The Circle of the Paw

Chapter 22

     Misha panted as she stopped on the corner of the sidewalk. Between billowy breaths, she looked up at the green and white street sign to read the words '10th Street'. The muscles in her legs ached. A smattering of snow flakes filled the air. After Jacob had brought her home from the veterinarian, she had raced out of the home's rear dog-flap and into the night. Misha had sprinted down an entire thoroughfare across the city and back again, to no avail.

She waited for cars to pass before crossing the street and continuing her search. The cool air stung her lungs with every inhale. But she knew she had to keep going. Noah's life depended on her.

There had been a distinct rodent odor upon leaving her backyard, but that was blocks ago. Eventually, the scent had faded. Somewhere around 13th street, the smells of rats, kids, and the city had all blended together, confusing one's senses. Despite this, Misha kept searching east, as her instincts commanded.

I know they must be around here somewhere, her mismatched eyes darted from left to right as she sprinted among the rows of brick homes and ground floor businesses. What if I lose Noah like I lost Emma? She repeated the grim thought to herself over and over. Her chest began to feel tight. Great Canidae, where are they?! Her teeth began to grind together as she ran, constricting her breath even further.

Misha stopped in the middle of a darkened sidewalk. She tasted blood. She had bit down too hard on her tongue and had barely felt it.

I'm panicking, she realized. I'll never find him like this.

She closed her eyes and sat on her haunches. She allowed herself the time to slow her breath. Worrying about Noah won't help me find him. Time began to slow down for Misha. I cannot change the fact that he is gone. But I will focus on the things that I can do to find him. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and her tail wagged one time along the ground. Allow myself to think clearly of what I can do, and not what I should have done.

Misha opened her eyes. She stood up and began to backtrack to the corner of 13th and Waverly streets, where she had last picked up on the odorous trail of vermin. Upon arriving at the corner, she smelled the ground. The scent had completely vanished. She lifted up her head and looked around. Just north of the corner, she spotted a tiny alley with a sign reading 'South Mole.' Originally, she had continued east, down the wider avenue of Waverly street.

They could be taking a winding path to throw pursuers off the trail! she realized with delight. That should give me time to catch up to them. As she sprinted towards the Mole alley, Misha reminded herself to tell Fannie that she had cracked the puzzle all on her own - when she saw her partner again, of course.

Misha turned the corner of Mole alley and froze. It was nearly pitch dark, except for a couple of bright overhead lights that illuminated two circles of cobblestones halfway down the alley. There, near the metal garbage cans, stood over fifty rats, including the mammoth gray one that had ambushed her with the spear.