Tim sighed. “Drake… please… don’t hurt her… I never… ever intended to hurt her.”

Drake stared at Tim for a few minutes.

“Tim, the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Tycha is now a wanted suspect in an assault, possible murder. Friend or not… she’ll be apprehended by whatever force is necessary.”

Tim shook his head. “No. Drake you can’t be serious.”

“I am Tim… it’s my job.”

Drake turned and walked away.

“First Jenna, now Tycha?” He thought. “Boy this is getting crazy.”

The next morning was one that Balto had

been dreading.

It was today that Jenna would stand trial and that Drake would hand out her sentence.

Balto knew what that could be, but…

“I can’t live without Jenna.” Balto thought. “I can’t… no matter what, I won’t let Drake take her from me.”

Balto hated the thought of opposing his friend, but for Jenna, Balto was willing to do anything.

“If only to make her smile.” Balto thought.

He made his way to the old mill a bit slower than usual that morning.

Saba was woken from her sleep by a gentle nudge and stood up.

“Aniu?” She asked. “What’s up, why are you waking me up?” She yawned.

Aniu smiled.

“My child, your time has come. Today will be both a beginning and an end. Please stand.”

Saba stood up and looked at Aniu.

“…but I still have so much to learn… you have so much to teach me…”

Aniu smiled. “Don’t worry about that child, only do the best you can. It will be enough. Now, stand still and close your eyes.”

Saba did as she was ordered.

A moment later, Saba felt a pressure on her chest, at first only slight, then it grew, until it began to really hurt!

It took all Saba had to keep her eyes closed and to not take a peek at what was happening.

She felt a blast of wind against her face, and then the wind started to twist, striking her sides as well. It was all Saba could do to remain standing.

Finally Saba felt herself falling.

It was like before, the wind rushing by her face and then…

SPLOOSH!

Saba was under water!

She felt herself sinking and started kicking her legs, slowly beginning to rise to the surface.

Saba was beginning to run out of air as her head finally broke the surface and she coughed.

Saba paddled over to the bank of the river and climbed out of the water.

Once she was out, the wind blew and Saba shivered.

“What a way to come back.” She thought. “Now I’m just going to freeze to death.”

Saba felt a little different. She felt the same as before, she was Saba, but… different.

She padded over to the edge of the river and looked into it.

What she saw made her gasp.

An unfamiliar wolf stared back at her from her reflection. No longer was she red and white, as her mother was; gone was the slim form the guys had liked so much.

Saba was now covered in long white fur, the fur of a wolf. She had twin black markings… almost like two crisscrossing lightning bolts, on her either side of her face. Saba was still slim, but she could feel a strength within her body that she’d never had before; the strength of one who has had to hunt to survive; the strength of a wolf. Saba’s baby blue eyes were now a bold amber. Her paws were much larger, as were her legs.

Saba thought she could probably run a lot faster now.

“I’m alive.” Saba said to herself. “I’m alive.”

A voice in her mind suddenly surprised her, and she stepped back, almost falling back into the river.

“Yes my child, you are alive, but you do have a job to do. You know where you are, go home. It will take you some time to get there and the Talbourne desperately needs your help.”

“Aniu?” Saba asked. “How…”

“A part of me is now a part of you my child.” Aniu said. “Now you must go. Go!”

Saba turned and ran.

Saba ran very fast.

Chapter 10:

Balto finally reached the old mill and walked inside.

Instead of taking his place beside the other dogs however, Balto walked up on the raised portion of the floor and back to the shed where Jenna was being watched.

Drake was standing there.

“Balto.” He said. “Go sit with the rest of them.”

“Drake…” Balto started.

“Balto.” Drake said. “Please, don’t do anything you’re going to regret. There’s nothing you can do for her.”

Balto found himself growing angry.

“Let me speak to her Drake.” Balto’s tone made it clear that his statement wasn’t a question.

Drake nodded. “Alright, but only for a few minutes. You hear me Balto? A few minutes.”

“Fine.” Balto said.

Drake stepped aside and Balto nudged the door to the shed open enough to slide inside.

Jenna’s head appeared from the dark corner of the shed.

“Balto?”

She stood up and smiled. “Balto!”

Balto walked over to her. “Hey Jen.”

A tear came to Jenna’s eye. “What’s going to happen to me Balto?”

Balto sighed. “I really don’t know.”

A few more tears rolled out of Jenna’s eyes, and she buried her head in his shoulder.

“…but I promise you I will not let him hurt you, no matter what.”

Jenna raised her head. “I… I can’t live without you Balto.” She said. “I… I just can’t. I love you.”

Balto nodded. “I do too.”

A sharp rap on the door let Balto know his time was up. He sighed and stepped back. “I’ve got to go Jenna, but don’t worry. It’s going to be alright… everything’s going to be alright.”

Aleu was woken the next morning by a loud crash outside the cave.

“Oh no.” She thought. “They’re here!”

She stood up and woke Shadow.

“Shadow, wake up!”

He yawned and rolled over. “What is it Aleu?”

“Did you not hear that?” Aleu asked.

“No… I guess not.” Shadow said.

“It was a gunshot, really close to the cave.”

“Great.” Shadow said. “I’ll get the team.”

Aleu nodded. “I’ll take care of the kids first. We’ve got to fight them. This is our home.”

Shadow nodded. “We’ll do our best.”

Shadow started to walk outside the cave when Aleu’s voice stopped him. “Shadow…”

He stopped and turned. “I love you… be careful.”

He smiled and nodded, then walked quickly from the chamber.

Outside the cave, the situation was degrading fast, and by the time Aleu and Shadow joined the fight, many wolves had already been lost.

The humans were close to the entrance however, and this gave the Talbourne an advantage.

The humans weren’t that dangerous up close, where the wolves were very dangerous.

The humans had lost several of their soldiers when they began to pull back, realizing that they weren’t much of a threat at a distance.

Soon, the firing stopped and the wolves cheered.

Aleu smiled and looked at Shadow and the other’s. “We did it.” She thought. “We won the first battle.”

Suddenly a green sphere popped out of the trees in a high arc. It landed on the ground and rolled up to a group of about ten wolves’ feet. One of them bent his head low and sniffed it.

Then it exploded.

The concussion from the blast threw almost every wolf that wasn’t in the cave to the ground.

“What was that!” Aleu’s mind screamed.

She couldn’t hear and her vision was a little blurry.

Her vision soon cleared, and she wished it hadn’t.

Where the ten wolves had once stood there was now a big burned spot, and behind that, a pile of shredded wolves.

The blast had thrown pieces of them in every direction.

“What else do these humans have?” Aleu asked herself. “Is there anyway we can survive? Is there anyway we can win?”

Tycha stumbled over another hill.

Things weren’t exactly going as she’d planned.

She’d cut herself when she had tried to escape Trina’s home.

Dealing with Trina had taken a little longer than expected, and Dusty had shown up just as Tycha was finishing the young husky off.

Since it wouldn’t do to get caught covered in blood in a murdered dog’s home, Tycha had had to revise her escape plan.

The new one was simple; go through the window.

However things hadn’t turned out to be so simple after all.

The broken glass had cut her leg, and a piece of the frame had stuck in her shoulder. It had broken off, and was still lodged there.

The cut on her leg was deep, and she couldn’t move it very well.

“No, this definitely isn’t going how I pictured it.” Tycha thought.

She moved to climb up the next hill.

Tycha had no idea where she would go, but she would find somewhere. After all, she’d been a stray most of her life. She was used to starting