The Endless Lake

by Erin Hunter

  Sweet burst out of the aisle between the seats. “Hurry, Wild Dogs! We can’t let them catch Storm!” She led the charge down the stairs. Lucky and the others dashed after her, scarcely realizing that now they were chasing the Fierce Dogs.

  Sweet reached the bottom of the stairs and led the Pack through an open door. Lucky recognized the cavernous room with the gold flourishes and the soft-hide pelts. He followed Sweet to the base of a short set of stairs. She started climbing them to the platform where Blade had made her camp, but Dagger loomed over her. He snapped at Sweet’s ears and she flinched. Lucky knew from his recent experience with Mace that, this time, the Fierce Dog had the advantage. Sweet parried Dagger’s nips as the other Wild Dogs huddled beneath her.

  “Beta!” she called without looking back. “What’s going on up there?”

  He sprang off the back stair and ran back along the soft-hide floor, far enough so he could see what was happening on the platform. Fang had rejoined his Pack. The attack-dogs had Martha and Storm surrounded and were looping around them ominously.

  Just then, Lucky caught a familiar scent. It had wafted past him as he’d run from the platform. An acrid tang that brought back images of flashing teeth, thick fur, orders snapped from a heavy jaw. It reminded him of . . .

  No, it can’t be. I saw him die.

  Sweet raised her snout and her tail gave an anxious jerk. She must have smelled it too, though she couldn’t see what he could from his vantage point. He watched, disbelieving, as a wolfish shadow appeared on the platform behind the Fierce Dogs. Alpha, the Wild Pack’s former leader . . . alive! Sweet threw a glance at Lucky. He knew she was waiting for him to tell her what was happening on the platform, but he couldn’t find the words. What was Alpha doing here? He must have somehow survived the Endless Lake. Had he come to help them?

  The dog-wolf stepped forward and the Fierce Dogs noticed him. They stopped circling Martha and Storm and watched as Alpha lowered his snout and started charging at them.

  No! Not at them! Past them . . .

  “Sweet, look out!” Lucky barked a warning just as Alpha bounded to Dagger’s side. He sprang onto Sweet, catching her by surprise. He threw her onto the floor at the base of the stairs and clamped his jaws around her throat before she could twist from his reach. She howled with terror as he tried to shake her like a prey-creature.

  Lucky’s mind flooded with panic. He couldn’t see, think, or feel. Then, in an instant, his thoughts returned and he was charging toward the dog-wolf with a howl of rage on his tongue. The Wild Dogs jumped out of the way as Lucky launched himself at Alpha. He slammed his head into the dog-wolf’s belly, knocking him to the ground as Sweet scrambled free. Alpha rolled onto his paws and snapped at Sweet again, but this time the swift-dog was ready. She sprang out of the way and landed a kick against his hindquarters, sending him spinning.

  “He makes a good addition to the Pack, don’t you think?”

  Lucky’s eyes leaped to the platform. Blade was staring down, the Fierce Dogs gathered around her. “A fine Omega, this one.”

  Lucky was astonished. Alpha had joined the Fierce Dogs as Omega.

  Sweet’s jaw dropped. “Alpha, why have you joined them? You hate them more than anyone!”

  “I hate weaklings!” he hissed. “The mutts and Leashed Dogs you scavenge alongside. You were useful for keeping these idiots in line, but you aren’t cut out to be leader.”

  Sweet’s muzzle was a crisscross of wrinkles as her lips peeled back to reveal her teeth. “At least I’ll never be anyone’s Omega!” she spat.

  Alpha’s eyes flashed and he sprang at her. He smacked her right foreleg and sent her rolling on the ground. For an instant, the two dogs were a whirl of fur and teeth.

  “Get her, Omega!” howled Blade to a chorus of barks from her Pack.

  Lucky threw himself into the fray, snapping at Alpha’s ankles. He found his litter-sister, Bella, by his side. Together they overpowered the half wolf as Sweet sank her teeth into his flank. With a yowl, he backed against the platform.

  “You’re welcome to lead these rats!” he panted. “See what good it does you!”

  The Wild Dogs barked in shock and fury at Alpha’s betrayal.

  “How could you!” snarled Bruno. “We trusted you!”

  “And after we stood by you!” whined Dart, wide-eyed. “All this time, carving up food, letting you control everything, doing whatever you said!”

  “The coward, siding with the Fierce Dogs!” barked Bella. “His treachery is a disgrace to everything dogs stand for!”

  Alpha raised his muzzle in arrogant triumph and Lucky’s forehead pulsed with rage.

  Traitor! He’ll pay for this!

  He pressed back on his haunches, about to charge.

  “Enough!” Lucky’s eyes shot up to the platform, where Storm was standing, injured but proud. “Don’t fight him! It’s what he wants—what they all want,” she barked. “Even if you beat Alpha, the Fierce Dogs outnumber us.” She turned to Blade. Her jaw was still set but this time she spoke quietly. “I will do it,” she murmured. “I will fight my litter-brother. I will fight him to the death, so only one dog is left standing. But you must let my Pack go free.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Blade’s eyes glittered and she threw back her head. “Dogs, prepare for the Trial of Rage!”

  Alpha didn’t seem to hear her. He bounded up the stairs onto the platform and stalked toward Storm. He pressed his muzzle close to her, a menacing growl escaping his throat. “Back down, Savage. Before I make you!”

  Blade turned on him angrily. “Know your place, Omega!”

  The half wolf bowed his head. “Sorry, Alpha.”

  “Sit!” she commanded, her jagged teeth revealed in a wicked smile.

  Lucky watched in amazement as his former leader obeyed immediately. It dawned on him that the wolf-dog had meant what he’d said—he truly believed that he had joined the winning Pack, and that the Wild Dogs were doomed. Tension crept along Lucky’s spine, and an image of whirring snow leaped in front of his eyes. The Storm of Dogs. What if Alpha was right?

  His dark thoughts were interrupted by Blade. “All of you, off the stage!” she barked. The Fierce Dogs hurried down the steps and the Wild Pack shrank back. But the attack-dogs weren’t interested in them—not for the time being. Lucky watched as Blade’s army shunted between the rows, pressing their forepaws up on the seats in front so they balanced on their hind legs and could see over the platform—the stage, as Blade had called it.

  Only Martha, Storm, and Fang were left up there.

  “Get down!” hissed Blade at the water-dog.

  Martha ignored her, whining softly to Storm. Lucky couldn’t hear her words, but he knew she must be urging the young dog not to fight.

  Storm shook her head. “It’s okay, I have to do this,” she assured her. Dipping her head sadly, Martha turned and climbed down the stairs.

  The Wild Pack gathered at the edges of the seat rows, glancing nervously at the Fierce Dogs. Some of them hopped onto chairs, or pressed up their paws to get a better look as Blade slunk onto the stage. Both Packs fells silent as she stepped between the littermates with an imperious grin.

  “Storm will take the Trial of Rage,” she announced. “If she fails to give in to her true nature, she can crawl out of here with her mongrel Pack and good riddance to her. But if she does show herself to be a Fierce Dog . . .” Blade smirked. “Then she will have to fight Fang to the death, and she will belong to us!”

  Mace and Dagger howled at this and Lucky flinched, feeling queasy. Storm was so battered, with deep wounds in her fur and a swollen cheek. She didn’t stand a chance.

  Blade turned to her Pack. “Let’s make things more interesting! I want to hear who you think will win this blood battle. Say it loud, Fierce Dogs. Show the fighters who you believe in!”

  The attack-dogs started calling Fang’s name, barking at the stage in their fearsome voices. As Blade jumped off the stage to join them, the
barks fell into a vicious chant: “Fang! Fang! Fang! Fang!”

  The young Fierce Dog started circling his litter-sister, jabbing at her with his forepaws and snapping at her flanks with his teeth. Lucky jumped onto one of the longpaw seats to get a clear view of the stage, though he could scarcely bear to look. The dogs would have been evenly matched, but Storm was already injured, while Fang looked fit and strong. It wasn’t fair.

  Fang flew at Storm with a snarl and sank his teeth into a cut in her leg. She howled and the Fierce Dogs barked with feverish excitement: “Fang! Fang! Fang! Fang!”

  Storm scrambled from her litter-brother’s grip and limped back a few paces. Fang paused only a moment before launching another attack. This time he managed to throw his forepaws around her neck, and snapped at her ears as she squirmed wildly, trying to protect her throat. She twisted and head-butted Fang, who fell back, and Lucky was proud to see that she didn’t take the opportunity to bite him. She’s not rising to the challenge. She’s trying not to hurt him.

  Lucky felt a nudge on his paw and looked down to see Sunshine gazing at him from the red soft-hide floor.

  “What’s going on? Is Storm okay?” She was too small to jump on a seat.

  Lucky glanced back at the stage. Fang was slamming against Storm with his side. She rolled, scrambled to her paws, but she was panting badly.

  Lucky looked down at Sunshine. “She’s trying really hard, but she needs our help.”

  “What can we do?” asked the little dog, her eyes wide.

  “We can call out our encouragement!”

  Sunshine nodded with understanding. “Storm! Storm! Storm!” she yelped. Her voice was lost beneath the chants of the Fierce Dogs, but she tried again and Lucky joined in. Bella noticed and added her voice to theirs. Soon most of the Wild Pack was chanting Storm’s name.

  The young Fierce Dog seemed to hear them. With a burst of energy, she pressed back on her haunches and sprang at her litter-brother, pinning him to the stage floor.

  Lucky’s eyes trailed to Sweet, who was tall enough to see the action without leaning on a seat. But she wasn’t looking at the stage. Her eyes were fixed on Alpha, a look of shock and fury on her face. She was his Beta. . . . She put her trust in him. He’s betrayed her even more than the rest of us.

  When Lucky turned back, he could see that Fang was beginning to froth at the mouth. The Fierce Dog was jabbing, charging, and attacking without pause, his eyes frenzied. At first, it seemed to give Storm the advantage as Fang wasn’t bothering to defend himself. She thumped him back with her forepaws and snapped at his flanks, but this only made him angrier. He flew at her, tearing at her neck fur till she howled. She shielded her eyes with her paws as he rained down a flurry of bites and raked his hindclaws over her belly.

  “She needs to fight back,” Bella whined through the din of the barking dogs. “If she doesn’t, she’ll be killed!”

  “But what if she fights too viciously?” yapped Beetle, leaning up on a seat. “She’d fail the test, and have to stay with Blade.”

  Martha barked louder, her voice fierce with a Mother-Dog’s protective rage. “It doesn’t matter what happens as long as she’s alive! We can’t lose any more dogs.” She raised her voice. “Fight, Storm!”

  Lucky’s belly churned with tension as he saw the young Fierce Dog parry her litter-brother’s blows. If she fights back, she risks giving into the rage. She has to hang in there till he tires himself out.

  But Fang showed no sign of tiring. He chased Storm around the stage, gnashing his teeth, throwing back his head, and barking in fury. With a rumbling snort he launched another attack, but this time Storm was ready for him. She blocked him with her side, threw him down with her forepaws, and sank her teeth into his exposed belly. Fang’s agonized yelps rose over the baying dogs, and Lucky caught his breath. Storm was boring her teeth into her litter-brother’s belly, tearing at his flesh with rage in her eyes.

  A shocked silence fell over the Wild Pack. Has the Trial of Rage broken Storm?

  Fang’s head rolled back in exhaustion and his body went limp. Storm’s teeth brushed his throat. She could kill him with one bite.

  Blade and the Fierce Dogs rushed up the stairs to the stage. They jostled around Storm as she pummeled Fang.

  “Kill him!” hissed Blade. “He deserves it after what he’s done to you!”

  “Your litter-brother is weak,” goaded Mace. “Prove you are strong by putting an end to all this!”

  Sweet started for the stairs but Lucky ran to block her. “It won’t help,” he barked. “All the noise will just drive her to aggression.”

  “Then what can we do?” asked Mickey, who had overheard.

  Lucky looked back at the stage as the rest of the Wild Pack squeezed closer. “Nothing. We have to trust her. We have to believe that she’ll do the right thing.” He added a silent thought to the Spirit Dogs. Please show her right from wrong. She’s a good dog. If she searches her heart, she’ll know what to do. Lucky hoped this was true.

  He could hardly see Storm on the stage—the Fierce Dogs were closing around her, their sleek, dark bodies masking his view. He caught a glimpse of her trembling fur. A moment later a couple of the Fierce Dogs moved back as Storm shunted them out of the way.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” snarled Blade. “The Trial isn’t over! You must destroy your litter-brother for the honor of the Pack.”

  Storm turned to her with contempt. Her face was bloodied; one paw was limp and badly wounded. But her head was held high. “Whose Pack?” she spat. “I reject your Pack. Not all Fierce Dogs are vicious. The Wild Pack is where I belong. I have beaten the Trial of Rage—I won’t kill my own litter-brother.”

  Lucky’s heart soared with pride. “She did it!” he murmured.

  Storm hobbled between the Fierce Dogs toward the steps with as much dignity as she could muster. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Alpha tensed to pounce on her, but Lucky jumped into his path. “You disgust me!” he howled at the half wolf, all the built-up rage surging through him. “You despicable traitor. You turned on your own Pack after they mourned for you, taking you for dead!”

  One after another, the Fierce Dogs became still as Lucky let out a torrent of anger. “Dishonorable beast! Even now, you show contempt for the laws of the Spirit Dogs! Blade promised that Storm could go free if she passed the Trial, that she would not be harmed!” His eyes shot from the dog-wolf to the leader of the Fierce Dogs, who glared down at him from the stage.

  Sweet took a step alongside him and nodded gravely. “If you care at all for your honor, you have to let us go.”

  Blade’s eyes grew dark and she stood in silence for several moments. Finally she raised her muzzle. “Very well. You may go, City Dog, and take Storm with you. Run fast and hard. Because one day soon, my Pack will find you. And when we do, there will be no mercy.”

  Moon and Martha helped Storm off the stairs, propping her up between them. The Wild Dogs pressed around her protectively, giving her encouraging licks.

  Standing at the edge of the stage, Blade was watching them with vengeful eyes. The rest of her Pack was stony-faced. There was a scratching sound and the scrabble of paws. Fang staggered into view, glaring down from the stage until he spotted Storm between the Wild Dogs.

  “I will never forgive you for this!” he howled.

  She turned back, shocked. “I spared you!” she yelped.

  His body trembled with fury. “You should have killed me. I would rather have died bringing you back to your rightful Pack than live through your weakness and pity.”

  Lucky noticed Blade tapping her forepaw, becoming impatient. We need to get out of here, before she changes her mind. He pressed close to Storm’s ear. “He’s wrong. You showed enormous courage, Storm. You’re where you belong.”

  “We’re proud of you,” agreed Sweet to an echo of supportive yips from the rest of the Pack.

  As they led the limping Fierce Dog from the building, Lucky knew it was true. Storm h
ad proven her loyalty to the Wild Pack once and for all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The Sun-Dog bounded across the sky, streaming scarlet and gold from his shimmering tail. Already the Moon-Dog peeked over the cliff face, waiting impatiently for darkness to fall. The water of the Endless Lake crashed against the rocks, its waves exploding into silvery mist. Standing at the edge of the cliff, Lucky’s eyes tracked over the water to the jagged outline of the town below. He imagined the Fierce Dogs pacing the broken streets. Fang’s livid face raced across his mind. The young dog’s words rang in Lucky’s ears. You should have killed me. Lucky turned with a shiver. There was another young Fierce Dog to think about now.

  They had reached the grassy territory with the freshwater pond and the small scattering of trees, where Lucky and the other dogs on Fiery’s rescue mission had arrived after escaping the tunnel in the cliff. Most of the Pack had already taken shelter near the pond, and Lucky padded through the long grass to join them. Martha and Whine were helping to wash Storm’s wounds. The pond’s surface shimmered with frost, and the young dog howled at the touch of the icy water. Bella and Mickey sat nearby, sniffing the air, their muzzles raised protectively. The rest of the Pack was dotted about under the trees, huddling in twos or threes for warmth.

  Sweet strode gracefully through the grass and settled alongside Storm. “Come, Wild Dogs,” she called.

  The Pack gathered close on one bank of the pond and waited for their new Alpha to speak.

  The swift-dog met Storm’s eye. “You showed self-restraint in the face of extreme provocation. Blade wanted you to succumb to your anger, but you were stronger than her—stronger than any of them.”

  Storm’s tail gave a small wag and she dipped her battered head.

  Lucky gazed at Sweet gratefully as she turned to address the Pack. “If any dog doubts that Storm belongs in this Pack, or that Fierce Dogs can be good, they can leave right now.” Her eyes flashed in challenge, but no dog disagreed with her. Lucky saw Storm close her eyes. Maybe now she can feel accepted and safe at last.