“Of course Storm should stay,” yipped Daisy in a small voice. “But what will we do? Where will we go?” She threw a nervous look over her shoulder. “We can’t stay here, can we?”
“She’s right,” agreed Bruno with a gruff nod. “We all heard it—the Fierce Dogs swore to destroy us. So we’ll have to run. Again.” He shook his head, looking old and weary.
Lucky sighed. His heart sank at the thought of moving once more. But what else could they do?
“We can’t move again,” whimpered Sunshine, sinking onto her belly. “We’ve all been turned out of our homes or had territories destroyed, first by the Big Growl, then the Dark Cloud, and now the Fierce Dogs. All we want is somewhere to make a real camp for the Pack where we can live in peace.”
“Alpha knows this place,” Mickey murmured sadly. “He’ll tell his new Pack. This is the first place they’ll look for us.”
“That traitor!” hissed Whine, his eyes bulging. “Acting like our leader all that time. And you were so close to the half wolf,” he sneered at Sweet. “How do we know that we can trust you?”
Lucky sprang to his paws, furious that anyone could doubt her. “Every dog knows that I always hated Alpha!” he barked. “Even when he seemed to be the popular choice. Even when others defended him.” His eyes lingered on Whine, who cringed away. Lucky raised his muzzle stiffly. “But I never doubted Sweet—our new Alpha—and neither should you.”
“But they were very close,” reasoned Snap.
“That doesn’t mean she’d leave us for the Fierce Dogs!” yapped Dart.
Whine pawed the ground. “How can you be so sure?” he muttered.
Lucky’s fur rose in alarm at this division in the Pack. Why don’t they trust her like I do?
“Silence!” barked Sweet. “I’m as shocked by our former Alpha’s treachery as the rest of you, believe me. I understand Whine’s concern. If any dog wants to fight me for leadership I will, of course, accept the challenge.” She didn’t meet Bella’s eye. “But first, there’s something you deserve to know.” She looked at Lucky. “Something that could affect the Pack’s future.”
Lucky blinked at her, confused.
She nudged him with her muzzle. “Your dreams.”
Lucky stiffened. In an instant he was back amid swirls of snow, his limbs frozen to the earth as the barks of fighting dogs filled the air. He pulled himself into the present. The Pack was watching curiously. Sweet’s right. If there really is something to my visions—if they are flashes from the future, or warnings of some kind, my Packmates deserve to know.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve been having strange dreams . . . about the Storm of Dogs.”
The Pack broke into fearful yaps.
“Wasn’t that the horrible battle between the Spirit Dogs? Back at the Dawn of Time?” barked Dart.
Moon shook her head fiercely. “No, no, it’s a real fight here on earth. It’s foretold to take place at the end of all things, when the sky turns white and the rivers flow red with blood. That’s what my Mother-Dog used to tell me!”
Lucky gasped and his jaw fell limp. Moon’s description was chillingly similar to his visions. What if her Mother-Dog was right? The Big Growl was the warning, and the Storm of Dogs takes place at the end of all things.
The Leashed Dogs looked to one another, confused. It seemed that only the original Wild Pack had heard of the Storm of Dogs, though no one could agree what it was.
“I’m sure it involves the Spirit Dogs,” barked Snap.
Storm cocked her head. “Funny . . . It’s sort of got my name.”
Lucky watched her briefly. Her whole body was trembling. The young dog had been already suffered so much; he didn’t want to upset her even more. “I think you came to that name for a reason,” he said carefully. “That something made you choose Storm.”
The young dog didn’t answer and the rest of the Pack became quiet.
Lucky shook his head slowly. “I see visions of Packs clashing, as though every dog in the world has come together for a terrible fight. I don’t know what it means, when it might happen, if it will happen. But I have realized something.” He licked his lips, hesitating. Saying it out loud would make it real somehow. But he couldn’t deny it any longer. “The Fierce Dogs will never leave us alone as long as things aren’t settled between the Packs. Eventually we will have to stop running. We will need to make a stand, to fight the Fierce Dogs and win.” Only we may not win, he added silently. We may not survive the Storm of Dogs.
“We’ve just had a battle with the Fierce Dogs, or at least Storm has,” Daisy pointed out. “How do you know that wasn’t the Storm of Dogs? She outwitted Blade. Maybe it’s all over now?” Her eyes were wide with hope.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, “I know that wasn’t the one. I feel it. And the images from my dreams . . . It is even colder, and the land is white. The frost clings to fur and cracks paw.” His voice trailed off. Against the deepening red of the Sun-Dog’s last light, a powdery wisp drifted in front of his nose. It fell slower than rain. When it reached the grass, it settled as a tiny heap of white.
The first snow.
A stab of terror ran through Lucky’s heart and he stumbled. The Storm of Dogs is coming. . . . It’s nearly here.
He felt a warm touch on his neck and turned to see Sweet. Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at him, and his heart surged with hope. At least I will have Sweet by my side. Her scent lingered on his fur, giving him the courage to go on.
“Sweet’s right. If the Storm of Dogs is real, if it’s coming, it is better that we’re all prepared,” he told them. “Every last one of us has fought against hardships and learned to cope in an altered world. Soon we may have to fight once more, to battle for our very existence, perhaps for the last time. No dog here will stand alone. We are the Wild Pack; we are survivors! If the Storm of Dogs is coming, we will meet it together.”
BACK ADS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ERIN HUNTER is inspired by a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior. She is also the author of the bestselling Warriors and Seekers series. Visit her online at www.survivorsdogs.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors and artists.
Books by Erin Hunter
Book One: The Empty City
Book Two: A Hidden Enemy
Book Three: Darkness Falls
Book Four: The Broken Path
NOVELLAS
Alpha’s Tale
Book One: Into the Wild
Book Two: Fire and Ice
Book Four: Rising Storm
Book Five: A Dangerous Path
Book Six: The Darkest Hour
THE NEW PROPHECY
Book One: Midnight
Book Two: Moonrise
Book Three: Dawn
Book Four: Starlight
Book Five: Twilight
Book Six: Sunset
POWER OF THREE
Book One: The Sight
Book Two: Dark River
Book Three: Outcast
Book Four: Eclipse
Book Five: Long Shadows
Book Six: Sunrise
OMEN OF THE STARS
Book One: The Fourth Apprentice
Book Two: Fading Echoes
Book Three: Night Whispers
Book Four: Sign of the Moon
Book Five: The Forgotten Warrior
Book Six: The Last Hope
DAWN OF THE CLANS
Book One: The Sun Trail
Book Two: Thunder Rising
Book Three: The First Battle
Warriors Super Edition: Firestar’s Quest
Warriors Super Edition: Bluestar’s Prophecy
Warriors Super Edition: SkyClan’s Destiny
Warriors Super Edition: Crookedstar’s Promise
Warriors Super Edition: Yellowfang’s Secret
Warriors Super Edition: Tallstar’s Revenge
Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans
Warriors: Cats of the Clans
Warriors: Code of the Clans
Warriors: Battles of the Clans
Warriors: Enter the Clans
Warriors: The Ultimate Guide
Warriors: The Untold Stories
MANGA
The Lost Warrior
Warrior’s Refuge
Warrior’s Return
The Rise of Scourge
Tigerstar and Sasha #1: Into the Woods
Tigerstar and Sasha #2: Escape from the Forest
Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans
Ravenpaw’s Path #1: Shattered Peace
Ravenpaw’s Path #2: A Clan in Need
Ravenpaw’s Path #3: The Heart of a Warrior
SkyClan and the Stranger #1: The Rescue
SkyClan and the Stranger #2: Beyond the Code
SkyClan and the Stranger #3: After the Flood
NOVELLAS
Hollyleaf’s Story
Mistystar’s Omen
Cloudstar’s Journey
Tigerclaw’s Fury
Leafpool’s Wish
Book One: The Quest Begins
Book Two: Great Bear Lake
Book Three: Smoke Mountain
Book Four: The Last Wilderness
Book Five: Fire in the Sky
Book Six: Spirits in the Stars
RETURN TO THE WILD
Book One: Island of Shadows
Book Two: The Melting Sea
Book Three: River of Lost Bears
Book Four: Forest of Wolves
MANGA
Toklo’s Story
Kallik’s Adventure
CREDITS
Cover art © 2014 by Julia Green
Art direction and cover design by Cara Petrus
Cover design by Megan Stitt
COPYRIGHT
SURVIVORS #5: THE ENDLESS LAKE
Copyright © 2014 by Working Partners Limited
Series created by Working Partners Limited
Endpaper art © 2014 by Frank Riccio
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hunter, Erin.
The Endless Lake / Erin Hunter.—First edition.
pages cm.—(Survivors; #5)
Summary: “Lucky and his Pack must learn to survive in their new home, at the edge of a strange lake that seems to go on forever”— Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-06-210272-0 (hardback) — ISBN 978-0-06-210273-7 (library)
[1. Dogs—Fiction. 2. Wild dogs—Fiction. 3. Survival—Fiction. 4. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 5. Fantasy.] I. Title.
PZ7.H916625En 2014
2013047944
[Fic]—dc23
CIP
AC
* * *
EPub Edition © APRIL 2014 ISBN: 9780062102751
14 15 16 17 18 CG/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
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