air.

He recognized the sound and sighed. “Probably one of the sentries.” He thought. “Wonder who we’ll have to deliver bad news to tonight?

“Aleu?” Shadow said.

No one answered him.

Shadow’s heart quickened.

The last place he’d seen her had been on the ledge, when he’d spoken to her almost an hour before.

“I was sure she’d follow me in.” Shadow thought. “She said she wanted a few more minutes.”

Shadow decided that maybe she was just asleep, and stood up, looking beside him, but Aleu’s familiar form was absent.

Somehow Shadow knew what had happened, how he didn’t know, but he knew.

He stood and ran out onto the ledge, calling her name. “Aleu! Aleu answer me!”

He stopped as he saw the ledge… and at the end, Aleu, crumpled in a ball in the middle of a spreading puddle of bright red blood.

“ALEU!” Shadow yelled.

He ran to her side.

Aleu didn’t respond, didn’t move at all.

“Aleu you can’t give up on me!” Shadow yelled.

He bit the scruff of her neck and began to drag her backward, towards the safety of the cave.

A second crack sounded, and Shadow fell. His shoulder felt like ice, and it hurt!

He looked at it, but he already knew…

The human had claimed a second victim.

Shadow had seen many hurt wolves, and had seen many of them die. He knew intuitively that the wound was deep, and serious. Blood already covered his shoulder and left leg, and he could feel blood dripping down his right leg.

The bullet had punched straight through him.

Shadow tried not to think about what the consequences of that would probably be, but instead willed himself to stand and resume dragging Aleu toward the cave.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Shadow made it into the cave and collapsed beside Aleu.

She still didn’t move.

With much effort, Shadow picked his head out of the rapidly spreading pool of blood both their wounds had caused, and looked at Aleu.

Her eyes were closed, and she didn’t move.

A tear came to Shadow’s eye and he smiled, licking her face for what would probably be the last time.

“At least we’re together.” Shadow said.

Then his strength gave out and Shadow’s head fell to the floor.

Neither of the wolves moved.

Long live the Talbourne Clan.

Chapter 2:

Tim didn’t return home until early the next morning. He snuck quietly up the ramp that led to the top deck of the old trawler.

Tycha was there waiting for him.

“Hey Tycha…” Tim said.

Tycha just looked at him, hurt evident in her eyes. “Tim… I have a question for you, and I want you to tell me truthfully.”

Tim nodded. “What is it Tycha?”

She sighed, and a tear came to her eye. “Tim… do you love me?”

Tim sighed, and remained silent.

With every passing second of silence, Tycha got more and more upset, finally breaking out into tears.

“Don’t worry Tim,” she said. “Your silence has answered everything I could have ever asked.”

Tim sighed again. He’d never meant to hurt Tycha. He still cared for her, but as more of a friend now, a best friend none the less.

Tycha was clearly upset now. She walked a short distance away from Tim and turned her back to him. Tears streamed down her face. Tim had never seen her this upset before. He felt bad.

“I didn’t want to hurt her.” Tim thought.

He sighed and walked over to her. “Tycha…”

She spun around, cutting him off. “Just leave Tim!” She said. “Don’t do this, just go! Go back to your little girlfriend in town! She stopped yelling and sighed. “I don’t… I don’t care anymore…”

Tim sighed. “Tycha please…”

Tycha gritted her teeth and hit him with her paw, knocking him backward.

Tim stumbled back in shock. His face hurt.

Tycha growled at him, as he raised his paw to his face and then looked at it., as if unable to believe what Tycha had done.

She had never hit him before.

Tycha started crying again and turned away once more.

Tim felt even worse now. He walked back over to her. “Tycha please…”

Tycha spun around, and without warning, hit him three times, pushing him back to the edge of the deck. Tycha scowled at him, and hit Tim one more time, knocking him over the deck railing.

He crashed to the snow below, about a twenty foot fall.

Tim felt the air whoosh out of his lungs as he struck the ground, and it took him a few minutes to stand up.

He looked up to the deck where Tycha still stood.

“Go on Tim! Don’t you ever come back! I never want to see you again!” She yelled.

Tim hung his head, but realized it was probably in the best interests of his personal safety to listen to her.

Tim turned and began to slowly walk away.

As Tycha watched him go, a great sadness and almost depression came over her. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Tim, but he’d hurt her deeper than anyone could possibly have done with the sharpest knife.

“I’ll get you Trina…” Tycha thought. “You’ve taken away the thing I love most, so I’ll do the same to you… after all, I have nothing to lose now.”

Tycha hopped down from the railing and went to prepare herself.

Dash was a little concerned as he walked up the shelves of rock that led to Aleu’s chambers that morning.

Aleu and Shadow usually showed up at the relief of the sentries from the night before, but today, neither of them were there.

“They probably overslept.” Dash thought. “Yeah… that’s it… overslept…”

Even as he tried to convince himself that were alright, he was remembering the sound from the night before.

He’d woken from a horrible dream, but was unable to remember what it been about, just that he’d wanted to scream, and had when he woke up. Soon after he thought he’d heard a shot.

It was muffled, outside the cave, but he’d thought that was what it was. Soon after, it was followed by another.

Two shots.

Dash had gotten up and went to check on the sentries, but they were all alright. They too said they’d heard them.

Dash had thought about reporting it to Aleu, but it was late, and as everyone seemed to be okay, he decided to tell her in the morning.

Now though, as he climbed the last shelf, he couldn’t help but think that Aleu might already know about the shots in the night…

Dash stopped at the entrance to her chambers and called his sister’s name. “Aleu?”

There was no response.

“Aleu!” Dash called.

Still nothing, then, a scream; it sounded like Luna.

Dash ran into the chambers and froze, shocked beyond any response at what he saw.

Aleu and Shadow lay in the middle of the floor, exactly where they’d fallen. A wide red pool of blood spread from underneath them.

In front of her parents sat a very shocked young wolf.

Dash hurried over and turned Luna’s eyes away from the sight of her parents.

“This is something a child should never have to see.” Dash thought.

He looked down at Luna.

She was shaking.

“Luna, are you alright?” Dash asked.

Luna nodded.

“Listen to me.” Dash continued. “Go get your brothers, keep them from coming in here, alright?”

Luna nodded again and turned, running into the next chamber.

Dash looked back at Aleu and Shadow and sighed. “What are we going to do without you Aleu?” He thought.

Then Dash leapt back, surprised.

“Impossible…” he said under his breath.

…but as he watched it happened again.

Aleu and Shadow breathed.

They were alive.

“That’s suicide!” Timbre yelled.

“We’ve got to do something!” Dash said. “You got any better ideas?”

“Taking her back to Nome would be the same thing as just killing her here.” Timbre responded. “Why take her all that way if that’s all you want to do?”

Dash sighed. “Timbre look… In all my years living there I never saw one thing that would lead me to believe that Doc would kill her… or Shadow.”

“All your years?” Timbre asked. “You mean in your year, right? You were a year old when you came here.”

Dash sighed and nodded.

“That’s not long to know someone.” Timbre said.

“Look,” Dash yelled. “If we don’t do something both of them are going to die!”

He stopped and sighed. “Now I’m taking her, that’s not arguable, the question is… are you going to help me.”

Timbre sighed. “Yeah, I guess at least they’ll have a chance.”

Dash looked down at the two and sighed. “Whatever we’re going to do we’ve got to hurry… they don’t have much time…

Balto was walking down the street later that morning. He was a little worried about Jenna. She seemed to be taking Everest’s death really hard.

Balto hated losing his son as well, but he understood that, as hard as it was, Everest had broken the law, and he’d known the possible consequences that