & Claw dogs.
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