The Buddies and Zelda gathered around the stone statue of Pip. Pip himself floated overhead.

“Help us, spirits,” Zelda chanted. “Take this soul and place it back into the body the Hound once stole!”

She opened her eyes and looked up. Pip was glowing.

“It’s working!” the ghost puppy said.

Zelda repeated the spell, faster this time. Then even faster.

As she did, Pip floated down toward his stone body. The Buddies watched in awe.

“It’s really working!” Rosebud said.

Pip’s spirit touched the statue, then sank into it. The stone softened and started to move.

“Whoa, guys,” Pip said. “My legs…”

He shook his legs.

“My tail…”

He wagged his tail.

“I’m back!” he cried.

He spun in circles. He was so excited he couldn’t stand still! Letting out a yip of joy, he dashed off into the graveyard.

A second later, the Hound came out from his hiding place. “This time there’s nowhere to run, Buddies!” he snarled.

Pip raced back just in time to hear him. But the Hound didn’t see him, so he hid behind a tree.

Zelda stepped forward, trying to block the Hound from getting to the Buddies. “No!” she said as fiercely as she could.

The Hound opened his mouth and howled. The Buddies watched in horror as Zelda turned to stone!

“We’re doomed!” B-Dawg moaned.

The Hound took a deep breath, ready to howl again. But just then, Warwick and Hoot arrived.

“Not now, Hound. We need these puppies,” Warwick told him. He trapped the Buddies with a freezing spell so they couldn’t run away. Then he laughed wickedly. “Now all I need is the book.”

And he had a plan to get it.

“These puppies belong to those pesky kids. They will try to rescue them. Hound, take the puppies to the manor and wait for me.” And with that, Warwick sped back to the church on his staff.

“You in there!” he called from outside the church. “I have something of yours.” He waited a moment, and then the doors opened. Mr. Johnson and the kids peered out.

“If you want to see your puppies again, you’d better bring that book to my manor,” Warwick told them. Then he flew off.

“Oh, no, they’ve got the Buddies!” Alice cried.

Billy turned to Mr. Johnson. “What should we do?”

“I can’t let what happened to Pip happen to your pups,” Mr. Johnson said. “We must save them and put an end to Warwick once and for all.”

Pip had followed the Hound and the Buddies back to the manor. Now he sneaked in through the front door of the house.

Upstairs in the turret room, the Buddies were locked in a cage. The Hound was guarding them while Hoot looked on.

“Soon I will swallow all of your souls,” the Hound told the Buddies, licking his lips. “I can’t wait.”

Budderball looked nervous. “Is it just me, or does this guy talk about eating more than I do?”

Just then, Warwick swooped in through the window. “Master, where have you been?” Hoot asked anxiously.

“I told those wretched children to bring me the spell book,” Warwick replied.

“What if they don’t?” Hoot asked.

“Quiet, you moronic birdbrain!” Warwick yelled. “They’ll want to save their darling puppies, won’t they?”

Pip made his way upstairs and peeked in through the doorway.

“Psst…Buddies!” he whispered.

“Pip!” Rosebud shot a nervous look at Warwick, but the warlock wasn’t looking at them.

“We need a distraction to get you out of here,” Pip whispered. “I’ll be right back!”

He backed away from the door, trying to figure out how to distract Warwick. Just then a pair of rats raced by, followed by a black cat. Aha! That gave Pip an idea. He took off after them.

The rats ducked into a hole in the wall. The cat crouched outside, waiting to pounce.

Pip peered into the hole. “I need your help,” he told the rats. He believed they were humans who had been turned into rodents by Warwick. And he was right. The rats were Rodney and Skip!

“What’s in it for us?” Rodney the rat replied.

“First of all, I won’t let that cat eat you as a Halloween treat,” Pip said.

“Eat him!” Skip the rat said quickly. “He’s plumper.”

“You are such a rat!” Rodney told him.

“More importantly,” Pip said, “if we don’t break the warlock’s spell tonight, you’ll be rats forever.”

Rodney and Skip didn’t like the sound of that. Being rats wasn’t much fun.

“Okay,” Rodney said. “We’ll help.”

“Wise decision,” Pip said.

He convinced the cat to leave the rats alone. Then he led Rodney and Skip to the turret. They scurried in, staying close to the walls.

Warwick didn’t see the rats coming. He was staring intently out the window. Mr. Johnson’s hearse had just pulled up outside.

“Perfect,” Warwick told the Hound. “Soon I’ll have my spell book, and then you can devour those delicious puppy souls.”

Suddenly he felt something crawling up the inside of his pant leg. He let out a yelp.

“What is it?” the Hound asked, startled.

“Something is biting me!” Warwick cried. “Hound, Hoot, do something!”

He danced around the room shaking and wiggling, trying to get the rats off him.

“That dawg has some serious moves,” B-Dawg commented. He could definitely appreciate dance skills.

Finally Warwick shook the rats out of his robes.

“Change us back!” Skip demanded.

“I’m going to get you filthy vermin!” Warwick cried as the rats scurried away. “No one bites me! Hound, catch them and they’re yours to eat. I’ll go get that book from those stupid kids.”

“Our kids are here?” Rosebud perked up her ears. “Oh, no!”

“Hoot, guard the puppies,” Warwick ordered. “Fail me, and I’ll make you into a feather duster.”

“Yes, Master,” Hoot said as Warwick and the Hound rushed out of the room.