CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A Kingly Introduction

THE FOG WAS CLEARING as Mac and Zeus ran over the soft mud and gravel road.

“So we’re supposed to be looking for a mailbox?” Zeus asked, panting a little.

“He said it’d be on the right with a pond behind it and a fox den across from it.”

“And will there be a fox there to let us in?”

“I don’t know! Just keep moving.”

“Yes…Your Majesty!” Zeus laughed at the thought.

MALCOLM AND JONAH SOON REACHED the edge of Persly’s Woods. Jonah was back in the pasture he’d come from.

“Oh, I’d almost forgotten how you can’t see anything in this grass!” The dog was annoyed as he pushed it down with his chest.

“I don’t walk much around here,” Malcolm replied. “Nobody does, after hearing stories about the wild goats.”

“What wild goats?”

“You don’t know about Zebulon and his clan of wild goats? Oh, Jonah, they’re fierce…and crazy! They say the ground shakes when they come at you. Their horns are mighty and sharp! Just keep your eyes open for them, and if you hear anything, hide!”

They ran across the pasture, dodging the evergreens that covered the land.

BENJAMIN WALKED UP TO THE HOUSE in his stiff, wet clothes. He didn’t know what to do. School would be starting any minute and he’d missed the bus. Will I be in huge trouble if I don’t show up? Should I call Mom or Dad?

He turned and walked back down the driveway to the mailbox, staring at the ground. Then he heard barking up the road.

“Is that the boy from last night?” Zeus asked as they ran.

“I think…I think maybe it is!”

Zeus barked in excitement. “Now we’ll see if he was telling the truth. Keep your guard up, though, in case it’s a trap.”

“Oh, Zeus, do you really think a human who can talk to us would do us any harm?”

Benjamin saw the top of the Doberman coming fast. Soon the tan pug was in view, running alongside. “Hey!” Benjamin called out in surprise.

“I think he’s happy to see us.” Mac, out of breath, smiled at the sandy-blonde haired boy waving his arms.

Benjamin forgot about school and his parents. He was finally going to introduce Pugsly’s heir to the kingdom. “Hey you guys! I wasn’t expecting to see you here so soon!”

“Well, I…I couldn’t wait,” the pug panted.

“Yes, His Majesty was very anxious to get here.”

“Okay, let me take you in!” The boy almost danced to the den, dogs close behind. When the sticks stuck up, the dogs barked madly and ran in the other direction. Ruff! Ruff! “No! Come back! It’s supposed to do that. It’s a hole, see?” Benjamin pointed at the exposed entrance and they watched him crawl in. He poked his head back out. “It’s okay. This is how we get in.” The dogs looked at each other, then drew near uncertainly.

“Hey! Wait for me! I need to get in,” called a high-pitched voice from above. Benjamin saw the grayish-purple pigeon descend. Mac and Zeus climbed onto the sticks and the pigeon landed clumsily next to Mac. “Hi. You must be King Benjamin. I have a message for Roscoe.”

“He’s inside, pigeon. You can follow us.” Benjamin ducked and disappeared. “It’s okay. guys. Hop in here.”

The pigeon looked at the two nervous dogs. “First time?”

“Yeah,” Zeus replied as he leaned over the hole.

“Me, too,” the pigeon said.

The Doberman took a deep breath and crawled in.

“You alright?” Mac inquired.

“Help me, King Mac! It’s a trap!” Zeus yelled.

Mac’s black ears folded back as he started to run away. “Hey, get back here! I was just joking!” Mac heard Zeus and the boy laughing inside the hole.

“Very funny!” Mac grimaced, then hopped in. The pigeon landed awkwardly behind him.

“We usually have lightning bugs lining the walls of this tunnel,” Benjamin explained, “but there aren’t as many as there used to be. Just follow my voice and we’ll be inside the kingdom before ya know it.”

“This has got to be the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” Mac whispered as they walked along in the darkness.

“Oh, not me, sir,” the pigeon volunteered. “One time I had to deliver a message to a rat inside of a trash dumpster down the road.”

“And what was the message?” Zeus asked in the darkness.

“I believe his wife wanted to tell him she was leaving him for a guinea pig.”

Benjamin snickered through his nose. They were now able to see a blue tint on the walls of the tunnel.

“We’re getting close, guys. Shouldn’t be too much longer.” Benjamin heard the animals talking in the hall. At the final corner before the cavern he had a mischievous thought. “Hey, wanna play a joke on them?” Their faces lit up.

“What do you have in mind?” Mac asked. They huddled and Benjamin whispered the plan, having to stop a few times as they tried to stifle their laughter.

“Okay, I’m ready!” The pigeon took off flying into the hall. “Help! A crazy dog has just attacked the king! Help!” Startled, the animals watched the delirious bird circle the cavern, yelling at the top of his lungs. Benjamin bit his lip, then hobbled into the room, wobbling this way and that until he fell over. The room gasped.

“My king!” Clementine shouted, just as a huge, black Doberman leaped through the air into the room, growling madly and baring his sharp white teeth. Zeus circled the injured boy growling at every frightened face. They were frozen in fear.

“You will not harm them!”

Every eye turned on the entrance, where a little tan pug stood boldly looking at the monster dog. Zeus growled and Mac ran toward him, looking as brave as possible, jumped in the air, and landed on him. They wrestled around on the floor, scrambling this way and that. Mac bit down on Zeus’s neck a little too hard.

“Ouch! That hurt!” Zeus yelled.

Mac immediately stopped. “Oh, sorry ‘bout that!”

A roomful of stunned faces stared at them.

“Uh… I mean—” Thunk! Zeus’s head dropped lifelessly to the floor. Mac climbed on top of him as Zeus let out a mighty heave, and stood in the blue light shining down by the throne.

A chicken spotted the black foot on the pug. “It’s him! It’s King Pugsly’s heir!”

Benjamin couldn’t hold it in anymore and started laughing, and the other conspirators joined him. The confused kingdom didn’t see the humor. Benjamin sat up and walked over to the pug.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to present to you, Mac! King Pugsly’s son!” The crowd cheered, then laughed when they realized they’d also been introduced to their new king’s sense of humor.

Roscoe spoke over the hubbub. “Oh, Sire, that was one for the ages. Very clever intro.” He bowed down to the pug. Zeus found that a little strange, but soon everyone was doing it.

“I knew you’d like it, Roscoe.” Benjamin patted his head.

The pigeon flew over to the boy and goat as the hundreds of others introduced themselves to Mac and Zeus. “You’re Roscoe?”

“Uh…yeah,” he coolly replied.

“I have a message for you. I was sent by your dad, Stinky.”

Roscoe was suddenly alert. “What does he say?”

“He needs you back at the farm. He’s very sick.”

“Okay, tell him I’m on my way!” Roscoe was worried.

The pigeon turned to Benjamin. “Can I go out that way?” He glanced at the hole in the ceiling.

“Certainly.”

“I’ll tell Stinky.” He disappeared through the hole.

Clementine waddled over to the goat. “What is it Roscoe? What’s wrong?”

“Dad’s sick and wants to see me.”

“Do you need me to go with you?” Clementine asked, concerned.

“No…no you stay here and help Pugsly’s son organize the caravan. I’ll be back.”

“Okay. We won’t leave without you.” Clementine and Benjamin watched Roscoe run into the tunnel.

“I hope Stinky is okay,” Benjamin said worriedly.

Clementine snorted a little laugh through his black snout. “.…Stinky.”

The boy walked over to the mob of animals surrounding Mac. Standing next to Zeus, he felt a little less special now that the true king was in the hall.

“Feeling a little down?” Zeus asked.

“Is it easy to see?”

“Yes.” the Doberman smiled kindly.

Benjamin tried not to look emotional as he walked through the crowd to talk to the pug. “Well, should I go ahead and give you this?” He reached down to his wrist and grabbed the collar. The pug’s eyes lit up eagerly.

“Not yet, Your Majesty!” The old badger hobbled forward. “We need to have a proper ceremony for something as important as exchanging the crown!”

Others in the crowd agreed. “Yeah, let’s make it official!” Benjamin was a little relieved that he could keep it a while longer.

“Hey!” Clementine yelled from the back. Everyone turned to see the annoyed pig standing next to the fox. “What about the caravan? We need to get going as soon as Roscoe comes back.”

“What caravan?” Mac asked.

Clementine and Felix made their way through the animals. “You, Felix, and I,” Clementine turned his eyes toward the crowd, “and whoever else is brave enough to come along…” The other eyes looked elsewhere. “Hmph! We are going to Persly’s Woods.”

“Persly’s Woods? Where’s that?”

“It’s a forest way far to the east.”

“And why are we going to Pers…Persly’s Woods?”

Felix stepped forward. “Your Majesty—”

“Not yet!” Clementine said. He looked at Benjamin and winked.

“—a thousand of my friends are coming to join your kingdom.”

“A thousand?!” Mac stuttered.

“Give or take,” Clementine smiled.

“Why do so many want to join all at once?” Mac asked.

“Because Persly’s Woods is being terrorized by an unseen creature we can no longer ignore.”

“You…you haven’t seen it?” Mac had a hint of fear in his voice.

“No one has seen it… and lived. Everyday more of us are being eaten. Some of my own family have already been killed.”

“Oh, no!” Mac gulped.

“We’ve decided it’s best to make a new home here in this kingdom. I was sent to find it and bring back help who can safely lead us back here. I managed to find your kingdom by accident.”

“So they’re all waiting for us in the woods with that thing out there?”

“Yes.”

“Well then we need to go get them! Zeus, will you come?” Mac asked.

“Of course, My King!” The Doberman snickered a little, then bowed down.

“Now wait, Zeus. I’m not king yet…” Mac looked at Benjamin and smiled.

“And you thought I was crazy when I talked to you last night,” the boy laughed.

“Well…yeah, it did seem a little…unbelievable. When do we leave on this journey?”

Clementine spoke up. “Not until Roscoe gets back. He’s more useful than he looks.” The pug and Doberman’s heads tilted with curiosity. “He’s a fainting goat,” the pig added, “and sometimes it helps!”

“Oh,” Mac said courteously, though he didn’t understand.

“So, I guess we just have to wait.” The pig exhaled loudly and looked around the quiet room.

For the rest of that morning they told the pug with the black foot stories about his dad, the kingdom, and a little rat terrier named Paco the Brave.