Snap backed her up. “Not everyone has to hunt or fight. Sunshine and Whine can be the eyes and ears of the Pack.”

“Sunshine has a wonderful nose,” Mickey pointed out loyally. “She would make a good patrol dog. She can sniff out danger a mile away.”

“I agree,” Sweet said. “They can watch over the camp when other dogs go on patrol.”

Spring narrowed her eyes. Whine glanced about fearfully, his short tail curling between his legs.

Sunshine wasn’t so easily silenced. “Who are you calling a burden?” she growled, glaring at Spring. “I didn’t see you fighting so courageously with the foxes. You bark and make a lot of big noise, but when it comes right down to it—”

“How dare you!” howled Spring, leaping toward Sunshine with her teeth bared.

Sweet moved to block her. “Enough! Both of you, stop it—right now!” she snarled.

Spring fell back, hackles still raised but head dipped. “Sorry, Beta,” she murmured, unwilling to challenge Alpha’s second-in-command. Appearing from the shadows beyond the rocks, Alpha himself sauntered toward them, staring down his nose at Spring.

“Squabbles. Pointless squabbles.” He turned away with a dismissive flick of the tail.

Lucky stared at him, amazed by the change in the dog-wolf’s demeanor.

It’s as though nothing happened.

Sunshine swallowed a yap, glaring at Spring, but Twitch’s litter-sister was looking elsewhere.

“Where’s he off to now?” she barked loudly.

The dogs turned to see Whine slipping out of the camp. He spun around guiltily.

“Try to run away, would you?” Spring accused. “What a coward!”

“Coward! Coward!” yapped some of the others, their exhaustion turning to frustration.

Bruno snapped at Whine as he slunk past, nipping him on his flank. It wasn’t a deep bite, but Whine yelped and scrambled beneath the overhang, shrinking against the wall.

“Stop that at once!” Bella barked at Bruno, who reared away from the little snub-nosed dog.

Lucky watched with his ears pressed flat. In the desperate time after the air had whined and acrid smoke rose in the distance, the dogs had set aside rank and rivalry to get everyone safely away from the old camp. But now the dogs were turning on one another again, forgetting how well they had worked together as a Pack.

Twitch kept away from the others, his tail limp at his side as he tended to his bad paw. Lucky noticed Dart speaking to Sweet, both of them looking troubled—though he couldn’t hear what they were saying. Sweet glanced up and met Lucky’s eyes with a wary, uncertain look. Lucky tipped his head to one side.

Will Sweet ever forgive me for helping the Leashed Dogs? he wondered.

Moon was nursing her pups as Fiery stood by, making sure that the bickering dogs didn’t come too close. Alpha pushed past them.