| |
CHAPTER 1
Something thudded outside the front door. Honey the Great Dane raised her head, blinking in the afternoon sun that streamed in through the windows. She pricked her ears and listened.
Nothing. Perhaps she had been dreaming. She stretched luxuriously, extending every toe, and yawned. A fly buzzed along the windowsill, but otherwise the house was quiet. She sighed contentedly. Her eyelids drooped.
That sound again. A faint scuffling, outside the front door. Then voices.
Who’s there? Honey sprang up with her big, booming bark, just as her human, Olivia, rushed into the room. She smiled at Honey as she headed for the front door.
“Hey, Honey... have I got a surprise for you!” Olivia said.
Ooh, a surprise? Honey wagged her tail and followed Olivia to the front door, pushing past her eagerly to see. The door swung open.
Honey stared.
A strange woman stood on the doormat, but that wasn’t who Honey was staring at. Sitting next to her was an enormous puppy. A Great Dane puppy with huge, knuckly paws, big ears flopping on either side of a chubby little face, and wrinkles across its forehead.
“Mama?” The puppy bounced up and wriggled like a happy worm. It ran towards Honey and tripped on the doormat. Picking itself up, the puppy jumped into Honey’s face, panting milky puppy breath everywhere.
Ugh! Honey staggered backwards, stumbling over the puppy, and they fell together in a tangle of legs and paws.
“Aw... aren’t they gorgeous together?” Olivia cooed. “Look at them! Best friends already.”
Honey pulled her head out from under the puppy’s bum and gaped at Olivia. What? She knew humans could be slow sometimes, but... had Olivia lost her tennis balls?
“This is great.” Olivia smiled at the strange woman. “I’m sure Honey will be much happier with a pet sitter while I’m away, rather than going into a kennel—especially now that she has little Bean as a playmate! I hope you and Bean will enjoy staying here.”
Staying here? Honey stared in horror. What did she mean, staying here? I’m an Only Dog, thank you very much! I’m certainly not sharing my home with a puppy!
“Bean looks just like you did at ten weeks.” Olivia chuckled, fondling Honey’s ears. “In fact, I think your paws were even bigger! Let’s hope she doesn’t end up a monster drooler like you, though.” She smiled. “Aw, I can just see you two cuddling up to sleep together.”
No way. Honey snorted. That pup was definitely not coming on her bed. And she was definitely not—
Oomph! Honey staggered again as something hit her, smacking her head against the hall table.
“Mama!” The puppy bounced around.
“I’m not your mama,” Honey growled. “Ow! Stop it! That hurts.” She jerked back as Bean grabbed her jowls with sharp puppy teeth.
Then the puppy saw Honey’s tail. She let go of Honey’s jowls and pounced on her tail instead. “Yummy!”
“No, not yummy,” Honey said hastily, pulling her tail out of the way. “That’s my tail.”
“Tail?”
“Yes, you have one too—look.” Honey nudged the little one’s behind.
The puppy turned, saw her own tail, and bounced with delight. “Yummy!” And started chasing her own tail in a circle.
Honey looked at her human beseechingly. You can’t seriously be leaving me with this! But Olivia just laughed as she watched Bean with that silly look humans get on their faces when they think something is “adorable”.
“Well, I must dash or I’ll be late for my train,” Olivia said, grabbing her bags and turning to give Honey a final pat.
No! Honey put on her best Sad Dog Eyes and whined.
Olivia looked solemnly at Honey. “Don’t be silly now. Be a good girl and look after Bean. I’m counting on you.” She kissed Honey’s nose. “Bye!”
The door slammed after her.
Honey looked around in dismay. The Pet Sitter had gone into the kitchen, leaving her alone with the puppy, who was now trying to eat the couch. There was a horrible ripping sound as Bean chewed through the outer cover.
“No, no—don’t do that!” Honey cried.
Bean stopped and looked up at her. “Why?”
“Um... because we shouldn’t chew the furniture.”
“Why?”
“Because... because good doggies don’t chew the furniture,” Honey said. “You want to be a good doggie, don’t you?”
“Why?”
“Because... oh, ticks!” Honey took a deep breath. “Look, just wait there, OK? I’ll get you something you can chew!” She hurried into the study, looking wildly around for a toy. Any toy. Ah—there! Under the desk. An old rubber bone. That would do. She grabbed it and hurried back into the living room, then stopped in her tracks. What was that awful smell?
“I poo!” Bean said proudly.
“What?” Honey stared in horror at the big pile of squishy, brown poo on the carpet. “No, no, Bean! You mustn’t poo in the house!”
“Why?”
“Because... because... You just mustn’t, that’s why,” Honey said. “All doggies must only poo outside. In the garden or in the park. But never in the house. Do you understand?”
Bean looked puzzled. “Wee-wee too?”
“Yes, wee-wee too,” Honey said firmly. “All outside. Only outside.” She looked worriedly at Bean. “Do you want to do a wee-wee now?”
Bean bounced. “Yes! Wee-wee now!”
“OK, OK! Just hold it,” Honey said desperately as she turned and ran into the kitchen. The Pet Sitter was standing by the kettle, fussing with a cup and spoon. Honey rushed over and nudged her. The woman looked at her blankly. Honey nudged her again, then walked to the doorway of the kitchen and looked back. The woman grinned and turned back to the kettle.
Oh, for barking out loud! Honey gritted her teeth. What dog could pull off a Lassie when you had such a dumb human to work with?
She went back and whined again, pleading with her eyes. It took her five long minutes before the Pet Sitter understood what she wanted, and by the time they came back into the hallway, there was a little yellow puddle next to the poo.
“Oh, Bean!” The Pet Sitter gasped. “You naughty pup! You bad girl!”
The Great Dane puppy looked up with big, scared eyes. Hunching over and making herself as small as she could, Bean crept to a corner of the room, hanging her head. Honey watched as the Pet Sitter cleaned up the mess and stomped back to the kitchen.
It was quiet now. No puppy bouncing in her face, no puppy teeth nipping her skin, no puppy squeals in her ears. How nice to have peace again! Honey told herself. She climbed on her bed and resolutely shut her eyes. But sleep wouldn’t come. Her mind kept straying back to that little shape huddled in the corner.
Honey raised her head and looked over at Bean. It was none of her business, really. The puppy had been bad and should have been told off. Every dog knows you mustn’t toilet in the house. Still, Bean did look so little and scared.
Honey got up and went over to the puppy. Bean peeked at her and whispered, “Me bad girl?”
Honey hesitated, then gave the top of the puppy’s head a quick lick. “No... it was an accident.”
The puppy looked down at her paws again, the wrinkles furrowing even deeper on her brow.
Honey tried again. “Er... do you want my chew bone?”
The puppy’s only response was to sink even lower. Honey looked back at her bed, then at the puppy. She gave her head a shake. I don’t believe I’m doing this. She nudged the puppy gently with her nose. “Would you like to come on my bed with me?”
Bean brightened and gave a little bounce. It was just a small one, but Honey felt her heart warm. She led the puppy back to her bed and settled back in the middle. Bean snuggled close against her belly. A faint rumble of little snores soon filled the air. Honey looked down at the soft bundle next to her, at the oversized ears and the huge baby paws.
She’s rather cute, Honey thought with surprise. Gently, she lowered her head down, curving her neck around Bean. It was strange sharing her bed, she thought, shifting around—she wasn’t sure she liked it. Still, she didn’t want to disturb the puppy, so she would just lie here a bit longer. There was no way, though, that she would fall asleep...
Honey was woken by a thump. She jerked her head up. The space next to her was empty.
Bean?
She sprang off the bed, sniffing anxiously for the puppy’s scent. Then she stopped in relief. Bean was sitting by the front door, waiting while a leash was clipped onto her collar. The Pet Sitter held up Honey’s leash too and smiled.
“Come along, Honey! Time for your walk!”
––––––––
IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON—THE time when most dogs like to walk their humans—and the streets were full of canines busily leading the way to the park. As they rounded the corner, Honey caught sight of Ruffster, the mongrel mutt who lived down the street. He was his usual scruffy self, his fur sticking up in odd places and one ear up, one ear down. He wagged his tail as soon as he saw her and dragged his hapless owner over to join them.
“You heard the news, mate?” He panted as they fell into step beside each other.
“What news?” Honey furrowed her brow. “You mean about the new pet store?”
“Nah, mate! There’s some pups gone missin’. That Golden Retriever who lives on the other side of the cemetery—lovely girl, I knew her mother—anyway, her first litter it was, ready to go to their new homes and all, but when they checked this mornin’... All gone! Real state she was in. Her people are puttin’ up posters everywhere.” Ruffster sat down and scratched his upright ear. “Who’s that little tyke? Your family got a new pup too?”
Honey swung around and saw Bean, who was trying to eat a lamp post.
“Oh no,” said Honey hastily, “she belongs to my Pet Sitter. They’re just staying at my house while my human is away.”
“Better keep an eye on her,” Ruffster said as they all walked into the park together. “Somethin’ weird’s going on. I feel it in my tail.”
The humans unclipped their leashes as they entered the park and Ruffster trotted ahead towards the pond with Bean scampering beside him to keep up. Honey followed more sedately, pausing to check Peemail on a few bushes along the way. But before she could do more than give a cursory sniff, she heard Ruffster calling her name. She looked up, then hurried over to join him and the group of dogs milling around the pond. Something was wrong. Usually there would have been a flurry of bum-sniffing and tail-wagging, but today everybody stood in a worried silence.
Ruffster looked at her grimly. “More pups have gone missin’. Two from those houses by the river and three from the pet store.”
Honey stared at him, then at the other dogs. “Maybe the humans...?”
“Nah, it’s not the humans. They’re all real upset too.” Ruffster prodded something on the ground with his paw. “Look—they found one o’ these left behind every time pups went missin’.”
Honey leaned down and sniffed carefully. It seemed to be a big black beetle with a hard, shiny shell. Stiff and dead now, with its legs curled close to its body, it gave off a sickly-sweet scent. “What is it?” She cocked her head.
“I’ve seen something like it!” A dog spoke up. It was Suka the Siberian Husky, her blue eyes bright with excitement. “When I was helping my Boy with his homework—one of his books from school has a picture that looks just like this. It comes from a faraway place called Egypt. It’s a scarab and it means death.”
CHAPTER 2
“Death? Who’s going to die?”
“Did somebody say death?”
“Are the puppies dead?”
The panicked whispers skittered across the group of dogs like fleas on a rampage. Honey saw Bean listening with her eyes wide. The puppy was starting to look scared again.
“Nobody is going to die,” Honey said quickly. “It’s just a stupid, dried-up old bug, that’s all.” She gave Suka a sceptical look. The Husky was always full of the latest news and gossip, but sometimes her imagination could be as fluffy as her big, plumed tail. Like the time she told everyone there was a monster living in the sewer tunnels and it turned out to be just a family of rats. Or when she said the vet was making a FrankenMutt in the back room and it was just an old Dalmatian with a bandaged tail.
“It doesn’t really mean death, does it?” Honey asked Suka.
“Well... not exactly,” Suka admitted. “It says in my Boy’s book that scarabs are also called dung beetles and the humans in Old Egypt put them all around their dead when they buried them. They thought the beetles were, like, guardians of the Underworld or something.”
“Forget the stupid bugs. What about him?” growled Tyson the Jack Russell Terrier. Everyone edged out of his way. When it came to Tyson his bark was bad enough, never mind his bite. Honey had seen the gruff terrier reduce a police dog to quivering jelly once. He wrinkled his muzzle as if at a bad smell and threw a dark look over his shoulder. “I’ll bet ya he’s got something to do with it.”
They all followed Tyson’s gaze to where an old man sat reading a newspaper on a bench, a lone dog beside him. The sun was behind them so it was hard to make out more than a silhouette, but Honey could see muscles rippling beneath the dog’s black coat and a short, grizzled muzzle.
“Who’s that?” Honey asked.
“That’s Max, my new neighbour,” Suka said, her fluffy tail waving with excitement. She lowered her voice. “He’s a Pit Bull.”
Several dogs took a step back; others looked at each other and nodded meaningfully.
“I heard Max used to be a fighting dog,” said Suka. “He was a total killer in the ring! He could take on dogs twice his size and finish them in five minutes.”
“Really?” Honey glanced back at the Pit Bull.
“Festering fleas, Honey—don’t ya know anything?” growled Tyson. “Pit Bulls are dangerous! Everyone says so. Ya can’t trust them.”
“You should have seen the fuss my Boy’s Mother made when she heard he was moving into our neighbourhood.” Suka paused before adding in a loud whisper, “She wanted him muzzled.”
“Muzzled!” Honey gasped. “But why?”
Suka gave a delicious shiver. “She said all Pit Bulls are vicious. I mean, he might try to kill us in our sleep or something!”
Honey frowned but before she could reply, they heard a guttural growl in the distance. She turned to look. Max was standing stiff, hackles up, staring at a dog who had just entered the park with a man. As they approached the bench, Max suddenly exploded in a frenzy of foam and snarling teeth, lunging at the new dog, who yelped and cowered away. The old man dropped his newspaper and grabbed Max around the neck while the new dog and his human hurried past.
“Did you see that?” Suka said excitedly.
“Told ya he was dangerous,” Tyson growled, pushing past Honey to get a better view. A long string of drool fell from her jowls and plopped onto his head. “Aarrghh-grrrr!” spluttered Tyson.
“Oh, sorry!” Honey gulped. “That just happens sometimes—”
“Sometimes?” Ruffster laughed. “Mate, you drool all the time.”
Tyson growled and started shaking his head from side to side, trying to fling off the slimy slobber. Bean bounced over and watched him with interest.
“Me drool too!” she said eagerly, then gave a little hiccup and regurgitated some milky liquid onto Tyson’s paws.
“Bean!” Honey said, horrified. “What are you doing?”
The other dogs sniggered. Honey looked around the park, but she couldn’t see the Pet Sitter anywhere. Typical. Humans were never around when you needed them. She tried to grab the puppy by the scruff but before she could get near, Bean darted away and ran off.
Honey turned back to Tyson. “Sorry! Here, let me lick that off—”
“No thanks. Keep yer dribbly jowls away from me,” Tyson growled, backing up quickly. He bumped into another dog and turned in surprise. It was the new dog who had been attacked by Max.
Everyone eyed the newcomer curiously. He was a medium-sized dog with a narrow snout and pointed ears that stretched, bat-like, above his head. His black coat was smooth with an iridescent sheen, and his tail curled low behind him. Around his neck, he wore a thick, gold collar. But the most striking thing about him was his piercing yellow eyes with pupils so narrow they looked almost like slits.
Honey realised she was staring. Hastily, she dropped her eyes and found herself looking at the stranger’s front paws. She blinked, wondering if she was seeing right....
“You all right, mate?” Ruffster asked. “Saw what happened with that Pit Bull.”
“Yesss.” The new dog had a soft, whispery voice. He shivered. “I think he wanted to kill me.”
“Did he bite you?” asked Suka eagerly. “They say a Pit Bull’s jaws can go right through your head!” She sidled up to the strange dog. “You’re new, aren’t you? I haven’t seen you before and I know all the dogs in town.”
“Yesss, I came recently. I am called Newbie.”
“Newbie?” Ruffster laughed. “Mate, I’ve heard a lot o’ stupid names, but that one takes the dog biscuit!” He trotted over and circled Newbie, sniffing his bum politely. “So what kind o’ dog are you, anyway? I’m a Welsh Corgi with a bit o’ Airedale on my mother’s side; my father—they’re not so sure—they reckon a bit o’ Collie, definitely some Terrier and maybe even—”
Bean bounced suddenly into their midst, chasing a leaf blowing in the wind. She lunged at the leaf, tripped and fell over, smacking into the new dog.
“Bean!” Honey groaned as the puppy scrambled to her feet, jamming one paw into Newbie’s face.
“It is all right.” Newbie winced as the puppy stepped on his tail. “I like puppiesss.” He watched as Bean bounced away again. “How old is your little sissster?”
“She’s not my sister.” Honey sighed. “Um, she’s about ten weeks, I think.”
Newbie’s eyes gleamed. “Really? She looks so big.”
“Dane pups grow a lot faster than other dogs,” Honey explained. “We look like a grown-up dog by four months, but we’re really still big babies and—” She stopped suddenly as she realised Bean was bouncing towards the bench where Max and the old man were sitting.
“Wait—Bean!” she cried in horror.
Too late. The puppy bounced right up to the bench and crashed into Max’s back. The Pit Bull turned in surprise. Bean tumbled over and landed on her back, her huge paws splayed in all directions as she looked up at him with big, scared eyes.
Max sprang up and moved towards the puppy.
“Leave her alone!” Honey yelped. She charged over and flung herself over Bean’s body, turning to face the Pit Bull with bared teeth. “She’s only a baby!”
Up close, Max was every bit as frightening as Suka had suggested: long, pitted scars snaked across his face and one eyelid drooped, the eyeball red and bloodshot. His body was covered with more scars, and between the bulging muscles showed areas where the fur had not grown back around the puckered, damaged skin.
Honey shuddered in spite of herself and knew that he could smell her fear. She said a bit wildly, “Don’t... don’t you touch her!”
“What did you think I was going to do?”
Honey stopped short. His voice was deep and guttural but not as harsh as she had expected. And it must have been a trick of the afternoon sun, but for a moment, she thought it was sadness—not madness—that she saw in his eyes.
“I...” She hesitated, then glanced back at her friends. They were watching avidly. She knew what they were thinking: Honey, the big, useless lump...
She turned back to Max. “You’re a Pit Bull, aren’t you?” she snarled. “That’s all I need to know!”
Max stiffened and his eyes went hard. Honey braced herself, but the Pit Bull just gave a deep growl in his throat and turned away. “Keep that pup away from me.”
Honey watched him warily for a moment, then nudged Bean quickly to her feet. As they walked back to the other dogs, Bean sneaked a look back at Max.
“Doggie scary.”
“Yes, doggie scary,” Honey agreed. “You keep away from that doggie, you understand?”
Bean nodded and scampered off. The other dogs surrounded Honey eagerly as she rejoined them.
“Did you see his fangs? Does he smell?” Suka asked.
“Holy liver treat, mate,” said Ruffster. “That was somethin’ else! “
“Proud of ya, Honey,” growled Tyson. “Never thought ya had it in ya.”
“It wasn’t like that...” Honey protested.
But nobody was listening. They were all jostling around her, wagging their tails. Honey had never been the centre of so much admiration before. She should have been enjoying the moment, but all she could think about was the look in Max’s eyes when she had snarled at him.
She turned hastily to Ruffster. “Where’s the new dog?”
“Went off,” said Ruffster. “Bit o’ an odd mutt, don’t you think? Stupid name. And he talks really funny.”
“Maybe he can’t help it,” said Honey. “Some dogs are born... you know, a bit different.”
“Yeah, I guess. I knew this mutt who barked like a squeakin’ hinge.” Ruffster cocked his leg against a park bin. “Think I’m headin’ home. See my Guy over there callin’ me.”
They all heard a voice shrieking Suka’s name.
“Howling hyenas, listen to my Boy’s Mother screeching.” Suka sighed. “When is she ever going to learn that calling me once is enough? Huskies will come when they’re ready!”
“Yeah, some humans are really hard to train,” agreed Ruffster. “My Guy ain’t too bad. Problem I have is teachin’ him to share. Managed with the couch, though, so I’m makin’ progress. Just got to be consistent.”
They heard Suka’s name being screamed again.
“Uh-oh, better go.” Suka grinned as they saw a woman stomping, red-faced, in their direction. “Are you bringing that pup tomorrow, Honey?”
“Yes, I guess so. She’s staying with...” Honey glanced around. “Where is she?”
Bean was nowhere to be seen. In the distance, Honey could see the Pet Sitter walking around, a worried expression on her face.
“Bean? Bean?” The Pet Sitter cupped her hands around her mouth. “BEAN!”
Something in her voice made the hairs on Honey’s neck stand up.
“Has anyone seen her?” Honey whirled around to the other dogs. They all looked blank. “She was here with me just a moment ago!” Honey insisted.
Everyone put their noses to the ground. Honey ran in circles, sniffing urgently. Nothing. Not one whiff of a scent. It was as if the puppy had just vanished.
Then she stopped short, staring at something on the ground. It was the leaf Bean had been chasing. It was wedged against something else.
Something black.
The dead scarab beetle Ruffster had shown her earlier.
“Hey, mate,” said Ruffster, coming up slowly behind her and staring at the scarab too. “You don’t reckon this is like those other pups that’ve gone missin’?”
Honey felt her heart lurch in her chest. No... surely it was a coincidence?
“Ya should ask that Pit Bull,” growled Tyson.
Honey turned quickly, but the park bench was empty. Max was gone.
READ THE REST OF THE STORY:
Apple | Nook | Google Play | Kobo
