Free Storm of Dogs by Erin Hunter Page B

He was always a little wicked and crafty, clawing the ground quickly before racing back to the sky, where he was safe.”
    Yap craned his neck to look at his Mother-Dog in surprise. He knew that Lightning and the Sky-Dogs could be mischievous, but it was always in the spirit of fun. He’d never imagined that Lightning was actually mean to Earth-Dog.
    The Mother-Dog’s paw across Yap’s shoulder felt heavier. “Earth-Dog had anticipated Lightning’s tricks this time. She lay quietly, waiting, until the touch of Lightning’s claws became so regular that she could predict where he was about to land next.” Her voice became louder. “Earth-Dog waited and waited, licking her chops. When Lightning sprangdown toward her, what do you think happened?”
    Yap watched his Mother-Dog, wide-eyed.
    She continued, her voice growing shrill. “With a terrible growl, Earth-Dog opened her mouth wide and swallowed Lightning whole!”
    Yap gasped in shock. He’d heard this story before—and this wasn’t how it was supposed to end! He buried his head in his Mother-Dog’s coat. Her muscles flexed beneath the fur, and Yap pulled back, looking up at her for reassurance. He whined in horror—it wasn’t his Mother-Dog staring down at him.
    It was Blade!
    The Fierce Dog flashed her teeth and lowered her head to his so that their whiskers were almost touching. Her breath smelled metallic, like blood.
    Yap cowered from her, but Blade pinned him to the ground, her paw bearing down on his back.
    â€œWhat have you done with Mother?” Yap whined. “Where is my Pup-Pack?”
    Blade’s eyes sparkled gleefully. “Wicked dogs must be punished,” she snarled. “The Earth-Dog swallowed Lightning whole! And the ground was soaked with blood.”
    Her paw against his back was so heavy he could hardly breathe.
    Lucky’s eyes snapped open to see the Sun-Dog beaming down on the den. He sprang to his paws, his heart racing. There was no sign of Blade beneath the bright-blue sky.
    With a sigh of relief, he shook off the memories of his bad dream and looked around. Sweet, Storm, and Bella were no longer in the den. Lucky yawned and stretched out his legs. He wouldn’t think about the nightmare, he told himself. His belly still felt pleasantly full, and his body was stronger after a good sleep. Even his paw hardly hurt anymore.
    Lucky padded down to the pond between the trees. There he drank deeply. Outside the comfort of the den, the wind pierced Lucky’s coat and he shivered. The trees were bare, and even the long grass by the pond bowed under frost. Lucky sniffed the ground.
    The frost disguised scents, but there was a hint of something unusual down there. He sniffed again. A whiff of sourness came from the soil. The air hummed with a faint vibration.The fur rose along Lucky’s back as he experienced a familiar sense of dread.
    This is how it felt before the world fell apart. Earth-Dog was still unsettled—still dangerous. What would it take to appease her? Lucky thought with a shudder of Blade’s dark prophecy. She’s wrong, he told himself firmly. This has nothing to do with Storm. But his anxiety lingered.
    I have to warn the others! We need to find somewhere safe.
    He could hear barking toward the edge of the cliff, and he hurried to join the others. Sweet was gathered with the rest of the Pack. There was no need to warn them—they had guessed what was happening.
    â€œWe can all feel it,” yapped Snap. “Shouldn’t we get out of here?”
    Dart, the little brown chase-dog, spun a quick, anxious circle. “Last time the Growl tore down trees, and the ground . . . the ground just fell apart!”
    Daisy’s ears pricked up. “My longpaws’ house shook and shook. And when I barked for them, they weren’t there!”
    â€œThe clear-stone shattered!” barked Bruno, his brown ears flicking back.