of his neck and threw his weight forward, flipping himself over the dog.

The dog’s head went with him and Blaize heard a sickening crunch as the bones snapped.

The dog fell to the ground, twitching.

Blaize stood and ran into the building.

He found an office at the back of the cannery and slipped inside.

There was a dog there.

He growled and hit Blaize across the face.

Blaize flipped sideways and landed on his back.

The dog was on top of him before he could do anything about it. He growled and tore into Blaize’s leg.

Blaize howled in pain.

The dog was suddenly thrown off of him and Blaize rolled over to see Tiembe holding the dog’s head off the ground by his neck.

The dog’s eyes were dead already and Tiembe dropped him to the ground, then he turned to Blaize. “Boy I am I glad to see you. How did you know I was here?”

Blaize smiled. “I went to the boat to check on Shanaea.”

“My God, Shay, how is she, is she alright?” He asked.

Blaize nodded. “Yeah, I sent her to get her father.”

Tiembe smiled. “Some rescue.” He said with a smile.

Blaize got to his paws and stood up. “Yeah, well you got one, I got two.”

Tiembe nodded. “Sure.” He said. “…but I got the one that was going to get you.”

“…and I got both of you.”

Blaize turned. “…Josh!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 15:

 

Balto recoiled back from Jason’s attack for the third time.

His face was cut and bloody from the short but violent fight that had been going on for the last ten minutes. He stumbled back and looked at the dog in front of him. He was hardly recognizable as the cheery pup that Balto had known a short time ago. Now his face was contorted in anger, his muzzle and paws stained with Balto’s blood.

Balto felt weak, as if he might fall at any moment. It was all he could do to remain standing.

The roof faltered and a beam fell as the fire ate it away.

Jason deftly dodged the heavy piece of wood.

Fairbourne sprinted down the stairs to Jason’s side. “Let’s go Jason. We have to get out of here.”

Jason looked at his mentor and sneered. “What?” He asked. “Leave now? I’ve got him reeling. It’s only a matter of time before he’s lying dead at my paws.”

“…but the fire.” Fairbourne said. “You’re not going to prove anything if you kill him and then burn to death trying to escape.”

“You’re afraid.” Jason said. “In our moment of triumph you’re afraid.”

“I don’t want to die.” Fairbourne said. “There’s a line.”

Jason growled. “That’s not what you taught me. You’re weak old wolf.”

Fairbourne sighed. “Jason, I’ve taught you well, maybe too well, but you have to realize that staying in this burning building is suicide.”

“If that’s what it takes for my father’s soul to rest in piece then so be it.” Jason said.

“Stay if you want.” Fairbourne said. “…but I’m leaving.”

He turned to walk away.

Jason snarled and leapt at him, pinning him to the ground.

“Jason, what are you doing?” Fairbourne asked.

“Getting rid of the weak...” Jason said. “…like you taught me.”

“Jason no!” Fairbourne yelled.

Jason clamped his jaws down on the older wolf’s throat and ripped upward, shredding the fur and muscle. Brilliant red blood splattered his face and fur.

Jason stood up and let the wolf thrash on the ground as he bled to death. He looked at Balto and grinned, blood dripping from his jaws. “Now, where were we?”

 

Josh gave Blaize no warning.

He ran at him and hit him three times in the side of the head, sending the older dog reeling back, his vision split and fractured.

Josh turned to face Tiembe as Blaize fell to the ground behind him and he sneered. “…thought you were just going to walk away huh?” He asked.

Tiembe glared at Josh. “Why are you doing this?” He asked.

“You know why.” Josh answered. “…don’t give me that.”

Blaize raised his head and blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. “Tiembe, get out of here.” He said. “Go, now!”

Tiembe turned and ran at the door.

Josh turned around and ran into Tiembe’s side, knocking him to the ground.

Tiembe struggled to stand and finally made it to his paws, then he ran at the first thing he saw, a pair of metal stairs leading up to a narrow catwalk above the factory floor.

Josh followed.

Tiembe ran down the catwalk and glanced behind him to see Josh climb up on the catwalk. He turned his vision to the front again and skidded to a stop as he saw that the rusted catwalk was broken in two just ahead.

He looked down and decided that it was too far to jump. Tiembe turned and saw Josh barreling toward him. He made the decision then that his only choice was to fight. There was nowhere else to flee to.

He ran at Josh and the two collided in the middle of the catwalk.

Tiembe surrendered himself to instinct, the deadly instinct that he had lost control of so many times over the last few years.

The fight sharpened and slowed as his fighting spirit resurfaced after being suppressed for so long. Tiembe could see Josh’s every move before he made it. He countered and blocked ten times before he saw his opening. As Josh lowered his paw, Tiembe went in close. He drove his paw upward into Josh’s muzzle and then jumped up off his other leg and as the first fell to support him he brought his right paw up and hit Josh in the side of the head.

Josh stumbled backward, a surprised look on his face.

Tiembe hit him with his left, then with his right, and again with his left.

Josh shook his head and stumbled sideways, almost unable to stay on his paws.

Tiembe growled and brought his right paw around and smacked Josh in the jaw.

Josh’s vision fractured and sparkled. He stumbled sideways and fell on the railing on the catwalk. For a moment it seemed as if the rusted metal would hold his weight, then it creaked and snapped.

Josh fell off the catwalk and to the dusty floor below. There was a loud crack as the old wooden flooring gave way and Josh plummeted through the hole, falling through the rafters that had cracked and fallen as a result of the impact of the floor above.

Josh’s head hit a metal light fixture and his weight snapped it free from the ceiling, leaving a sparking, dancing wire in its wake.

Josh hit the floor and a rafter landed across his back.

He tilted his head up. Blood ran into his eye and he blinked to clear it.

The bare wire swung sideways and attached itself to a broken rafter. The wire stayed there for a moment before it sparked and a flame shot out of the rafter, licking along the length of the aging wood.

Josh’s eyes grew as he recognized the imminent peril of his situation. He tried to move but the rafter pinned him down.

He looked up at the flame, and prayed.

 

Tiembe ran down the catwalk and down the stairs. Then he raced to the hole in the floor. By this time smoke had begun to fill it. Tiembe looked down inside and saw Josh laying on the floor, the flames growing closer by the minute.

Suddenly, Blaize was at his side. “Come on Tiembe. We need to get out of here. That’s a fire. Let’s go!”

Blaize started to run away and then turned to find that Tiembe was staring into the hole in the floor. He stopped. “…Tiembe…”

Tiembe looked at him and in that moment Blaize knew what he was going to do.

“…Tiembe no!” Blaize yelled.

Tiembe jumped down into the smoke and landed on the fallen rafter. He slid sideways and fell off, landing hard on the floor below.

He struggled to his paws and coughed, trying to breathe in the thick smoke. He looked around and saw the beam sticking out of the smoke. He ran at it and actually wound up running into it. This impact caused him to fall to the ground once more. He choked and spit on the floor, then climbed to his paws. He stumbled and got to the rafter. Josh looked up at him.

“…Tiembe?” He asked.

Tiembe nodded and used his paw to wipe away the blood that was running into his eye. He pushed on the rafter and Josh screamed. “…bad idea!” He said. “…thanks, but bad idea.”

Tiembe nodded. He looked at the rafter and began to think.

“Get out of here.” Josh said. “I’m… I’m sorry, but just… get out of here.” He said. “Take… *cough* take care of Shay.”

Tiembe looked at him. “No matter what you’ve done; I’m not going to let you burn alive.”

Josh grinned up at him. “Guess… guess I was wrong about you… huh?”

Tiembe shook his head and then stopped. He looked at the rafter again. “Josh, shut your eyes.”

“…what?” Josh asked.

“Just do it!” Tiembe yelled.

“Okay, okay.” Josh said. He turned his head and closed his eyes.

Tiembe took a deep breath and raised his paw. Then he closed his eyes and slapped the burning wood. It cracked, but did not break. He howled and slapped it again. The wood creaked again and almost gave.

Tiembe raised his paw and looked at it. The fur was burned and singed.

He closed his eyes and raised it again. His paw shook and he took a deep breath. Then he hit the rafter again.

It gave more.

He hit it again and it cracked and gave.

As the rafter fell away from him Tiembe pushed Josh out of the way of the tumbling wood.

Tiembe stood up on his paws and coughed. Then he took a deep breath and set his burned and smoldering paw on the ground. He winced and opened his eyes. He saw Josh on the floor. He wasn’t moving.

Tiembe pulled Josh up on his shoulders and stumbled through the flames toward a set of stairs at the far end of the room.

He finally made it to the stairs and struggled up them and through the door at the top.

Tiembe dropped Josh to the snow outside and stumbled forward a few steps before he fell to the snow.

He didn’t move.

 

Back at the Origin Dash was fighting for his life. A wolf was growling and snapping its jaws inches from his neck. The wolf had surprised him and gotten him on his back. The wolf

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