Doglands Read Online Free PDF Page B

eyes for the tears.
    “Yes, you have a nap and get your strength,” said Furgul. “I’ll go and find the water, then I’ll come back for you.”
    He turned away from Nessa and started off down the tunnel. The pain of the buckshot burned in his legs. He felt dizzy. He felt weak. He started to run. In the camp he had only scampered around, too afraid of the masters and the Bulls to stretch his legs and go full-out. But now he did.
    For the first time in his life, Furgul really ran.
    His heart beat faster, and his lungs sucked in the damp underground air. His muscles flowed into a double gallop. Hispads pounded over the rock. His greyhound blood gave him speed and power. His wolfhound blood gave him stamina and grit. Instead of feeling weaker, he felt stronger. And then he realized something amazing. Even though the tunnel was as dark as a starless night, and even though he was running at great speed, he did not collide with the tunnel walls, which were only inches away. Even when the tunnel twisted and turned, he did not crash. Furgul didn’t know why. He was just running. It was as if something were guiding his strides. Then a strange wind came from the tunnel behind him. It almost seemed to blow him along. It made Furgul feel as if he could run forever. And from somewhere on that wind—as if a ghost had whispered to his soul—Furgul heard the call of the Doglands.
    “You’re the dog who runs in darkness,”
said the wind.
    And at that very moment Furgul saw a faint yellow light up ahead.
    The light got stronger as the tunnel opened out into a cavern.
    Furgul stopped and blinked. The sight that he saw took his breath away.
    The cavern was enormous, as high as a bird could fly and bigger than the whole of Dedbone’s dog farm. Great pillars of rock, as thick as a giant’s thumbs, seemed to grow from the cavern floor. Long spines of rock, as thin as a witch’s fingers, reached down toward them from the ceiling. The fingers and thumbs of rock glittered and glowed with pinks and purplesand greens. They formed a magical circle. In the center of the circle was a deep lagoon that sparkled turquoise blue.
    It was the most awesome place that Furgul had ever seen.
    Perhaps it was the most awesome place in the world.
    He ran across the crystal cavern to the turquoise lagoon. He padded out into the cool blue water and dipped his snout and drank. The water was delicious and pure. As he lapped it up he felt his strength return. Then he wondered where the light came from and looked up. High in one wall of the cavern there was a hole, and through the hole he could see the sky. But it was impossible to climb up there. On the other side of the lagoon he spotted three new tunnels leading out of the cavern. They would have to take one of those. His head snapped back down as he felt something nibble at his paws.
    There were fish in the lagoon, investigating his feet. Before he knew what he was doing, his snout plunged down and he caught a fish in his mouth. He pulled it from the water and chewed it all up—the head, the bones, the tail—and swallowed. The fish tasted almost as good as the water. He grabbed another fish and was just about to eat that one too when he remembered Nessa.
    With the fish in his mouth he turned and ran back up the tunnel as fast as he could. Nessa’s scent guided him. He found her fast asleep. He dropped the fish by her head and nudged her with his snout.
    “Wake up, Nessa,” he said. “I’ve found water and food. We’re going to be fine. I brought you a fish to eat.”
    But no matter how hard he poked her or how loud he barked, Nessa wouldn’t wake up. Furgul was afraid. She was too weak to get to the lagoon. He ate the fish himself for strength then picked Nessa up by the scruff of her neck. She was completely limp. He started to drag her down the tunnel.
    This time the journey took longer, because he could only walk, not run. He could feel Nessa’s heartbeat, but it was as weak as the beat of a