and Kaltag is shutting the door." More mumbling, then Teal went on. "I know it sounds like Kaltag is terrible, but I do not doubt in the least that Steele made him do it. He said 'I'm sorry' before he pushed the door shut. It was really dark in there. The only way I knew it was Steele is the size when he hit me and by his scent."

"Who did that to you?" Another dog asked, nodding at Teal's neck. "That would be Steele. I got on my back and he tried to bite my head off, but I threw him off before he got the job done."

"How?"

"I put my back legs under him, around his stomach, and I just kicked really hard and got him off."

"How did you get out?"

"I walked over to what I thought was the door, fell into a hole, crawled a short ways through a tunnel, dug through a thin layer of snow, and I was out." He could hear more murmers. Then Kaltag walked into the room. Everybody stared at him. He looked at them, then at Tera (who was still standing beside Teal) and then at Teal. "Hey." He said nervously, but with deep concern in his voice. He saw the bloodstained towel around Teal's neck. "Hey man, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. It's just that Steele-" Teal motioned with his head that he understood. With a comforting voice he said, "It's okay Kaltag, I know."

"Nikki's the other one."

"I know that too."

"How did you get out?" Teal told Kaltag the story and spent the next hour talking about it with the others. Whil that was happening, Steele and Nikki were making their way back to the kennel when Toby saw him from his window. He ran out the door and over to Steele. "Wait boy! Wait a second." He looked at Steele's mouth and chin. They were matted with blood. "So you did this to Teal, huh?" Toby said in an angry tone. He stood up and hit Steele on the side of the face. "You better be happy I don't do more, mutt." Steele growled and snapped at Toby. He just walked away. Steele charged him. Toby started running, Steele close behind, growling and barking, furious that a human had dared hit him. He almost got Toby, but the hospital door kept them apart. Steele and Nikki went to the kennel where nobody else was. "What are we going to do now, Steele?"

"I don't know. First I gotta get this blood off me. If the others see it, well, you know."

"Then what? Are you still going to take him out? You got close back there."

"Not for a while, at least. I don't want rumors to start. Teal's probably told them all about it but, I don't want any more damage done to me that can be helped." Nikki replied angrily, "What about me!?"

"What about you?"

"I've got a rep to protect too ya know. And not to make anyone in particular angry, but it's considerably better than yours. Come to think of it, I don't even know why I helped you. Why did I even consider getting involved in this? You asked me to help you kill someone, and I agreed! What was I thinking!? You insulted Kaltag in an unnaceptable way, you want to kill someone just because he's more popular than you are, you care more about your shabby excuse for a reputation than you do mine, and mine is better if I do say so myself! You're the most selfish dog I've ever seen! DANG! I can't believe I was so twisted. I can't believe I got sucked into your sick hatred so easily. I'm out of it. You're on your own." With that, Nikki got up, gave Steele a menacing glare, and headed off to the mill to see if he could set things strait. "COME BACK HERE YOU STINKIN' FOUR-LEGGED WUSS!!" Steele yelled, but it didn't do any good. Nikki got to the mill door, paused for a minute, then went inside. Teal saw him, gave him an angry look, and said, "You have a lot of nerve, to show your face after what you did to me."

"I know, Teal. And I know it doesn't fix anything, but I've come here to say I'm sorry. I know it sounds wimpy, but I don't know what else to do or say. I don't want to be hated by everybody, I want your forgiveness. Please."

"I don't hate you Nikki. But I will keep my eye on you. I'm not tryin' to run this place, but I need to do what I can to keep myself from being killed, you know? You're going to have to convince me again that you can be trusted."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I can't believe that I got sucked into his evil that easily." Everyone was silent. how could you end a conversation like that? Teal and NIkki finished and after an hour or two, Teal heard a bell. "What's that?"

"That's the dinner bell." Tera answered. "I wish he'd just call us. That bell thing is kind of dumb."

"It does seem a little wierd."

"He doesn't do it all the time, but I still don't like it." They all went to the kennel where they found a bowl of food set out for each of them. Everyone got to their bowl and started eating. Tera tried to get a bowl but every time she found one another dog pushed her out of the way. Apperently the kennel master had left a bowl empty (on accident). Teal didn't notice, but Tera couldn't get a spot. While he was eating, he looked up and around like all the others did. At first he didn't see anything wrong, but then he saw Tera, sitting by herself, up against the wall. The kennel master had left, so he didn't see her without food. He asked Kaltag, who was eating beside him, "Hey Kaltag, save my spot, will ya?"

"Sure Teal, no problem." Teal walked over to Tera and asked in a kind and gentle voice, "Hey, what are you doing over here? Even I don't eat that fast. Didn't you get food?"

"No, actually. I didn't."

"Why not? Didn't the kennel master give you anything?"

"I don't know. He just got the bowls and left one empty for some reason."

"Well, uh, here, " He took her over to his place. "Take mine." He smiled at her. She smiled back. Kaltag looked up and saw them. He nudged Teal's shoulder. He looked around and Kaltag batted his eyes at him, then he grinned. Teal whispered in his ear, "Stop that, I'm havin' enough trouble without your help." Kaltag gave a hushed laugh, then Teal turned back around. "Are you sure?" She asked. "You've been through a lot today. Aren't you hungry?"

"Yeah, but, I want you to have it." They smiled again and she started eating. He sat over behind her. Steele had cleaned himself up and had come in about ten minutes earlier to eat. Teal decided to take a walk outside. Steele saw him go, and had an idea. "If I apologize to him, and make it sound real and earnest, he'll tell everybody else about it, and they'll probably let me back 'in' so to speak. Then I can get him another time." He grinned at his 'ingenuity' and started off slowly toward Teal. When he caught up with him, he said, "Uh, hey Teal." He turned around. "What do you want?" He snapped. "Hey, ease up I just wanted to talk."

"Yeah? Oh sure I'd just love to have a chat with someone who tried to kill me.""I know, I know. But what I wanted to say was that I know what I did was wrong, and that I should apologize and ask for your forgiveness." This was very hard for Steele. But he gritted his teeth and went on, using the thought of him ripping Teal apart to make all this easier. Teal arched his eyebrows. "Really. That's a whole lot coming from you."

"Please. I-It would mean a lot to me if I knew that everybody would talk to me again, and if I had your forgiveness."

"I dunno Steele. You're a very hard person to get along with." Steele looked exasperated. "Come on Teal. I'm tryin' hard here. Cut me a break." Teal thought for a minute, then he said in a slow, stern tone of voice, "Steele. . . I'm going to give you another chance. Under one condition: Do not lay one hair on Tera. If you do, I will find out, and I will go straight into that mill and spread so many horrendous lies that will forever wreck you that it'll make your head spin. Got it?"

"Y-yes. I got it. Thanks." Steele said as he walked away. He had just done the hardest thing in his life: ask someone else for forgiveness and saying 'sorry'. "but" He thought. "It'll be worth it when I pound his worthless carcass into the ground." The next morning, the day before another race, Steele was out mentally preparing himself (or at least that what he said he was doing) while Teal was in the mill, talking with the others. "I'm tellin' you, he came up to me and said he was sorry. And that he wanted my forgiveness. He said it meant a lot to him that everyone would talk to him and if he had my forgiveness. I told him I'd give him another chance." One of the other dogs asked, “Why?”

“I don’t want anybody to have grounds to call me unfair. Besides, he sounded sincere. You’re probably right, though. I’ll keep my eye on him.” They talked a while longer, then Tera got up and said, “I’m going to talk to Sylvie.” Sylvie’s owner had been sick for a few days, so she stayed at her house most of the time. Teal saw her go. He had been thinking hard about her, and now was a good time to talk to her without big ears and gossip machines around. He caught up with her and started walking beside her. “Hey”

“Hi.” She answered back. There was some awkward silence, then Teal spoke up. “Uh, Tera?”

“Yes?”

“Am I annoying you by talking and walking with you?” She looked puzzled. “No, of course not.