Toby Part Six: Pup Problems

 

CLANG!  BANG! RATTLE!

“What’s all the racket?” Toby wondered.  He and Luna peered around the corner to see several dogs knocking a paint can around.  One of them was Pete.

“Since when does your brother…”

“Half-brother,” Toby corrected her.

“To-may-to, to-mah-to,” Luna answered tersely.  “My point is, since when do he and his creeps play kick the can?"

At that moment the can bumped against a crate and popped open.  Out sprawled a very dizzy-looking wolf cub.  The pack of dogs quickly converged on the youngster and tried to squash him back into the can.

“Hold on a minute!” yelled Toby, breaking into the group.  “What’s going on here?”

The dogs looked at him scornfully, then resumed trying to stuff the protesting puppy back into the can.

Luna forced her way in, shoving several of the bullies aside.  “What are you doing?” she demanded.

Pete eyed them angrily.  “Just having some fun.  What’s it to you?”

“It doesn’t look like he’s having fun,” answered Toby, pointing to the cub.

“Ah, butt out,” snapped one of the dogs.

Toby tried to take the cub, but the dogs stopped him.  “Stay out of our business, squirt,” ordered Pete.

Toby felt a sudden pressure on his back as Luna leapfrogged over him and the other dogs, snatched the cub in her mouth, and took off running.  The pack of dogs followed close behind, barking and snapping.

“Luna!” yelled Toby, taking off after them.  He saw them round a corner and knew immediately what to do.  He ducked through an alley and came out the other side ahead of Luna and the cub.  “Luna!” he called.  “Over here!”

Luna dashed to him and together they sprinted away.  After several twists and turns they managed to give the dogs the slip.  At last Luna set her passenger down.  “Are you okay?” she asked.

The cub panted.  “Yeah, I’m okay,” he said.  He looked back and forth between them.  “Thanks, whoever you are.”

“I’m Toby, and this is Luna,” said Toby.  “What’s your name?”

“Loki,” answered the cub.

“What are you doing in Nome, Loki?  I mean, you’re a wolf, right?”

Loki nodded.  “Yeah.  I got separated from my mom, and I sorta wandered into town.  Then those jerks started picking on me and the next thing I knew they had me inside that metal thing and were kicking me all over the place.”

Toby growled.  “Leave it to Pete,” he muttered.  “So, do you have any idea where your pack is?”

Loki shook his head.  “No, I don’t.”

“Do you have a place to stay?” asked Luna.

“No.”

Luna looked at Toby.  “What should we do?”

“I don’t know.  Your owners probably won’t take him in, and I’m not sure how Charlie or his folks would feel about me bringing home a wolf cub.”

“Sorry,” Loki interrupted.  “But my mom told me never to go anywhere with strangers.”

“You got a better idea?” asked Luna.

“Listen,” said Loki.  “I don’t trust anybody except my pack, and certainly not anyone who lives around humans.  That’s how we wolves are.”

“Loki, I know you’re scared, but you have to trust us.  The other dogs in Nome aren’t so nice when it comes to wolves.  Those punks who were bugging you before don’t quit easily.”

“And how would you know?” Loki asked defiantly.

“Because I know them-all too well,” answered Toby, not eager to acknowledge Pete as his relative.  He softened.  “Look, will you please just listen to us and then decide whether or not to trust us?”

Loki agreed.  “I guess that sounds fair.”

 “Alright,” explained Toby.  “If you want, I can show you a place where you’ll be safe from Pete, and you’ll have food and water until we can find your pack.”

 Loki raised a skeptical eyebrow.  “And you’re just doing this out of the goodness of your heart?  What’s in it for you, housepet?”

 “Just call me the Good Samaritan.”

 “The what?”

 “Never mind.  The point is, I just want to help you get out of trouble.  Pete’s picked on me before, and I don’t want anyone else to have to put up with him.”

Loki rolled his eyes.  “Right.  And you and your girlfriend just happen to be the only dogs in town who don’t hate wolves.”

“For your information, I admire wolves very much.  And Luna has a some very good reasons not to hate them.”

 The cub scoffed.  “Such as?”

 Luna gave a smug grin.  “I’m part wolf.”

 Loki considered.  He’d always regarded dogs much as you may regard gorillas: similar in shape, perhaps, but overall an inferior species.  “Is that possible?”

 “Well, let’s see.  My dad is part wolf, my grandpa is part wolf, and my great-grandmother was all wolf.  So I’d say it’s possible.”

 Loki shrugged.  “Okay, let’s pretend I believe you.  So where’s this place you were thinking of?”

 Toby and Luna looked at each other.  “He could stay with my grandpa,” suggested Luna.

 Toby shook his head.  “Nah, I don’t want to bother him.  Besides, no offense, but he getting kind of…” he leaned over and whispered in Luna’s ear.  “…old.”

 “What are you two talking about?” pestered Loki.  “I thought you said you knew a place I could stay.”

 “You can stay with me,” answered Toby.

 Loki backed up.  “I don’t think so.”

 “There they are!” yelled a voice.  The trio looked up to see Pete’s pack running in their direction.

 “On second thought,” Loki yipped, “Let’s go!”

 Toby snatched up Loki and the three of them dashed away from the rapidly approaching pack.  “Do you always have this many enemies?” asked Toby through his teeth.

 If he had known then what he would know later, he might have taken some warning from the fact that the wolf cub didn’t answer.

 

It wasn’t easy escaping Pete’s bullies a second time, but even that was a cakewalk compared to getting Loki inside the house unnoticed.  “Stop squirming!” Toby hissed.

“You’re carrying me wrong,” Loki growled back.

“You know,” Luna offered, “he could stay with me.”

Toby shook his head, accidentally shaking Loki in the process.  “No, I agreed to look after him, and I will.”

“Well, I think I know how to get him inside.”

“How?”

“How many people are at home?”

Toby thought for a moment.  “School’s not out yet, and Mr. Winters is at work, so that just leaves Mrs. Winters to consider.”

Luna smiled.  “Okay.  I’ll go around the back and distract her.  Wait till you hear me bark, then get inside and hide Loki.”

Toby nodded.  “Sounds like a plan."

The plan worked flawlessly, at least as far as it covered.  Toby got the cub up to Charlie’s room and hid him, giving a brief list of ground rules.  “Okay, kid.  We can’t let anybody see you.  So don’t make any noise or come out of hiding unless I give the all-clear.”

That part went well, as did Loki’s supper.  A mouthful of food brought up by Toby proved to be enough, although he complained that it tasted terrible.  It wasn’t until bedtime that he turned difficult.

“Can’t I stay up a little longer?” he pleaded.

Toby shook his head.  “Bedtime is bedtime.  And that means now.”

“Please?” begged Loki.  “My mom lets me stay up later than this.”

“Well, just for the record,” Toby pointed out, “I’m not your mother.  Right now you have to go to sleep.”

“Oh, okay,” whined Loki.  He looked around.  “Uh…”

Toby let out an exasperated sigh.  “What is it now?”

“Where do I sleep?” asked Loki.

Toby paused.  He hadn’t considered this problem.  “Well, I usually sleep on Charlie’s bed, but I guess you can’t sleep there.”

“How come?”

“Duh.  We can’t let the humans know you’re here, remember?  You’d probably get sent to a zoo or something.”

Loki whimpered.  “Please?” he begged.

Toby shook his head.  “No.  You’ll have to sleep under the bed, I guess.  Just pretend it’s a cave.  You like caves, don’t you?”

Loki snorted.  “Yeah, caves with other wolves in them.”

Toby shrugged.  “Well, we’re a little short on wolves right now, so under the bed will have to do.  Here.”  He pushed a pillow under the bed and nudged Loki in after it.  “That’s your bed.”

Loki whined, but then he lay down on the pillow and went to sleep.  Toby watched him for a moment before he heard the door open behind him.  “What’re you looking for?” asked Charlie’s voice.  “Did you bury a bone under there or something?”

Toby didn’t answer; he just hopped up onto the bed.  Charlie slid under the covers, and Toby curled up on top at his feet.  “Goodnight, Toby,” yawned Charlie.

Toby softly woofed goodnight.

“Goodnight, Toby,” added Loki.

“Goodnight, Loki.”

There was a long moment of silence.  Just as Toby was about to drift off, Loki’s voice piped up from under the bed.  “Why do humans live in houses?”

Toby shrugged.  “Because it’s too cold outside.”

After a pause, Loki asked, “Why is it too cold for them?”

“Because they don’t have fur.”

“Is that why they hunt animals?”

“I guess so.”

After another pause, Loki asked, “How come they don’t have fur?”

“Goodnight, Loki,” said Toby with great finality.

The next morning, Toby was awakened by a shriek.  ‘Oh no,’ he thought in a panic.  ‘They’ve found him!’  He dashed into the living room, where the scream had come from.  Of the wolf cub there was no sign.  Instead, there were pieces of cloth and feathers strewn all over the place.

“Toby!” scolded Mrs. Winters, seeing him enter the room.  “Bad dog!  Just look at this mess!  You should be ashamed!”

Toby sniffed one of the scraps of cloth.  It was the remains

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