relief, when about dawn Remer awoke him up and reported they are ready.

“Fourteen jaws, excluding me.” Said senior guardian. “I had to left four of mine soldiers have to stay here, due to minor wounds. But we will kill them anyway.” He saw trails of enemies and was burning with want of battle.

“Good…” nodded Dash. “Remer… I must ask you for something.” Wolf looked in eyes of his dog companion with curiosity. “I mean it: obey me! I know that formally I’m just sergeant, or senior scout if you prefer old title, additionally not of your unit. But I’m also Aleu’s brother and her life is the stake. Shadow chose me as leader of that hunt and I hope you will respect it.”

“Sir!” replied surprised wolf. The idea of disobeying Balto’s son sounded strange to him. “I never meant to…”

“I mean your… overzeal about your duties.” Explained Dash. “I don’t want to see you freaking out, just after see those wolves. We have a mission and Shadow’s orders.” He turned away from warrior and went to order march to his new unit.

“With all due respect, sir.” Whispered Remer, when dog went away far enough not to hear him. “Neither you nor Shadow have nothing to do with my mission. I will kill ones who murdered my brother.” And he smiled with half-mad smile.

Then he joined to column of his unit. Dash was on the lead, because he – as most skilled in scouting stuff – was not only a leader, but also a guide. Remer took his position on the end of group, next to Grace. That was his little… their little secret. Grace once was a mate of Mark, killed in Nome two months earlier. Remer took to his unit wolves who mourned death of someone who was close. That was one of his unofficial condition of joining to team. So all of his fourteen guardians were sworn avengers, burning with bloodlust. He also had something like own intelligence. Thanks to Mary, once mate of his brother and then new mate of intelligence officer – Gilbert, he found that mysterious pack who killed Wemer was most likely the same pack that was responsible to kills in Yu Range. It wasn’t a coincidence he volunteered to Shadow’s expedition. He – as well as his companions – were fighting no longer for the greater glory of Talborne, but to greater glory of its dead ones.

III. Behind the Enemy Lines

Initially the way was very easy for Avengers. Old Beech Pack knew that land well – it was their land before Uniea War. After war and tragic events on Nome Backwater, Avengers – led by Steele - fled from those forests and started their guerrilla near the Eagle Pass. They left their home, because attachment to place would make their revenge more difficult. Talbournes, seeing that area on north-east from Nome was vacant (six more pack fled from them too, while five others joined Aleu’s forces) they claimed it.

Those conditions made Avengers attempt much easier. In spite of joining, Talbourne Clan counted about eight hundreds regular clanners and about two hundreds from allied or subdued packs. But they occupied whole Seward Peninsula and additionally waged war on home territories of Uniea, behind Yu Range. That meant lots of wolves had to watch over… not just big, but enormous area. Low average density of soldiers on Talbourne lands was tempting to storm it in one, surprising strike. After breaching the outer defence… that meant: Shadow’s offensive, eventual saboteurs would enter almost unguarded forests. Of course in Home Cave stationed almost one third of Talbourne forces, but Steele hoped that Aleu, hearing about possible attack would send most of them in searching. Fruitless, hoped malamute.

So Avengers were running on well known paths of old home. Steele led them, because he also knew those forests. His numerous adventure, fights and retreats happened nearby too. Only Unieas were new there.

“I knew how it looks, but I never suspected it is so… terrible.” Murmured Muista, walking between Kostan and Steele. They crossed a small, half-frozen torrent and entered pine forest of old Beeches keep. Dog was wondering why the heck Beech Pack was called like that, in spite there was no beeches around. But he decided not to irritate his new pack with indiscrete questions.

“What do you mean, July?” asked leader. “Don’t you like our land?”

“That is dead’s land.” Explained Kostan. “On Daie’s court I was also responsible for general intelligence agency. We studied population issues on Seward Peninsula.”

“What?” gasped malamute, not slowing his march. “You did what?”

“With team of elders we were estimating sudden expansion of Talbournes. That led us to some very interesting conclusions.” Steele nodded his head, encouraging old wolf to talk. “We learned that something improbable happened on Alaska… I mean that two pack in the same time started their sudden expansion on neighbour groups. Those were Uniea Pack and Talbourne Pack.”

“Deer’s droppings!” snorted Steele. “Both them are conquering others since generations.”

“We learned it too.” Confirmed Kostan. “But you would be surprised, if you know more about that. Uniea started they conquers four generation ago with Daie’s great grandfather. On the other side of mountains Talbourne entered that path just three generation ago, maybe even two, counting leaders. We believe that once alpha of Talbourne, called Nava, started that process about thirty years ago. Pack… - or then we should it call <clan> - soon make up any backwardness, due to easier geographical location on corner of land and lack of dangerous enemies. It seemed impossible, like those two conquers were leading by some unseen paw. Leaders of both clans – whoever was in charge that time – made perfect decisions, as we look on those from future expansion perspective. So sooner or later those two rivals had to meet and clash. But… I don’t understand further events. We should have won that war. All objective circumstances were on our side. Talbournes were unprepared, exhausted with earlier conquers, had worse officers…”

“I guess that every losing side say something like that.” Noticed Steele. “But tell me something more. You said that you observed all processed around the war. So what caused that behaviour of Talbourne and Uniea? All I know about wolves leads me to conclusion that such conquers are unnatural for your kind. And if they are natural, why that expansion happened here and now? Or there and then.” Corrected himself Steele. “If such possibility of clan’s expansion existed in the past, why it succeeded just few generations ago?”

“Some said those were heavenly verdicts…” said Kostan, sounding with a tone of shame in voice. He wasn’t a superstition wolf, but all his fight in rational reality was shaken and crushed by past year.

“You just claimed you have some scientifically approach to the world. I see you also like the backroads.”

“Some old wolves, who remembered Daie’s grandfather… I heard about it in my puphood… So they claimed that Daie’s line was blessed by Aniu, because alphas of that family followed ways of Mother of Wolves. But they left those commandments many years ago, so Great Aniu decided to support the other clan instead. It happened to be Talbourne.”

Steele laughed, with no malice intentions – just that story amused him. He found in Kostan very strange and complex personality, mix of rational mind and many absurd beliefs (it was not only about Aniu, Steele noticed his second in command was superstitious in many other aspects), also a tough courage blended with some very unwarriorish sentiments. He didn’t want to offend old wolf, but sometimes he didn’t know how react on his strangeness.

“I repeat what I heard.” Said Kostan, with tensed voice. “I just recalled that some wolves said Daie’s ancestors were loyal Aniu’s followers, but when it changed, Mother of our kind turned her muzzle away from us. That is just a legend…”

“But only thanks to this legend you could explain that your side has lost.” Finished Steele. Then he understood he really offended wolf. He added quickly. “I didn’t mean to make fun neither on your clan nor on you in person. I just… Maybe let’s back to original subject. What you said about dead land?” Muista answered on that.

“War and even earlier expansion of Talbourne thinned total number of wolves of Alaska. I mean: that one group is getting bigger and bigger...”

“I got the point.” Replied Steele. “But he is getting bigger mainly because of those who join it. Meanwhile he bleeds and cause others to bleed in those fights. Last war was surely a massacre.”

“It’s not only about that.” Threw Kostan in. He was still angry on Steele, but interesting subject wrapped up mind of wise wolf. “Wolves are meant and designed to live in packs, usually not larger than twenty creatures. If few packs merge into bigger group, we call it <clan>. But clans usually are born for few weeks, just to help in hard hunts of late winter. Uniea and Talbourne were phenomenons – they somehow existed for seasons and years… but that isn’t a way of Nature. Clans, as bigger, are less efficient mean of survival.”

“What do you mean?” asked Venn, who was marching just after them and heard that talk.

“Simply – giant groups spoil the balance of natural food chain. There is much waste more in hunts in huge gatherings. Additionally clans thin down number of game, destroying local ecosystems. So they have to move farther or extend area of hunts… to break another ecosystem. If Uniea and Talbourne haven’t starved yet, it was done only thanks to wasteful exploitation of environment and constant wars, that kill many of soldiers. Uniea and Talbourne grew bigger, but total number of Alaskan Wolves got lower.” He sighed with thoughtful expression locked on muzzle. “It’s hard to say something like that about own clan… but we were parasites. If Talbourne were destroyed too, I would believe that was Nature’s self-defence.”

“From now on we