doing you a BIIIG favor if I took you down right now. Got my girl in a convenient spot there, dontcha' buddy?"

Ruffian snarled, now standing completely under Tux, just for Milo.

"You don't have any business with us," Tux snapped.

"Ah really city boy? And what kind of business would you have with my Ruffian?"

"Get away from her Milo....!" Tux barked in his face. Ruffian stood beside him, still tense.

Milo said nothing more, but went for his throat. He was met by teeth instead of fur and the two males were soon circling each other. Tux felt power surging through him. Milo had to be taken care of. They met again in a violent crash with Tux catching his first blow- he tore the end of Milo's matted ear. He felt the blood in his mouth, shaking his head to try and relieve it's nasty feel and taste. That's when Milo lunged at his front left leg. He clamped on viciously. Tux let out a wail of pain and tried to tear his leg away from Milo's jaws. The spaniel mix only bit down harder, pulling only intesified the pain. Out of fear, he lashed out for Milo's face, scarring his muzzle and lip. Milo let go of his leg and Tux immediately collapsed on the ground in shock and searing pain. Milo licked his muzzle before proceeding on to finnish his deadly job. But now something stood in the way: Ruffian. She stood in front of Tux, stock stiff with a look that told she would fight for keeps. Milo smirked through the wound across his muzzle.

"C'mon baby, move aside. You want me to get rid of the evidense for you don'tcha? Of course....there'll obviously be more to deal with later...."

"You won't live long enough to see my puppies," she threatened, eyes aflame, "much less kill them."

"Neither will you!" he growled deafeningly, throwing himself at her head on.

Tux heard the thrashing of the fight beside him, but the pain of Milo's bite sealed his eyes shut. His spine stiffened with the violent thrashing and growling of the two fighting rivals. Then for a moment there was only rustling which broke with a blood-chilling gasp. Was it Ruffian's? Tux couldn't bare to open his eyes. But Ruffian was the farthest thing from beaten; her jaws were clinched fiercly around the neck of her once greatest fear. She had conquered it and now let it free.

Milo heaved and rasped when she let him go, stumbling with tail tucked.

"Get out of my sight Milo. Show that disgusting face around here again and it'll be on your hide," she roared.

Milo growled, ambling away from the scene- hiding his scars. Before scuttling out of the barn and out into the unforgiving storm and darkness, he turned to Ruffian and scowled ominously, "As you wish.....dearest." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

||End of Part 1||