"You feed "em they keep coming back," the hunter said.
"Timmy was living living with us," the dad said. with us," the dad said.
"Don"t worry," the hunter said, "we"ll get him, nail his hide to your garage door."
The mom said that wouldn"t be necessary.
THIRTEEN.
ntwan and Buddy came out of the deep came out of the deepA[image]ravine where it opened up near the crest of the hill. They stopped and looked way down at the house and the humans in the yard.
"Already coming after us," Antwan said. "You don"t stay close to me, homes, they"ll run you down for sure." He turned to see Buddy panting, his tongue hanging out, and said, "Homes, you look dog tired."
Buddy would be middle-aged if he were human. This running uphill behind Antwan had worn him out. He told himself he"d get used to it once he was in shape again. He hadn"t worked this hard since his moviemaking days.
"You can"t tell where the dens are," Antwan said, "but the pack lives all around here."
[image]
"I know," Buddy said, "I can smell them."
Pretty soon he was facing them, coyotes coming out of the rocks and down from the higher ground, the pack looking him over with cold coyote eyes, coming closer to form part of a circle around him.
"The big gray one," Antwan said in a low voice, "is Cletus, our leader, numero uno. Show him some respect, he might not eat you right away."
Cletus came to within a few feet of Buddy standing his ground, keeping his eyes on the pack leader as the other coyotes moved in closer.
Antwan said to Cletus, "Chief, this dude is called Buddy. He wants to pa.s.s, thinks he can run with us."
"He does, huh?" Cletus said. "He looks to me like some-body"s pet doggy, chews rubber bones and plays with p.u.s.s.ycats."
A coyote with a scar across his nose rushed in from the side to nip at Buddy"s rump. Too late. Buddy came around to clamp his jaws on the coyote"s throat and toss it yelping into the brush.
Another coyote, a female, ran at him, and Buddy stopped her nose to nose. She snarled and he gave her his killer growl and a glare of canine teeth. They were eye to eye as Antwan said, "Ramona, behave yourself, girl. This is my friend Buddy I told you about." He turned to Cletus.
"Chief, how about if we give Buddy a few days, see if he can keep up with us." Antwan had the feeling Cletus would just as soon not take on this big German dog but would if he had to. Antwan said, "I don"t see none of the Diablos around," to take Cletus" mind off Buddy.
"They went down to the junkyard," Cletus said, "mess with those outcast dogs down there."
"The Howling Diablos know how to rumble," Antwan said and turned to Buddy. "Come on, let"s have some fun."
[image]hey topped the crest of the hill and started down through the brush on the other side. But now Antwan looked back and said, "I knew it." He stopped and yelled at the coyote following them, "Ramona, you aren"t coming. Hear? Go on back." Buddy recognized her, the one who"d gone nose to nose with him. He heard Antwan say, "Ramona"s the one tried to bite you and you stared her down. She shows off like that "cause she wants to be in my gang and I won"t let her. She"s my little sister and I don"t want her chewing more than she can swallow. Understand what I"m saying?" of the hill and started down through the brush on the other side. But now Antwan looked back and said, "I knew it." He stopped and yelled at the coyote following them, "Ramona, you aren"t coming. Hear? Go on back." Buddy recognized her, the one who"d gone nose to nose with him. He heard Antwan say, "Ramona"s the one tried to bite you and you stared her down. She shows off like that "cause she wants to be in my gang and I won"t let her. She"s my little sister and I don"t want her chewing more than she can swallow. Understand what I"m saying?"
They watched Ramona, her head down, go back over the crest of the hill. "Wait and see," Antwan said, "I bet you a big rat she still follows us. Ramona likes to feel her heart beating."
At the bottom of the hill they came out of the trees to a busy street and Antwan said, "We cross here."
Buddy said, "But how?" because cars were whizzing by in both directions.
"Homes," Antwan said, "you telling me you never crossed a street by yourself?"
"It"s been my job to keep the children on the curb," Buddy said, "till the light changes."
"Ain"t no light here," Antwan said. "Just look out for the ones trying to hit you. There"s a nice-looking blond-haired female human lives around here-any time she sees me she tries to run me down." He said, "Okay, here we go."
They ran into the street to start a racket of horns blowing, brakes screeching, got to the other side and Antwan said to Buddy, whose tongue was hanging out, "That wasn"t too bad, was it?"
Buddy was amazed at how quick Antwan was to spot humans and stay out of sight, ducking behind parked cars, dodging around corners and down alleys lined with Dumpsters, the hot scent of garbage filling the air.
"Smells good, huh?" Antwan said. "But no way to get at the grub "less they leave the trash bin open."
They ran down another alley, slipped past a big truck parked in the way, and there it was behind a ten-foot fence: JOE"S SALVAGE YARD A field of old worn-out cars and wrecks sitting in the weeds, and piles of what used to be cars before they were pushed into the crushing machine and flattened.
KA-CHUNG!.
Buddy jumped at the sound ringing through the yard. He saw the crusher now, an ugly iron monster with spotlights for eyes, a giant jaw that came down to crush whatever was shoved in its mouth.
KA-CHUNG!.
"Eats cars, homes, like we eat mice," Antwan said, "in one gulp. Come on, there"s my gang."
[image]hey were down a ways along the fence, a half dozen Howling Diablos facing as many junkyard dogs through the fence wire, snarling at each other. a ways along the fence, a half dozen Howling Diablos facing as many junkyard dogs through the fence wire, snarling at each other.
"That ugly pit bull"s their number one," Antwan said.
The others were mangy mixed breeds showing their ribs. A couple of toy-sized dogs seemed the most annoyed, acting tough, their tiny voices yipping at the coyotes.
"Like visiting the zoo," Antwan said.
Now the pit bull spotted Buddy.
"What"re you doing with those hyenas? Come on over where you belong."
"He"s got too much cla.s.s for your crowd," Antwan told the pit bull. "Buddy ain"t ugly enough to be with you."
One of the coyotes sang through the wire, "You ain"t nothing but hounddogs, crying all the time."
Another one said, "They ain"t never caught a rabbit and they ain"t no friends of mine."
And the coyotes howled.
Buddy watched them moving around a bit, feeling good and having fun. The next thing, hearing a howl from down the alley, Buddy and all of them looked in that direction.
Ramona was up on top of the truck parked by the fence.
"Showing off," Antwan said, and called to her, "Ramona, come on down. You hear?"
Ramona gave another howl, crouched, and now they watched her leap into s.p.a.ce to sail over the fence and into the junkyard.
All Buddy had to see was that mangy pack going for Ramona and he was back in the movies. He was "Buddy to the Rescue" again, running, bounding from the alley to the truck and into the yard, the way he had leaped from boulder to boulder, to save the little girl from the wolves. He could even hear the music from that movie again.
Now Antwan and the Diablos were leaping up on the truck to sail over the fence, chasing after Buddy chasing the junkies.
The pit bull turned to face Buddy and fight-what pit bulls loved to do more than anything, when they weren"t biting little kids. Buddy flew into him, knocked him down, got the bull"s neck skin clamped in his jaw and shoved him howling into the open trunk of a Chevy.
Antwan jumped on the car to slam the lid closed. He said to Buddy, "How you know how to do that?"
"The movies," Buddy said. "I took a wolf that way."
Now the coyotes had the rest of the dog pack cornered.
But where was Ramona?
Antwan and the Diablos howled her name as Buddy raced in and out of the rows of cars that were waiting to be flattened, Boddy getting closer and closer to that awful KACHUNG of the crushing machine.
Now he saw Joe the Junkman come along in a forklift truck, slip the wide blade under a Honda, lift it and haul the car over to the crusher, its spotlight eyes watching, its big mouth waiting to bite.
Buddy"s ears stood up at the sound of a howl, a faint one, followed by barks even fainter. Then KA-CHUNG and that clang rang in his ears. He watched the forklift coming back this way. Watched the blade scoop up a maroon Cadillac, the same kind the family once owned and he"d ride in it with his head out the window, in the rush of air.
He heard the faint howl again.
And saw Ramona in the Cadillac rising on the blade of the forklift. In the window-saw her face between raised paws scratching at the gla.s.s.
A door must"ve been open to let her in, Buddy decided, and the forklift jammed it closed picking up the car. He ran alongside the forklift now and barked. And barked and barked and barked. Joe the Junkman wouldn"t even look at him. Buddy circled to get a good running start and leaped on top of the Cadillac to stand with his paws planted, looking at Joe looking back at him.
Joe yelling then, "Get offa there or you"re going in the crusher!"
Buddy stood on the hot metal roof and kept barking, eye to eye with the junkyard human, until finally the forklift stopped.
Joe, on the ground now, looked up to see Buddy crouched above Ramona"s face in the window. He said, "Well, whyn"t you tell me?"
And Buddy barked, "I did, you dummy."
[image]ack with the pack again Buddy was a hero. The Diablos howled his praise, the pups came around to jump on him, and Ramona licked his face in appreciation. again Buddy was a hero. The Diablos howled his praise, the pups came around to jump on him, and Ramona licked his face in appreciation.
"She likes you," Antwan said to Buddy. "Too bad you aren"t a coyote."
Buddy said right back, "Too bad you aren"t a French poodle," pretty sure Antwan would know what he meant.
Cletus the pack leader said, "So you"re the Buddy who was in those Buddy movies. Buddy Goes to War Buddy Goes to War and some others?" and some others?"
"I was Buddy in every one of them," Buddy said.
"They showed them at that drive-in theater in the Valley," Cletus said. "We"d sit up on the hill and watch."
Antwan got Buddy away from him saying, "Chief, we"re hungry from all that rumbling. Gonna go get us something to eat."
[image]e brought Buddy to his den in the side of the ravine, brush covering the opening in the wall of rock. "It was a badger"s den I made bigger inside and fixed up," Antwan said, "laid in some carpeting." to his den in the side of the ravine, brush covering the opening in the wall of rock. "It was a badger"s den I made bigger inside and fixed up," Antwan said, "laid in some carpeting."
Buddy watched him nose into the den and come out holding a limp mouse by the tail. He dropped it in front of Buddy, who hadn"t had a mouse in a long time.
"I forgot what they taste like."
"Only one thing better," Antwan said, and went into the hole to bring out a few more mice for Buddy.
Buddy looked down at the mice Antwan dropped in front of him, then walked up to the den saying, "I"d like to see the inside."
"Go ahead," Antwan said, with a mouthful of mouse. "Stick your head in there."
Buddy parted the brush with his nose and looked in. He saw wall-to-wall rabbit fur, limp mice lying about, a scattering of all kinds of bones, big ones, little ones, and he saw a pile of what could only be . . .
"Cat collars!" Buddy howled.
A pile of them, and right away he thought of Lola the Persian.
Her collar wouldn"t be here, but there were some that he recognized. Collars he had seen on Geeja and Suzanne, on Alex and Max, neighborhood cats he had chased and played with. Cats as well-behaved as he was.
Buddy brought his head out of the hole to look at Antwan. "I see you"ve had your share of cats."
"Love "em," Antwan said, swallowing a mouse. "I"ve never had a cat I didn"t enjoy."
"Some of them," Buddy said, "were friends of mine."
Antwan, another mouse in his mouth, managed to say, "Oh." He swallowed and said, "We like different food, that"s all."
"We"re different in more ways than that," Buddy said. "I"m not cut out to be a coyote. My breeding won"t allow it."
"You showed you can run with us," Antwan said, "but if you feel you have to go back-"
Buddy nodded.
"Where I belong." He said, "I hope we can still be friends, though. Amigo, come visit us sometime," and took off down the ravine.
Watching him, Antwan was thinking: Sometime? Or right now? He was sure Buddy"s scent would raise the gun dogs and the hunters would find him soon enough. They"d bring Buddy home and all the humans would stand around rubbing his coat, telling him what a good dog he was, everybody busy with Buddy.
It would give Antwan the chance to circle around behind them to the yard, push through the dog door and into the house. He"d see how Miss Betty was doing and maybe score some peanut b.u.t.ter cookies. Antwan was still hungry.
FOURTEEN.