struggling with his enemy, trying to bite him at the neck, but his old age was wearing him down… Worst of all, Semas was getting backed up again, despite that he still looked quite stunned and dazed.

We can never win them if I don’t get to the shadows, or Semas join the fight. They will tear Rokal down before I can do anything. Shadowfang thought as he slapped his snarling opponent on his muzzle. He took the chance and dashed towards the shadow.

Despite Rokal’s state, he held out impressively well against his much younger rival. He managed to scrap a long wound on the young wolf’s side and not receiving a single wound up to now. However, he would not keep the upper hand for long as soon as Semas join the fight.

Shadowfang lunged at his former enemy, who was looking around in confuse. As Shadowfang hit him, he grabbed his opponent by his neck and bit hard. His enemy howled in pain and tried to escape his grip, but he did not let go. However, he saw Semas charging at him out of the corner of his eyes…      

Then a song echoed through the forest. Its presence was so unexpected that everyone, even Shadowfang, was stunned. They stopped the fight and listened to where it came from.

Out of distance, from the beyond, a song that misses home! Over the woods, across the hills, a wolf that walks alone! With a tired mind, with a missing heart, the traveler returns home!

Semas recovered the quickest, but he did not dare to make an attack, “What trickery is that?” he demanded. The two wolves under Semas’ lead were surprised too, but they stayed alert.

The good news for Rokal and Shadowfang was, they knew whom this voice belonged to. The bad news was, they were not sure if this being could help them get out of the fight.

A wolf burst into the clearing from the left side. He had the same shiny black pelt of Shadowfang, but that all they had in kind. He had a cheerful face that was constantly smiling, and a pair of woody brown eyes.

He gave a wink to Shadowfang, and started talking, “A nice day, gentlewolves. But why is this mess in such a nice place?”

Shadowfang knew this hint, it meant strike when it is time, and to do this, he remained motionless and looked at the new comer with fake caution.

 Semas and his two wolves took the bait, as he asked, “Who the heck are you?” His two followers listen attentively. At that moment, Shadowfang slammed into the wolf he was biting and bit Semas’ neck from the back. This time, he bit hard, Semas screamed in agony as blood oozed from the wounds.

Rokal saw what was going on too, he but the wolf he was fighting and pulled him off balance. He clawed ferociously at his enemy’s chest once he fell down. The black wolf that interrupted the fight bumped into the wolf that Shadowfang slammed into, keeping him from attacking the others.

Finally, piercing scream filled the clearing, after that an abrupt silence. Shadowfang dropped the dead Semas onto the ground, fresh blood kept flowing out of the deep wounds. He had broken Semas’ neck, which killed him almost instantly.

The two remaining wolves who intruded the clearing looked at their fallen leader, frozen by shock and maybe fear. They looked at the three wolves with widened eyes, and then rushed towards the exit of the meadow. Shadowfang snarled at them, prepared to give chase, but Rokal stopped him, “They’ve fought well, not very honorable, but still acceptable. They deserve to live if they admit that they lost. Besides, we have a much more important thing to talk about.”

If you know the reason they are here, and that they will not stop until we are all reduced to a pile of bones, you won’t be so sure about that! Shadowfang thought angrily. Still, this old wolf had a point; he looked at the new comer, whom he knew well.

“Curse you! Finally willing to show yourself up huh? If you have show up a week or so ago, you could have save us from so many damned troubles! Do you have any idea how that poor girl feels?” Rokal barked in anger.

Before the black wolf could answer, a flash of brown charged into the clearing. Rokal and Shadowfang hardened, ready to face a new enemy. But they did not have to, for it was just Mista, shaken and obviously stunned, her fur was wild as well as her eyes. She walked slowly towards the new black wolf, and rushed to his side and pressed her neck against his.

“You’re alive! I was worrying to death! I… I thought you were dead! We thought you were dead! Where have you been, Mukhas, Where have you been?”

 

Chapter Seven: Striking a Deal

The hunters returned to the town at evening, the bags they were carrying were obviously lighter, and they have tired grins on their face. As for the hunting hound they brought along into the forest with them, he looked weary, but still on alert, as he still eyed Balto and his friends, who were watching him from an alley across the street.

Balto felt his hackles rose when the hunting hound met his grace, he had a feeling that the hound’s eyes must be anti-wolf, and he was not doing it non-intentionally.  Still, he had to talk to this hound nevertheless, if he wanted to make a deal. Beside him, Jenna shifted this position in unease.

Kaltag was with them, too, since he was the one who suggested this. The other two members of the trio, however, were not present. In fear for Star might upset the hounds with his suddenly blurt out words, which were strange and often in high pitch, they decided not to bring him along. Surely Star was not pleased by this decision, so in the end Nikki had to stay behind to calm him down and accompany him.

The hunters must be very tired, as after they fed their hunting hounds, their room went dark. Balto listened attentively for any sound that came from inside the building, but all he picked up were mice crawling around and water dripping against something.

“What are ya’ doing here?” said a raucous and deep voice from beside Balto, and all three of them jumped away, Jenna yelped in surprise. The hunting hound, a Lurcher, was looking at them from under a light source, he was not in a defensive posture, but Balto could see wariness in the hound’s seasoned eyes. He was not a very tall dog, but he had strong legs, built up in countless pursuing creatures for his master. His fur was a light shade of brown and white on the belly. He had a darker strip down his back, starting from the nose. His eyes were brown, but it was a color that was close to red, which gave him a savage look.   

“We need to talk for a moment,” Balto said to the seasoned hunter, he was not very sure about this. What if he smells the similarities of scent with his brother? What if he brands him an enemy for being a wolf-dog?

“Talk? Talk, sure!” said the hound, with a dry chuckle, and suddenly his expression harden, “I don’t talk to strangers, this isn’t my style. Tell me the names before we move on.”

And so the three dogs from Nome introduced themselves to the hunting hound. And for all the while, the hound listened with an amused face, as if their names are funny foreign languages. “You have some great names, huh! Anyway, Hunter is my name. Not the one my dead mother gave me, but that’s what they called me, but that’s not important! Say, what’s the little talk you want with me.”

“Now, why are we chatting here? This is not a comfortable spot! Come along.” Balto was about to speak, but Hunter cut him off again, he felt irritated for that but Hunter obviously did not notice it.     

“I’ll speak first; we need a more cautious approach.” Kaltag whispered to his two companions, they nodded.  

He led the two dogs and one wolf-dog into the shed beside the main house. The other hunting dogs and sled dogs were all resting at the far corner of the shed. Some of them woke up and stared at the new comers, but did not do anything as their leader, Hunter, was with these new comers.         

Hunter settled down at the corner beside the door, “We will have the little conversation here,” He said to the three canines. Balto looked around the room, there were around eighteen dogs, a large crowd, in the room and only a few were awake. At the right side of the wall were two sleds, hunting equipments and wilderness survival kits were placed around the sleds. Two dim bulbs were hanging loosely on the wooden ceiling.

Once the three visitors were all seated, Hunter signaled them to bring out the business. “We are curious about what you did in the forest with your masters,” Kaltag started, “Mind telling us what you did in there?” Balto and Jenna nodded simultaneously.

“Huh? Ha-ha!” Hunter laughed, his body leaned to one side, “What more can I do in those trees under the name Hunter? Other than tracking prey?”

“So… did you picked up any scent of what you are hunting?” asked Jenna.

“Yes!” Hunter said immediately, ready to tell his audience what he did, “I find more scent of wolves than I ever think I would in my hard life! I was just simply walking around, not really focus in my job, and then I got this wolf’s scent there, I followed it and it led me and my masters to a random spot in the forest. And there I smell more than seven wolves! It must me a whole big pack! Fortune really takes a damn good care on my masters!”

“You like to hunt wolves?” Balto probed.

Hunter shook his head, “No, No I don’t. I’m just doing my job, nothing more than that.”

“Why don’t you like it?” Balto

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