By the time the two lead dogs had returned, most of the team had dispersed from the spat that had been settled earlier. Gruff and Alicia were now sunbathing nearby the pool of water beside the cave, and Lowdown was sniffing around at a dead butterfly. Little One and Little Two were playing 'chase the hopper' with Jumper, who, with her short legs, was having trouble keeping up.

When Waggit and Tazar stood side-by-side at the entrance to the forest, most of the dogs appeared too lazy to notice, but not the pups. The twins skidded to a stop in the center of the field and yipped playfully at Waggit, ignoring the fact that Jumper had slammed into their back legs. The tiny dog yelped in surprise and shook her fluffy head, but as soon as she spotted the white dog, her tiny tail flashed behind her.

Tazar rolled his eyes with affection at the three young dogs and, dipping his head to his second-in-command, walked off towards the remaining dogs in the cave. Waggit watched his leader go and turned back to the three puppies staring at him from afar.

"Waggit!" Jumper sped through the tall grass as fast as her small legs could carry her and jumped up at Waggit playfully. Behind her, Little One and Little Two followed closely behind at a trot and greeted their friend with happy pants and quick wags of their tails.

"Where'd you go, Waggit?" Jumper panted the words as she bounced up and down at his paws. He lowered himself down to her level and gave her a friendly lick on her nose.

"I went to do Big Dog Stuff with Tazar, little one," He said and raised himself up to the other two dogs' height. "I have a favor I need you three for." He explained his plan with the rest of them and asked them what he had told Tazar a few levels of the sun ago.

"You want us-" Little One started.

"To help-"

"Can I finish a sentence with you guys?" Jumper cut in, and the two big dogs looked down at her in surprise.

"Uhh..." Little Two pondered on the thought a little bit, but Waggit sighed before he could answer.

He sat down and ignored the sound of leaves crunching beneath him. "Jumper, that's not the point. The point is, I need you guys to help us make the emergency cave I found a little more discreet. Do you think you can do that?"

Jumper nodded enthusiastically, and Little One and Little Two looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess-" Little Two licked his lips.

"We could." Little One finished.

Waggit nodded. "Good. We can get started on that tomorrow. Today, though, I need you three to keep an eye on Gruff and Lowdown. If they start bickering at each other again, make sure Tazar knows about it so he can resolve the matter. I'm going to go for a hunt and see what I can catch myself for my first meal of the day."

He nodded a goodbye to the three dogs and headed down the steep hill towards the Big Deep. His long legs and strong muscles made it easier for him to keep his stride as he headed downward on the hill. For most young dogs, this was an easy lump in the road, but for dogs like Gruff and Lowdown, this would be a painful experience. So, for most of the time, only the younger dogs of the team went down to the shore of the Big Deep.

His paws touched the soft sand at the bottom of the path and he gazed out from below the arch made by the willow trees around him. The water before him stretched out for miles, never ending on either side. The scent of the water was deathly salty, and Waggit had to breath lightly so he wouldn't choke on the scent. He stared out into the horizon and sighed as he noticed how low the sun was beginning to get.

Waggit moved onward up the shore, watching the view as he walked, until he stopped as he realized he had gone far enough. Turning to leave, he paused at the sudden movement in the wall of bushes beside him. He narrowed his eyes until he could barely make out a brown nose in the midst of the shadows.

"Hello?" He asked, taking a step back so his paw touched the water-wet sand.

The nose pulled back immediately and for a few moments, the only sound was that of the rising shore. Finally, a slim paw protruded from the bushes, followed by a beautiful creature that made Waggit almost drop his jaw and drool.

The dog before him stood proud and tall, her long ginger fur flowing with the wind. Her ears lay flat against her head, and her tail stuck out behind her. Soft brown eyes blinked at Waggit, slowly bringing him back into reality.

Waggit shook his head and looked back at the dog in front of him. "Who are you?" She asked, looking him up and down.

"I-I..." He stood for a moment, trying to think of how to respond. "Umm, I think the better question, is who are you?"

The ginger female wagged her tail a little. "I'm Celia. Me and my father's team, the Trapsters, just moved here from far away."

Waggit tilted his head to a side. "When?"

"Last night." She replied, then tilted her own head. "Hey, are you with the Tazarians? The team of dogs the Ductors told us about?"

"You were brought by the Ductors?" A simple nod confirmed it. "The Ductors brought us here too. I mean, of course they did, if they told you about us. But... where did your team take shelter?"

Celia pointed with her nose to the part of the woods the Tazarians hadn't explored yet. "We took shelter among a grove of ferns just past the road. We were told you are closer to the shore, am I right?"

Waggit nodded and wagged his tail happily. "Why don't you bring your team over tonight? For a sort of welcoming feast?"

"Why not? I'll go tell my father and we'll-" She paused after beginning to turn around. "Wait, you should probably show me where it is first..."

Waggit raised his chin and nodded. "Sure. Follow me."

Leading her away from their meeting place, he led her down the shore and up the hill he had come down earlier. He watched her as she gracefully trotted up the hill and noticed the beautiful gleam in her fur as she walked. Her head was raised for most of the way, and her eyes were attentive and straight. Waggit couldn't help but drool a little at the sight.

They came to the turn where the camp lay and loud barks made Waggit's ears straighten. The voices sounded like... Gruff and Jumper! "Come on!" Waggit raced down the pathway under the arch of trees and shot into the clearing.

Gruff was racing around the meadow at top speed, a snarl plastered to his face. His jaws snapped at a little black dot running ahead of him, and most likely away from him. It took a few moments of watching, Waggit to realize the spot was little Jumper, a terrified look gleaming in her eyes.

"Waggit!" She barreled into his fore-legs and bounced off. With as much speed as she could muster, she hid behind the white shield of Waggit's legs and peeked out as Gruff skidded to a stop.

The big dog growled at the little one and glared at Waggit. "That little rat stole my scurry! She should be punish for it!" He snapped his jaws at Jumper's exposed nose, but Waggit barked at him to back off.

"Gruff! I don't care if she had stolen your entire day's meal! No puppy should be treated with such vicious behavior, even if they did steal your food." He narrowed his eyes down at Jumper, who whimpered in sadness at him, knowing she was going to be punished.

Gruff growled for a moment, but finally ceased and pulled back his lips. "Next time you won't get any sympathy, rat." With that, he turned and trotted back to Alicia, who was sitting outside the cave watching with raised ears.

Waggit sighed and looked back at Celia, who was still standing beside him. "I'm sorry about that. Some of the dogs in the team don't know the rules as well as most."

"I understand." Celia said. "Some of our own dogs are like that. But we have learned to control our tempers over the years, and we are not at peace with ourselves."

Waggit admired the pride in her voice as she spoke and nodded. "Alright, well, I guess you've met Jumper," He looked down at the little dog, who had stayed in a small ball behind his paws.

She stared up at him with big eyes. "I'm sorry, Waggit..." She whimpered, her ears back in sorrow.

Waggit sighed. "Just don't do it again, and you will be fine."

The small dog nodded and raced back out into the field where Little One and Two stood at a distance, apparent to have watched the entire episode.

"I should go, now," Celia said. "My father won't be pleased if I don't return before sunset."

Waggit nodded and turned to her with concerned eyes. "Will you be able to find your way back?"

Celia nodded. "It isn't that far. I'll be fine." She bid Jumper and Waggit farewell and trotted back into the forest alone.

Okay, I know this isn't as good as the last one, but sadly I didn't have the book in front of me to help me. So, if there are any problems, please point them out! Once they have been fix, I will delete this paragraph so I can return the chapter to it's book like ways. Thank you!

Goldmoonrider