Queen hazel

Chapter 14

As I predicted, they all rushed to help their tranquilized friend, only to be sedated by the tranquilizer powder. It was only after they aired the room out when they realized we had disappeared without a trace.

I was running down the road with Rose, Rocky, Sadie, Shadow and Bailey. The people in our way looked surprised, but none tried to stop us.

We raced into the forest, dog catchers right at our tails.

"Shake them off your trail! Hide in the forest!" I yowled, fearful of being caught again.

"Split up! I'll distract them for a bit!" Rocky said.

We obeyed, too afraid to do anything else. I hastily dodged behind a tree. Steps vibrated beside me. The dog catchers raced around the forest, unaware of us. I located Sadie crouching under a bush with Rose, and Bailey was hiding in a ditch, eyes still red from his fake vomiting. The other dogs were all safe, except one: Rocky. He said he would cause a distraction, but where was he? I stealthily padded out into the open, but Rocky was nowhere to be seen.

"He's gone." A voice startled me. It was Shadow! He was by my side all this time, and I didn't even realize! Eek! He is really getting on my nerves.

I started looking for Rocky, but l was interrupted by heavy breathing.

A stick crackled near me. I could feel the breath of a worker on the back of my neck. I stayed as still as possible, trying not to breathe. The entire forest grew silent. All l could hear was the dog-catcher's footsteps.

Suddenly, a branch scraped my paw. I winced, trying to stop the bleeding. l crouched down and licked my paw quietly.

When I looked back up, my eyes were met by a pair of stern blue ones. I tried to let out a squeak, but a hand muffled my mouth.

"Hey! Dave! Find any?" hollered a man a few meters away.

Dave's piercing eyes met mine again.

"Nope, they must have lost us," answered Dave.

The man grunted, and stomped away sullenly.

I looked at Dave with wide eyes. He put a finger to my mouth, then raced back off to the dog-catchers. I followed him with my gaze until he disappeared from sight.

"Guys! They're gone!" Rocky's voice sounded from far away.

Without another word, I raced towards the voice. When I arrived, I saw Rocky covered in scratches and a torn ear.

"Rocky!" I gasped. "What have they done to you?"

Rocky started chuckling, and it soon became a hearty roar. "HA! I got you good, Hazel! I led them off my tail, see, but to do so, I had to run through brambles and bushes."

I sighed. "Ugh! Don't ever do that again! Anyways, there was this guy called Dave..."

I told them all about the mysterious dog-catcher.

Rose frowned. "He saw you? But he didn't turn you in? Seems fishy."

"Mmm..." I was busy thinking about Dave's eyes: unsmiling, yet kind. "Well, I think there should be more people like him in the world. I just wonder why he's working for the pound, that's all."

"Well, l hope the other dogs find good homes! Those poor dogs were stuck in there for years!" longed Rose.

"Oh, get on with it and look for my sister!" Shadow slunk out of nowhere.

Phew! That dog was giving me creeps!

"We can spend the night here. We'll search for Danger tomorrow, okay? So you don't need to scare the daylights out of everyone, Shadow,"said Sadie.

That night, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned, but all l could think about was Dave's startling blue eyes. He was up to something, but what?

It was around 5 when I finally fell asleep, but just when I closed my eyes, I was interrupted by loud caterwauling. Sadie was awake, and was rousing everyone else.

"Get up, guys! It's a long day ahead of us! We have to reunite Shadow and Danger as soon as possible."

"What time is it?" groaned Rocky, slowly getting to his feet.

"Judging by the dark sky, around 5 in the morning," answered Sadie.

"5?! Oh, man! You better get back to sleep." Rocky was going to lie back down when Sadie kicked him hard in the shins.

"Uh-uh! No sleeping! Remember, the early bird catches the worm!"

While Rocky wasn't over-enthusiastic about the time, Shadow was the exact opposite.

"YAHOO!! Lead the way, Sadie,"chirped Shadow. He was bouncing around like a deranged rabbit. Sadie nodded, and we started the long walk to The Savages' hideaway.

"Are we there yet?" complained Rose.

Sadie groaned. This was the sixty- seventh time Rose had asked. But this time, Shadow was nodding in agreement.

"I don't remember it being so far away!"he moaned.

I was compelled to bite him, but his legs were stronger now, and I had a feeling he could kick me quite hard if he wanted to.

Suddenly, Bailey stopped in the middle of the road.

"I should go now. I'm pretty sure we're near my old owner's home. Thanks soo much for releasing me, but I have to find her. I got lost chasing a butterfly, and I never saw her again. Now that l have the chance, l want to be reunited with her."

Rocky let out a tiny giggle. Bailey scowled. "Whatcha laughing at?"