from land had endured the merciless arctic weather condition, and would really appreciate a heartening welcome from the locals. But they stayed still. Balto especially, did not want to go near them anywhere within ten yards. They had sensed that these new dogs in town were not ordinary sled dogs, they were hunting hounds. They smelled wolf on Balto.

“The thing about the wolves out there is going to be a lot messier!” Nikki said even if it was so obvious. The trio, and Balto and Jenna were on their way to the boiler room, the new arrivals was certainly a topic to talk about for days and they were going there now to discuss what the future might bring.

“Quiet!” snapped Kaltag, he laid his voice as low as possible, “Those are hunting hounds out there, they are not as easy-going as the mailing teams’ dogs. You saw how they regarded us back then, as if we are enemies they are going to fight in a minute.”

“What? You mean they might backstab us? In our own town?” Nikki chuckled.

“Did you notice how they look at Balto?”

“Well… I did. Couldn’t blame them though, they’ve been hunting wolves for all their lives out there. But Balto isn’t a full wolf even if he has some wolf blood in him; with us sticking by his side, he should face no problem.”

Kaltag shrugged and look at Balto, but Balto seemed to be deep in his thought, he did not even seem to notice the conversation. He must be worrying for his brother, thought Kaltag.

The discussion in the boiler room was much more intense, but also quite controlled, all because of Kirdo’s present there. The wild wolf dog was there to collect news about the hunters and share some discoveries. Compared to what the dogs could tell him, he had little to give, as Shadowfang had yet to return from his investigation. “He is probably caught in the blizzard that rages on east of Nome.” Kirdo said.

The discussion in the boiler room continued as the blizzard slowly expanded and covered Nome and of all the while, Balto kept his silence, caught in thoughts to the point he did not notice Kirdo had slipped to his side.

“Don’t worry about us, brother. We survived the war; the hunters will be not much a threat to us if we are cautious enough.” Said Kirdo in a cheery tone.

Balto looked at his brother in the eyes hard, and asked “Have you really met a hunter and survived before?”

“Nah, just heard some scary tales told by the old ones in my pack, those stories were exaggerated and don’t really make sense in certain parts, I doubt how much truth are there in those fantasies.” Said Kirdo smiling as if this was a discussion about whether to go out and play in the snow or not.

“Just what have you heard?” asked Jenna.

“Well, they said the human hunters are unlike any other hunters in the world, they don’t need to get close to you in order to kill you. Some said they are able to harness the power of lightning and kill you from afar with a loud thunder.”

Balto sighed, so this is why wolves keep getting themselves killed by hunters. “Kirdo, those tales are real enough. The ‘thunder and lightning’ stuff is actually a device they invented called, a gun. It looks like a stick and it fires projectiles at high speed that the projectiles bury themselves deep into your hide and kill you.”

As Balto talked, Kirdo listened with great interest, but did not seem worried, which frustrated his brother who tried to put the idea of just how dangerous guns can be into his head. “What of another story about the hunter can bind the surroundings to their will and capture you with nature’s aid when you are least cautious?” he asked when Balto stopped for breathe.

Balto hesitated before answering the question, as if he was not sure about it, but he spoke nevertheless, “well perhaps they meant the traps the hunters set that blend kind of well with the nature, like nets on the ground or ropes that hang from a tree. There are many types of these traps, and if you aren’t careful when they’re around, you might just step right into them.”

“Most interesting, but what other tricks do the hunters have?”

And so Balto and Jenna, with some help from the others, explained the long list of ways the hunters would use…

 

Chapter Five: Order of a Mad Being

While the blizzard started raging in Nome, the blizzard in Shadowfang’s area was slowly subsiding. Shadowfang stirred, he shook off the snow on him back and began to keep a watchful eye on the wolves under the rock.

Out of the three wolves, Shadowfang knew two, Siria of course, and another black wolf, which he remembered as the beta wolf of his rival pack, Dakea. They had just come out of hiding and were talking about something, Shadowfang’s ears perked up to hear clearer, but all he could make out of the faint voices were something about food and report. I still don’t get it.

Soon, Dakea, and the other wolf, a tan colored one, left the camp, one went toward the east and the other to the north, leaving Siria alone. At the same time, it left Shadowfang to have no conversation to drop his eaves on.

As Shadowfang was about to curse in his mind, another thought entered his head. If I can’t hear what I want, I’ll force them out.  

Shadowfang crept silently towards Siria under the rocks, which filled this field. Siria did not seem to notice his approach; her eyes looked solidly towards the opposite of Shadowfang. When he was within range to leap, Shadowfang jumped. He bumped the tan colored wolf off her paws and stood upon her.

 Her scent filled his nostril.  Still no smell of blood, she is as pure as she was… Shadowfang hesitated.

This hesitation could well cost him his life. Siria caught her chance and threw her attacker off her body, and she took on a defensive posture. Her eyes widen as she noticed who just attacked her. “You!”

 Shadowfang cursed himself. His action was supposed to be swift, totally unpredictable, and cruel, yet he executed it like a soft hearted fool—at least he thought he was. What’s done is done. He thought as he got on to his paws, growing as he shifted his body to a defensive posture.

To his surprise, Siria relaxed. She looked at Shadowfang, who was still growling, for a moment and spoke, as kind as the day they first met, “I think I know why you are here, reasons, right?”

Shadowfang’s eyes still glowed with vigilance, but he nodded slightly. Seeing this sign, Siria spoke.

“After the war, our pack found out that we suffered a lost, but it’s not just something small, it can tear our whole pack apart.

“The Eastern War Pack, my pack, was form after a war. Two packs clashed over a piece of territory, we fought until both side lost about half of their numbers. Our alphas concluded that both packs would be destroyed if this war doesn’t come to pass. So they decided to unite the packs, as the food in the territory was able to feed both crippled packs now.

“Still, after such a long time of rivalry, they found out they can hardly trust each other, and suspicions led to lots of fights. The main reason of this? The balance of power. After the war, the alpha of the South Valley Pack was appointed the alpha of the new found pack; this unbalanced the power sharing and authority of the packs, as the Moon Rock Pack didn’t have one who shared the same power as the other one. The alphas were wise, they thought of a simple way to stop all the quarrels, the alpha male of the South Valley Pack would mate with the Moon Rock Pack’s alpha female. Since the packs members were all very loyal to their original alphas, the quarrels stopped naturally.”

Shadowfang growled lightly, this history meant nothing to him, Siria was wasting his time. 

“After our triumph of the battle with your pack,” Siria continued, “We found out our alpha female was dead, slew by a wolf-dog. This, again, made our balance of power dropped to one side. Fights and quarrels and even murders were everywhere, and our remaining alpha male, weak and inexperienced in politics as he was, unable to keep the peace. Until the pack broke into two, a huge lost to what’s left of the Eastern War Pack.

“Our alpha, slightly unhinged by the lost of both his mate and half of his pack, went what I suppose a little mad, he gathered his remaining followers, and intended to hunt down this wolf-dog who started it all.”

Shadowfang stood still, trying to absorb what he had heard. So they are indeed coming for us… He shook as a flashback of sad memories hit him, the memories of his former life in the pack.

Siria did another thing that surprised him; she seemed to know what he was thinking, though he was known for him skills in concealing his emotions and thoughts. But what she spoke did not please him at all.

“Hey, its okay you lost the war, it’s only how things should be. Whoever survived the war long enough to see the packs’ unite are all veteran warriors, expertise in their own skills. On the other hand, you pack had never fought any major battles before.”

Shadowfang felt anger rising inside him; that was his territory, his pack should win! But before he can say anything, or try to say anything, a howl pierced through the sky and echoed around the forest.

“You have to leave,” said Siria urgently, “Quick! They are coming!”

Shadowfang did not need the tan wolf to warn him, he knew what that howl was, a call for battle, certainly not from his side. He dashed away like a black wind into the forest, retracing the path he used to

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