by Peter Howe
All the other dogs lifted their noses.
“Sure do, boss,” said Cal. “Uprights, and not too far off.”
Then they heard the sound of twigs being snapped and the crunch of snow and ice beneath big work boots. The rangers thought that they were moving through the woods in complete silence, but to the sensitive ears of the dogs they sounded like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“Don’t move, stay still, don’t pant, and pray to Vinda,” Tazar whispered.
They lay there quietly, none of them so much as twitching a muscle, as the noise got louder and louder. Suddenly there was a yell, a huge crash, and a large boot, along with the leg to which it was attached, smashed through the twig covering and into the tunnel.
“Ouch,” cried the owner of the leg. “Ouch, ouch. Help me! I slid down the bank and I think I’ve twisted my ankle.”
Although the dogs didn’t understand any of this, not being able to speak human language, it was pretty obvious to them what had happened. During the day the sun must have melted the surface of the snow, which had frozen again as the afternoon cooled and formed a treacherous icy surface on the slope above the tunnel’s entrance. A ranger had slipped on this and now lay injured, unable to get up. The team heard two of his colleagues clambering down to help their fallen comrade.
“Are you okay, Dick?” one of them said.
“Do I look okay?” he replied crossly. “One ankle’s swelling up, and the other’s stuck in these stupid bushes.”
“What’s down there?” asked the other helper.
“Never mind what’s down here,” said the injured man. “It’s just one of those disused tunnels that we were going to clean out before the budget cuts. Come on, help me get up.”
As the two rangers helped the third one to his feet he pulled his trapped boot out of the branches. The dogs held their breath, knowing that this could bring all the camouflage crashing down, but both their luck and the structure held. The rangers left, the injured one hopping on one leg with his arms around the shoulders of his workmates. When they could no longer be heard or smelled, the dogs sighed in relief.
“Whew, that was a close one,” said Lowdown.
“I was scared,” said Magica.
“I’d’ve protected you. I wouldn’t have let them take you,” Gordo gallantly claimed.
“The good news,” said Tazar, “is that most likely they won’t come back here. They’ll think they’ve already checked this area. We can probably move around a bit more freely now, but we should be careful all the same.”
Tazar decided that Cal, Raz, and Magica should go out hunting and foraging, while he and Waggit repaired the hole in the entrance made by the ranger’s foot. Although he was fairly certain that the immediate danger of capture was over, Tazar was always cautious, and he did not want a hole in the protective covering as big as a size-twelve boot to stay there for long. It was fixed in no time, and then the leader went off on another mystery journey. Since Waggit had no other duties for the day he settled down in the warmth and safety of the tunnel next to Lowdown.
“If they had found us, what would’ve happened?” he asked.
“Well, I doubt they would’ve gotten the whole team, but probably most of us. They have these net things they throw over you, and you get all tangled up in them so you can’t move,” the older dog replied.
“Who do you think would’ve escaped?” Waggit asked.
Lowdown thought for a moment.
“Cal and Raz might’ve gotten away out of the back entrance, although if the Ruzelas were smart they’d’ve had someone waiting there. But those two are fast and they might’ve made it. Magica too maybe.”
“I’m fast,” protested Waggit.
“Yes you are,” said Lowdown, “but you’re also scared, and that would have stopped you long enough for them to get you.”
Waggit was about to deny this when he realized that, upsetting though it might be, Lowdown was right. He would have been paralyzed by fear if the men had come into the tunnel.
“Now, Tazar,” Lowdown continued, “Tazar would’ve chosen to fight. He hates them so much he would’ve tried to take just one with him, even though he knows he couldn’t. They’d’ve got him with one of those stinger things they have that make you go to sleep, and that would’ve been that.”
Waggit looked over at Gordo, who was on his back, legs in the air, snoring peacefully.
“They wouldn’t have needed stingers for Gordo,” he said to Lowdown, and they both giggled.
“Yeah, no way he would’ve escaped, although they might’ve let him go because he was too heavy for them to carry to the cages,” said Lowdown.
“They put you in cages? Like the one that Cal got stuck in?” asked Waggit. Lowdown nodded.
“What do they do next?” Part of Waggit wanted to know, but another part was scared to hear the answer.
“They load them on to one of their big rollers and take you to the Great Unknown.”
“Where is that and what happens there?” Waggit couldn’t stop himself now.
“Nobody knows,” said Lowdown patiently. “That’s why it’s called the Great Unknown. Nobody who goes inside ever comes back. All we know about it comes from one of the loners that they captured. As they was unloading him off the roller they dropped his cage, the door flew open, and he was away. It took him two days to get back here, what with avoiding Uprights and getting lost and so on. Anyway, he said it was a big, dark, scary building, but as to what goes on inside it I leave to your imagination.”
Waggit shuddered, for the imagination of a young dog is powerful. He lay there nervously panting for a while. Then something else occurred to him.
“Lowdown, why are there loners?” he asked.
“Oh, there’s lots of different reasons,” Lowdown replied. “Some dogs just don’t like other dogs and are always getting into fights with them, so it’s best if they stay by themselves. Others think it’s safer to be alone; you may not get the support of a team, but you don’t get the responsibilities either. You just look out for number one, and that’s appealing to this kind of dog. Of course there’s others that no team will take, so they don’t have a choice.”
“Why won’t they take them?”
“Waggit, enough already. I’ll introduce you to some of them and the answer will be clear, I promise you. Now no more questions!”
There was silence for a while. Waggit shifted around as if trying to get comfortable. Then he said, “Lowdown?”
“Yes, little one?” the older dog said tolerantly.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
The repair work that Tazar and Waggit had completed that afternoon didn’t last long. The peace of the tunnel was shattered by a crash that took out most of the protective covering as the returning hunters tumbled in, breathless and upset.
“What happened out there?” Lowdown asked, but all three dogs were panting too hard to answer.
Finally Magica managed to say, “Tashi’s team. Ambush.”
As the dogs regained their breath they told how they had been going toward the Goldenside, well away from Tashi’s realm, when they were attacked by Tashi, Tommy Teeth, Spotty the Executioner, and two other toughs called Rashtoon and Medorin. The Tazarians ran, because they were outnumbered, and avoided a major confrontation through Magica’s alertness. She had spotted the opposing dogs before they were in fighting range and warned Raz and Cal to run. Because of this the only injuries the dogs sustained were shortage of breath and sore paws.
“This can’t go on,” said Lowdown angrily.
“And neither will it.” The booming voice of Tazar sounded behind them.
They all turned to see the leader, ears pricked, hackles up, and tail high. He was an electrifying sight, clearly angry that his family had been in danger.
“Did you hear what happened, boss?” inquired Lowdown.
“No, I saw. I was on Outlook Rock when it happened. You did well to retreat,” he said
to the three hunters. “There is no dishonor in avoiding a fight you will lose. Only tussle on your terms and at the time of your choosing. You were not in Tashi’s realm, but clearly in Unclaimed Territory. This was an act of provocation that must be answered, and it will be, but on my terms and when I please. Fear not. We will decide this soon, and we will decide it forever.”
Not for the first time, Waggit marveled at how Tazar could know everything, be everywhere, and return at exactly the right moment to restore confidence. It was almost magical.
The rest of the evening was spent repairing the damage to the camouflage over the entrance, although nobody did it with much enthusiasm, because the danger from the rangers now seemed less threatening than the menace of the Tashinis. Tazar had insisted on being eyes and ears that night, his mind working over plan after plan for retribution as he kept watch. When morning came it was clear that he had decided upon a strategy.
“This is how we will settle the matter,” he announced. Nobody asked which matter he was referring to, for they had all thought of nothing else since the three dogs returned. Well, maybe Gordo had thought about food, and Alicia had thought about how beautiful she was, but the rest of them had focused only on the upcoming battle.
“Our problem,” continued Tazar, “is that we are outnumbered and outmuscled. We will be dealing with some of the toughest dogs in the park. That’s the downside. The upside is that they are also some of the dumbest. The only ones with anything even approaching smarts are Tashi himself, and Wilbur, who has a sort of cunning that should not be underestimated. Still, Tashi is the brains of the outfit, and if you take Tashi out the others won’t know what to do. Oh, they’ll bluster and bully, but in the end they’ll start fighting one another, because the only thing that keeps them together now is fear of Tashi. Without him they’re just a bunch of loners; ignorant loners at that.”
The other dogs nodded.
“So this is what we will do,” the leader continued. “Tonight all of us, with the exception of Alicia, who will stay here and guard the tunnel, will go over to Tashi’s camp. When we get close Cal, Raz, and Waggit will circle around and climb the large rock where Tashi puts whoever is on eyes-and-ears duty. We have to take out that dog so that he doesn’t warn the others. Because you will have a three-to-one advantage, it shouldn’t be too difficult, but it needs to be done as quietly as possible. When you’ve done it one of you will come to the edge of the rock and give us the all-clear.”
“Will we have to kill him?” asked Waggit, more casually than he felt.
“You will have to do whatever it takes to stop him from giving a warning,” said Tazar calmly. “When the lookout is disabled, Gordo and Magica will drag two of the large trash cans that are on the path near Tashi’s camp halfway up the hill, one on either side. It worked before, and it can work again. Lowdown will position himself on the hill opposite the camp, where he can see all the action.”
“That leaves you by yourself, boss,” said Lowdown.
“That’s exactly what I intend. The only way we can win this is if Tashi and I fight to the death, and my plan is to insult him into taking up the challenge. It shouldn’t be difficult, because he isn’t smart enough to let an insult drop. If the whole team comes out, Gordo and Magica will roll the trash cans down the hill, and we’re all going to have to join in the fight. Hopefully the rolling cans and the surprise will cause enough chaos and damage to give us an advantage in a full battle, but I don’t think it will come to that. Tashi’s too conceited to let a challenge to his honor be answered with help from anyone, even his own team.”
There was a silence as the dogs began to realize the significance of Tazar’s plan. Magica said in a quiet, serious voice, “Tazar, what happens if…”
“If I lose?” said Tazar. “I don’t expect to. I’m as big and strong as Tashi, and a whole lot smarter, but you can never tell how these things will go. There’s always the possibility of a slip or a wrong move, and if that happens, and he kills me, the rest of you run and meet up with Lowdown. He may be short and old, but he’s sharper than all of Tashi’s team put together, and if you do exactly what he says he’ll save your hides. Of this I have no doubt.”
The little dog seemed to visibly grow with this compliment.
“But let’s not think of defeat,” Tazar said. “The dogs who win are the ones who never think of losing. By tomorrow most of our troubles will be over, and we will live with less fear than today. Let us rest now and prepare our minds for tonight.”
“What about food?” said Gordo. “I just thought I should mention it.”
“No food today,” said Tazar. “You fight better on empty stomachs. Tomorrow we shall feast, I promise you.”
“Oh,” said Gordo. “Oh well, you’re probably right.” But you could tell that he was unconvinced.
9
The Mystery of the Missing Enemy
As night fell the dogs gathered themselves together in the tunnel. You could feel the tension as each animal thought about his or her role in the upcoming action. Dense clouds raced across the sky, causing the moon to go in and out, plunging the landscape into moments of deep darkness. The cold air made the dogs’ breath steamlike, and their hurried panting betrayed their nervousness. They were eager to leave and yet unwilling to go to what could easily become a disaster.
“Okay now,” said Tazar, “we all know what we have to do. Stick to the plan as far as possible, but be prepared for the unexpected. Good luck to us all. In a few hours we will be leading a safer and freer life, and that’s worth whatever sacrifice the evening demands.”
They moved out in silence. At that hour of the night and time of year there were hardly any people around, and so they were safely able to make swift use of open ground. Tashi’s team lived in what looked like a large clump of bushes at the bottom of a hollow in the ground. If you inspected the shrubs more closely, however, you would see that at the back of the thicket, where the undergrowth grew against a rock face, there was a passageway that led to a cave formed out of the vegetation. It was neither as secure nor as cozy as the Tazarians’ tunnel, since both wind and rain could pass through, especially in the winter, when there were no leaves to protect it. Its chief advantage was its nearness to the park restaurant that was the team’s chief source of food.
Because it was in a bowl the camp was also easy to defend. The top of the rock that enclosed one end was where the Tashinis placed their sentry, and the only access to this position was up the slopes on either side that formed the walls of the hollow. This was the route that Cal, Raz, and Waggit had to take in order to neutralize the sentry on duty that night.
Once everyone else was in position the three dogs silently made their way up, crawling on their stomachs, using whatever cover there was, and moving rapidly during the periods of darkness when the moon disappeared behind clouds. Inch by inch, foot by foot, they gradually ascended. They finally made it to where they had a clear view of the watchdog in his position, or would have if there had been one. The top of the rock was empty.
“What do we do now?” whispered Raz.
“Waggit, go quietly down and tell Tazar that there’s no eyes and ears here tonight,” said Cal.
“Okay,” said Waggit, relieved that the possibility of a fight had been postponed. On his way down he passed Gordo, who was carefully and quietly pushing a large trash can into position. When Waggit got to Tazar and informed him of the situation, the leader looked puzzled.
“Tashi may be careless about some things,” he whispered to the younger dog, “but not about security. This is very strange.”
Suddenly from the side of the bowl that Waggit had just run down came a cry of “Ooooohhhhhhh!!!!” and a crashing and clanging as both Gordo and his trash can tumbled down the hill.
“Oh-oh, that’s blown it,” said Tazar, no longer bothering to whisper. “Get ready, everyone!”
Waggit stood paralyzed with fear, his eyes wide open, because he realized he was standing next to the first targ
et that the Tashinis would attack: his leader, Tazar. He waited for the enemy to come running out of their camp, but none did. Everyone stood for a moment in complete silence.
“Tashi, you coward,” yelled Tazar, “show us you’re not the miserable scurry the whole park thinks you are. Come out and fight like a dog!”
Everyone waited, tensed and ready to fight, but there was no response.
“If you don’t show yourself now, my team will take over the feeder. It will be ours,” challenged Tazar, but there was still no response.
By now Lowdown had left his position on the adjoining hill and was standing by Tazar’s side.
“It could be a trap, boss,” he said. “Why don’t you let me go and take a look? I’ve got the best chance of getting close without being seen.”
“No, Lowdown,” said Tazar. “It’s too dangerous, and you’re not quick enough to make an escape if you have to.”
“If I have to make an escape, then at least we’ve flushed them out, and I’ll rely on you all to rescue me,” he replied.
“Hmm,” said Tazar. “I suppose you’ve got a point. Okay then, but be careful.”
“It’s my second name,” chuckled Lowdown as he started out toward the bushes.
Even for a dog as small and close to the ground as Lowdown, there was not much cover to help him to approach the camp undetected, but the little dog did the best he could. Everyone held their breath until he got to the bushes. Then he disappeared. A couple of minutes later, there was a cry from the center of the thicket.
“It’s empty,” came Lowdown’s voice. “There’s no one here.” There was a pause. “And it’s disgusting!”
The rest of the dogs ran into the bushes, eager to see the enemy’s camp. It was, as Lowdown said, pretty awful. Tazar was a stickler for keeping the tunnel clean and neat, but this clearly was not a concern of the Tashinis, for the place was scattered with bones and bits of partially eaten food, along with old pizza boxes and other containers, as well as items of old human clothing, including a shoe.
