disorganized group, so any pattern in where they attack is unlikely.”

 “Then why were you looking for one?” asked Terry.

 He shrugged. “I was actually hoping to find a concentration of attacks in any one area, and then look for clues there. But there seem to be concentrations, along with scattered attacks, all over the map.”

 “Pack warfare?” suggested Terry. “Maybe different groups are fighting each other and housedogs are getting caught in the crossfire.”

 “Already thought of that. But these don’t correspond with their usual haunts at all. And according to my officers, several pack hideouts have been abandoned.”

 Terry hung her head; disappointed that her theory had proven futile. “Well, it was a thought,” she said.

 Rex nodded in that slow, quiet manner of his. “It was a good one,” he agreed. “And you’ve been as helpful as anyone could ask and more.”

 She answered him with a tired smile. “Thank you.”

Rex willed his neck to remain stiff and his head not to shake. His mind was spinning like a log down a hill as he tried to sort the matter out. ‘The worst thing I can do is to risk leading her on,’ he thought, ‘But every time I do or say the right thing, I feel like I am. What’s going on here?

 Give it a chance, interjected a voice in his mind, like an echo of Orde’s advice. Who knows, maybe it’s working like this because…

 ‘Stay out of my thoughts, Orde,’ he thought forcefully. ‘Bad enough he’s egging me on when he is around, now I’ve got no peace when he isn’t.’

……………………………………………………………………

‘I’m getting too old for this.’ Orde groused inwardly, scanning the area once more from his vantage point and shivering slightly from the bitter cold. He began to wonder how on earth he convinced himself to take this position instead of the other posts that his two partners for the evening, Ewan and Comet, had taken up. ‘Climbing all manner of rooftops and jumping around like a cat at my age is foolish…' He smiled in spite of himself. 'Then again, I know that I’ll still be hoping around on rooftops for another two years yet before I even consider retirement.’  After all, he reasoned, it was rare for anyone to spot a dog (no matter their age) on top of a roof, and with the onset of dusk it would be nearly impossible to be spotted. He had agreed to take this post near the outskirts of town in the hopes that he could finally take back some useful information to the station about these attacks. The sooner this frustrating mess was taken care of, the better.

 Padding footsteps jerked Orde away from his thoughts, and he instantly flattened himself against the rooftop as he spotted two scrawny, ill groomed dogs enter the alley, both possessing a gait that instantly alerted Orde’s senses in spite of their scraggly appearance. These two dogs walked much differently then any common curs found on the street, he mused; this pair walked more like…trained dogs, like the British army dogs Orde remembered from his youth. The main difference however was that these two seemed slyer, more cautious as they made their way deeper into the alley. Definitely not like the cocky British Tommy after all. Pack leaders, perhaps?

 'I think it’s time I follow them. Perhaps they will drop some substantial clues.' He stealthily came down from the roof, soon slipping into pace behind the two as he blended in with the deep shadows the winding alleys provided. He noted with satisfaction that the two seemed to have no clue that he was following them, and he hoped it would stay that way as he pricked his ears forward to listen in.

 “…Well, waddaya think?” The left dog with mottled fur and dull brown eyes had just asked; his voice nervous. “Is it worth comin’ to get food without permission, or are we just askin’ for more punishment?”

 His companion, a solid light gray male who walked with a limp, snorted. “Knowing us, it’ll be both. Did you see what happened to commandant Ketchikan today? He got his sorry butt clawed to the bone for disobeying orders once he got caught talking back.” His hazel eyes were derisive, but still held an amused light in them as he glanced at his companion. “Just be sure you don’t give us away, and we’ll eat in peace.”

 Orde frowned in confusion as he continued to slowly trail after them. 'Disobeying orders? Commandant?’ His ears swiveled forward as far as they could go and he sneaked closer. This was the most information they had to go on ever since this whole blasted mess began!

 The duo paused near some garbage bins, but made no move towards them yet. “Ya really need to work on yer ‘inspiring confidence’ skills, Mac.” The mottled mutt chuckled nervously. “We could get inta serious trouble for sneakin’ food. I’ve already had three hits for talkin’ back to…you know who.” His voice dropped lower, and even in the dark his fearful expression was clear.

 ‘Mac’ sighed. “You’re hungry, right?”

 His friend whined pathetically. “Yes!”

 “Then we risk the chance of being beaten senseless. I for one will do my duties with a full stomach.”

 Orde’s mind was processing the information as fast as he heard it, and he resisted the temptation to puzzle over it right then and there. He would have time for that later at the briefing, and he knew he couldn’t afford to miss a single word of this.

 However, it seemed that luck wanted to spite him; for just as the strays reached over to touch the bin and resume their conversation, a horrendous clanging noise reverberated in the narrow alley like metallic thunder, and the two strays jumped in fright and bolted away at the noise as fast as their legs could carry them.

 Orde had instantly dropped to a defensive stance, but once his gaze snapped to the source of the noise and commotion he nearly groaned aloud. It was that overgrown pup, Comet! 'What the blazes is he doing here? We told him to stay put and watch Main Street!'

 The young Border Collie sheepishly sat up from the trash bins he had run into and rubbed his head. “Ow. That defiantly didn’t turn out like I planned.” He turned and his eyes grew wide once he saw Orde’s expression. “Uh oh…”

 Ewan hurried into the alley then, evidently in the middle of tracking the wayward pup down, looking just as angry as Orde felt. The husky kept his tone down however, mindful of the hour and the location they were in. “There you are! What were you thinking, disobeying orders like that? You blew our cover!” Ewan paused a moment as he took in the bits of trash slipping off Comet’s head. “Nice decorations,” he commented dryly, rolling his eyes. “Really, how could you run right into a trash can?”

 “It was an accident!” The teenager defended himself, bristling with anger and embarrassment. “I was just wondering what happened to the Captain when I saw he was gone from the roof and I”-

 Orde stepped between the two and shot them both a withering look. “Enough! We need to get to get back to the station and report what we have heard to our officers. We’ll go backtrack where these two dogs came from at dawn and see if they came from one of their usual hangouts.”

 Ewan frowned. “And what will that prove? They have been at completely random, unrelated places. Rex could tell you that himself. None of the locations makes any sense.”

 Orde paused. “Perhaps location isn’t as relevant as I thought.” He said slowly, ignoring the confused looks of his companions. The map that Rex kept came to mind. Perhaps they were focusing too much on location and not enough on the strays themselves. It was an idea Orde wasn’t comfortable with, but he knew it had to be presented. He sighed in resignation. “Let’s go. I have a report to make, and a few ideas to present.”

 Ewan and Comet shared an amused look. “Just be sure that those ideas aren’t too off the wall, my dear Captain, or you’ll give Rex another headache.” Ewan smirked, his normally serious air giving way to the occasional insolence Orde remembered from times past.

 'Cheeky whelp...' He snorted, feeling half annoyed and half amused at his former student. He decided to ignore Comet’s quiet laugh as they turned to head back to the station. He already knew what the teenager was going to say. “Aw come on Ewan. Knowing the Captain, he probably already has.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Orde hated to make an incomplete report, but in this case it had to be done. He rose early the next morning, arranging for Ewan and a few others to take over his side of the investigation for the time being. However, there were a few things to clear up… “Ewan!” He called after the husky just as the others were leaving. He caught up with his former student and spoke in a low