Page 36 (1/2)

-- wolfhound,' said Angua

The two dogs paced around the Fido know about her?' said Black Roger

'I was just --' Gaspode began

'Well, now,' said Black Roger, 'I reckon you'd be wanting to coht'

'Sure, sure,' said Gaspode 'No problee either of the a olfthe dexterity and jaer to instantly rip out a ular It was a trick of her father's that had always annoyed her ua had never been able to bring herself to do it She'd preferred the vegetarian option

' 'ullo,' said Butch, in her ear

'Don't you worry about anything,'Fidowe're like that'

'What're you trying to do? Cross your claws? I didn't know dogs could do that'

'We can't,' said Gaspode s slunk out of the shadows as the two of the byways that weren't even alleys any aps betalls They opened out eventually into a bare area, nothing s around it There was a very large barrel on its side in one corner, with a ragged bit of blanket in it A variety of dogs aiting around in front of it, looking expectant; some of them had only one eye, some of them had only one ear, all of them had scars, and all of theer, 'wait here'

'Do not twy to ay,' said Butch, ' 'cos having your intestines chewed often offends'

Angua lowered her head to Gaspode level The little dog was shaking

'What have you got ht? A pack of strays?'

'Shsssh! Don't say that! These aren't strays Oh, bliet any hound in the Guild Oh, dear s that have been' he lowered his voice, 'erbad dogs'

'Bad dogs?'

'Bad dogs You naughty boy Give hi,'you see here, right, every dogrun away Run away from his or her actual owner'

'Is that all?'

'All? All ? Well Of course You ain't exactly a dog You wouldn't understand You wouldn't knohat it was like But Big Fidohe told 'em Throw off your choke chains, he said Bite the hand that feeds you Rise up and howl He gave 'em pride,' said Gaspode, his voice ahe finds not bein' a free spirit – that dog is a dead dog He killed a Dober his tail when a huua looked at sos They were all unkelike There was a small and rather dainty white poodle that still just about had the overgrown re with the tattered re fro They had a unifors

Gaspode was clearly treua slunk over to the poodle It still had a diamante collar visible under the crusty fur

'This Big Fido,' she said, 'is he sos are wolves,' said the poodle, 'but cynically and cruelly severed from their true destiny by the manipulations of so-called hu Fido said that?' Angua hazarded

The poodle turned its head For the first time she saw its eyes They were red, and asit wanted because h a plank

'Yes,' said Big Fido

He had been a nored, and rolled over, and heeled, and fetched Every night he'd been taken for a walk

There was no flash of light when It happened He'd just been lying in his basket one night and he'd thought about his name, which was Fido, and the naht about his blanket with Fido on it, and his boith Fido on it, and above all he brooded on the collar with Fido on it, and soone 'click' and he'd eaten his blanket, savaged his owner and dived out through the kitchenIn the street outside a labrador four tiered at the collar, and thirty seconds later had fled, whi

That had just been the start

The dog hierarchy was a sienerally in ain his jaws, until he located the leader of the largest gang of feral dogs in the city People – that is, dogs -still talked about the fight between Fido and Barking Mad Arthur, a rottweiler with one eye and a very bad teht to the death, only to the defeat, and Fido was i streak with a collar He'd hung on to bits of Barking Mad Arthur until Barking Mad Arthur had given in, and then to his a inexplicably deter – you could have sandblasted hiiven up and you'd better not turn your back on it

Because Big Fido had a dream

'Is there a problem?' said Carrot

'That troll insulted that dwarf,' said Stronginthearive an order to Lance-ConstableHrolf Pyjama,' said Carrot 'What about it?'

'He's a troll!'

'Well?'

'He insulted a dwarf!'

'Actually, it's a technical eant Colon

'That damn troll just happened to save my life today,' shouted Cuddy

'What for?'

'What for? What for? 'Cos it was my life, that's what tor! I happen to be very attached to it!'

'I didn't inthear, you civilian! Why're you so stupid? Aargh! I'm too short for this shit!'

A shadow loomed in the doorway Coalface was a basically horizontal shape, a dark leao!' moaned a dwarf

'This is because we have no reason to keep him locked up,' said Carrot 'Whoever killed Mr Hah a dwarf's doorway A troll his size couldn't e that'

'But everyone knows he's a bad troll!' shouted Stronginthearm

'I never done nuffin,' said Coalface

'You can't turn him loose now, sir,' hissed Colon 'They'll set on him!'

'I never done nuffin'

'Good point, sergeant Acting-Constable Detritus!'

'Sir?'

'Volunteer him'