With her van all packed up, Dr. Lynn slammed the back door shut, then turned her attention to Max, Rocky, and Gizmo. “Remember,” she said, smiling sadly, “you must keep your collars on. I’ll leave a trail of beacons, so you’ll always know where I’m going. I can’t bring you with me in my van, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stay close so that when I can collect you again, neither of us will have to go very far.”
Kneeling down, she petted the three dogs one by one. “I’m not abandoning you. This will all be over soon. We’ll see each other again, my friends.”
She stood and climbed behind the wheel of the van. A moment later the headlights flashed on, and the engine grumbled to life. Max trembled as the van’s tires crunched over the gravel driveway and turned onto the street.
“Oh, I’m going to miss her,” Gizmo said softly.
Rocky darted in front of Max and Gizmo. “Why are we sitting here? Let’s follow her! If she gets too far ahead, we might lose her! I don’t trust these collar things.”
Max longed to chase after the van, to find some way to open the back doors and sneak inside. Instead, as he watched the red taillights grow smaller, he said, “I’m going to miss her, too. But you heard what she said. It’s too dangerous for us to go with her. There are more bad people who might hurt us.”
“I can’t believe people would do that,” Gizmo said. “It seems so mean.”
“Yeah, well, some humans can be mean,” Rocky grumbled. “So what do we do now? Do we stay here and wait for her?”
Max shook his head. “We still have a promise to keep,” he said, remembering his strange dream about the Collie on her parade float. “We have to go to Baton Rouge and find Belle. We made a promise to Boss.”
“Oh, yeah,” Rocky said. “And that’s west, right?”
Gizmo sat next to Rocky. “Yes, it is. And I bet there’s lots more animals who would like to know there’s a cure coming. Lots of animals who would be less scared knowing their humans will be coming back soon.”
“Exactly,” Max said. “For now, we should get some more sleep. Tomorrow, we’re back on the road.”
The three dogs found a soft patch of ground on the vet’s lawn. Max knew he sounded confident and in charge to his friends, but he couldn’t help but ache inside.
It’s almost over, he told himself as he drifted off to sleep. The people will come home soon. Then everything will be back to normal.
The words were only slightly comforting, but enough to ease him toward dreams.
Until a breeze carried a familiar musk past his nose.
Max snapped to attention and raised his head.
“Wolves!” he barked.
CHAPTER 15
A RISING FEAR
Rocky and Gizmo stiffened, their snouts raised as they, too, smelled the nearby stench of mangy, desperate wolves.
“Oh, no,” Gizmo said. “I think the smell is coming from behind the vet’s house. Isn’t that where the farm animals are? We have to help them!”
His black fur bristling, Rocky shook his head. “We need to find the police dogs. They’re supposed to be on patrol to keep the wolves away. Some job they did.”
A concerned moo echoed from behind the vet’s house, answered by the snort of a pig. The animals back there were starting to sense that something was wrong. Any minute now they would panic.
Max lowered his head and whispered, “We need to move fast. I’m going to run up the road and find a police dog. You two wake any dogs and cats you can find and spread the word to the other pets to hide. We’ll meet up at the farm pens.”
“You got it, big guy,” Rocky said.
“Please be quick!” Gizmo added.
The two of them darted across the grass to the nearest dog, a fat, wrinkled Pug who was snoring loudly. As Max ran toward the square, he heard the Pug sputtering and groaning.
Max galloped down the street, searching for one of the German Shepherds. The glow of the streetlamps revealed the shadowy figures of cats and dogs asleep on stoops and beneath bushes.
Just as Max neared the square, a glint of gold caught his eye. A large dog was walking around the base of the gazebo. The shine of gold was from the star on the dog’s collar.
“Hey!” Max barked. “We need help!”
The Shepherd’s pointed ears stood at attention as Max barreled toward her. “Whoa there,” she said. “What’s the problem?”
“It’s wolves,” Max said. “We smelled them near the vet’s office. My friends and I will try to alert the other pets, but we don’t know the town like you do.”
The police dog stepped into the lamplight. “Are you certain? We’ve been patrolling all day because of those wolves. I don’t see how they could have slipped past us.”
“Well, they have,” Max said. “Please find Julep and let him know. Tell him Max sent you.”
“Understood.” The police dog nodded curtly. “Go get your friends and try to stay out of sight. Leave the handling of the wolves to us trained professionals.”
“Of course,” Max lied.
The police dog ran toward the town hall. Max spun on his heels and raced back up the street to the vet’s office, where barks and yips and yowls were growing louder by the second. By the time he reached the sidewalk, a half-dozen pets were awake and arguing with Rocky and Gizmo on the dark lawn.
“Don’t listen to them,” the black cat Minerva drawled. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and there are no wolves in the area, not a one. The notion is absurd.”
Fat Porgy glared at Rocky and Gizmo. “You dogs are just trying to cause trouble—I can tell. I never liked you sort.”
In the center of the lawn, Rocky paced in a frantic circle. “Well, I don’t really like you much, either, bub. But we’re trying to keep you from getting eaten by wolves.”
The long-furred Lhasa Apso tossed its snout in the air, sending its fur whipping back. “The only thing in these parts that wants to eat pets is gators,” it said. “And gators never come into town. Not even since the humans left.”
“I dunno, Darlene,” the squat Pug said to the Lhasa Apso. “There’s some strange smell on the wind, and the cows are starting to raise a fuss.” The mooing had indeed grown louder, and Max could hear the squawks of chickens.
Stepping forward, Max let out a harsh, commanding bark. The cats on the porch hissed and backed into the shadows, while the four dogs—Darlene, the Pug, and two Golden Retriever puppies who had been sniffing at the mound of kibble bags—snapped to attention.
Rocky sighed in relief as he saw Max padding over the lawn. “Glad you’re back, buddy,” he said.
“Did you find the police?” Gizmo asked.
Max nodded, his attention on the other animals. “Listen up,” he barked loudly. “Julep and the other German Shepherds are on their way, but none of you is safe here. You need to hide and tell the others to do the same.”
Minerva rolled her green eyes. “I already told your little friends: There aren’t any wolves! You dogs are all just so terribly dumb.” She cleared her throat. “Bless your hearts.”
Max growled and took a step forward. “So you’re willing to risk yourself and your friends just because you don’t like dogs?”
“I do as I please,” the black cat said, then licked a paw and swiped her face.
The crunching of stiff paper met Max’s ears, and he turned to see that one of the Golden Retriever puppies had climbed the mountain of kibble. “Why’s all these bags here?” the puppy asked. “There’s food in them. I can smell it.”
“Where’s the old lady’s van?” the other Golden Retriever called out.
“Hey,” the Pug barked. “The little ’un’s right! The van is gone!”
That got everyone’s attention. “Did she leave?” the boy Golden Retriever puppy asked.
“Of course not,” Minerva spat.
“But all the other people left us!”
Darlene, the Lhasa Apso, whimpered. “She wouldn’t do that to us, would she?”
Growling, Rocky asked, “Why won’t they listen?”
Gizmo nuzzled Rocky’s side until the Dachshund calmed down. “We have to keep trying,” she said.
Max started to speak, but the terrified squeal of a pig echoed through the night air. He didn’t stop to think. As he raced around the side of the vet’s house, he called back, “Do whatever you can to get them to safety! I’ll handle the wolves for now!”
“Got it!” Gizmo called after him.
Max galloped behind the vet’s office. The light next to the back door cast a pale yellow glow. He could see a big metal shed at the end of the yard, the darkened woods behind it. Inside the shed were the cows, four in total. He could barely make out a calf in the shed, resting on a mound of hay.
Here, a white fence divided the yard into four areas. Aside from the cows’ space, there were three smaller pens holding three goats, two pigs, and several chickens. Each pen contained a large supply of food.
One of the pigs stood on all fours, quivering and struggling for breath. The other lay on her belly and looked up at Max with worry.
“I’m telling ya, Lucy, I saw something,” the standing pig said. “It was dark and covered in fur, and oh, its eyes.”
Lucy snorted. “I believe you, Ricky. I do. But are you sure it wasn’t one of the dogs from town? They’ve been spending a lot of time here lately.”
“I saw it, too!” a high-pitched voice warbled.
The speaker was a brown-feathered chicken. It scratched at the dirt with its talons, then waddled to the fence.
The chicken’s head bobbed up and down. “It looked wild,” it squawked. “If it was a dog, it surely wasn’t anyone’s pet. I don’t trust dogs, especially not ones from the swamp!”
Ricky moaned. “Oh, see, Lucy, it’s true. Something is wrong!”
Max cleared his throat and stepped into the light from the back porch.
Terrified clucks rose up from the mesh-lined chicken coop. “Lettie Mae, get inside, girl!” one of the chickens cried from their small home. “You’re gonna get ate!”
Ricky shoved himself into the back corner of his pen, his trotters digging into the dirt and hay. “It’s back! I told you, Lucy, I told you!”
“Shh,” Max said, stepping closer. “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m a normal dog. See?”
The two pigs timidly approached the front of their pen, as did Lettie Mae. Another chicken bravely took a few steps outside the coop.
“You’re just a dog after all,” Lucy said. “We’re scaring ourselves for nothing.”
“Actually, there is something in the woods,” Max said quietly. “But I’m here to help, and the police dogs are on their way.”
Lettie Mae ruffled her feathers. “Are we in danger?”
“Not with me around,” Max said. “But I need you all to keep quiet and act like nothing is happening. If you panic, the wolves might stop trying to be stealthy and attack.”
“Wolves!” Ricky said, trembling. “I’ve heard of wolves. They’re big and bad!”
Lucy nudged her partner with her snout. “You heard the dog. We have to keep quiet.”
“What’s happening?” one of the goats bleated. “Is there something new to chew?”
A gust of wind rose up from the north, and the stench of manure and the tickling scent of hay swirled into Max’s nostrils—followed immediately by the musk of wolves.
“Tell the goats what’s happening,” Max said to the pigs. “And the cows, too.” To the chickens, he added, “You ladies should keep inside.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” one chicken clucked.
While the chickens crowded inside their coop and the pigs whispered warnings to their fellow barn animals, Max crept silently toward the trees behind the metal shed. One cow, sturdy with brown and white spots, watched him with big, concerned eyes as she lapped up water from her trough.
Reaching the side of the shed, Max dropped to his belly. The grass here was high, and smooth pebbles bit into his flesh. Behind him the farm animals were silent, though he could hear their hooves as they paced restlessly.
Max lay there, taking in shallow breaths. He felt silly, like a cat waiting to pounce on some unsuspecting rodent, but walking out in the open was just going to alert the wolves and make them run to some other part of town—or, worse, attack Max head on.
He didn’t have to wait long.
If he hadn’t been listening so intently, he might never have heard the soft, padding footsteps, carefully avoiding twigs that might crunch and give them away.
Two shadowy figures stepped out of the line of trees. One was a terribly thin, lithe wolf covered in patchy red-brown fur. Its head seemed narrower than those of the wolves Max had met before, but there was no mistaking the wildness in its yellow eyes—or the sharpness of its fangs.
Max had to fight to contain a frustrated growl upon seeing the other wolf.
It was Dolph.
Dolph, who’d burned down Rocky’s home, right after the humans had disappeared. Dolph, who’d stalked Max and his friends through towns and cities, who’d killed poor Raoul, who’d attacked the riverboat home of a bunch of innocent, frightened dogs.
Dolph was relentless in his search for Max. For some reason, the beast couldn’t rest until he’d finished off Max, once and for all.
And now Dolph was here.
The gray wolf stood larger than his red wolf companion, far worse for wear than when Max had seen him last. He was so thin that Max could see his ribs, and new wounds had joined the three white scars on his snout. A bald patch on his side revealed pale, tender flesh where the fur had been burned away. On the opposite side of his body were two red slashes that had only recently scabbed over, and he now walked with a slight limp.
Dolph’s companion sniffed the air, but the breeze still flowed from the north, so Max’s scent wasn’t reaching the wolves.
“There’s no one about,” the wolf said. “Let’s take the food.”
Dolph glared at the smaller wolf. “We must be sure, Rudd. Trained, well-fed dogs patrol the streets. I have also heard rumors of a human in this place.”
Rudd snorted. “I do not fear dogs or humans,” he spat. “I fear nothing!”
Rounding on the smaller wolf, Dolph snapped his jaws. Rudd flinched but did not back away.
“Look at me,” Dolph demanded. “See the wounds that dogs and humans can inflict. See the blood drawn by the monsters of these woods.” He took a threatening step toward his companion. “Do you see?”
Snarling, Rudd said, “I see.”
“And do you remember that were it not for me taking these new wounds, your other pack members would not have lived to join me?”
“I remember.”
“You know my strength, then,” the wolf leader growled. “You know I am smart.”
“Yes, Dolph. But I still don’t understand why we do not get ourselves a cow.”
“We lack the strength,” Dolph said. “We would be able to take down only one of the cows, and the rest would stomp us beneath their hooves.”
“The pigs or chickens, then,” Rudd said. “They are smaller.”
“No,” Dolph said. “I have thought it through. Because of the fences, we would not be able to take our meat away. The patrolling dogs would descend, and we would have to battle.”
“Your plan is beneath us,” Rudd growled.
“It is the only option we have,” Dolph snapped. “We are starving. We have no choice but to”—the gray wolf spat out the next word—“negotiate. We must ask the dogs to share their food.”
Rudd shook his head. “How can we do that? The dogs will not trust us.”
Dolph looked away into the shadowy trees. “I came this way following my enemy. Max. Despite our past, he might help me.”
Max stiffened. The last thing he expected was for Dolph to ask for help. Not after all he’d done.
“Max,” Rudd said. “A sheltered house pet. Many of us do not believe he is as dangerous as you say.”
Dolph lowered his voice. “I would never have believed it myself, had I not seen him in action. He is the worst enemy we wolves have. He is also our only hope to stay alive.”
It had to be a trick, Max thought. Maybe the wolves had smelled him there after all.
But both animals looked beyond starving and were covered in fresh wounds. Maybe the wolves had run afoul of the gators, too.
Despite his anger at Dolph, and all the anguish and horror the wolf had put him through, Max felt nothing but pity. The wolf’s eyes, once defiant, seemed faded and sad. If Dolph, the leader of the pack, was in this condition, then how bad were the other wolves?
Max swallowed and made a decision. After all the compassion and care he’d seen Dr. Lynn give to others and to him, it felt wrong to not do the same. And maybe, if he helped, the wolves would leave the pets and farm animals alone, and would finally stop chasing Max, Rocky, and Gizmo.
Max climbed to his feet and took a few cautious steps out of the darkness. Dolph noticed him immediately and went stiff.
“Hello,” Max said softly. “I heard what you said. I want to help.”
Before Dolph could respond, the red wolf beside him snarled. “Meat,” Rudd cried. “I am so hungry. I must eat the meat!”
Jaws open wide to tear into Max, Rudd leaped.
CHAPTER 16
A TEPID TRUCE
Max didn’t have time to move.
Dolph bellowed, “Rudd, stop!” But the smaller wolf didn’t listen.
Rudd flew toward Max, his teeth aimed at Max’s neck, his claws stretched forward.
Then, from Max’s right, a black-and-copper blur soared through the air and collided with Rudd’s side midleap. The two animals smashed into the metal shed with a heavy, resounding clang, then thudded to the ground. From inside the shed, the calf bleated in terror, followed by the moos of the startled cows.
Hackles raised, Max bared his teeth. He watched as the red wolf struggled to get up, but the other creature was larger and sturdier. A blue collar and gold star revealed Rudd’s attacker as a police dog. Max recognized the black snout and red-tinged body at once.
The Long Road Page 15
