you.”

“You should leave the area,” the wolf replied. “We can't have outsiders stirring up the prey.”

Luna nodded. “I understand. I, um...”

There was a moment's pause, then the wolf sighed. “If you're looking for humans, the nearest track is about a mile in that direction.” He pointed a paw back in the direction she had come. “That's all I know.”

She dipped her head again. “Thank you. Good hunting to you.”

The wolf nodded, so stern one might have wondered if he had forgotten how to smile. “And you as well. Forgive us for not joining your search, but we have learned not to get too comfortable around humans.” And with that, he and the others broke away. In seconds, they were lost to sight in the swirling snow.

'Well, that was remarkably unproductive,' she thought. Glancing skyward, she saw that the daylight was fading much too fast for comfort, and the snowfall not fast enough. 'I'll never find them in time,' she thought anxiously. She ran back towards town, following her rapidly-filling tracks. If she couldn't find her mate, she'd have to find someone who could.

Rex rose from the snow, groaning. “I hate blizzards,” he growled.

Toby shook the powder from his fur. “I could do with a little less of the great outdoors myself.”

The chief was far and away the most displeased. He had fallen flat on his face in the snow, and his mood was helped little when he discovered his left snowshoe was broken in two. “Blast,” he snarled, taking off the other. The snow, when he stood up, reached up to his knees, and the dogs were struggling to make headway. Grasping at his whistle again, he blew another blast. “Lisa!” he hollered. “Can you hear me?!”

The wind was not as strong down in the gully, and between gusts he managed to hear a weak cry. “Help!”

“Hold on!” he shouted again. “We're close by! Keep shouting and we'll find you!”

Rex and Toby drove into the snow with renewed vigor, making progress by leaps and bounds. “We're... almost... there!” barked Toby.

Rex gritted his teeth and struggled on. “Good... because I can't... keep this up... much longer.”

“Follow... my tracks,” gasped Toby. “You'll... have an...easier...time.”

Rex gratefully accepted the offer. The chief kept following the dogs until he caught a glimpse of something dark against the snow. “Lisa!” he shouted, rushing forward.

The little girl was literally up to her neck in the snow. “Help...” she pleaded weakly.

The chief scooped her up into his arms like a baby, holding her tight to his chest. “I've got you,” he promised her. “We'll get you home.”

“I'm so co-o-old,” she shivered, the word “cold” drawn out into a groan.

“Here, tuck your hands into your armpits. They'll stay warmer that way.”

There was no reply, just labored breathing followed by a drawn-out sigh.

The chief's eyes grew wide. “God, don't let this happen now,” he begged, lifting a flap on his hat and pressing an ear to her face. After a moment he sighed with relief. “Thank You,” he uttered to the still-snowing skies. Then he made an abrupt turn and raced back through the tracks they had made. “Come on, boys. We've got to get back fast!”

As they followed, Toby turned to look at Rex. “Dad... rookie question.”

“Rex shook his head to clear an accumulation of snow from his face. “What is it?”

As they reached the slope where they had fallen down, Toby asked, “How do we get back up?”

Luna ran up to Melchior's front door. Sure enough, Jimmy had relented in the face of the blizzard and the young dog was now dozing by the fire. “Melchior!” she wuffed, “Come here, quickly!”

With a sense of deja-vu, he lifted his head. “What is it, Mom?” he asked, dreading the answer.

“Your father went out tracking almost two hours ago.”

Mel glanced at the clock. “More like an hour and a half,” he pointed out in his usual contrary manner. “He and grandpa were looking for a little girl.”

Luna ignored Melchior's impertinence. “I know. I'm worried about them.”

Mel let out an overstated sigh. “It hasn't been that long, Mom. Why are you so worked up?”

“You mean besides the fact that there's a blizzard going on out there?” she snapped.

“They track in blizzards all the time.”

She had to admit that much was true. “I know, but I'm still worried about them. Something in my gut tells me they're in trouble.”

Mel knew where this was going. “You could look for them. You're good in the woods.”

“I can't track in that weather. You've got to help me find them.”

The pup sat, his lowered ears and downcast face speaking of abject reluctance. Lifting the chain with one paw, he pointed out, “Mom, I'm no tracker. I never wanted to be one, and I...”

“Now don't give me that,” she cut him off. “You used to want it, even if you don't anymore. But right now we need your skills, and we need them now. Toby's out there somewhere. So are your grandfather and his master, and a little girl besides.”

Melchior fidgeted uneasily. “Isn't there someone else?” he asked. “The police have lots of dogs, and my owners would worry.”

“The professional trackers are already out looking,” she answered. “And people are already worried. Your grandmother and her owner are worried sick; so is Charlie, and so are that girl's parents. If you don't look for them, none of them may ever be found.”

He hung his head. “I don't know if I can do it. Dad always seemed to think that Caspar had more potential than me.”

“You don't know the whole story.” She strode up to him until they were eye-to-eye. “Yes, your father spent a great deal of time with Caspar, but he thought the world of all five of you. He believed that there was something special in store for each one of you, and that when the time was right you would find it. Now if you think your father doesn't care about you, fine. But don't you just sit there and act like that's right. You are better than that, Melchior. I've always believed that, your father believes it, and now it's up to you to prove it.”

Something in her words touched a vulnerable spot in Melchior's spirit, like a spark alighting on a dry place in a pile of slightly moistened kindling. He nodded. It was slow, but it was definitely a nod. “I'll do it,” he said at last. “I'll do it... for Dad.”

As the group of trackers struggled through the blizzard, Rex called ahead to Toby.  "Son, I'm really sorry about making you come out here to help.  If it weren't for me you wouldn't be in this mess."

Toby shook his head.  "You didn't make me come, Dad.  You asked, that was all."

"Yes, but I knew you could never say no, especially to me."

Toby sighed.  "I could.  I got enough practice as a pup."  After a moment's thought, he added, "Maybe that's why I have so much trouble with Melchior."  Reflecting on his son brought tears to his eyes, which quickly froze in the bitter cold.  "I'm telling you, Dad, if I get out of this alive, things are going to be different."

"When, not if!" Rex barked.  "You'll get out of here if I have to drag you on my back."

Toby almost laughed at the way he and his father were able to carry  on like this in the face of disaster.  Somehow he would find a way to connect like that with his son... if he lived long enough to try.

Out on the edge of town, things were getting worse. Under the dropping sun, the warm wind from the south had been replaced by a hard, gusting one from the south. Low-hanging clouds brought a fresh wave of snow. The freezing drifts, saturated by a slight melt from the brief warm wind that afternoon, stung the dogs' paws. Worse, it was hardening at the top into a brittle, icy crust which broke underpaw and pricked at their pads like broken glass. If this kept up, they would soon have bad cuts in their paws to worry about as well.

“I can't smell a thing,” said Luna.

Melchior put his nose to the ground and took a deep draft of air. “I can,” he said. “The little girl's track is gone, but I can still pick up some scent from Dad and Grandpa.”

“Are they far away?”

“I dunno,” he admitted. “The scent's hard to pick up, but that might be because it's getting too old or the snow is burying it.” He sniffed again, then added, “This way.”

“Just a second,” said Luna. “I have an idea.”

Mel watched as she reared up on her hind legs and clawed a small patch of bark from a tree. Then she went around and did the same to the other side.

“Little family trick,” she explained. “This way we'll be able to find our way back no matter how cold the scent gets. And if anyone comes looking for us, they'll know we passed this way.”

Mel nodded his approval. “Good idea.”

On they went, Melchior trailing the