where Steele’s body lay, his back to them. “I know I’ll always be Steele’s daughter, but now that I can say that I killed him myself, got him out of my life and yours…well, dogs will look on me differently. And I was getting tired of feeling angry, anyway. Anger drains you. And it makes you hate everyone for no reason, and it can twist you until you can’t stop hating. That’s the only thing I learned from my father.”

Copper gazed out at Steele’s body. He had felt the release, too, of being finally free of a dark being that had hunted his family for far too long. Now he and Taya could be together.

Copper smiled. At least his own romance had worked out.

He rested his head on top of Taya’s, and she leaned her head against his shoulder with a sigh of contentment that ruffled his fur and touched his heart.

It had stopped snowing. The sky was still gray, but it had been deepening to a dark blue, piece by piece. The sun had burst out from behind the clouds, but it had turned a tawny gold and was slipping towards the west. In this perfect, peaceful moment, Copper felt a shudder pass through him as he looked out on the battlefield.

It was an ugly sight.

Corpses lay everywhere, broken and battered, beaten and scarred. Street dogs lay among wolves in death, and one could see they were not much different from each other. Ironic how death can reveal so many things that could have saved lives if only others had opened their eyes. Copper wondered if the wolves knew they were heading into a battle that was less for their pack’s territory than for revenge on Steele’s part. He marveled that the alleyway dogs would give their lives to protect dogs they had never laid eyes on. All either group had hoped for was to survive as heroes, or if not, to die with honor and courage.

This battle had claimed many lives: the Northern Hills pack was officially wiped out. The four remaining males had fled to join other packs or spend their lives as lone wolves. Right now Kaila was helping the other pack members drag out the bodies of the Northern Hills wolves from the hidden cave. Most were dead from the steep fall and being buried under other bodies, and the ones that were alive quickly scrambled up and hobbled away as fast as they could. Copper grinned. He was proud of his idea to use the hidden cave as a trap, especially since he could barely think at the time he had come up with the idea.

Copper suddenly realized that since the Anvil Creek pack had won the battle and killed off the Northern Hills pack, Kaila and Silver Arrow now had power over both the Anvil Creek and Northern Hills territory! He knew next to nothing about the territory size of the Eagle Pass pack or other clans, but he knew his sister had power over many, many miles of land. Kaila was becoming more of a surprise every minute.

The few survivors of the street dogs were slowly rising from the ground, tending to their wounds, and hobbling over to talk to Chase and Ketch.

Out of the corner of his eye Copper thought he saw Steele move.

Steele’s hind leg stretched upward and his sides heaved up and down…

Copper whipped around, choking with disbelief, but Steele’s body lay as limp as ever, his fur only stirred by the soft wind. Copper forced himself to breathe regularly, and he was mortified to find a cold sweat beaded on the fur around his neck. He had imagined it; he was sure of it. But somehow Copper knew that, dead or not, Steele would always be somewhere in the back of his mind, taunting his family, stirring up fear for Taya and any pups she and Copper might have together. Indeed, that would be Steele’s greatest triumph.

“Copper, what’s wrong?” Taya asked, looking up at him with concern. But before he could say anything, a weak voice older than time called out to them, “Oh, my…Is that little Taya?”

Both Copper and Taya spun around and searched the field frantically with their eyes. A chestnut German shepherd/husky mix on their far left tried to haul herself up from the stained grass, but her wounds made her sink down with a grimace. Once more she called out, “Is that Taya? It is! Oh, I never thought I’d live to see you all grown!”

“Do you know her?” Copper muttered to Taya.

Taya’s brow furrowed as she searched her memory. “I don’t know…but she seems to know me.”

Copper swallowed nervously, and he and Taya crept cautiously towards the strange dog. Ava joined them, and they slowly padded up to the stranger.

“Um…who are you?” Taya asked bluntly.

The stranger looked surprised, and then she laughed. “You don’t remember me? Well, you were only a pup, so it’s only to be expected. After your…mother…died, and your father left, I looked after you and your sister and your brother, until that man took you away and Hawk got taken off the street. Who was that man, Taya?”

“That was Nicholas Carson,” Taya said flatly, “He wanted me to fight to get him money in the dog-fighting ring. Now he’s arrested, and I got out of there, thanks to Copper.”

“Oh, so it’s Copper, is it?” the chestnut female said. A rasp had slipped into her voice. She had pushed herself from lying on her side to her stomach. Her sides were shredded and bleeding, but she seemed to want to put all her strength into getting reacquainted with her adopted daughter. “I never thought you would be one to get a man, yet here you are, and Ava still a bachelorette! Will wonders never cease?”

Ava patted the dog’s leg a little sharper than was necessary. “Stop talking, Luka. You need to rest. Those wounds don’t look so good.” She smiled apologetically at Taya. “I’m sorry. This is Luka. She was a friend of our mother’s, though she doesn’t like to talk about our mother that much.”

Taya shook her head in bewilderment. “I-I don’t remember any of this.” She pointed at Luka. “I don’t remember her. I don’t even remember you that much. Everything’s so…dim.”

Ava nodded slowly. “I know. I can’t remember much either. We were just pups, though. We were only a few months old when that Carson guy took you away. And then another man came a few weeks after and took Hawk. Maybe he was a friend of Carson. All I know is that Luka was the only family I had after you two were taken. I still can’t really believe we’re sisters. But the evidence is there.”

“Where’s Hawk?” Luka blurted out, “My two girls are here, but that devious little critter isn’t.”

Taya shook her head again. “I haven’t seen him since we were pups. Do you know anything about Hawk, Copper?” Taya’s bright blue eyes met his.

Copper felt his blood quickening. In a flash he saw his paw slicing into Hawk’s neck, the four red slashes seeming to grow longer as blood dribbled down. Hawk skidding across the ring, his malicious face falling into an expressionless mask. Copper’s mind whirled back to the present, and he realized he was breathing hard. But he wasn’t the only one.

“Luka!” Ava cried.

Luka had slumped forward, and her back legs spasmed painfully. Her breathing came in labored gasps, and her eyes were squeezed tight against the world.

“Luka!” Taya bent down near the old dog, her eyes wide with fear. “Luka, what was my mother’s name? Why did she go with Steele?”

Luka squeezed her eyes tighter and shook her head. She either couldn’t or wouldn’t respond.

Ava had become very quiet, as if she had sunken into herself. “She doesn’t have much time,” she said hollowly, and leaned forward with Taya and urged Luka, “Please, tell us. Please, Luka. Tell us our mother’s name.”

Copper was grateful for the distraction, but he too felt the anguish as Taya and Ava saw their last chance of finding out who their mother was slipping away. It was painful to watch.

Luka suddenly seemed to relax. Her face drew into a peaceful expression, no smile or frown.

“Luka?” Ava whispered.

Luka opened her mouth and rasped, “Her name was Ta–” Her mouth dropped closed, and the breath hissed out of her body in a long, hideous death rattle.

Ava continued staring at Luka’s face as if she couldn’t believe the old female was really dead. “Luka…” Ava clenched and unclenched her paws and ducked her head. Copper saw one single teardrop fall.

Taya sat back with a lost expression on her face. Then she smacked the grass with her paw and swore under her breath. Copper hesitantly tried to embrace her to comfort her, but she brushed him away. “Are there any other dogs who could tell us?” she questioned Ava delicately.

Ava shook her head slowly. “No. From what Luka mentioned, our mother was an outcast even among street dogs. I’m pretty sure Luka was her only friend.” Another tear snaked down Ava’s muzzle. She wiped it away roughly with her tail, and gulped. “Uh…I wonder if Hawk remembers Luka,” she said softly, trying in vain to think of something else.

Taya froze.

Copper steeled himself for what was coming, inwardly groaning.

Taya pivoted around to face him, suspicion sparking in her eyes. “Do you know anything about Hawk, Copper?” she said quietly, making every word hard and crisp. This time Copper knew there was no escape.

He avoided her gaze and concentrated on tearing up the grass with his claws. Taya watched him, and Copper knew her eyes were narrowing and her scowl was deepening. Her paw reached out and pressed down on top of his, forcing him to stop his rampage on the greenery. She gently turned him towards her and said in a strong voice, “What’s happened to Hawk, Copper?”

Copper risked looking up, and when his eyes met hers he knew he was dead meat. ‘So this is what a mouse feels like before a cat pounces,’ he thought miserably, ‘I have to tell her.’

Taya was steadily growing impatient and furious. She waited a few seconds, and burst out, “Copper!”

“I KILLED HAWK!” Copper screamed.

Taya’s thunderstruck expression suggested she had been dealt a hard blow to the gut. She stumbled backwards, her mouth open, searching Copper’s eyes.

Copper swallowed and averted his eyes, fear churning like chunks of ice in his stomach. What would Taya do to him? He had to explain. “Listen, Taya. I had no idea Hawk was your