we didn't have any evidence to suggest otherwise. No one ever imagined that these murders could be perpetrated by dogs''

He looked at Doc ''Did you think it was wolves who attacked Anchorage?''

Doc nodded slowly ''Yes we did. I mean...''

''How could you not? I understand, wolves are still stereotyped in this way. I myself believed it too''

Doc nodded solemnly.

Chester continued ''Anyway, it wasn't until twelve bodies had been found that we caught one of the dogs responsible. An eyewitness came forward who had seen one of the murders taking place, and had followed the perpetrator. We sent a team in to capture him for trial. You can imagine how stunned we we're when we realized it wasn't wolves committing the crimes''

''Well we caught this guy, and we brought him forward to be tried. That’s your job isn't it?'' he asked Doc, who nodded.

''The thing is, the judge in Applegate was...Carver''

There was a stunned silence, and Jenna gasped softly. Chester nodded grimly.

''At this point though he was known as Drake, and I can honestly say I have never met such a trustworthy dog in my life. I felt like I could trust him even though I had never met him before''

''I felt exactly the same way'' Jenna said, as she remembered how she had liked Carver as soon as she had met him.

''That was how he fooled you. How he fooled everyone, including me. When I met Carver, he seemed like such a nice guy. Someone I could tell anything to. And that was my mistake''

Chester paused, and Dingo noticed a single tear briefly roll down the huskies face.

''During the trial, and I still don't know why, I got talking to him. He asked me about my family back in Anchorage, and I told him. Told him about my daughter, my home, everything. I just felt so comfortable talking to him. If I'd have known what I was letting myself in for...''

Jenna nodded absently. What Chester was saying about Carver was exactly how she had felt when she had talked to him. How easy it was to talk to him about personal matters she would normally never tell anyone. It made her sick to her stomach as how easily he had manipulated her.

Chester continued ''On the day of the verdict, we were all waiting for Carver to reach a decision. But he never showed up at the courthouse. He had vanished completely. As for the accused, he died the very same day. We didn't realize at the time that they were rabid, and since the murders stopped then it just...blew out of memory''

''I left Applegate a few days after that. You can imagine how relieved I was. My daughter had only been a week old when I had left, so it a chance to settle down and do what a father was meant to do''

Chester's voice faltered then, and something similar to a sob escaped his mouth. Doc looked uneasily at Jenna, who was nuzzled in Dingo's fur.

''Sorry. As I was saying, four months past without incident. I saw my daughter grow up, and I saw her start to have relationships. None of them lasted, she was set on the mate she wanted, and none of them were good enough for her'' he smiled faintly.

''Then one day, she came home with a friend she had met in town. His name was Grant''

Doc stared down at the poster of 'The Pack', and at Grants grinning face staring up at him. He remembered how Chester had continuously glanced at the picture as he had pointed out Karla at the house. And now he knew why.

''They got on exceptionally well'', Chester continued. ''So well in fact, that she started talking to me about puppies. None of her relationships had gone that far, and I could tell that she loved Grant. Even I liked him, and I hadn't liked any of her previous suitors. And then one day, I was in town, and I saw...him''

''Carver?'' Dingo spoke up. Chester nodded.

''I couldn't believe it. I walked upto him, right in the middle of the street, and he didn't recognize me. I explained who I was, about the trial and everything that had happened, and I asked him why he had vanished. He said that I had the wrong dog, and that his name wasn't Drake but Carver. I didn't believe him''

Dingo listened intently, as outside the wind began blowing harder.

''That was when the murders started happening again. By the third day seven bodies had been found. The humans got involved at that point, as they felt like us that it was the work of wolves. They ran tests on the bodies, and discovered that they all had traces of rabies''

Doc gulped. He remembered the rumors. They had sent a chill down his spine.

''Things got hectic at that point. Patrols, dogs like myself included and humans were set up patrolling the town. There was a curfew set up, and all dogs found out alone at night were shot as a precaution''

''That’s horrible!'' Dingo exclaimed. Chester glared at him.

''It was the only way! We didn't want to do it, to kill fellow dogs, but we had no choice!''

Dingo sighed. He knew that Chester was right, but it didn't make him feel any better.

''Despite all this, the murders kept happening. Some victims were killed in the day, and everyone was in a blind panic. Rumors were spreading like wild fire, all of them pinning the blame on wolves. But this time I wasn't so sure. And I knew, point blindly, that it all had something to do with Carver. And I was right''

''Things came to a head when the first human life was claimed. I've never seen such terror on their faces before. Now it wasn't just dogs that were being killed, humans were too. The culprits had to be found quickly. And it was me who found them''

Doc stared at Chester wide-eyed ''You found them?''

Chester nodded grimly ''I saw Carver again during one of my patrols, but instead of pulling him there and then I followed him. I tracked him to a building on the outskirts of town, and I found him there with fifteen other dogs. I was stunned because I knew some of these dogs. One of them was a very good friend of my youngest son''

''Fitz?'' Doc asked, peering down at the grinning face of the pup on the poster.

''Yes. I mean, he was little more than a pup, and yet he had murdered so many. I realized then how much danger my own family had been in. Then there was Karla, who's parents I was very good friends with. I couldn't believe she was involved either, a female committing murder on such a scale!'' he shook his head.

''I ran back to town, and I informed the rest of the team of 'The Packs' location. But I made a mistake. He heard me''

Dingo looked up fearfully ''Grant''

''Yes. He had asked me on previous occasions if he could become part of the team, and he was in the room when I told of their whereabouts. I was so stupid''

''You couldn't have known. You can't blame yourself'' Doc said.

''But I do. Because while we were assembling the team, it was Grant who informed Carver about what I had seen. So when we arrived there, they were gone. Luckily, they left a scent, and we used this to track some of them down. The humans shot them dead''

Jenna felt sick as she imagined the scene in her head. Dingo nuzzled her reassuringly.

''We managed to find five of them, but the others got away. And when I came home that night, I found my daughter...'' he faltered.

Doc padded upto him ''She was...dead''

Chester nodded, another tear trickling down his face ''I knew then who it was who had let slip the information. It could only have been Grant. And he had taken my daughter from me''

Chester wiped the tears from his muzzle with his paw, and glared at the poster in Docs grasp ''It was then that I took it upon myself to avenge her. And I won't rest until Grant is dead, and at my hands''

He took a deep breath, and then looked at Dingo.

''And that’s why I know exactly how you feel. They took my daughter, and they've taken your father. But you must understand how dangerous these dogs are, and why you mustn’t do anything rash. Leave it to us okay?''

Dingo nodded slowly, a tear coming to his eye ''I'm...I'm sorry. About your daughter''

Chester nodded grimly ''So am I''

Doc padded upto the husky ''What about Balto? If you find him, what will you do with him?''

Chester paused, glancing at Dingo and Jenna in turn.

''Well?'' Doc demanded.

*************

Gareth couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched. As he tried to look through the swirling white around him, he shook his head trying to shake off the sensation.

The harsh wind biting at his face, he padded into a near by alley that was protected from most of the blizzard. He glanced up at the sky, at the low dark clouds promising more snow to come during the night.

Had he glanced behind him, he would have noticed the swift, shadowy movements of his pursuer.

Gareth scanned round him. After several minutes, he began to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

''I’m not alone''.

He stopped, listening carefully.

''Well...well...well! Look who showed up to crash our party!''

Gareth span round to face the source of the voice, but he couldn't make it out in the shadows.

''Who's there? Identify yourself!'' he ordered, scanning round frantically from left to right.

''Oh you know me Gareth my man! After all, who knew you better than me?''

A chill went down Gareth’s spine ''No! Not you'' he whispered.

A sharp movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he span round coming face to face with his pursuer.

''Oh my God'' Gareth stuttered.

Grant smirked ''Well hi there Gareth! It's been a while!''

Gareth took a step back ''Grant! How did...'' he stammered.

''How did I find you? Trust me it wasn't difficult. Looking for Carver were we?'' Grant asked, a vicious smirk plastered on his face.

Gareth gulped ''Please...don't hurt me''

Grant raised an eyebrow ''Hurt you? Gareth how dare you accuse me of such a thing! No, I want you to do me a favor''

''A favor?'' Gareth exclaimed.

Grant nodded ''Yep. We need something doing, and your the only guy who can do it''

Gareth suppressed a laugh ''Oh really? Forgive me if I sound rude, but I would hardly jump at the chance of doing a favor for a scumbag like you Grant!''

Grant's smirk faded