four bottles, “Go!”

Once more, two bottles shattered, then two more in near-perfect unison. Jenna set up three and Balto held his pistol sideways. As soon as Jenna gave the signal, he fired, then again, and again, using the muzzle-jump to target the next one. The next three hours just blew by as the two dogs shot bottle after bottle, pulling off several fancy tricks every so often.

“You’re pretty good Balto!” Jenna complimented, reloading her pistol, “Now, one more round…”

Jenna set up the last two bottles and grinned. Just as she was about to give the signal to fire, two gunshots were heard behind them. The bullets ricocheted off the fence surrounding the shooting range and smashed the two glass bottles. Balto growled and turned around to tell the intruder to get lost until he saw Steele, holding his new peacemaker.

“Well, well… What’s wrong with this picture?” he asked in a mocking tone, “Jenna, didn’t your daddy ever tell you not to play with wolves? They’re dangerous, ya know…”

“Look here Steele, I know you have something against me, so just leave us alone and everything will be fine…” Balto said, glaring at the sheriff.

“I don’t think you understand the way things work around here, half-breed…” the sheriff replied maliciously, taking slow, steady strides toward his enemy, “I’m the law… What I say goes… So when I say ‘get lost,’ you get lost, no questions asked, understand?”

Balto glared at Steele with a fiery hatred before turning and walking off. He exchanged one final glance with Jenna before he walked out of sight. Steele smirked and scoffed at the vanishing figure of the wolfdog. He turned back to Jenna and re-holstered his revolver.

“Why’d you go and do that Steele? He hasn’t done anything wrong!” Jenna protested, but sighed dejectedly when the sheriff merely laughed.

“Jen, part of my job as sheriff is to protect the town from possible threats… All I need to know is that mutt is part wolf to know he’s dangerous…” Steele casually explained, “Plus his friend almost killed me last night if I hadn’t been so lucky…”

“Even if you picked the other gun you still wouldn’t have gotten shot! It was all just a trick; a mind game!” Jenna stated, irritated with the dog before her, “His friend unloaded his pistol during one of his stunts. Neither of them were loaded!”

Steele had an expression mixed of anger, confusion, and surprise. After a moment, he sighed and dropped his arms to his side. He looked down at his boots for a moment, then back up into Jenna’s amber eyes.

“Look, I have no vendetta against any of that half-breed’s friends- yet… But I’m keeping my eyes on them… I know they’ll do something wrong eventually…” Steele said darkly.

Jenna sighed heavily and walked back into the gun shop from the back door- only to find Balto at the counter, a sly smirk on his face. She smirked back and walked up to him.

“Miss me?” he asked playfully.

“Yeah, while you were gone for all of three minutes…” Jenna replied, hearing the door open and seeing a pitch-black wolfdog walk in, “Hey Kira! How’re you today?”

Kira walked up to the counter and smiled at her friend. In contrast to her black coat, she wore a white linen shirt and jeans, like everyone else did. Her eyes were a bright orange and although wolf was visible on her, she seemed more like a Sarloos Wolf Hound than anything else. She looked at Balto and then back to Jenna.

“Is this the guy you said I have to meet?” she asked Jenna, “The one who can do all those tricks with his pistols?” Balto thought, then realized she was speaking of Kale.

“No, I’m not him,” Balto replied, smiling back, “But I know who you’re looking for. You’re looking for-” Before Balto could finish, the door opened and that very person walked inside, dressed in his usual white shirt and jeans.

“Kale!” Balto said enthusiastically as Kale walked up to him, “I have someone who wants to meet you!”

“Look here Balt, if you think you can distract me from you lying to me, then you’re wrong! You told me you weren’t gonna come he-” Kale started, but stopped when he saw Kira, “Um, hello… Who’s this?”

“This is the friend I said you should meet!” Jenna said cheerfully to Kale, “This is my friend Kira. Kira, this is Balto’s friend, um, I’m sorry, I don’t know your name…”

“Kale… Kale McGovern…” he said, tipping his hat to Kira.

“Kira Thesher…” Kira replied, smiling warmly at Kale, “Jenna says you can do some pretty neat tricks with your pistols. Is that true?”

“Yep, every word of it!” Kale said, smiling in self satisfaction, “Wanna see?”

Kira nodded and Kale pulled out two of his revolvers. He spun both of them around on his index fingers a few times before tossing one up in the air and catching it behind his back, spinning it around behind him while still spinning the one in front of him. He tossed the one behind him over his shoulder and traded hands with the guns, still twirling them expertly. After a few more moments, he began to juggle them back and forth while spinning them, grinning as he focused on his tricks and stunts.

Kale then decided to get a little fancier and nodded to Balto. The wolfdog walked behind his friend and pulled Kale’s third pistol out of his back holster. He walked back to the counter and whistled, tossing the revolver to Kale. The husky gracefully caught it and added it to his juggling trick, now tossing three in the air, over his shoulder, and from hand to hand. Kira and Jenna watched in amazement as Kale finished up by tossing one of his revolvers high into the air and quickly re-holstering his older one before catching his two new peacemakers, twirling them, and re-holstering them at his sides, a grin on his face.

“Wow! That was really impressive Kale!” Kira said, taking a few steps closer to him, “How’d you learn to do that?” Kale shrugged and grinned at Kira.

“I taught myself to do the twirling… After that, I just experimented with what I could do with a pistol until eventually, I got this…” he answered, pulling out one revolver, twirling and tossing it before re-holstering it, “After that, I just practiced until I got it down pat…”

“Well, aren’t you talented?” Kira asked playfully, pulling off Kale’s hat and shoving it in his face and laughing. Kale replaced his hat on his head and laughed as well.

“So, what brought you to Silent Spring?” Kira asked sweetly. Kale’s face flushed and he glanced nervously at Balto. The wolfdog just gave him a shrug and leaned against the counter. Great… What do I say? “Well, my friends and I are wanted outlaws and we’re here to rob the bank?” he thought to himself as he swallowed slightly.

“We’re just passing through… Temporary visit… We’re travelers…” Kale said, lying fairly well. Fortunately, Kira bought into it.

“Wow… I bet you’ve seen many different towns, huh?” Kira asked with interest.

“Yeah, we’ve been all throughout the states of Texas and most of New Mexico,” Kale answered, still hiding their reasons for traveling through the two states and going from town to town.

“Do you have a house nearby?” Kira asked, obviously interested in their lifestyle.

“More or less…” Kale responded, “It’s about a two or three hour ride from here, so I suppose you could say so…”

Kale smiled at Kira, getting a strange sort-of feeling he’d never experienced before. He thought for a moment, desperate to start up a conversation again. After a moment of awkward silence, Kale opened his mouth to speak again.

“Um, hey Kira? Would you maybe like to go for a walk around town?” he asked a little sheepishly, “I’d like to get to know you and the town a little better.”

“Sure thing Kale!” Kira answered enthusiastically, “Come on!”

Kale was a little surprised when Kira simply grabbed his arm and led him toward the door. He cast a quick glance back at Balto, who was silently snickering to himself as he mouthed the words’ Good luck.’ Kale smirked back as he was dragged out of the store and out of view. Balto chuckled and turned back to Jenna.

“So Jenna, who was that other dog who was working here yesterday?” he asked casually.

“Oh, that was my friend Samuel. He and I alternate shifts here at the shop by days,” Jenna answered, “We’ve been friends since we were kids… He always wanted to run this shop and he was given it when his father died… I got employed to help him out- and to bring in a little extra money.”

Balto nodded understandingly. All thoughts of robbing the town of Silent Spring was erased from his mind with every second he spent with Jenna. Everything was silent for a few moments before Jenna finally spoke up again.

“Kira seems to like your friend Kale…” she said with a soft smile.

“And Kale seems to like her as well,” Balto stated, smiling back at Jenna.

“Say Balto… If it’s alright with you, would you like to come to my house for dinner?” Jenna offered sweetly. Balto smiled and nodded vigorously to her.

“You bet Jen! I’d love to come over for dinner sometime!” Balto accepted quickly, getting a soft laugh from Jenna.

“Great! I’ll see you at 7:30 then? Is that good for you?” Jenna asked.

“Yep! 7:30 it is!” Balto responded, opening the door, “So long, Jenna!”

With that, Balto left as one happy wolfdog.

          Later that day, just as the sun was setting and the moon was rising, Kale and Kira walked down the dusty streets, talking and laughing. For once in his life, the young outlaw wore a smile created out of a joy, but not a joy from materialistic items or a victory over a battle. He was smiling out of affection.

“You know Kira, you’re the first girl I’ve spent this