by Andrew Kole
Blue Eyes was face to face with Lady Maya. He began to stalk her. Lady Maya knew she had little chance against her foe, but she was determined not to go down without a fight.
“I won’t make it easy for you... I’m going to fight.” Lady Maya said.
“I always enjoy a challenge,” Blue Eyes responded and jumped on the golden retriever, easily pinning her to the ground, opening her jaws wide, rearing back, and aiming her sharp teeth at Lady Maya’s delicate neck.
When... from out of nowhere, Bohdi sprinted into the clearing, leaping into the air like a super-hero dog, slamming his entire tiny body into Blue Eyes, knocking her aside, freeing Lady Maya who stared in shock at the little mutt. “Bohdi! You’re alive!”
“And here to save the day!”
But Blue Eyes wasn’t going to be taken out by Bohdi, whom she saw as a little nothing of a dog. She had a lot of fights under her paws and was quickly back on her feet, ready to fight. Lady Maya and Bohdi knew their best chance to survive was to work together. Lady Maya used her size while Bohdi used his speed and agility to nip at Blue Eyes’ heels and soft belly.
Piper was trying desperately to scramble just a little higher up the steep rock face as Fang was figuring out how to climb up after her. As she searched around for some way out of what was an increasingly perilous situation, Piper spotted Major cowering behind the boulder. The dogs locked eyes. Major read the condemnation in Piper’s eyes and turned away, ashamed. He knew he should help her. He knew he would have a much better chance against the wolves than Piper. But he was scared and could not bring himself to leave the safety of his hiding place.
“I’m coming for you, tubby,” taunted Scar as he ripped away at the rotten log that was Duke’s only protection, getting closer and closer. “I always thought I’d die from an upper respiratory disease, or an infected toenail, or bad shrimp. But to be eaten by wolves? I never saw this coming!” Duke said, as the log got smaller and smaller. Scar’s teeth snapped dangerously close to Duke’s stubby tail. “Help! Please! Anybody.”
Duke really didn’t expect any of his mates to come. After all, they all had their own wolf-sized problems to deal with.
But then, a series of loud barks echoed through the trees. The dogs and the wolves turned to look, and saw Aldo burst into the clearing, giving his primal war cry.
“Aldo’s ghost? Oh, no! I’m already dead!” Duke cried out fearfully.
“Not if I have anything to say about it!” said Aldo and he charged into the fray, shoving Scar away from the log. Emboldened by Aldo’s strike, Duke charged out of the log. He bashed into Scar’s legs, like a bowling ball making the seven-ten split, knocking the wolf to the ground. Aldo seized the opportunity to sit on Scar, pinning him to the ground. “Bad doggie. Sit. Stay.” commanded Aldo. One-Ear was on top of Winnie, biting her ear. “Ow! That hurts!”
exclaimed Winnie.
At that moment, Winnie decided she had had enough. It was time to stop running. Winnie nudged her head under One-Ear’s belly and used her superior size to flip One-Ear over and onto the ground where Sandor quickly pounced on the wolf. Using his dreadlocks as a weapon he began whipping One-Ear until he could no longer take it and ran off into the woods.
Behind the rock, Major watched in amazement as the dogs started to get the upper hand against the wolves – something he had honestly thought was impossible. Seeing the dogs embrace their own strength inspired Major. With a whoop, he charged out from his hiding space and ran straight at Fang. “Stay. Away. From. My. Friend!” Major yelled as he struck the startled Fang mid-jump, knocking the wolf away from Piper. Fang flew through the air and landed hard on the ground.
“You did it! You saved me!” Piper yelled and enthusiastically climbed down from her perch and beamed at Major.
“Yeah, I did, didn’t I?” Major said.
Meanwhile, Blue Eyes advanced on Bohdi and Lady Maya.
“I can’t keep going,” Lady Maya said, panting.
“Don’t give up,” Bohdi encouraged her.
But Lady Maya, exhausted, stumbled and fell, giving Blue Eyes the opening she had been waiting for. She moved in just as Spencer and Taylor appeared out of the trees.
“No!” Spencer shouted as he rushed forward. “I’m coming, Maya!” Taylor raced after him, trying to grab him and pull him back, but it was too late. Blue Eyes turned and spotted Spencer and Taylor. Her eyes glittered with excitement. The humans with their soft skin, dull teeth and no claws would be much easier pickings for her wolf pack.
“Ooh look, your slave masters. Bet they’ll be tasty,” Blue Eyes said with a wicked grin on her face. She howled a call to her pack. Fang and One-Ear joined Blue Eyes and they quickly circled up around Spencer and Taylor. Even Scar managed to wiggle out from underneath Aldo and join the other wolves.
“What do we do now?” Spencer asked Taylor, his voice shaking with nerves.
“I have no idea,” Taylor replied.
But Bohdi knew what to do. He got between Spencer and Taylor and the four wolves. “They’re not our masters,” Bohdi said to Blue Eyes. “They’re our family.”
Lady Maya mustered her strength, a kind of strength she didn’t even know she had – a strength reserved to protect those she loved. She stood next to Bohdi, blocking the wolves from Taylor and Spencer.
Piper, Duke, Winnie, Sandor, Aldo and Major had all developed a new sense of loyalty out here on the mountain. Where one of them went, they would all go – they had each others’ backs. They were a pack. Without hesitation, they joined Bohdi and Lady Maya forming a wall between the wolves and the two kids.
Blue Eyes could see the look of fierce determination on every dog’s face. She had misjudged them. These were no pampered pets. They were real dogs who had found their pack and would defend it until their last breaths. Not such easy prey after all.
“Let’s go. They aren’t worth the trouble,” Blue Eyes said. She turned and led the other wolves into the woods where they were quickly swallowed up by the dark.
Taylor and Spencer let out shaky breaths. They had survived. Spencer threw his arms around Lady Maya, engulfing her in a massive hug. Taylor scooped up Bohdi and scratched him under the chin.
“That was amazing!” whooped Winnie, “We just fought wolves, and actually lived!”
“We did... And we did it together,” said Lady Maya, smiling at Bohdi.
Chapter 18
Scaling the Peak
The next morning an overcast dawn broke on the mountain. Taylor packed up what supplies they had left and turned to Spencer. “I think the dogs are good to walk,” Taylor said. “Let’s get back to the plane. If the weather clears, that’s where the search team will come looking for us.”
“I’m ready when you are,” replied Spencer.
Meanwhile the dogs were off to the side, literally licking their wounds, proud of what they had accomplished.
“When do you think they’re gonna add wolf-fighting to Westminster?”
Winnie asked.
“Right after they add team orienteering,” Duke said, and all the dogs laughed.
“I just wish they’d add a hot-dog eating contest,” added Aldo.
Major approached Bohdi. “It was good of you to come back, especially after the way we treated you when we first met.”
Bohdi understood that was Major’s way of apologizing and appreciated what it had taken for him to make the gesture.
“We dogs have to stick together, right?” said Bohdi, subtly suggesting to Major that, mutt or purebred, they were all dogs in the end.
Major smiled. “Yes... we do.”
“As much as I believe in the power of dog, I sure am glad to be w
ith people again!” said Piper. The others agreed. They’d all found the strength of their inner dog, but dogs were meant to be with people.
Lady Maya looked at Bohdi. “You’ve got a good person there.”
“I know.” replied Bohdi. And he did. Now he really understood how lucky he was to have Taylor as his person. “Yours seems pretty great, too. Have you shown Spencer your tooth yet?” Bohdi asked.
“No,” Lady Maya answered. “I know he loves me, but I’m not ready for him to know I’ll never be a champion again.”
“I think he’ll surprise you,” Bohdi said. Lady Maya thought about that. She knew Spencer would learn the truth eventually, but right now, she was just so happy to have him back she didn’t want to mess that up with bad news.
Amos maintained a slow steady pace as he, Shuttleworth and Indy trudged along. Indy hung back by Shuttleworth, encouraging every step he took. Amos kept glancing back at Shuttleworth, trying to gauge when to take another break. Finally, Shuttleworth snapped at him, “You can stop looking at me like that!”
“Sorry for caring, Shuttleworth!” Amos snapped back. “I’ll just let you fall down from exhaustion.”
“I can take care of myself!” hollered Shuttleworth. “Since when?”
“Since always,” Shuttleworth was not giving an inch. “Remember, I saved your life!”
“Yeah. And it only took you three tries, Annie Oakley,” Amos said sarcastically.
They were back to their old ways. Indy sighed. The stress was getting to the two men, who were cranky at the best of times. Indy gave Shuttleworth’s hip a comforting nudge. Shuttleworth looked down at the three-legged dog in surprise. He was surprised not only by the dog’s seeming desire to support him, but also by the fact that he found the dog’s calm company soothing. He reached down and gave Indy a gentle pet. “Thanks, Indy. I’m okay. I promise,” Shuttleworth said, though Indy wasn’t sure he could believe him.
Suddenly, Indy’s sensitive nose caught a whiff of something acrid. Jet fuel? Indy barked and rushed forward.
Amos, Shuttleworth and Indy crested a rise, and spotted the remnants of the plane. They froze when they realized it was only half a plane. And that half was stuck in a line of trees, fifty feet from the edge of cliff that had a drop-off of several hundred feet. “Where’s the rest of the plane?” Shuttleworth asked, horrified.
Shuttleworth’s legs buckled and he sank to his knees.
Amos threw off his backpack and raced toward the cockpit, followed by Indy.
“Taylor?!” Amos called out.
Shuttleworth struggled to his feet and followed. “Spencer!...
Spencer!”
Amos yanked the cockpit door open. He and Indy stepped inside the empty plane. Shuttleworth burst in seconds later. Amos looked at him and shook his head – there was no sign of either kids or dogs. His face said it all. Shuttleworth was devastated that Spencer wasn’t here. He still didn’t know where his son was, or even if he were alive.
The clouds were starting to clear and the sun broke through at long last as Taylor, Spencer and the dogs made their way up the mountain. As the largest dogs in the pack, Aldo and Winnie took the lead to clear a path for Taylor and Spencer, and for the smaller dogs who followed gratefully.
There was something different about the Westminster dogs now. Their complaints and prissiness abandoned, they hiked with new determination on their faces. No longer competitors, these dogs were a team.
In the cockpit, Amos and Shuttleworth were back to arguing about what to do next. “Maybe they went to find the dogs? Or they went down the mountain to find help,” Shuttleworth said.
“They may be looking for the dogs. But they’ll come back here,” Amos said.
“What makes you so sure?” Shuttleworth asked.
“Because Taylor knows this is where we’ll look for them,” Amos stated.
“What if they’re hurt and can’t get back here?” Shuttleworth argued.
Indy barked a warning, “There’s something out there!” But the men were too caught up arguing with each other to notice.
“Then where do you suggest we start looking? They could be anywhere!” Amos said.
“We have to do something. We can’t just...” Shuttleworth stopped in mid-sentence, as he and Amos finally heard a chorus of barking coming from outside. They looked at each other, hope filling their eyes.
The door flew open and Taylor, Spencer, Bohdi, Lady Maya and the rest of the pack joyfully piled into the tiny cockpit.
“Taylor!” exclaimed Amos.
“Grandpa!” Taylor cried. She and Amos met in a bear hug. Spencer hung back near the door with Lady Maya, but
Shuttleworth climbed over the other dogs and hauled Spencer to him in an enormous hug, as tears filled his eyes.
“I’ve been so worried! I love you so much, Spencer. I’m sorry I haven’t told you often enough,” Shuttleworth proclaimed.
Spencer froze in shock. His father hadn’t said he loved him in years. And he had never heard that tone in his father’s voice. Slowly, he reached around and hugged his father back. “I love you, too.”
As they shared an embrace of their own, Taylor and Amos noticed Spencer and his father’s hug. They knew this moment was long overdue for the Shuttleworth family, even if it had taken so much danger and hardship to get them to this point.
Arms wrapped around his father, Spencer sniffed. He made a face and sniffed again. He pulled away and looked askance at his father. “Uh, Dad, you smell like skunk.”
“You’re right! I do!” Shuttleworth said and started to laugh. Amos joined in. That was a story they looked forward to telling the teens. Spencer looked at him in disbelief. He didn’t recognize his strict, demanding father in this laughing man who seemed totally okay with stinking like a skunk. But as strange as it was, he liked this new version of his dad.
Indy sidled up to Bohdi. “Good job, Bohdi. You kept our girl safe. I knew you were a real Hopton. Or should I say, a real rescue mutt.” Bohdi smiled. He knew Indy had been right this whole time. He belonged with Taylor and Amos and Indy. They were a family.
Taylor spotted the two dogs. “You brought Indy, Grandpa?” “He brought us,” Amos said proudly.
“We were on a rescue mission, and we needed a rescue dog,” Shuttleworth added.
In reply, Indy got up on his hind leg and licked Shuttleworth’s face like it had never been licked before. And Shuttleworth loved it. Spencer couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Now we just have to get everyone back to Aspen.” Taylor said, stating the obvious.
“Going down has got to be easier than going up,” chuckled Shuttleworth.
Chapter 19
One More Rescue
Feeling safe, they all laughed. But the very cheerful moment was short lived. The cockpit had been precariously balanced near the cliff edge and the large number of people and dogs moving around inside combined with the sun warming the snow destabilized its position.
The first warning those inside had was a loud creak as the snow under the plane suddenly gave way. The cockpit slipped sideways past the line of trees that had been holding it in place and started careening out of control down the slope toward the cliff ’s edge and the big drop below.
Dogs and people were thrown off their paws and feet and sent flying across the cockpit floor. Taylor was the only one to keep her balance. She realized she had to stay calm, and act fast. First, she shoved Spencer out the door. He landed in the snow, stunned. Then, as quickly as she could, Taylor pushed the dogs she could reach –
Duke, Aldo, Major and Sandor – out the door. Each dog tumbled into the snow. Just before the plane went over the cliff, she shoved Lady Maya out the door.
“Noooo!” screamed Spencer. His father! His friend! How could he lose them now? Spencer got to his feet and forced himself to go to the edge. He needed to know what happened to them. He looked down. Just below the lip, the cockpit was perched precariously on a wind-battered pine tree that bent and creaked ominously.
Inside the cockpit, Shuttleworth, Indy, Bohdi, Winnie and Piper regained their feet. Taylor spotted Amos’ hand sticking out from under a broken seat. She slid down the steeply pitched floor to reach him. He was unconscious, wedged between the seat and the instrument panel. She grabbed the seat trapping Amos and tried to pull it off him. But it didn’t budge. It was tightly wedged. Shuttleworth made his way down to Taylor, but even the two of them using their backs and legs to push couldn’t move the seat an inch. They needed help.
“Taylor!” Spencer called out. “Can you hear me?”
Taylor and Shuttleworth made their way to the door, then looked up at Spencer who was leaning over the ledge, peering down at them. Spencer sighed in relief at the sight of them. “Are you okay?!” Spencer asked fearfully.
“We’re fine, but my grandpa’s stuck,” Taylor replied. “I’m coming down,” Spencer said.
“No!” Taylor and Shuttleworth shouted in unison.
Taylor quickly assessed the situation. She saw the tree was the only thing keeping the cockpit and everyone in it from plummeting hundreds of feet to sure death. Taylor pushed down her fear and focused on what needed to be done. They needed to lighten the load and fast.
“Mr. Shuttleworth, did my grandpa bring rope?”