sensed a presence of some rivals. Just two predator, however those were rivals anyway. Black just couldn’t let some other wolves to feast on his territory. So he left Aniu with pups on Eagle Pass and with rest of group he set off on <sweeping mission> as Okto called it. Although enemies weren’t numerous, Black decided to wait as they split and attack one of them in lair.

Agatha was just laying in cave, waiting for Victor to return. Since over week she was helping him in hunting, but this time he made her to stay, because she got a little scratch non rear paw. It was nothing, but young dog was still so protective as if she was still severely wounded. She agreed, but hade him to promise that next time she would do the job. Of course she assumed that there would be the next time.

Ravens Pack attack from run. They were swayed by stock of meat that Agatha and Victor were keeping in cave. Without any warning eleven wolves entered the cave and pinned surprised female to the ground. That wasn’t even fight, but execution. Okto and Elekm held Agatha and Black inflicted a one bite in the throat. Then whole three let dying wolf loose to get a meat.

And then she attacked.

She was fatally hurt, however still alive. In impulse of anger she forced her burning body to make a final attempt. She grabbed neck of Elekm and pulled with all her might. Wolf overturned and fell down. In next move Agatha bite at random his muzzle. One of her fangs plunged into left eye of predator – he filled the small cave with scream.

Victor heard that and understood that he failed. He was perfect killer but no one had taught him to track other creatures. That why he ignored signs of wolves presence. If that day Agatha was on hunt, she most likely noticed the warning and convince Victor to escape. But it happened in different way.

When dog came near cave he saw freezing scene in doorstep. Wolves were leaving with meat in theirs mouths and only creature without spoil was Elekm. He had Agatha. Wolfess was gripping his throat with desperate might and he was yelling and screaming do to wounds. They both were bleeding heavily. Rest of pack was looking on that with amaze, but suddenly Black gave a signal to draw back. All wolves, except Elekm – still joined in deadly hug with Agatha – ran to the forest, carrying theirs prizes. Seeing that Elekm yelled, got loose his grab on wolfess’s neck. Then she dropped him on the snow and fell down next to, fainting from bloodlet.

Victor run to his beloved and bended down to her blooded head. She was dying and it was obvious. Her artery was cut and there was no power on the earth to mend that. So Victor was able to just to see how her eyes opened and her stare pointed on him.

“O, my God…” she panted. “I’m so sorry, we won’t make it together. I don’t want to leave you…” she inhaled deeply and added with her last breath. “Just believe me, I love you for how you are inside.” Then she froze in death.

Victor was lying next to her body for about hour, then yells of Elekm made him to stand up, hit him in muzzle and spit on wounded wolf. Forest predator wasn’t fully aware what had happened, because one of his eyes was ripped out by Agatha and the second was deluged with blood.

“You!” panted Victor. “Who are you?” wolf understood that he was in grave danger, ad moreover he understood that he no chance defend himself. He was blind and helpless, also bleeding from some cuts.

“Wait…” yelled. “We have to… We were hungry.”
”Where is your pack? Where they fled?” asked dog, as if he wanted to pursue enemies and alone avenge death of his beloved. Because Elekm was blind he didn’t notice that avenger was a small mutt, weighting half wolf’s weight.

“I don’t know!”

“Tell me everything, and I will finish you off.” Said Victor. “If not, we could play for a while.” But Elekh said nothing before Victor plunged his claws in his second eye then bite off his ear. Then wolf started to cry with puppyish yelling and told few important things. For example – they had to hunt for Aniu’s pups.

“I think I will eat them alive.” Smiled Victor.

I.II. Seed of Mayhem

Two weeks later a lone silhouette appeared on outskirts of Selawik. No one recognised a pup who left that town four months earlier. It was just impossible that any creature changed so much. Even not in body, but in whole it’s being. Victor grew a bit, now was weighting about forty pounds and reached size of most likely limit of his body design. He was slim, but he was always slim. He was hungry, but he was always hungry. Just then he was completely ignoring voice of his body. The main difference were eyes.

It was seen in whole his silhouette but his eyes were sparking with that. A will to kill and inflict pain. Dogs, even those bigger that he were stepping aside his way, somehow sensing that inside of that dog was living devil. Yellow furred got to the centre of town harassed by no one and then he met Rupert. Rupert was giant chow-chow ruling on streets of Selawik. Victor remembered him just a coming star, because on autumn the rouge leader there had been still Doberman Mikael. But Rupert had killed Mikael and become a first dog there. That why he just couldn’t step aside from Victor’s way.

“What do you think, you mutt!?” growled chow-chow and jumped on newcomer. Mongrel was wresting with giant adversary, but quickly he was pinned to the ground, lifted up, then threw away few metres in snow. “What a scum!” murmured Rupert and wanted to walk away.

But Victor stood up and – in spite of cut on his side and bump on his forehead – came to leader and growled with perfect calmness.

“That was good. One more time.”

Chow-chow was so amazed that he hesitated over three seconds. Then he again jumped on stranger, again threw him to the ground, lift him and threw away. And once again Victor stood up – then with another cut on his skin, already a bit blooded on fur – and with faltering steps walked to Rupert.

“One more time.” He panted and looked in chow-chow’s eyes. Rupert though he didn’t fear anything on the world, however the stare of newcomer almost incinerated him. In those blue eyes were so much hatred that leader never experienced in his life. “One more time.” Repeated Victor. “I need few lessons.”

II.I The Magnificent One

There shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit.
The Spirit of Yahweh shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh.
Isaiah 11:1-2

While living in Selawik Victor tuned off few features of his mind. He was feeling exactly what he had to feel and thinking what had to, nothing more. It was easy because of life he was living – it was just sum of fighting and eating. Stray dog even didn’t think about looking for human family. He was just wandering on streets of town and waiting for other strays to start a fight. Because he was rather small and many homeless dogs were spitze mutts of mixes of big dogs, he often got what he wanted to. A day without combat was a lost day, so Victor always tried to look as dirty, little and weak stray, asking for a lesson of some real dog.

Of course, he wasn’t always a winner. Saying straight – in early days, in spring and summer of 1922 he was regular beaten up by many stronger opponents. Then, when he gained some of experience, it turned up that dog community as a whole gained some experience too and then Victor was challenged only by real good warriors. So about October of that year fights of Victor became a legendary and started to be a local attraction for town – both for good dogs from humans families and strays. That was really concerning Rupert. He just woke some day up and understood that he wasn’t the most popular dog in town.

Selawik was a special city – it had own sleds, three full teams, however once – in times of the Second Gold Rush, there were thirty sled teams. Than town was just a shadow of old “Goldopolis” as old humans called it. So after the golden age (sic!) remained big remote districts and improvised architecture of cheap one-family-houses. And dogs, mutts in particular. About fifteen years earlier golden rush finished instantly, leaving Selawik on the edge of doom. Humans – once rich and prosperous, stopped in front of poverty. They had to rid off beloved dogs, sled spitze, unable to feed them. So about hundred noble-born canines found themselves on streets of town. Some stronger and braver moved to wild, but some stayed. By mating between breeds, community of outsiders just in few generations degenerated – I know it sounds cruel, but according to human breeding standards it was true – to state Victor saw. There was few pure-breeds in houses of humans and a legion of mutts on streets. Because the nature hates vacuum, quick after “Goldopolis’s fall” some witty and ruthless thug, namely Mackenzie Jupiter, become a <chief> of town. Chief was just a thug leader, ruling street gangs and threading street population. Of curse such a tyrannies, had nothing to do with classic pack or team community, last shortly. Jupiter had been driven away (and soon after died in wild) by hybrid doberman Mikael and Mikael was killed by chow-chow (he claimed that breed. In fact he was chow-chow and wolfdog hybrid) Rupert. Victor came to town in Ruperts era, however he gave no heck about dirty games in local underground. He was concerned only about fighting.

But Rupert was heavily concerned about stranger. That early winter day, when light snow was falling on town, chief gathered a group of his sidekicks and went to the remote slaughterhouse, the building where Victor was by the most time. However they failed to find him. Rupert was standing before ruined factory and thinking where his rival could be. Even if chief was