Chapter 110


    3rd Person


    “We have to get ‘way from her before she can split us up Riley fretted, exchanging worried nces with


    her siblings.


    “How can we ‘scape though?” Paisley countered. “


    The doors are locked!”


    They were locked in the back of yet another windowless van and speeding down the King’s road, which


    connected the tropical port to the Southern Isles’ capital city. They knew from eavesdropping on Anita


    and her goons that they would reach the royal pce within a few hours, and by then it would be too


    late.


    “We should tell her we have to go potty” Parker suggested, “then shell stop and we can run away”


    “1 dunno if she’d stop for that.” Ryder added skeptically, “I think she’d just say to hold it”


    “Say you’re gonna be sick then!” Riley mused, “| bets she’ll believe you after how sick you got on the


    boat”


    “Yeah, say you’re gonna make a huge mess she’ll have to clean up.” Paisley contributes.


    “And be reaaally whiny!” Riley instructed.


    At once, the boys raised their young voices to shrill howls. “Stop the car! I’m gonna puke!” Parker


    shouted.


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    “Me too!” Ryder added, “It’s going too fast!”


    “Shut up you brats!” Anita bit back, ring into the back of the vehicle.


    The boys clutched their bellies and began rolling around on the floor, moaning and wailing. In the end,


    it probably wasn’t the imminent danger of their sickness which broke the traffickers will, but the sounds


    of their faux misery. Anita lost her patience almost instantly, mming her hands against the dashboard


    and telling the driver to pull over. “Stop now, before l lose my f*****g mind.”


    The car veered off to the side of the road and the driver mmed on the brakes, sending the pups


    rolling across the floor mats. “Owie!” Paisleyined, rubbing her arm. A bruise was quickly


    forming on her delicate skin from colliding with some heavy equipment. Looking towards the offending


    items, she noticed a toolbox fitted with various drawers.


    “Are you okay?” Riley asked in concern, surveying her sister for signs of injury.


    “I’m fine, look at this.” Paisley pointed towards the drawers, and curiously pulled them open. Inside she


    found a plethora of nails, screws and metal washers.


    Anita andpany had stolen the van from the port, and based on all the tools and four by fours in the


    cargo bay, the rightful owners were probably construction workers. “We can put these in the door!” She


    whispered excitedly.


    It took Riley a moment to realize what she meant, but as Anita slid the side door open and the


    unmistakable rumbling of steel on steel filled the air, she understood. The tracks beneath the sliding


    door had to be clear in order for it to close, and even one tiny screw could prevent that from happening.


    “Tha’s brilliant!” She eximed in an undertone.


    “The only question is whether we makes it obvious and just run, or hope she’s impatient enough not to


    realize the door’s closed” Paisley murmured in the other pup’s ear while the boys tumbled out of the


    van and pretended to run off into the brush to vomit.


    “l says we go big.” Riley confided. “The boys are I ready out, and they’ll notice the sound of the doors


    opening even if we’re moving.”


    “You’re right, ‘sides, maybe we don’ need to block the door at all. Is open now, maybe we can just use


    these to keep them from following” Paisley pulled open the nail tray, eagerly eyeing the pointy


    implements.


    “Ready?” Riley asked, “you go first and tell the boys to run, I’ll set the trap.”


    Paisley nodded and leapt out of the truck, thoroughly distracting Anita, “Hey, get back here! | didn’t give


    you permission to get out!”


    Paisley ignored her, and before Anita could move a muscle, Riley slipped from the van and darted past


    her, turning back and dumping the nails over the ground. As soon as she heard the boys and Paisley


    take off, she began running too, sprinkling the nails over the earth behind her like vicious bread


    crumbs.


    They heard a series of outraged shouts from their kidnappers, soon followed by the crash of footfalls


    through the undergrowth and the agonized screech of a she-wolf treading on an upturned spike. Her


    howls of pain were quickly joined by those of herpanions, as the city dweller’s thin shoes did little


    to protect them from the sharp objects.


    The pups wanted to stop and look back, or simply to pause long enough tough, but they knew they


    had to keep going. They had to put some distance between themselves and their pursuers.


    “That was genius!” Parker praised his sister.”They won’t walk for a week!”


    “Tha’s the idea!” Paisley preened under his approval, tossing a nervous nce over her shoulder to


    make sure he was right. All four wolves were hopping on one foot, holding the afflicted limb in their


    hands and crying out in torment. As she watched, the tallest man managed tond his intact foot on


    another upturned nail, which sent him flying. Too afraid to put pressure on his already impaled toes and


    heels, hended on his tailbone – hard. A new level of anguished crying burst from his lips as his


    backside was also punctured by the many nails, and Paisley had to turn forward again, lest she get so


    distracted watching them get their just desserts that she ran into a tree.


    The pups ran deeper and deeper into the forest, only stopping until they werepletely out of breath.


    Bent double and gasping for air, they formed a small circle and helped brace each other’s weight.


    “What do we do now?” Ryder questioned. “they’re down now, but as soon as they’re better, they’ll track


    us.”


    “We have to find a way to get far away without leaving a trail.” Parker answered, holding his stomach


    as a stitch gripped his side.


    “We need a river.” Riley dered.


    “But..” Paisley’s objection left her lips before she could think it through, and now her siblings were


    looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to finish her thought. Sighing when she realized they weren’t


    just going to forget, she added, “l can’t swim.” Her heart had never been strong enough to handle any


    type of cardio activity, so she’d missed out on a lot of fun things other pups took for granted.


    “Tha’s okay.” Parker assured her. “We’ll help you.”


    “Yeah,” Ryder agreed. “We can teach you, or find something for you to float on.”


    Tha’s assuming we can even find a river.” Riley pointed out, looking around the dense forest. They


    were so deep in the wood that the canopy was blocking out the sunpletely, and no matter which


    direction she turned, there was simply a sea of trees as far as the eye could see. She c****d her ears,


    listening for any signs or sounds of flowing water, and eventually caught the babbling of a distant brook.


    “That way!” She directed, “Is little, but it might lead to more water.”


    “Try not to disturb the ground” Parker advised as they set off. Luckily there wasn’t much mud under


    foot, but there was an overabundance of leaf litter and fallen branches. It would be nearly impossible


    not to make an impact. Still, they did their best, and before too long, they reached the stream Riley had


    scouted.


    “We should walk straight down the middle.”


    Paisley reasoned, nervously studying the water to make s?re it wasn’t too deep.


    “Good idea.” Ryder concurred, “but which direction?”


    “Go ‘gainst the current.” Riley advised, jumping into the middle of the rocky streambed. “If we’re lucky is


    coming from a river, and if not, at least we won’t make tracks.”


    One by one the pups joined her, the boys sandwiching Paisley between them so she’d be protected.


    Riley led the way fearlessly, and before long, the sounds of rushing water drew nearer and nearer.


    The stream grew deeper and deeper, until Paisley was wa!st high in water and beginning to panic.


    “We need to stop and find a float.” Ryder called to Riley, sensing his little sister’s unease.


    Together they found a huge fallen branch, which when thrown into the water, floated perfectly. It was


    big enough for all four of them to hold on, and they were definitely going to need it. While the others


    searched Riley dashed on ahead to try and decipher thendscape awaiting them. The stream was an


    offshoot of a river which looked a mile wide, and its raging waters moved so quickly that it would be a


    struggle for any of them to fight the current, whether they could swim or not.


    “I dunno ’bout this.” Paisley worried aloud when the others joined Riley.


    “It does look scary.” Ryder agreed.


    “We don’ have a choice.” Parkey announced grimly.


    If we wanna get back to Mommy and Daddy, we have to make it so Anita can’t find us.”


    It took a lot of encouragement and prodding to get Paisley into the water, with many assurances about


    crocodiles and carnivorous fish along the way. The other children were bluffing of course, but they


    knew this was the only way. In the end, it wasn’t any monsters of the deep which threatened them


    most, but the unforgiving rapids and huge boulders covering the riverbed. They only made it five


    minutes – which felt like a thousand – before Paisley was pulled under with a terrified yelp, and the


    other pups were swept away by the current.


    Paisley’s foot was caught between two rocks, and the water wasshing her body on all sides, covering


    her head and choking the air from her lungs as she fought to free herself. Thest thing she saw before


    the world went ck, was a huge, dark shape moving towards her through the depths – one she felt


    certain was about to eat her alive.