barely hearing what his charge wanted to say. “It doesn’t look good.”

“Lay low, boy.” Growled Sharp. “You must rest before we set off.”

Rest?! In that weather? Maybe the great and invincible Sharp of Anchorage was able to sleep in minus fifty degree in blazing wind, but Barry wasn’t as touch. Under constant waves of snowy blizzard he crouched closer to leader and bended down to his ear.

“Sir, we can’t wait any longer! Katy is almost out! We must reach Inuvik as soon we can!”

“Lay low, Barry!” repeated leader. “Black said he will back and we will wait for him.”

“Black is dead!” yelled younger malamute. “We must go.”

“I won’t leave my team mate behind.” Said Sharp quietly, but with so decisive tone, that Barry understood that sentence in spite of noise of element. “Wait here, I will go back for him.”

“Sir, wolves…” started Barry.

“If I don’t return, you’ll take a lead and take them to base. I believe you’ll manage.”

“Sir, that’s not funny!” screamed younger dog. “Black tried to sell us to wolves. If he wants to join them, let him be! If they eat him, let it be! He will just get what he deserve…”

“He is still part of a pack.” Growled Sharp, although on his face anger and frustration was clear. “I won’t blame him for what happened to Lii and Rex until I have a proof.”

“Sir, I think the proof you’ll see would be the last thing you see in your life!” called Barry. “We are just five now. If you are down, we won’t survive… we won’t save master DuMeil!”

“You will, puller.” Replied Sharp with bold smile on his muzzle. “You will, because I’m ordering you to do it. And now I’m going for Black. Guard the human and set off if I don’t return in two hours.” Barry could only nod his head when Sharp stood up and slowly set off in direction of furious wind. In fact, that was the moment he saw him for the last time.

In snowy blizzard he was able to see only distant silhouettes. Sharp walking barely into wind and several other canines, waiting on brink of forest. Black, lying on road, pretending he was wounded. But it was just a decoy – when Sharp closed enough, five wolves pounced. It wasn’t an actual fight – malamute had no chances to stand. Enemies, jumping with wind pinned him to the ground. In spite of extreme unfortunate position, leader managed to throw away two opponents. However, three remaining did their job quickly. Barry couldn’t move when silhouettes of wolves started to closing in to sled.

After death of chief he should have take over the lead, alarm rest of pack and stand in defence of human. But he was unable to move. Kate, Vik and Lequ just lifted their heads to follow enemies, but no one dared to do anything. It was much too cold to be a hero.

On the lead of pack was going Black with white wolfess. Black husky didn’t seem to be hostage or prisoner. Rather an ally.

“Black…” whispered Barry with disbelief. They all suspected that second-in-charge in team had decided to leave sled and join the wolves. Also there was a possibility that ambush on Lii and Rex was caused by Black’s betrayal. But sight of death of Sharp shocked him to the core. Husky, friend from team turn out to be traitor.

“It isn’t as you think…” said dog gently. Meanwhile he gave a wave with tail and pack of wolves came to the sled-card. “I had to. It’s nothing personal… I just…”

“You killed them!” murmured Barry with no rage nor reproach, but just extreme surprise. “Lii, Rex and chief.” Although it probably wasn’t audible due to wind, husky had to understand his words.

“As I said, it wasn’t as you think.” Added traitor. “I fell in love.”

White wolf came to black-furred and tenderly nudged his side. On her muzzle, as well as on faces of whole pack, hunger was clear. But then that expression was covered with joyful awaiting for feast.

Barry didn’t reacted when wolves jumped to musher and with quick attack killed the unconsciousness human. Then predators started to tear pack with supplies, looking for dried meat. Seeing that, Black turned to card and went to the spoils – whatever spirits de corpse rules the group it always gets waxed in times of prey-getting, so new-joined husky decided to secure the meal for him and his mate for himself. Barry closed his eyes, too tired to run when was expecting that wolves, after satisfying first hunger, would finish off the dogs, just to be sure they won’t attack them, or – who knows – to get a exotic dessert. But when wind slowed a little, malamute heard a moan of Kate.

He felt burning pain in his head. So not only he was going to die but also sweet Kate. Why? It was completely useless to fight against over ten opponents, however Barry started to crawl slowly in Kate’s direction. Beautiful and independent bitch, who never paid any attention on him was anyway mistress of malamute’s heart. If he was unable to save her, he wanted to die next to her. Just to…

“Barry?” whispered Kate. “Will they kill us?”

“No, of course not.” Replied dog, laying next to her. She instantly hugged to his side. “Black is with them.”

“That why he should kill us.” Said bitch. “So we won’t tell Lepmi who did this. Barry… Why we haven’t died, standing for master Patrick? We would just do it honourable. It’s so cold…” She nestled tighter to dog.

After minutes of silent feast, Black came to pair of malamutes. When Barry saw he was alone, he bared his teethes, ready kill at least one of enemies.

“Stay down.” instructed husky. “I said Aniu and others, I will kill you. Try not to show I didn’t.” they nodded theirs heads and Black bended down, playing he was finishing the prisoners. When he got face to face with lying Barry, malamute said.

“We are damned! We doomed our master. You killed chief. Dammit! He was not only a leader, but also a mate and father.”

“I do it for my mate. And for my soon-to-be children. Leave, you won’t resurrect him.”

“I should kill you.” Murmured malamute.

“I guess, you should.” Agreed Black and stood up. Then he turn back to his new pack and quickly disappeared in snow-blizzard. Barry was lying still, next to crying Kate. It took maybe an hour, before they made first move.

“And what will be now?” asked she-dog with breaking voice. “We can’t just go back.”

“We will stay here.” Said malamute.  “I will stay with you, if you wish.” She only hugged him tighter. Blizzard was still raging on.

II.I. Accidental Hero

"Very well, then", Yahweh replied, "whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance." So Yahweh put a mark on Cain, so that no one coming across him would kill him.
Cain left Yahweh's presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Genesis 4;15-16

As they said – on next morning Steele found pawprints on the snow, leading him on south-east. At first malamute was scared to follow those, because he also noticed few pools of dirty-red blood, mixed with pus. The neck-oedema of one of infected dogs had to broke out, or even was bite through by one of them, unable to look on anguish of mate. Anyway it was a sing that time of ill couple was nearing. Steele clenched his teethes and set off on path. Pus was frozen and risk of infection was minimal.

“But adding all those odd to one, I could get an awfully big probability.” Thought dog bitterly.

After few minutes of march, he saw that from path came a double pawprints into a nearest bushes of juniper. But before he asked, an answer came from there.

“Go ahead… about three hundred feet.” Whispered a weak voice of Barry. “Be quick, she is hungry. Kate… passed away that night. Don’t wait for me, I will join her soon.” Without word former leader moved on, but after several seconds another call, a weak moan from bushes, stopped him. “Steele! Steele!”

“I’m still here.” Replied dog.

“Will you forgive us?”

“Yes.” He replied without any emotion and walked away.

The path ended soon in small pan, covered from wind and blizzard. There was another cluster of junipers, bigger and denser, making a perfect shelter for frosty days. Maybe not as good as cave, but keep on open air was definitely safer in times of plague. Dog stopped on slope of pan and called gently.

“Berenice?” He actually didn’t know, why he was doing it. He had no interest in caring that kid. He fell that he would have no scruples to leave her in place if his duty turned out to be too tiring. But also he was driven by serious curiosity and something more. “God! Why I’m doing it? To return favour to underlings of my father? Father… After I got known so much I should plan the vengeance on Black and that wolfpack, not on Balto. Am I so selfish that I could hate only on my behalf?” He realised that obeying request of infected dogs he was only postponing the greater question to answer – what he should do with knowledge he just had gotten.

“Are you… Steele?” asked female voice from junipers.

“No, Santa Claus!” thought dog, but he restrained that remark. In whatever mood he was, he understood that child who just had gotten orphaned could be in worse. “Yes, that’s my name. Will you show yourself?” asked. “According to assurances of your parents I’m not infected…” He played a wrong string, because he instantly heard a burst of cry from bushes. He carefully walked closed, entered cluster and found her, lying in snow.

She was about eight months old – adolescent bitch of pure breed and perfect shaped, beautiful features. Her fur was pure like day and night – darkness of upper coat came instantly into whiteness of lower one. Her green eyes – in spite of being deluged by tears – were looking on newcomer with piercing vision. “Beautiful eyes.” Thought Steele instinctively. “But somehow they look dangerous.” She was moderate grown as her age, inherited a powerful constitution after strong parents, but recent times of hunger made her slimy and fragile. And weak, very weak. She was lying not only due to sorrow or hopelessness, but also