necessarily, it took me at least an entire day to make the trek.”             “Is that them?” Jael rose to his paws, in the distance there was a group of dogs walking and dragging something.             “It appears so.” Raven stood as well.             Jael practically raced into Dusty’s home where he found the nervous couple and Dusty herself, talking lightly. “They’re here!” He howled. Jenna leaped off the floor and skidded outside, Balto and Dusty trotted behind her and Jael walked out last.             Raven was howling a greeting to the returning dogs. The howl was returned yet there was deep sorrow in the tone.             When the dogs were close enough to Nome, Balto and Jael approached them. They looked down at the lifeless body, “Did he make it far?” Jael asked.             Riley nodded, slowly, “Yes, he was so close but…” her voice trailed off and Jael pressed his body against hers, attempting to comfort her.             “Did everyone make it back, besides Jack?” Balto asked.             “Yea, we didn’t encounter anything. Luke just doesn’t want anyone to know of his plans, making this battle all the more dangerous.” Czech said.             “It should be any day now.” Lars added.             “Come on, let’s go bury him.” Balto muttered, helping Rob with the body.             Riley stepped back and let the group take Jack’s lifeless body away, she sank to her paws and breathed heavily, “Tired?” Jael asked, nosing her.             “Yes, very.” She muttered with drooping eyelids. Jael lowered himself and scooped Riley onto his back and carried her to Dusty’s porch. “You have to walk through the doggy door, Riles.”             She scooted herself through the small flap and Jael did the same; she collapsed on the kitchen tile and Jael carried her into the living room where he plopped her onto her bed and he lay down beside her, resting his head, protectively, on her back.               Raven’s tail swished in aggression, her entire body radiated annoyance and she growled lowly under her breath at no one in particular. “Raven, sweetie…”             “I knew that this was going to happen. I just killed another innocent dog!” Raven yowled.             “You did not kill anyone.” Jenna said, soothingly.             “I practically threw his life away.” Raven snarled.              “He put his life on the line for you, Raven, he did it for the good of Nome.”             “No…” Raven’s eyes were suddenly focused on something far off.             “Yes he di-” Jenna was cut off by the eerie sounds of howling in the distance, she turned her attention to where Raven was watching and she gasped in shock. The sight was almost unbearable, there over twenty wolves in uniform, fighting lines.             Raven howled the battle cry that all of the males of Nome knew by heart and dogs came sprinting from every which way, howling and barking, trying to form their own lines. “We only outnumber them by a few but after living with the pack for over a year, I realized that the wolves do not have endurance they will only fight brutally for the first three minutes of the battle, you need to fight defensively and strategically. Keep them working for it and tire them out as best you can.”             A vicious howl echoed off of the buildings and homes of the town, Raven growled loudly, “First line GO!” The first ten dogs collided with the wolves and the fight began, the dogs were fighting two to one and the wolves ripped into the dogs at every possible moment. “SECOND LINE GO!” Raven shouted above the chaos. The second line sprinted ahead and jumped on every wolf they could.                         Riley awoke to the sounds of battle and she groggily rose to her paws and looked out the window. The snow was a blanket of blood and bodies lay scattered about the small perimeter, the battle was still at its climax as the third and final line, the sweepers, were waiting for the right moment to leap into battle. Riley noticed Jael with his lips pulled back over gleaming teeth and his ears tight against his head; he was watching Raven awaiting the trigger words. Riley blinked twice and shook her head to try and erase the weariness that seemed to cling to her limbs and thoughts.             It was as if the battle slowed when Raven howled, “THIRD LINE…GO!” Riley watched as Jael sprang from his position and took on a wolf twice his size.             Riley raced from the living room out into the battle; by this time humans had gathered to watch the epidemic. Women and children screamed in terror as wolves snarled viciously at the dogs and people. The men held guns but were fearful of shooting their own dogs and continuously scratched their heads and stamped their feet on the ground, helpless.             “RILEY!” Jael screamed, he had the wolf pinned in the snow, “Get back in the house!”             “NO! I want to help!” She snarled from the porch.             “RILEY PLEASE GET OUT OF HERE!” Jael begged, a whining noise escaped from Riley’s throat and she obediently crept back into the house where she noticed her mother.             “Mom?” Riley asked, confused.             “Th-This is all my fault.”             “Mom-” Riley raced to her mother’s side and comforted her, “Mom no it’s not, you didn’t do this intentionally.”             “I should have never agreed to meet with Luke.” She moaned, agony in her tone.             “Mom, I wouldn’t be here if you wouldn’t have been with Luke.” Riley looked her mother in the eyes, “Would you rather have it that Kodi, Raven and I didn’t exist?”             “No…I love all three of you so much!”               All of the dogs were now fighting, the battle was beginning to thin out; the bodies of wolves lay all around the surrounding area and a few lifeless dog bodies lay scattered as well. Raven did not join the battle; she was only going to fight once with one wolf.             Luke watched from the opposite side of Raven, his wolves were failing him and they were losing the energy necessary to fight. He was losing patience and he snarled loudly, causing the battle to pause for a few seconds. All eyes were on him, including Raven’s, “Had enough, Luke?” Raven mocked.             “You stupid DOG!” Luke raced past every creature on the battlefield and leaped onto Raven. The two tumbled and wrestled, tearing into each other. Raven allowed her rage and her own agony to overtake her thoughts, causing her fighting to become more accurate.             “This…” She latched onto his right ear and yanked with her mighty jaws, “is for breaking my mother’s heart!” Luke growled as the blood dripped down onto his cheek and then onto the ground. He blinked, fiercely. He jumped at her but she sprang out of the way and gripped his left, rear leg.             “This…” She broke his leg with ease, “is for disregarding me as your daughter.” Luke screeched. Raven did not skip a beat as she pinned him to the snowy earth and placed her teeth around his throat.             She whispered so only he could hear, “This is for being an

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