Tashinis. If theyâd have got us it wouldâve been bye-bye, Waggit, and bye-bye, Lowdown, believe me.â
Waggit saw no reason not to.
When Lowdownâs breathing had fully returned to normal, they left the glade at a more dignified pace, and after a time Waggit felt almost excited about their narrow escape. Surviving danger made life seem awfully good. Everything appeared sharper and clearer; even the air smelled different. Waggit sensed that Lowdown felt it, too, as the dogs reached the safety of the Risingside and Tazarâs realm. It was good to be two friends trotting along with the sun on their backs, feeling the crunch of newly fallen leaves beneath their paws.
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There were only two clouds casting gloom on the team. One was Tashiâs warning of revenge. From experience they knew that Tashi and his evil lieutenant, Wilbur, would make good on the threat, probably when the Tazarians least expected it. The dogs couldnât afford to relax and be off-guard for one moment with this hanging over them, which put a considerable strain on them all. Eyes-and-ears duty at night was particularly stressful, as each bush that moved in the wind seemed to take on the form of an enemy preparing for attack.
What made the situation even more nerve-racking was the fact that Tazar had declared that the next encounter with the Tashinis would be the last. He was tired of the hostilities that kept flaring up, disrupting the life of the team. Furthermore Tazar passionately believed that all of the dogs in the park should concentrate their energies against the common enemyâhumans. He thought it was a waste of time fighting one another when they could all be concentrating on stealing food, keeping an eye on the rangers, or camouflaging their shelters.
So Tazar was determined that the next battle withthe Tashinis would be one of such ferocity that the victorious team would become the sole rulers of the entire park. It was not something to which the Tazarians were looking forward, for Tashi had some fearsome fighters. Spotty the Executioner and Tommy Teeth were just two of them.
The other dark spot was Waggitâs inability to hunt, despite his natural attributes of speed and lightning-fast reactions. This certainly wasnât as big a problem as the impending hostilities with the rival team. In fact the unseasonably warm weather meant that it wasnât a problem at all at the moment, but each dog knew that when the colder days came the human leftovers would all but disappear. At that point there would be only two alternatives for food. One was to forage outside the confines of the park, which was extremely dangerous because there was the constant possibility of getting run over by cars or caught by the authorities. The second food source, and the one that they relied upon, was hunting. Even this was far from easy, because many a possible meal went to ground during the cold days, sleeping until warmth brought them back out of their holes and burrows. Those that were around seemed to be faster and sharper when it was cold, andmore difficult to catch. Although the team had some capable hunters, they didnât have anyone with the natural abilities they could see in Waggit. It was frustrating, therefore, when he cornered an animal and then let it go, as he had done both times they had taken him hunting.
Tazar thought he understood the problem. Waggit still thought his former âownerâ would rescue him, and because of this he didnât truly believe that his survival in the hard months ahead depended upon hunting. If he assumed he was about to return to a life where food was regularly delivered out of little metal cans, why should he kill to eat?
Tazar was a smart dog and a wise leader, and he knew that it would be pointless to confront the puppy face-to-face. Waggit wouldnât admit in front of the other dogs that he still secretly cherished thoughts of his master. No, there was a better way to
Waggit saw no reason not to.
When Lowdownâs breathing had fully returned to normal, they left the glade at a more dignified pace, and after a time Waggit felt almost excited about their narrow escape. Surviving danger made life seem awfully good. Everything appeared sharper and clearer; even the air smelled different. Waggit sensed that Lowdown felt it, too, as the dogs reached the safety of the Risingside and Tazarâs realm. It was good to be two friends trotting along with the sun on their backs, feeling the crunch of newly fallen leaves beneath their paws.
Â
There were only two clouds casting gloom on the team. One was Tashiâs warning of revenge. From experience they knew that Tashi and his evil lieutenant, Wilbur, would make good on the threat, probably when the Tazarians least expected it. The dogs couldnât afford to relax and be off-guard for one moment with this hanging over them, which put a considerable strain on them all. Eyes-and-ears duty at night was particularly stressful, as each bush that moved in the wind seemed to take on the form of an enemy preparing for attack.
What made the situation even more nerve-racking was the fact that Tazar had declared that the next encounter with the Tashinis would be the last. He was tired of the hostilities that kept flaring up, disrupting the life of the team. Furthermore Tazar passionately believed that all of the dogs in the park should concentrate their energies against the common enemyâhumans. He thought it was a waste of time fighting one another when they could all be concentrating on stealing food, keeping an eye on the rangers, or camouflaging their shelters.
So Tazar was determined that the next battle withthe Tashinis would be one of such ferocity that the victorious team would become the sole rulers of the entire park. It was not something to which the Tazarians were looking forward, for Tashi had some fearsome fighters. Spotty the Executioner and Tommy Teeth were just two of them.
The other dark spot was Waggitâs inability to hunt, despite his natural attributes of speed and lightning-fast reactions. This certainly wasnât as big a problem as the impending hostilities with the rival team. In fact the unseasonably warm weather meant that it wasnât a problem at all at the moment, but each dog knew that when the colder days came the human leftovers would all but disappear. At that point there would be only two alternatives for food. One was to forage outside the confines of the park, which was extremely dangerous because there was the constant possibility of getting run over by cars or caught by the authorities. The second food source, and the one that they relied upon, was hunting. Even this was far from easy, because many a possible meal went to ground during the cold days, sleeping until warmth brought them back out of their holes and burrows. Those that were around seemed to be faster and sharper when it was cold, andmore difficult to catch. Although the team had some capable hunters, they didnât have anyone with the natural abilities they could see in Waggit. It was frustrating, therefore, when he cornered an animal and then let it go, as he had done both times they had taken him hunting.
Tazar thought he understood the problem. Waggit still thought his former âownerâ would rescue him, and because of this he didnât truly believe that his survival in the hard months ahead depended upon hunting. If he assumed he was about to return to a life where food was regularly delivered out of little metal cans, why should he kill to eat?
Tazar was a smart dog and a wise leader, and he knew that it would be pointless to confront the puppy face-to-face. Waggit wouldnât admit in front of the other dogs that he still secretly cherished thoughts of his master. No, there was a better way to
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