Free The Pup Who Cried Wolf by Chris Kurtz Page B

for joy and circle and bark and bark. Okay, I yap. I can’t help it. I’m so happy.
    â€œThank goodness my family is all safe tonight,” Mona says. “I don’t know how I could go back to the city without you guys. Sweet dreams, everyone.” She closes the motor home door.
    I run up to the cage. “You came back. I can’t believe you came back!”
    â€œWhat a day.” Hector flops down in a corner. “And what a night.”
    â€œDid you find a girl rat?”
    â€œThere was a girl rat on the other side of every dark tunnel,” he says. “Those country girls love a party rat, let me tell you.” He wiggles his toes.
    â€œThen why did you ever come home?” I ask.
    â€œDid I tell you it was dark? That’s exactly the problem. It’s dark down in those underground rat holes. I’m not used to creeping around in tight places.” He rolls over and comes up to the side of his cage. “Especially if you happen to be carrying around a few extra love handles.” Hector pinchesthe extra fat on his tummy. “You can’t even turn around in some of those rat highways. It’s oneway traffic all day, every day, for a skinny country rat. But for a fat city rat, it’s no-way traffic.”
    â€œSo that’s why you thought it was a good idea to hop out of your nice, safe hole and go strolling around in broad daylight,” Glory says.
    â€œHey, you were right.” Hector sighs. “No question about that. The minute you poke your head out for fresh air, it’s nothing but teeth and claws and sharp beaks. Especially if you’re a plump, tasty, good-looking fellow like me.” He fluffs up some sawdust and flops back down.
    I lie on my pillow and listen to the peaceful night noises of crickets and frogs. “Heckles … I mean Hector, I’m glad you came back,” I say softly.
    There is no answer, and I think the little guy must have fallen asleep. Then he coughs. “First of all,” he says, “call me Heckles. I can’t deal with any more surprises tonight. Second of all, I did a little thinking out there and decided I’m not going to meet anyone out there as good as you and the bird, who were both going to face down the biggestteeth on the continent just to save my smelly old self.”
    I sit up and look at him.
    His tail gives a little twitch.
    â€œAnd last of all, somebody has to make sure Glory doesn’t sleep the days away with too much peace and quiet.”
    â€œOh, for goodness’ sake,” says Glory. “Somebody put a towel over my cage and let me have some rest!”
    Hector winks at me.
    I put my head on my paws. The night is quiet for the moment. Then from far off comes a long, high, lonely howl. I hear Glory stir in her cage, and Hector and I sit up.
    â€œBack to sleep,” says Glory. “Just a family calling to itself. Everybody needs a family.”
    â€œThe trick is to make sure someone else’s family doesn’t eat yours,” says Hector.
    I turn two and a half times and lie down. The sounds of the room settle all around me like the blankets Mona used to tuck me into when I was a lonely puppy. Heckles scratches himself, and his sawdust rustles as he tries to get morecomfortable. Glory makes her feather-fluffing sounds and then grows quiet again.
    â€œGlory,” I say. I wait. I’m not sure anyone is listening. Then I decide to say it anyway. “You were wrong about one thing. I did find my pack in Yellowstone Park. I just didn’t look for it in the right place. My pack lives in a place with air-conditioning, pizza, bright streetlights, and flavors from all over the world.”
    No one answers, but I don’t care.
    I know that starting tonight, I’m working on a whole new favorite dream. Somewhere under the dark trees, a pack is gathering together. They might be sniffing each other and getting ready for their family run. But