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The girl’s shriek hurt a good-dog’s heart. Karma pressed her ears flat. Her pulse galloped when Lia fell to the ground out of sight. She had to reach Lia! Karma didn’t know or care what she would do once there, just drove forward with a puppy-size roar.
The shepherd still blocked her way, so Karma ducked to squeeze between Shadow’s forelegs. But the big black dog shifted and hooked one paw over her back to stop her. The move both restrained Karma and signaled his status.
She submitted with no argument, offering just a weak whimper of frustration. Even an inexperienced puppy-girl like Karma understood that adult dogs outranked her. She obeyed Shadow’s because I said so command without question. For good measure, Karma licked his muzzle as he stood over her. His legs trembled, and she read his disquiet as easily as her own. He also wanted to leap to the girl’s aid, but waited with an adult dog’s caution.
Lia’s screams of pain trailed off, followed by raspy gasps that mimicked dog-laugh sounds. Karma knew the sound meant the opposite. Lia’s fear-stink and the man’s anger colored the kennel air.
The man opened Lia’s kennel and the door squealed in protest, scraping against the cement floor. Dolly, still tied to the back wall, flailed and lunged with silent intent.
“Derek, wait.” Lia whispered, but Karma heard it even through all the barking and snarling.
Shadow flinched like the wait word hurt. Karma itched to do something, anything, to make the helpless feeling go away. She wanted to be confident and brave again. How could it be, that Lia, with all her extra knowledge beyond the ken of dogs, still couldn’t protect herself?
What if Karma protected Lia? Karma had sharp teeth, even if she was little. And Karma wasn’t alone.
She cold-nosed the shepherd, urging him to action. Shadow was big. Older. With scars that shouted of battles won. Shadow saved her, and Lia saved him. Now Lia needed their help. She wiggled beneath his heavy paw, and he lowered his head and sniffed her, all without taking his attention from the man. But he still didn’t budge.
The stranger grabbed Lia and dragged her out. The remaining puppies cried and squealed, a couple following a few steps before turning tail and running back into the safety of the kennel. The open gate teased Dolly. Powerful shoulders and neck strained against the old leather tether, choking Dolly in her effort to reach the man.
Derek bullied Lia to where the tree poked through the roof and turned the space into a maze of thorny branches. Soon, Karma couldn’t see either of them. She whined and struggled against Shadow’s paw, but he held her down. She heard Lia crying and yelling, and she yearned to see. People puzzled Karma, and she wanted to understand them. More than that, she needed to help, to stop the bully, to protect Lia the way the girl protected Karma. She just didn’t know how. And Shadow wouldn’t let her move.
Then the black shepherd removed his paw from Karma’s back to take an unsteady step forward.
She bounced to her feet, eager to rush forward, and whined with excitement until a stern look from Shadow silenced her.
Shadow nosed open the door a dog’s width and stepped through on shaky legs. Karma crowded after, dodging the excited sweep of his long, black tail. He growled low in his throat—not at her, though—and paused to scent the air. He gazed both ways before he stepped fully into the aisle. Even Dolly stopped lunging long enough to take in his powerful but injured form before she returned to digging at the cement as if to drag the entire kennel off its moorings.
Karma expected Shadow to go after Lia’s attacker. He’d use his bright, sharp adult-dog teeth to help Lia. Karma liked biting toys and wondered what it would feel like to bite a bad man. Make him yell like he’d made Lia scream. She wanted to find out.
But after a brief sniff toward the downed tree and hidden people, Shadow instead stumbled to Dolly’s kennel. The other puppies made way, steering clear of the potent male who still smelled of his own blood and pain.
Dolly watched with narrowed eyes, still more focused on the hidden, hated man.
Shadow lowered his ears with respect and cut his eyes sideways. He wagged, low and loose and slow, and stood motionless to allow Dolly to scent his neck and flank. He shifted before she could investigate his tail, nor would she allow him to sniff hers. But she didn’t move when Shadow nosed the tether that held her captive. Dolly again surged against the restraint, holding it taut. Shadow licked the leather.
Karma’s pleading whine turned to frustrated yelps of disappointment, but Shadow and Dolly ignored Karma. Worse, they ignored Lia. Didn’t care about the bad man. Ignored the girl’s sobs.
Lia’s hoarse voice raised louder than blustery wind and dog noises. Her cries cut deep and made Karma’s tummy hurt. Karma was brave, but didn’t know what to do. Shadow would know.
Karma ran the few steps to reach him, and barked loud, louder still, a demand so loud it hurt her own ears. But both adults still ignored her. She stopped barking, and stared, her fur bristling all over her body, and stubby tail jerking with determination.
They still ignored her.
Karma leaped forward, and nipped—not a real bite, just a little play nip—on Shadow’s hind leg.
He roared. His teeth snapped and clicked within a whisker’s width of Karma’s nose.
She yelped and spun away, falling on the wet pavement before regaining her feet. Her tail tucked tight she rolled and bared her tummy, even wet herself a little to show no threat before scrambling back to her feet. Karma felt bereft. Dolly couldn’t and Shadow wouldn’t help.
He didn’t care about Lia at all. Maybe didn’t care about Karma, either. He just stood close to Dolly, licking, nibbling and grooming her neck.
Lia screamed.
Karma showed her teeth and raced to help her person.
