The Great Eight

Chapter 10

The field eventually gave way to a road, lined on either side with the rubble of what appeared to have once been small buildings. The towers from the city loomed in the distance as the surroundings gradually gave away from road and gravel to grass and trees. It wasn't long before the platoon had entered a forest. Riley's nose twitched furiously as hundreds of scents came rushing to him. He longed to explore these woods, but he knew he had a mission to follow.

"It's so beautiful here," Riley whispered to Ricochet, looking down at the grass that was sparkling with dew.

Ricochet nodded. "It kind of reminds me of the woods back home."

"I hope Dad made it back okay," said Riley.

"I'm sure he's fine, Dad can handle anything," Ricochet replied.

"Hey, keep up!" Blackjack barked at them.

"Sorry!" Riley apologized, realizing that he and Ricochet had slowed their place. They darted ahead, catching up to the rest of the group.

The forest seemed to stretch nearly endlessly, similar to the one Riley and Ricochet had traveled through to get to the city. The air was alive with the buzzing of insects and chirping of birds. Squirrels and chipmunks darted in and out of the corners of Riley's vision, their enticing smell causing his stomach to rumble. Numerous types of flowers and berries brightened the landscape with color.

The journey through the forest took all day long. The platoon stopped now and then to rest and drink from ponds and streams, but still, it was quite hard work for Riley, who was not used to traveling such long distances. By midday, he was panting heavily and his legs ached. However, he kept up with the group. Ricochet had some trouble keeping up as well, with his injured paw, but the excitement of the mission kept the young mixed breed dog going. They passed many remarkable things—a large pond full of croaking frogs, a group of trees covered in tiny, fuzzy caterpillars, and a hollowed out tree that had been scorched black, probably by lightning.

It was sunset when they stopped for the day. Riley flopped down on his side in the middle of a small clearing, thankful to finally have a long rest.

"Well, what do you know, the rookies kept up the whole way," said Violet.

Blackjack nodded. "Well done, boys. Not bad for your first long trip."

Riley thumped his tail against the ground, surprised but happy about the sudden praise.

"But we can't settle down just yet," said Blackjack. "We need to hunt some prey."

Riley's aching muscles loudly protested against the thought of getting back to his paws, but the hunger gnawing at his stomach urged him to stand up.

"Violet, you and I can keep guard here," said Blackjack. "Ricochet, you can rest, because of your paw. Sky and Tucker, go see if you can find any prey by the stream we just passed. Maverick, Riley, you go search in the opposite direction."

Riley nodded and followed Maverick out of the clearing. The coydog suddenly turned and glared at Riley.

"I hunt on my own," he growled.

"Oh...are you sure you don't need help?" Riley asked cautiously. "I'm pretty good at flushing out rabbits and..."

"Kid, I've been huntin' on my own since I was a pup," said Maverick curtly. "I don't need no help."

He took off and disappeared into the trees. Riley looked down at the ground. He'd never hunted alone before—he'd always done so with his family. For a moment, he wondered if he should go join Sky and Tucker and help them hunt, but then he realized something—this could be an opportunity to prove his worth! Surely Blackjack and the others would be impressed if he caught prey on his own.