warm. So in few hour after that temperature was still tolerable. But on evening Steele judged that there is no use to risk further lose of strength. Before the moon woke over horizon former leader dug another snow-shelter next to some branchy spruce and fell asleep. This time his dreams turned to be more merciful – he dreamed about nothing and didn’t long for nothing. He just turned off his senses and reason and waited in pitch-black slumber to next morning (of course that instinct - not the sun still hidden behind horizon – told him that a new day had begun). Then he woke up and continued his wandering. He still had over one hundred miles to go and up to him – not to his master – was to find some food. Also he had to worry about daily route and management of his endurance. Steele was quickly learning to think like both dog and human. And if even he considered that situation as highly unnatural, easily adapted to it.

“Today I have to eat something.” Murmured still running.

But in next second he cursed in mind. If he already had started to talking to himself, he had a problem. The old Steele was living in pack, in Nome community. He additionally used to be a chief of group of his followers and be surrounded by crowd of flatterers and admirers. But on that morning there was no one who wished to listen what malamute said. This was very hard to faded star, even maybe more that hard route.

The snow wasn’t falling anymore but thick layer of whiteness was lying on Steele’s way. Forest was covered with wet mass, turning march of dog into serious effort. Former leader almost regretted that taiga hadn’t been iced by heavy frost – maybe it would cooled him but it also would made way much easier, by freezing wet snow too. “I would have been moving faster.” Whispered, this time silently. Fugitive was walking and running in the same time – he was moving his paws like to run but his movement was much slower.

Leader’s reason made him to stop about he midday. Then it made him to seek for prey. Steele felt gentle but growing sore in his stomach and knew that he had to hunt something, before he lost all his strength. Although his situation looked him at the first sight, malamute expected no difficulties with finding some meat. Long-gained experience of sled leader was telling him that somewhere under a snow there are tasty creatures. Additionally in that days he had no competition from others predators – in February, during winter hunger, all wolves gathered in large packs and chase cabiru’s herds to south. If dog ever met such a pack he would be quickly beaten to death by hungry and starvation-driven carnivores. But the wolves were not there, at least so far. That why some smaller creatures were easier to spot and catch.

Clap!

This was the last sound that white hare heard in his life. He had a bad luck to hid in snow too shallow, so Steele easily caught him. Even without scent the animal was almost seen due to clear drift on the snow. Hare was inexperienced and that had cost him life. He weighed just few pounds but that few pounds pleasantly satisfied fugitive’s first hunger.

“I haven’t hunted since...” thought Steele, finishing his meal. “I don’t know... Since a year? Yes, then we were going with aspirin from Galena. Master Kaasen had to release us on hunt because he had no more provisions.” Then he suppressed that recollection of old owner. But in last motion of defiant mind he realized that trapper probably was considering him as dead. “Good. It’s better for me that he think I’ve died on the route. I hope he’ll never find out what I’ve done to him.”

Steele moved ahead, still looking for snowdrifts – a omens of next delicacies. Instead of that he found something else – a rival.

[Picture by Dorcia © 2006]

Young wolf  - maybe two-year-old, was sitting under a pine and devouring fast caught weasel. A weasel was a hard prey – creature could retaliate even to much bigger enemy and it was actually smaller than hare. Wolf gained some scratch on muzzle but he got rather minimal meat ration. Steele ruffled his fur, listening out if that single predator wasn’t just a omen of whole pack. Former leader was ready to retreat but after tens seconds he estimated that encountered carnivore is alone. Beside of that, he didn’t spot malamute.

“And what now?” thought fugitive. “I won’t fight with him for remnants of some weasel! But if he leave me alone?” He growled quietly to show his presence.

Adolescent wolf with dark coat jumped in place with fear and anger. He turned his muzzle to the newcomer. Steele noticed that youngster is extremely exhausted and panting from hunger. When he was barring his teethes (still bloodred after devouring weasel), he faltered. His pose was expressing full scale of desperation, to which he was driven by his long fast. In his eyes was glimmering madness, tempting him to attack malamute.

“Easy, I’m just passing thought.” Murmured former leader. “Bon appetite!”

But just after he said that, he realized he made wrong. It sounded like some kind of mockery. Wolf swallowed the last piece of meat and started with hobbling march towards the dog. Then growled in response.

“This is my territory. You steal my preys.”

“Sorry, pal. I didn’t mean to...” said Steele carefully, trying to discreetly pass his living barrier. “You haven’t marked this area or this frost iced totally my nose.” He tried a jest but it was useless. “What’s the matter?” malamute was both amazed and amused. He judged that he could easily took down that wolf with single hit of paw. He was never a professional fighter and probably he would be prevailed by healthy and well-fed male, but in that moment he was standing against a quarter of a wolf. “Do you want to fight?” asked, thinking if darkfurred was so desperate to intending act of cannibalism on tamed relative.

“You steal my preys!” growled wolf once again, slowly closing to former leader.

Steele had enough of that farce – he turned away from predator and started to run on west. He wanted to move away from pathetic desperate, leaving in place with all his hunger and madness. But wolf was passionately hobbling after, of course much slower. “Pity of him.” Thought Steele. “So young and so stupid. But what I have to do with him?” And then he heard that steps ceased. He stopped, turned his head to see that wolf fell helplessly on the snow with lolled tongue and closed eyes. “He wanted to fight with me?!” thought amused dog, looking on fallen <enemy>.

But when he made a first step in resumed way, suddenly some unexpected bolt enflamed his mind. “Save your pack!” ordered voice in his head. Malamute had no idea why the wolf should be member of his pack but anyway he clenched his teethes and went to lying predator. Darkfurred was panting heavily, being just on the edge of consciousness. Hunger was burning his body and recent effort had ultimately broken endurance of creature. He was dying.

Acting instinctively, just like some other Steele came into fur of former sled leader, he started to cover wolf with snow. After short while he burred him under the coat of whiteness, making shelter from wind and frost. He knew that every joule of energy for the unconscious was worth of it's weight in gold. In last move he cover muzzle of male with snowy quilt and started ahead – on hunting.

Unfairness of life showed in whole its power to Steele – when he was hunting for his own there seemed to be a lot of food. But when he tried to share his prey with exhausted wolf, all creatures disappeared. Hares seemed to burrow into the Earth’s core, rodents dens below trees turned to be empty and bigger animals seemed to move on south, probably proffering to became wolfs packs meal. At the dusk he finally found and killed some lost roe. He got in that way over twenty pounds of meat. He instantly ate half of that. He knew that wolf needed much more food to regain health, but in first place he required an efficient caretaker, namely: Steele. “It won’t waste in my stomach. Stronger I am, faster I get new preys. And event this ten pounds should save him for some time.” He didn’t know why he was already considering stranger as member of his pack, but he felt responsible for him. So dog grabbed rest of prey and started to walk in wounded direction. “Faster, faster! I must get on time!” was repeating malamute, dragging roe’s carcass thought snow.

He got there about the midnight, but there was still someone to return at. Dog dug out wolf’s muzzle and with relief noticed that wounded was still berating. He put small fragment of meat to stranger’s jaws. Predator, in spite of exhaustion, instinctively swallowed precious piece. Then Steele started to feed him, like mother feed her cub. Carefully and slowly he was diving roe into small parts and giving them to wolf. After first pound of meal, malamute ceased the feeding, in spite of squeaking protests of predator. Dog feared that wolf’s stomach, damaged by long fast, wasn’t able to receive so much food. That why he was watching stranger all night long, time to time giving him a small portion of meat. Just before the morning predator fell asleep and exhausted dog covered him with snow. Then he dug his own shelter next to. The worst phase of crisis past.

Steele awoke at next evening or at least much after winter sun’s set. Instantly he gave his charge another portion of roe’s carcass. Stranger awoke for good and ate meat, suspiciously looking on his saviour. In the same time malamute was examining the wolf, looking for wounds or breaks. But apart of exhaustion, predator seemed to be perfectly healthy.

“Wow, you’ve finished it already.” Amazed dog, seeing almost cleaned bones of roe. Theirs food-reserve shortened to maybe three or four pounds of meat. “Too fast. You will have an indigestion.” And seeing amaze on