remorse. Even years later, when Berenice came to Galena Breeding, she found him few times to scream in his sleep with tears in his eyes. He didn’t want to kill, but accidents happens. Especially when humans want a good show.

“This is not a hatred. This is a theatre.” Said Hans many times. “It hurts, causes wounds and sometime it kills. But when the fight is over we must restrain our rage and become canine beings again. Then we have to apologise our enemy for each cut we did. Most likely he did the same.”

Whatever Hans once said, Berenice wanted to be the one who apologise, not the one who is apologised. And rottweiler wanted the same, so fight was about to be hard. That time tutor and his ward were put against themselves, in spite of personal friendship. But humans just didn’t understand it, they wanted just to have show. Mister Katczinsky seemed to see more, but he was also obedient to rules of Dog Warriors League (most common organisation of illegal dogfights) and he did no exceptions even for his old champion and new found favourite. They have fight as if it was matter of life and death.

“Go on! Do not hesitate!” called Hans’s voice in Berenice’s mind. Real Hans was silent then, staring on her with ready stare, but she was almost sure he was thinking those words in that moment. “If not you, your opponent will win. That is not a personal matter, but you have to be better.” “I will.” Replied malamute in mind. “But for God’s sake, I don’t want to.”

She made a step ahead. Ring was a round of five metres diameter, surrounded by loud crowd of gazers who were shouting and cheering one or other adversary. Some of lookers bet on Hans, some others on Berenice. Most of them – of course – on Hans, much bigger and stronger dog. But few smart and carefully looking cheerers discovered in young she-malamute some advantages that rottweiler lacked. She was faster and much more agile than heavy male. Also Hans was coming to dusk of his career – as nine year old he got tired quick and have problems with sight. Although it seemed at first sight that it was duel of David and Goliath, few humans in hall suspected that it could end as surprisingly as fight in the Bible. What they didn’t know was one more advantage of Berenice. She had been taught by the best – champion Hans himself.

Malamute knew exactly what tactic would her former tutor choose. He knew her weaknesses, but that changed nothing – Barenice predicted the way that fight would evolve. Hans was much stronger in point-blank wrestling and ground fight, so malamute had to attack from distance, move a lot and withdraw after every successful (or not) charge. Rottweiler had to stop her from that.

So she attacked as a first. She just slightly pushed side of enemy (“Enemy!” she yelled in mind. “He is my friend!”) just to provoke his reaction. But dog stayed cool, just throwing her away, being careful not to lower his garde. So she jumped back and made a semicircle around Hans. In that way she would get tired first, but she had to show her advantage in field of endurance. When Hans for jus a second lost his attention, thinking she was just playing, she pounced with unbelievable speed, landing on back of tutor. She pinned her fans in his neck and jumped down from him, hoping to became a lever to overturn him. She failed (in fact she didn’t hope for that in such early stage of duel, when enemy was still in good condition), but she managed to roll aside before he reacted. Some voice in her screamed with her. Hans was in mush worse shape than she thought. Month earlier he would had intercepted her and pinned her to the ground with ease.

Cheering of audience grew. Those few who had bet on Berenice called with triumph and the rest yelled with disbelief. However malamute knew that outcome of duel was still very unclear and if she was a human, she would certainly place her bet on Hans.

She also noticed a concern stare of master Katczinsky. He was the owner of both dogs and he was worrying for both. In his own way he loved all his dogs, but those two especially: his old champion thanks to whom Katczinsky’s Team became one of the best in league and the new recruit, unexpectedly found on street Galena beautiful young malamute. On that fight was about to earn a plenty of money. However his heart was in pain with every cut on fur of his charges.

Two another tried became another failures. Berenice pounced again and again, but Hans blocked both charges and on the second approach almost got he in the ground. Malamute became more and more restless, especially that she was already wrapped in by rush of fight. It always comes in time – a delight and trance of duel, making every fighting mystical experience. Hans said that every dogfighter feels that, because that makes him dogfighter. In the same time Berenice loved and hated that emotion. It became a quest of her life to swim in that see of rush, but after almost every fight she hated herself for losing control and letting to hate enemy, who was just warrior like her. In that case was even worse – it was Hans she was fighting with. Her friend and carer.

Suddenly rottweiler attacked. Just like that, without warning, he rammed her with all mass, falling down to pin her to the ground. She shunned, but not perfectly – her rear paw was caught under Hans’s side and ground and Berence fell down. She managed to turn on back and shield with front paws before rottweiler’s muzzle, but she made it barely. She threw aside jaws of dog and in desperate try bite his neck. Hans was very muscular even in his breed’s standards. Malamute had little chance to choke that hill of muscles. But she did it just to hold his head before she freed her paw.

Suddenly she understood that attack of her friend was sing of desperation. Hans was exhausted and decide to finish duel as fast as he could. Because of that he made some errors.

Berenice cowed her body and freed her paw. Then she jumped up and stood on paws, still holding Hans in grip. Then she pulled hard, hoping to overturn rival. That was too bold move – she weigh about fifty pounds and he was twice her mass. So the result of that was Rottweiler who grabbed her neck and pressed with his powerful jaws.

“It’s finished!” called a scared voice in Berenice’s mind, but she forced herself to go on. Rottweiler’s teethes were pinned in her neck – dog didn’t want to kill her, of course, but to strange her to give up. That why he was grabbing her with fangs. But what Hans forgot what was a special feature of his charge.

Bubonic plague gave Berenice a unusual stigma. Her oedemas on neck never fully disappeared and stretched fur made some sort of skin-purses, covering lymph nodes, neck arteries and partially trachea. When Hans was sure he was chocking her, she could breathe quite regularly. She just played, she was loosing her strength, waited for him to lose his grab. Then all happened very quick.

She dived down, breaking away from his grab, fell on ground and bite his paw. She cowed her body and basing on his second front paw made a lever, spreading his limbs wide. Surprised rottweiler lost his balance and fell down. She shunned falling body, stood up instantly and jumped on his back. Then she pressed him with her mass and once again grabbed his neck. Then she had more time to aim and she got to the zero point of weak spot. With all her might she clenched jaws and hold over minute before Hans’s muscles got loose. Dog was knocked out.

Instantly the fighting berserk left Berenice, leaving just cry of pain. She looked on heavily berating rottweiler and gasped with remorse. Paw of Hans was deeply cut and his neck was also scratched. Those injured looked innocent, but it was about to turn out in time how serious were.

“I’m so sorry…” she whispered to dog’s ear.

But then a wave of cheering deluged her. A sudden burst of human emotions dragged her out from fallen warrior and filled her sweet venom of pride. She won her first official fight in the league. And with whom? With champion Hans. She was the new star of Katczinsky’s Team. Who knows, maybe the coming star of whole North?

*

When Katczinsky turned lights off, Berenice slipped out from kennel and carefully went to house of owner. She was still intoxicated with screams of crowd, stares of admire and envious whispers of other dogs. But she had to shake those emotions off.

She entered dark room on back of Katczinsky’s house. Human was a skilled vet so he was carrying over his dog in home. Berenice noticed that old desk was turned into operation table and there, under light coat, Hans was lying.

“Hans?” she asked in darkness of room. “May I…”

He answered with weak sigh, but she sensed it was an invitation. She came to desk and jumped on chair to look on wounded dog. She yelled with fear, seeing rottweiler in bandages. What had seemed to be just minor injuries, were serious wounds. Katczinsky stitched dog in several places, some other areas covered with bandages. Berenice also sensed that Hans was partially anaesthetized by some sophisticated chemistry.

“Hans, I…” she sobbed, laying her muzzle on table.

“Why don’t you celebrate it with others?” panted dog. “It’s your great day. A real start of you career.”

“I didn’t want to be that way.” She whispered with crying voice. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“It happened because it had to happen, sooner or later.” He said. “I’m glad I’ve outlived to see you glory, at least start of your triumph.”

“If I knew…”

“I hope you would fight the same. It was wonderful fight and you deserved to win. And I? My time has come and it came easier from your fangs.”

“No, you will recover! You will be on ring again!” yelled Berenice. “Master Katczinsky will fix you!”

“As I said, my time has come.” Whispered Hans. “Now it’s your turn. I had my glory once and you deserve of you share. I’m still alive, will be around