than human. Ice with terror noticed that leader of strangers was carrying Tommy-gun and his underlings were holding sawn-off shotguns. Marry squeaked with puppyish excitement and called.

“I know that human! He is famous! I saw him on poster in Buckland.”

“What is his name?” asked Betty.

“He was featured as: mister Wanted 2000 $” Said mackenzie. Then she realised that something wasn’t right. “Is he on hunting?”

“Hey! You are not Carter!” noticed taller human and raised his submachine gun.

John Ash thought instantly and acted instantly. He cracked the whip and called desperate; MUSH! to his dogs. He recognised the pack of wanted criminals too, but he didn’t intend to playing Carter, whoever carter was. Also he had only thirteen rounds in his winchester. Gangster in his Tommy-gun -  fifty. And his companions raised shotguns...

“GO!” growled Ice and whole team desperately set off. Sled started to slide and then first shoots sounded. Thank to blizzard, man with submachine pistol missed. But Ash left the idea of playing hero. He drove the sled in narrow path, hoping that criminals wouldn’t chase him in unknown terrain are during storm. But what he haven’t thought over that there was unknown terrain also for him.

“We’re toasted!” yelled trapper and whole sled fell downhill on slippery slope.

*

David regained consciousness as the first. He understood that he and half of his team is... hanging over deep valley. Sled was based with one end on rock ledge, but main part of it was impending over the fifteen-yards-deep rift. They still are in place, because during the fall harness had tangled on pine. David and Ice were hanging loosely before the tree, then belts are hidden behind the pine. Further was hanging Jack (clearly severely wounded) and Eva (without visible injuries). Then were Betty and Marry, then sled with master John.

“Rabies!” whispered husky. “HEY! Everybody! Are you alive?”

“What the hell...” murmured Ice next to him. “God!” he exclaimed, seeing where he was. “Team! Don’t make any sudden moves!”

“Wow!” called Marry with excitement. “I’m flying!”

“Girls! Are you all right?” asked David with frozen voice.

“Right!” said Betty.

“Ow, no!” yelled Eva. “That is... I’m ok, but mister Jack is wounded!” she swung to companion and grabbed his belts with paws. “He is alive... but unconscious.”

“Master will be fine...” added Marry. “He is moaning in very healthy way. He has a big bump on forehead.” Then David noticed... that someone is missing.

“O, my God! DANIEL!” she growled.

“I’m here...” replied his brother. “On the other side of tree. I got some scratches but... NO, CHER!” she screamed even louder than twin.

“Daniel, what happened?” called Ice, trying to climb to the pine on harness belts, but it was useless.

“She’s gone!” cried husky. “She fell down!”

“Easy, bro!” replied Ice. “At first we must awake master Ash and make sure he has a gun...”

“But Cher...”

“Sir!” murmured Eva. “I have two bad news. Which one say as first?” When no one answered, she added. “Jack is bleeding. Human has to help him... And second... I see where gun is.” She pointed with muzzle on stone ledge, everyone (conscious) gasped with fear. After hitting rocks Winchester was broken and curved almost in half.

“We must get out of here, before mister Wanted 2000 $ and his friends find us.”

“I’m going for her!” said muffled voice from behind the tree. Daniel was chewing his belts to get free.

“No, bro, wait!” yelled Daniel, but it was too late. Dark-furred husky hit the ground and instantly started to slide down the steep slope. After few seconds he disappeared in darkness of valley below them. “BRO!” cried David, but there was no answer.

“What the hell... AAA!” yelled John Ash in last moment grabbing side of the sled. “God!” he whispered, carefully moving to ledge. He called to dogs with the most calm voice he was able to speak. “Don’t panic! I will get you here...”

So dogs were looking on trapper who took a rope from load, tied it to another pine, then carefully started to climb on almost vertical slope to reach his animals.

“David, stop it!” pleaded ice, seeing as husky is trying to release himself from belts.

“Cher!” replied husky, but more to his own than to Ice.

“Mister Ash... faster...” whispered Eva. “Jack is bleeding hard!”

John got to Betty and Marry. He grabbed each one with effort and put them on ledge. When sisters were safe, he started to climb again for Eva and Jack. Ice was hanging helplessly, looking on human’s progress and David who was crying silently and looking down on valley.

“He’ll be all right.” Said greenland. “They both will make it.” Added, but more to convince himself than friend.

Finally all dogs were taken to solid ground. In first impulse David wanted to run down and find brother, but Eva stopped him with pleading sob.

“Please... you have to guard us.”

Husky looked on her than looked on Ice and his owner. Cle clenched his jaws and came to harness. John Ash turned the sled into patch direction and weakened team started to pull. Because Cher and Daniel were gone and Jack was wounded, only five animals were working. And they had to escape without a sound that could attract dangerous gangsters.

*

Daniel gave a cry of relief when he found Cher, lying in deep drift of snow. She was shocked but conscious, without serious wounds. Husky quickly dug her out, careful not to hurt delicate paws. He was whispering to her with gentle tone.

“We must go, my sweetie. There are dangerous people nearby...”

“Ice?” asked confused Cher.

“No, I’m not Ice.” Replied Daniel with tensed voice. “Believe me: I would gave everything to be him... and that you feel to me what you feel to him. But I’m not. Sorry, but I have to save you anyway.”

Cher opened her eyes and looked on saviour. She tried to say something, but she had no idea, what.

“Come.” Said Daniel. “We must hurry.” But in that moment she froze, sensing human’s presence.

“Ow... wolves!” smiled gangster with sawn-off shotgun. “I have never eaten wolfish meat, but there must be the first time...” he raised his gun and...

“NO!” growled Husky and pounced on Cher.

Human fired directly in cherry-furred direction. A cloud of shot left the gun and speeded with destructive force right to the bitch’s head. But then Daniel came. He fell on cherry-furred and pressed her into snow. And where second earlier was Cher’s head, then was muzzle of husky. Several lead globules hit the dog’s body, bursting fountains of blood. But he had no time to feel any pain. He knew that human could fire from the other gun. Although suddenly world turned to black, Daniel pounced in enemy’s direction and hit gangster.

Danny Torbello was to shocked to react. He saw as his shot hit the muzzle of dog but it didn’t stopped him. So criminal aimed once more and... Daniel pushed the shotgun up by striking hands of amazed human. Gun directed up, just into man’s chin and then shot fired. Dog fell next to human in rain of mixed blood.

Cher waited about minute and when no sound came, she stood from snow. She noticed human’s, headless body and Daniel nearby. Husky was shot right into the muzzle, so his face was mutilated. Several shots wounded his eyes – those were looking like lakes of blood. Cher turned away her sight with disgust. She sensed that unconscious husky is still alive, but she just couldn’t look again on maimed face. She went to dead human and grabbed a sausage from his pocked. When she satisfied her first hunger she turned east (she hope that was east) and set off, without giving a look on dying saviour.

Daniel moaned weakly when she left him on bottom of the valley. 

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