by Peter Howe
Waggit was so upset, and so longing for his owner to come back and rescue him, that he didn’t even bother to ask Tazar what he meant.
The Lady Magica and Raz had caught up with them.
“Wassup?” asked Raz.
“Oh, nothing. Just another curlytail that got away,” said Tazar. “I don’t think we’re going to get anything tonight. Let’s go back home.”
“Go home empty-mouthed?” Magica was incredulous. “You never do that!”
“Well tonight I am,” Tazar shot back, irritably.
Magica and Raz looked at each other. “Ooookay,” said Raz. “You’re the boss, but it won’t go down too well with Alicia. You know how she is on an empty stomach.”
“Well, she doesn’t have to put up with much, and one day without food isn’t the end of the world.” And the black dog stalked off toward home.
“What’s the matter with him?” Raz asked Waggit.
“He’s mad at me because I let the curlytail get away,” Waggit replied.
“Well, they can be very fast if you’re not used to them,” consoled Magica.
“No, it wasn’t that,” Waggit said. “I could’ve got it, but I let it go.”
“Yup. That would make him mad, all right,” sighed Raz. “Why didja do it?”
“It’s an animal like you and me,” said Waggit.
“No, not like you and me. It’s a food animal, and that’s the difference,” said Raz.
Waggit didn’t know what to say to this, so he said nothing. In silence the three of them made their way back to the tunnel. At night the dogs kept to the wide paths wherever possible. Without the presence of humans, the open ground was safer than the enclosed areas of the woods or narrow gullies, where an ambush by Tashi’s team or even late-night Stoners was always a possibility. Waggit was surprised at how quickly they got back, and even more amazed to find that a full meal awaited them. Just like the night before, piles of food were laid out in a circle. Some of the piles had sausage, some had ham, and others had some rather old-looking and unidentifiable meat. Added to each pile were some very dry, stale bread rolls, but to the hungry dogs it was a banquet.
“Great Vinda!” exclaimed Raz. “Where did all this come from?”
“Lowdown,” said Tazar, “did you have anything to do with this?”
“Aw, well, actually it was the Lady Alicia’s idea in the first place,” Lowdown said modestly.
“It was?” Alicia seemed surprised.
“Sure,” said Lowdown. “Remember you said it was a pity that the Upright feeder was in Tashi’s realm, because they were always throwing away good food?” The Upright feeder was a restaurant that was located in the park near the Deepwater.
“Yes,” Alicia said, cautiously.
“And you remember you said that all our troubles would be over if someone could get near the place without being roughed up by Tashi’s hooligans?” continued Lowdown.
“Yes, I said that.”
“Well, that’s what gave me the idea,” said Lowdown.
“Yeah, you’re right. It was my idea. See,” she said, looking at Tazar, “I do get ’em sometimes!”
“However in this case, as in many,” said the leader, “it wasn’t so much the idea as the execution that was important.”
“Yeah, but,” Alicia replied, “he wasn’t…”
“Wasn’t what?”
“Executed.” She was triumphant. “And Tashi would’ve if he’d caught him!”
The other team members stifled laughter at this.
“Tell us,” Tazar said to Lowdown, still choking on laughter, “exactly what happened.”
“Well, boss, I remembered that the feeder closes down soon, what with the cold days coming on and no Uprights wanting to go there. They always get rid of a lot of food in the big bins in the back just before they close. Anyway, I knows all this ’cause the same time last year Tashi’s mob was boasting about how full of good food they was, and challenged us to come to their realm and try and take some, an offer we did refuse, if you remember.”
“Go on, go on.” Tazar clearly did not want to be reminded of unmet challenges. Plus, it was a constant source of irritation to him that the feeder was in Tashi’s realm and not his.
“We know that Tashi has eyes and ears all around the feeder,” continued Lowdown, “but there’s one weak spot—a place that he can’t control—and that’s the door where the Uprights go in. And what takes some of the Uprights there? Luggers pulled by longlegs. So Gordo and me worked out a plan. Where the road bends just before the feeder there’s a big rock with bushes around it, big enough to hide Gordo from Tashi’s mob.”
“Hey,” said Gordo, “I ain’t that big.”
“Whether you is or isn’t ain’t the point. The point is that you was able to hide there while I went up the road to the feeder.”
Lady Magica, who was wide-eyed with excitement by now, asked, “But how did you get there without any of Tashi’s team seeing you?”
“Smart, you see!” Lowdown had a big grin on his face. “I waited until a longlegs and a lugger came past the rock, then I ran out and got between the two big wheels at the back. If I walked at the same pace as the longlegs, which ain’t difficult, let me tell you, the wheels hid me enough so that none of Tashi’s boys could see me, and even if they did, what could they do? Are they going to attack a lugger full of Uprights? I don’t think so.”
“But how did you get to the food and bring it back?” asked Raz.
“I had to wait until the Uprights got out of the lugger and went into the feeder. Then the longlegs have to go past the big bins on their way out, so I dashes around the wheels over to the bins, pulls out some stuff, and wait until the next lugger comes around, and that takes me back the same way to where Gordo is hid. I leave what I’ve grabbed with him and take the next lugger back to the feeder. We did this about four times, which took a while. Then, of course, we had to drag the stuff back, which again took some time, and that, ladies and gentledogs, is how you got your supper.”
There were general sighs of approval from the team at this tale of daring, sounds that were suddenly overwhelmed with the hearty noise of Gordo’s stomach rumbling.
“I think Gordo’s stomach has heard enough talk of food and is eager for the real thing, as are we all,” said Tazar.
Once again, as on the night before, each dog sat before his or her assigned pile, and waited until their leader gave the same invocation:
“Remember as you eat, you eat your brother’s food; remember as you sleep, you take your sister’s space; remember as you live, your life belongs to them. You are the team; the team is you. The two are one; the one is two.”
There was much more food than last night, and the silence was interrupted only by the sounds of chewing and lips smacking, plus the occasional belch. Hunting, or, more accurately, chasing, had given Waggit a fierce appetite, and he eagerly attacked the pile in front of him. Even the stale bread roll tasted good. It didn’t take long for them all to finish, and then there was a lot of stretching, scratching, and yawning, and general signs of satisfaction. Soon the dogs started to move to their boxes and began settling down for the night. One of the team had dragged a new box into the tunnel for Waggit and layered the bottom with fresh newspaper. It looked comfortable and smelled good, but just as he was turning around and around in preparation for lying down, a terrifying howl shattered the still night air.
The dogs leapt up, all thoughts of sleep vanished, and they ran to the mouth of the tunnel. In the distance, on a rock outcrop, two dogs stood. One was strong—not big, but tightly muscled—with short hair and pointy ears, and this was Tashi. Next to him was Wilbur—a nasty, sly-looking animal, with wiry, matted fur and an obsequious look—known to the Tazarians as Tashi’s “evil lieutenant.”
“Tazar, you wretch,” the tough dog bellowed, “listen to me, Tashi, the ruler of this park. Your curs have transgressed. They invaded my realm and stole our food. You and those miserable mutts will pay fo
r this. There will be a battle to end all battles, but it will be at a time and place of my choosing. Until then, make peace with your god, for you will meet him very soon.”
As suddenly as they had appeared they disappeared, leaving a hush over the Tazarians. They looked in silence toward their leader, who brought himself up to his full height, and in a quiet, confident voice, said, “We knew it must come to this. We are prepared; let them do their worst.”
5
Tashi’s Challenge
As the days passed, life as a team member became easier for Waggit. He grew more familiar with the park, especially the location of its danger zones and safe shelters. He now knew where there were too many people, which routes the park rangers took, where Tashi’s realm began, and also the safest spots for swimming, the best vantage points for looking, and the places where you could take a nap in the afternoon if you suddenly felt sleepy and were far from the tunnel. The early fall weather was unusually warm, which meant that people were still having their lunches in the park and leaving behind enough food to feed an army of Waggits, and he was becoming familiar with which spots yielded the best fare. Of course he continued to hope that he would find his owner and spent many hours watching the place where they had become separated.
The dog with whom he had become most friendly was Lowdown. There was no doubt in Waggit’s mind that his short, scruffy friend was the shrewdest dog he had ever met. What he lacked in looks he made up for in smarts. Sometimes he was so perceptive that Waggit thought he possessed magical powers. He could tell which route a ranger would take, or what Tazar’s mood would be when he got home, or when a storm would happen. This last ability was especially important to Waggit, who was terrified of thunder and lightning.
Lowdown also loved to have fun. He particularly enjoyed playing practical jokes, especially on Waggit. One day they were in an unfamiliar part of the park. It was about midway between the Deepwoods and the Skyline End, and the dogs had to go very carefully, for it was an area where people brought their children to play. The little ones saw more than the grown-ups and could often spot an animal in the bushes that their parents would miss. This area also marked the boundary of Tashi’s realm, where he regularly posted members of his team on eyes-and-ears duty.
It was not surprising, therefore, when Lowdown suddenly growled, “Quick, down!” Waggit instantly sprawled onto his stomach, his legs splayed. He was so flat to the ground that he looked as if he had been dropped from the sky.
“Don’t look up,” said Lowdown.
Looking up was the last thing on Waggit’s mind, and he began to take an intense interest in some rather fascinating dead leaves in front of his nose.
“It’s one of Tashi’s team.”
The leaves became more and more interesting every time Lowdown opened his mouth.
“Here’s what we should do,” Lowdown said after a few moments’ thought. “I’ll go out and confront him. While the two of us are staring each other out, you make your way behind him and pounce on his back.”
“W-w-w-why can’t I do the staring bit? I think I would be good at that,” whispered Waggit.
“Because if I leapt on his back he wouldn’t even notice,” the little dog said in a hushed voice.
“Okay, then.” Waggit was resigned to his fate. Then a brilliant idea struck him. “Why don’t we just run away?”
“Oh, he’d love that. He’d love to chase us. He’d probably invite all his friends. Plus, I wouldn’t like to be the one to explain to Tazar why two of us couldn’t take on one Tashini, would you?”
The answer to the question was no—even to a dog who had known the leader for only a few days. So Lowdown moved out from the cover of the bushes, stood squarely on the path, growled, and fixed the enemy with an intense stare. Waggit lifted his head and saw their opponent for the first time. He was a large dog, bigger than Waggit had hoped, with a coat of an unusual color, almost golden and very glossy. He stood rigidly, returning Lowdown’s stare, and would continue to do so until one of them broke eye contact, thereby acknowledging the other’s superiority. Since Lowdown acknowledged nobody’s superiority except Tazar’s, Waggit knew this could go on for some time.
He crawled as quietly as he could for one who was trembling with fear, until he was poised on a rock behind and above his target. He got ready to spring onto the other dog’s back, although what he would do next he had no idea. The Tashini had not moved.
Suddenly Waggit was in the air. Where he got the courage to make the leap he didn’t know, but there he was, on his way down in what he hoped was a fearsome attack stance. He landed on the back of the dog with a bang that temporarily knocked the wind out of him and caused a ringing in his ears. He quickly realized, however, that it was not in his ears but was coming from the dog’s body, which was hard, cold, and smelled of metal. The animal hadn’t moved one inch but was still staring at Lowdown, or would have been had the scruffy little dog not been lying on his back, literally howling with laughter.
Waggit looked around and realized that the animal upon whose back he now perched wasn’t real at all. It was a metal statue of a dog, which was why its coat had such a strange color and shine. He also realized that he was the victim of one of Lowdown’s practical jokes, part of the entertainment for the day.
And entertained Lowdown certainly was, rolling around on his back, his legs scratching the air with glee.
“Oh, Dear Vinda, that was good,” he wheezed. “You certainly fell for that one. Oh, bless my fleas, you scared the life out of him. He’s gone rigid with fear!”
“Oh, very funny,” said Waggit. “I suppose this’ll be the talk of the tunnel tonight.”
“You can count on it,” the prankster replied.
From the back of the metal dog, Waggit could see some distance along the path. Suddenly his ears pricked, and the hackles on his back rose in fear.
“Lowdown, two dogs coming, and they’re not petulants. They could be Tashinis.”
“Sure there are.” Lowdown was still laughing. “An army of them, I wouldn’t be surprised!”
“No, seriously, there are. Take a look around that bush.”
The alarm in Waggit’s voice sounded real, and it was enough to make Lowdown stop laughing and peer around a large bush that bordered the path. What he saw made him bark urgently to Waggit. “It’s Spotty the Executioner and Tommy Teeth. Get down off that stupid metal monster now; we’ve got to go.”
Without pausing to think what a silly name Spotty was for an executioner, Waggit half fell, half leapt down from the statue, tumbling to the ground. As soon as he landed they both took off at full speed through the woods, neither one of them the least concerned about what Tazar would say if he knew they had fled from Tashinis.
When they reached a small clearing, Lowdown, whose wind was never good at the best of times, collapsed, panting and making little whistling noises as he breathed.
“Thank Vinda you was up there and saw them,” he said when he could talk again. “Those two are the meanest, most vicious of all the Tashinis. If they’d have got us it would’ve been bye-bye, Waggit, and bye-bye, Lowdown, believe me.”
Waggit saw no reason not to.
When Lowdown’s breathing had fully returned to normal, they left the glade at a more dignified pace, and after a time Waggit felt almost excited about their narrow escape. Surviving danger made life seem awfully good. Everything appeared sharper and clearer; even the air smelled different. Waggit sensed that Lowdown felt it, too, as the dogs reached the safety of the Risingside and Tazar’s realm. It was good to be two friends trotting along with the sun on their backs, feeling the crunch of newly fallen leaves beneath their paws.
There were only two clouds casting gloom on the team. One was Tashi’s warning of revenge. From experience they knew that Tashi and his evil lieutenant, Wilbur, would make good on the threat, probably when the Tazarians least expected it. The dogs couldn’t afford to relax and be off-guard for one moment with this hanging over them, which
put a considerable strain on them all. Eyes-and-ears duty at night was particularly stressful, as each bush that moved in the wind seemed to take on the form of an enemy preparing for attack.
What made the situation even more nerve-racking was the fact that Tazar had declared that the next encounter with the Tashinis would be the last. He was tired of the hostilities that kept flaring up, disrupting the life of the team. Furthermore Tazar passionately believed that all of the dogs in the park should concentrate their energies against the common enemy—humans. He thought it was a waste of time fighting one another when they could all be concentrating on stealing food, keeping an eye on the rangers, or camouflaging their shelters.
So Tazar was determined that the next battle with the Tashinis would be one of such ferocity that the victorious team would become the sole rulers of the entire park. It was not something to which the Tazarians were looking forward, for Tashi had some fearsome fighters. Spotty the Executioner and Tommy Teeth were just two of them.
The other dark spot was Waggit’s inability to hunt, despite his natural attributes of speed and lightning-fast reactions. This certainly wasn’t as big a problem as the impending hostilities with the rival team. In fact the unseasonably warm weather meant that it wasn’t a problem at all at the moment, but each dog knew that when the colder days came the human leftovers would all but disappear. At that point there would be only two alternatives for food. One was to forage outside the confines of the park, which was extremely dangerous because there was the constant possibility of getting run over by cars or caught by the authorities. The second food source, and the one that they relied upon, was hunting. Even this was far from easy, because many a possible meal went to ground during the cold days, sleeping until warmth brought them back out of their holes and burrows. Those that were around seemed to be faster and sharper when it was cold, and more difficult to catch. Although the team had some capable hunters, they didn’t have anyone with the natural abilities they could see in Waggit. It was frustrating, therefore, when he cornered an animal and then let it go, as he had done both times they had taken him hunting.
