The Death & Life of an American Dog (Paws & Claws Book 4)

by Ralph Vaughan

  Anila left Zain where he lay, nipped Purdil into action, and plunged into the newcomers, clawing and biting until they could dive into cover. Levi’s remaining foe, finding himself assailed not only by a master fighter but a half-dozen others who wanted a piece of him, gave into the inevitable and submitted, writhing on his back, trotters failing the air. The dog with a cat on his head wanted to submit, but could not do so because of the cat, which refused to let go. When Smokey was finally yanked free by Sunny, Gibbs and Atlas, leaving claw-tracks all the way, the remaining Gull Dog did not submit so much as he toppled over, simply glad to be alive.

  “Oh, Levi!” Sunny cried. “Are you all right?”

  The Dachshund-mix did not answer. He sped to Zain’s side and dropped to his belly.

  “Levi,” Zain whispered.

  “I’m here.” Levi licked Zain’s wounds, but he knew there was no hope of staunching the flow. “You’re not alone.”

  “My eyes were clouded,” Zain said. “But I see clearly now. The scales drop from my eyes.”

  “I wish I could help you, Zain,” Levi said as life ebbed from the Gull Dong. “Your wounds are too severe.”

  “You have helped me, Levi,” Zain whispered. “More than you can possibly know. Death comes to all dogs. The only question is whether it will be a bad death or a good death. I am finally…” He coughed and his breath faltered. “I am free from fear…beyond all pain…I fought evil…it is a good death…”

  Levi lay close to Zain, whispering the old stories, the funny and sad tales that all pups are told in their litters. Zain laughed and cried. The other dogs, those not involved in catching and guarding, gathered about the two dogs respectfully.

  “Everything is darkening, Levi, I no longer see the stars.”

  “Rest, Zain.”

  “I see something,” Zain said though his eyes were now closed.

  “A bridge,” Levi whispered.

  “Yes,” Zain breathed. “It is so beautiful.”

  “It’s time to cross the Rainbow Bridge,” Levi murmured softly. “On the other side, there is no pain, no cruelty, only open fields and bright skies and friends waiting for you.”

  “There is a tall black dog standing at the bridge.”

  “He is our guide,” Levi said. “Don’t be afraid, Zain.”

  “I’m not afraid, Levi,” Zain said. “For once in my life, I am not afraid.” His breathing slowed. “Tell Purdil…”

  “Tell Purdil what?” Levi asked after a breathless moment.

  “Tell Purdil I…” Zain gathered a breath. “I loved him…I will wait for him…when I see him, we will play like we…”

  Zain’s last breath left him.

  Levi lifted his head and sent a mournful cry skyward, and the dogs around him echoed his sorrow, for they felt in Zain’s passing the loss of one of their own, a brother, long lost, but now found.

  * * *

  “They died because of me,” Baron moaned. “I let them die in the fire. I tried to go in…” The German Shepherd shook his head, assailed with conflicting memories. “I tried to…no, I did go in…”

  “Multiple times, from the evidence of your scars,” Sally said.

  “Yes, many times,” Baron murmured. “Others ran, but I heard the cries of the trapped. I could not leave them.”

  “You pulled them out?” Sally asked.

  “Yes, the companions in uniforms like mine…”

  “American soldiers,” Sally whispered to Kim.

  “And the others…”

  Sally tilted her head in confusion. “What others, Baron?”

  “The other companions.” Baron’s tone was vague as he caught memories trying to slither back into his mind. “In robes and hoods.”

  “Companions fighting against Americans,” Sally told Kim.

  “And the dog…”

  “Another dog?” Sally dropped down before Baron and gazed at him evenly. “Was there another American military dog there?”

  “Another dog,” Baron repeated. “No uniform. I knew her, had seen her before…the Dog at the Well…”

  “Baron, are you telling us that you pulled from the fire a dog in service to the Dog at the Well?” Sally demanded.

  “Yes…it was Anila, an enemy,” Baron replied. “Trapped. She was an enemy, had fought us, alerted the enemy to us, but I could not leave her to burn. I pulled her out as the building collapsed on us. She cursed me from the midst of the fire, named me Iblis.”

  “That was the source of your dream.”

  “But it wasn’t a dream, was it?”

  “No, it was your last memory.”

  Baron looked at Sally, his brow furrowed with worry. “No one died. I thought they had all died, that I had failed them, but no one did. Why could I not remember?”

  “Amnesia is common when there has been trauma,” the Collie explained. “The fire, your burns, the sound and the fury…it was too much for your mind to handle, so your brain cut off the memory. It also, however, cut off your memory of saving anyone, which made your nightmares even worse.” She smiled. “Get some rest, Baron, and I think this time you will get some real rest, untroubled by any bad dreams.”

  Baron lay down, sighed, and slipped into sleep.

  Sally and Kim stepped into the half-lit hallway. “Now, we not only know the source of his mental problems, but maybe the reason those dogs are hunting him. In saving that enemy dog, Anila, he created a life-debt, causing her to lose honor in her pack. Killing Baron would redeem that debt and restore her honor.”

  Kim shook her head. “The more I know about these foreign dogs, the less I like them, or understand them.”

  “Found it,” Little Kitty said, leaping the gate separating the cats’ room from the rest of the house. “Two months ago, Baron ran away from Banfield. He was there being treated for burns.”

  Kim looked around. “Where’s Yoda?”

  “Can’t tell you.”

  “Can’t tell me what?”

  “That he went after the…” Little Kitty looked at Kim’s expression, sighed, and spilled the whole story. “But, if anyone asks you, you didn’t hear it from me.”

  “I don’t like any of that,” Kim muttered. “Not at all.”

  Chapter 11

  “I thought I was alone,” Levi said.

  “As if we would let you go off by yourself,” Smokey replied. “As soon as you left, I followed, and I sent Groucho to find Arnold and Antony at the police department.”

  “And Arnold and Antony came to me, and you know the rest,” Captain Rex said. The elderly German Shepherd in charge of the CVPD K-9 Unit looked around. “Groucho told us some crazy story about killer dogs from Afghanistan; maybe you’d like to tell us why a good night’s sleep was really ruined?”

  Briefly, Levi outlined the events of the day, beginning with the discovery of Baron by Yoda and ending with his lone mission to Gunpowder Point.

  Captain Rex shook his head. “Glad things seem to have worked out, but I wish you’d called us in sooner.”

  “We had to do what we thought was in Baron’s best interest,” Levi said. “Besides, we had so little to go on, until the end.”

  “Maybe,” Rex conceded, “but still…”

  He was interrupted by the arrival of Officers Antony, a Cane Corso, and Arnold, a Belgian Shepherd, reporting on the search of the peninsula. Both police dogs were well known to Levi and his friends, and had, at various times, been friend or foe to the Three Dog Detective Agency. Levi could not hear what they were telling their commander since they kept their voices low, a reflex learned from being overheard by Yoda too many times.

  Rex frowned and turned to Levi. “The boys have scoured every inch of the peninsula, and there’s no sign of the Afghan Hound, or that dog you called a Purdil.”

  “He’s a Gull Dong,” Levi corrected. “His name is Purdil.”

  “Whatever he is, they ain’t here,” Rex said. “We left officers at the base of the peninsula, so the only way they could have got out was to swi
m. I know Afghans are pretty good in the water, but how about that…” He looked at Levi inquisitively.

  “The Gull Dong is probably not a good swimmer, not with his high muscle density,” Levi replied. “But she could pull him along if he helped, and if they went that way, she probably did.”

  “So, we have the two Gull…Dongs in custody, and the one dead lad.” Rex shook his head. “Killed by his own alpha, you say?”

  “He died standing up to her villainy and trying to save the life of his friend, Purdil,” Levi said.

  “The one she took with her, huh?” Rex snorted. “Won’t follow her through love or respect now, I’ll tell you that.”

  “He fears her.”

  “Sometimes that’s all it takes.” He looked to where Zain lay in the starlight; from this distance he appeared asleep. “Shame, that. From what I gather, you got to him before the end?”

  “I believe he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.”

  “Well, let’s hope so,” Rex said. “No matter what mess a dog has made of his life, he deserves to find redemption.” Then the old German Shepherd uttered a deep sigh, his eyes darting momentarily southward. “Yeah, no matter what.”

  Levi smiled. “We all miss Boris, Captain Rex.”

  “How did you know I was…” The German Shepherd growled, but there was no anger in it. “Go play detective on someone else!”

  “What about the two you took into custody?” Levi asked.

  “You leave those boys to us,” Rex advised. “I know a couple of Dobermans in ICE who would like to question them. I have a bigger concern about Anila and that Purdil, not to mention that…”

  “Abasi,” Levi provided. “He’s a Bully Kutta, distantly related to a Mastiff.”

  “Great Anubis, I feel like I’m going stark barking mad trying to keep track of these foreign names and breeds.”

  “Anila and Abasi are the greatest dangers,” Levi said. “Purdil will help them, but I don’t feel he will be as dangerous.”

  “Don’t bet your life on that, Levi,” Rex warned. “I’m going to have my dogs out all night looking for those three, at least as many as I can pry from their regular police duties. I’ll contact the K-9 units at NCPD, SDPD, Sheriff’s Office, and Border Patrol, let them know what’s going on, have them search as well. Probably should let the Port Authority K-9 Unit in on it too, but Anubis knows what good they’ll be.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “What about you?” Rex asked. “Those three might not give up on the idea of putting your pal Baron to sleep. Want Antony and Arnold to hang around your house?”

  Levi shook his head. “We’ll be fine.”

  “All right, it’s your choice.” He looked back at Zain again. “Do you want us to…”

  “Thanks, but we’ll see to him.”

  The police dogs cleared out with their prisoners and left the peninsula to Levi and the others. Sunny, Gibbs, Atlas and Flashman dug a hole deep enough to ensure its safety from scavengers, gently placed Zain within, and covered it.

  “He was a lost dog,” Levi said. “He lived in a world dominated by fear and cruelty, not belonging, but not knowing how to escape. In the end, he discovered a friendship stronger than fear, learned that compassion and kindness were strengths, not weaknesses. He redeemed himself, but, as is often the case, redemption came at a high price, but I do not think he thought it too high a price to pay.”

  The two cats watched from a respectful distance.

  “We celebrate the life of Zain,” Levi finished, “a pup of First Dog and Anubis.”

  “Do you think Anila will try anything else tonight?” Sunny asked Levi apart from the others. “I don’t see how they can. We got the drop on them before they learned where Baron was.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Levi said. “But, remember, Abasi wasn’t here. According to Zain, he was out searching, was going to be asking around.”

  “No one knows where Baron is,” Sunny pointed out.

  “True,” Levi admitted. “But Abasi was not looking for Baron.”

  “What then?”

  “He was looking for a very large black Pomeranian with wild fur,” Levi replied.

  Sunny looked to the other animals.

  “We should keep this to ourselves, for the moment,” Levi said. “It may not be an imminent danger. Remember, Yoda is locked in the house, helping Sally and Kim with Baron. Besides, Flashman and Atlas are dead tired. They need to get to their homes, and if we mention this to them, they’ll run till they drop. We don’t know them very well, but we know them well enough to know they will always put others before themselves, no matter the danger, no matter the personal pain.” Levi smiled wanly. “They’re heroes.”

  Reluctantly, Sunny agreed.

  Quietly the animals started back home, heading out of the dank tidelands and up the long length of F Street. On the other side of Broadway, Atlas and Flashman said their farewells, as both needed to return home before dawn. Gibbs continued with Levi and Sunny since he still had Sally’s safe return to supervise.

  When they finally turned onto Fifth Avenue, Sunny suddenly froze, her gaze fixed down the length of the darkened street.

  “Something’s wrong,” she murmured.

  “What’s the matter?” Levi asked, squinting.

  Gibbs squinted, but said nothing.

  “I don’t know,” Sunny admitted, “but Kim, Little Kitty and Sally are out on the sidewalk. Why? They’re all supposed to be inside with Baron.” She paused. “I don’t see Yoda with them.”

  Levi broke into a fast run, and the big dogs strained to keep up with the smaller dog. The cats bounded ahead.

  “Levi, Sunny!” Kim called. “Is Yoda with you?”

  “We can’t find Yoda!” Little Kitty wailed.

  “No, he’s not with us,” Levi replied. “He was supposed to stay and help with Baron.”

  “He went after…” Little Kitty closed her mouth.

  “Little Kitty, did you tell Yoda we went after Levi?” Sunny asked sternly.

  “No,” Little Kitty replied. “Well, not exactly. He sort of figured it on his own…kind of.”

  “We’ve been up and down the street,” Sally said. “No sign of him anywhere.”

  “If he’s not with you, or around here…” Kim gasped. “Tell us those dogs from Afghanistan are taken care of.”

  “Two captured, one dead, three on the loose,” Sunny said.

  “That’s bad,” Kim said.

  “That’s very bad,” Little Kitty added.

  “It gets worse,” Sunny said grimly. “Abasi, the Bully Kutta whom I saw injure the Gull Dong, was not on Gunpowder Point with the other dogs. According to the dog Levi spoke to, he was out looking for Yoda.”

  “Perhaps Yoda went down Davidson instead of F,” Groucho suggested, but there was no trace of conviction in his words.

  “But how could Abasi find out…” Kim fell suddenly silent. “There have been a couple of attacks reported by the Irregulars. They came in just moments ago, but I didn’t think they had anything to do…” She sighed. “Everybody knows Yoda.”

  “We have to get hold of Captain Rex,” Sunny said. “Have the K-9 boys look for Yoda, let the network know.”

  While the others talked, Levi sniffed between the porch and the walkway. When they saw him working, they moved to the driveway to give him room to sniff. The scent-trails were dizzyingly complex and there were, of course, multiple traces of Yoda, but to a dog as skilled and experienced as was Levi, scents were not only traces of a dog’s passage though space, but echoes in time. Old trails were fainter, more settled into the ground, less active, while more recent scents were stronger, more dynamic. To the observers, he seemed to dash back and forth wildly, but he was picking up and discarding scent after scent as they failed to play out. Eventually, he came upon one trail that was particularly strong, one that led to the walkway and ended near the north side of the pepper tree.

  By force of will, Levi banished the scent of the pepper tree
from consideration. He had been fooled by its almost overpowering smell once, but he was not going to let it happen again. Not this time. Not with so much at stake.

  He stood absolutely still beside the tree, letting the scents rise around him, swirl about him like a fog only he could sense. In his mind’s eye they wove a kinetic picture of events that had transpired not long ago. He saw Yoda set out to join the others, but the cloud of excitement about him suddenly chilled as a wariness settled over the Pomeranian. He saw Yoda standing, listening, trying to fathom the secrets of the night, and saw a vast shape suddenly envelop his friend. But where Yoda perceived a shadow before unconsciousness claimed him, Levi saw the leering face of the Bully Kutta. He started after the mixed scent, but it vanished almost immediately, swept away by winds of misfortune.

  “Abasi was waiting outside the house,” Levi reported to the others. “I think his plan was probably to return to Gunpowder Point and report his find to Anila.”

  “But then Yoda came out,” Little Kitty sighed. She fell over, curling up in guilt. “Why can’t I keep my big mouth shut?”

  “I’ve often wondered the same thing,” Kim said acidly.

  “Abasi would have seen the hullabaloo down at the Point and turned away,” Sunny mused, ignoring the cats.

  “Or could have run into Anila and Purdil after their escape,” Levi suggested.

  “I should go up to the police department,” Sunny said.

  “We should wait for them to contact us,” Levi said.

  “What?” Sunny exclaimed. “We can’t just sit and do nothing.”

  “I can’t track them,” Levi said. “And I doubt there’s much of a chance the K-9 Unit will pick them up. Anila and Abasi may be unfamiliar with Chula Vista, have nothing but Zain’s observations to go by, but they are adapted to survival in a war zone, to using every aspect of terrain and geography to their advantage. They have gone to ground; wherever they are, that’s where Yoda is.”