persecutors coming out from the forest. It was a young, silverfurred female, so similar to Tro, that Steele barely believed that she was Talbourne. But then dog smiled and sat on snow, waiting for corporal and her squad.

Wolfess stopped, confused, seeing that her target is no longer running and more over he waited, smiling. So she came to him, almost to the brink of bluff and asked said with powerful voice, trying to add herself more of seriousness.

“Stop, you are under arrest!”

“If you are going to perform that in person, I will surely agree.” Said malamute. “But in that case it would be much more comfortable, if you are under.” Wolfess pretended that she ignored remark, but in fact she felt some freezing premonition. “What is your name, sweety?” asked Steele.

“Corporal Spring, delta squad of Home Guard.” Replied female. “You will come with me.”

“Well…” sighed dog. “You are really nice girl. If not that war, I would go out with you, but now I’m afraid that you will come with me. There.” He pointed a valley in front of them. Then hit he overhang of snow.

Avalanche burst in blink of an eye. Spring failed even to scream, before the mass of snow took her ahead, down into the valley. The last thing she saw was Steele, laughing like a pup, who was seeing the snow for the first time. Maybe somehow he was – discovering for the very first time in his life, how beautiful snow is and how funny would be sliding down in deadly avalanche.

Giant mass of snow stopped on the bottom of Valley. By the way, epsilon squad of Home Guard – that was guarding the down of North Valley - hadn’t managed to get away from route of white death.

 

Epilogue – The New Year Begins

 

Steele was buried with avalanche for the second time in period of twenty four hours, so he thought he didn’t make it. But he was wrong – as you most likely already know, “third time luck” rule was applied.

Dog awoke in some white place, but not under a snow. It was like a place in clouds – around creature were swirling cumuluses of some light mass. Steele checked it – those weren’t cold, nor wet. He thought that hell is very defective.

“Ow, come on!” sounded a powerful voice from behind. “Don’t you know that all dogs go to heaven?”

“I always thought that saint Peter is a bit taller.” Said Steele, turning back and looking on blackfurred wolf.

Newcomer’s coat was black. Not just dark-brown, but black as moonless night or old ashes in the campfire. No lighter hair was visible on lean-built canine. He was male in indefinite age, but dog could call his appearance rather young one. In opposite, eyes of unknown were glowing with mysterious dark-light. It looked as a wisdom of centuries.

“I’m not saint Peter.” Replied black one. “I was called with many names…”

“…but the one you used to is Shade.” Finished Steele. “Is that right?”

“Good!” smiled wolf. “You know some basics. So our deal will take us less time.”

“Am I dead?” asked malamute straight.

“No, just unconsciousness under the snow.” Replied Shade. “When you wake up, you will have to dig yourself away and run. But you will manage – they don’t expect you to survive that avalanche.”

“I didn’t expected that too.” Confessed dog. “Is that your merit, that I’m still in one piece?”

“I could say so.” Replied Shade. “But don’t count on my powers. In your quest you will have to use natural means. After all the natural state is our goal. I hope that Kostan explained it to you.”

“Is he…”

“Were.” Corrected dark wolf. “He died in Aleu’s cave.”

“So were you in league?” asked Steele.

“No, he never knew about my existence. He just sensed that. Moreover he was a wise wolf. He expressed my plans even better than I could do it. So he was right – I chose you to fight a battle for me. The battle I can’t win here, so I must settle it on Earth.”

“Hey, wait!” gasped Steele. “I’m not an errand pup! Especially your!”

“Easy, friend.” Smiled Shade. “I know that. You will do what you will do not because of me. Your beloved ones… those who died, will force you to fight. I’m just going to assist you with my limited abilities.”

“Yeah, another one to whole bunch of good uncles.” Snorted dog. “But first tell me, who the hell is Aniu.”

Shade took a deep breath – if in the space on edge of living world we could talk about air and breathing – the said with suddenly serious voice.

“She is the mother of all wolf-kind. And mother of dog-kind too. We are one, great family, after all.”

“No one is perfect.” Murmured Steele. “So tell me one thing more – who are you?”

“I’m the one who was born soon after creation of our species.” Replied Shade. “I’m Aniu’s son.”

“Ow, how, sweet!” snorted Steele. “And you two are playing some cosmic chess, where we are pawns? But I heard some tales about you. You killed your mother, didn’t you?” He expected a decisive opposition, but dark wolf just nodded his head with sad stare. “Tell me: why?”

On muzzle of Shade appeared sudden wave of emotions. Wolf closed his eyes and throw from his throat almost a yelping words of complain.

“She always loved him more! She made Light her heir, in spite I was the one who really loved her. She betrayed me, giving the pack to Light and…” Then he stopped, opened his eyes and said with tone of shame in his voice. “That is not your concern.”

“All right, sorry to be so curious.” Murmured malamute. “But I asked only to correct some common beliefs about you. You are not evil.”

“I think that every matricide is evil.” Said Shade, again with tone of half-irony.

“Cut it! I asked if you are kind of devil here.” Said dog.

“You are thinking in very anthropomorphic way.” Replied dark wolf. “I’m an adversity, in particular Aniu’s adversity. And currently I’m doing bloody noble thing by stopping mom from her sick plan to conquer all wolves with our… I mean: Talbourne Clan.”

“Noble?” asked Steele.

“Hell yeah!” called Shadow. “We have to save the balance of Nature and stop that useless conquest. Our aim is to restore the old way of things – wolves living in packs, without any human-state-like tyrannies, that Aleu is trying to start now.”

“But… but why did you choose me?” asked malamute.

“You will learn you have some qualities to do that job.” Said Shadow. “At least I hope that.”

“I’m the killer and…”

“I’m too.” Interrupted him dark wolf. “But currently there is no one else to do that job. The world have to be saved, doesn’t matter who save him.”

“Don’t you think we are a bit too bloody bastards to lead that pious counterrevolution?”

“We are.” Replied Shadow with smile. “Maybe of cinders, but we are still the Angels!”

*

Aarre was leading his group third day in pursue. After their sergeant Vippo died, they all lost their hope. But Aarre decided to try once again. And his squad stayed with him, choosing him as a new commander, in spite that before the war he was just a private. But Vamma, Kova and others had accepted his leadership, hoping he would lead them to revenge on Talbourne.

So when they finally picked up the trail of lost enemy’s patrol, they started to pursue it. Months of shame and defeat were an excellent booster, encouraging them to wipe out that disgrace and destroy the foe, at least as many of them as was in their powers. Aarre decided that they would kill those Talbourne scouts, doesn’t matter what. However he was wrong.

On morning of third day of chase, they entered on snowed clearing where they expected to see trails of beddings. But instead of that they noticed two motionless bodies of Talbourne and… third one, laying farther. Just after that corpse was standing lone, old malamute, who was clearly eating the meat of killed scout. Aarre’s group stopped, seeing that shocking scene.

“That freak ate him!” gasped confused Kova.

Malamute turned out to have unbelievable sharp senses, because he hared that and quickly replied with gentle voice, so contrasting to his blooded muzzle.

“Ow, come on! What’s a big deal? I’m sure you will satisfy yourself with those two. I haven’t eaten even a pound…”

“Sick!” gasped Vamma, coming closer to dog. She was afraid of that weird creature, but she was also curious. That is always a first step to hell, but also to the knowledge.

“I don’t understand your scruples.” Said malamute. “You are shocked that I’m eating a wolf? Besides, that is a Talbourne wolf.” He added with quieter voice. “One of that patrol you were chasing since day before yesterday.” Ignoring surprise on faces of Uniea, malamute continued. “Let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass. And the caribou eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life. What the hell is the difference, if we eat grass, caribou or wolves?” Finished with passionate voice that could be taken either as divine inspiration or pure madness, or maybe both at once, then looked deep into Uniea’s eyes.

“Christ’s sake!” gasped Aarre. “He’s a freak!”

He was genuinely terrified by that dog, but also something in his big blue eyes was calling to him. Involuntary, even without knowing about it, he lowered his ears, as if he was talking with alpha of the pack.

“No, my name is Steele.” corrected him Steele. “But friends call me December.”

Taka_PL

November 2007

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