and his tail was between his legs. Noticing this, Aniu decided to give him a little talk, "My son, I know you want to go and explore, but when I saw that you were missing, it really scared me." 

"Scared you?" he replied, "Why did it scare you? I wasn't that far."

"You weren't, but I didn't know that. I was worried that something might have happened to you, or that someone might have hurt you," she continued, "You're still small and there are a lot of things out there that could hurt a pup like you."

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"Now, let this be a lesson for next time," she said, "I'm okay with you going out to explore as long as I know where you are. If you want to go out, all you have to do is ask me. If I'm not around, then you should stay put so that I know where you are."

"Okay, I will momma," he said. She could tell that he was still a little down about being caught, but she knew the perfect way to cheer him up.

"Hey, I'm just glad that you are safe. Now, do you want to race back home?" she suggested.

"You're on!" he shouted, and darted back towards the boat. In the weeks since he had first seen the dog team, he would get very excited anytime the word 'race' or 'run' was mentioned. He loved running, and even Aniu was starting to have trouble keeping up with him. His determination made her so proud of him - he truly was his father's son.

She let him run ahead while she enjoyed the scenery. The area she had settled in was a beautiful place to live, with a wide forest, open fields and a beach near the water. The boat they had settled on was far enough from the town that they didn't attract much attention from the residents. She truly felt safe here; there had been no sign of Mayak for months now, and she felt confident that he had given up the chase for her.

As she walked through the trees, she spied something in the dirt. It was a pawprint - a wolf print to be exact. At first she thought that it might be her own son's, but on closer examination, she saw that the print was too large to be from her pup. It was big enough to be from a full grown male. She sniffed at it, noting that it was still fresh; maybe they had some new neighbors in the area. However, she couldn't help but feel as though the scent was familiar…

"Mom! Where are you!" her son called out from a short distance away.

"I'm back here, just wait for me!" she replied. She sniffed the print again, and then it suddenly hit her. She knew who this print was from, and the realization of it made her fur stand on end.

It was Mayak. He was here.

Panic rushed through her. He had been here recently, and with the comings and goings of her and her son, it was only a matter of time before he would trace their scent back to the boat. She heard someone rustling through the trees and jumped back, expecting it to be Mayak. Fortunately for her, it was not him, only her son. He had grown tired of waiting for her and had come back to find her.

"There you are mom. I thought you had gotten lost," he said.

"No, I just……"

"Are you okay mom? You look worried," he asked, noticing her expression.

"I'm fine," she replied. She couldn't bring herself to tell him about Mayak. Doing so would cause him to panic, "I just wanted to walk instead of run. Besides, you go off so quickly, I'm having trouble keeping up with you."

"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," she reassured, "I'm proud that you love running around. Just don't get too far."

"Okay mom," he replied and they walked back to the beach. While he spent the rest of the afternoon running and splashing about in the shallows, she kept a vigilant watch from the boat. As the sun set, he came in and settled himself down under the blanket to sleep. Aniu tried to sleep as well, but the thought of Mayak kept her awake. He was here, and that put both of them in danger.

"You betrayed me for a dirty husky and what's worse, you're carrying his mongrel children. They won't be all dog, but they won't be all wolf either. No wolf would accept them, and neither will the humans. They'll be nothing; in fact, killing them might actually be a mercy to them."

If he found them, he would surely kill her son for what she had done. It wasn't a matter of if he would find them, but when. She looked around the surrounding area. All around was open field - he would easily see them if they tried to run to the town for cover. Even if they did make it to the town, they wouldn't be able to stay forever. They could get caught by the humans as well and would be chased right into Mayak's waiting jaws. She kept on trying to think of a way to escape, but nothing she thought of ensured a clean getaway. She stayed up the entire night, and as the first tiny rays of the sun started to peek over the horizon, a howl rang out. Fear shot through her as she recognized the howl as Mayak's. He knew they were here and used his howl to send her a message.

I know you're here. I'm coming for you.

She did not reply, knowing that doing so would give her away in an instant. After a few moments, another howl came out. 

You can't hide forever. I'm here, and I know you are too. It's only a matter of time…

She stayed silent, but in the back of her mind, she knew it was ultimately futile. Mayak would find her eventually. She looked over at her son. He was still fast asleep, and his legs swung lazily in his doze, as though he was trying to run. 

"He even runs in his sleep. He must dream about being a champion. I can't let that dream go to waste. Well, if Mayak wants you, he'll have to go through me first. I have to stop running and hiding. If you are going to have any chance my son, I'm going to have to deal with Mayak directly. I can't let you pay for my mistakes," Knowing what she had to do, she went up to her son and poked him awake.

"Zzzzzzz…….. hm, what is it mom?" he sleepily mumbled.

"My son, I am going to go out," she said, "I don't know how long I will be."

"Are you going hunting? Can I come?" he asked.

"No, you can't come. You must stay here," she said, "No matter how long I am, I want you to stay here. Understand?"

"Okay mom," he replied.

She came and gave and gave him one last nuzzle, "Stay safe my son. Please stay safe."

"I will mom. You're always watching out for me," he said.

"Yes, and I always will. I will always be there to look after you," she said, "I love you so much. You make me so proud. You'll be always be my little baby."

"I know mom. I love you too," he replied, and gave her a small lick on the cheek. She hopped off the boat and ran in the direction Mayak's howl had come from. A few tears ran down her face and she took one last look back. She saw him, perched on the bow, watching her leave.

"I promise my son, I won't let anything hurt you. I will always protect you," she said as she entered the woods to face her enemy.

----------------------------

She charged towards Mayak's howl, with each second bringing her closer and closer to the inevitable confrontation. Her fear of him had been replaced by another, more potent feeling: hate. She hated Mayak; she hated him for what he had done to Amak, and she hated him for what he wanted to do to her son. Aniu was no longer a scared wolf running for her life. Now, she was an angry mother whose child had been threatened, and the one who threatened him would pay dearly.

She picked up Mayak's scent; he was only a few feet away now. Her eyes burned with fire as she leapt over a log and right into the surprised wolf. The force of the impact knocked him off his feet and she sank her teeth into his shoulder. He rolled over and kicked her off, but she quickly got up and the two faced off. They were in a clearing at the edge of a cliff, with trees and rocks one side, and open air on the other. 

"Aniu, I knew you couldn't ignore me. I must admit, your change in demeanor has surprised me," he started, "Whatever happened to the scared wolf, begging for her life like some whimpering dog?"

"She's gone Mayak, replaced by me, a mother who will do anything for her son," she snapped back. They started circling around each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Ah, so you have a son, eh? Does the little whelp know that he's the product of a dishonest wolf and some mangy dog?" Mayak spat.

"Oh he knows who he is Mayak. He knows that his mother is a wolf and that his father was a proud sled-dog," she replied, "His father was a champion, and that's more I can say about you!" 

"Some champion he was. He couldn't take on a wolf, even with your help," he sneered, "I'll make sure to tell that to your precious little boy before I put him down!" She had had enough of Mayak and leaped at him. He tried to evade her, but she managed to bite into his flank. He twisted himself around to attack her, with his fangs digging into her flesh, but she ignored the pain and shifted her attack to the back of his neck. While her fangs bit into him, she slashed at his back with her front claws, trying to do as much damage as possible.

He released her shoulder from his jaw and started thrashing around to try to throw her