Unfinished Tale

Note: This story takes place a week after the event of ‘What Was Lost in Past’.

 

Chapter One: Before the Storm

Seen the passing of the horrible diphtheria epidemic, Nome returned to its normal state, as a small town located a little too far up to the north to a human’s comfort, the normal meant constant struggle against the cruel climate. However, as if the passed danger was a new start for Nome, the days began to get warmer, and the town got more lively, something that did not happen at all when the contagious disease is around. The townspeople of Nome worked together as they always did and hope to build a brighter day for their town. Repairing old buildings, cleaning the streets, but there was one thing they always overlooked; an old, wrecked boat just outside of the town. It had been there for nearly a decade, with no one ever thought of removing it. It might be just another broken boat, one of the many around the coastline, but it was home for a special mix of animals, a goose, two polar bears, and a once rejected wolf-dog, Balto.

It was a very beautiful evening, cold but not snowing. On the deck of the old, broken boat, Balto was having two of the most beautiful things around him at once; a sunset in the winter, which was dazzling as well as rare. The other, was his mate, Jenna, no doubt the most beautiful creature he ever seen. They were lying side by side, admiring the sunset and probably a northern light show at night peacefully.

Normally there was hardly peace on the boat, but Boris, the old goose who had raised Balto up, was ‘brought away’ by the polar bear cubs, Muk and Luk for a ‘hide and seek’ game. With the general noise-makers gone, the boat was actually a quiet place, unless someone interrupts…

“Hey Brother!”

Both Balto and Jenna jolt to their paws, turning their heads toward the source of the voice.  There, over the edge of the boat stood Kirdo, Balto’s twin brother who was just reunited with him. Balto and Jenna welcomed Kirdo warmly onto the ship, “What brings you here?” asked Balto, “Is something wrong with your pack?”

Kirdo smiled as he settled down, “Must there be problem before I can visit you?”

“Well, no.” Balto smiled back, “But you told us you’re going to be very busy with your pack.”

“You bet!” Kirdo proclaimed, “We have to locate a permanent den site, locate our prey’s feeding ground and their migration routes, and a whole lot of other things you can name for a pack’s survival. “

“Oh my, the works must be hard, and you can only share them between five wolves.” Said Jenna.

“Not really, we have Kamsa doing the tracking and locating part. He was one of the best trackers in our pack.” Kirdo paused, and continued in a low voice, “We’ve also left out one part in establishing a pack, the summer den for breeding. But it’s not likely we will have pups, don’t we?” He put on a strange look.

“Who knows, maybe you might fall for someone in your pack…” Said Balto slyly, but changed the topic quickly as he noticed the annoyed expression on his brother’s face, “Speak of which, how’s Mista?’

“Oh, Mista,” Kirdo‘s mood changed almost as fast as the topic, “Her physical injuries are not even scars now, the problem is her heart… You knew what happened. She’s quite fine now, but still more quiet that before and always seems to be day-dreaming.”

“Poor Mista.” Said Jenna with compassionately.

As Kirdo was about to reply, Balto suddenly became serious, he turned to Kirdo and said, “Brother, there’s something I want to ask you. Humans reported a large wolf pack has gathered somewhere in the forest around Nome. Do you know them?”

“A large wolf pack?” Kirdo repeated, interested, “Strangely neither me nor my friends saw any other wolf during our journey north. So no, I do not know them. Why?”

“Because the report was brought to other towns, and many hunters are getting interested in the wolves. You and your friend may be harmed too when they arrive.”

“Oh my…” said Kirdo with a grim expression, “I’ll ask Kamsa about this, if anyone among us would know about those wolves, it would be him.”

 

Chapter Two: The Avengers

Karani stood in the center of a meadow, resting around him were eighteen wolves, all strong and battle harden, and this was only half of his pack. Their numbers was not as strong when they once started their hunt for vengeance, but more joined their course along the way, either from the other half of the pack, or brand new members they had never crossed path with the Eastern War Pack, either way, Karani made sure they were all good fighters with loyalty and honor.

They have been traveling for weeks, tracking the slightest scent of their foes, and now, even if their enemies did not know yet. Karani’s pack had cornered them against the sea, and now all they wait was the signal from their alpha, and the circle will slowly close in…

Karani watched as a black male wolf walked up to him, he was Dakea, the Beta of his pack and his second most trusted lieutenant.

“Sir, we’ve located some food source half a mile east from here, it’s a herd of twenty caribous, enough to support all of us with standard battle food supply for a long time.” Dakea reported in a flat tone.

 “Good…” Karani said slowly, his most usual tone, which sounded creepy and cruel, both to his subordinate and enemy. “And what about, our real preys?”

 “Reports from Siria, they’re still unaware of our presence, except maybe for the ‘Assassinator’.”

“Hmm…” Karani replied, but his mind had floated away. He thought of that mysterious black wolf that became one of the largest threats to his pack. That wolf is bizarre from the eyes of all his wolves, almost unrealistic…

And then his mind drifted to the reason he was here. The ‘Assassinator’ did not dealt the greatest damage to Karani’s pack; it was the wolf-dogs, one of the wolf-dogs…

“Sir?”

“What?” The alpha snapped back to reality, the Beta had yet to finish his report. “Go on.”

But Dakea seemed reluctant to deliver this piece of report, but under the cold, pressure-giving gaze of his alpha, he had to spit it out. “There are whispers among us, it says that the humans already know about us, and if it is true, they will certainly come for us with their deadly weapons and hunting hounds.”

“Right…” said Karani slowly, but inside him anger built up. “And who was the one responsible for this? You! You and all you wolves at the frontline! What did I told you? To kill everything that might be a threat to us! This is the survival way passed down from our ancestors, and you let that lonely human and his dogs get away?!”

Dakea lowered his head and flattened his ears, ashamed, but in his heart, he thought. Isn’t this ‘killing-everything-in-our-way’ tactic the old way of the South Valley pack?

“Now get moving! Move our pack a little further east, closer to the food source and away from the humans!” ordered Karani. He then said in a low voice to Dakea, “And if the human still find us, or they mess with our plan, you will be held responsible.”

The pack of vengeful wolves got up and started their trek east very quickly. Their scouts remained, in their ‘Danger Zone’, to report everything that happen back to Karani at dusk, and return to their post again until their alpha decide that their time of vengeance has come.

 These scouts were extremely loyal to their leader, as only such fierce loyalty can put a wolf willingly in the danger zone while the others far away from it, and among these scouts was Dakea. He was not a scout wolf, he did not possess the stealth and agility required for this job, but he stayed behind, as he knew, if he was responsible for putting his pack in danger, he will be the first to be consume by it.

 

 Chapter Three: Finding Out the Truth

Shadowfang set out at once after his best friend, Kirdo inform him about the large wolf pack. His memories were clear, there was no wolf pack in this area when he first scouted the land, and no wolf pack of such size can just appear out of nowhere without him notice anything… except if they were following from behind, pursuing.

What if my senses are failing me? Shadowfang thought, but he shook of this dreadful thought, his worst fear away the next instant. He was trekking the way they got into their now residing home, if that wolf pack was truly pursuing them, they would have follow the same path.  

Shadowfang looked up to the sky, snow had started to fall minutes ago and it was getting heavier. At this rate, I’ll soon be in a blizzard… To keep moving may be dangerous, but who would expect a spy in the middle of a snowstorm? He weighed the odds, and decided to push on.

After Shadowfang walked for another five minutes, the blizzard built up, large amount of snow flew from the left, accompanied by strong wind that blew off the snow on the ground. The flying snow blinded Shadowfang’s vision, but he was not really affected by it, as he was relying on his nose to find the trail more than his eyes. But still, Shadowfang knew he can only go on for another minute or two before he must stop, as the snow and wind were pounding on his hide hard, and the terrible, mind numbing cold froze his

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