the untrusting glare in Luca’s eyes.  Just as he was about to turn his back, he heard a low growl from Talus.

            “Did you really think I was going to let you just walk away?” Talus growled.

            Luca just looked at him.  “I was hoping, but with you I knew not to get my hopes up.”

            Talus started to circle his brother, his teeth barred.  Aniu glanced at Talus with a strong hatred burning in her eyes.  “Just go home,” she growled.

            “Don’t you think I would if I could?” he asked with a hint of mockery.

            Luca rolled his eyes.  “And why can’t you just go back to Nome?”

            “Because I know where you live now.  I promised that I would kill you if I got the chance because of what you did.”

            Aniu’s eyes widened.  She caught Luca’s eyes and saw the message in them.  She had to get the pups away from the two brothers.

            “Come on pups,” she said in a rushed voice.  “Let’s go… play.”

            Balto and Tara glanced up at their mother in confusion, but followed without argument as they walked away leaving the two huskies behind them.

            “You can just walk away,” Luca said gently.

            Talus laughed.  “How?  The dogs in town are terrified that you’re going to turn on them.  You are running with a wolf, now.”

            Luca snorted.  “And your mate is any better?”

            Talus snarled.  “You have no right to talk about Christa that way!”

            Luca was about to reply when Talus lunged at him, teeth barred.  Trying to jump out of the way, he felt his brother’s claws sink into his hunches.  Yelping in pain, Luca rounded on Talus and bit down into his shoulder.  Getting back up, he leapt away.

            “I didn’t think you were one to run away brother,” Talus growled.

            “I'm not.”

            Leaping back at him, Luca bit into Talus’s front leg.  Then he jumped back again using his knowledge of fighting he learned from Aniu.  Smiling, he lunged forward again and sank his teeth into his brother’s back leg, causing him to fall.  After he heard the satisfying crunch of bones, he let go.

            “Do you really want to fight me?” Luca asked.

            Talus grinned through the throbbing pain in his leg.  “I'm not going to let you get away from me this time.”

            Luca crouched down low, poising himself to leap at his brother again.  “Go for it.”

            The two huskies lunged at each other with their paws in front of them, their teeth barred, and the knowledge that only one of them would be leaving haunting their mind.  They met with their sharp teeth.  Thinking quickly, Luca bit down on Talus’s already broken back leg.  In an act of desperation, Talus lashed his claws out, catching Luca on the ear, shredding it.  Yelping in pain, Luca fell backwards onto the ground.  Smiling, Talus stood and walked over to his brother.

            “You better hope that the wolf and those pups don’t put up a fight,” he sneered.  “Otherwise… their death is going to be slow and painful.”

            Luca snarled.  “You haven’t even killed me yet.”

            Talus lunged at his brother’s throat, but was met with Luca’s back paws.  Shifting his weight, Luca was able to toss Talus a few feet away, giving him a moment to get to his paws.  Grinning, he advanced on his brother, who was still lying on the ground, dazed.

            Leaping to his paws at the last possible second, Talus jumped out of the way.  Glaring, Luca put his head down low and ran right at his brother.  Running into him and shoving him as hard as possible, he managed to make Talus tumble to the ground again.  Talus looked up at Luca with hatred.  Bracing himself for the lethal bite he knew was coming, he shut his eyes.  But to his amazement, it didn’t come.

            Luca was standing a few feet away watching his brother.  He didn’t want to kill him even though it was the only way for his family to live in peace.  He wanted to end the fight, to make it go away, but something was holding him back.  Something deep inside him.  I'm not a killer, he thought.  Talus might be, but I'm not.  I give dogs a second chance.  It’s just not me to kill.  That just isn’t the way I was brought up.

            “What are you waiting for?” Talus mocked, sensing his brother’s feelings.  “You want to kill me, you know you do.”  He paused for a moment.  “If you don’t kill me, you know that I'll kill your family.”

            Luca snarled and lunged at Talus again.  Talus was ready for him, this time.  As Luca reached him, Talus grabbed his front right paw, biting down as hard as he could.  Luca yelped in pain, but kept biting Talus.  After several intense moments, Luca separated from his brother. 

            Panting, he looked around.  They were by the river.  Looking up, he glared at Talus.  He knew that they were too closely matched for the fight to end quickly.  Only a great mistake would end it.  And end one- or both- of their lives.

            “Stand and fight brother!” Talus barked, walking towards him.  “You don’t give up that easy, do you?  Aren’t you going to fight for that wolf and pups?”

            Luca growled.  “You don’t talk about them you bastard!”

            Talus grinned as Luca rose to his feet.  The two lunged forward again; each aiming for the other’s throat, knowing that who ever missed was dead.  Talus leapt first, his eyes fixed on Luca’s throat, but this time, his teeth met their mark.  Biting down as hard as he could, he felt Luca’s warm blood flowing into his mouth.  Luca scrambled and tried to get away, but to no prevail.   Talus was just too much for him. 

            In a matter of minutes, Luca stopped struggling.  Talus smirked and let his brother fall limply to the ground with a dull thud.  Looking around, he saw that they were close to the river.  Smirking, Talus grabbed Luca’s scruff and pulled him into the river and let his body fall into it with a splash.

            Luca tried to get up, but he had lost too much blood.  He looked wildly around and managed to lift his head out of the water.

             “You’ll be seeing your wolf and pups, soon,” Talus calmly said.

            Luca stared up at him in horror.  He knew there was nothing he could do now, though.  He had lost.  And because of that, his family would die, too.

            After straining to hold his head above the water for five minutes, Luca felt the last of his strength begin to leave him.  Fighting back to urge to yelp out, he let his head fall into the water for the last time.

            Talus smiled as his brother fought madly to lift his head, not finding the strength he needed.  It would only be a matter of time before the river took the last of his breath away.  Every minute less and less air bubbles came up.

            Finally, they stopped.

            Luca was dead.

            Smiling to himself, Talus limped back to Nome.

                                    *