stood on small clearing. It was enlighten by setting sun and fresh snow was sparking red. Surely Cris would stood in amaze and stare at beautiful view from that hummock but he was panting from effort, after run with Kitty on his back, then after climbing with father. Steele would marvel at landscape too, if not another wave of pain in his paw. Malamute just clenched his jaws, saying nothing.

“So, what’s now, dad?” asked Cris.

“Sniff.” Instructed Steele. He was just looking on deeper forest, but not even observing (Cris had much better sight), but thinking heavily.

“Nothing, dad.” Replied wolfdog.

“So follow me.” Said Steele and set off on west.

Years of living in forest of Seward Peninsula had taught him how to find a game even without tracking it. His senses, dimmed due to age were secondary in that search – experiences of hundreds of hunts was telling him where he would find some real meal. He was marching ahead for several minutes then he stopped and turned to son.

“Now. Sniff.” Cris raised his nose and smelled the air.

“Deer. One buck, cow and maybe some calves. About a mile north-west.” He looked on parent with confusion. “How could you sense them? It was impossible to smell them from Northern Road.”

“Night is coming, winds is coming.” Replied Steele instinctively scratching his front-left paw. “If there were some game on open clearings of Green Heights, it was very probable they wanted to find some shelter for night. There is no so many valleys here...”

Then some howl pierced a silence of the evening. Cris dropped his lesson and turned his muzzle to the source of the sound, on west. He knew that voice and Steele knew it too. It was Flame, son of alpha of Peninsula Pack. He was also a mate of Ami – Steele’s daughter and Cris sister.

“Ow, your wolves have some business.” Said Malamute. “Right, but first we find that deer, if they haven’t escape yet...” But howl became even louder and then was directed towards Steele. “What?” gasped dog.

“Dad, they are calling you!” said Cris. “They ask you for help.”

“If they are so kind, they could go here in person.” Murmured Steele, but he set off in call’s direction. “Come on, we will see, what’s up. Just call your mother we won’t be in den...”

“They call mom too.” Added Cris, hearing the next part of message. “Something bad is in the air!”

Father and son started to march on the range of snow-covered hills. Moon was already on the sky and was shining on wanderers. There was no cloud on firmament, what was heralding a frosty night. Howls of wolves sounded gloomily, although landscape was clear.

II. Our Land

They met Aleu and others by pure accident. She was also going to answer the howl, and in forest of Green Valley she met Ami and Flame, who were looking for her. They all were just thinking of calling Steele and Cris, when father and son entered the same clearing.

“Ami!” smiled malamute, seeing his child. “Good to see you... at last.” He added with slight tone of irritation. Since Ami joined the Peninsula Pack she had visited her parents maybe four times. But Aleu instantly pinned her stare on mate, silently saying “Stop it! She is mature now!”

“Hi dad, hi, Cris.” Replied dark-furred bitch. She was strong and beautiful female, surely deserving the title of alpha, that she was about to take, when Flame would success his father on pack. She seemed to inherit the biggest part of wolf’s heritage from whole family – although only her great-grandmother was a pure-blood wolf, Ami was living in forest like any other predator. In contrast to Spark and Mark – who seemed to inherit almost only malamute’s genes – she was maybe more wolfish that her companions from Peninsula Pack.

“Hi.” Murmured Cris. Wolfdog was a perfect mirror of his mother. A features of dog and wolf were mixed in him. His coat was half brownish after mother and half white after father. Maybe that why he never decided neither to seek his quest among humans, nor to try join some forest pack – he felt the best on the border, exactly like his parents.

He went to his mother, gave her a lick in cheek, then came to Flame and Ami. He licked his sister and nudged his brother-in-law in side, with neutral, but rather friendly sign. Then he looked on whole company with questioning stare.

“But what’s going on? Why can’t you howl the matter or sent some messengers to us?”

“All our pack is observing intruders.” Replied Flame. “We also asked Dymitr’s pack for assistance. All predators of peninsula are responsible for peace and order here...”

Then a silence of night was disrupted by scream of fear. Cris looked on brink of forest, where two more scouts from Peninsula Pack were chasing something in snow. He started to run there, because that call had sounded familiar.

“Because we interrupted your hunt, we’ll get something to chew for you.” Said one of scouts, pouncing on running prey.

A while shape shunned paws of wolf and with amazing speed jumped on some trunk. Then it jumped once again, landing on branch of larch, six feet above the ground – too high for predators to get it.

“CRIS! Call them off!” yelled Kitty, because that was she.

“Damn!” murmured wolfdog and went to wolves. “Hey, stop. She is under my personal environmental protection.” Scouts stopped do jump in branch’s direction and looked on Cris with confused stares. “Just... leave her and count it as a snack for me.”

Fox jumped down and agile landed on Cris back. She poked out her tongue at wolves, but when that snapped theirs jaws with hungry stares, she cuddled to her protector’s nape. Cris shook his back to hush his passenger then he set off back to parents. Meanwhile wolves were talking.

“Right, we will go.” Agreed Steele. “So go first, I will join you. In the weather like that I prefer an easy walk.”

“I will go with your father.” Said Aleu, looking on Ami. “We will get to the Haven in few hours...”

“Mom!” yelled Ami. “We are calling you, because we need you. This is the matter important for all of us... And leader wants to hear father’s opinion.”

“If he is so thistly of it...” murmured malamute. “... let’s invite him here. I bet that lazy-bone...”

“Dad!” gasped Ami to her father’s ear. “Stop it! Not in front of Flame.”

“I knew Niju when he was younger than you are now and...” started dog, but then came Cris with Kitty, followed by scouts.

“So will we go?” asked wolfdog.

“Hello, mister Sledded-one!” smiled Kitty, looking on Steele. “Hello, Mrs. Sharp-teethes.” Added, jumping down and landing next to Aleu.

“Ow, hi, Kitty.” Replied malamute. “After such a warm welcome I really don’t regret we didn’t eat you on last Christmas.” Then he turned to Cris. “She was also asked for consultation in that intruders matter?”

“Ugh... no. May she go with us?” asked wolfdog. “If I leave her here, somebody would eat her...”

“If you take her, somebody could do it too.” Said Steele, smiling and baring teethes. When Kitty hid behind Cris paw, malamute added. “Just kidding. You can go... But Cris is carrying you!”

Three wolves of Peninsula Pack looked with amaze on strange conduct, containing leading Aleu, following Steele and Cris with white arctofox on back. Then they turned theirs stares on Ami.

“Ow, just ignore it... That fox is my brother’s pet, since saved her, two years ago.” And she followed her parents and brother.

“Fox hunting?!” whispered Tor, lightest of scouts to his companion – Rin. “That dogs family has some bloody aristocratic hobbies!” But they went after them.

*

About morning, in valley called Haven Valley, the wolves gathered. In that place a hunting was forbidden, so no creature could be killed in sacred pan, where wolfs pack were negotiating and making they alliances. Steele and his family got there as almost last ones. Only representative of Dymitr’s pack was a bit later, but he had the longest way to do.

Some of Peninsula Pack scouts were also missing. Niju sent his wolves to observe others creatures entering area. About two times per hour a series of howls pierced the air, telling council what was happening on the shore. And that was they were about to speak. Guests in number so great, that it made not guests but intruders.

In Haven Valley there was several rock ledges, where more important members of society were lying. On highest right ledge was Hviske, Niju’s mate and alpha of Peninsula Pack. On her left on the same altitude was lying leader. Few meters lower were a pair of betas from Buck Pack - led by Dymitr (once Peninsula member) – who had come there after alert made by Niju. Between them on one ledge were Steele and Aleu as guests on council. It was very strange custom that lone and independent couple was asked to participate on packs matters. But their past was also strange – Aleu had been once an alpha of Peninsula Pack, and both leaders – Niju and Dymitr – had owned theirs lives to Steele. Although relations between forest couple and pack wasn’t always so warm, after Ami, daughter of malamute and wolfbitch, became Flame’s mate, Niju decided to refresh friendship from old times.

“Tell me one thing.” Whispered Steele to Aleu, when they were looking on pack gathered before them. “Do you regret it sometimes?”

“What should I regret?” surprised brownish-furred.

“The pack...” replied malamute. “If not I... you would be still an alpha.”

“I am, Steele.” She smiled and licked her mate’s forehead. “But in my own pack.”

Meanwhile Cris took a seat on valley’s bottom. He felt strange among wolves and didn’t seek a place in some group of predators. Even he decided not to go to his sister and Flame. “I guess everywhere I go, I’ll be the guest. I don’t want to overuse their hospitality.”  Suddenly he recalled he still has Kitty on his back. Fox was silent, probably heavily scared by that throng of wolves around. And maybe that was also a reason that pack was