dog.  "Still, I could use a fellow like you, now that I'm the leader" he noted quite vainly.  "Come with me...let's talk".  Charger started to walk off towards the exit, and then stopped and turned back to see the younger dog not following him.  He shot young Steele a stern glance, which compelled him to follow Charger out the door.

The scene faded around them, and they suddenly found themselves emerging in a new scene...one which drew an immediate emotional reaction from Steele.  "No, spirit!  Not here, please!"  But he received no response.  She remained silent.

Before him were several dogs from the team, loose on the tundra beyond the kennel yard of the master's home.  His younger self was there too (though a little older than before), laying down beside his mother, who was also laying on her side in the snow.  She was mortally wounded...and the snow around her was stained with her blood.  She was in obvious pain, and her breathing was labored.  The younger Steele was agonizing over her, at once nervous and angry.  "Why, mother?!  Why did you do that?!  WHY?!"  The young dog began to sob, and he buried his head in her fur.  Standing rigidly next to the spirit, Steele watched, his face contorted with misery.

She struggled faintly to respond, opening her eyes slightly.  "It was my job to...protect the pups in the yard".  You all were away on your run..."  She wheezed, and winced sharply in response to the intense pain she was feeling.

"They were wolves, mom!  You should have known better than to try and hold them off by yourself anyway!" young Steele whined bitterly.  She looked weakly over at him, lifting her head with great effort.  "No...choice son.  I'm...I'm sorry."  She dropped her head and fell unconscious.

Another dog from the team approached the younger Steele sympathetically.  "I don't think she's going to make it, buddy.  The wolves did a thorough job.  I'm really very sorry."  Suddenly, from across the tundra, a few gunshots rang out.  The other dogs turned to look off in the direction of the gunfire, and the footprints in the snow.  The dog turned back to Steele.  "You see?  The master's taking care of it.  They won't come back."

The younger Steele stood up slowly, his body awash in furious tension.  He stared out across the tundra for a moment, baring his teeth and growling quietly, his eyes fixated furiously into the distance.  Then, quickly turning his head away, he let out an angry yell and took off running in the opposite direction, disappearing over a low rise.

Steele started to turn away, but the spirit intervened.  "Wait...listen."

The dog who had tried to comfort younger Steele lay down beside his dying mother to keep her company.  She came briefly to consciousness without opening her eyes, and said, with her dying breath, "St...Steele...don't hold it against them...please.  They w...were only trying to survive.".  And in that moment, she died.

The master came walking back over the tundra, with Charger next to him.  As they approached Steele's mother, Charger stopped short, observed the tragic scene before him, and a slight but sinister smile played at his muzzle.  "Exactly according to plan", he muttered to himself.

The spirit turned to look at older Steele.  "You heard them both, did you not?"  Without speaking, Steele nodded sadly, again turning away.  "Take me away from here, spirit, I can't bear to look at anymore of this".

"But I told you", the spirit calmly protested, "these are shadows of the things that have been.  That they are what they are, do not blame me..."  Steele turned and glanced angrily at the spirit.  "Take me away!"

"Very well", she replied, as the scene faded around them.  "But we are not yet done.  We do but turn another page."

Suddenly, Steele found himself standing once again in the large room with the furnace and boiler.  It was some years later, and he saw his younger self again, now grown to full adulthood...strong and proud.  His younger self was examining a birchwood dogsled, as well as its gangline and harnesses, while a couple of other team dogs stood quietly nearby, not daring to interrupt.  One of them was Star, then just a yearling himself.  He was tense and apprehensive, and watched Steele warily.  Older Steele and the spirit stood silently and observed the scene.

Another dog entered from the outside door.  It was Nikki.  "Younger and more lithe back then, 'ey Nikki?" Steele thought wryly to himself.  Out of the corner of his eye, Steele caught a disapproving glance from the spirit.

Nikki walked quietly up to Star, keeping an occasional eye on Steele (the younger Steele) as he paced up and down the line scrutinizing every detail.  He nudged Star on the shoulder.  "Ey", I come from da master's house.  Charger ain't doin' good.  Da master thinks he's gonna die tonight.  You better let Steele know, so he can say his goodbyes if he wants to."

Star's eyes opened wide, and he shrunk a bit in fear.  "M-m-m-me??"  He shrunk down even further, shaking his head in denial.  Nikki frowned at him.  "Yeh, you.  I got to get back over there.  Now hurry up, kid!"

Star hunched up, gulped fearfully, and walked up to the younger Steele.  "H-hey, boss?" 

Younger Steele stopped and, without turning back to look at Star, replied coldly "What is it?"

Star hesitated for a moment, shaking, and said "It's about Charger.  Nikki said he's dying.  I was told to let you know so you could go see him."  He hunched down again, awaiting some sharp reproach.

Younger Steele just huffed.  Turning back to Star with a stern glance, he noted "We have a run to complete tomorrow morning.  I'm not finished going over everything yet.  It's important that I complete that first, so I'll go when I'm finished."  He then turned back to his scrutinizing of the equipment.

Without replying, Star skulked off and returned to Nikki.  With a hesistant and nervous giggle, he said "He...says he'll come when he's finished going over the equipment."

Nikki shook his head disapprovingly.  "Uh huh.  Well hopefully he'll hold out til then."  He turned and exited the way he came.

The scene suddenly changed to the hallway of the master's house, looking much the same as it had the night that Charger's ghost appeared to Steele.  By now, Steele was so distracted by the scenes he'd witnessed while in the company of the spirit that he was unaware of whether any time had passed and, if so, how much had.  He turned and looked into the parlor.  There, on some bedding, lay Charger, seemingly already deceased.  The master was sitting in a chair nearby, before the fireplace, lost in thought. 

Steele's younger self came walking slowly into the hallway, passing his older self and the spirit.  He gently and quietly walked up to where Charger lay, and observed him for a moment, looking for any signs of life.  As he leaned down to listen for any breathing, Charger's eyes opened, and momentarily startled the younger Steele.

"Oh!  Charger". the younger Steele said with mild surprise,  "Well, has the master seen to you properly?  Your final affairs and all?"  Charger nodded slowly without a word.

The younger Steele looked back at him as kindly as his own nature could muster at this point in his life.  "Is there anything I can do for you, old friend?"  Again, silently and slowly, Charger nodded.

"Hm?"  The younger Steele asked.  "What is it then?"

Charger strained weakly to speak to the younger Steele, a dire urgency in his voice and his eyes.  "Whi...while there's still time..."  Younger Steele leaned closer, trying to catch what he was saying.

"Hm?" younger Steele inquired.  "Time?  Time for what?"

Charger continued to struggle to get the words out.  "We were...wrong", he said very weakly.

The younger Steele, with a frustrated wince, asked "What?"

Charger swallowed, and repeated "We were wrong!"

The younger Steele straightened up a bit, and looked into Charger's eyes again.  "Wrong?  Is that all?  Well, we can't be right all the time, 'ey Charger?"  He let out a short laugh.  "Nobody's perfect.  We did no worse than the next dog.  Better in fact, when you think about it.  Don't blame yourself, Charger!"

Old Charger shook his head slowly in rebuttal.  "No.  We...were wrong!"  He struggled to lift his paw slightly, placing it on the back of younger Steele's head to draw him close.  "S...save yourself!"

The younger Steele pulled back in confusion.  "What?  Save myself?  Save myself from what?"  Gritting his teeth, he came almost muzzle-to-muzzle with Charger, commanding  "Speak up!"  But as he did, Charger's paw fell from his head, and down by the dog's side.  He was dead.  The younger Steele looked blankly at him for a moment