Mickey had been sure that the longpaws were back. If he was right that meant Lucky would be able to forage for food as he used to. No more chasing rabbits in long grass!

Lucky knew how to live in the city. If he hurried, he might even catch up with Mickey. This thought cheered him and he focused on his next move. One way to the city was over the hill, through the Wild Pack’s old camp. But that would lead him along a path that ran right beneath the dark cloud. He didn’t like to think of it still up there in the sky. It was hidden behind the trees now, but he could still smell that scent that singed his whiskers and prickled his nose.

Another route to the city was across the river. Lucky watched as the water darted through rocks, spinning in pelts of white froth. He thought of Martha and her affinity with the River-Dog. His chest tightened and his tail drooped—he wished that she were here with him. He missed her, and the others in the Pack. He whimpered at the thought of them, the sound seeming to bounce through the forest, from tree to tree.

How could they betray me, after all we’ve been through?

Pushing away his loneliness, Lucky rose and approached the river, sinking a single paw into the current. Its force immediately pulled him off-balance. He wrenched his paw away and stepped back. There was no way he could safely get across here. He would have to find a way around it.

Lucky remembered that the Leashed Dogs had managed to cross upstream. He started following the path of the river, searching for the point where the current was more peaceful and the water shallow. He felt better now that he had quenched his thirst, but hunger still clawed at his belly.

A fly buzzed around his whiskers and he resisted the urge to snap his jaws in its direction. Things weren’t that bad. He lowered his muzzle and ran his nose through a pile of leaves that had fallen to the forest floor. He picked up a couple between his teeth and chewed on them. Their sharp taste stung the back of his throat and would do nothing for his hunger in the long run, but at least they took his mind off it.