ordered

“I'm actually right here,” called a black wolf with gray highlights.

“Very good,” the alphess responded, “I want you to see what you can do for him. Do everything in your power to keep him alive. A dog like this could be very useful.”

Jenna was running a bit slower now, her body almost completely drained of energy. She was closing the gap, she could feel it in her empty gut; if she just kept moving she would find Balto. The scent trail came to a sort of imaginary crossroad, the scents and footprints of two different groups congealed in this one area, one going one way, the other going the opposite direction. It was baffling really, almost as if they were trying to keep her from tracking them. She put her nose to the wind and smelled again, finding that Balto's scent was very hard to pick out of all of these, them being so similar. Finally her nose locked onto it, and she turned down the path that led off to the left, heading through the trees.

She followed this trail for about six miles before she realized something was wrong. The scent she had been following wasn't Balto's scent at all. She took a guess and guessed wrong. She should have taken the trail that went off to the right. She turned around quickly and began to head back the way she came, but after a few steps she heard the snap of a twig from somewhere in the maze of trees. She froze, all senses going on high alert. A brown mass moved undetected behind her and stared at her from behind the trunk of a large tree. Jenna could feel panic starting to flow into her, but that was the last thing she wanted to do. Calmly she started to walk, double taking and shooting glances left and right every few feet. Little did she know, the eyes that watched her did so with a mix of hate and pain. Jenna came to a place where the path narrowed naturally from the trees compressing together, the branches reaching out to where they were a mere four inches from brushing Jenna's sides.

There was a quick rustling sound to her right. She whipped around to face the sound, but was too late. A pair of large jaws latched onto her bandana and dragged her into the trees with them. Jenna tried to scream but found her voice choked down into her throat from fear. She jerked against the bandana but he knot was tied fast and all she achieved was choking herself. She jumped and whirled trying to break free from the hold in which she found herself, but only managed to turn her head to see that her attacker was a large brown wolf. Seeing this sent her adrenaline through the roof. She jumped and lunged and thrashed, the wolf having a bit more difficulty trying to hold her. There was a loud tearing sound as the bandana finally ripped free from her neck, half it hanging from her shoulder the other half hanging from the wolf's teeth. In a flash, Jenna began to flee, her recent fatigue overrun by a fear that propelled her faster and faster from her assailant. The wolf quickly reacted, spitting the half of the bandana o the ground and then taking off after her.

Jenna’s fear carried her faster than she had ever run before, the unfamiliar landscape flying past her in a rush of blurred colors. The wolf was being outran considerably, Jenna being a good fifteen feet ahead of him; but she was slowing, the adrenaline pumping through her veins beginning to be replaced by a burning sensation as her legs cried in protest to the recent speed in which they were forced to move. The wolf saw this and knew that his endurance would eventually win out in the end. All he had to do now was be patient and wait for the opportune moment and the fleeing dog would be his.

Jenna continued on and on. She was more tired then she had ever been before, her legs beginning to lose all feeling. Her heart was racing so fast she felt it would explode out of her chest. Her body begged her to stop, but she knew that if she did it would mean certain death for her and her unborn pups. She chanced a look behind her and saw hat the wolf was still in hot pursuit and gaining. In a last ditch effort she made a sudden left turn, sending a flurry of soggy snow flying as she planted her feet to make the turn. She seriously underestimated her speed as she rounded the turn. Her feet going forward but her momentum taking her sideways. Her feet slid out from under her and she crashed down hard on the ground, bouncing and sliding until her shoulder made contact with a thick tree. The blow in itself and where she hit was not enough to knock her out, but soon after the fatigue and pain began to blacken her mind. The wolf saw his quarry fall and smiled, knowing well that it was over. He slowed his pace down to a trot and rounded the turn, seeing the crème red dog, laying motionless against a large spruce.

Jenna's vision began to blur and her eyes began to become increasingly heavy. She saw the fuzzy image of the brown wolf approaching before the black finally consumed her mind, passing her into unconsciousness.