The Winter's Claw

By C.C. Reverie

The Winter’s Claw, the second instalment of the series Adventures in Happyland, is a survival story about a reluctant hero and the quest of his lifetime.
Forced to flee the city of Happyland, Pepper, a stray dog in search for his lost master, takes shelter in a tool shed situated in Tucker’s family backyard. His hopes to remain undetected are ruined when one of the Tucker kids stumbles upon him in and takes him inside, as a pet.
For a few days, Pepper enjoys a sweet and safe life. He is groomed, fed and loved. But when he sees his mugshot grinning from some lost-dog posters glued to the lamp poles in the street, he smells trouble. His biggest enemies, the mutts of Tank’s gang, would track him down for sure.
It didn’t even cross his mind that he may also be found by his master. And before long, a man rings the doorbell at Tucker’s, presenting himself as the dog’s owner. Pepper should be happy, but is he?
The Winter’s Claw follows Pepper and his friends - Puppanela, a female dog, Wizzy, a wizard mouse, and Hank, a newspaper journalist, - on a journey from heaven to hell, in which the party takes on a fight against human malice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.C. Reverie
• Release date: Apr 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463274187

C.C. Reverie

C.C. Reverie is an independent author who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. She had started her career as a journalist almost twenty years ago, at first reporting for a small newspaper then moving on to a television station where she had worked as a news journalist, and later as a freelance documentarian.As an author, C.C. Reverie had written and published few poems in her native language and two short stories in English. The place where the sun never dies and Days are never quite alike were published in Novelty - Story and Perspective magazine, February 2012 issue and signed as Goldenstar Kytori.Her first novel, Sniff it!, a “smart kids’ book”, had been recently published in digital edition.Historian by education, C.C. Reverie has earn a B.A. with a major in European History from a prestigious institution in Bucharest.C.C. Reverie was born in communist Romania and had lived part of her life trying to fight the regime. Ultimately, she had moved to U.S., but she had kept her Romanian citizenship. She is now working on her next book, a sequel to Sniff it!

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The Winter’s Claw

Adventures in Happyland, book #2

By C. C. Reverie

Copyright 2019@ C. C. Reverie

The Winter’s Claw

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Other Books by This Author

Chapter 1

The sun shone bright over the snowy neighborhoods in Happyland. The ground was twinkling, like covered in glitter. The wind had died down to a thin, sharp breeze.

The Tucker’s house stood tall and quiet at the end of the line, its evergreen bushes poking through the fresh snow. In a corner of the backyard, there was a tool shed, old, crooked and shabby. Inside, there was a wooden box, and inside the box, there was a dog named Pepper. He was lying there with his nose tucked under his paws, frozen and feeble, more dead than alive. He was so weak that he couldn't even stand up when the door of the shed flung open and a high pitch, shrill voice broke the silence.

Mom...Moooooooom!

A girl was calling out of the top of her lungs, but no answer came.

Mooom, Daaanny, anybody, come faaast...

At last, a woman’s voice called back.

Macayla, what's the matter, dear, she asked. The woman, in her late thirties, stuck her head out of the back of the house window.

Mom, said the girl, fighting through the snow to get closer to the window, there's a dog in our shed!

The woman's head stretched a little, like wanting to reach out further.

A dog, she said laughing, like someone had made a joke.

Yeah, a dog. And I think he may be dead, said the girl as she paused for a moment waiting for her mother's reaction.

Really? said the mother, still suspicious.

Yeah... said the girl, now annoyed with her mom's luck of trust. He's not moving, and he may not be breathing either, but I can check. Can I have a mirror, please?

What for? said mom.

I’ll put it by his nose. If the mirror gets foggy then he's alive.

Wait a minute. I'll come out. Where's your brother?

Without waiting for an answer, the woman pulled her head inside and shut the window.

The girl turned back to the shed, closed the door, and leaned on it.

She was about 10 years old, dressed in a bright red snowsuit, with a rainbow hat pulled all the way down to her nose. Her name was Macayla Tucker, but to her friends, she was simply known as Mac. A trail of footsteps linked the shed to the deck of the house, as she had made her way through the snow, determined to grab her shovel from the shed and make a fort, as they did every time after a big winter storm.

Waiting for her mother to come, Macayla remembered that she had asked Santa for a dog for Christmas. But not a dead one, she said to herself. Maybe he was punishing her for not helping her mother with cleaning or because sometimes she was very late with her homework, she thought with a twinge. Too late now, she said out loud, while her mother emerged from the house, followed by a teenage boy.

Hello Mac, called the boy, waving a gloved hand over the mother's shoulders.

Danny, you won't believe what's in here, she said, as they swam closer through the drifts.

Isn't that your wish-come-true? he replied smiling.

Not quite, the girl muttered.

Open the door, Macayla, said her mother. Let's see what's inside.

The girl, who was still leaning against the door of the shed, turned around and grabbed the door knob, then stepped aside just a bit to make room for them to look inside. As she opened the door, her brother, Daniel, pulled out a rolling pin from the inside of his coat.

What are you doing? panicked the girl.0.01

My rolling pin, said the mother, recognizing one of her kitchen gadgets.

In case he's sick with rabies, said the boy, proudly waving the improvised weapon in front of their faces.

That's totally not the case. You've read too many books, said the girl.

No. You have. Or haven't. Or, not the right ones... the boy was trying to decide the best version.

That's enough, both of you, said the mother. Daniel is right. We must be prepared. He may be very sick, or mad, or have a problem we don't know about. Dogs go mad too. We must protect ourselves. Now, stay away kids. I'll get closer to it and see if he's alive.

Inside was dark and the mother didn’t make sense of what was there. As she drew closer, Pepper, who had heard the last part of their conversation, opened an eye and let out a sigh. The mother stepped back fast. She waited a moment, watching the dog. Pepper opened another eye and slowly tried to wiggle his tail, but he realized he could not move it much.

He's alive! cried Mac.

Yes, he seems to still be alive, said Daniel, holding his improvised weapon up, above his head, ready to attack. What should we do now?

Well, said his mother, let's call the animal center.

There was a moment of silence, neither one of the kids moved a finger or uttered a sound.

Pepper froze once more, unsure of what to do next. He closed his eyes and prayed to his dog god to get him out of there, alive if possible.

Suddenly, the girl broke the silence: No, Mom, please no!

The woman closed the door and said, I don't want to see you anywhere near this animal. I will make some phone calls and then decide what to do with it. Ok?

Mac hung her head in dismay but said nothing, Danny agreed with his mother’s decision and said that he'll bring back the rolling pin.

Inside, the dog’s heart dropped.

*

Last November, Pepper was the hero of the town but in less than two months he had gone from a hero to a zero. How did this happen?

A long time ago, Pepper lost his master, Bob, in a park, at dusk, while vacationing. For months and years Pepper had traveled the world, searching for Bob, until he had stumbled across this town. It smelled like childhood, mother, milk and play. There was a chance, he thought, that he would find his lost human companion.

What Pepper never dreamt was to become a celebrity. He helped the police to arrest the humans involved in a plot to destroy the mice community living in that city. It was all over the newspapers. A certain company decided to spray a test poison onto the parks, in the name of scientific research.

A lot of dogs and cats had died in what was referred to as an Environmental Catastrophe. The mice community sustained the biggest casualties. By the end, there would have been a mass extinction among mice if not for Pepper. Because his keen sense of smell, he had been recruited by Wizzy, a wizard mouse, to help them save the rodents from a sure death.

Pepper had to fight not only with the humans but also with the mutts of the town, led by Tank. Luckily, he had made a good friend in Puppanela, a female member of Tank’s gang. It was still vivid in his memory the night when he and Puppanela had to convince the gang to spare his life promising the mutts that his mission was larger than mere entertainment. And it worked, he and Puppanela receiving cheers and applauses from friend and enemies alike, having saved the city's dogs, cats, mice and other creatures from a slow, painful death. But fame doesn't last forever and sooner or later the oblivion fells over you and your bravadoes.

Just a few nights ago, he was still living under the back stairs of the Three Oaks Restaurant, sharing the space with Puppanela and feasting on rich scraps of foods. Because he was a stranger in this town, Tank and his gang didn’t like him, even if he had become a mutt, just like them. They told him to leave, never to return to the city, or else he would be chased to death. Even Puppanela had to go back to the band of strays.

But Pepper had, as usual, other plans. Being now sure that Bob lived in Happyland, Pepper was determined to find him. All he had to do was hide from Tank long enough to pick up the scent of his master, track him down and, finally, reunite. There were many options to consider, but for now he had to get safe and survive the cold winter.

For three days and three nights he had been running, hiding from Tank’s gang, thirsty and hungry, without a second to rest. On top of everything, a storm was blowing into town. He was left with two choices: either find a shelter, fast, or die, slow. Arriving at this shed, last night, he sought he’d be safe for a while. But now, here he was again, facing the dreadful kennel. Maybe the little girl will convince her mother otherwise, he hoped. Pepper tried to find a solution, but his mind was foggy and his body weak

*

The Tucker family was an unusual one. Dad was gone most of the week to take care of their small family business, a motel on Highway 75, Mom worked from home, doing researches for Google, and the kids attended an online school and had tutors for violin, piano and computer coding.

Macayla and Daniel, brother and sister, where always fighting. For example, Daniel wanted to call the kennel guys to take the dog out of their shed, while Mac wanted to bring him inside and take care of him as a pet. While they were arguing, the mother had called the local veterinary clinic and a doctor was on his way to see the dog.

It seemed like forever, but finally, the door bell rung. Mrs. Tucker opened to see a young man carrying a big white case. He was dressed for the weather and had a brown Russian hat trimmed with fur. She wondered whether the fur was real.

After a small introduction, they invited the doctor to the backyard, where they had shoveled a pathway to the shed. They were all speaking at once, telling the doctor the story of their discovery.

As they reached the door to the shed, Mother took the lead and slowly opened it about half-way and pointed in her huge flashlight.

Here it is... she said.

Pepper gathered his strength and stood up. The light was blinding him. But what the eyes couldn't see, the nose could smell. Aha, he thought, dogs, cats, parrots and gerbils.

Pepper wasn't a violent dog, but he had learned that people are mean and unpredictable. Since he failed to run away, he was ready to cooperate for the time being. The least, at the kennel, he thought, he would have food and shelter for a few days, before they decide to put him down. You have to see the positive side, occasionally, he said to himself.

Noticing that the dog was turning his head, the vet took the flashlight from Mrs. Tucker and shone it elsewhere, crouching to Pepper’s level. He gave Pepper a thorough eye inspection before speaking again.

He doesn't look hurt, he said. With his palm facing down and his fingers bent, he carefully extended his hand towards Pepper.

Here, boy, here. Come on. Let's see you, he said.

Pepper came closer and touched the man's hand with his nose. A good guy, he thought.

Don't be shy, boy. Come on. Are you thirsty? Hungry? How about something to eat, he said and pulled out a biscuit from the packet of his jacket.

Pepper waited for him to put it down, but the man was holding onto it, inviting the dog to get it. Pepper muzzled it for a second then gently took it and ate.

He's ok, said the vet.

Pepper sniffed the air, emerging out of the box, a bit weak on his legs.

Why don't you lay down here, so I can examine you, said the vet showing him to some rugs that Mrs. Tucker had laid down. Pepper complied, finally understanding that the man was an animal doctor. The vet smiled. He started touching the dog's body and shuffling his fur, pressing here and there, lifting his legs, his tail, checking everything, bending his ears, opening his mouth and looking inside with a little flashlight, pulling his eyebrows and staring into his eyes.

Up, up, boy, the doctor said, and Pepper stood, while the man reached in his pocket for another biscuit.

He is a fine dog, he’s just cold and hungry, he said. Mrs. Tucker and the kids were watching very intently over his shoulder. And ah, I almost forgot...he has fleas.

The diagnosis seemed to please everybody, especially Mac. After the vet left, she kneeled in the