of his anger and eased off Ice.

The grey wolf-dog shot up and grabbed the sled dog by the throat. Even with the struggles and shaking, his enemy had no chance of suvival. Rusty began to gasp for air, in a ghastly, spluttering sound. He fell onto the ground.

"ICE!" Ilena and Jai raced over the hill. Ice realized suddenly what he had done. He stepped back and let go of the fallen dog's neck. Ilena bit him on the ear, the soft, silky part which is sensitive. She saw no sense in hurting Ice any more so let go. She could deal with him later. Right now what was important was Rusty...

*

The vet came out with a heavy face. "He might make it, but there's a greater risk he won't. But we'll do everything we can."

Rosie's dad nodded and left the centre. Ilena gave her son one last lick before padding back to Jai. She cried all the way back home. Ice was also crying, knowing that his brother could die, it being all his fault. When his mother and father came in, he stood up and walked up to them.

"Do what you want. I deserve it."

Jai cuffed him around the head and told him that he was far beond being punished. Ice had never been hurt by his dad. Now he was more angry than Ilena had ever been known to be, and she had a small attitude problem. Ice limped to his basket. He uncomfortably curled up, and he looked over to the empty bed next to his.

It was a week later and Rusty was back on his feet. Ice had almost made a full recovery and things had cooled down. The two brothers were friends again, but Ice had some sorting out to do. Tiala.

She was flirtying with some dogs when he turned up. Ice held his rage. Cheap tart... he thought as he walced up to her. The dogs were the ones there that night and they scarpered. Tiala turned around.

"I-Ice, I-"

"I'm angry, But I can hold that. I can't trust you. Whenever I turn my back you're with some other guy. It's over." He turned and walked away when the inner Tiala showed up.

"It never started!"

Ice spun around. There stood Tiala, the wind blowing at her coat, no dogs around her. She was alone. That was her, alone. They stopped showing a frown and raced towards each other. Tiala flung herself onto Ice and kissed him. Over? His relationship had only just begun.

They let go of each other and gazed into their eyes. A million questions whirled around in Ice's head. Was this right? Could she be forgiven? All of them had no hope of being answered for the time being. He would have to wait and see.

The pair of them walked slowly back through the street. Many males growled at the sight of a wolf dog getting the best girl. Steele cringed at the sight.

"Tiala. Get home, I'll ask you questions later!" Steele yelled as he hit his daughter.

"Don't touch her!" Ice shouted. Steele turned to him.

"Whatta ya' gonna do, hairball?"

"This." He clawed Steele down the face. Steele howled with pain. Tiala screamed at the blood. Ice got hold of her collar and led her away so she wasn't upset. She was a little shaky.

"I'm sorry I hurt him. I had to..." She nodded wierily. Ice took her to the boat. The sun sank, the moon rose and the stars appeared. They pointed out the constalations in the deep blue sky.

"And there's Agali attacking the Great Bear! Can you see him?"

"There!Yes! I can, Ice! I can!" Tiala cried. She pointed to some stars. "My mum said they were called the litter of seven. Sometimes you can see a lot more than seven, you can see thousands, but on other nights you can't see any more than four."

The two of them lay talking until they both went to sleep. The sun rose early in the morning and the birds began to sing. Tiala realized that her father would kill her if he found out she spent the night with Ice, and so ran off before he woke up. When Ice did wake up, he saw that Tiala was gone. Did she go for a reason? Or was she being difficult again?

Ilena was quite worried. She hadn't seen Ice for two days, and was beginning to wonder where he was and what he was doing. "Will he be alright?" she kept thinking. Her son was tough, he had proved that in the fight with his brother. There was a movement in the dog flap, and Ice's head apeared. Ilena sighed in relief. "Where have you been?"

"Out." Ice replied emotionlessly. Ilena knew he was hiding something, but she wasn't about to force it out of him. "Ok." she smiled, trying to sound as least concerned as possible. But inside she was crying, knowing that her own son couldn't tell her a secret.

*

Tiala pushed the door so it closed. Steele turned his head to her and walked over. He stood tall and broad, intimmidating her. It wasn't going to work. Tiala was tough, otherwise she wouldn't be there with Steele as her father. "Well?!" Steele snapped. Tiala lokked up, smirking. "I was spending the night with a friend." she grinned cheekily. Steele swiped at her with his paw. She just missed it.

"The last time I saw you, you were with that, that...." He growled fiercely. "Wolf!"

"Yeah, and?"

Steele wouldn't stand someone talking to him like this. He bit his daughter on the shoulder and dragged her to the floor. Tiala fought back but overall he was too strong. Hannah walked in.

"Steele!"

He looked up. Tiala skuttled away, bleeding from her wound on her shoulder. "How DARE you!" Hannah barked.

Some other dogs heard the comotion from outside the house. They stopped and listened in horror. Steele and Hannah suddely flew out the door and started scratching and pounding at each other on the snow. Ice heard the fighting, too, and rushed over to the circle of huskies. He pushed to the centre. Steele and Hannah were tearing at each other. Out of nowhere, Ice jumped in.

The first thing he felt was Steele clawing at him. Ice struggled over and stood up, pinning him to the floor. Hannah limped away and nuzzled Tiala. Steele lay panting, Ice wasn't going to let him up, that was the worst thing he could do. He heard men approaching and lightened off a bit. Rosie's dad yanked Ice away, which didn't take much as Ice wasn't trying to fight. But Steele wriggled and twisted in his owners arms. He shot round and bit his hand.

Ice was let go of and he went over to Tiala to lick her shoulder. She winced in pain as Ice lapped at the flesh. She'd gotten off very lightly, but Ice had more to come. Ilena had seen the commotion, and when she saw Ice apear from the battle ring, she was fuming. "ICE!" she yelled. It was the second fight in a week. He turned around from his lickng and saw his mother heading straight for him. Ilena was about to hurl words at him, when Hannah spoke up.

"It wasn't his fault, Ilena. He went in to stop Steele from hurting me."

Ilena frowned. She felt a little guily and rather embarrassed. "Um... well, that's okay, then..." she trailed off, walking away. Ice got back to Tiala's shoulder. She was fine now, but the experience had given her a shock.

*

A few weeks went by until Autumn began to apear, surounding the town with colours and sounds. Ice went to Tiala's place every day. Steele had been given a doghouse in the garden and he was chained to it from 6pm till 11am each night.

"Ice. I have to talk. Can we go to the boat?"

Ice nodded. He was a little nervous. Was she dumping him for another dog? But he took his girl to the boat and they sat down silently.

"I'm, I'm," Tiala didn't quite know how to say it. In the end, she forced the news out of her mouth. "I'm having puppies."

Ice's jaw dropped. There was no point asking how it happened, he knew, but what about everyone else?What would his parents say? Never mind them, what about Steele when he found out?

Tiala looked at him. She was stressed, tired, worried. He gave her a lick on the cheek. "It'll be okay." he whispered. Tiala made no reaction but she had heard Ice. They spent the rest of the day talking quietly. The atmosphere was tense, Ice was in slight shock.

Walking her home, Ice didn't say anything to Tiala. The other dogs would hear. Tiala left him from the doorstep. On the way back, Ice came face-to-face with Steele. Ice carried on walking, but Steele wouldn't let him pass.

"Let me go Steele, it'll mean I won't have to fight you."

"Pprffffff, that was nothing. Quite a set of claws you got there, pal." Steele sneered. He was right in Ice's face, intimidating. Ice backed away and walked in the other direction. He was fed up with tearing other dogs to pieces, he was begining to become hated. The other dogs would quiver with fright when he walked by, fearing being shredded. They did it with Steele too, and he didn't want to sink to that evil level. Dispite talking with his girlfriend all day, he needed space to think.

The boat was his favourite place. But someone was already there. Jai sat on the deck, as if waiting for Ice to show up. "I knew you'd come."

Ice decided that if there was one dog in the world that he could tell anything, it was his dad. He told Jai about the puppies. "It'll be tough, but don't expect me to fend of Steele!" He sighed and chuckled.

Months went by. Steele calmed down. He had no idea about the pups. Tiala stayed in the boat, the quietest place in Nome. Ice brought her food every day, until he had a suprise.

Tiala had given birth in the night. She was tired but happy. But when she saw Ice her eyes were watery. The bitch nodded at three hairy piles in the corner. "They didn't make it." she murmured sadly.

Ice was filled with anger. "It's your father's fault. He's the one who stressed you out and hit you. By Agali! There's no telling what I'd do to him if I had my way!"

"Calm down, Ice. We have to name them..." He suddenly realised that there were two more furballs snuggled up to Tiala's side. One was black, the other creme and black striped...

"Tiala..."

"I should have told you."

There was only one male dog in Nome that was light tanned. Wasp. His rival. But how could she? After all he'd done for her?

"I like Ebony for the black one, the girl. And for the boy I've always liked Jacob..."

Ice couldn't