or hopelessness, but also due to exhaustion. Next to her were remnants of uneaten meat. The hunger wasn’t sole cause of her misery.

“They are dead, right?” she sobbed, still lying motionless on the snow.

Steele thought for just two seconds to find proper answer. He decided that a small lie would be really helpful there, so he answered with firm voice.

“I’m afraid you’re right. But they haven’t suffered…”

“You lie!” whispered Berenice. “I saw pain in their eyes…”

“Your parents froze that night, probably due to overall exhaustion.” Continued Steele, trying to sound emotionless. “Just passed away in sleep. At last, they are in peace…”

“Can I see them?” asked Berenice. Steele imagine Barry, who still was alive, bleeding with pus from his oedema and desperately fighting for another breath. That wasn’t a good view for his daughter.

“No. There is a risk of infection.” Answered quickly.

In spite that dog did what he could, she burst in cry once again. Steele considered himself as rather cool and immune to any sudden emotions. But recent hollow days had tired him. Something sparked inside malamute and drove him to came closer to she-dog. He bended down to her and licked her cheek. She still was sobbing quietly but turned her head to dog, surrendering to caress. Steele licked again… and froze.

On her fur he tasted death. Again, a bitter aroma of decay shocked dog’s senses. This time the danger was on his tongue. He stepped back, as careful and slow as he could, as if that would deceive the illness and slip away. Berenice, who had closed her eyes and had smiled when tongue of Steele rubbed her muzzle, instantly opened her eyes and raised her head. As malamute suspected  – her neck was swollen.

“What?” she asked. In spite of tensed voice some playful tones were heard. “You didn’t know how it looks like? Don’t worry, your neck will be as pretty in few days.”

“Sure. Now it will.” Replied dog with hollow voice.

So, it came  – a death. Maybe not instant, but sure as always death is. He was infected. “They deceived me!” thought former leader. “They knew all the time…But they still were fooling themselves that this is some easier kind of plague. And in fact – there is some possibility, like one to ten. And because that hope, they mixed me up in this! Genius! If I were them… I wouldn’t find anything better! The son of great Sharp… will be nurse for our beloved daughter… or her undertaker, if someone goes wrong. Barry, you are bastard, but I must admit: a bastard with own style!”

Berenice looked on him with amaze in her eyes. She stood up – barely – and steeped back few steps.

“That means… you are really healthy?” yelled with grave whisper.

“Used to be.” Replied Steele, who started to think cold and rational. That was just a short direct contact, maybe to short to get infected. There was still a hope.

“My God!” sighed she-dog. “Step away from me!” She jumped back, lost her balance and felt down. In first impulse, Steele stepped ahead, to help her, but she froze him with her scared gaze. She slowly lifted herself on paws and asked. “Why did you do this?”

“Come with me.” Said Steele with cold voice. “Now you could enter the cave, I think… I would be grateful, if you keep some distance.”

“Sorry,” she sobbed and followed her guide. In distance of twenty feet.

*

That was a strange day. Steele wasn’t sure if it was real, or was some kind of dream. If a dream, it wasn’t exactly a nightmare but just wild vision of absurd. He guided Berenice to the cave, let her in and waited some time when she was eating. When she finally exited, he said.

“We will try to think rationally. Because there is smaller probability I’m infected, I will hunt. You could infect some animal that escape you. And then we will cause another local Armageddon. All right?” she nodded her head. “And I’m really sorry about your parents. What I could assure you, to the last hour they were thinking about you and your future.”

He turned back, not looking on Berenice. He set off into forest and ran for few minutes, until he was caught by unusual thought. He sidetracked in junipers colony and called.

“Barry… Are you still there?” The weak moan was the simplest answer.

Steele, having no idea, what he was doing, marched into cluster and stood over dying dog. Sick malamute tried to protest, but he wasn’t able. His oedemas broke and all pus deluged fun on his neck and chest. He was lying on side, barely catching the breath. The illness started its last phase.

“You have beautiful daughter with beautiful swelling!” growled dog, standing over sick one.

“Steele… go away… you will catch…”

“Why are you so protective now?” said former leader with anger. “She is sick too. She had some weaker kind, but she got inflammation as well. I must congratulate you, because it was really hard to use remnants of kindness in me to your aim. But you did it – I got to her and probably got her illness.”

“Go away…” moaned dog.

“Not yet.” Said Steele. “Repeat it all. Names, locations, any clues. Who killed my father?”

“Go…”

“Faster you tell me, the lower is probability you infect me.” Smiled former leader. “Names, locations, any clues.”

“It was on Buckland Route. Husky called Black, he was our traitor.” Whispered Barry. “Pack of wolves is wandering one, but it’s called Ravens Pack. Names of wolves… I heard just a few… Aniu, Okto, Beth, Alima… Will you avenge my leader?” asked dog with last breath.

“No, I’m going to send them x-mass postcard!” though irritated Steele, but he added aloud. “After all, I’m the great Sharp’s son. And now I must admit, you impressed me.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Do not sorry. It was right thing to do… for you. I thank you on behalf of Berenice. This is the only way I could help you.” Said former leader and carefully grabbed Barry’s neck, trying not to swallow any of pus. He clenched his jaws, squashing spine in one move. He unbended and spit out all infected blood. “Somehow I wish to be like you: nasty, but doing it not just for me.” Added malamute to dying companion. Then he turned away and started his hunt.

*

He got back to cave few hours after fall of night, with quite heavy load. He got some fat raccoon dog, weighting almost twenty pounds. Eating it he realised that this kind should hibernate in that season, so that one was really special… or special due to infection. But he ignored and devoured half of carcass. He was risking his life so intensively that he wasn’t avid to lose tasty meal because few additional,  eventual bacteria. Then he split remaining carcass and took about ten pounds of meat for Berenice. He hoped that such a portion would last for few days, because he was really tired. He hadn’t slept with easy sleep for over five days.

“I put your supper here.” Called Steele before the entrance to cave. “I will depart now and you will get it, right?”

“Right.” Replied Berenice. Malamute surprised, hearing her voice. All fear had ceased, leaving just cold determination without hesitation. Former leader though that it meant something good (good, at last!) – his ward wasn’t going to be crying sniveller. And – what was even more optimistic – she seemed to be cooperative, remembering about infection threat. So dog went away about hundred feet and laid down to sleep. After about half an hour he was awoken by quiet call.

“Sir… sir…”

“What happened?” asked malamute with sleepy voice.

“No, nothing…” added Berenice. “I just wonder… How do you feel?”

“Good, I’m not dying yet.” Replied Steele. “Your food supply is sure at least for few days…”

“I’m sorry, sir.” Said Berenice with genuine sorrow in her voice. “I didn’t mean to…”

“Good night.” Interrupted Steele.

“Good night.” Replied she-dog and returned to cave.

After few minutes of trying to fall asleep, to Steele’s mind came quite absurd thought. “I’m too harsh with her. She just has lost her parents…” But then he asked himself. “And what the hell it concerns me? She is going to die, maybe I’m going to die too. What an absurd! What I’m doing here, anyway?”

Then a sudden curiosity made Steele to stand up. He marched to the cave and silently entered the main chamber. He saw Berenice lying on the floor with paws put under her muzzle. Dog came closer and examined her neck. Oedemas were still significant, but they hadn’t grown since morning. Former leader gained a slight hope. “It’s just a weaker kind… I will make it too.” Thought and exited the cave.

Berenice opened her eyes and exhaled deeply. She was too confused to judge clearly on her carer. But only thing she was sure was simple. “He is really care of me… He is risking his life. How noble…”

*

Next few days passed in that that strange routine: on morning Steele went on hunting, he got back in early dusk, left part of preys on doorstep of cave and left to his lair in junipers. They talked a little, both too confused to say anything more than: Hi, Thanks or How are you feel? What turned out to be a strange ritual was the examination on morning. For few long minutes they were staring on each other’s neck, looking for signs of illness. And with every morning Steele discovered that Berenice’s oedemas were like frozen – they haven’t disappeared or even got smaller, but also haven’t grown. Malamute wasn’t sure if that was good or grave news, so he said nothing to his patient. Berenice said that he had no swellings, although dog didn’t believe her. He felt a unnatural thickenings on his neck’s lymph nodes. However in emotional state he was in those days, he was able to even believe he is a wolf if someone suggested it to him strongly enough. But on fifth day Steele made an important decision.

“We must go down, to valley.” Said during morning examination. “I have more and more problems with looking for game. All eatable preys here are dead or fled away.”

“As you wish, sir.” Nodded Berenice, still