VII. Sharpening the fangs

Since the moment when Sky made her final breath, Steele had been seeing world in completely different perspective. Some of senses experience ceased, some others born – in his mind opened deep abyss of responses and emotions. Evil responses and evil emotions, and if even not only <evil> but surely extraneous ones.

For example: on morning he heard the sound of flying aeroplane and with rationally part of his mind he concluded that chances of surviving of castaways, John Ash and his friend of sled team grew significantly. But this didn’t touch malamute’s heart. He KNEW: it was good that his brother-in-law is almost fore sure safe, but he didn’t FELL it. His heart wasn’t working with logic of love and sympathy but already with lust for revenge. World of Steele shrank to thin, pitch-black thread, fulfilled only with hatred against Nava’s pack. That line malamute had to scratch away and erase from existence.

[Picture by Sytana]

Sky had bounded him so strong to the new life that when she was gone, the bound was gone too. And then, under a October dark sky of early morning to half-insane mind of dog came vision of mother. That time she came herself, Steele didn’t call her. He saw her in front of him, lying on the snow, darkfurred bitch with gentle and sad stare. One again former leader was a tiny cub who run to parent’s side with tears in his eyes.

“Mommy! I’ve failed you again! Sky is dead and it’s my fault. I’m definitely not your son anymore. I just can’t to be. Again... I’m alone here... Mom, if she is with you now?”

“Steele...” replied she with soothing voice. “You don’t understand it. A tragedy has happened and I’m crying with you. But now you must...”

And suddenly vision of malamute bitch turned into Nava’s spectre. Old wolf was lying on the ground where a while earlier was Lempi and he was laughing insolently. Steel/pup jumped back from persecutor’s body and instinctively shielded his tiny muzzle with front paws, awaiting for incoming strike. But it hasn’t came and malicious laughter hasn’t stopped so rage prevailed fear and pup pounced on enemy’s head with his small and weak paws. He started to tear fur of old wolf’s muzzle with fury so odd to little child. But Nava still was laughing ignoring cuts on face and after few minutes Steele understood that his short claws were unable to even to pierce adversary’s coat. Yet...

“I will kill you!” yelled with puppyish voice. “I will grow and hunt you down. Mother, help me!”

And Steele’s/pup’s body was growing and paws started to become longer and stronger inflicting more and more serious hits to the wolf. But predator was only laughing but even that laughter turned out to be just howl of the wind. Then malamute noticed that he was scratching only trunk of pine and his aching paw pads were bleeding, cut with wood-shards. So he fell on snow and stayed there for long minutes. Then he stood up, looked on lying Dymitr but he made no comment to amazed stare of prisoner. He just went on hunting – he had to prove himself and his new teacher.

During day temperature raised a little. Steele returned to pan on evening, bringing meal for Dymitr. When wolf was eating, malamute carefully examined his wound on thigh but sight of leader expressed neither sympathy nor will to sooth his pain. Dog was just curious if prisoner would survive. When he finished that examination covered predator with fresh layer of snow and made his own shelter nearby. He still hoped that pack would return and he would attack them from the cover.

However nothing like that has happened. Next morning, the same as two and three days later, Dymitr was lying where Steele left him. Those were strange days – few times some sleds passed him on road nearby, probably heading to Buckland. Wolf of course didn’t announce his presence, but hunting malamute seemed not to even wait for humans and other dogs. Only once, few hour after passing of sled from town, Steele went on the road and with curiosity smelt the tracks. Ice, Daniel and David, master john – all survived. Shadow of old leader felt something like relief, but new spirit in malamute’s body completely ignored that clue. Nothing was bounding him to his lost life and he was glad of it.

For four days after Sky’s death he said to Dymitr maybe up to ten sentences. Actually he was feeding him, covering him with snow-coat and check if his wound is not festering. In fifth morning he looked on his thigh then ordered.

“Stand and come with me.”

Not waiting for wolf’s reaction, he caught his neck with jaws and help him to stand. Dymitr uncertainly based on three paws then he went after his saviour. That day was warm (as for early December) but light snow was falling. Former leader and his prisoner were moving slowly – malamute often had to support his companion. But before dusk they reached Bears Mountain’s slope. Steele knew this area well because he had been there many times on trips with doctor Tazaku. For his new keep he choose one of numerous caves on west side, shielded from wind and almost invisible from forest. Torrent nearby provided fresh water and proximity to preys routes promised no hunger.

“A bear lives here.” Said Dymitr uncertainly, still afraid to speak with saviour.

“Not any more.” Replied Steele.

He didn’t explain prisoner that grizzly was killed by doctor Tazaku, when they had hid in that cave two moths earlier. There was no need – malamute didn’t consider wolf as someone who had to be informed about anything or even who could to be curious. He was just an useful tool, who had to eat and drink but no more than that. Anyway – predator watching on calm pose of former leader guessed that no one endangered them. He laid on the ground, next to cave’s wall on brushwood that malamute brought and fell asleep. When he woke up, the meal was waiting for him. And his life was passing that way for long month.

At the end of November malamute judged that prisoner was in fair condition. On some morning, before breakfast, he ordered wolf to stand up and exit the cave. Then he guided him to close pan in mountain slope and asked with impassive voice.

“Show me how fight wolves.”

“Haven’t you see?” asked predator.

“I have.” Agreed malamute. „They strike in hosts on weaker enemy. But I want to know how they fight for life!”

Dymitr didn’t asks more. Through previous month he had used to fact that he was a property of former leader. In that relationship was no likeness nor thankfulness nor fear. Wolf just accepted that way of life and fulfilled all Steele’s instructions like tamed dog fulfils instructions of human. He didn’t think about escape, even he wasn’t planning it in future (however once Steele noticed as predator was staring at western horizon and whispered to him with cold voice: “You run – I hunt you down and kill you”) so be obediently attacked his saviour with all wolfish knowledge he had. Since that morning started regular training.

Between the dogs and wolves are hundreds of differences. That one concerned the way of fighting. And was quite obvious to most of smart creature – forest required other talents than city. And if wolves in combat are using almost only their jaws and mass of theirs bodies, tamed animals more often fight with claws and hits of paws. Killing the prey or others predators in forest was usually life-or-death struggle – whole philosophy was to quickly bite enemy’s throat or pawpit to get for artery. If that was fight for domination in the pack, wolves try rather not to kill their opponents but made them surrender and subordinate without wounding. But in humans world that black and white alternative disappears – dogs rarely beat themselves to death but tries of crippling enemy (especially if he was bigger and stronger) was often the only way to win. As a young adolescent after coming to Nome, Steele for long months was learning riles of fighting. Although he was giant malamute and after short time he dominated rivals thanks to his constitution, memory of painful lesions remained in his head. Additionally he knew that the best way to prevail the forest relative was to join both schools of combat into one deadly technique, using all advantages of his body.

That why for first month he was carefully watching Dymitr’s pose – forest one during all sparring fights stood on wide wide-spread paws to gain maximal stability. Initially Steele was unable to overturn him without risking a full-scale charge. And that was often used by wolf to grab his student’s throat. But soon after dog’s experience started to give its profits – former leader learned to use his paws to break the balance of teacher. He attacked spread limbs, often overturning him. Then when Dymirt was pinned down, malamute easily reached to throat of the tutor and stopped just inches from it.

When wolf’s wound recovered, both fighters started to fight in more manoeuvring way – pouncing on each other and shunning that charges. Steele slowly becoming a wolfdog – he learned every new movement that was originated in forest’s wisdom and added talents from city and sled. He turned to be as strong as Dymitr and with well-trained balance he almost equal predator. He predominate over him with speed of agile paws, overall reflex and endurance, trained by miles of snow-route. In January he judged that he is able to win with almost any wolf in fair duel. But avenger wasn’t interested with fair duels, so his study continued.

January’s frosts drove them from cave on farther hunts. Dymitr was hunting with his saviour, being some kind of Steele’s micro-pack. Malamute was alfa and giving instructions to subordinate, who never questioned them. Former leader was fairly feeding his prisoner and didn’t bother with works others than hunting and combat training. Since they started to