The Dusk Howler
Chapter 3 - Feel the Noise
Chapter 4 - A Disappearing Trail
Written by Karen Backway
Read by Rachel Anderice
“Welcome, welcome my friends, welcome! So glad, so glad,” said Billy as the pack-plus-two rounded the corner at the bottom of the valley.
Clarissa and Billy were waiting by the twin pines in The Twin Pine Valley and they had a big surprise.
“How delightful!” called out Shine. “Four kids!”
“Yes yes, four. Two and two,” said Billy excitedly. “Two boys, two girls. Double double trouble. Delightful, delightful.”
“Quite the handful I dare say,” commented Moon looking back at the puppers.
“Clarissa is amazing, just amazing,” said Billy. “New adventure, new adventure. Not quite so dangerous.”
The puppers were excited to meet the kids and they immediately started running and playing but the kids were too slick for them. They easily escaped their reach skipping quickly and easily up the side of the ridge.
Moon knew the girls had other plans and were keen to get started so he gathered the fellas into a circle to discuss their plan.
“What about the girls?” asked Eric.
“Emmie told me they want to do girly stuff,” said Eli. “Why do girls get to be so unfun?”
“They are not unfun,” said Moon. “Just because they have interests and skills that differ from yours doesn’t make them unfun.”
“Alright. We all have unique skills. Billy can build fantastic honey ball catapults. Spunky can leap far. What have you fellas figured out for yourselves?”
“I love writing,” said Eric. “And I want to explore so I can write stories about adventures.”
“Umm… I love to run,” said Everet. “Does that count?”
“Eli, any ideas?” asked Moon.
“I haven’t thought about it much, but I like to be in charge,” said Eli.
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“Oh good, the fellas are leaving,” said Emmie. “Clarissa, we want to learn to climb the crags and narrow ledges, if that is alright with you.”
“My my… that is an odd request for puppers,” answered Clarissa, surprised. “But why not learn as best you can. I am happy to help.”
“This is not my expertise,” said Shine. “I will listen and learn so I can help them remember but I won’t be climbing any crags or little ledges today.”
“Goats have super sensitive hooves that make ridge climbing easy,” said Clarissa. “You do not have that in your paws but it does not mean you cannot build up a ‘feel’ for it. Let's see what you are able to do now and build on that.”
The kids were already almost all the way up the ridge leaping from ledge to ledge before Emmie and Ella got up to the first ledge.
