The Return Read Online Free Page B

captured dog would snap at them from inside the crate, but for the most part, the strangers merely sniffed them, tails wagging. Some asked about their families, whether they’d seen a certain girl with red pigtails like floppy ears or a man with curly brown hair. Shep tried to block out their questions; every woof pulled at him like a thorny branch. He wanted to help them, but that’s not why he was there, not now. Now he needed to save Callie.
    Fuzz hissed for them to stop several stretches away from the building. The lights scared away every shadow. The three had nowhere to hide.
    â€œShep-dog get good enough scent of place?” Fuzz meowed. “Time to move tail out of maze.” The cat stared at Shep, but his ears flicked nervously, catching every sound.
    â€œHey, dog!” a human voice called.
    Shep froze. He glanced around him, twitching his ears to catch where the voice came from.
    â€œHere, boy,” the voice said, closer.
    Shep saw the person — a young man in pale blue body coverings — two rows over, kneeling in front of a cage. He dragged behind him a bag of kibble, the scent of which set Shep’s mouth slobbering.
    â€œQuick,” Shep snuffled. “Pad backward until we hit shadow, then bolt for the opening in the maze.”
    They made it out onto the open pavement and under one of the winged Cars without getting caught, but this did not make Shep any more relaxed.
    â€œIt’s not that there are no humans here at night,” he grumbled. “There may be fewer, but there are still enough to catch every one of us.”
    â€œShep-dog should forget plan,” Fuzz meow-barked. “Callie-dog safe. Those humans smell good, take care of dogs.”
    Shep glared at the furball. “I made a promise to Callie. I’m not going to give up on her.”
    Fuzz licked a paw and ran it over his ears. “Fine,” he hissed. “But Shep-dog do rescue for Callie or for self?”
    Shep kept his snout shut. He agreed with the cat that the humans seemed to be helping the pets in the cages. At least these dogs had eaten a decent meal this sun, which was more than any in his pack could woof. But these dogs were still in cages and not with their families. Shep felt in his gut that they would all rather be free like he was.
    Oscar peered around the metal-stick leg of the winged Car. “What’s going on over there?” he woofed.
    On the other side of the maze of cages was a huge winged Car — better to call it a winged den, it was so big. There was a hole in the den’s body near its tail and a ramp led from the pavement into the hole. At the base of the ramp was a pile of crates, each filled with a barking dog. The ramp must have had some special rug on it: A human placed a cage containing a small, brown dog onto the ramp and the crate was carried up the ramp and into the winged den.
    â€œWhy would they put the dogs into the big Car?” Oscar whimpered.
    â€œI don’t know,” moaned Shep, though he worried it couldn’t be for anything good.
    â€œWinged Cars fly,” Fuzz meowed. “Take dogs far away.”
    Shep stared at the cat. How does he know that? “You mean, like a bird?”
    â€œFuzz owner take Fuzz on fly-Car to get Honey-friend as puppy,” he hissed. “Fuzz not happy in fly-Car.” He gagged slightly as if choking back a hairball.
    Oscar began to tremble. “Why would they send the dogs away?” he whined. “What about their families?”
    â€œThere must be too many of them to care for here,” Shep woofed. He straightened his stance, ears up and tail lifted. He wasn’t just doing this for himself. He had to keep the humans from taking Callie away from her home.
    â€œIt’s too risky to bring Daisy and the others in here,” Shep barked. “But we need to get Callie out before they fly her away in that fat bird-Car.” He glanced back at the cage maze.