Rex.

Chase furrowed her brow, obviously bothered just to be discussing the matter.  “About a month ago, a dog named Groven came to Nome and joined the army.  He wouldn’t say where he came from, just that he was looking for a quiet town.”

“Any family here?” Toby put in.  “They might know something.”

Chase shook her head.  “No.  He said his parents were gone and his siblings were scattered.  I wasn’t sure what to make of him, but Ketch voted to let him stay.”

 Rex nodded.  “I see.”  He paused to mull over this information, then asked, “So when did this whole rebellion business start?”

“About three days ago, just after Ketch left town.”

“Ketch is gone?” asked Luna in surprise.

“Yeah.  He heard his long-lost sister was living in White Mountain, so he went to go see how she was doing.”

Rex didn’t say anything, he just nodded in a way that beckoned Chase to continue her story.

“Anyway,” Chase went on, “The day after Ketch left, Groven started shouting during the afternoon drill.  He said I was a terrible leader and that street dogs should be allowed to do what they wanted instead of taking orders from some cripple.  I had to keep my lieutenants from tearing him apart, and somehow he convinced a good chunk of my army to listen to him.”

“How many dogs are still on your side?” asked Rex.

Chase furrowed her brow.  “About half,” she answered bitterly.  “He got some good soldiers, but most of the dogs who decided to go with him were the younger ones and the drifters.”

Rex nodded.  “That’s to be expected,” he observed.  “They don’t know the quality of your leadership as well.”

“So where do we go from here?” asked Toby.  Privately, his thoughts were rather focused on his dad.  During the time he had spent training with his father, they had developed a strong bond that allowed Toby to sense when something was on Rex’s mind.  And right now there was definitely something on his mind.

Rex cleared his throat.  “There are still a few questions to be answered.  One is what this Groven fellow is really after.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” countered Chase.  “He wants to take over.”

Rex frowned.  “If he’s clever enough to wait until Ketch was gone, chances are good that he would wait until he had more of an army before going on the offensive.  Power may be one of his reasons, but I do not think it’s the only one.”

“So if we figure out what he’s doing, we can stop him?” asked Luna.

“Not necessarily, although knowing what he really wants can only help us in this matter.”  He nodded to Chase.  “I suggest you go back to your troops now in case Groven tries to pull something else.  If you remember anything that might be important, let me know right away.”

Chase nodded.  “Will do.  And thanks!”

Rex murmured a quiet “You’re welcome,” and left the room.

Toby turned to Luna.  As much as his “dad-sense” was nagging him to find out what his father wasn’t saying, he was more concerned about the practically radioactive vibes from Luna.  “You’re worried about Chase, aren’t you?” he asked.

She nodded.  “And Arrow.”

‘How did I know that was going to pop up?’ he wondered.  “I think there’s something my dad left out,” he commented, changing the subject.

“Like what?”

He shrugged.  “I’m not sure, but I’m gonna find out.  Wait here.”

He quickly made his way up the steps and into his father’s house, where he found the bloodhound studying a map of Nome.  “Dad?”

“Yes, Toby?” Rex replied.

“I get the feeling you had some thought on this whole raid business.  Something you didn’t mention out there.”

Rex smiled ever so slightly.  “You’re becoming more perceptive every day, son.”

“Dad, what are you keeping back?”

Rex shrugged.  “Well, I was thinking how strange this all is.  It’s like déjà vu.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the last time there was trouble with the street dogs several years ago was when I first met your mother.”

“Yeah, so?”

“I was just thinking how odd it is.”  He turned an eye on Toby and added, “Odd too, that you come to me about something hidden when you yourself left out some details.”

Toby flinched.  He’d forgotten that his dad had way more experience at picking things like that up.  “Well, I guess there is something,” he admitted.  “When Luna and I saw that fight where those two dogs died, we found out that they were mates.  One of their kids saw it happen.”

Rex nodded meditatively.  “A grieving orphan in the middle of an uprising,” he mused.  “It’s almost like history is repeating itself.”

“Luna wants to adopt her,” Toby went on.

“I imagine she would,” Rex assented.

Toby shook his head in agitation.  “I’m just not sure we should get into this,” he explained.  “It sounds like a great idea, but… well, you know how my last attempt at playing ‘dad’ went.”

Rex chuckled.  “Yes, I heard about that.”  His demeanor sobered and he looked at his son.  “And now you’re not certain you’re up to the job?”

“Well, no,” he agreed.

Rex shrugged and rolled his shoulders, his joints popping slightly.  “Well, I don’t know what to tell you about that,” he admitted.  “Raising you wasn’t exactly child’s play for me either.  But I did enjoy it.  And if history is in fact repeating itself, then it looks like Luna may soon get her wish of, if not bearing a pup, at least raising one.”

“She’ll be glad to hear that,” Toby said, his tail beginning to wag.

“Mmm, I wouldn’t blow the whistle just yet.  Remember how much she got her hopes up about having puppies when you two tied the knot.”

Toby nodded regretfully.  “I remember, alright,” he agreed.

“You should think it through, at any rate,” Rex went on.  “As the chief always says, ‘Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.’”

Arrow dreamed about her parents that night, envisioning how they had died.  She hadn’t seen the horrible event, it was true.  But she remembered seeing their bodies, and her mind reconstructed the event itself in horrendous detail.  The falling wood, her parents’ fear, the death itself, all playing back in her sleeping mind until the relief, blessed relief, of waking up.

She whined and got up, listening to the bustle of dogs going to and fro outside her little box.  Tentatively she stuck her head out and saw that nobody seemed to be paying attention.  ‘Good,’ she thought.  With her parents gone, nobody seemed to even notice her.  But she slipped out of their hideout quietly anyway, using the “back door” that only she was small enough to utilize.  Under one building, through a narrow gap between it and another, and out from under the house.

“Arrow?”

She jumped, her fur pricking out like a porcupine’s quills.  Frightened, she bolted back into the safety of her crawl space.

“Arrow!” called the voice again.  “It’s okay, it’s me.”

The pup peered out and saw the light-orange dog coming into view.  “What do you want?” she asked tensely.

Luna picked something up from behind the garbage can where she’d been hiding.  She brought it out and set it in front of Arrow’s hiding spot.  “Here,” she offered as Arrow skeptically eyed the food dish.  “I thought you might be hungry.”

Arrow certainly was hungry.  She’d had a hard time getting food now that her parents weren’t around, and her stomach had been growling almost nonstop for days.  Still, she hung back.  “I don’t trust you,” she called from her hiding spot.

Luna frowned and studied her for a moment, then pushed the dish into the space with her nose.  “Better?” she asked.

Arrow was still suspicious, but in the end her stomach won out and she took a bite.  The food tasted good, and she began to eat ravenously.  “How did you find me?” she asked between mouthfuls of food.

“I talked Toby into telling me where you were,” she replied.

‘Big-mouth,’ Arrow thought as she continued to stuff her own mouth with food.

Luna smiled as she watched the puppy eat.  Arrow ate and ate until her stomach bulged out like a ball and she knew she had to stop.

‘Stupid,’ she thought.  ‘The other dogs are sure to know I’ve been eating extra.’  But it felt so good to have a full stomach after so long, she decided a little suspicion would be worth it.  “Thanks,” she burped.

“Anytime,” Luna smiled.  She reached in and hooked a paw around the dish, snapping Arrow into the realization that Luna could have grabbed her at any time while she ate!

“Bye,” Arrow called, crawling away through the space under the house.

“Bye Arrow,” Luna whispered, staring after the pup and wondering if she had been successful.

As days passed, Luna brought Arrow food again and again, so that gradually the pup learned to trust her and would even come out right into the open to eat.  Both of them knew it could get them into trouble, but the truth was that Luna couldn’t bring herself to stop.  And as risky as it was, Arrow missed having a mother.

One day when she returned from one of her times with Luna, she was greeted by Samy.  His face was stern, and his voice was unforgiving.  “The boss wants to see you,” he told her.  “Now.”

“Where have you been?” demanded Groven.

Arrow hung her head.  “I was… I was talking to the housedogs, Toby and Luna.”

Groven snarled at the mention of their names, and a demonic gleam appeared in his eye.  “You’re not going soft, are you?” he pried.  “I’d hate to think what we’d have to do if you are.”

 Arrow shook her head fervently.  “I’m not going soft!” she snapped.  “It’s Luna and Toby!  They won’t get off my case!  And no matter what I do, Luna always seems to know what I’m doing!  It’s like