The Plague Dogs Page #3

Ah, now yer talking sense.

Keep a tight hold of your meat, an' good luck gan wi' ye.

What do you call yourself? - I'm the Tod.

Tod, you know...

...canniest Tod on Moss an' Moor.

...we wanted to help them, but they drove us away.

I'ts hard to find food. It's not like having a master. Even the white-coats fed us.

Snitter wanted to find some man who'd take us to his house, and look after us.

I told him it was a silly thing to expect.

Yer right, laddie. Guns an' dogs an' traps an' all.

Have you ever had anything to do with men? - Ay, now and again.

But as a rule, as little as possible.

You'd be loose in the head to seek out the likes of them.

Live as a wild animal. That's what I mean to do.

O aye, without me, bonny lad?

If you go the way you're goin', you'll have no more than three mornings.

I've not seen a dafter pair.

Lyin' flat out on the fell, as like there was neither dogs nor shepard about...

...kills his sheep, bolts it down, keeps away for a spell an' comes back like cubs.

Ya pair of daft twits.

But mind, you pull yon yow down clever, though.

By hinny, you're a hard one.

I'm still bruised all over. - Laddy, there's ways of gettin' stuck in hard, an' ways of duckin' out

With me beside ya, a great hard bugger like you would have no bother at all.

You'll sharp learn the ways.

Do you kill sheep, then?

Well, maybe a wee lamb in the spring, if the chance comes.

But you could take care of any size.

Come to that, you could both be dab hands.

And you think you could help us to live out here?

Aye. Us tods we're used to runnin'...

...'til the Dark comes, anyway. - The Dark?

What's the Dark? - That's the place when you stop runnin' for good.

An' unless I'm along, that would be in no time at all.

What do you mean, I "won't have to kill it"?

No need to, hinny. But it'll be movin' sharply, so you'll have to watch yerself.

You don't want to go down with it.

It'll be coming up as fast as we can drive it.

Do you think you can do it?

Ah, don't worry. You'll manage canny.

Snitter?

Well done, Snitter.

How far down do you think it is?

A canny way down...

...but better that getting bashed about, isn't it?

What's happened to you? - What do you mean?

Your head. - It's just a hole.

Not all that strange, not really. Holes...

...after all, I've seen holes in cars, and pipes... You know, running under the road?

Of course, that was before the truck came. - Time we were goin' down.

You'll be no doubt hungered like me.

You see? There's nothing to it, lad.

The next one will be yours.

Go on, lad. Don't wanna hang about.

There's some bloody beast or other living up there.

There is that.

Two sheep inside eight or nine days.

Where'd ya find 'em? - First one were almost at the top.

But it's real steep...

...and it were two year old. Not an old one, Bob.

I saw its teeth an' all.

Two other were out by town, near Rough Ground.

They were both the bloody same. Pulled to pieces.

No fox could've done it. - That'll be dog then. Bloody hell.

Have ye got no brains in yer head, you great nit?!

As soon as me back's turned, then yer bloody up an'-...

Could you not wait till I tell ye?

Ya great stupid... - What's the matter, Tod?

What did he do? - What did he do!?

Kill out in the open, right on the shepard's trod, clottin' the place up with blood...

Do you think he's blind!?

Yer for it, tinny. Yer arse will be inside out by mornin'.

I'm not bidin' with you lot. Me, I'm goin'.

But... where are you going?

Oh, I'm goin' to bark at the farmer's door. Maybe he'll let me shove me head up his gun.

Save a lot o' bother that will.

Tod! Tod, wait! - Let him go.

Good riddance.

I was just wondering what it would be like to have a master.

The kind you talk about.

But there's no one. Only us.

The Dark that Tod talks about, its... It's all around us.

I can feel it.

Alright, go on. Out you get.

Not too early for ya?

Too early? It's always too early. How are you, alright?

I'm alright. I'll be a damn sight better if we can get this business over with.

Give us a bite now, kidda.

There'll be naught left.

You're quick enough to come crawling around for a piece.

Now hang on, lad. I've come back to tell you to lowp off sharp.

The farmers are down in the valley, headin' this way.

Dogs all over the place.

And they've got guns.

How is it doing to end? Running around these mountains? - We've got to go, Rowf. The Tod's right.

We're wild animals now.

Are we goin' now, or do I go meself. And you'd best be sharp.

Maybe what they're doing to us is right. I'm a good dog, Snitter.

You're no dog at all, now. You're a sheep-killer.

And they'll blast yer arse out, hinny. No trouble.

I tell you, we best be off or you'll both be dead or dying inside half an hour.

Look at that.

Yeah, that's dog, alright.

Well, that proves it.

Bastards! - They're shifty, and they know their way about.

They got away going through that old less used mine. The one near Leaver's house.

Bloody irresponsible, it is. Letting dogs loose on fell.

I just had an idea, Dennis.

Wasn't old Larry Tyson saying something about lost dogs?

He's over at Coniston, isn't he? In the research station? - Ah, that's right, he is.

Coniston's government controlled.

Government department responsible for sheep killing dogs? Be real embarrassing, that would.

They'd not like it at all.

Not at all.

It's plenty a good save I was stuck in court.

Well it's a serious matter, Harry. He's sheep killin'. And there's no doubt they're dogs.

Can't be nothing else, living systematically off the sheep.

But the boss at the lab says they're nothin'. And them as pays the piper, goes the tune.

Can I help you? - I'm ringing to ask if you're missin' any dogs.

Um, could you tell me a little bit more about this, mister... - My name is Williamson.

I farm sheep up Dunnerdale way. - How do you come to be asking us?

There's sheep being killed in Dunnerdale. Three of four of 'em...

...and I'm not the only farmer, who reckons it's stray dogs.

Now, I'm just asking for a straight answer to a straight question.

Have you lost any dogs?

I'm sorry, I can't tell you straight off the cuff, Mr. Williamson...

...but if I... - There must be somebody there who knows how many dogs you've got.

Uh, may I ring you back? - I hope it'll be soon...

...as some chaps here have to work for a livin'.

D'one there. That yow. We'll fell that one.

Telling this Williamson that we have nothing to say was exactly the right light to take.

He's gonna think that's very suspicious. And what about Tyson?

I've already had a word with Tyson, and the most he can say, if he's asked...

...is that two pens were found empty. - You think Williamson's going to accept that?

I don't think we're under any obligation to answer that farmer's questions.

If he thinks evil, let him prove evil.

If he can.

Come on, then.

That's a good fella.

Come on.

Yes, that's it.

Come on, boy.

Who did that to you?

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