"HIKE!" Screamed Trav. Malik ran with all his might. He loved to feel the wind rush through his fur. He loved the feeling of the cold air pull back the fur on his face. He and his team ran for 2 hours. Malik loved to run. Finally Trav called, "Break and Hook!" Malik stopped, sending snow flying away in the sky. His best friend, Hawk, was right behind him. Trav got off the sled and walked up to Malik. "How's my best boy?" Malik replied by shoving his head under Trav's outstretched hand. Trav walked away from Malik who whimpered. Then his gaze fell on the only female on the team. Her name was Takeela. All the other dogs loved her. But Malik thought that she liked him. She always stared at him until one day. That was the day when Trav got a house dog. Just a dog to keep him company when Malik and the team were sleeping outside. Malik loved that new house dog even more then Takeela.

Malik yawned showing gleaming, white teeth. Takeela walked up to him, "Hey." She said in a flirty voice. Malik looked at her. "Hey." He replied. He looked beside him and saw that Hawk had moved and was talking with Bo. Bo kept glancing at Malik and Takeela. He hoped that nothing was going to get serious between them. "Well?" Takeela asked. Malik looked up at her. "Aren't you going to ask me to lay down?" Takeela finished. She always had to get her own way. Malik sighed. Good thing she was cute other wise he probably would have torn her to pieces for talking so rudely to him. "Will you lay down with me?" He asked. "I don't know. Will I?" Takeela laughed then she nodded and wriggled under the blanket beside him, shivering. It was way colder in the shed then it was in the house. Malik talked with Takeela. They finally got into a comfortable convorsation and talked until midnight. Malik yawned and fell into a deep sleep beside Tequila.

The next morning, Malik woke up and saw that Bo and Hawk had crawled up next to him and Takeela. Takeela was laying on her paws, squash between Malik and Bo who had fought over the spot with Hawk. Malik struggled to get up and when he couldn't, he stayed where he was. Takeela finally woke up. She stood up and walked on top of Bo and Hawk, not caring if she woke them up. She walked through the dog door and into Trav's kitchen. He and his wife, Sal, were still sleeping. Takeela saw the house dog, Diamond, sleeping in her bed. Diamond's eyes fluttered, finally opening. "OH!" She cried. The fur on her back stood up. She growled. "Oh. It is just you Takeela. Sorry. You just frightened me. Also, you know that lead dog, Milk or something?" Diamond asked. "Yea I know him. His name is Malik." Takeela said. Was this chick going to try to steal my soon to be mate? Takeela asked herself. "I just want to tell you that I think he is SOOO cute. Do you think that he would be interested in me?" Diamond asked, hopeful. Takeela cocked her head at Diamond. Then she growled.

Diamond laughed. "Calm down Takeela." Takeela jumped on Diamond and she screamed. "MALIK DOESN'T WANT YOU! ALL THE DOGS ON THE SLED TEAM WANT ME!!!!!!!! I MEAN! YOU AREN'T EVEN CUTE!" Takeela growled, shaking Diamond. Diamond glared into Takeela's light brown eyes. Then she did something unexpected. She bit Takeela on the front leg. But this was a bad move for Diamond. For, she didn't see Trav standing in the doorway. But Takeela did. She had a brilliant plan. She fell off Diamond as if she was hurt. Diamond jumped on her, growling and pinning Takeela to the ground. Diamond laughed and asked, "Did you think that you could BEAT me?" Before Takeela could answer, Trav pulled Diamond off of Takeela. He held her by the scruff of her neck. Trav shook Diamond and screamed at her, "DIAMOND!!! HOW COULD YOU! BAD DOG!" He wacked Diamond on the butt. Hard. Diamond cried.

Takeela smiled then remebered her act. She secretly bit her paw really hard to make it bleed. No matter how much it hurt, she put up with the pain. She watched as Trav wacked Diamond again and again then finally tossed her into a kennel. "Sorry Diamond. But if you are going to attack everything that comes into this house, I can't keep you." Trav shook his head and looked into Diamond's eyes. Tears watered Diamond's eyes. Trav shook his head once more, and in his scrabbly print, he wrote a sign, saying:

Diamond read the sign before Trav stuck it onto the kennel. While all this was happening, nobody saw, Malik, looking through the window. Trav took a big piece of tape and stuck the sign on Diamond's kennel. Malik didn't want Diamond to go. He loved her to much. He burst through the doggy door and into the kitchen. He barked, making sure Trav would notice him. Trav turned around and saw Malik in the house. "Hey Malik. How are you boy?" Trav reached out to pat Malik. The fur on the back of Malik's neck and back bristled. He jumped infront of Diamond's kennel, growling at Trav. Trav laughed, "It's okay Malik. I won't hurt you. You must smell the next door neighbours cat on me." Once again, Trav reached out to pat his dog. Malik snapped at Trav. Trav pulled his hand away and cried out in shock. "Malik! What's wrong?" Malik growled. Then he opened the kennel, letting Diamond out. Diamond jumped out of the kennel, hiding behind Malik. When she thought that it was safe to come out, she nuzzled Malik in thanks. Malik smiled and touched her nose. Seeing this, made Takeela mad. She growled.

"OH! Now I get it! You don't want Diamond to go!" Trav finally got the point. Malik nodded. Trav finally said, "Okay. You know what. As long as Diamond doesn't attack Takeela again, she can stay." Diamond nodded then she nuzzled Malik again. Malik nuzzled her back. Takeela couldn't believe what she had just heard. She got up and limped over to Trav. The blood from her paw, dribbling along behind her. Trav saw her and patted her. He cleaned up her paw then sent her outside.

It was a beautiful day. The whole sled team was lying around outside. Talking with Diamond and Malik. Takeela couldn't believe that Diamond, a regular housedog, was taking her place! Bo, Hawk, Morphy, Dash, and Jedidiah were staring at Diamond. She struck a pose and Takeela saw drool, dribbling down the side of Malik's mouth. They used to do that to me! Takeela thought angrily. Something is going to have to be done about this girl. And Takeela knew the perfect way to get rid of her.

"Hey. Uh... Diamond. Can I see you for a sec?" Takeela asked Diamond. Diamond nodded and the team stared at her as she and Takeela walked away. Takeela took Diamond far into the woods. Marking every tree. "Why are you marking every tree?" Diamond asked, confused. Takeela answered, "So we won't get lost." But Takeela knew that she wouldn't get lost. She knew these woods like the back of her paw. Diamond nodded and they continued walking. Takeela looked at Diamond and saw that she was wearing a diamond collar. The two dogs sat down and talked for awhile. "Thank you for bringing me here. Takeela. I mean, after we had that fight in the house, I am so sorry. I am glad that we are beginning to be friends." Diamond turned to look at Takeela as she said the last words. Takeela had a wicked grin across her face. Diamond looked at her. She stood up. "Takeela?....." She asked, nervously. Takeela said calmly, "If I can't have Malik, Bo, Hawk, Morphy, Dash, or Jedidiah, neither can you!!!!" Diamond screamed as Takeela ran at her. Diamond jumped out of the way just as Takeela was about to ram her. Takeela went flying off the cliff that they were sitting on.

"Diamond!!!" Takeela screamed. She searched frantically for something to grab onto. Diamond, as shocked as Takeela was, looked down off the side of the cliff. Takeela had grabbed onto a branch sticking out of the side of the cliff. "Takeela! Grab my paw!" Diamond cried. Takeela reached up and as she did, the branch snapped! Diamond screamed as Takeela fell. Diamond reached once more for Takeela who had landed on a small space further down the cliff. She was on her back. Diamond heard a cracking sound and the rock that held Takeela up from a close death broke! It fell, dragging Takeela down with it. Diamond watched as Takeela got smaller and smaller until she finally disappeared. Tears streamed down Diamond's face. She broke into a run and went home.

"Malik!" She cried when she entered Trav's property. Malik stepped out of the barn, yawning. He was halfway through a yawn when he spotted Diamond. "Diamond! Where is Takeela?" Malik asked. Diamond tried to explain what had happened to Takeela. "Tak-Tak-Takeela fell off the cliff. She got killed. There was nothing I could do. Malik!" Diamond cried. Malik nuzzled her. "It is all right." He said, trying to comfort her. Just then, they heard a sound in the bushes. Malik and Diamond looked. A figure wobbled out of the woods. Her legs were all cut and scarred and her head was cut. Her chest was sorta ripped. That was when Malik and Diamond figured out who is was. Takeela. They ran over to the now unconcious dog. The two concious dogs howled and Trav came out the front door. Gasping, he ran to Takeela and helped her clean off when he saw the bite marks on her chest. He realized that she must've been attacked by wolves. "She must've been attacked be wolves." Trav said. But Diamond and Malik knew the real story.

(Trav, Bo, Hawk, Malik, Diamond, Takeela, Morphy, Dash, and Jedidiah are all my characters. Please don't use them without my permission.)

Sal(c) Tala