darling,” Steele said as he licked her head.

“It won’t be long.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, nothing that is but blood.

Steele laughed again, still watching the dying dog.

“You know,” he said, “since you were nice to me, I’ll be nice to you.”

He viciously tore at Juli’s throat, not breaking her neck, but very much so speeding her bleeding to death.

Steele stood there for another about five minutes before Juli finally looked up at him, a look of “why” etched across her pain stricken features, then her head sagged, and she stopped breathing.

Steele laughed to himself.

He imagined what Jenna was going to do in her last moments.

She was pretty feisty for a female, but Steele suspected that she’d lose that real fast when she knew she was going to die.

Even Balto, though he was going to be last, even he’d probably beg and cry, the wimp.

Steele turned and walked away from the murdered dog.

“Wrong place wrong time sweetheart.” He said, “No hard feelings, I too enjoyed last night.”

He started laughing and didn’t know if he could finish his sentence.

“You’re… you’re very talented.”

He continued laughing as he walked out of the door.

Chapter 6

Balto was standing outside the cave, talking to Timbre.

He and Jenna had decided to stay at the cave a little longer, as Melody was taking Jadze’s death very hard, and as her parents they felt that they should stay with their grieving daughter.

She still hadn’t left the chamber, hadn’t gotten up since Aleu had told her the news.

She wouldn’t even talk to Timbre, and he was having a hard time with it as well, apparently the only person she had talked to was Balto.

While he felt kind of good that she’d talk to him, he also felt sorry for Timbre.

Jenna was going to talk to him tonight, because she’d lived through what he was going through now, as Balto done the same thing after the accident, not wanting to talk about it.

“So…” Balto said, “what do you do for them, do you bury them?”

Timbre shook his head.

“We can’t exactly dig, we have a memorial for them, and then let them go into the river.”

Balto nodded.

“So when…”

Timbre sighed, cutting him off.

“Tomorrow morning.” He said.

Balto nodded again.

The two said nothing for a while.

Timbre laughed.

“You know Balto,” he said, “I can remember the first time she stepped out of the cave, right here. She wanted to take on the world.”

Balto smiled.

“Yeah, pups tend to be like that.”

“I wasn’t ever like that.” Timbre said.

“Eiko… he pretty much raised me, found me after my parents were slaughtered by the humans. He always taught me that I could do whatever I wanted to, except…. live forever.”

Timbre sighed.

“And in this world we live in today, the young ones are awful lucky to make it through their first year.”

He turned to Balto.

“Sometimes I envy you. You don’t have to worry about life… not like we do. It seems like every time I turn around the humans have attacked us, and another friend goes down.”

He sighed.

“I’m used to death, I grew up around it.”

He turned away from Balto and looked into the forest.

“In a pack like Eiko’s… well we were always fighting, and friends… well besides Iimos, I didn’t have any friends, not real ones anyway.”

He sighed.

“It hurts too much to lose them.”

Balto nodded.

“I understand what you mean.”

Timbre acted as if he’d barely heard him.

“I used to think that Eiko’s way was the right one, it was a kill or be killed world… but then I met Melody…”

Balto smiled, remembering the events that surrounded his daughter’s relationship with the wolf beside him.

Timbre turned back to him.

“… she saved me Balto. She saved me from becoming Eiko, and that’s what would have happened had we… I killed Aleu.”

Timbre fell silent for a moment.

“I love her so much Balto,” he said, “I... I don’t understand why she won’t talk to me, is it something I did? I mean, when I found out, I thought I’d have to support her, but now… I’m finding I’m the one that needs the support, I mean life just feels so…. meaningless. We bring our children into this world, and love and care for them, just waiting for the day when they’ll grow up, and become wolves themselves, with families and….”

He started to tear up again.

“… and then something like that human comes along, takes aim at them, and with one second, one ounce of pressure, just… ends it all. I mean is there a purpose to life? Or is it only a matter of time before we’re all shot and killed, and all the work that we’ve done, all the nurturing and protecting… is it all meaningless?”

Balto shook his head.

“It is tough, but… but seeing them happy, doesn’t that make it worth it?”

“I suppose so Balto, but then Ja… she was happy last night, it was her first sentry duty, her first duty to the pack….”

I loved it then… do I now?”

“Sometimes Timbre… sometimes bad things happen, and… and we can’t control it, we just have to roll with the punches, to enjoy the time we have with them. I mean, as… as devastating as the accident was, I wouldn’t go back and change it so that Jadze was never born or something… because there are still the memories.”

“You know what makes it harder?” Timbre said. “I think she hated me when she… when she died.”

“Why?” Balto asked.

She and I got into a fight, before she went out there. She was wanting to do more, go on hunting parties, all of the pack stuff that she was old enough to do now. I told her that she should take it easy, enjoy being young while she could, tried to caution her on growing up too fast…. I… I told her she had plenty of time to be an adult… guess I was wrong huh?”

Balto didn’t know exactly what to say to this, so he remained silent.

“Anyway, it dissolved into a yelling contest, and I.. I know I shouldn’t have yelled at her, but it… it angered me that she wouldn’t listen… well, now I can’t even apologize to her.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t hate you… didn’t hate you.” Balto said.

“She said she did.” Timbre retorted.

“Pups often say things that they don’t mean… just… just usually they come to their senses later.”

“But there is no later Balto. The last thing I heard my daughter say is I hate you.”

He sighed.

“Listen,” Balto said, “Jadze isn’t gone forever, yours or mine, they still live.”

Timbre looked away from him.

Balto walked in front of him.

“They still live in here Timbre.” Balto said, placing his paw on Timbre’s chest. “As long as you remember them, a piece of them stays here, and their memory lives.”

‘I guess you’re right Balto.” Timbre said “I..”

Timbre was cut off by a loud crash.

Balto heard a snap, and Timbre stumbled backwards.

Balto stepped back in surprise, as another bullet snapped by his head.

He looked down at Timbre.

“Go!” He yelled, “get into the cave!”

His voice betrayed the pain he tried not to show.

Balto looked toward the cave entrance, as the wolves outside started to scramble for it.

Another snap and a fountain of blood exploded out of one of the wolves’ face.

She fell to the ground.

Balto looked back at Timbre, and made his decision.

He bit the scruff of Timbre’s neck.

“What are you doing?!” Timbre yelled. “Get out of here!”

Balto didn’t listen to him, and drug Timbre behind a rock, bullets whizzing through the bushes around him.

Balto saw at least five wolves fall.

He crouched down beside Timbre.

“Where are you hit?” Balto yelled over the lessening gunshots.

Timbre gritted his teeth.

“My leg… hurts, it hurts bad. I don’t think I can make it to the cave, I’m safe here, at least unless they…. well it… it doesn’t matter. You can make it Balto, this isn’t your fight, go…. get out of here.”

Balto looked down at him.

“You’re family, so this is my fight and…”

A bullet ricocheted off the rock.

“… and I think I’m safer here anyway.”

As if to prove his point, another shot sounded, and Balto saw a running wolf fall, blood exploding from its side.

The woods fell quiet.

“Why Balto?” Timbre asked. “Why do they do this?”

“I don’t know.” Balto said.

He stood up and looked around.

He could see at least seven wolves that were down, and not going to be getting back up. One was dragging itself toward the cave, where the other wolves had decided it was safe enough to come out and help their injured pack mates.

“I don’t know…..”

Chapter 7

Steele snuck around to the window of the old mill.

He looked inside.

His target was talking to