almost comatose like state of shock.

“Perhaps you are not as strong as I thought darling,” Steele thought, as he watched the two, through a small hole in the chamber wall.

“Oh yes, I’m right here Balto, come and get it.”

Steele had to suppress a laugh, he didn’t want to give away his position just yet.

Steele could have killed them both right then and there, neither one was in any kind of condition to defend themselves, but he intended to play with them for a good long while yet.

Steele couldn’t help it, and chuckled slightly as Balto tried to arouse Jenna, with little success.

“It’s just you and me now wolfdog.” Steele thought. “just you and me…”

Chapter 9

Tiru stood in the cool night air.

She was torn up about the loss of her sister.

They’d been very close.

Tiru was a little scared about staying out here, because of the hunters.

“But I can’t let my fear of them keep me from doing my duty to the pack.” Tiru thought, as she stared off into the blackness.

“I’m here so that the humans don’t’ get inside and kill everyone, and… and Jadze didn’t let that stop her, so it won’t stop me.”

At that moment, it wasn’t humans she should have been fearful of.

As she stood there thinking, a dark shape flew at her, and hit her.

Tiru rolled across the ground and came up in a fighting stance, ready to take on whatever had attacked her.

But…. There was no one there.

Tiru stared off into the darkness, but could see nothing.

She started to walk back towards her post, when she heard a sound.

She turned and looked into the woods, but again saw nothing.

Suddenly, something hit the back of her head, and she rolled forward again, this time, smacking into a tree.

Tiru hopped up again, feeling a steady stream of blood running into her mouth.

She spat it out, and looked once more into the darkness.

She knew there was something out there, but what…. she didn’t know.

She spat again, as blood built up in her mouth.

Then, he was there.

One second, nothing but black trees, the next… a dog, what or who she couldn’t tell, but she was frightened.

“Balto?” She said.

“Guess again,” the dark figure said, then he hit her in the face.

Tiru backpedaled, trying to remember all of the fighting training her dad and Shadow had given her, but it would be of little use in this fight.

The dog hit her again, and she fell over.

When she looked back… he was gone.

Tiru stood up.

Her mouth was now full of blood, but she didn’t spit it out, she was too afraid.

She could feel blood running down her nose as well now.

She glanced around the trees, looking for her attacker, but… she could see nothing.

Then, he was there again, right in front of her.

Tiru thought she was going to pass out, then he jumped at her.

Tiru backpedaled, trying to keep the slashing biting dog at bay, but having little success.

She felt little stabs of pain seemingly everywhere at once, as he just picked her apart.

One of his strikes connected with the side of her head, and she fell to the ground.

She closed her eyes, and waited for the burst of pain that would end her life…. but it never came.

Tiru opened her eyes.

He was gone again.

Tiru struggled to her feet.

She could feel little wounds all over her now, blood stained the snow crimson, as it ran out of her torn flesh, down her sides, and dripped to the snow.

All was silent.

Nothing moved, nothing made a sound.

No birds.. no crickets… no…. nothing…. silence.

She squinted her eyes, as blood from a cut above her eye, ran into one of them

Tiru turned and started to walk quickly back towards the cave.

“I’ve got to get inside, whatever this is, it’s messed me up pretty badly.”

She made it about five feet before the shape slammed into her again.

She fell to the snow.

Her head hurt.

She raised her paw, and went to tap her head, to see what she’d done to it…. her ear was gone.

Her paw came away bloody.

Fear gripped Tiru then, and she sprinted full out for the cave.

This did not deter whatever was attacking her, and she was slammed into again.

She felt a terrible pain in her front leg, and fell to the snow, rolling several times, before she stopped.

Tiru stood up and started to run again, but… she fell flat on her face.

She stared in shock at what she now saw.

Her leg ended about four inches from her shoulder…. it was gone!

A jagged piece of bone stuck out of the stump, and shreds of torn flesh hung to it.

Blood squirted from it, each time she could feel her heart pound, and Tiru realized that now, each time her heart beat, she was killing herself.

“Oh God!” She thought, “I’m not going to make it!”

The creature hit her again, and she rolled over several more times.

Tiru was passed feeling pain now, as she hurt all over.

She tried to stand, and found she could not.

Tiru heard a growl from the darkness, and she started to feel lightheaded.

She realized she must be losing a lot of blood from her viciously amputated leg.

Tiru started to crawl towards the entrance.

It was very slow going.

Tiru thought she heard something dragging through the snow, and glanced back to see it was her, or part of her anyway.

The creature’s last attack had hit her underside.

Tiru was too afraid to cry, and she was slipping into shock from the horrible wounds that had been inflicted on her.

She just clamped her jaw against the pain and kept crawling toward the safety of the cave…

Chapter 10

Aleu walked down the shelves of rock early the next morning.

It was time to relieve the sentries, and every morning she got up and supervised the relief, every morning since the shootings started.

Aleu hadn’t taken anyone with her this morning.

“It’s too early to wake up Shadow,” she thought, “and everyone else is asleep too.”

Aleu just figured she’d step outside real quick, make sure all the sentries were okay, then come back in, get the relief and lead them outside.

Aleu saw a white lump in the doorway of the cave… or actually, just outside it.

Aleu paused.

“Oh-no!” She thought.

Tiru had been on guard last night.

“Not again,” Aleu thought, “not to Melody, not again.”

She started to walk slowly toward the shape.

As she neared it, she could tell that it was indeed Tiru.

Aleu couldn’t tell anything about her, as she was covered by snow.

“Not a good sign,” Aleu thought, “that means that she’s been out here a while.”

Aleu brushed the snow off of her, and backpedaled toward the cave, so fast that she fell down at the horror of what lay before her.

Tiru was dead, no question about that.

Aleu’s mind reeled.

“Who could have done this?” Aleu thought, “she… she wasn’t shot, this is an attack! But… but … who…”

Then she remembered what Balto had said just one day ago.

“Steele.”

Aleu glanced once more at what was left of Tiru.

She shuddered, then she turned and ran back into the cave.

Shadow opened his eyes and looked up to see that it was Aleu who had awoken him.

He blinked a few times and yawned.

“What is it Aleu?”

A single tear rolled out of her eye.

“Aleu?” Shadow said, standing up quickly, “What is it?”

“Tiru.” Aleu said.

“What?” Shadow asked.

Aleu hung her head.

“She’s…. Shadow she’s dead.”

“How?” Shadow asked.

“I don’t know,” Aleu said, “but I have a theory.”

“What is that?” Shadow asked.

“Steele.” Aleu said.

Shadow nodded.

“Maybe.”

Shadow remained silent for a moment, then looked back up at Aleu.

“Show me. Maybe… maybe I’ll notice something you didn’t.”

Aleu nodded and jerked her head toward the door.

Shadow followed her.

Shadow wanted to be sick.

What lay before him didn’t even resemble the cute little bouncing ball of energy that Tiru had been.

At first Shadow had thought that it was a bear, so vicious was the attack… but the teeth marks were too small for a bear.

Shadow thought Aleu might be right.

“If Steele is indeed returned, we’ll need to take appropriate measures…” Shadow thought.

He backed away from the… thing that was sprawled in the snow in front of him.

He turned to Aleu, who had turned around, to keep from looking at it.

He walked over to her.

Shadow sighed.

“I’m going to go tell Timbre, maybe…”

He hung his head.

“Maybe he should be the one to tell Melody.”

Aleu nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Aleu turned to look at it once more.

She shuddered, then turned around and headed into the cave.

Shadow didn't know what he was going to do.

"How can I tell Timbre this again?” Shadow thought.

As he made his way up to Melody's chambers, he thought of what he would say.

There really wasn’t anything that would make this any easier.

Finally he’d reached the chambers of his friend.

He sighed, and walked inside.

Timbre was talking to Melody.

Shadow interrupted them.

“Hey Timbre,