12 Buzzard Canyon
“I don’t have that whole map memorized,” Sheng cried. “I’m not sure how to get to the canyon from here.”
But Bo-Bo was.
There was only one canyon that it could be. But if Thunder found out she was back… Stay out of our territory, she’d said.
They couldn’t stop now. The sun slanted through the trees. It was getting lower in the sky. They had to hurry.
She set off toward the canyon she’d crossed every time the pack hunted ground squirrels.
“You’re looking sure of yourself,” said Choi Hung.
“The place Sheng calls Buzzard Canyon—I know where it is,” said Bo-Bo.
“You don’t sound happy about it!” Choi Hung trilled.
Bo-Bo wasn’t. Buzzard Canyon was just below Scrub Hill.
If she was lucky, they could get across the canyon quickly, before anyone even knew they were there.
If I’m lucky, she said to herself. She started walking. She looked back to make sure Sheng was keeping up.
“Wait, Bo-Bo!” called Sheng. “We don’t have the map!”
“That doesn’t matter!” she barked, even though she knew he wouldn’t understand.
Sheng stood with his arms folded. “Stay, Bo-Bo!” he ordered. “We can’t just wander off. We’ll get lost!”
“Lost!” Choi Hung whistled. He flew between Bo-Bo and Sheng. “Lost!”
“Would you just help?” Bo-Bo said. She snapped at the air near Choi Hung. “I know what I’m doing.”
Choi Hung looked at her in surprise. She’d never snapped at him before.
“Mulish, meandering mutt,” he said. But he fluttered around Sheng’s shoulders.
“Follow the dog,” he squawked to Sheng. “Follow the dog!”
“What?” said Sheng.
Bo-Bo started uphill toward the canyon. This time, Sheng and Choi Hung followed.
There was only one safe way across Buzzard Canyon. Bo-Bo knew it well. It was where some scraggly grass and bright flowers held down the slippery dirt. There were stones Sheng could use as handholds. Bo-Bo would take him across that way.
When they reached the canyon, she bounded quickly to the edge, to show Sheng the way down.
It wasn’t there anymore.
Everything below had changed. There was only a sheer drop down. There must have been a rockslide. The bottom of the canyon was covered with sharp boulders and rocks.
Bo-Bo looked back at Sheng. He was running toward her.
“Careful, Bo-Bo!” he called. “Don’t fall!”
“Don’t fall!” Choi Hung squawked. Then he saw that Bo-Bo had stopped.
“What’s wrong?” the bird trilled.
Bo-Bo started to answer. Then the fur on her back rose. Her ears shot straight up.
The rockslide wasn’t the only problem.
Familiar scents wafted past her nose over the warm air. Scents she knew very, very well.
To her right, on the ridge at the top of Scrub Hill, dogs began to gather. They looked like birds on a branch. One of them was limping.
Bo-Bo looked up at her old pack.
Thunder stared straight down at her. Even from this distance, her stiff body told Bo-Bo she was angry. Very angry.
Thunder bounded down from the ridge. The pack followed.
Sheng was right behind Bo-Bo now. She could feel him tensing as the dogs approached.
Thunder stopped several paces away. The pack gathered behind her. Bo-Bo couldn’t help looking at Acorn. Acorn looked away.
But Thunder stared Bo-Bo right in the eye.
“I told you that if you ever came near Scrub Hill again, you’d be sorry. You should have listened.”
Choi Hung clicked his beak angrily. Bo-Bo crouched. She had to get Sheng away from Thunder. But Sheng crouched down next to her and put his arm over her neck.
Juniper said low, “She’s got a person with her. We don’t harm people.”
“I’ll get her away from him,” growled Thunder. She didn’t take her eyes off Bo-Bo. “Then I’ll deal with her.”
Bo-Bo started to step away from Sheng. At least he’d be safe. But Sheng reached out to gather her closer to him.
“I don’t think that’s going to work,” Juniper woofed. “He doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere.”
“She’s not worth it, Thunder,” piped up Acorn. “You know how people are. If they even think we’d harm one of them, they’d send their whole pack out after us. With those things they call guns.”
Thunder ignored him. She bared her teeth and stalked toward Bo-Bo.
Sheng squeezed Bo-Bo tight. His hand searched the ground around him. It closed on a sharp stone about the size of Bo-Bo’s paw.
Thunder growled more loudly than before.
“Get back!” Sheng said. He lifted up the stone. “She’s my family.”
“Better listen, huffy, haughty hound,” Choi Hung squawked.
“He has good aim,” Bo-Bo warned.
Thunder woofed a mean laugh. “Ha! Your boy’s as weak as you are!” she said to Bo-Bo.
Sheng? Weak?
“You’re wrong!” Bo-Bo almost roared. “It’s not weak to care what happens to other creatures, and to help them! It’s not weak to be kind!” She curled her lip. “You stay away from him, Thunder. He’s my pack now.”
Acorn looked from Bo-Bo to Thunder and back again. His tail twitched.
“Don’t bother with them, Thunder. The pack is more important,” he said.
Thunder finally broke her stare at Bo-Bo.
“For the pack,” she barked gruffly. “I won’t risk the pack.” Then she snarled at Bo-Bo, “But you get out of here now. If I ever see or smell you here again, I won’t care if you’ve got a boy with you or not. Or a stupid pigeon.”
“Hey!” squawked Choi Hung.
The pack walked past Bo-Bo. Sheng watched. He didn’t move.
Acorn trailed behind, the last to go. He passed close enough to Bo-Bo to touch noses, although he didn’t.
As he went by, he woofed very low, “If you’re trying to get across, there’s another way. About a mile along, up toward Gooseberry Rock. The rockslide opened it up when it closed this one.” He looked straight ahead.
When the pack was gone, Sheng stood up slowly. “What just happened?” he said to himself. But Bo-Bo had already broken into a run.
“Wait for me!” Sheng called. Choi Hung soared above them. They were off.
They were close to Gooseberry Rock, but Bo-Bo couldn’t see the way across the canyon—until she saw a huge bush of mountain gooseberry growing at the edge. There! she thought. She dove into the bush. It prickled and scratched her.
“Careful, dog!” croaked Choi Hung.
Bo-Bo pushed through. There in front of her was a narrow but safe way down, down, down, and then back up again.
She barked joyfully.
“Look what you found, Bo-Bo!” cried Sheng. “We’re almost there! Let’s go!”