Darkness Falls by Erin Hunter

the trees and catching the scent and sound of water. He used his head to clear a gap in some undergrowth and emerged at the bank of the river that the Leashed Pack had crossed to get to the Wild Pack’s territory. Taking a step closer, Lucky breathed in the damp air. It was sweet and earthy and he detected none of the slimy green sludge that had made Bruno sick. He gazed at the river, briefly tapping it with his nose. It was cool and clear. Silver fish darted deep within the current, tempting but out of reach.
    Satisfied that the water was clean, Lucky lapped at it thirstily. Once he had drunk his fill, he sat at the side of the bank and licked his paws, thinking things through.
    Mickey had been sure that the longpaws were back. If he was right that meant Lucky would be able to forage for food as he used to. No more chasing rabbits in long grass!
    Lucky knew how to live in the city. If he hurried, he might even catch up with Mickey. This thought cheered him and he focused on his next move. One way to the city was over the hill, through the Wild Pack’s old camp. But that would lead him along a path that ran right beneath the dark cloud. He didn’t like to think of it still up there in the sky. It was hidden behind the trees now, but he could still smell that scent that singed his whiskers and prickled his nose.
    Another route to the city was across the river. Lucky watched as the water darted through rocks, spinning in pelts of white froth. He thought of Martha and her affinity with the River-Dog. His chest tightened and his tail drooped—he wished that she were here with him. He missed her, and the others in the Pack. He whimpered at the thought of them, the sound seeming to bounce through the forest, from tree to tree.
    How could they betray me, after all we’ve been through?
    Pushing away his loneliness, Lucky rose and approached the river, sinking a single paw into the current. Its force immediately pulled him off-balance. He wrenched his paw away and stepped back. There was no way he could safely get across here. He would have to find a way around it.
    Lucky remembered that the Leashed Dogs had managed to cross upstream. He started following the path of the river, searching for the point where the current was more peaceful and the water shallow. He felt better now that he had quenched his thirst, but hunger still clawed at his belly.
    A fly buzzed around his whiskers and he resisted the urge to snap his jaws in its direction. Things weren’t that bad. He lowered his muzzle and ran his nose through a pile of leaves that had fallen to the forest floor. He picked up a couple between his teeth and chewed on them. Their sharp taste stung the back of his throat and would do nothing for his hunger in the long run, but at least they took his mind off it.
    The screech of a crow made Lucky jump, his head darting toward the sky as he remembered the no-sun crow that had haunted him at the Wild Dog camp. Shimmering feathers vanished above the branches, but Lucky’s gaze was drawn to something else in the sky. The poison cloud was drifting nearer, glistening like a puddle of black blood. He caught a whiff of its acrid stench. It was like something he had smelled in the city. It came back to him now—it was a loudcage scent, like the odor that rose from an injured loudcage as it bled onto the ground when they had their fierce fights. Fights just like the ones that made black clouds rise into the air. The smell turned his stomach. There was nothing natural about it. But it couldn’t be a loudcage fight—it was far too huge for that.
    The cloud seemed to be drawing closer. Lucky’s hackles rose and a growl escaped his throat, but he tore his gaze away and continued through the forest. The sooner he was out in the open, the sooner he could get away from the strange cloud. He lowered his muzzle and sniffed the earth, keen to dislodge the acrid smell. Inhaling the fragrance of damp leaves, moss,