excellent cook!” Jenna smiled and blushed.

“Thanks…” she said sheepishly.

Once their meal was finished, Balto checked the clock on the wall and saw the time was 8:15 PM. Jenna smiled and led Balto around to the living room at the front of the house. She sat down on a couch and patted the seat beside her. The young wolfdog got the hint and sat down beside the beautiful husky.

“Balto?”

“Yeah Jenna?” Balto asked softly, looking at her as she looked at him.

“I know this may seem sudden, especially since we’ve only known each other for a day…”

Yes? Balto thought.

“But I really like being with you…”

Yeeesss…

“And, I think I’m falling in love with you…”

YES!!!

“… but I can’t… If I do, Steele may hurt you- and I don’t want you to get hurt…”

Damn…

“Jenna, don’t worry about me and Steele… I can take care of myself… Just do whatever you feel is right and what your heart tells you to do…” Balto replied, holding Jenna close to him, “Now don’t you go worrying about me or Kale or Kaltag… We can handle ourselves… Trust me…” Jenna placed a hand on Balto’s chest and nodded.

“Alright… I trust you, Balto… Just promise me you’ll be careful… Steele’s been known to be very cruel…” Jenna said softly. Balto was silent for a moment before speaking only two words.

“I promise…”

The two dogs sat there cuddling for the next few minutes. The silence was calming and everything seemed perfect. Balto pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time once more. 8:30 PM. Balto sighed and looked back at Jenna.

“I’d better go before my friends wonder where I am…” Balto stated, “Goodnight Jenna…”

Balto was about to get up until he leaned forward and kissed Jenna. The two remained locked in their kiss for several moments until Balto slowly pulled back. He then realized what he’d done and opened his mouth to apologize, but was silenced when Jenna kissed him back. Minutes later, the two had finished kissing and they both smiled happily.

“Alright, now I should go…” he said, grinning at Jenna, “Goodnight Jenna…”

Balto stood up and walked toward the door. He pulled it open and walked out into the dark town. Jenna watched from the window as Balto walked into the street and then toward the saloon. Balto arrived at the saloon to see it packed, like it had been the night before. He went upstairs and knocked on the door to Kale’s room.

“Kale, you in there?” Balto asked, getting no response, “Kale, pal, say something. Are you in there?”

Still nothing. Balto growled softly and twisted the doorknob- and the door opened. The wolfdog’s face took an expression of concern as he opened the door and stepped inside. The room was messed up: the bed had been shifted, the mirror had been shattered all across the floor, and Kale was nowhere to be seen.

“Damn it…” Balto muttered, running to Kaltag’s room and banging on the door, “Kaltag! Open this damn door! Kale’s in trouble!”

          In a dimly-lit room in the Sheriff’s Office, an angry husky sat in a chair, his hands tied behind his back. As the wooden door opened and the sheriff stepped inside with Nikki and Star, the husky growled fiercely and struggled against his bindings. Steele laughed and stepped up to the tied-up dog, the dim light from the over-hanging oil lamp casting an illuminated orange glow across the small room.

“Well well, look who’s finally awake… Did you have a nice nap Kale?” Steele asked tauntingly.

“Damn you to Hell, Steele…” Kale muttered, “I’ll get you for this…”

“We’ll see about that…” Steele replied, cracking his knuckles, “Now, tell me, why are you, your friend, and that wolfdog here in Silent Spring?”

“Go jump off a cliff…”

Kale grunted softly as Steele punched the husky right across the side of his muzzle. He groaned and shook his head, glaring at Steele.

“Again: why are you here?”

“To annoy you…”

Once more, Kale was hit. He groaned again and tried to get up to fight Steele, but was retained by his bindings. Sighing dejectedly, he relaxed in his seat again. Steele punched him twice more before hitting the dog in his stomach. Kale coughed, spitting a bit of blood up onto the wood floor.

“One- last- time…” Steele growled angrily, glaring right into Kale’s eyes, “Why are you in Silent Spring?”

“You really wanna know?” Kale asked in a hushed whisper, “Come closer…”

Steele leaned in so he could hear Kale. The husky smirked and rammed his head against the sheriff’s, knocking him backward and to the floor. Kale shook his head to clear the slight daze and stood up, chair still attached to his arms. As Nikki pulled out a knife and lunged at him, Kale moved to the side and the deputy ended up slicing the ropes around Kale’s wrists. Now free, he grabbed the chair and kicked Nikki to the floor. As Steele rose to his feet, Kale threw the chair at him, hitting the sheriff in the chest and knocking him against the wall.

Kale thought fast and ran for his bandolier on the wall. Grabbing it and strapping it on, he kicked the door down and began to run down the hallway, loading each one of his pistols as he went. Halfway down the hall, he saw two more dogs, each one wearing a silver star of a deputy badge. Gritting his teeth, Kale took a sharp left down an adjacent hall and ran as fast as he could. The two deputies behind him drew their pistols and shot at the outlaw as Kale ran for the window at the end of the hallway, leaping through it and into the cold night air.

Balto and Kaltag arrived at the Sheriff’s Office a few minutes prior to Kale’s daring escape. The two had a pistol in each hand, ready to fire. They surveyed the two-floor office before nodding to one another. Just as they prepared to run to the door and bust in, a window on the second floor smashed outward and a familiar looking husky landed on the dusty ground, rolling a few times before stopping and scrambling to his feet.

“Kale!” Balto exclaimed, running up to his friend, “What happened?”

“Well, the sheriff’s a psychopath, his deputies are homicidal, and I’ve been beaten close to death. What do you think happened?” he asked sarcastically.

Just then, the dust around them was kicked up as a few shots hit the ground. In the window above, the two deputies who had been following Kale were firing at them. Balto raised his pistols and fired off a shot from each one, smirking as he watched one of the dogs go down.

“C’mon, we’d better beat it!” Kaltag said.

However, they never got the chance. The front door to the Sheriff’s Office opened up at eight more deputies came out, cocking their guns and aiming at the three outlaws. Balto managed to kill one more before a shot knocked his pistols out of his hands. The trio grouped together, each one growling in frustration. There was no way out.

“Freeze you three! You’re all under arrest for the assault of the sheriff of Silent Spring and the murder of two deputies!” one of them said. Just then, Steele walked out and glared at the three.

“End of the line, half-breed and friends… You messed with the wrong dog…” he shouted, giving a hand signal and the deputies surrounded the three, “Now, surrender or be shot down now…”

Balto, Kale, and Kaltag exchanged glanced before finally lowering the hammers on their guns and dropping them to the ground. They raised their hands above their heads, looks of disbelief on their faces. Steele smirked as they were cuffed and led back into the office and thrown into three separate cells.

“You’ll be tried before a court tomorrow and then- you’ll be hanged…” Steele stated, chuckling at Balto’s look of anger, “Enjoy the very last night of your lives, you outlaws… Sleep tight…”

With that, Steele let out a laugh of evil triumph and walked away, leaving the three captured outlaws with his eight deputies.

          The next morning, Kira woke up, a smile on her face. All last night, the only thing she could think about was Kale. She dreamed about him, imagining every adventure he’d been on and what the future might hold. She got up and got dressed before heading downstairs and spotting her father in the kitchen, reading the newspaper. She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, smiling happily.

“Morning Dad!” she greeted cheerfully, grabbing an apple and taking a bite out of it. Frederic chuckled slightly and smiled at his daughter.

“Good morning sweetheart!” he replied warmly, going back to the newspaper, “I’m gonna have to be off soon.” Kira cocked her head slightly.

“Off to where?” she asked with interest, continuing to eat her apple.

“To the trial today… Apparently, these three guys tried to kill the sheriff and managed to kill two deputies before they got nabbed…” Frederic explained, reading it from the newspaper. Kira suddenly lost her happiness and her face went dead serious.

“What three guys? What were their names?” Kira asked quickly.

“Doesn’t say…” Frederic replied, shrugging slightly, “But the trial’s in fifteen minutes… It’s open to everyone…”

“Does that mean I can come?” asked Kira, still very nervous.

“Sure, I don’t see why not… But I thought you weren’t interested in trials?”

“I’m not,” Kira answered, “But I have a very bad feeling about this one…”

Fifteen minutes simply flew by. The courthouse was soon filled with the occupants of Silent Spring. Kira saw Jenna sitting near the front and sat down beside her friend. The two exchanged a nervous look and Kira knew she probably feared the same thing.

“Do… Do you think it’s them?” Kira asked