probable shelter of castaways. They passed Bears River Valleys clearings and entered into massed forest of shore. Way was running straight but from time to time elevating and descending on hills. They entered a snowed pan and stopped before sudden steep fragment of road. It was a perfect place for an ambush and wolves knew it well.

“A dinner! Better late than none!” murmured Owi, walking behind Nava’s back.

“Wait!” gasped packleader. “Human has a gun. Lighting-pipe with thirteen bolts in it. Additionally five dogs...”

“Boss, let strike before he release them from a harness.” Advised beta. “Better not risk...”

No, human will fire on us... We wait until fuel in his lamp expires. Then we attack in darkness. They will be blind.”

“Werk!” cursed Sky and it was maybe third swearword that Steele heard in mouth in wolfbitch mount since ever. “We stuck!” she pulled her belts but skids stuck for good in layer of heavy firn. “Master John has to dig it out.”

“E...” muttered David. “He has probably something different on mind.” He turned to Steele “Maybe you have some dealing with those ones too?” he pointed on pack, coming down the valley and approaching to sled.

Malamute was staring into the darkness, looking for known muzzle of Niju. And he found him, but that view didn’t appeased him at all – wolf was skinny and in his eyes was burning with a fire of hunger. He didn’t seem to be a good partner of for negotiations and definitely he wasn’t showing any sentiments at all. He was starving and dying because of it – as well as rest of his pack.

“Mister John!” barked Ice. “Do something before it’s too late!” but human couldn’t understand him. Still undecided we was waiting with rifle in hand until enemies came in range of sure shot.

“Or it’s just my eyes, or it’s getting darker?” whispered Daniel, observing fading flame in lamp. “Shouldn’t master refuel the lamp?”

“Paraffin is in the load.” Replied his brother. “And if master drop Winchester to find it, wolves surely strike.”

“So let he release us!” growled Steele. “We can’t defend him in those blasted belts!”

“Look!” yelled Sky. “They coming from behind!”

Then she pulled the belts aside, dragging bounded companions back. She stepped away from road and went to human, wanting be closer and ready to assist. But the sled was over two meter long and with shaft even three meter long. So although wolfbitch quickly encircled the sled and reached the driver, remaining four of dogs were just pressed to wagon’s side and immobilised that way. They just can’t fight in such position.

“Damn it!” gasped Ice, watching that grave situation. Sky was standing before human but next in row – twins, were unable to reach her. In case of attack they couldn’t help her, especially if wolves came from southeast (and they were advancing from that direction). Only bitch was able to defend John – a lone female, additionally bounded with tight belts, against over twenty enraged wolves. Her friends had no chance to get to her. Odd of successful defence in that conditions were similar to odds of swimming across the Bering Strait.

“Sky, get back! You are uncovered!” shouted Ice.

“My duty is to guard my master!” she said with both pride and fear. She bared her teethes to advancing enemies.

„For Christ’s sake! Human - release us!” yelled Steele but terrified Ash didn’t get charge’s request. When malamute understood that driver was too panicked to think rationally, he decided to take matters into his own paws... and jaws. “We must get free!” called. “All! Bite through the belts! Now!”

„Steele! Those are frozen!” yelled Daniel.

“Chew it until they melt!” instructed. And seeing sister, ready to stand up for human for all cost, added. “Sky, I beg you – go back!”

“They are waiting for that to attack!” replied wolfbitch. Ash was still pointing with Winchester into the night and lamp’s light was fading fast.

“Shot, you fool!” growled malamute. “Until you see what you’re aiming at!”

“Steele?” asked voice from darkness. Niju entered the circle of dim illumination, looking with amaze on leader. “What a surprise. Gentlemen, I want him alive!”

“Niju!” howled terrified malamute. “Stop them! We did you no harm!”

“But you have food.” Noticed Owi, advancing with another beta from behind sled.

Four shots sounded and one wolf fell on the snow. Dymitr, Owi’s friend, was hit in thigh. Beta himself jumped aside and human’s shots just caused small craters under his paws. Wolf drew back, leaving wounded companion and baring his teethes. But John Ash no longer was seeing his targets – any of predators weren’t in fading light’s circle. That circle was shrinking with every second and last grams of paraffin were burning out...

“Goody!” yelled Daniel. With defeatist tune in his voice he estimated humans acting. “Four shots on one wolf. So there just nine rounds left. In that way master Ash will take out two more. So they would have advance like four to one. And we are still in belts, so...”

“Shut up!” gasped desperate Ice. “Sky, go back!”

“Bite through your belts!” repeated Steele. Although he didn’t stop that action, he turned his stare on oldest predator. “Nava, call them back! Please, let us go. We are providing aid for starving humans...”

“And we are providing aid for starving wolves.” Replied old pack leader. “I’m sorry, dog. It’s North. Here is no mercy.” Then he whispered to companions. “Lamp is almost off. Be prepared.”

“Niju! I’ve saved you!” called malamute with pain, sensing like leather belt is slowly tearing. “In few minutes I’ll release myself and stand with Sky. At least we will die together.” He thought with cold determination. “She is a half-wolf!” added with pleading voice. “You are of the same blood! You can’t just...”

“I’m sorry Steele... I’m hungry.” Replied wolf and then it all started.

John Ash regained cold blood, but much too late – he just noticed as grave situation they were. He fired remaining nine rounds but with no effect. And in that moment lamp faded out. Pack set off to final strike, in Ash’s and Sky’s direction. Dogs strained belts as much as they could but it gave just two feet of freedom to wolfbitch. Much too less to even think about successful defence. Owi and Nava pounced on leaderess and Niju attacked human. In spite of hard hit of rifle’s butt, he squashed with singe bite man’s hand and useless Winchester fell on the snow. Meanwhile Steele was watching as two predators – young and old one, pinned his sister to the ground and Owi bit her throat. Daniel and David jumped ahead – leather belts cracked but didn’t break, stopping twins over meter before enemies. When human fell helplessly on the sled, whole pack started to quickly cleaning out food from it, starting from bags of dried meat. It took maybe an minute – after sixty seconds heavy load was almost empty and on wagon’s bottom stayed only some stock unable to eat for wolves. Malamute was still chewing his harness but when he finally bit it through it all was done. Predators took all the food leaving bleeding human and bleeding bitch. Few of them wanted to attack the bounded dogs, but Niju stopped them with low bark. They already had their plunder.

[Here will be a Dorcia's fanart (still unfinished due to technical problems)]

Pack disappeared in forest and malamute broke the last belt that was chaining him. He run to sister, lying in snow.

“Sky!” he cried, seeing as life was flowing out of her veins. It was much too late to do anything. “Sister!” he fell on the ground next to her and touched her muzzle with nose. She barely opened her yeas and whispered.

“Save master John...” Malamute, whose tears were already frozen by night’s frost, nodded his head. “I had to. Steel, Ice... forgive me. Tell kids that I’m sorry... But I had to stand for him...” She cried. Leader tried to reply something but voice froze in his mouth. “It was so good with you all... Thank you for everything... brother. So cold...” and her last breath faded out.

Steele nestled his muzzle into her blooded fur and sniffed for long minutes. After some time he sensed that also Ice put his muzzle on Sky’s cooling down body, like he wanted to feel that last spark of warmth, which Sky had been shining all her life. They both were lying in silence, only quietly sobbing on dead wolfbitch. It took maybe ten minutes, maybe over an hour – they felt neither time nor cold because time froze for them with Sky’s life. Steele wake up that daydream as first and called with decisive voice. That words sounded as freezing as the North itself.

“Ice! Put human on the sled and take him to Menuet. In three you will make it, now there is almost no load. If some rescue teams came from Nome or Selawick, he will be saved. Hurry, wolves might be back.” When he was saying word <wolves> air surrounding his muzzle became even colder than before. Because Ice didn’t move an inch and still was nestling to dead Sky, malamute added with wilful tone. “Do you hear me? Run, before they return for their comrade.” He took a quick and hateful look on wounded Dymitr. “That was an order! Leader’s order! And she would be told you the same!” said with piercing certainty. “You have to save master Ash then return to Buckland and raise her pups. You have your duties to them!”

“And you?” asked shocked greenland.

“I will stay here...” Steele stood and turned his stare in forest. “And when they will back... I will slow them down.” He bared his teethes in desperate smile. “But go now! Of course, I’ll kill just a few. They will be chasing you then.”

“Steele...”

“GO!”

Greenland touched with sympathy brother-in-law’s side, but under dark fur of leader he felt steel tension of muscles and burning desire for revenge. Carefully he took the harness off his beloved and put it on his neck. He turned to

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