Everythings bigger in te.., p.1
Everything's Bigger in Texas, page 1
I dedicate this book to the brave men and women of the US Armed Forces. And to my siblings for their endless love and support—SPF
In memory of Copito, Colita, Toby, Nuky, Flavor, Hermes, Orson, Jay Boy, and John Fitzgerald Tinta—MG
GROSSET & DUNLAP
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Photo credit: cover: (paper background): darkbird77/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Text copyright © 2020 by Samuel P. Fortsch. Illustrations copyright © 2020 by Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2020024602
Ebook ISBN 9780593222478
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CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Copyright
Chapter 1: Hooah!
Chapter 2: Greetings from Texas
Chapter 3: Wheels Up
Chapter 4: Perfectly Good Airplane
Chapter 5: Texas Turkeys
Chapter 6: Dagr & The Seven Pooches Gang
Chapter 7: Into the Mines
Chapter 8: Web Slinger
Chapter 9: A Tail of Revenge
Chapter 10: Truth Be Told
Chapter 11: Rescue Mission
Chapter 12: Second Chances
Chapter 13: Come Sail Away
About the Author
CHAPTER 1
HOOAH!
Location: The Sanctuary: Washington, DC, United States
Date: 10MAR21
Time: 1800 hours
Welcome back, soldier!
I’m glad to see you reenlisted. A lot has happened since we saved the Sanctuary, so let me debrief you. That’s Army-talk for . . . that’s right! I’m glad you remembered.
Winter is coming to an end and the Pawtriots couldn’t be happier. Morale is sky-high and we’re adding new recruits to our ranks. Dogs, cats, snakes, and birds are arriving every day and they all ask me the same thing: “How can we help?!”
There are so many new animals that we set up a boot camp, right here at the Sanctuary. It’s a nine-week program that turns civilians into soldiers. It’s like summer camp but with lots of marching and even more push-ups!
After we took down Mr. Mocoso, we knew it was our duty to help others in need—beyond the animals in the Sanctuary. So, we’ve been using pigeons and other birds to relay messages from all over the country. Calls for help have been pouring in for the past six months.
Penny is always pushing us to go out on missions and do good deeds for the community. “Our community,” as she says. But we have to prioritize. We can’t help everyone. There just isn’t enough time in the day.
I caught her sneaking out the other night to help a pigeon that had some gum stuck on his wings. It was the right thing to do, but it’s risky to go off on your own. As leader, it’s important for me to know where everyone is at all times. She can’t just sneak outside the wire whenever she wants to. That’s Army-talk for “going out on missions.”
We call the Sanctuary “the TOC” now. It sounds like tock as in ticktock, and it’s short for Tactical Operations Center. The TOC is our command post and it’s where we plan our missions. Morgan and Sawyer, the rabbit and ferret, got hurt in a training exercise the other day, so they’ve been running the TOC when the rest of us are out on missions. They’re okay now, but they need time to recover from their injuries. Still, there’s an upside to having them stay behind. It’s always good to have capable leaders stay in the rear with the gear and make sure things at home run smoothly.
We’ve even established a chain of command:
Enlisted Paws Identification Card
Sergeant First Class: Rico
Staff Sergeant: Penny
Sergeant: Franny
Specialist: Brick
Specialist: Smithers
Corporal: Sawyer
Corporal: Morgen
Your rank is a badge of leadership and it determines your level of responsibility within your unit.
And we even wrote out our mission statement: “The Pawtriots will provide safety and security to all animals in need.”
It’s very important to establish a unit’s purpose. It helps keep everyone focused on achieving goals and completing missions. Soldiers love knowing that what they’re doing is for a good reason.
* * *
★ ★ ★
Time: 2100 hours
I had planned to lead a quick night-op perimeter check at the TOC with the Pawtriots tonight. But the wind is howling and snow is falling fast, so it might be a better idea to conduct classroom training instead. It’s not exactly everyone’s favorite thing to do, and it’s definitely not mine!
Still, I know it’s important to do this type of training. Simon, the marmoset who helped us locate the will in Mr. Mocoso’s mansion, snuck out of the zoo to join our cause. He’s been teaching everyone how to effectively communicate in silence using only hand and arm signals. It takes practice, but I’m confident everyone will learn quickly.
Brick moseys over to me, holding a clipboard with a list on it.
“Is everyone here?” I ask.
Brick scans the list. “Everyone but Penny,” he says.
I scan the room. He’s right, Penny’s not here. She must have snuck out . . . again.
I softly whistle to Franny and Smithers and signal for Simon to “come here.”
“Everything okay, Rico?” asks Franny.
“Penny snuck out,” says Brick, shaking his head from side to side.
“Again? And in this weather? Are you kidding?” asks Franny.
“Ssseriousssly ill-advisssed,” says Smithers.
I know Penny is out there trying to help other animals, but in this blizzard she may be the one who ends up needing help.
I motion to the group to “follow me” and lead Brick, Smithers, Franny, and Simon outside into the snow.
The snow is falling so fast that I can barely see, but we’re prepared. We’ve got these super high-speed goggles. High-speed—that’s Army-talk for “cool.” They’re meant to keep our eyes protected and vision clear, but with the wind whipping snow right into our faces, it’s hard to maintain a clear line of sight.
“Can anybody see her?” I ask.
“I can barely sssee anything,” says Smithers.
“Oi! And it’s freezing out here,” says Brick.
I want to let everyone go inside and get warm, but I just can’t. Don’t get me wrong; I’m freezing my tail off out here, too. But once you start taking the easy road, it’s almost impossible to ever take the hard one.
Suddenly there’s a thud, and the snow crunches behind me. I spin around to try to figure out where the sound is coming from.
“What was that?” asks Franny.
“Spread out! It could be Penny,” I say.
And suddenly, I hear a voice call out, “Help!”
It sounds like Penny, so I quickly scan from side to side, but I can’t see where she is.
Then there’s another thud. The crunching sound is much louder this time.
Through the blustery blizzard, I spot Simon waving his arms frantically as if trying to flag me down. I can see movement just beyond him, but I can’t quite make out what or who the movement is. So I wipe the snow off my goggles to get a clearer look.
“Three o’clock!” I call out so the Pawtriots know which way to look. In Army-talk that’s a directional clock position for “to the right.”
I trudge through the powdery snow toward Simon, Penny, and a mystery dog. Snow keeps getting stuck in my wheel, but I can see another dog with Penny who is covered in snow and has ice clinging to its whiskers, so I need to keep moving until I reach them.
“I found her in the alleyway. She wasn’t moving,” Penny says to me.
Instinctively, I grab the dog by the scruff of its neck and drag it toward the TOC, bringing it into safety and warmth. But I worry this pooch might already be frozen to death.
CHAPTER 2
GREETINGS FROM TEXAS
Location: The Pawtriots TOC
Date: 10MAR21
Time: 2130 hours
We barge into the TOC, swinging the doors wide open, letting the cold air and snow in. The new recruits are alarmed by the commotion and huddle around us and the mystery dog, asking me lots of questions: “Who’s that?” “What’s going on, Rico?”
I help Franny and Morgan brush the cold, wet snow off the mystery dog, uncovering wavy, creamy yellow fur. She’s a golden retriever. Her eyes are closed and she’s lying on the floor, but I can see her chest rising and falling.
“She’s alive!” I holler.
T
“Oi! Back up!” Brick hollers, sending all the privates scampering.
The golden retriever adjusts her eyes to the bright lights.
“Sanctuary. Rico . . . Sergeant Rico,” mutters the golden.
Penny looks confused and starts to do the “tilt,” and then looks over at me. I’ve never seen this dog in my life, so I’m just as confused as she is.
“I’m looking for Sergeant Rico,” the golden says.
Before I can get a word in, the golden passes out.
“Quickly! Get her some blankets,” I say.
Smithers drags over a blanket and drapes it on the golden’s body. I watch as something catches Smithers’s eye.
“What’sss thisss?” he says as he retrieves a rolled-up piece of paper from under the golden’s white leather collar that has a big shiny “D” pendant on it.
Smithers hands the paper to me, and all the animals quickly crowd around. I can feel Penny’s breath tickling my ear as I unroll the paper and read the message out loud.
Dear Daisy,
We have your precious little puppies. If you want to see them again, you’ll listen, and you’ll listen good. Head northeast and keep walking until you get to the Sanctuary and you find those no-good Pawtriots and their no-good leader, Sergeant Rico. Bring them here to Texas and meet us at these coordinates: 29.23374° N, -100.83745° E. Don’t think. Just do it. You’ve got one week to bring me Rico and the Pawtriots. You cannot get your puppies back without them. Better double-time . . . the clock starts now!
—Dagr & the Seven Pooches Gang
I put the note down and can see the golden is awake.
“Is it really you?” the golden asks as she slowly starts to come out of her daze. She looks at my face as if she’s drawing from her memory. Her voice has a soft twang to it. Like a southern accent.
I don’t have any idea what she’s talking about, so I let her continue.
“It is you. I saw your article in the newspaper. Oh, sweet Southern sun, I never thought I’d make it!” she says.
“Who are you? Where’d you come from?” I ask.
“My manners must have blown away with the wind. My name’s Daisy, and I’ve come all the way from Texas with an urgent message from Dagr, the leader of the Seven Pooches Gang.”
“We found your note,” I say.
“Are you in the Seven Pooches Gang?” asks Penny.
“Oh, heavens no! I want nothing to do with Dagr and all of his wicked ways. He has my puppies. I had no choice but to do what the note said,” says Daisy.
Penny eyes Daisy with even more suspicion. “No one has to do anything if they don’t want to.”
“When Dagr tells you to do something, you do it. No questions asked. He’s the meanest, nastiest dog you’ll ever meet. He and his gang have been terrorizing my hometown for years, and now they’ve got my puppies!” says Daisy.
I appreciate Penny being skeptical, but sometimes you have to trust your instincts. And my gut says that this golden is friend, not foe.
“When did you get that ransom note?” I ask.
“Six days ago,” says Daisy as she wipes tears off her cheek.
“That means we have less than twenty-four hours to get to the abandoned mine,” I say.
I watch as Smithers pulls out a map and searches for the location of the abandoned mine.
“Oi! Texas is far out of my jurisdiction . . . our jurisdiction,” says Brick.
Penny chimes in, “That’s not the point, Brick. The Pawtriots will go anywhere to help animals in need, but if it took Daisy six days to get here, then how are we supposed to get there in less than one?!”
I take a moment to think about the mission. Penny and Brick are right: This is a daunting task. We’re well over two thousand klicks away from the drop site. Klick—that’s Army-talk for “kilometer.” And not only that, but we could very well be walking right into a trap. On the other paw, I can’t turn my back on this task. It’s our duty to help those in need—that’s the Pawtriots’ mission statement after all.
I look down at my wheel and think about Kris and Chaps. Kris was my former handler in the Army; she taught me everything. She was there when I lost my leg in the explosion. That was the last day I ever saw her.
And Chaps was the most courageous dog I’ve ever met. He was the one who sacrificed his life so I could live. He gave me his wheel. I wonder what they would do if they were here. “No guts, no glory”—that’s what Kris used to say to me right before a dangerous mission.
I make my way over to the window and whisper a message to one of our carrier pigeons. “Fly fast,” I tell her.
I turn back to the group. “All right now, listen up, Pawtriots. I want this mission to go smoothly and by the numbers.”
“Rico, give me a break! The fastest dog on Earth couldn’t run there in time,” says Penny.
“You’re right. But I never said anything about running.”
Franny jumps in. “So what exactly did you have in mind?”
“We’re going to sneak onto Joint Base Andrews and catch a plane ride to Texas,” I say.
Daisy looks up at Penny. “Is he serious?” she says.
“Oh, he’s serious . . . seriously out of his mind!” says Penny as she gives me the “tilt.”
“Penny, just hear me out—” I say, but she cuts me off.
“No, you hear me out. We have problems right here . . . in our community. I’m very sorry, Daisy. It’s just too far away.”
Daisy stands up and shakes the blanket off of her.
“Please, I’m begging y’all to help me get my puppies back! When Dagr gave me that note, I didn’t stop running. I ran until my paws went numb and then I ran some more. I jumped on moving trains and swam across rivers. Don’t tell me that was all for nothing. What would you do if they were your puppies?”
Penny shakes her head from side to side and then looks at me. “I don’t like the way any of this sounds, Rico.”
All eyes are on me.
Everyone is waiting for me to make a command decision. As a leader, you have to be resolute. You’re either in or you’re out. Not everybody’s going to agree with every move you make, but you have to trust yourself and your decision. I take a long, deep breath. Then I start handing out marching orders to the Pawtriots.
“Listen up, privates! You are to follow Morgan’s and Sawyer’s orders while we’re in Texas. Hooah?” I ask.
All the privates respond in unison: “HOOAH!”
I turn to Morgan and Sawyer. “I want them battle ready by the time we return. Should be no more than one week. Are you tracking?” I ask.
“Tracking,” they both say.
I look at the rest of the Pawtriots who will be joining me on this southbound mission. “Franny, Smithers, Simon, Brick, Penny, and Daisy, I need you all ready and mobile. We’ve got a plane to catch!” I say. “I want everyone to get some quick shut-eye and rest up before our mission.”
CHAPTER 3
WHEELS UP
Location: Joint Base Andrews
Date: 11MAR21
Time: 0630 hours
We’ve got less than twenty-four hours to reach the abandoned mine.
The cold wind is biting, and the sun hasn’t started to rise, so we use the darkness to cover our movements. We’ve got to move quickly. Every minute that Daisy’s puppies are in danger is a minute too long. We’re about a klick away from the runway, and the plow trucks are almost done clearing off the snow. I’d guess we have less than thirty mikes before our ride leaves without us. Mikes is Army-talk for “minutes.”
I look out into the distance and see the carrier pigeon I sent out earlier flying toward us. She lands on Brick’s head and shakes the snow off her feathers.
“I have a message from your Air Force buddy who works on this base. He got word to his brother Lindy at E. F. Dunes Air Force Base in Texas, just south of Corpus Christi. He says he’ll be waiting there to help sneak you off the plane,” says the pigeon.
“Tracking all. Great work,” I tell the pigeon before it flies back to the TOC.
