The Lost Puppy Read Online Free Page A

of standing around and spoiling a good walk.
    He trotted off through the undergrowth. He’d lost sight of the robin, but now there was an interestinggrey-furred creature that was scampering through the branches above him. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it bounced and sprang very temptingly, and he was hoping it might come a bit lower. He barked at it, but that made it go faster and climb higher, and he had to run flat out to keep up.
    “Toby! Toby!” came a far-off cry. That was Ruby calling him. He stopped for a second, but the squirrel stopped too, looking down at him so cheekily that he couldn’t bear to let it go. He’d try to find Ruby in a minute, once he’d caught it. He set off at a gallop again, and the squirrel leaped through the trees ahead of him.
    He was chasing it so desperately that he almost ran into an old lady, standingin the middle of a clump of bracken holding a pair of binoculars.
    “Ssshh!” the lady whispered crossly.
    Toby pulled up short, staring at her in surprise. She’d been so quiet, he simply hadn’t noticed she was there.
    There was a beating of wings and a pair of birds fluttered away, squawking in fright. Toby watched them go, and barked again excitedly.
    The old lady sighed. “You’ve scared them away, you silly dog.” Then she seemed to realize for the first time that he was all alone. “Where’s your owner, hmm?” She looked around, expecting someone to come chasing after him, but the woods were silent. “You haven’t got a collar! Who do you belong to? They shouldn’t be letting you racearound here on your own, there’s a road close by. Come here… Here, dog…”
    She stretched out a hand to him, but Toby had heard the irritated tone in her voice after he scared the birds, and now he didn’t trust her. He backed away nervously, and as she took a step forward to grab him, he raced off.

    He hurried back through the bushes to the path, suddenly wishing that he was with Ruby. He’d find her, and then maybe they’d be able to catch the strange furry grey animal in the trees together. Toby scurried down the path, expecting at any moment to come to the big trees where he’d lost his lead, and then, a little way on, to find Mum and Anya and, most importantly, Ruby.
    But as he went further and further along Toby realized that this might not be the path he wanted. He looked around, and suddenly the trees all seemed so much larger and darker, and different. He had no idea where he was, or where Ruby was. He was lost.

    “But we can’t just leave him!” Ruby stared at her mum in horror.
    “Ruby, we have to go, I’m afraid. We’ve been searching for ages.” Mum was holding Anya in her arms, who was crying miserably, the graze on her face still bleeding a little. “I need to get Anya home and clean up her face. It’s filthy, and we’ve left it nearly an hour like this.”
    “If we go home now, we might never find Toby! Just five minutes more, please, Mum.” Ruby looked around, desperately hoping Toby might spring out of the bracken suddenly, and everything would be all right again. But they had searched everywhere, calling and calling. Toby seemed to have totally disappeared.
    “I’ve phoned your dad, and he’s going to leave work early so you can both come straight back and look. I’m really sorry, sweetheart, but we have to get home.” Mum set off down the path, carrying Anya.

    Ruby stood in the middle of the path, looking uncertainly one way and the other. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Toby. Maybe he’d been frightened by something, and was hiding. He might come out in just a minute, if they were quiet.
    “Ruby, please!” Mum called, heading for the bridge over the stream.
    Ruby trailed after her, trying not to cry. But by the time they reached the car, the tears were streaming down her face.

    Toby pattered down another path, sniffing hopefully. He was sure he could smell Ruby, but the scent was allover the place. It was very confusing.