I growled in annoyance and immediately the animal in the next den started yipping and whining again. The hair on my neck stood stiff.
In a panic I gripped hold of the wall and found I could easily leap to the lower roof. I scurried across and lay flat just in time.
The Legwalker banged out of his den again. Irritation rose off him in waves. “Okay, you kids, knock it off!” he yelled into the night and went back inside, banging the den opening again.
After that it was easy. I scrambled up the wall until I was on a level with the lighted window. Then I began to move sideways, like a spider.
I had to keep myself pressed to the wall and the going was slow. Suddenly I realized that if the Legwalker came out again, he couldn’t possibly miss seeing me.
A sweat broke out on my brow and my pulse began to race. Anyone could see me here! But I was so close.
A scratchy, secretive sound close by startled me. I froze, my stomach curdling with fear.
The awful scratchy sound stopped.
I whipped my head around and as my hand moved, my long claws scraped against the wall. I almost laughed, I was so relieved. The scratchy noise was nothing but my own claws.
I came to an empty, darkened window. Curious, I cautiously leaned over to peer inside.
A horrible monster stared out at me! It showed horrible yellow teeth.
I lost my grip.
My claws skidded, scrabbling for a hold as I slipped.
The monster scowled at me, baring huge, dripping fangs.
Its eyes glowed ferociously.
There was a werewolf inside the den!
Chapter 26
I managed to stop myself before I fell to the bottom. Clinging with all twenty claws, I looked up.
The window was dark and blank. Empty.
Then I understood. I shrank back in horror. I had seen—myself! It was my own reflection in the window, just like I’d seen in the pool the first night.
Shaking, I felt sick. I hung on the wall weakly, not caring in that moment who saw me or what happened to me next.
But slowly the sound from the lighted window drifted down like sparkles in the air, soothing me. It wasn’t like anything I’d heard before, but it called to me, filled me with longing. It was sweet and zingy and raw and thumping. Another long-forgotten word came into my head: music.
I breathed in and my nose filled with the distant smells of my swamp along with the exciting new scents I wanted to explore.
I shook myself, feeling my smooth pelt ripple. That monster couldn’t be me! I wasn’t evil! It must have been some trick of the material these Legwalkers used that made my reflection look so horrible.
I began to climb again, inch by inch. The lighted window was almost in reach. I pulled myself up very slowly and carefully and peeked in.
And almost lost my grip again! The Leg-walker inside was the same young one that shot the arrow at me.
Cautiously I raised my head and looked again. Like a rush of tumbling water, my heart beat with strange feelings.
The Legwalker was sitting on a long soft-looking thing, his feet dangling over the edge. One foot bounced in rhythm with the sounds that had drawn me to him. The sounds were coming from a small brown box that sat on a flat structure with wooden legs.
The room was filled with warm light.
The magical sounds of the thing called music came to an end and a tinny-sounding voice—the same one that called to me at the edge of the swamp—began to speak.
“That was a blast from the past, folks—Aerosmith! And now for something a little more contemporary.”
Again the musical sounds began and the Legwalker nodded his head to the beat and tapped his feet, too.
He was eating something sweet-smelling that instantly made my fangs drip with saliva. And he was turning the pages of a flimsy-looking thing filled with colorful pictures of monsters! Although the creatures in the pictures weren’t as hideous as the night creatures, they were pretty scary. But the boy seemed to enjoy looking at them.
The den-room itself was breathtaking. There were shiny things everywhere. My fingers itched to touch them. Everything was so colorful and new and clean.
I wanted to be part of this wonderful place.
The Legwalker could be my friend. Maybe his light and his special magic noise box had drawn me here for a reason.
It looked so warm and safe in there. Maybe the Legwalker would be like my wolfbrother Sharpfang, who shared with me and was almost always ready to play.
What was the name the other Legwalker in the woods had called him? Paul, that was it!
Eagerly, I reached up a claw to scratch on the square and get Paul’s attention.
Chapter 27
But just as my claws touched the glass, a section of the Legwalker’s den-room opened.
Another young Legwalker came in—a young female. She seemed to be almost the same age as the one called Paul, only she had long brown hair swinging down to her shoulders.
She said something to Paul and he reached out and touched the sound box. “Okay, Kim, I’ll turn it down,” he said. Instantly the lovely sounds got quieter.
I didn’t like that. But when she smiled, she had such a friendly look about her.
Kim spoke to Paul again and he laughed. They looked so happy together it made my heart ache with warmth.
The female Legwalker wrinkled her nose and made a face when she saw the monster pictures Paul was looking at.
She turned away and started moving around the room, touching things while she talked to Paul. He tensed a little and his eyes kept watching her hands as if he didn’t like her handling his things.
Kim had a little smile on her face as she picked the shiny objects up
