Einstein Dog Read Online Free PDF

human she knew capable of communicating in Dog, a language made up of shared sensations: smells, images, tastes. The idea of wind would be conveyed by a phantom breeze ruffling your fur; sunrise as a vision of light, bursting over the horizon; puppies as the sweet scent of the young.
    Humans talked, their slur of sounds incomprehensible to Libra. Over time she had learned to identify some repeated words and phrases but, for the most part, human speech annoyed her, like the droning of flies. Bertrand talked, too, of course. He was human, after all. But he accompanied the verbal gobbledegook with clear, powerful tellies.
    â€œSomeone out for a brisk walk?” he suggested.
    Libra knew better. Signaling that she wanted to investigate, she slunk off the path, doubling back through the wood.
    â€œLibra!” Bertrand hissed.
    Keep walking , she tellied, ignoring his command. Make plenty of noise .
    As their tracker got closer she detected another component to his man-smell, one that quickened her heart rate. Fear! He exuded the acrid odor of terror. Libra shivered. She knew of nothing quite so dangerous as a terrified human. Why is he following us? she wondered. Where is his pack?
    Suddenly the stalker rounded a crook in the path. Libra froze. He’d caught her off guard. He froze, too. He hadn’t spotted her, but had got closer than he’d intended to Bertrand. Like Libra, he was hoping he wouldn’t be noticed if he remained perfectly still.
    Move , she ordered the boy. Pretend not to see him.
    Thankfully Bertrand didn’t argue. He resumed his hike, thudding along the trail with more than his usual amount of crashing and thrashing.
    Libra resisted the urge to flatten herself onto her belly. The slightest twitch would give her away. She willed the man to keep looking up the trail after Bertrand. If he shifted his glance by so much as a degree, he would surely see her.
    â€œWhat’s going on?”
    Someone was talking to the man through a device attached to his glasses and plugged into his ear. She couldn’t make out what was being said, but she could read the emotions in a human voice, and this voice sounded impatient.
    â€œCan’t talk,” their pursuer whispered.
    â€œWhat do you see?” the voice in the earphone demanded.
    â€œIt’s the kid. He’s just up ahead. I can see him through the trees.”
    â€œCan you see the mutt, Bob?”
    Sensing they were talking about her, Libra’s fur bristled.
    â€œNo,” Bob said.
    â€œDo a slow pan,” Charlie Gowler ordered his brother. “I’ll set the camera on high zoom. Maybe we’ll be able to pick her out.”
    Bob’s head began to swivel slowly.
    â€œI don’t see anything,” he stammered.
    â€œWhoa! What’s that?” Charlie yelped. “Freeze!” he ordered his brother.
    â€œWhy? What’s wrong?”
    â€œJust don’t move a muscle,” Charlie ordered, his voice tense.
    â€œI think there’s something in the bushes just off the trail.”
    â€œWhat’s in the bushes, Charlie?”
    â€œIt’s probably nothing.”
    â€œBut . . . ”
    â€œShut your eyes!” Charlie growled.
    â€œBut what’s in the bushes?”
    Libra sensed the man’s eyes scanning, focusing, picking out her shape from the concealing foliage.
    â€œJeez!” Bob gasped. “Isn’t that the dog from Mr. Hindquist’s surveillance video — the vicious one?”
    â€œCalm down,” Charlie coached. “Pretend the dog isn’t even there.”
    â€œHow can I do that?” Bob groaned.
    â€œYou’ll do it because if you don’t she’s going to gnaw your friggin’ legs off!”
    â€œOh jeez! Oh jeez!” Bob panted.
    â€œCalm down!”
    Libra knew she’d been seen and that slipping away was no longer an option. For a second she held her pose, then her lip curled, her hackles sprang up, and she