on Kodi, your mother will be dying to see you" Balto said as he padded up the stairs leading to the porch. He scratched on the door, and after a few seconds Dingo poked his head out.

"Hi Dad" Dingo smiled as Balto padded inside with Kodi in tow.

"Hi Dingo, is your mother here?" Balto asked. Dingo nodded his head.

"Yeah she is. But, I wouldn't go in there just yet"

Balto's brow furrowed slightly "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"No, I mean...maybe. There's something I've got to explain to you" Dingo said, casting occasional glances at the living room door.

"Is your mother okay?" Balto said as he padded up to the door.

"She's fine Dad, but you might be in for a shock if you go in there" Dingo replied.

Kodi looked at his brother quizzically "Dingo, what's going on?" he asked. Dingo licked his lips.

"We, err...have a guest"

Balto, brow furrowed, pushed open the door and stuck his ehad inside the room.

"Jen, what's going...oh!" his eyes widened in surprise.

Jenna was lay on the rug in front of the fire, snuggled next to a scrawny little gray pup. She looked up as Balto stepped into the room.

"Jen?" he stared down at the pup who appeared to be asleep. Behind him, Dingo and Kodi padded inside.

"Dingo found him outside the butchers. He was unconscious when Dingo brought him here" Jenna said.

"Do you...do you know who he is?" Balto asked, unsure quite what to say.

Jenna shook her head "I don't know. I'll ask him when he wakes up"

Kodi padded up to Jenna "He's quite scrawny isn't he?" he said, looking worriedly at the pup. Jenna sighed.

"I know, poor little guy must..." she never finished her sentence as the pups eyes snapped open and focussed on all of them. He growled at Jenna as she tried to move closer.

"It's all right, we won't hurt you" she said.

The pup tried to stand, but his legs collapsed under him and he fell back onto the rug. "Who are you?" he snarled. "Where am I?"

"You don't have to be alarmed, your safe" Dingo replied. The pup glared at him.

"Your that dog from before aren't ya? Why'd you bring me here?"

"Because you collapsed outside the butchers" Dingo said. The pup's frown melted, and a worried and confused expression replaced it.

"I did?" he asked. Dingo nodded.

"Yeah. If I hadn't of found you, you'd probably be freezing to death out there. It's starting to snow pretty hard"

The pup looked at the window, and realised Dingo was right. He gulped.

"Wow. I...I can't remember anything. Thanks" he looked up at Dingo, who smiled.

"What's your name?" Jenna asked. The pup looked up at her, his defenses starting to crumble and his ears drooping.

"My names...Toby" he said, trying to hold back the tears.

Balto decided to step into the conversation "Okay, Toby. Can you tell us what happened to you?" he looked over the pups injuries.

Toby shrugged "Some chump who thought he was soo scary decided I was intruding on his turf. He wasn't playing fair. But I didn't come out entirely on the short end of things" he grinned.

"So what happened next?" Kodi asked.

"I just ended up wandering round town, looking for a place to sleep. I got hungry, so I tried looking in the trash cans for food. Then...the rest is a blur" the pup sighed sadly.

"What about your parents?" Jenna asked. "Where are they?"

Toby huffed "I don't know, and I don't care. I didn't get along with them"

"So your on your own?" Dingo asked. Toby nodded.

"Yeah. I've been wandering for a while, and then I turned up here. I wish I could remember" he moved closer to Jenna, who snuggled against him.

Balto cleared his throat "So...what will you do now?" he asked.

Toby shrugged "I'll probably just be on my way"

He tried to stand up, but his legs gave way and he fell back down on the rug.

"Or not. Heh" he smiled sheepishly.

Jenna smiled at him "Are you hungry?"

Toby looked up with a smile, tail wagging "Starving. I haven't eaten for three days"

"Well then," Balto smiled. "Until your back on your feet, this house is your house"

Toby smiled "Thanks...erm..."

"Balto" he replied with a smile.

Toby stared at him wide-eyed.

"The Balto!?"

--------------------------------------------

Lance slowly opened his eyes. He grimaced as a searing pain wracked through his body, white hot agony seeping through every part of his anatomy.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear the raging headache he was feeling, then felt something sticky under his stomach. He glanced down, and his heart started to race. He was lying in a pool of blood, and his chest and throat were drenched in it.

He felt a burning stab of pain as he attempted to stand up, his vision still blurry. As he did, blood slowly trickled down his legs from the many cuts and gashes all over his body. His tail and back legs were completely numb, meaning that he could only lift up his front legs.

As his vision began to clear, he noticed something else about the room he was in.

There was blood everywhere, on the floor, up the walls, and even on the ceiling. No way did he have that much blood in his body.

He felt something rub against his side, and he turned his head to see what it was. When he did, he wanted to throw up.

Next to him was a female husky. And she was very, very dead. She had deep bite marks all over her body, and one of her legs ended several inches from her shoulder, a mangled stump. Her face stared back at him in an eternal scream of horror.

Lance began to shiver, unable to turn away from the grisly sight.

"Who could have done this?" he thought, his mind racing. And that's when he remembered.

Frost.

Lance could only remember the name, but it was enough to make him shake in terror.

His eyes shot to the door as it opened with a creak, and a small dog poked his head inside.

Star let out a yelp as he saw the full horror inside the boiler room.

"Oh jeez!" he stammered. "Help! Someone help! Murder!"

He ran up to Lance as several more dogs appeared at the door, answering Star's cry for help. Their eyes widened as they saw the females body.

"Lance? Lance, can you hear me?" Star asked nervously. Lance felt his body sag suddenly.

"Too much blood loss" he thought defeatedly. His eyes began to flicker, as Star moved closer. Lance whispered into his ear.

"What Lance?" Star leaned closer.

Lance took a ragged breath, his vision clouding. He leant close to Stars ear, and whispered-

"Frost"

As Star watched, Lance's head sagged to the floor. Star turned to the other dogs assembled.

"Get Doc, quick!"

--------------------------------------------

Doc watched grimly as Lance's limp form was placed onto a sled, Star helping to support his head. Kaltag padded up to him.

"Blimey, what could have done this? He looks like he was savaged by a Cougar!"

Doc sighed "And the female?"

Kaltag shivered "I've never seen anything like it. She was...mutilated"

"In all my years as town judge, I can honestly say I have never seen such savagery" Doc said, as the sled carrying Lance took off towards the hospital.

"What do you think happened?" Kaltag asked.

Doc frowned "I want to have a word with Lance when he comes round"

"If he comes round" Kaltag muttered.

"Because, although it pains me to say it, I think he has something to do with it"

Kaltag stared at Doc "You mean...he did it?"

Doc nodded "It's possible. There were no other dogs around, and Lance being a member of Chester's team means that he'd be quite capable of inflicting such injuries"

Kaltag sighed "But...why?"

"I don't know" Doc replied. "But I intend to find out"

--------------------------------------------

Further away from the boiler room, Jewel was making her way home through the gathering snow storm. Her owners would be getting worried about her, and she was looking forward to playing with her girl.

As she rounded a corner, she heard something.

"Psst!"

She turned her head, and was confronted by a brown dog wearing a black leather jacket. He smiled at her.

"Hi there. I'm new here, and I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for the telegraph office"

Jewel smiled at the stranger. His warm smile sent a shiver through her body.

"Sure, I can show you where it is" she replied. He flashed her a warm smile.

"Thanks" he replied, and moved aside to allow her to pass.

They walked for a while before she spoke again "So, do you have a name?"

He looked at her "Yeah. The names Drake. Yours?"

"Jewel" she replied.

"Nice name. It suits you" he flashed her a wink.

She turned away from him for a split second, and when she turned back she saw him turn into an alleyway. Confused, she padded after him.

"Erm, Drake...the telegraph office is this way" she smiled at him. He didn't return it.

"I know. But I wanted to show you something first" he gestured for her to come closer.

Jewel padded into the alley, and upto him "So, what is it you want to show me?" she smiled slyly at him.

"Tell me something Jewel. What do you see here?" he asked, reaching into his

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