when Aleu nodded her head.

“Shadow spent… spent the last few minutes with her.”

Melody looked down at the floor, her tears splattered on the rocks.

“I’m sorry Melody,” Aleu said.

Melody looked back up at her.

“Does… does Timbre know?”

“I… I don’t know, but I’m sure if Shadow sees him, he will tell him.”

Melody nodded, no longer capable of speaking.

“I’m so sorry,” Aleu repeated.

Melody looked back up at her.

“Thank you for telling me.”

Aleu nodded.

“Do you want me to stay here with you until he gets back?”

Melody shook her head.

“No,” she said, “I’d… I’d like to just be alone for a while.”

Aleu nodded, turned and walked out of the room.

Melody turned around and sat down again.

She didn’t trust herself to walk.

The tears really came then.

Melody laid down, covered her head with her paws and cried.

Shadow saw Timbre on the other side of the cave.

He’d finished his rounds, and was very tired, delivering news of the sort he had to tonight really took it out of him.

He looked up at where he knew Aleu was probably sleeping by now, then back to Timbre, who was laughing with some of his friends.

Shadow sighed, and walked toward him.

“Timbre?” he said, as he neared the group.

Timbre turned, smiling, and Shadow hated to tell him, wondered if he even could.

“What is it Shadow?” Timbre asked.

“Can you… uh… come over here for a second?” Shadow asked.

Timbre looked worried; he could tell something was wrong by the look on Shadow’s face.

“Excuse me guys,” he said, never taking his eyes off of Shadow.

He walked over beside him.

“What’s wrong?” Timbre asked.

Shadow sighed, and began.

“Timbre….”

Chapter 2

Balto was on his way to Jenna’s.

Though he lived with Luke now, he often spent the weekends with her, at her home.

Rosy and her family had returned from Shishmaref just last week, and she was somewhat busy keeping up with the young girl.

Rosy had missed Jenna for the month that they were gone, and Jenna was receiving some much needed attention from her.

It was late, but Luke had wanted to talk to Balto for a long time for some reason tonight.

He hoped Jenna wasn’t too disappointed that he was late, very late.

He walked down the snow covered street.

Balto thought about the events of the past month.

A dog named Togo had shown up, the dog had been insane or something, and had beat Jenna up pretty badly.

She was just now starting to get back to normal.

Balto suddenly felt a chill in the air that didn’t come from the temperature.

He smelled something… dead, dead for a long time.

His first thought had been that someone must’ve hit a dog or something, but there was nothing on the side of the road.

He turned around.

“Balto,” a dark voice said.

Balto looked behind him.

He saw the eyes first.

They were red, and they seemed to hover in the darkness under the porch of one of the houses along the road.

Balto was intrigued, then the smell washed over him again.

It made him want to throw up.

“Balto,” came that voice again.

He walked over towards the porch, and the eyes moved, walked out of the darkness.

Now Balto really did want to get sick.

The wolf had, at one time been black, but now it was burned, tufts of fur still hung on here and there, and its skin was a sickly pale color.

Balto thought it was moving, and then he really did get sick.

The wolf’s skin was swarming with maggots.

“Shade.”

The word just popped into his head.

Balto shuddered.

Aleu had told them about the demon wolf, but she’d said she’d killed him.

“He’s standing here now,” Balto thought, “so she must’ve been mistaken.”

The wolf grinned evilly.

“I want you to relay a message to Aleu for me.”

The wolf stretched.

“Finally, after all these years, I’m free again, and I’m coming for her, she will die:”

Balto shivered again.

The wolf stepped back into the darkness under the porch, and disappeared.

The red eyes faded.

Balto looked at where they had been.

“I must be more tired than I think I am,” Balto thought.

He walked over to where Shade had stood.

The smell was gone.

He looked down at the ground and gasped, there was a single, white maggot squirming it’s way into the ground.

Balto took a step back.

Then he turned and took off running for Jenna’s.

It didn’t take Balto long to reach her house.

Luke lived just down the street from her, so Balto was able to see her a lot, which he enjoyed.

He walked up the porch steps, and scratched on the door.

Sheae stuck her head out.

“Hello?” She said.

“Gosh they grow up fast,” Balto thought.

Sheae smiled.

“Hey dad, how’re you?”

Balto didn’t answer.

“Dad?” Sheae asked.

Balto shook his head, trying to get the image of Shade out of his mind, but he could still smell his rotten flesh.

“I need to speak to your mother, right away.” Balto said.

Sheae disappeared, and soon, Jenna stepped out onto the porch.

She smiled.

“Balto,” she said, “you are very late.”

“I know Jen,” Balto said, “Luke wanted to talk...”

Jenna’s smile vanished, replaced by a look of concern.

“Balto, what’s wrong, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I kind of did,” Balto said, “we’ve got to go to Aleu’s, now. I don’t have time to explain. I’ll tell you on the way.”

“What about the kids?” Jenna asked.

“Bring them with us,” Balto said.

“Okay,” Jenna said, “but you’ve got to promise to tell me what it is.”

“All right,” said Balto.

“Let me get the kids, and we’ll set off.”

“Make it quick,” Balto said.

About five minutes later, Jenna and the two pups stepped through the door

“Now what is it Balto?” Jenna asked.

I don’t have time to explain now, I’ll tell you on the way.

Then he and Jenna ran down the street, headed for the edge of the town.

Chapter 3

Steele tore into the wolf.

He’d found the young wolf walking around by himself, not something you wanted to do in these woods.

Steele had decided to stay away from towns, and was now living in the woods alone.

Steele still longed for Balto and Jenna’s suffering, but he realized that that endeavor would probably kill him.

He’d been very lucky last time, and he knew enough not to tempt fate twice.

So, much to Steele’s dislike, Balto and his little family continued to live.

Steele still watched them, though they had no clue that he was there, or even alive.

He’d heard Jenna talking to Balto about Steele’s “death.”

He laughed to himself.

He was enjoying his supper.

Steele still felt the urge to kill, but not so much anymore, he’d found it more amusing to hurt, rather than kill, at first anyway.

He’d kept in practice, sneaking out to the outlying towns and finding stay dogs, dogs no one would miss, and…. playing with them.

He also enjoyed going after more high profile dogs, dogs people would miss….

Those tended to be females, oddly enough.

Steele was almost finished with his dinner, when a putrid stench reached his nose.

He shook his head, trying to get it to go away, but it would not.

Steele looked behind him, and stood up rather quickly.

A red pair of eyes stared back at him from the darkness of the cave that he called home now.

Steele couldn’t explain it, but the eyes seemed to call him, to beckon him to join them, so he did.

Steele walked toward the glowing eyes.

He felt cold breath on his face as he neared them.

“St-ee-le.” The voice sounded like a wail, or a groan, or a combination of both.

Steele stood there, transfixed.

“Steele, I am Shade, lord of the underworld, and I have a proposition which I think should prove beneficial to us both.”

“And what’s that?” Steele asked flatly.

He wasn’t one to lose his cool easily.

“I know you want the lives of the two dogs, Balto and Jenna, do you not?”

Steele smiled.

“Of course.”

The voice laughed.

“Well, I have a plan to that end…. I can help you out, give you the ability to carry out whatever you wish to do to them, do you want that.”

“Sure,” Steele said, “but what’s in it for you?”

The voice laughed again.

“Very perceptive Steele, I want only one thing that I’m sure you’ll be glad to give me.”

“What my soul?” Steele asked.

“No,” Shade said, “I’ve already got that…”

Steele shivered a little with the confidence that the voice said that.

“… no, what I want can only be found in your realm.”

“My realm?” Steele asked.

The voice laughed again.

“Here, let me show you…”

Suddenly Steele was no longer in the cave, instead he was in an orange one, the ceiling stretched upwards for miles.

Steele looked up and saw some sort of red winged creature flying through the smoke filled air.

Steele looked down from the rocky cliff he was on, to see wolves, and dogs, and every other creature, walking on the orange floor, and they were burnt… burning!

The screams of the