Storm of Dogs by Erin Hunter

wounds; I foresaw that too! Now she is in pain and furious. Only more blood will avenge her wounds!” She bared her teeth, growling low in her throat. “A young Fierce Dog will bring about the final battle, the fight that will tear the sky in two and fill the world with snow and blood. There is only one way to stop it, and the Spirit Dogs have shown me what to do. I must destroy the Fierce Dog pups born after the Growl. The Earth-Dog demands a sacrifice, and if she doesn’t get it, she will growl again and kill us all!”
    Lucky stumbled, sick to his stomach. Dizzily, he remembered the dead pup he and Mickey had found in the Dog-Garden. He hadn’t been from Storm and Fang’s litter. “You killed your own pup,” he gasped.
    Blade flinched, as though struck. Then her face grew grim. “I did what I had to.”
    â€œAnd Wiggle . . .” Lucky’s heart ached when he thought of that small, vulnerable puppy—the weakest and gentlest of the Fierce Dog litter the Pack had rescued.
    Blade was unrepentant. “I would kill him again. I was careless when my Pack left the Dog-Garden. I killed the Mother-Dog and assumed that the pups would weaken and die without her. You were the one who stole them away and ruined my plans, but I will make it right. The Spirit Dogs have spoken, and I will not shirk my duty again.” She rose to her paws. “It is up to me to prevent another Big Growl. First I will put down Storm—and then I will kill her worthless brother. I promise, though, I’ll make his death quick—he did well to help put this trap in place.”
    She turned and barked down the tunnel. “Arrow!”
    Lucky heard the scrambling of paws. A moment later he saw the outline of a young Fierce Dog, not much older than Storm and Fang. He wore no collar, unlike the rest of his Pack. But his ears were pointed like a sharpclaw’s, without the jagged edges of Fang’s torn flesh. A longpaw must have cut them with brutal precision. That meant the young dog was born before the Big Growl. He stood at attention obediently, waiting for Blade to give her orders. I wonder if he realizes how close he came to being killed by her? Lucky wondered. If he’d been born after that awful day.
    â€œAre you ready?” asked Blade.
    â€œYes, Alpha!” barked Arrow.
    The two Fierce Dogs disappeared down the tunnel.
    Lucky’s head was still spinning. He had to get out, to warn his Packmates that this was a trap—but how? He cocked his head, thinking. The far wall seemed to be a little more rugged, and dipped at a slight incline. If he could just get enough speed . . . He ran at the wall with all his might, jumping as he reached it and throwing his forepaws against it, but the rock was too hard and smooth for a decent grip. He slipped back down and hit the ground with a thud.
    Struggling to keep calm and to control his frustration, Lucky took a deep breath and started circling the wall. Where water trailed over the stones, there were small clumps of moss. Maybe I can climb up on those.
    He tested the moss with his paws. Some of it fell away under pressure, but the rest seemed firmly connected to the stone. If I can climb it quickly, before it collapses . . .
    Lucky backed up as far as he could, then ran at the wall. He sank his claws into the moss, feeling the soft earthy greenery crumble away beneath his paws. It held just long enough to let him scurry up the stone.
    I’m doing it! I’m almost out!
    He threw his forepaws over the top of the cave bowl with a rush of euphoria, preparing to pull himself up.
    The gleam of fangs flashed overhead, and pain shot through Lucky’s forepaw.

CHAPTER SIX
    Lucky howled, squinting up against the darkness. He could make out the ragged, wolfish outline of a head at the top of the rock bowl. Alpha! Our old Alpha! The dog-wolf crunched down on Lucky’s flesh with a growl of triumph.
    Fire seared