by Erin Hunter
He took a step forward, placing his forepaw on the ice. The freezing cold was sharper than a blast of fire and Lucky whipped away his paw with a howl of pain. He licked it, gazing into the distance. He could still see a light, though now it looked farther away. . . . Somehow he knew he had to reach it, but he didn’t think he’d make it over the long stretches of ice. He backed over the black rock, wondering what to do. He was alone, trapped on the island—and the Ice Wind was coming.
He heard hissing and spun around. The ice was clawing its way over the edge of the island. Its touch turned the rock a shiny white, like clear-stone. Lucky’s breath caught in his throat. He threw a frantic look over his shoulder. The ice was creeping onto the land from all sides, fizzing and murmuring with its cool, white tongue, freezing the land beneath its ghostly pelt.
Lucky cried out. “Bella! Sweet!”
No dog answered his calls.
The ice was close now, whispering and crackling at his paws. Lucky watched in horror as it climbed up his legs, searing him with its deathly touch, turning his fur brittle and white as frost. He tried to pull away, but his legs were frozen. He tried to cry out again, but his jaw was locked with cold.
Far in the distance, the amber light flickered and died. Now there was only chill and darkness. And then, in the darkness, the furious howls of fighting dogs.
Lucky’s eyes snapped open. It took him a moment to remember he was in a cave not far from the Endless Lake. He could hear it roaring and lashing the shore, not frozen as in his dream. It sounded closer than it had before they had gone to sleep.
The cave was darker than before, as though the Moon-Dog really had vanished. Lucky trembled with cold. The other dogs were still curled around him, but it didn’t seem to help anymore. He rose to his paws, careful not to wake his companions.
I’ll shake out my fur, as Moon taught us to. Maybe that will do the trick.
He started toward the mouth of the cave, crunching over the sandy ground. Something cold and wet stung his paw pads, and he sprang back in alarm. Water! The Endless Lake crashed and hissed, not dog-lengths away along the sand, but just outside. Its waves tumbled into the cave, blocking the exit.
Lucky was so shocked he could hardly speak. Then he found his voice. “Wake up!” he whined. “The lake has moved! We’re trapped!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
In an instant the dogs were awake.
“What happened?” barked Bella, springing toward the mouth of the cave. She jumped back as the water lapped over her paws. “Where is it coming from?”
“It’s the Endless Lake!” Lucky howled. “It’s broken its banks.”
A new burst of water gushed through the entrance, bubbling and thrashing. The raised part of the cave quickly became an island. The dogs huddled together, their fear-scent mingling with the salty air.
Moon’s eyes flashed in the darkness. “It’s rising so quickly!”
“I’ll take a look.” Martha bounded down toward the entrance of the cave and plunged into the water. Her head dipped beneath the surface but bobbed up again as she struggled against the current, trying to swim out onto the bank. With a powerful shake she dived down, disappearing from sight. Lucky and Bella exchanged glances, waiting for the brave water-dog to emerge. Storm whined with fear. A moment later the water split and Martha’s head burst out.
She struggled onto the island of sand. Her body trembled and she shook out her fur. “It’s freezing,” she whined. “And we’d have to fight the current to get out. It’s like pushing against a wall of water. I’ve never known anything like it. I might be able to make it, but I don’t think the rest of you could.”
This was too much for Moon, who howled in terror. “We’re trapped! We’re trapped!” She turned circles on the spot. She banged into Storm, who leaped into the air with a growl. Panic clawed at Lucky’s belly, his heart racing and his fur standing on end. It’s so cold, so dark!
“We’ll drown!” yapped Storm. “We’ll freeze and drown!” She spun around and smacked into Bella, who snapped at her flank.
If we lose control now we could hurt one another, Lucky realized with a start. I have to calm down. We all have to if we want to get out of here!
The water was swirling around them, silvery in the weak light. It slapped the edges of the sand island.
“Earth-Dog, save us!” cried Moon. “Help us escape this terrible place!”
“Why ask her?” snapped Bella. “She hasn’t been so kind to dogs lately. Didn’t you see what she did to the town? It’s nothing compared to the city I used to know. The Earth-Dog caused the Big Growl; she took everything—this is all her fault!”
Lucky flinched. In his heart, he suspected that his litter-sister was right—that the Earth-Dog was more intent on causing harm than being their friend. But how could that be true? He remembered something his Mother-Dog had once said to him: “Earth-Dog takes us when we die. Until then, she protects us and gives us strength. She watches over us night and day—when you need her, she will help you.” Hadn’t the Earth-Dog watched over him when he’d fallen down the animal hole as a pup? What if Bella was wrong? Maybe the Big Growl wasn’t the Earth-Dog’s fault.
Lucky turned his back on the water. He could hear it tumbling through the mouth of the cave and he did his best to block out the terrifying sound, sniffing along the rocks. He tried to concentrate, despite the whines and yaps of the others. His whiskers flexed and the fur tingled along his muzzle. He could feel the faintest breeze. An airway!
But would it be large enough for the dogs to escape?
He glanced back to see Moon glaring at Storm. “Don’t blame Storm; it wasn’t her fault!”
“Then who should we blame?” barked Moon. “If it wasn’t for the Fierce Dogs we’d be with the Pack by now! But no, we had to follow them; we had to worry about their latest plans because they want to reclaim their pup. And now we’re trapped!”
Storm didn’t try to defend herself. Instead she threw back her head and whined pathetically, just as the water splashed over the sand island where the dogs were huddling. It hissed icily over Lucky’s paws.
“There may still be a way out!” Lucky barked.
This quieted the bickering dogs.
“You need to listen to me carefully,” Lucky urged them. “I think there’s a hole farther inside the cave, behind these rocks. We may be able to dig our way out.”
Bella’s eyes were silvery like the water. “What if it’s like a rabbit warren, all wrong turns and dead ends?”
The same thought had occurred to Lucky. He watched the water swell up behind her. With another surge it rushed over their paws again. It wouldn’t take long before the sand island was submerged. “We have to try.”
“But the water’s rising fast!” barked Bella. “The path will be narrow; we’d have to take it one dog at a time. Even if you find a way out, we’ll lose you!”
The icy water tugged at Lucky’s paws and he fought against panic. “We’ll have to stick together.”
Moon’s ears pricked up. “I know a way! Each dog should take the tail of the dog in front. Don’t pull or tug, just hold it gently in your mouth. We’ll move in a line and, that way, we won’t lose any dog.”
“Good idea!” barked Lucky.
“I’ll go last,” said Martha. “My fur’s the thickest, so it doesn’t matter if I get wet—and I can hold my breath the longest.”
Lucky was touched. He guessed that Martha’s instinct was to flee the icy water as quickly as she could, just like the rest of them. But she was a real Pack Dog, always thinking of the others. “You’re so brave,” he told her. “We’re lucky to have you with us.” He turned toward the rocks, feeling Bella’s jaws close carefully around the middle of his tail.
He called back to the others. “Has every dog got someone to lead them?”
“Every dog but you,” Bella muttered, her voice muffled by Lucky’s tail.
“I have Earth-Dog,” Lucky replied. “She’ll show us the way out.”
“The sand is melting away!” whined Martha. “The island is sinking!”
“Up here, quickly, onto the rocks!” Lucky barked back. He scrambled over the rocks along the wall of the cave, beneath a sharp tooth of stone and up a steep passageway. Darkness enfolded him. The fresh breeze grew stronger and Lucky tracked it blindly. He felt Bella’s weight at his tail and heard the scramble of her paws as she followed him, and the footfalls of the other dogs as they crunched over the sand.
The water couldn’t reach them now, but Lucky could hear it swishing about in the cave beneath them, still rising. He tried to focus on the gentle breeze, which came and went amid the smell of salt and the fear-scent of the other dogs.
He faltered. In the darkness, he could just make out a fork in the tunnel.
“Hurry!” whined Moon. “It’s getting wet back here!”
Please, Earth-Dog, show me which way to go.
“Lucky!” Moon growled more urgently, prompting Lucky to make a decision. On impulse, he sprang toward the passage on the right. He thought he’d sensed fresh air there, but he couldn’t be sure. He heard the others scurry after him.
The ground beneath them turned from sand to slippery stones and Lucky skidded, kicking up a shower of rocks. One smacked him hard on the forepaw and he yelped. The paw twinged when he flexed it and he could smell his own blood.
“Are you injured?” whined Bella as he paused to lick the wound.
“Is he all right?” Storm whimpered, her voice echoing along the narrow passageway.
Lucky tried setting his paw down. It seemed able to take his weight, provided he was careful. “I’m fine,” he replied. “Is every dog still here?”
“Yes!” yelped Bella, releasing his tail for a moment.
“Yes!” whined Moon and Storm.
“Me too!” murmured Martha. “The water’s rising. . . .”
“Then we need to hurry.” Lucky pressed forward, hobbling a little. The water ran over his paws, rising quickly along the dark passage. It would be worse for Storm and Martha at the rear.
Lucky picked up his pace. Doing his best not to skid on the wet stones, he shuffled along the passageway, sniffing for fresh air. Soon the water swished around his legs, climbing to his belly. The passage bent at a sharp angle, the way barred by a mound of jagged rocks. Lucky carefully climbed over, feeling Bella’s grip tighten on his tail. A moment later she was on the other side and holding on to him more gently.
Lucky sniffed deeply. There it was again! The smell of fresh air. Lucky half bounded, half swam through the icy water.
“Help!” barked Martha. “Stop!”
Lucky’s heart lurched. If Martha is barking, that means she doesn’t have Storm’s tail in her mouth—and that means . . . oh no!
“Where’s Storm?” he yelped.
The water-dog’s voice was desperate. “Her tail slipped out of my mouth!”
“She’s not holding on to me,” whined Moon. “I don’t know where she’s gone, and the water is high—can she even swim?”
“All of you, stay put!” ordered Lucky. Martha started barking. “Quiet!” he snapped. The dogs froze. Disguising his panic, Lucky called out to the pup. “Storm? Storm, are you there?”
For a moment, he could only hear the swish of the rising water and his panting companions. Then a small voice called out.
“I’m here! I’m okay! I slipped and fell under the water but I’m fine now.”
Lucky’s heart swelled with relief. He heard Martha and Moon help the pup to her paws and waited until they were all in a row once more, holding on to one another’s tails. He sniffed, trying to reach beyond the stinging salt to catch the fresh air he had detected earlier. What if the way out is below us? We’ll all drown.
“There you go,” soothed Moon. “Just take small steps; it’s safer that way.”
“That’s true,” agreed Martha.
Lucky was touched by how well the dogs worked together. It gave him a rush of hope. He raised his muzzle and sniffed deeply. There it was: that sweet hint of fresh air—he’d caught it only for a moment, but it was enough.
“Follow me!” he barked, mounting the passageway. It climbed sharply, a black path between stone walls.
They kept going until the path split again.
“Which way now?” panted Bella.
Lucky pricked up his ears. He could hear the Endless Lake below them, swishing through the flooded cave, but they seemed to have climbed beyond its reach. He couldn’t gauge their distance from the sounds.
“Earth-Dog, show me the way,” Lucky muttered aloud, longing for guidance.
The others had grown very quiet. He could sense them waiting for an answer. Lucky waited too. There was no reassuring light to guide him to one of the pathways, no warmth or smell. I will have to make a decision by myself, thought Lucky, his whiskers twitching. He didn’t want to scare the others—to make them feel alone, without the protection of the Spirit Dogs. Keeping us all together and calm is more important than the truth.
He cleared his throat. “I can feel something!” he lied. “The Earth-Dog is telling me . . . we must climb this way!” He turned toward the left passageway and started climbing, doing his best to ignore his throbbing forepaw. The others reacted with cheerful barks, staying close behind him.
“The Earth-Dog is guiding us,” murmured Moon. “We’re going to be all right!”
Even Bella seemed more at ease as she licked Lucky’s tail before closing her jaws around it once more.
The passageway cut even more sharply through the rocks. We must be inside the cliff, thought Lucky, wondering where it would take them. He did not dare to think about the possibility that he was leading the other dogs to a dead end, or a gap too narrow to squeeze through. His flank brushed against stone. Were the walls getting closer? His heart was thumping hard in his chest and the pain in his paw was getting worse. He paused to lick it and felt dizzy. Had he just heard—? No, it couldn’t have been a dog. . . . Then he caught it again, distant but quite clear: a rich, pure voice beyond the rock wall.
“Quiet!” he hissed, sounding sharper than he’d intended. The others fell silent.
Lucky craned his ears. A dog was barking not far away. Although her words were muffled by the rock, he knew who it was—it was the voice his mind always drifted to, the voice he had longed to hear again. “Sweet!” he breathed. At first he thought she was calling him, but then he realized that she couldn’t know he was there. . . . Not yet.
He charged up the passageway, his tail slipping out of Bella’s grasp. He no longer felt the pain in his paw as he found his way over the rocky ground. His breath came noisily; his pulse thumped in his ears. He ran until the hard stone pebbles gave way to grainy earth.
Suddenly he could make out the faint outline of his paws. The tunnel grew narrower, ending in a wall of earth. A prick of light had broken through and Lucky launched at it, digging furiously. He kicked up dirt that Bella and Moon helped to push down the tunnel. All the time he pictured Sweet’s slender face, her velvety ears, and her large brown eyes. With a last, frantic scramble the earth crumbled before him, collapsing in a tangle of soil and sand.
Piercing sunshine broke through the darkness.
CHAPTER NINE
Lucky burst out of the tunnel in a cloud of sand and soil. He rolled onto a patch of grass, taking in great gulps of cool, clean air. Bella pranced past him and Storm shot out behind her, running in excited zigzags.
“We’re out! We’re free!” barked Storm. “Lucky, you found the way!”
“The Earth-Dog spoke through him!” panted Moon, collapsing in a beam of sunshine.
Martha lay down next to her with a sigh. Her thick coat was covered in dirt, and she licked her forepaws a couple of times before giving up and stretching them out in the sun. “I never thought fresh a
ir could taste this good.”
Bella shook her fur vigorously. “Even the cold wind is welcome. Any wind is a relief.” Lucky watched as she padded back to the collapsed entrance of the tunnel, sniffing the debris. “I think this was a fox den once; there’s something of their sharp scent in the soil.”
Lucky met her eye. He remembered how his litter-sister had struck a deal with foxes and used them to attack the Wild Pack. But it seemed so long ago now that Leashed and Wild Dogs were divided. If the scent of foxes reminded Bella of that dark time, she didn’t show it.
He stretched his forelegs and drew himself up, taking a good look around. They had emerged at the top of a cliff. He edged closer to the drop with a shudder. It lurched down to a cluster of gray rocks. The Endless Lake spun and crashed against them in plumes of white mist.
He backed away from the drop and looked over the grass. It sloped gently into a valley out of reach of the lashing wind. Some low trees grew down there, the first Lucky had seen since the dogs had reached the Endless Lake. Something glinted green between their trunks. Lucky licked his lips, guessing it was a freshwater pond.
It looks sheltered and comfortable, an excellent camp for the Pack. And where there are trees, there are squirrels. . . . There must be other prey around too.
His fur tingled as he took in the odors of the Wild Dogs. They were so close that he had no trouble distinguishing them on the air: Alpha, Snap, Bruno, Sunshine, Sweet . . . Then he heard the murmur of her voice again.
