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When are you gonna update your two stories? I wanna see more of the romance between Kodiak and Dusty... while Kavik gets used to his new home.

Sorry for the super-long wait guys, but I've been really busy at school lately what with Track practice and all. Now that spring Break is here, however, I've finally found the time to upload all these sweet chapters! I really hope you guys like these! I worked really hard on them - I've been profreading all day, though nobody's perfect and there are probably a few errors that I missed - just so I could make a few more subtle connections with some of my fav. Balto fanfics! I love all my fans and I want to thank you guys SO much for staying with me...as I know you probably think I'm undependable as far as updating goes... Well, gotta run; I'm hoping to get chapter 8 of 'Newfound Emotion' up and done by Friday! Please, remember to review...as I seem to have prescious few of those at the moment! They inspire my creative mind! Hope you enjoy the tale!

Chapter 3
Angel

And so, Kavik’s wonderful new life in Nome began. He discovered that he liked Balto and knew the feeling was reciprocated not only from the wolf/dog but also from the rest of his family – the pups took an especially strong liking to him. He visited them wherever he could – which happened to be about once a day – and it grew to become a sort of daily ritual. Such a close relationship which the children could only lead to an equally strong one between their parents, yet he and Balto entered a friendship with an ease and warmth that was surprising to both. He quickly grew to form an equally strong relationship with Kaltag, Star, Nikki and the rest of Balto’s ‘posse’, as soon as they got to know him too (after they got over the shock of finding out how much bigger he looked up close, that was). Kaltag even went so far as invite him over to meet Triksey and his pups, the evening on which he did so went in much the same fashion as with Balto’s own pups; They loved him, and within ten minutes, they were wrestling and yipping like they’d known each other forever. Kaltag’s mate Tricksey was helpless not add her own regards in general feeling of affection for Kavik, saying; “Man, what is it with him? We’ll have to ask him to look after the pups one of these days so we can actually go out and have some ‘fun’ like we used to…” (She had nuzzled Kaltag under the jaw as she said this last).

In no time at all, the pups – both Balto’s and Kaltag’s – were treating him like part of the family, dubbing him ‘Uncle Kavik’ – though he was of no known blood relation to any of them, save for one common background, that being their wolf heritage. (Balto’s pups had inherited a fourth of his wild nature whilst Kaltag’s had been granted a slightly smaller amount; they were only 1/8th wolf, seeing as their mother had only been 1/4th to begin with and their father was a purebred through and through.) But that was of no never-mind to the pups, and they all played and romped with him, often dragging their more than willing parents into the fray. In one particular instance, Kavik was beset by all 12 of both Balto and Kaltag’s pups combined. “Man, that’s GOT to suck at least a little…” Star was heard to snigger as he, Balto, Nikki, Kaltag and their mates watched the semi-unfortunate hybrid (who, I might add, was roaring with laughter) almost disappear under the mass of wriggling bodies, still laughing.

Another unusual thing about Kavik was that he never seemed to get tired; it was like he had an inexhaustible reservoir of energy with which to match that of all his small furry friends. The only exception to this fact came after facing the full dozen pups, which, as I’m sure you’ll understand, caused him to simply lay down in the snow in front of their parents, red tongue lolling out of his mouth, panting like a race horse.

“What’s the matter, Kavik? A little tired are we?” Triksey asked, barely able to keep a straight face.

“Well…I just faced about a dozen of the most energetic little devils I’ve ever met for about 45 minutes, so…yeah, I guess you could say I’m pretty well tapped out at this point.” He replied, smiling craftily up at her. They all had a good laugh at this, except for Kavik, who merely snorted and pretended to be pissed off. “Well, thanks for your concern, guys! I can see what a good bunch of friends you turned out to be!” He scoffed, and then joined in, his deep, booming laughter echoing out to roll back to them across the Tundra.

((()-()))

This time of fun and infinite joy went on and on, the daily schedule including – well, in truth it was more like demanding – that ‘Uncle Kavik’ be invited over to play with the pups, who all grew to see him as some sort of second father. And he himself grew to see himself as a sort of defining factor in their lives; indeed, he certainly watched over and loved them as if they were his very own. Sometimes, the weather would throw up a snowstorm in an attempt to thwart their meetings and he would come nonetheless, suffering only the aggravation of the constantly driving snow in his face. But all that could – and often was – melted before a roaring fire. On such occasions, seeing as they could not go outside to play and that both the houses were no place to engage in such raucous activities, he would often call them to gather around his great furry bulk before the fire and, when all were comfortable, would entertain them with any number of grand stories. They roared with laughter at his recollections of all the predicaments that he and his siblings had gotten into when he himself had been their age and stared with wide eyes and open mouths in awestruck silence at his tales of having to live and fend for himself in the wild at the age of three.

Then, the first sign of an impending complication was heralded by one simple thing; there was a meeting. Well, ‘party’ might’ve been a more accurate description of what annually took place every year in the Broiler Room on December 14th. It was the anniversary of the day on which Band’s reign of terror had ended with the long overdue death of the evil Malamute.

Surprisingly, Kavik actually knew a lot about Band, having met him by chance before Draco and Biter had joined him – the former only for a short time. He described Band as being “Arrogant, cruel, bossy, self-absorbed, lust driven, unforgiving, and a no-good dirty slimebag!” (This was, of course, the abridged version of his ranting). He growled in remembered rage as he recalled what the Malamute had done to all the dogs of a certain area both he and Kavik had VERY briefly called home. Band had began a bloody and merciless campaign (or coupe, if you wanted to get all technical) against all of the dogs, picking them off slowly one by one, until the humans caught wind of what was going on and dove him out, that was. Kavik told Balto – bitterly – that if he hadn’t moved on the day before Band began the bloody fray, he would most likely have torn out the beast’s throat, had he merely been given the chance. “Although,” he added “a quick death like that would’ve been more than what Band deserved for the things he’d done by that point.” Balto heartily agreed.

Kavik, who hadn’t been living in Nome during the town’s dark days and knew nothing of Band’s evil deeds – save for the eyewitness accounts shared by Balto, a handful of others and his own chance encounter with the evil canine – felt inclined that the party wasn’t for him to attend. “It’s not my place to be there, Balto. I’m not a member of the town.” This, as we can be assured, was a statement Balto – and almost everyone else in the community – strongly objected to.

“Ah c’mon.” Balto cajoled him, right side of his mouth lifting in a smile as he gave his friend a light tap on the shoulder. “It just won’t be the same without you there! You’re practically part of the family as far as Kaltag and I are concerned! Besides,” Balto said, lowering his voice a bit, “I wanna see the look on Steele’s face when he sees you for the first time up close and personal!”

“Steele huh? The dog that was exiled and presumably ‘changed ways’ in the wild and came back to be forgiven? The ‘air-head’, I mean, if I may quote Jenna?” Kavik asked, smiling crookedly.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Balto sniggered in return. It had been a while since he’d heard anyone call Steele ‘air-head’ and in truth, he was beginning to miss it a bit.

“Listen,” Kavik said as they approached the fork in the road where they had to split up, Balto going left and towards Rosy’s house, while Kavik went right and up the road a ways towards the church, Our Lady of Serenity. “Do you think it’d be okay for me to bring a friend to the party tonight? Someone I met on the train?”

Balto had to laugh a bit at that; this guy was just a little too polite for his own good sometimes. “Yeah sure! Go ahead! Most of the other new dogs will be there as well so what the hey, right?”

“Sure,” Kavik grinned, chuckling a bit as well. “You know what they say; the more, the merrier!”

“I hear that!” Balto replied, and they both laughed as they went their separate ways, Kavik going right and Balto going left. ‘Wonder who his friend is?’ Balto thought, and then dismissed the idea of trying to narrow it down; there were too many possible candidates to make a decision. ‘Ah well, no sense worrying about it now,’ he chided himself. ‘I’ll find out tonight anyway…’

((()-()))

As Kavik trooped up the street, every now and again hailed by one dog or another, he thought back to how his life in Nome compared to the one he had lived before being carted up here with Maverick... He shook his head. ‘Too many good friends and too many names to remember,’ he thought even as yet another dog called out a friendly greeting. Yet he was happy. For the first time in what felt like forever but had really only been a year or two, he actually had friends, good friends, that didn’t judge him on first sight, marking him to be a bully and a liar – an opinion usually based purely on his size and wolf-like stature and appearance.

In truth, this newfound friendliness had actually started on the one of last trains taking him to Nome (he’d had to ride about four or five different ones with Maverick) and originated in the semi-comfortable travel car after a particularly nasty brawl…

((()-()))

Kavik whined gently in his throat as he and Maverick walked steadily over to what he earnestly hoped, was the last train he’d have to ride for a while. He grimaced and growled softly as somewhere close by, another of the cast-iron behemoths blew its whistle, signaling its departure. He hated the noise, as it was always crashing into his overly sensitive ears, making his brains feel like scrambled eggs. He shook his head, helping to clear the dizziness from it somewhat as Maverick reluctantly unleashed him and helped him as much as he could to climb into the already packed canine-travel car. The leash wasn’t usually used, for Maverick had never needed it, seeing as Kavik wouldn’t have dreamed of leaving his side unless commanded to do so. But, coupled with his size and the amount of people in the stations, it made onlookers a little more comfortable if they saw him restrained by something.

He turned, whined softly and nuzzled his large head against the side of his master’s face, making the other chuckle slightly as his glasses came askew. “I know boy,” Maverick said soothingly, scratching his loyal companion behind the ears and along the back of his neck. “I know, I hate to leave you too, but don’t worry; this is one of the last ones we’ll have to ride for a while…at least I hope.” Kavik licked his cheek as the Pere continued to scratch, now along both sides of the neck. “You be good and stay out of trouble, you hear? And don’t go and get any young females pregnant.” Kavik gave a short purr-like growl of consent at his master’s little joke before Maverick stood, and, with one last good-bye pat, walked off to board the train elsewhere.

A few more dogs were loaded in, some Huskies, some Malamutes, all were smaller than he. Some tired to challenge him, lips writhing back to show fangs, hackles bristling. But his low growls and snarls sent them away in a hurry, and they soon learned to leave him alone for the most part. The train started with a jolt, causing some of the dogs to yelp in alarm. It only served to make Kavik smile thinly. And they thought they were SO tough…

He slept – though not soundly – for an untold number of hours, dreaming dreams that left his head as soon as he awoke, only to fall back asleep. Some unknown amount of time later – it might’ve been as little as two hours, maybe as many as four, Kavik had no way of knowing – he was roused yet again from his slumber, this time by a low, frightened whimpering coming from somewhere in the car. Curious, he swung his gaze around the small cramped space. It didn’t take him long to spot a group of maybe a dozen or more dogs of various breeds and sizes all crowded in one of the corners. Curiosity further aroused, he got silently to his feet, padding over to see what all the fuss was about. Whatever it was couldn’t have been pretty, he was certain of that.

“Ah, c’mon babe.” A Husky with a strange gray colored coat said in a cajoling voice to someone blocked from view. “It won’t hurt a bit, I promise…” He licked his chops, making some of the others chuckle darkly.

“No! Get away from me you perverts!” A defiant female voice replied, and there was the sound of low growling. Then a snarl and snap of teeth, followed by a yelp of pain and outrage, and the gray Husky staggered away from the rest, his shoulder ripped to the bone by a six-inch gash.

“Ow! That hurt, you bitch!” he growled, now enraged. “You’re gonna pay for that one with your life!” At some sort of signal, the rest of the dogs began to quickly advance upon their unseen victim, she letting out a slight whimper of fear.

Kavik had seen enough.

Though not normally at all violent or bad tempered, he allowed his dominant heritage to take over, as he sometimes did when the occasion called for it. The wolfish part of him was frothing and spitting with rage at what these things in front of him were about to do, for it was against the wolf’s natural instinctive code to battle with or injure females. This, apparently, had no standing whatsoever among the dogs, who were about to begin the horrid act, and Kavik snapped, a loud and ferocious snarl tearing from him as he leapt forward.

The dogs were taken completely off guard, all their attention having been focused on the defiant female. The raging hybrid fell upon them like a mad beast, his rage churning into a veritable maelstrom. He seemed to be everywhere at once, long white fangs ripping into his opponents, his angelic white fur beginning to become spotted with blood here and there. After about thirty seconds or so, the remaining dogs all limped away to cower in the corners, utterly decimated, to lick what wounds they could heal that way. One lay dead, his great vein having been severed by Kavik’s powerful fangs. Almost all the survivors had severely bleeding wounds and several had a few broken bones. One (the gray Husky) stood his ground bravely, growling menacingly at Kavik, but one look and snarl from the wolf/dog sent him scampering into a corner, yelping, with his tail between his legs.

Kavik snorted in disgust, snout wrinkling in displeasure. What had happened to the dogs of the world? They were all too soft for their own good these days…He sighed and shook his head slightly, turning to face the one dog he had been careful, even in his bloodlust, not to harm. At first, he was perplexed, as he could see no one, but a split second later, he looked downward and realized why; she was rather small, the top of her head barely coming up to the great dog’s knees.

She was small in stature, with a thick coat of golden fur and a long bushy tail that had a slight curve to it, suggesting there was at least a trace of Malamute in her blood. Her legs and underbelly were a sort of creamy-white and there were two or three large dark brown patches running down the length of her back. She stared at him with large baby-blue eyes that were wide with fear. All in all, she looked (although he wouldn’t realize it till much later, that was) like a female version of Star. As he turned fully upon her, she backed hurriedly away until her tail pressed against the paneled wood of the car.

Trying his best to act as though the whole violent thing had never happened, he said in a gently soothing voice. “You know…you don’t have to be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. And neither will they,” he assured her, shooting a malevolent glare at the beaten dogs cowering in various points about the car, making them cringe. Her fear seemed to lessen somewhat at this show of scorn towards the dogs that had been planning to have a little ‘fun’ with her, and she moved forward a few paces, although still slightly wary.

“Thanks…for saving me, I mean.” She said in an embarrassed sort of voice. “They were going to…to…”

“I know what they were going to do,” Kavik replied darkly, shooting another menacing glare at the dogs. “Disgusting mongrels…” he muttered, unable to keep a low growl of fury out of his voice. “Trying to take advantage of a female just because they’re bigger than you are! Makes my blood boil…!” He growled, but managed to cheek himself; he didn’t want to frighten this poor little dog again. After all, she’d already been though more than enough as far as he was concerned. “Sorry…I get a little carried away sometimes…” he muttered, half embarrassed.

“It’s okay!” she replied, spirits seeming to rise a little. This dog seemed very nice and polite…not at all like those other pigs from before. “My name’s Angel. What’s yours?”

“Kavik.” He replied, mouth quirking. He lay down heavily, seeming to make the floor shift the slightest bit under his weight. She was unperturbed and moved forward and lay down in front of him, her blue eyes boring into his own ones. He smiled, a soft and comforting thing, totally devoid of all anger and hostility. It made her feel good inside and she immediately liked him, so she returned it, making him laugh slightly. “So, Angel, what’s your story? Why are you here?” he asked.

“Well…my master used to have a house in some place called Canada, but it burned down one day. So, he called his family in Nome and they invited him to stay with them…I’m all he has left.” She seemed to drift off for a moment before asking; “What about you?”

“It’s a long story, so I’ll just give you the extremely short version; I’m basically with my master who’s going to be the new Pastor for the only church in Nome.” He grinned. “So far, I’ve been on six trains, all in one God-Almighty day. I’ve been VERY bored.” She laughed at this and the two, upon striking up a conversation, found they had a lot in common.

When the train made a short stop for fuel, and when someone went to check on the dogs, they were immediately shocked a large number of them were wounded. Upon trying to enter, the dogs had whined and cried piteously and the men had shrugged their shoulders and went back to the job at hand. The dogs were always getting into fights, after all. So it was considered a part of the daily routine to discover at least one dog that’d been slain by his traveling companions. In a few minutes, they were on the trail to Nome again, this time with a few hours until they reached their destination.

As fate would have it, they had one last train to ride, seeing as the one they were currently on had decided to break down as a result of overheating. Needless to say, when news of this reached Kavik, he groaned aloud, making Angel giggle, as he said “Ah God! When will it end!” And so, they were all loaded on, and the dogs once again rode peacefully for a time.

This peace, I feel it’s my duty to inform you, lasted only for about an hour and a half before it was broken.

18 or 19 other dogs consisting of a mixture of those from the last train, and new ones who had either known the one Kavik had accidentally slain or the ones he’d injured (which was pretty much all of them), approached, surrounding him and Angel in a rough semi-circle. When the white dog did nothing but lie there blithely with Angel behind him, a very large and muscular jet-black Malamute moved slightly forward, green eyes flashing with anger. He growled menacingly, but Kavik just sat there. This continued on for something roughly like 20 to 30 seconds before Kavik – with a sigh – opened his eyes and asked, in a mildly polite, yet slightly bored tone of voice; “What’s your name, dog?”

The Malamute, obviously not expecting anything like this, was startled into answering. “Kraven.” He replied in a slightly dumbfounded voice.

“Well Kraven,” Kavik went on, speaking as though the others weren’t present, addressing only the Malamute directly in front of him. “Do you mind terribly not making so much noise? The lady and I are trying to catch some sleep. We’ve had a very long day you see and –“

Kraven interrupted him with a menacing growl and snap that was barely an inch from the tip of Kavik’s nose. “You hurt my buddies, Buddy.” He snarled.

Kavik remained cool as the Polar Ice Caps. “I was provoked. They were going to do some–“

“I don’t think you get me, scum-bag.” Kraven interrupted him yet again only this time he actually nipped the tip of Kavik’s nose with his snap. In spite of this, Kavik tried valiantly to reprimand his temper; he had shed enough bad blood for today and had no desire to shed anymore. But despite his best efforts, his anger was starting to rise.

“Oh, I ‘get you’ just fine, Kraven.” Kavik replied, allowing the edge of a growl into his voice. “You’re mad that I whooped those pathetic mongrels you call your friends when they were going to rape this poor little dog behind me.” He gestured vaguely towards Angel. “And now, you want revenge. Listen –“

For the last time, Kraven was stupid enough to interrupt him. Only this time instead of using words, he spat into Kavik’s face, the disgusting gob of mucus splattering on his right cheek. “Get up. I’m gonna’ grind you to a pulp.” Kraven challenged.

“Trust me, friend, you don’t want to fight me.” Kavik replied in a deceptively calm tone of voice. “Walk away now, or I’ll see to it that you walk with a limp for the rest of what will pass to be your miserable bully’s life. I don’t want to fight you, but if you insist on trying to hurt me or my friend Angel, then I guess I’ve no choice.” He rose, easily beating the other in the areas of size and ferocity, and growled deep in his throat His eyes blazed.

Kraven, in the true manner of all bullies who can ‘talk-the-talk’ but couldn’t ‘walk-the-walk’, fell back into his protective little group and snarled “Get him!” whereupon they all fell upon Kavik, teeth flashing, all snarling. Angel cried out and tried to come to Kavik’s aid, but the big dog told her to stay back.

Though vastly outnumbered and beset by many a strong sled dog, Kavik was barely touched. Try as they might to tumble him from his feet in order to strike for the soft underside of the throat (the place where his Life’s Blood bubbled,) they were unsuccessful; Kavik had long ago learned the value of staying upright in a fight, especially when set upon by large numbers, and no dog could do the deed. Also, nature had been more generous to him in the areas of both speed and agility (not to mention blessing him with the strength of any three of them combined). Therefore, despite his size, he was able to leap about and deliver punishing blows with his fangs to any who made a wrong move or was stupid enough to expose a vulnerable but not particularly or potentially fatal area.

If Kavik had expected a long and drawn out fight that would’ve lasted for almost 10 minutes, he was sourly disappointed; Dogs are not made with the same degree of ferocity, stamina and skill in combat as wolves are. Therefore, most of the dogs were easily whipped when he merely struck them from their feet and slashed and bit at their unprotected sides, shoulders and legs. It also helped that none of them had any real skill, seeing as they all tried variations of the same attacks and maneuvers on him, and so, within 5 or 6 minutes at the most, over 80 percent had given up and limped away to nurse both new injures and old ones reopened. The remaining six were made of stouter stuff than the rest, and Kavik was forced to make near fatal attacks to the stomach and neck to drive them off.

When all was said and done, Kavik (still bristling slightly, with fangs now red with blood) strode stiff-legged over to Kraven, whose forelegs and right shoulder were deeply bitten and torn. The arrogant Malamute growled menacingly but Kavik simply looked at him, his usually warm eyes now hard with a contemptuous sort of pity. “I warned you.” He half-growled, half-sighed to Kraven. “I asked you nicely to please leave me alone. You refused and now look, you’ve all got injures that I wish I hadn’t given you. Please, let this be a warning to you all. Do yourselves a favor; Don’t. Piss. Me. Off.”

With this little nugget of advice passed to would-be-murderer from intended-victim, Kavik padded back to the corner where Angel sat, with a worried and concerned look on her face. She got up and came hurriedly to her new friend’s side, saying, “Oh my gosh! You’re hurt!” indicating a shallow gash that ran along Kavik’s right hind flank.

“It’s nothing.” He assured her with a chuckle. “Just a scratch.” He sighed and lay down with his back to the corner, and smiled slightly with amusement when Angel lay down beside his outstretched head. “I wish they’d all just learn to leave me alone…” he muttered aloud.

Angel sighed in return, replying; “They never learn…that’s the problem. They all think they’re tough enough to beat you…and then you have to injure them when you don’t want to…” She sighed again, eyes closing. “They’re all a bunch of morons…”

“Yeah, but I make sure I don’t kick their butts too badly…” he said, and they both chuckled softly before Angel feel asleep, leaving a more-than-willing Kavik to stand guard over her for the remainder of the trip.

((()-()))

Kavik smiled as he recalled the events, now thinking Angel had been pretty bold to attack a much larger and stronger dog than she…especially when that dog in particular had intended to forcibly mate with her. Yes, he decided, he’d have to invite her to the party, seeing as she was his first real friend after all.

‘Plus,’ he thought as he took a detour through an alleyway that would lead him to Angel’s house. ‘She’ll make the party all the more fun…and maybe she’ll find somebody who’ll actually appreciate her for her personality as well as her body…Heh, there’s always Star…’ This thought caused Kavik to snort with laughter; Star hooking up with Angel? Yeah, he could maybe see that all right…if Star could get over his nervousness around females that was…

He smiled to himself as he rounded the last corner and came upon Angel’s house, a small, plainly constructed 2-story log cabin with black shingles and four-pane windows. He walked up to the front porch and scratched at the door, whining softly until he heard the pitter-pat of his friend’s small paws on the floor as she hurried to meet him. He stepped clear of the doggie-door just as Angel bounded out, tail wagging madly as she saw her largest and newest friend sitting off to the side.

She bounded playfully forward, jumping nimbly up onto his head and almost knocking him off balance. Angel snorted with laughter when, after she leapt clear of his head, Kavik actually lost his balance and fell face first into the new snow. She walked over and lay down in front of him, where upon he fixed her with a frosty look.

“Is that any way to greet a friend?” he asked, spitting out a mouthful of snow and raising one eyebrow, attempting to sound disapproving.

“You bet!” she replied with a huge grin, her blue eyes sparkling.

“You’re such a pup…” he muttered, causing his friend to huff indignantly, which in turn caused him to smile.

“So…what’s up?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “I know you didn’t come over here just to give me some exercise. So spill it, mister.”

“So you think you know everything, do you?” he retorted.

“Come ON,” she said, rolling her eyes slightly. “I can read you like a book Kavik.”

“Oh? I’m surprised, seeing as you can’t even read English print at all.”

“So? Neither can you! And you know what I meant!” she pouted, brushing a pawfull of snow at him.

He dodged, laughing out in that loud and instantly identifiable way of his. He stood and stretched, shaking snow from his coat. “Actually,” he said, giving her a crafty sidelong look. “I wanted to invite you to a party that Balto and a lot of the others are throwing tonight in the Broiler Room. Think you could make it?”

Angel looked slightly puzzled. “Who’s Balto?”

“Oh! That’s right! I forgot! You haven’t meet him yet!” Kavik said, mentally kicking himself for being so stupid. “But don’t worry! You’ll like him! Heck, I’ve only known the guy for a couple of weeks and we’re already good friends.” He grinned sheepishly. “His kids even call me…’Uncle Kavik’.” He admitted, making Angel shake with mirth as she laughed uproariously.

“Sounds interesting.” She said after her laughter had faded away. “Balto sounds like a good guy…too bad he’s already married…” she shot Kavik a slightly hurt look when he started to laugh. “What? Am I not allowed to look for a guy every once and a while?”

“You’ll never change,” he muttered, shaking his head slightly.

“And just what’s THAT supposed to mean?” she replied, pouting again.

Kavik grinned. “Nothing at all, Angel. Anyway, the party’s supposed to start around 8 or 9 o’clock.” He winked at her. “Try to be there, okay? I’ve got a feeling the party would kind of be boring without you.” He started off down the road at a gait somewhere between a trot and a walk.

“You bet!” she yipped after his retreating back, him nodding in response. She watched him go, a dog that was a head taller than all the rest currently rushing hither and thither. “That guy…” she sighed shaking her head, but she was smiling as she stepped back in through her doggie-door into her nice warm house.

Chapter 4
The Party

Balto ran up the road, tongue lolling out of his mouth in his hurry not to be late for the party. ‘I love you Boris, I really do,’ he mentally grumbled to himself ‘but sometimes you drive me crazy with the stuff you ask me!’ Balto had been about to leave Boris in charge of the children on the old Trawler, which was quite an undertaking in itself, not to mention the world’s biggest risk. The minute before he’d been about to leave, the goose had cornered him with all these questions about what to do in any and all types of impossible situations, ranging from fires to a grizzly bear attack.

Balto, completely stumped by some of the particularly impossible ones, had only stared at him before telling the irritable Russian goose to simply send word with a dog – any dog – for Balto to the Boiler Room if something should go wrong. Partially satisfied, Boris had released him to sprint off towards the old mill. It had been hard enough to convince Jenna to let Boris watch all six of their pups at once.

Balto skidded to a stop and walked through the door and into the Boiler Room where most everyone else was already gathered and stood or sat in little groups chatting and laughing away. He smiled warmly as Jenna walked over to him and licked his face. “I thought you’d never get here.” She said, smiling.

“Well Boris held me up with a few ill-timed questions so I was forced to sort of sprint here.” He swept his gaze across the room, cocking his head slightly.

“What is it?” Jenna inquired.

“Nothing…it’s just Kavik’s not here yet…” he replied. “I was kind of hoping he’d show up, but I guess…”

Jenna touched her nose to his cheek in some sort of quick kiss. “Hey, he’ll be here,” she assured him, “it’s just that he probably met someone ‘special’…”

Balto laughed a bit at that. “Huh, Kavik finding someone in this town? I kind of doubt it. So does he if you want to know.” He quickly added as his mate gave him a slightly disapproving look.

Their discussion was interrupted as Steele, that semi-arrogant Malamute, walked over, accompanied by both Nikki and Kaltag, who both greeted Balto happily. Steele’s lips curved into a smile. “Say Balto,” he said, amiably enough, “where’s this wolf-dog that I keep hearing about all over the place? Didn’t you invite him?”

“I did,” Balto replied, stepping forward a bit. “He’s just a little late is all.”

“Oh, late is he?” Steele retorted, half-joking, half-serious. “I think he just heard of my reputation and turned chicken.” He sniggered at his own joke. “the big-bad wolf-doggie decided not to come cause he knew I’d show him up. Wolf-dogs are SO predictable. He’s probably running home with his tail between his legs!”

He continued on in the vein for a few moments, drawing the attention of all the dogs present in the room with his charismatic and sexy demeanor. All eyes and ears were focused solely on him, and all other talk had ceased, making Steele the center of attention, which was just the way he sometimes liked it.

Or so he thought.

Placed as he was, with his back to the still open door and facing the interior of the room with almost all the rest before him – not to mention really getting off by hearing himself talk – the un-banished Malamute failed to hear or see a certain Wolf/German Shepherd hybrid walk into the room, accompanied by a small golden-furred dog roughly the size and shape of Star. Steele thought all eyes were focused on him, when in reality, all of the dogs’ attention was focused on the doorway behind the boasting Malamute and on the slowly approaching Kavik, whose tread was like that of…well…a wolf; velvet- footed.

Draco, who happened to be seated next to Balto, muttered from the corner of his mouth; “Oh man, is this gonna be good!”

Kaltag, who happened to have taken a seat just behind Balto, muttered back; “You bet. I’ve been dreaming of this day for a long time!.”

As much as part of him wanted to see Steele get the living poop scared out of him, a slightly larger part of Balto wanted to save Steele the large embarrassment he was about to receive. Balto even went to far as to try and warn the newly befriended Malamute.

“Steele…”

Steele – totally absorbed by his self-promoting spiel – continued on with his prattle and failed to get the hint that Balto was trying to give him. “I’ll bet he’s cowering in a basket somewhere, with his paws over his head!”

“Steele…” Balto tried again, now a bit more urgently.

“– He’s worried that I’ll make a fool of him, that’s what it is! How big can he be anyway? I’ll bet–”

“Steele.” Balto said, now very agitated, seeing as Kavik was only five feet away.

“– ran home and now he’s cowering behind his Master’s boots or better yet, under his bed! They’re so self-centered and cowardly–”

“Steele.” Balto said, in an extremely imperative voice, finally managing to attract the other’s attention, only he was just a wee bit too late; Kavik was already directly behind the Malamute.

“What?” Steele asked impatiently, then noticed the way everyone was still starring, although not directly at him. A split second later, he heard the slightly deep, slightly imperious voice speak from directly behind him.

“Excuse me, sir.”

Steele whirled around, only to be confronted by a dog easily twice his weight and size.

“Hello Steele.” Kavik said in a falsely pleasant tone with a grin that showed an unnaturally large amount of his teeth and even some of the gums. Balto was glad that grin wasn’t directed at him.

Steele’s eyes grew slightly wider with fear as he understood that Kavik had heard every word he’d said. “Uh…Hi…” he said nervously, the rest of his sentence fading away as Kavik took a menacing step forward, making Steele take a corresponding one backwards.

“Now, what was that you were saying about being, hmm, what was it again? Oh yes; ‘self-centered and cowardly’?” Kavik asked in what Balto instantly recognized as false anger. Having known Kavik for as long as he had, he could see that the angelic wolf-dog had an instant liking for the Malamute. Steele, however, was not so observant.

“Oh, well…I…heh heh, uh…you see, uh…I wasn’t…talking about you, uh, ha ha…” he rambled, even as Kavik continued to move forward whilst he continued to move unconsciously backwards for every step the larger hybrid took forward.

Soon he was out of backing room, the dogs having parted so that Steele was finally faced with the, cough, ‘fatal’ knowledge that his curly tail had just come into contact with the wall and there was nowhere left to go. The dogs – now thoroughly entertained by Steele’s obvious fear of Kavik – were enjoying the way once proud canine was visibly preparing to beg for mercy when Kavik stopped and looked at him with eyes that blazed with ‘anger’.

“Now Steele,” Kavik breathed in a deadly whisper, reaching up and patting Steele’s furry cheek with one of his large front paws. “I’m going to tell you something, and I want you to listen very carefully. Comprende?” He was a very good actor. You had to at least give him that much, Balto thought as he watched it all unfold with a small smile spreading across his face.

“S…sure.” Steele said, gulping and unconsciously sitting on his haunches. He would’ve been sweating by now (if dogs could sweat that is,) and was clearly prepared for the worst.

“…I’m…just playin’.” Kavik whispered confidentially in the stunned Malamute’s ear. He tipped his nose downward to indicate the small puddle of liquid spreading outward across the floor from where Steele sat. “Want some free advice? Go clean yourself up, bro. You reek” He stood back and waved a paw in front of his nose as if to emphasize this. He gave his victim a warm, and somewhat apologetic smile as his eyes shone with mirth.

There was a burst of laughter as Steele looked down, saw the puddle of wiz collected on the floor, and hurriedly exited to clean himself, thoroughly embarrassed. When he reentered the Broiler Room, everyone was still laughing, only not quite so hard as before. Steele, his pride deeply wounded, was left with no alternative but to slink away and lay with his back to the heat belching broiler, every once and a while shooting dirty looks in Kavik’s direction. Kavik, in turn, walked over, and – it came as something of a surprise to Steele – apologized for causing him to suffer the soon to be widely known embarrassment. Steele’s only reply to this gesture of unusual kindness was a grunt and Kavik at once ceased all attempts to have a conversation with the obviously pissed-off Malamute.

“That guy,” he sighed, shaking his head as he walked over and sat down next to Balto and a few others. “You’d think he’d know how to take a joke…”

“He’s got a lot of pride, that Steele. But don’t worry he’ll get over it eventually.” Balto said, looking amusedly in Steele’s direction. “Right now, he’ll just be in a sulky mood for most of the night!”

“Oh no, what a shame.” Angel said and they all got a good chuckle out of that.

“Oh, where’re my manners?” Kavik said when most of the laughter had died down somewhat. “Balto this is Angel, Angel this is Balto.”

“Pleased to meet you, Balto.” Angel said brightly, stepping forward and shaking paws with the Hero of Nome. “Kavik’s told me all about what you did for those kids. I thought it was really cool.”

“Thanks, but it wasn’t much of anything, really.” Balto replied, slightly embarrassed, as he always was whenever someone brought up the subject of his heroism.

“Oh, don’t be so modest Balto.” Jenna chided, fluffing him with her bushy tail. She turned to regard Angel. “Hi,” she said pleasantly, exchanging a pawshake with Angel. “I’m Jenna, Balto’s mate.”

“Nice to meet you Jenna.” The smaller dog replied, smiling. “So, do you and Balto have a lot of kids?” she asked.

“Yes, we’ve got a few…” Balto admitted. “They’re as energetic as I’ll get out though.”

Kavik snorted laughter. “Boy, is that the understatement of the century!” he said, smile breaking into a grin. “Those six little angels are devils in disguise! They’re even worse than you are when you get too excited!” he said jokingly to Angel, making everyone but Angel chuckle.

“Ah c’mon,” Kaltag said, nudging Kavik with one paw. “I’ll bet she’s no worse than our lot!” he let out a long low whistle. “Man, I’m still trying to get used to being woken up at the crack of dawn everyday!” He sighed. “But then again, they do get their sneakiness from their mother…”

“And just where do you suppose they get their stubbornness from, pray tell?” Triksey said, glaring at Kaltag who only smiled and shrugged.

“Search me.” He replied, earning him an eye-roll from his mate.

“You’re hopeless…” she sighed, turning her attention on Angel instead. She smiled “Hi, I’m Triksey and this big idiot of a mate next to me over here is Kaltag, the stubborn one.” She looked pointedly at Kaltag during this last, causing Angel to giggle.

“Well, you already know who I am, so I’ll just say I know how being around a friend who’s really stubborn can get to you after prolonged exposure…” she looked at Kavik.

“What?” he said defensively. “Who’s stubborn?”

“I’ll give you a hint,” Angel said. “He’s big, white, has blue eyes, happens to be sitting five inches from me, wears a cross bigger than your head –“

“Are you calling me stubborn?” Kavik interrupted, feigning innocence. “Gee, I guess I’m not the one who made us spend three hours looking through her house for her chew-bone.”

“Well I guess I’m not the one who kept trying to convince me how chasing squirrels is somehow good for their health in some way I just ‘wouldn’t understand due to my sunny disposition’.” She shot back with a crafty smile.

“Hey! No fair! Below the belt!” Kavik cried indignantly, and they all laughed again. When the little group had quieted somewhat, Kavik looked around seemingly perplexed.

“What’s up?” Balto asked.

“Nothing…it’s just…where’s Star?”

The rest of them looked up in surprise. “You’ve got a point,” Triksey added, sweeping her gave round the room. “I haven’t seen him since this morning…”

“Where could he be?” Jenna wondered aloud, while Angel only looked puzzled.

“Who’s Star?” she asked Kavik. “Is he a friend of yours or something?”

Kavik opened his mouth to reply, but just then Star staggered in through the Broiler Room door – still ajar from Angel and Kavik’s entry – breathing heavily. The little dog’s arrival was met with a chorus of greetings from many of the onlookers, and he strode quickly over to where Balto and the rest of his little group. He took a seat – if you’d call ‘taking a seat’ falling flat on the floor with you tongue lolling out, that is – panting like a steam engine.

“Star! What’s wrong? What happened to you?” Balto asked, hurriedly moving to check his pooped-out friend.

“S-sorry I’m late guys…” Star panted, swallowing hard and looking nervously over his shoulder, eyes still wide with fear. “But a bunch of wolves saw me when…I went to look for the Northern Lights around 8:45 and…started chasing me. I just managed to get into town right when one of them…was about to pounce so…I guess I was lucky that they didn’t dare to follow me in…” He trailed off, finishing this short, but frightening tale with a shudder that racked his whole body like a tremor.

“Man, I’m thirsty.” He said abruptly, chest and lungs still heaving. “Anybody…know where I can get anything to drink?” he asked, looking hopefully up with eyes seeming to plead.

“Oh, you poor thing!” Angel said compassionately, moving first to help Star to his shaky paws and then to hobble over to a corner where some smart-thinking dog had filled a large bowl with snow and brought it inside where the heat from the Broiler had melted it into it’s purest form. Star, after offering his thanks, lay down and began to suck down the cool, nourishing liquid. After depleting something like three-fourths of the bowl, he got up and, with Angel’s willing assistance, made his way back to Balto and the others.

“Are you okay?” Balto and Kavik asked in unison as soon as Star sat back down, still breathing deeply, although not as rapidly as before.

He looked to the concerned faces around him and said; “Gimme a sec while I catch my breath, okay?” After perhaps a minute, when his breathing had slowed considerably, he looked up at them again and was bombarded with questions.

“Are you hurt?”

“Are you okay?”

“What did these wolves look like?”

“Did they bite you?”

“What were you–”

“One at a time, for goodness sake!” Angel cried loudly, causing all to stop and give her a surprised look. Even Star seemed taken aback by this a bit. “What?” she asked defiantly, looking right back at them all “Give the poor guy a break, sheesh! He’s just been cross-country chased by a pack of wolves! I’d be a little shaken up too!”

All was silent for a moment, then Steele, who’d decided to come out of his seclusion and join the little group out of concern for his friend, asked. “Are you okay, Star? They didn’t hurt you or anything, did they?”

Star shook his head, and then stopped in mid-shake and looked behind him to his tail, where a tiny pool of blood, really no bigger than a quarter, had formed around the tip. “Well,” he said, turning his still slightly shaken gaze back to his friends again. “I didn’t think they did, but one of them must’ve bitten off the tip of my tail. I didn’t even notice it till now…”

Kaltag let out a long low whistle. “Man, Star! If they were close enough to nip the end of your tail…” he dropped off, realizing the implications of what he’d just said.

Star finished it for him. “I know…they would’ve eaten me alive if they’d gotten any closer…” He seemed to be on the verge of a nervous collapse

Silence spiraled out after this before Balto finally asked; “What…what did they look like Star? The wolves that attacked you, I mean? Could you give us a basic description?”

Star’s brows knitted together, and he cocked his head, trying with all his might to remember. “Well…let’s see…I really only got a good look at the leader. He was kinda big – no, really big, almost-the-size-of-Kavik-big’.” He shuddered again before continuing. “He had lots of muscle…and he had…two different colored eyes…”

Kavik started violently, as if woken from a trance. “This…this wolf, Star. He had two different colored eyes, you’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure, but why–”

“Can you remember what colors they were? Was one of them gold?” Kavik asked, almost spitting out the words.

“Yeah! And the other one was a sort of…I dunno…like a bluish-black color…” Star said brightly, seeming to recall the incident with more clarity.

“And did he have a bunch of scars? A big slash mark across his chest and a couple on his neck?” Kavik asked, almost eagerly this time.

“Yeah! They were really nasty too!” Star grimaced as if the memory of them was like mud in his brains. “How do you know?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Balto said.

“I think we all would.” Triksey added.

“Who is this guy? Did you know him?” Steele asked. His eyes were bright and sharp, as if he wanted to set out at once to find whoever did this to his friend and make him pay.

“A wolf who should – by all accounts – be dead. Real evil mongrel, he was…or is. Had a bit of a problem controlling his temper, beat up a lot of females–”

“Band? Are you telling me that Band–” Jenna started to ask in horrified disbelief, but Kavik gently interrupted her, shaking his head slowly.

“No, no, although he’s another one I met once – near a place called Pine Cove, this was – that I wish I’d had the good sense to snuff out right then for the good of the rest of the world.” Kavik gave the ceiling a single, hate-congested look before continuing. “I can almost remember…Nah.” He said, shaking his head. “Sorry. It’s right there in my mind, but I just can’t get it now. I know I should remember who this guy is, but…” he sighed and shook his head. He growled in frustration. “Darn it! I know him from somewhere, I’m sure of it! I just can’t get the friggin’ name…”

“That’s okay Kavik, really,” Star assured him. “I’m not real concerned about who it was as long as I never see them again.” He smiled. “Besides, if you all went off looking for whoever bit me and somebody got hurt then it’d be my fault.”

“You’re wrong there, little buddy,” Kaltag said, nudging him with a paw. “It wouldn’t be your fault at all.”

“No?”

“No.” Kaltag smiled thinly. “It’d be the fault of that idiot who was stupid enough to bite you on the butt and think he could get away with it.”

“Enough of this bloody revenge talk for tonight,” Angel said. She stood and yawned expansively. “I think…YAWN…we should all sleep on this for now. If Steele here–” she jerked her head in the Malamute’s direction “–still wants to take revenge for Star, then let’s do it in the tomorrow…if Kavik can remember that is.”

“Ah, don’t worry. It’ll come to me sooner or later…” her large white friend assured her.

“Angel’s right.” Balto seconded. “If we were to all go out there now, at night, it’d be like walking right into their paws. We’d be in their territory as it is, but they’d have the added advantage in the dark; they know it. We don’t.”

“It wouldn’t matter anyway.” Star piped up. “As it’s not important enough to risk any lives over. I already told you guys, just let it go.”

“On that note people, I suggest we all head home. It is getting kinda’ late…” Kavik said decisively, standing and stretching. He turned to Star. “You good to walk home by yourself Star? Or you want somebody to come with you?” he gave the little dog a kind smile. “I got your back if you want.” He raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Oh back off and go with Balto and the others, you big fuzzy guard-dog you!” Angel chided him. “I’ll go with Star if he wants.” She looked to Star, who blushed at being acknowledged.

“Fine! Fine! Suit yourself.” Kavik said and walked out with Balto and Kaltag, both accompanied by their mates. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Star sneaking a sidelong peek at Angel as they exited after them. ‘Well, well.’ He thought, smiling to himself. ‘Looks like somebody has a crush…’ His smile broke into a grin.

“What’re you so happy about?” Balto asked, eyeing Kavik’s grin.

“Nothing much,” Kavik replied, in a lowered voice. “But…” He sneaked another peek over his shoulder to make sure the other two traveling in the opposite direction were out of earshot. “Looks like Star has a crush on a golden-furred, blue-eyed somebody…” He snickered.

“Ooh, Star’s in lo-ove” Kaltag said, stretching out the last word into a kind of singsong thing. He finished with a soft laugh.

“Good thing too,” Jenna added, looking to Balto. “As I know he had a thing for Dixie but I don’t think she knows he even exists.”

There was another flurry of good-natured chuckling at this. Finally, Triksey asked; “Kavik, how did you meet Angel anyway?”

Kavik smiled. “Oh, that’s a whopper of a story.” He looked from Balto and Jenna on his right to where Triksey was walking instep with her mate on his left. “Do you want to hear it?” A unanimous affirmative arose form the four. “Alright, but I warn you, it’s a doozy…”

((()-()))

Star waited a few seconds, and then stole another quick glance at Angel. He couldn’t get over her beauty. Earlier, when he had run into the Broiler Room, injured, scared out of his mind, and out of breath, he had been too preoccupied with convincing himself he was still in one piece to have taken much notice. Now however…

“So…” he ventured, praying to anyone who would listen not to let him botch this, “how long are you staying here?”

“I don’t know exactly. I think forever, seeing as my master has nowhere else to go.” She replied, her blue gaze flicking to him for an instant and then back ahead.

Star couldn’t help but mentally cheer. ‘Yes! Yes! Yes! Go Sta-ar! It’s your birthday – wait, no it’s not.’ He shook his head a bit to clear his mind. Can’t afford to say anything stupid now, can we? “How long have you known Kavik?” he asked, then immediately kicked himself for asking. ‘Great,’ he though miserably, ‘now she probably thinks I’m gay or something.’

Angel smiled. “I’ve only known him for about two or three weeks. We met on one of the trains taking us here.” Her face became suddenly clouded. “Actually, it was kinda’ scary…”

“Why, what happened?” Star asked. Knowing Kavik, it probably didn’t have anything bad to do with him treating her badly or something, so no worries there. But she looked so preoccupied…

“A…a bunch of dogs forced me into a corner and…they were…were going to rape me…this one kept telling me ‘You’ll like it. It’ll hurt a little a first, but you’ll like it’.” A single tear slipped from her right eye when she next blinked. Without thinking, without even knowing he was going to do it, Star leaned his head over and licked the tear from her golden-furred cheek. She giggled, making him blush and turn away, muttering ‘sorry.’

“It’s okay,” she assured him. “It was kind of cute, if you want to know the truth.” She giggled. “You’re funny, Star.”

The small dog’s heart leapt in his chest and he felt lighter than air. ‘She thinks I’m funny! Go me! It’s my birthday – wait a minute, no it’s not! Darn it! I’ve got to stop thinking all these weird thoughts!’

“Anyway,” Angel continued, “like I said, all these dogs were about to take advantage of me when Kavik showed up.” She smiled widely. “He was so cool! He just jumped in and started beating the living crap out them! He was like a Grizzly bear, only ten times worse!” (Star made a mental note never to give Kavik a reason to be mad at him.) Her smile slipped slightly. “But…he accidentally killed one of them. He never meant to, I know that. It really hurt him, I could see it in his eyes. He never wanted to kill anyone, only to protect me…”

“I’m…sorry.” Star said, seeming to catch Angel’s gloom like the Common Cold. “I haven’t known him as long as you have, but I cab he’s not the type of person that would kill anyone in cold blood with out a good reason…unlike some other sled dogs I’m sorry to say I’ve met…”

“I know…” Angel said, mood lifting a bit. “He’s so kind and gentle. I can’t imagine why he had such a hard life other than the fact that he’s part wolf and some dogs just can’t seem to get past that part of him.” Her brow furrowed. “It makes me so mad!”

“I know how you feel.” Star assured her and they both giggled slightly.

After a pause, Star said; “Okay, so go on. What happened next?”

((()-()))

“So, you know, by now, this idiot’s really starting to make me mad.” Kavik said as narrated his tale to the attentive two on either side of him. “So, I asked him to leave us alone, and he snaps at me. I ask him again and he actually bites me on the nose.”

“Ouch.” Balto said, grimacing.

“But I’m still hanging in there and he laid the final insult. Do you know what it was?” Kavik asked, raising one eyebrow.

“What?” Triksey asked, almost dreading the answer.

“He spit in my face.” Gasps from the other four arose at this.

“He didn’t!” Jenna exclaimed in disbelief.

“He did.” Kavik assured her grimly. “He spits in my face and then says, ‘Get up. I’m gonna grind you to a pulp’ or something like that.” Kavik smiled thinly. “So I do, and as soon as this monkey sees that I outweigh him as well as being at least twice as strong as he is, he sends the whole pack in on me. At once.”

“And you survived? How?” Kaltag asked in awe. He had been in fights before, no lie there, but against 18 or 19 dogs all at once? No way, brother, he would’ve been doggie-chow in a matter of minutes against those odds.

“Well, luckily for me, they were all sort of stupid, and none of them could get it through their heads that they couldn’t get me off my feet, no matter how hard they tried.” Kavik snorted in disgust. “It also didn’t help that a lot of them were real wusses. I mean I’ve fought some really bad fighters, but these guys took the cake.” He laughed.

“Seriously? How bad were they?” Triksey asked.

“Oh man!” Kavik said exasperatedly. “All I had to do was knock them down and bite them on the leg or something and they started freakin’ out.” Kavik shook his head. “I tell you, most of the dogs of the world have grown too soft for their own good. Except for here, I’ve yet to find a town where most of them aren’t pushovers.”

((()-()))

Star listened in awe as Angel related the events that’d taken place on the last train. He’d thought Kavik to be strong – heck, you only had to look at the guy to tell that he could’ve taken almost anyone with no problem at all – but now he knew different. Kavik wasn’t strong, Kavik was a beast. Just the though of taking on almost 20 dogs at once made Star’s legs feel numb and weak in the knees.

“Wow.” He breathed when Angel had finished her tale, “that’s amazing, him being able to fight off all those dogs at once like that…”

“Yeah, he’s pretty neat.” Angel admitted with a giggle.

The two walked in silence for a few moments, just enjoying the companionship of their being together. Then, Star stumbled over a rock buried in the snow and crashed sideways into Angel, her giving out a soft yelp of surprise as they crashed to the snow, landing in an awkward position. Angel mentally laughed as Star, purely embarrassed and flustered beyond all reason, got quickly off her, apologizing over and over as he helped her to her feet. ‘He’s cute when he’s embarrassed.’ She thought and then realized what she’d just thought. ‘Get a grip, Angel! You’ve only just met this guy and you’re already falling all over him!’ True, but it didn’t change the fact that he was cute…and funny…and available–

‘That’s enough! No, no, stop right there little missy!’ She mentally scolded herself as they continued on, the silence between them now carrying an almost physical weight as they continued down the street, now nearing the shed where Star and a few of the other dogs owned by his Master slept.

They stopped by the door, Star walking a little ahead and then turning so he was face to face with Angel. He looked nervously away, wondering what good-bye he could use that wouldn’t make him sound like a complete sap. ‘See you later, baby,’ was just a little too bold for him at this point…Wait scratch that. It was too bold for him at any point. Plus, it didn’t really sound like the sort of thing he could say to Angel without her getting a lasting impression of him being a total slob or something.

“Well…thanks for walking me home.” He said lamely. ‘Way to sound like a 3 month old puppy!’ his mind screamed. “I-I mean, uh, thanks for, uh–” But nothing came to him. ‘Way to bomb Star!’ the voice in his mind scolded him. ‘Shut up! I didn’t hear you offer any constructive suggestions!’ he shot back. The little voice apparently had nothing to say to that, for it didn’t speak again.

“I…didn’t mind.” Angel said, cheeks burning. “It…it was fun. I haven’t gotten a chance to tell anyone about what happened on the train…” She look up, giving him a heart-melting smile. “Thanks for listening.”

“Sure! No problem! It was a good story!” Star said, the little voice in his head practically shouting, ‘Way to sound like a pervert! She’ll really go for that man!’ “Leave me alone!” He involuntarily yelled, causing Angel to start and making him turn thirteen different shades of red. ‘Oh ***** it! I said that out loud! Oh my GOD…hole-ly CRAP!’ “I mean the part with Kavik busting all those dogs, not the part where you almost got, you know…” he said. “And I didn’t mean you, I was talking to the voice inside…my…head…” he added hurriedly, sentence slowly fading off into nothingness as he realized the stupidity of what was coming out of his mouth.

‘Okay, I’d like to be shot now…’ He thought.

“I kinda figured that…” she replied, laughing and making Star feel as if his brains had turned to mush. “Well…goodnight.” She turned to leave.

“Um…uh…wait a minute!” he called, running a few steps and catching up with her. “Do…would you…. Uh…maybe like to go with me to check out the Northern Lights tomorrow? They weren’t out when I was looking tonight…and they’re…really pretty…” He waited for her answer with mixed feelings, part of him dreading the ‘no’ and the other part waiting with baited breath for the ‘yes’.

“S-sure…” Angel replied, just as flustered as he was – although she did a better job of concealing it than he did. “I’ve…never seen them before and I’ve always wanted to…I hear they’re absolutely gorgeous…”

“Yeah…they’re real pretty…” ‘A lot like her body…’ ‘Shut UP!’

A pause followed by awkward seconds of silence spun out.

“…How’s your tail feel?” Angel asked, as if searching for something to say.

“It’s a little better but it still kinda hurts…” Star said.

“Oh, let me see what I can do…” she replied. ‘This’ll be fun!’

Star was thrown into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions that totally blew every gasket in his brain. At first wincing and then sighing with contentment as Angel bent and licked the bitten end of his tail where the blood had all but slowed to a trickle, completely sealing the wound with her sanitizing tongue.

“There,” she said, smiling slightly. “How does that feel? Does it still hurt?” Her cheeks were tinged with red. Now just what in the name of GOD had ever convinced her to do that?

‘Not when you touch it, it doesn’t!’ were the words that first rose in Star’s mind, but he’d be banished before he’d say that to her. “It feels a lot better, thanks.” He said instead, smiling with slight embarrassment, cheeks flaming.

The silence spun out again. Finally Star said; “Well…I’ll see you tomorrow then…”

“On the hill overlooking the town?” she asked, almost hesitantly and Star realized she was as nervous as he was. It gave him a strange sense of pleasure to know it.

“Yeah…on the hill…”

“Okay…”

“Well…goodnight…”

“Goodnight…”

With their good-byes finally exchanged, Angel headed up the road and Star pushed through the doggie-door into the warm interior of the shed where Steele, Nikki and a few others were already asleep. ‘Angel…’ he thought as he curled into a ball between Nikki and another Husky. ‘She really is an Angel…An angel…from…Heaven…’ thinking this, he dropped off to sleep.

((()-()))

Kavik turned over yet again in another vain attempt to find a more comfortable position at the foot of Maverick’s bed. He couldn’t get to sleep, and he didn’t know why. For some reason, something was keeping him awake…And then he did know; the wolf, the leader of the wolf pack that’d chased Star, and even gotten close enough to bite off the very tip of his tail. He knew the name of the wolf yet it eluded him. He pursued it, hunting and shifting through his thoughts.

The eyes, something about the two different colored eyes…

But why should that mean anything? There were plenty of dogs with eyes that didn’t match. So how could he possibly narrow it down with just that? ‘But there’s something else,’ he realized. ‘I’ve been focusing too much on the fine details. There are three more things I know about him. One; he’s gray furred.’

“Yeah, way to go Sherlock,” he muttered to himself. “Come on! Focus here!”

‘Okay, okay. Two; he’s got scars on his neck and chest that I gave him.’ But that was just as helpful as the last; there were plenty of dogs and wolves that’d tried – and failed – to kill him simply because they viewed him as a threat and decided he had to go. Almost all of these were sent limping away, with various wounds dripping blood as a mark of their retreat. So that was out…

‘But the most important thing is I tried to kill him.’ He realized. There was only one wolf or dog he’d ever intentionally tried to kill…but maybe that wasn’t necessarily true; after all, he’d been in combat with wolves before and they were viscous when it came to fighting. Luckily, so was he when the need arose and he had no other alternatives…So that was out the window too…

*****…

For a moment, he was sure all was lost, that he would never remember. Then…it was like magic; for an instant, it wasn’t there, and then the next he had it clear as day. And as he grasped the name, all the old identifying traits and scars came falling back into place, all the old despicable deeds and a host of other things came flooding back.

Energized with this knowledge, he got swiftly, but silently to his feet, padding through the rectory until he came to the door, where upon he was forced to jump to his hind legs, forepaws braced against the stout wood. He slid the lock back – no doggie-dog for him, no sir, he was far too big – and slipped silently out onto the now deserted street. Once outside, he raced off, paws crunching and thudding in the new snow as he pounded up the street.

He came upon the house where Jenna and Balto lived, both owned by a little girl named Rosy and her family. It was a simple thing with two floors surrounded by a white picket fence, and he wasted no time in bounding up the porch to front door. He was far too large to fit through the doggie-door, so he improvised, managing to stick his head in through the flap. He began to whine and growl making sure to keep his voice low enough so as not to wake the humans, yet imperative enough to rouse Balto.

After a few moments, he heard stirring in one of the rooms off to his left and his body tensed, but relaxed when he caught Balto’s familiar scent moving towards him. Balto came out of the living room, yawning and blinking sleep from his eyes. “Hey, Kavik.” he greeted, yawning loudly. “What’re you doing here? It’s the middle of the night…”

“Come on out here for a minute, we need to talk.” Kavik replied, and from his urgent tone of voice, Balto knew that this must’ve been important.

Just when he was about to ask what this was about, Jenna followed in his footsteps, whispering in a worried tone, “Balto, what is it? Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know yet. Please, go stay with the kids. I’ll tell you as soon as I find out.” He licked her cheek and she disappeared back the way she’d come.

Kavik removed his head from the small opening in the door, allowing Balto to slip silently out onto the snow-covered porch. “Well,” he asked. “What’s up? I know it has to be important for you to come here and wake me up, all in the middle of the night.”

“It is.” Kavik assured him, and from his low and anxious tones, Balto got a feeling of impending bad news deep in his gut. “Remember how I said I couldn’t remember the name of the wolf that bit off the tip of Star’s tail?”

“Yeah…” Balto said uneasily, his sense of impending doom only strengthening with every word the larger hybrid spoke.

“Well, I’ve been racking my brains for the last two hours now and…it finally paid off.” He looked at Balto gravely, blue bombardier’s eyes cold and unblinking. “The wolf that chased Star for a mile and a half and scared the poop out of him is a wolf by the name of Juji. And I know where his scars are because I put them there myself while trying to kill him a year ago near a place called Anchorage.”

LoL

BaltoLuver63

Chapter 5
Confirmation

Balto stared at Kavik, mouth hanging open and his throat going bone-dry. He seemed incapable of speck and his mouth opened and closed, Goldfish like several times before he got it right. “What?” he finally asked, when his brain finally registered that he had the ability to speak by using his mouth to form syllables, which in turn, formed words.

“Hard to believe, I know.” Kavik replied, still staring solemnly at Balto, his blue eyes unblinking. “But I swear, it’s the truth.”

Balto shook his head. “It’s not weather it’s the truth or not that’s bothering me. I believe you, 100 percent…it’s just that…” he trailed off momentarily, shaking his brown-furred head again slightly. “I’m just having a little trouble believing that we’ve got another version of Band hanging over our heads…” he sighed.

“I wish…” Kavik snorted, stealing a glance in the direction of a copse of trees that marked the beginning of the forest that lay just outside the outskirts of Nome, seeming almost to scan them with his eyes as if looking for spies of some sort.

“You ‘wish’…?” Balto asked, not sure if he’d heard Kavik right, but desperately hoping and praying the albino hybrid had said something entirely different. ‘Please let my ears be wrong…’

Kavik nodded, face becoming slightly clouded with worry. “You heard me right.” His lips curved downward in a slight frown. “If you thought Band was bad enough…” he uttered a low, distressed whistle. “Man…Juji’s worse, much, much worse…and no, I’m not exaggerating here…”

“Please tell me you’re joking…” Balto pleaded, though he knew in his heart-of-hearts that this was no joke; Kavik wasn’t one to make light of things as serious as this and he could tell that Kavik was wishing it was all just a big joke too from the look of dread on his face.

“Sorry but…we both know I’m not…” Kavik replied. He gave Balto a hopeful smile. “At least…I know I don’t have Alzheimer’s disease…” They laughed together shortly, both trying to ease the tension each they could sense rising within themselves. The uneasy silence spun out.

“So…this Juji.” Balto said. “You said he’s worse than Band…How much worse? 5 times worse?”

Kavik smiled. There was no humor in it. “Hah! Try more like 10 or 15! He makes Band look like a tame kitten and makes most wolves look like Saints!”

Balto groaned hopelessly. “So…we’ve got a bit of a problem; A big, bad wolf– ”

“Roughly my size and weight with almost the same amount of strength.” Kavik put in. Balto’s heart seemed to sink somewhere down into the vicinity of his ankles.

“Right, a big, bad wolf, roughly your size and strength that makes Band look like a kitten…” he sighed, the warm air condensing into steamy vapor before their eyes. “Great…what more do we need…?” he concluded sarcastically.

“Not much…” Kavik replied smartly, one corner of his mouth twitching.

Balto smiled. “True enough.” He replied, making Kavik’s smile widen slightly. “So…what’re we supposed to do?”

“It’s quite simple, really.” Kavik said. “All I’ve got to do is track him down and hit him so hard and so fast I’ll either kill him or drive him out…I’d prefer the latter but I won’t hesitate to go for the kill option if I’ve no other choice if and when it comes right down to it…”

“Don’t you mean ‘we’?” Balto asked, getting a bad feeling all over again. He didn’t like where this was headed, not one bit.

Kavik smiled grimly. “No, I mean I, me, nobody else…an encounter with Juji’s too dangerous for any ordinary dog to survive.”

“Now wait a minute!” Balto interjected, concern rising. There was no way he was going to let Kavik do what he knew he was thinking of doing. “Are you saying that you–”

“Yes,” Kavik gently interrupted. “I am saying that, and I know I could do it…and maybe I’ll get it right this time and actually get him for good…” his gaze flicked off in the direction of the Forest again.

“No way!” Balto objected. He didn’t like the idea of Kavik going into the woods alone, and liked the idea of his large white friend having to fight off maybe a dozen wolves at once even less so.

“Balto– ” Kavik tried, but brown hybrid overrode him.

“No, I don’t like it and neither do you, and don’t try to act like a hero and say you ‘enjoy the thrill of danger’ or some cheap rap like that.” Balto looked at Kavik fiercely, face set, eyes flaring with determination.

Kavik sighed in defeat. “Okay, you’re right; I like the idea of me going into those woods alone even less than you do…But I know Juji must’ve come here looking for me, it’s the only rational explanation.” He paused, studying the look engraved into Balto’s face. “It seems…we’re at a Stalemate.” An amused smile danced its way across his features and he chuckled quietly.

“You’ve got a point…” Balto replied, his own smile returning. You had to hand it to him, Balto thought. Kavik did have a wonderful way about him of making even the worst situation seem better. “Although, there might be another way…” he said thoughtfully.

Kavik’s smile broadened. “Care to speak what’s on your mind, oh Savior of the children of– ”

“Oh hush you!” Balto said, giving him a light tap on the shoulder with one paw. “It just so happens that my brother’s a wolf and– ”

“What?” Kavik asked sharply, eyes flashing. “He’s a– ”

“Yes he is,” Balto cut in, giving his friend a slightly hardened look. “His name is Kemo and he happens to live in the Forest outside of Nome…”

“I’m sorry Balto,” Kavik said, obviously embarrassed and ashamed of his immediate reaction. “I’ve just…got this thing…about wolves…it wasn’t always like that but you can thank Juji for my attitude change. Still, I’m smart enough to know they’re not all bad…”

Balto gave him an understanding smile that shone with forgiveness. “Hey, lighten up will you? It’s okay, you’re not the first one to have that reaction before…” He grinned, thinking back to when he’d first told Jenna about the identity of his only surviving blood relative to date. “Anyway, he’s a pretty good guy, knows almost everything going on in his territory. We could ask him if he’s seen anyone fitting Juji’s description around here in the last few days…and maybe get him to lend us a paw if the time comes…”

“Sounds good…I like this plan of yours…” Kavik replied, smiling.

“Well, it’s sure as heck better than the one you were wanting to follow.” Drawled a female voice from just to the left of the porch, making the two canines seated in the snow literally jump six inches into the air.

Kavik and Balto were on their feet in an instant, Kavik preparing to spring if the unidentified canine should try anything ‘funny’, but relaxed at once when he recognized the scent.

“Triksey?” he called out in dumbfounded disbelief. “Is that you?”

The quarter-wolf hybrid came trotting out from behind her hiding place, a sly smile playing across her lips. “Yep, that’s me! You pretty much hit the nail on the head.”

The two males sat in stunned silence for about ten seconds before Balto finally asked. “Triksey?”

“Yo?”

“What are you doing here?”

Triksey giggled, green eyes flashing with mirth as she replied, “That’s easy; I just followed Kavik.”

“But how…?” Kavik began. He was utterly flabbergasted that someone had actually heard him. He was an expert when it came to moving with both speed and stealth, so…?

Triksey rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Man, Kavik, you really have to work on your listening skills! I was running behind you for about a block and a half!” A giggle or two rippled from her again.

‘Man, I must’ve been in really deep to not have heard her behind me all that time.’ Kavik thought, but then reminded himself that all or most of his mind had been focusing on Juji at the time and he hadn’t been bothered to take in much else.

Triksey’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “So…you guys are going to see Kemo to ask him if he’s seen this Juji guy, huh?” she asked. “Com on, fess up…”

“Exactly how much of our conversation did you hear?” Kavik asked, heart sinking. He really didn’t want to have to watch out for someone else in addition to Balto during their little excursion into the woods.

“Pretty much all of it, more or less.” she replied, chipper as ever.

Balto groaned. “This is going to make things rather difficult…” he sighed, looking to Kavik.

“Why’s that?” Triksey asked as she walked up to join the two males seated on the porch. She cocked her head.

“Do you remember when I told you Kemo isn’t fond of being woken up at night, that he likes his sleep…?” Balto asked. Triksey nodded.

“So?” she replied, “this is an emergency! Nome could be in real danger here!”

“Yeah…but that’s the thing.” Balto replied. “He…doesn’t particularly care for you ever since you…you know…kind of made his life a living hell when he tried to teach you how to be more ‘wolf-like’, remember?”

“Oh Balto, I’m sure he’s forgotten all about that!” Triksey assured him. Balto didn’t really think so, but decided to keep his peace; some things were better left unsaid. Triksey jerked him from his thoughts. “What are we waiting for, let’s go and see Kemo already!”

Balto sighed, resigned to his fate and hoping Kemo wouldn’t just refuse to speak to them when he saw Triksey. “Alright, just lemme’ go tell Jenna where we’re going…” he replied, turning and slipping back into the house. ‘God, I already miss my big soft, fluffy pillow…’ he thought somewhat miserably as he walked down the hall with a yawn to tell Jenna where he was going.

As the hero of Nome was conferring with his mate, Triksey turned to regard Kavik, who had turned his attention yet again to the distance copse of trees and seemed almost to be searching them…

“So…this Juji guy…what did he do exactly that made you try to…” she trailed off, unable to complete the sentence, despite her deep reservoirs of courage.

“What made me try to kill him, you mean? That is what you’re asking, right?” He fixed her with his blue-eyed gaze, the irises almost seeming to burn with his innermost feelings.

“Well…yeah.” Triksey replied, a bit unsure of her own boldness even now.

Kavik remained silent for a few moments before replying, almost in a whisper; “He…took something from me…” He swallowed slightly and Triksey pretended not to notice. “…Well, he took someone special away from me…” He blinked, and in that instant, Triksey could see that he was trying with all his might not to cry. “Please…let’s…leave it at that.” He finished.

“Oh…I understand.” She replied softly. A lover or somebody close like a brother or sister, then. She could easily understand why Kavik, a normally non-violent and peace-loving dog, would try to commit murder. It was really relatively simple to grasp once you understood the driving force behind his intended actions.

The uncomfortable silence that followed remained until Balto returned, yawning and stretching even more, from his conversation with Jenna. He looked like he was about to collapse. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get this over with…” he was too preoccupied at the moment to notice the feeling of tension in the air around him.

((()-()))

The trio of friends plodded slowly across the town towards the outskirts, planning to head for the Old Trawler and check on Boris and then starting to the Forest from there. Upon reaching the boat, they were greeted – and scared half-to-death – by Boris, who had been sleeping deeply just inside the cabin but was startled awake by the sounds aroused from Kavik, who accidentally tripped over the shattered remains of one of the numerous barrels that had once lined the deck and went sprawling into a pile of loose boards. The sharp sound badly startled the Old Russian goose, who flew into a panic, squawking and honking curses and swearing at the top of his lungs. This, as you can imagine, cause the other three to cry out in alarm and leap back. This little involuntary movement only served to heighten Boris’s panic, as he now believed himself to be under attack by a bunch of rabid wolves.

The conversation that followed went something like this:

Boris: “Ahhhh!”

Kavik: (Cursing in pain)

Balto: Omigosh!

Triksey: Holyfreakincrap! (She nearly faints)

Boris: So, ugly mongrels want piece of old Boris, eh? Come on then! Bring it on!

Boris assumed a boxing stance, weaving in and out unsteadily on his feet. This sight alone caused Balto to laugh out loud. Boris’ panic left him and all the fight melted away at the sound of that familiar laugh.

“Balto!” he gasped, clutching at his chest. “You nearly gave me heart attack! What’re you doing here in middle of night? And what’s big white thing over there?” he asked. “Oh, it’s just Kavik…” he said answering his own question, after looking over Balto’s shoulder to regard Kavik, who was still mumbling curse after profane curse under his breath and licking one paw where a splinter from one of the broken barrels had embedded itself.

“Kavik! For Pete’s sake! If your gonna’ curse, do it so we can all understand what you’re saying!” Triksey berated him, with a soft ‘flump’ on the head with her long bushy tail. Kavik gave her a childish sort of look.

“So what if I curse in Spanish…?” he looked over at Boris, who shrank back a little in spite of himself. The goose had never quite been able to get over the white dog’s overpowering size. “Boris cures in Russian all the time and we can’t understand it.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have put up with Muk and Luk…” he shook his downy head. “Bears…ugh.” he finished moodily, groaning a bit at the end and rolling his eyes. After a little more discussion, the trio left Boris to his rest. They had decided not to bother him with the knowledge of Juji’s identity just yet; it was a bit complicated and they were all already somewhat tired and pressed for time as it was.

Balto lead the way into the forest, picking out the curving, twisting pathway through the trees as easily as if he’d walked it a hundred times before (which, in reality, he had). Sniffing here and there, Kavik followed, nose alight with interest with Triksey behind, she practically jumping out of her skin in her anticipation.

Finally, after about an hour of walking/trotting through the admittedly beautiful forest, they arrived in a clearing on the opposite side of which was located a sizeable cave. Kavik involuntarily stiffened, picking up the scent of a wolf inside, but Balto and Triksey were quick to reassure him that all was well, lest his low growling leave the wrong kind of first impression on the undomesticated canine residing within.

Balto strode over to the cave, purposely making much more noise than was necessary in order to rouse his wolven brother so as avoid having to startle him awake. “Hey…Kemo.” He called, in low urgent tones, poking his head into the mouth. “Hey…c’mon wake up…we need to talk…” There was a grumble and the sound of shifting body weight against stone.

Kavik heard a low, wise voice mumble; “What do you want?”

“We need to talk…” Balto repeated. “It’s urgent…”

“Is it life-threatening?”

“Well…no, not exactly but– ”

“Good, then come get me when I can actually see the sun…’night.” The voice interrupted politely.

Kavik rolled his blue eyes at Triksey. “This is getting us nowhere fast.” He grumbled and strode over to the mouth of the cave himself. He stuck his head in and bellowed; “Hey, Kemo! Wake up, you lazy BUM of a wolf! We need to talk! It’s REALLY IMPORTANT!”

Balto turned his head very slowly to gaze open-mouthed and slack-jawed at the white canine with a look that asked, quite frankly; ‘What’s wrong with you? Do you have a DEATH WISH or something?’

Kavik’s only response to this was a slight raise of the eyebrows, and an idle little swish of the tail as if to ask; ‘What, I didn’t do something wrong, did I?’

Needless to say, Kemo was on his feet and ambling out in a hurry, rapidly blinking his blue eyes in an effort to rouse himself. He looked at Balto with an annoyed gaze. It was clear from the look on his face that he was not happy. No, not happy in the slightest.

“Balto…” he sighed, shaking himself into a resistant wakefulness and looking at his brother. “Alright…you friend’s got my attention.” He shot a nasty look at Kavik who, I need not say, was not intimidated by the quality of the other’s glance.

“Hey Kemo…” Kavik replied, stepping closer and delivering a companionable flump of his tail to Kemo’s snowy head. “What, no ‘hello’?” He smirked. “Been almost a year now, hasn’t it?”

Kemo’s scowl lessened a bit. “Hello Kavik. Long time no see…” And to Balto’s utter astonishment, Kemo actually smiled and gave the white hybrid a short, yet affectionate nuzzle. “It’s been too long…Far, far too long. I had no idea you were even in Alaska anymore. There’s so much we have to discuss…” he said, gazing intently at the wolf before him, their eyes locked.

‘Hel-lo,’ Balto thought, ‘what’s this?’

Balto stepped forward, intending to ask just what the heck was going on here, when Tricksey got there first…only, she didn’t ask quite the same question as Balto would’ve.

“Hey Kemester! What am I? Chop liver?” she asked, a touch indignantly, face contracting into a pouty frown.

At the sight of her Kemo groaned aloud. “Oh God.” He moaned and turned an evil eye on Balto. “What’s she doing here?” he asked in an exasperated tone that told his brother that he already knew the answer to his own question.

“She followed me to Balto’s house.” Kavik replied.

Kemo’s smirk returned. “She followed you all the way from the church to Balto’s house? And you didn’t hear her?” Kemo sighed and shook his head. “My, you’re getting old rather quickly aren’t you…? But, then again we’re all the same age…”

Kavik raised an eyebrow, a corner of his mouth quirking. “Really? And just what does that have to do with anything, pray tell?”

“If I’m getting old, than so are you and so is Balto here.” Kemo replied, eyes flickering with silent laughter.

“Mm…point taken.”

Balto could stand it no longer and he finally managed to find his voice. “What in the heck is going on?” he blurted, looking first from Kavik and then to his wolven brother. “How in God’s Name do you two know each other?”

“Yeah!” Triksey seconded, walking up to stand next to Balto. “And how come you didn’t tell us you know Kemo?”

“One: it’s a long, long story and Two: you never asked.” Kavik said dismissively with a wave of a paw. “And there isn’t time to
you now…maybe some other time but not now…we have more important things to discuss…” He looked at Triksey, whose mouth, which had been open and on the verge of venturing forth a question, closed reluctantly.

“Now then,” Kavik said, turning his gaze on Balto. “Balto, I believe you should do the honors.”

“Alright…” Balto sighed, resigned. He fixed Kemo with his yellow/brown gaze. “Kemo…have you seen or heard anything about a…a big gray wolf with whole bunch of scars on his neck and chest…? He…sorta looks a little like Kavik…”

Kemo’s alert face clouded and Balto’s heart sank even lower. This was just turning out to be a great day. “I did hear a rumor or two about someone vaguely fitting that description from a few members of the Black Omen Clan who happened to pass through a few hours ago…” he looked at Kavik. “They kept saying that at first, they’d mistook the wolf to be a baby grizzly or something…said he was too big to be a wolf or even a dog…” Kemo’s face darkened as he continued. “He asked them if they’d seen a white wolf/dog about his height and weight with blue eyes ‘wears some stupid cross or something’ he said. They told him, no, of course, but then went on to say he might try asking some of the wolves in the nearby Forest or send someone into Nome. Then, they saw him lead about two dozen or more wolves across the river towards the town…”

He looked straight at Balto, gaze heavy and grave. “I was going to have someone go down to the trawler and tell you to meet me tomorrow morning, seeing as I knew that anything that sounded as bad as what I think is probably going to happen required immediate attention…but it seems my old friend Kavik beat me to it…the sly mongrel.” He cast an amused sidelong look at Kavik whose face had grown darker than Kemo’s. “We’re both thinking of the same person…Juji.”

“It’s Juji alright…” Kavik replied, grimacing. “The son of a bitch came all the way out here, looking for little old me. Gee, don’t I just feel SO special…” Kavik growled, voice oozing with sarcasm.

Triksey sighed. “Well…that still doesn’t help us much…”

“She’s right…” Kavik confided. “All this has done is confirmed my suspicions…Juji’s here and he’s going to try to find and kill me.”

“So…what do you intend to do?” Kemo asked. He was looking at Balto.

“Well…” his brother said, regretfully. “We’ll have to call an emergency meeting at the Old Mill…”

“Oh goody.” Kavik groaned sarcastically, face downcast. “I can’t wait to see how everyone will react to my telling them we’ve got a killer on the loose who’s after my blood…”

"Far from thrilled, I can tell you..." Kemo replied, smirking.

"Kemo...just shut up, okay? Please."

((()-()))

The sun arose the next day to find Nome unusually abundant with activity. The news that Kavik had remembered the identity of Star’s attacker had somehow gotten out and spread among the dogs like forest fire through dry kindling. Per Kavik’s insistence, a meeting in the Old Mill was called, seeing as it was the only place large enough to successfully accommodate almost three-fourths of the canine population.

Balto and Kavik sat in the center of the room watching the dogs arrive, the former looking tired and sleep deprived and the latter looking even worse, like he was about to faint from exhaustion. They had both been up most of the night, conversing with Kemo and Triksey about what the best course of action would be once they successfully managed to get everyone to accept the knowledge of another sadistic canine killer running through the Forest. They had, regrettably, been unable to find a suitable answer.

Balto’s spirits rose the slightest bit as he saw Kaltag come walking in, looking tired, but nonetheless ready for action. “Triksey’s told me everything.” He said as he took a seat beside Balto. “Man, this sucks!” he suddenly burst out. “I mean, why is it that we always get stuck with worst of the canine scumbags? It’s not fair…” he grumbled making Balto smile and give him an understanding nudge with his shoulder.

“Hey…c’mon.” he chided, smiling thinly. “We made it through Band with only minimal damage…”

“Yeah,” Kavik replied, also smiling. “But there’s one big difference between now and then.”

“What’s that?” Kaltag inquired, ears and head cocked.

“Band was just out to kidnap Jenna and make her his own.” Kavik’s smile widened a bit. “Juji’s just here to kill me.” He chuckled dryly. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

Just then, Jenna, accompanied by Triksey and – what a surprise – Angel walked in, much to the delight/astonishment of all three males sitting in the center of the room. Balto and Kaltag leapt to their feet, worry evident on their faces.

“What’re you doing here? Is everything okay? Who’s watching the pups?” Balto asked Jenna anxiously.

“I’m here to support you guys. Everything’s fine. I got Sylvie to watch the children.” Jenna replied, answering the questions in the order he’d spoken them in.

“And Triksey?” he asked, gaze flicking to regard the dog in question.

“Same as me, except that she got Boris to watch her pups for her.”

Kavik turned his attention to Angel. “What about you?” he asked. “What’s your reason for being here? Or…do I really not want to know…?”

“I dunno.” Angel replied, shrugging. “I just came cause that’s were Jenna and Triksey were going…”

“That’s not true!” Triksey cut in sharply. “You came to see St-ow!” she cried as her sentence was interrupted by a hurried paw-step from Angel who hissed. “Shut up!” though her cheeks were already flaring.

The last of the dogs had walked in and taken his seat so the six friends were unable to pursue the issue further and instead were forced to focus on a much more depressing on in exchange. All eyes and ears were instinctively focused on Balto, who was, admittedly, a little nervous.

Balto sucked in a few deep breathes then turned and faced the assembled dogs. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice, as this meeting deals with something that concerns us all…” he paused to give his words the chance to sink in. “As most of you’re aware by now, Star came stumbling into the Broiler Room last night, claiming to have been attacked by a small group of wolves who chased him into town and even managed to injure him slightly…” He stopped as a few dogs chorused out remarks of disbelief.

“Why would wolves try to attack us?” A large Mastiff asked, standing up. “…They’ve always stayed in the Forest until now…”

“We aren’t exactly sure but-”

“And why would as many as a dozen wolves all go after one small dog?” another dog inquired, this one a Samoyed with a patch of black over one eye.

Draco spoke from the crowd. “Hunger maybe. They might’ve been starving to death and gone running after the first live thing they saw, who knows?”

“But the game’s always been good in the north.” Nikki stated. “So why would deyse’ be starvin’?”

“Not lately, it hasn’t.” Doc spoke up. “From what I’ve managed to pick up from my Master and the other humans, most of the Caribou have migrated too far away for the wolves in that area to keep up with. So starvation’s a possible motive at this point…”

Kavik decided the time had come to do away with all these silly theories and thrust the truth into the light in all its colossal ugliness. “That may be part of it, but it’s not the most crucial part…” he said, raising his voice somewhat so that it cut through the hubbub.

“And what’s that?” someone from the back called out.

Kavik inhaled, exhaled, inhaled again, and then swung the axe. “The real reason, the six of us,” he gestured to the other five around him, “have come to believe is this; The leader of the wolf pack that cross-country chased Star is a canine by the name of Juji, and he came here…to kill me and everyone and everything I hold dear...”

Chapter 6
Lakota

An immediate uproar followed this bland statement, just as Kavik had feared. All around the room, dogs were calling out bits of advice to one another on what to do. Some said that Juji should be found and killed before he tried to take the town or something like a wolf by the name of Broadsword had tried to a while back. Others that he should at least be run out, and even one or two who said they should ‘just give this Juji what he wants!’ This last seemed to punch an almost physical hole in Kavik. So…there were still dogs that disliked him, even here…

One dog, a young and cocky Husky/Malamute mix, managed to make his voice heard through the cacophony of noise. “I say we go out there, find this Juji, and nail his furry hide to the wall!” A general low call of agreement rose from the rest.

Kavik couldn’t take it.

He could understand the reasoning behind some of their statements that he should be driven out to confront Juji alone; these dogs had no obligation to lay their lives on the line or to die for him, nor would he have asked it of them. But the nerve of some of the others…to think they had even the slightest chance of beating someone like Juji…that he couldn’t stand. But then again, he reminded himself, they didn’t know what sort of wolf Juji was, or what kind of devilry he was capable of…Time to open their eyes for them.

“SILEEENCE!” he bellowed suddenly, his roar cutting though the conversations like a hot knife though butter. “That’s enough, from all of you!” he said, sweeping the room with his blue-eyed gaze. “You don’t know Juji like I do…you haven’t got the slightest idea what he’s capable of…He’s as big as I am and almost as strong, only he’s a lot faster when it comes to combat and he’ll have numbers on his side before too long…”

He started to pace slowly around the room, making sure to keep eye contact. “And even if you somehow found the guts or were stupid enough to challenge him by yourself, he’d beat you to a pulp. He’d make you beg for death…but he wouldn’t kill you…no, not yet…” He paused to allow his next words to gain some deeper cosmic meaning.

“First, he’d kill your mate, then…your pups. After that he’d kill your parents, if they were still alive. Then he’d kill your friends, and then their pups and so on.” His voice rose as he spoke, became something that could almost be called a shout. His tone was colder than Polar Ice and harder than granite. “And none of them would die peacefully, oh no…”

Kavik shook his head slightly, eyes seeming to flash with a malignant sort of dark humor. “He’d torture them, make them beg for mercy, cry until they don’t have any voice left to cry with…and then…he’d rip their tongues out, just to hear them scream some more…” Again, another one of those ominous pauses, letting the next words gain more significance. “You, he’d save for last…but he’d make sure your death was a thousand times more agonizing…”

Kavik returned to his original position, taking up his seat between Kaltag and Balto. Then, in an almost conversational tone completely opposite of the one in which he’d been speaking, Kavik asked lightly, “Now…who still wants to try and take on Juji one-on-one…?” Not a paw stirred, or an ear nor nose did twitch; his message had gotten through to even the most thickheaded of them. Kavik turned a softened gaze upon the wolf/dog sitting to his right. “You can go on now Balto…I think I’ve said all I can or need to for now…”

It took a few swallows of saliva along with a comforting lick and nuzzle from the red Husky beside him before Balto was able to cajole his voice box into working. “Alright,” he said, and his voice held the slightest note of unease. The wolf Kavik had just described didn’t sound like a wolf – or any other animal for that matter – that Balto could ever recall hearing about. ‘This Juji guy must be something out of Hell rather than Earth. From the sound of it anyway.’ he thought with bitter dismay. And then, heart sinking ever lower; ‘More like a demon than any wolf…’

“The point is,” he finally continued, “that no one dog alone is going to be able to take this Juji down.” He swept his gaze around the room. “It’s going to take all of us working as a team to beat him if he ever comes calling.”

“If?” a beige Samoyed suddenly spluttered, in a slightly crazed tone. “What do you mean, if?” His name was Max, and he had a reputation among the dogs of Nome as somewhat of a suspicious paranoid. Although, the fact that he had been forced to watch his entire family be slaughtered by wolves might’ve had something to do with it. “Course he’s gonna’ come!” Max continued, eyes bugging out slightly. “And we’ve only got one choice if we wanna live!”

“And…what would that be?” Kaltag asked. He didn’t like where this was going. No, not one bit…

“We’ve gotta give him what he wants!” Max’s voice cracked, and he pointed a shaky paw at Kavik. “We’ve gotta’ give him the wolf/dog!” Almost all the dogs turned and regarded the Samoyed with narrowed eyes, growls issuing from a few whose lips had writhed back to expose fangs. Max’s ears drooped – as did his shakily pointing paw – and he let out a low whine of placation.

“You want to send Kavik out there to confront Juji all by himself!” Angel cried, her eyes gleaming dangerously. “That’s crazy!”

“You’re insane!” Star seconded, brows furrowed in uncharacteristic anger.

A few other such statements arose from the dogs gathered. Kavik held up his paw for silence and the room quieted.

“No Star,” he said, choosing his words very carefully, “…I think he’s got a point…” he finished, eyes and face thoughtful.

Star was struck utterly speechless – along with every other dog in the room. They were all unable to believe their ears. None of them had ever seen a dog – or any other canine – sign his own death warrant before.

The silence held for a few seconds before Star finally managed to say, “Are you a PSYCHO or something?”

“You’re nuts if you think we’re just gonna let you walk out into the Forest and risk your life fighting the guy you just described!” Balto said.

“He’d be too much to handle, even for you!” Jenna added.

Kavik seemed not to hear. “…Did I ever tell you why I tried to kill him in the first place…?” he asked lightly.

“…You said he took someone special away from you…” Tricksey said, uncomfortably aware of all the eyes in the room resting upon her. She hated the feeling of their weight on her fur.

“...True. He did…he took someone irreplaceable from me…” he was staring at the ceiling as though it were the most interesting thing in the world, blue bombardier’s eyes burning holes in the ancient woodwork. “I don’t think any normal dog – or wolf – could’ve done it and still remained sane. But then again, as I’ve already said, Juji isn’t a normal wolf…”

Kavik suddenly stood and walked to the open door, claws scritch-scratching on the wooden floorboards as he crossed. Upon reaching the opening, he suddenly thrust his head up and out, nostrils flared, eyes closed as he inhaled the mixture of odors and aromas carried on the wind. He held it for a few seconds, almost as if savoring the scent, and then exhaled, breathe issuing from his mouth condensing into a vaporous steam, which was carted away on the wind, adding his own little message to an already crowded notice board.

Kavik turned around, taking a moment to regard his friends from his new vantage point. When he did, a single shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds, spilling across his fur and making it momentarily hard to look at without your eyes hurting. It lasted only for a space of two or three seconds, but in that time, Balto saw much. For a brief instant, many windows in his mind aligned and he could see far across his own experience.

Balto saw Kavik, not as a dog, but as what he truly was in his innermost form and truth. A wolf. One of the last great giants that only appear every 20 or 30 years due to the rarity of the conditions and genetics that are needed to make such a state of muscular and skeletal development physically possible. Balto’s eyes widened and, deep inside himself, he felt his wolf heritage flex throughout his being. It was as if some amazing powerful voice were saying, ‘Look. Look upon him, this miracle of nature, and a gentle and compassionate creature. See him and say True. See him for what he really is in his Heart and Mind and Soul; a wolf/dog, yes…but also, one of the last of his kind…one of the last Great Wolves who once roamed the Arctic and were masters of the Tundra…’

All this took place in less time than it takes to write down, and the actual message Balto received would have looked – had we but been on the receiving end instead of him – like nothing more than a flash of inner light and confused rush of images. But, as we know, Balto who saw the deeper meaning behind all this was in temporary awe. ‘Wolf…’ he thought, ‘yes, he may have some dog in him, but it’s the wolf which is his most dominant nature…’

The moment passed. Kavik walked back to his spot, his crucifix and the chain from which it hung clanking slightly. He sat down heavily, the floor creaking slightly under his surely massive bulk, and looking at him, Star guessed him must’ve weighed 140 pounds at least. Probably a little more, come to think of it.

“Still there…” Kavik said. He seemed to be talking only to himself, his eyes half-lidded, head slightly lowered. “By God…I can smell him in the wind…he’s too close to here…too close by far…” He looked up then, as if suddenly remembering where he was and who was with him, and smiled as he once again swept the room with his gaze. “In order to understand why I tried to kill him – aside from the fact that he’s simply a monster, cut-and-dry – I’ve got to backtrack to a little more than a year ago…” His eyes glowed, the irises seeming to shine with a sheen like pelt.

“I’ve got to go back to when I met Lakota for the first time…”

((()-()))

“First of all, you’ve got to understand that I’ve only been with Maverick for 9 months. One night, a month or two after I had ‘killed’ Juji and escaped the pack – I’ll get to all that later – I went into a town, somewhere close to Anchorage. I don’t remember exactly where.”

“You went into a town? Were you crazy? Any human would’ve shot you on sight with your appearance had you been spotted!” Steele exclaimed, eyes slightly wider than usual.

Kavik smiled bitterly. “Didn’t I know it? I usually avoided any and all human contact when I could, sticking mainly to the Forested areas for just that reason. But this night was different. I was injured in a fight with a Cougar, you see. I won, but I’d gotten a broken hind leg for my trouble that I’d been forced to run on for maybe two hours or more.”

Balto winced. Running for two hours with a broken leg…ouch. That must’ve felt like someone was ripping you apart slowly, one piece at a time.

“I limped my way into town, managed to pass unnoticed by using the back alleys and side streets, and got to the Butcher’s shop. There wasn’t much there, but I wasn’t about to complain; I hadn’t eaten hardly a scrap for almost a week. A dozen half-starved wolves had come around after I’d killed the big cat, and I hadn’t had time to eat much of my kill before they drove me off.”

“I ate what was there – maybe 2 and ½ pounds of meat and gristle at the most, and I think even that’s pushing it. Afterwards, I ate some snow, and then tried to get out, back to the woods. But I made one big mistake…”

“Your leg.” Kaltag said. “You pushed yourself too hard for too long and your body couldn’t keep up.”

Kavik’s bitter smile resurfaced. “How right you are. I had been limping along, thinking my leg didn’t hurt so badly anymore, when something inside it twisted. I heard a sort of popping sound, felt a sort of twang, and then my leg was worse then it had ever been. It was the worst pain I’d ever experienced in my life. Half conscious, I stumbled toward the outskirts, hoping to at least reach the Forest and find shelter before I dropped off completely. I never made it. I lost consciousness about three blocks from the end of town, in an alley surrounded by garbage. I remember thinking how furious my father would’ve been if he’d seen me in such a state.”

“When I came too, I was lying wrapped in a blanket with my back to a cast-iron stove. I could smell burning wood – very strong, overpoweringly so – and then I could smell a human. Then the faint smell of steel and oily metal, a gun in other words. I was frightened, but when I tried to get up and run away, my leg hurt so badly I almost blacked out again. I lay there, panting, willing myself not to pass out again, telling myself that I if did I was as good as dead. It didn’t work very well. I could feel myself slipping but couldn’t do anything about it. Just before I dropped off, I saw Maverick’s face, felt his hand stroke my head…” Kavik’s eyes became wistful, as if recalling the old man’s kind-hearted touch. “I remember the gentleness in that touch, and I never forgot it.”

“Over the next few months, Maverick helped me to recover. At first I was mistrustful and suspicious; I’d had few experiences with Man before then, and the ones I’d had were bad more often than not. But, seeing as I was riddled with pain whenever I tried to move at all after he’d set my leg, I couldn’t do much but try to growl and give him the ‘Evil Eye’, which only made him laugh. Day-by-day, he fed me soup and jerky and other good things, and day-by-day I started to trust him. Soon, I loved him. I even relinquished the ways of my heritage that had governed my whole life up until then and became his companion…and I’ve never regretted it. Not ever.”

A single tear slipped from Tricksey’s eye to splatter onto the floor. A story like that was just bound to make you sniffle. She saw Kavik wasn’t crying, but his eyes looked suspiciously damp all the same.

“But all that was after the fact, and I’m jumping the gun.” Kavik laughed shortly. “Let me start back at the very beginning…”

“My mother was a pure-bred wolf. She had the softest voice I can ever remember and her fur was like white fire. My father was a half-and-half wolf like Balto, only in his case he had Shepherd instead of Husky coursing through his veins. I believe my mother told me once that he was somehow descended from someone named either Buck or White Fang, both wolf/dog hybrids of great legend, the latter even more so than the former…. I got my eyes from him. He was white – a sort of unique albino type – like my mother, both of them around my current size, although I think my father might’ve been a bit bigger.” Again, that wistful smile blazed out onto his face.

“However, I didn’t know them for very long…fate, it seemed, had other plans in store for me and my siblings….” His brow creased slightly, face wrinkling as he tried to recall his own painful story. “Even I don’t know the exact circumstances, but, for some reason or another, my father left us and shortly after, my mother followed suit. When I was only three or four months old, she was forced to leave all but one of us in the care of her brother, Serpico, who was the Alpha of her pack.”

His eyes grew slightly wistful. “He was a bit stern, full of an almost royal sort of pride and noble dignity, always telling me to take strength from my roots and whatnot.” Kavik smiled, thinking fondly of his foster parents. “I never actually met my real father, or if I ever did I’ve only the vaguest fleeting idea of what and who he was…or mayhap still is, I’ve no way of knowing for sure if he still lives….” He trailed off, gazing fixedly at nothing, his imagination seeming to have been captured by the idea that his father was still alive, alive and wandering the earth, thinking of the family he’d been forced to leave behind….

He suddenly blinked, and shook his head from side to side, his white cheeks flaring a dull pink as he realized he’d fallen prey to his optimistic nature. A thin smile touched his lips as he resumed his tale. “Sorry…my mind just sort of ran away with me for a second there…give me a moment…. Where was I? Ah, yes; my family…” The thin smile grew, maturing to a fully-fledged grin as he spoke his next few words. It was a rather remarkable change to behold.

“Serpico and Akasha, his mate, were kind and adoring parents. Though they and I were joined by blood-bondage to a lesser degree than that shared between themselves and their own kin, this meant little to them; My siblings and I were of their noble blood and therefore, I was as much a son to them as I had been to my own mother and father. They took us in willingly enough–despite the opinions of more than a few others of their order–and we were shown just as much love and affection as they showered upon their own son, a white wolf by the name of Kemo.”

It should come as no surprise to us that, upon hearing the latter statement, Balto was severely taken aback. His eyes widened till he felt that they must surly pop from his skull to go rolling across the floor like great yellow/brown billiard balls. The breath caught in his chest and for perhaps a full minute, his body forgot to breathe. He stared, open-mouthed at Kavik, who, upon hearing the gasp uttered by his wolfish comrade had turned to look at him, a look of slight alarm briefly darkening his already troubled countenance. Balto, however, was for a moment completely unaware of his pale friend’s worried expression, as his own mind was still grappling with the enormity of what Kavik’s statement meant. So, that was how Kavik and Kemo had come to know each other? He had almost no trouble believing it–some inner part of him had been expecting something of this nature from the start…but now was not the time to engage in a game of twenty questions, as much as he wanted to; the hybrid before him had enough on his plate to deal with at the moment and Balto would be the last one to add anything more to that already overflowing mess.

Jenna was looking at him now too and–he noted with somewhat exaggerated degree of embarrassment–so were quite a few others crowded throughout the expansive room. Still trying to grasp this profoundly unexpected revelation, he forced his mouth to close and blinked several times, shaking his head slightly as he did so. Kavik was still looking at him, his faded blue eyes wordlessly asking the reason for his companion’s somewhat concerning reaction. Not wanting to make a scene–and knowing such a topic was one best left to be discussed later in a more private place, and even then only with close friends present–Balto merely shook his head fractionally, indicating that now was not the time and that his friend should go on with his tale, lest he arouse suspicion from the already curious onlookers.

Understanding dawned in the snowy wolf’s eyes and he gave a barely perceptible nod, and returned his gaze to the rest of the dogs, most of whom had been watching this little exchange with a rather disquietingly large degree of curiosity. Deciding it would be best to skip over his still-living brother’s description, not to mention his current location, Kavik ignored the somewhat nosy spectators for now–there were more important matters at hand–and instead he searched his mind, trying to pick up his thread of thought from where it had been interrupted. After a few seconds, he continued from where he had left off. “Apart from Kemo, I had two other brothers, Lobo and Nig, and one sister. I can recall her a bit more easily than the other two, probably because she survived longer….” His face momentarily darkened, then cleared once more. “Her name was Ikea. She was white, like me, except she had my mother’s golden eyes.” He smiled fondly as he recalled her sweet visage. “We also had a habit of getting into all sorts of mischief together, although she was always the mastermind behind everything and I was just the obedient follower more often than not.” He snorted with soft laughter, recalling all their shared misadventures together.

“Nig and Lobo were identical twins. Both of them were always the comedians of five of us, and they never failed to make us laugh. They both looked like my father, except their eyes were pink instead of blue or gold. True albinos, in other words.” He grinned expansively. “We always used to wrestle together in the snow and sometimes in the fields if it was summer or spring and the woods were in full bloom. Ikea called them the ‘Dim-Witted Duo’” He chuckled.

“My early life was fun and full of lessons on grooming, tracking, hunting and a bunch of other matters essential to the survival of any young wolf in the wilds of the North. My foster parents were good teachers, and were all more-than apt pupils…well, some of us were at any rate. They taught my siblings and I everything we needed to survive. Our life together was often difficult, but both my mother and father loved us all with a passion that we returned ten-fold. I spent two blissful years with them…then…”

Kavik swallowed, and when he did there was an audible click in his throat. “Then…then…one day, Man came…hunters with big guns and hard grins and breath that stank of tobacco and whiskey. We ran, making for the cover of the deeper wood but…somehow the pack was broken and the four of us found ourselves with no one but our parents to lead us…the rest were scattered, falling behind…we tried…” He paused, seeming to try to gather himself and Balto realized how much this must hurt him, having to recollect all this. He wanted to tell his friend to stop, that he didn’t have to go to that one locked place in his heart that everyone has where we keep the things too terrible to bear, didn’t have to if it hurt this much….

He didn’t though. He could, Balto was well aware that he could tell him to stop, and he had no doubt Kavik probably would. But…Kavik needed to tell this to someone, anyone, it didn’t matter who; he just had to drag it, kicking and screaming, into the Light for all to see.

“…They got my brother Lobo first. Shot him in the neck. He was killed instantly. Then, they got Nig twice. Once in the hind leg, once in the side and he fell down. My father dropped back to try and protect him. I remember the last words he said to me were ‘Protect your mother and Ikea!’” Kavik paused, once again seemed to fight within himself and then went on.

“The three of us kept on going, me, Ikea and my mother. I remember…hoping that I would…see my father and my brother Nig again. We ran all out, and for about five minutes, we could hear him fighting off his would-be-killers. We heard him growling and snarling, heard the screams as he bit and tore into the men who had killed his sons. Then, we heard the blast of a shotgun and then his dying yowl of utter agony.”

“My first impulse was…to…to turn around and fight. Turn and kill…but Ikea stopped me. She was crying, the tears streaming down her face, and yelling for me not to go. I almost went anyway, I was mad with rage, but she stepped in front of me…” Kavik smiled. The expression was bittersweet. “She always was the most level-headed of us. She reminded me of the sacrifice that our father had made. She told to not be blinded by my anger but to harness it and use it to protect mother. I couldn’t bear to leave her, or disobey my father when he’d given me a direct order, so I ran on. We kept on and on and on, our mother running behind us, urging us on. First, it seemed like we were going to lose them; we had gotten into the deeper, more damaged part of our territory, and there were deadfalls everywhere, making it harder for the humans to keep up with us.”

Again, he paused, and Balto felt the urge – now more strongly than ever – to tell him to stop. He felt – hell, knew – that what Kavik was forcing himself to do was ripping his soul apart. Yet, equal to this desire was the one to let him continue. Continue won out and so Balto remained silent.

“But…then I heard a shotgun blast, then two more. The humans had somehow gotten around us and were closing in. My mother made a decision then.” Kavik took a deep, shaky breath. “She…she told us to split up. And then…she ran off to draw the humans’ fire away from us…” Tears, large and unheeded, began to slip down Kavik’s tortured face. He didn’t seem to notice or if he did, he didn’t care. They dripped from his cheeks and hit the floor with a steady ‘tap…tap…tap…’

“Ikea and I called for her to come back and then another shot blew apart the tree between us and…we were forced to start off in the opposite direction. We ran on and on and on, dodging fallen trees and bullets, hearing the guns going off–along with the occasional curse and/or scream as one of them was bitten by my mother–in the direction she was headed. We both started to cry, both sure she was dead or…or worse. We didn’t stop until nightfall and then dug a hole in the snow and huddled together in it to keep warm. We huddled and cried over our lost family, taking comfort from each other. Eventually we cried ourselves to sleep.”

“The next morning we…we got up and slinked back to the place where my mother had been by following the scent of human and wolven blood. We came to the place where she’d fought them for us.” Kavik’s face shone with a momentary sort of pride that was both painful and touching to look at. “She was gone…though we couldn’t find scent; the stench of Man had overpowered it. Dead she might’ve been but my mother took seven of them down with her, guns or no guns.” A hard, bitter grin of triumph lit up his face for an instant.

“We moved on quickly, fearful that the humans would still be around. We were together for a long time after that, one never letting the other out of their sight for a moment. We only had each other, you must understand, and we were both terrified that…that God would take the either of us away if we were too relaxed about it. We tried searching for our other brother Kemo, who along with some friends had gone in search of our single departed sibling a few days before the hunting party attacked our pack…now, I thank God for his choice. Needless to say, we were unsuccessful and were left to our own defenses. We protected each other from everything, slept together, hunted and killed together, mourned and sang our songs to the moon together. We had no desire to join a pack, for we preferred to remain isolated from the rest of the world. Besides, no other clan would ever compare to the one we had been a part of…before the humans had come and caused us to scatter like leaves in an autumn wind. An unusually strong fear of Man had been put into us, and we shied away from them whenever we caught their scent on the breeze.”

Kavik paused again, but for breath this time as well as grief. “…It…we went on like that for almost a year and a half. I was never separated from Ikea, and she never left me. Everything was good for a while. We wandered the woodlands, heedless of everything but each other and the other life around us.”

“When we got into Alaska, we hit trouble. A famine had broken out among the area and many of the animals were starving to death. We managed to keep up our bodies by eating anything and everything save rocks and trees, no matter how disgusting it was. We would not eat our own kind though; cannibalism was within our ability to comprehend…it would have been seen as nothing but a disgrace to our kind. Then…one day…we came across another man, a hunter. We were weak with hunger, all but skin and bones and we weren’t able to make it to safety in time. He saw us, and fired three shots. Two missed. The last…the last hit…hit Ikea in the…in the side.” His tears flowed faster now and he had to stop for a few seconds, trying to deal with the grief that racked his body in spasmodic shudders. After a few deep breaths, he went on.

“I…I was furious, driven to a mad, convulsive rage.” He said in a voice that shook the slightest bit. “I attacked him, the man who had shot Ikea, my only sister, the only close family I had left with me and tore him to pieces with all the ferocity of a grizzly. I remember the snow and my fur being stained red with his murder’s blood.” There was a hate burning in his voice, one so strong, it was a little scary. “Afterwards, I went back to Ikea. She was breathing, shallowly…and I told myself she’d be fine, but in my heart I knew…Knew she was going to die…”

Tricksey put her face to Kaltag’s shoulder, tears running down her face, overcome with emotion. Balto was comforting Jenna in the same manner. They knew Kavik’s life had been hard – he’d told them himself, minus the details – but hadn’t suspected anything like this…

“I…dug us a hole in the snow as always and…helped her into it. We talked about our mother and father and lost brothers and I…started to cry. I didn’t want to but I couldn’t stop myself. She saw me crying and…licked away my tears. She said, ‘Why you cryin’ Kavik? I’m…not gonna’ leave you…we’ll always…be together. You and me against the world…’ Then, she fell asleep. I tried to wake her, knew if I didn’t she was gone forever. But then I fell asleep myself…”

Kaltag sat and listened and wondered how you could go on living through something like that and still be sane, how you could see it all and not just be content to curl up and die in a ditch. It was beyond his ability to comprehend.

“…When I woke up the next morning…I tried to wake her up…When she didn’t move, I…I…knew she was d…dead…” Kavik suddenly let out a great shuddering breath, his tears growing from streams to rivers, then finally to rapids. After a great many shakes of the head and rapid blinking of his streaming eyes, he went on.

“After…after Ikea died, I…I pretty much went through life as a ghost. There isn’t much to tell about that part of my life. I don’t remember much because all I could feel were two emotions: Grief and Hate. I was crushed by Ikea’s death, the flame in my wild heart all but burned out. At the same time, I was driven by a pure desire to live only to make Man’s coming into the world as hard as I could. They had taken away anything and everything I’d ever loved or had…and I think it’s safe to say…I was not very happy…” He gave a short humorless laugh.

“I don’t know exactly how long I stayed that way, running through the woods, frothing with unbridled anger and my soul aching with grief.” Kavik shrugged. “It might’ve been only a few months…or as long a year, I don’t know. All I know is that by the time I met Lakota…my heart had hardened a bit.”

((()-()))

1924
Anchorage, Alaska

Kavik pushed through another stand of snow-draped conifers and winced as he felt their needle filled branches slap his face. Stupid trees. He often wondered why God had made them so irritating, with the sticky sap, the prickly needles and those stupid pinecones…yes, he disliked that latter feature the most.

‘Ikea loved them…so did Kemo, as a matter of fact…’ a voice in his head muttered and he growled savagely at it to shut up. He didn’t like to think about Ikea more than he had too…there were too many painful memories involved.

But it was too late and already her laughing, smiling face came swimming back up from the depths of his brain as it often did with all too much ease. She ran through the corridors of his mind, yipping playfully, summoning other memories, ones of Nig…and Lobo…he and Kemo, play-fighting together as pups as they often had…and of course, his mother and father…a single low whine of grief escaped him, but that was all. He was glad to say that he no longer started to cry whenever the thought of any of his family resurfaced.

With a grunt, he pushed past both tree and past, marching steadily toward wherever his paws were taking him. He hoped it was to food – he hadn’t eaten for a week, and had been forced to eat bugs and mice and other such low creatures to survive. Yet, for all his size, hunger wasn’t much of a problem for one of his kind He’d been living like this for over…He cast his mind back, something that was slightly difficult considering he rarely did it due to his mercifully brief, but painful history in the world. He found he’d been living this way for over two years, so hunger was no new tormenter in his life.

He breasted a gently rising slope, moving into a denser area of the current woodlands. He had no idea whose territory he was in, nor did it interest him very much to know of find out. He’d found that such things as clan territories and lands didn’t matter much if you could make it through undetected. And that was easier than tracking deer – not that there were many to track nowadays – and as long as you took care not to get close enough for your scent to spook the resident pack then you were home free. Besides, even if he ran afoul of the pack or clan or whatever they referred to themselves as – which he was carefully almost never to do – there was never much of a fight. He didn’t like to brag about his ability in combat, but let’s just say he could’ve even taught the old-timers a thing or two if it came to that!

He stopped abruptly, ears perking as they picked up some distant noise…growls, perhaps? And was that a roar he’d just heard? Or maybe…Then the wind blew in his direction and everything became clear; a bear, of course. Headed his way. And – oh, this was just magical – it was a Grizzly to boot. And it wasn’t more than 200 yards away.

He told himself to calm down, just take it easy. After all, it wasn’t like he was at risk or anything. All he had to do was make sure he didn’t get too close or make it mad somehow. Shrugging his muscular shoulders, he started to move on again, paws crunching in the snow, tail swishing from side to side in the only way he could ever dispose of nerves.

He continued on for about five minutes or so, gently increasing his pace as the seconds dragged by. He’d almost lost the animal completely when, suddenly, he heard a low growl and then a snarl, followed by a yelp of pain. Sniffing delicately, he discovered another wolf, not like himself, had been unfortunate enough to stumble upon the huge omnivore. Or, Kavik considered, maybe it had simply been desperate and/or foolish enough to tackle a creature almost surely three to four times its own body weight. That last seemed more likely than the first.

Kavik stood, considering, the wheels turning in his head, weighing his options, and decided against going to the assistance of the canine engaged in fatal combat. He wasn’t cruel or anything – the last thing anyone who’d known him would’ve called him was cruel – it was just common sense of the Wild. If he did go and help, he might win or he and this unknown wolf might both be killed. Or – and this was the real kicker – even if he and his canine brother somehow managed to slay the great beast, there was no guarantee that the assisted wolf would prove to be grateful. Quite the contrary; the rescued might turn upon the rescuer.

That did it. He turned and started to walk off, wishing his comrade the best of luck. ‘He’ll need it too.’ He thought with a slight twinge. Besides, it was really none of his business anyway…

The wind blew once more, and Kavik, catching the aroma again, turned and raced in the direction of the combatants, cursing himself a thousand times for a fool. How could he have been so ignorant? It wasn’t a male fighting the Grizzly it was a female! His mother had taught him the Wolf’s Code of Honor: protect the young, do what needed to be done for the good of the pack, never kill or battle females, and to help them if they needed aid. And, judging from the rapidly growing smell of blood, the unknown female certainly needed it.

Kavik put on a burst of speed, half consciously blessing his father for his sled dog agility, and crashed through the trees. He had come not a second too soon; the bear had the wolf pinned with on massive forepaw and was preparing to either rip the young she-wolf open or disembowel her. Either way, it came to the same thing; a bloody and agonizing death for this unfortunate wolf.

‘Not if I have anything to say about it!’ he thought and snarled menacingly, hackles rising in an unmistakable offensive posture. The bear’s attention turned to him and as it did, he coiled his hind legs beneath him and, using his tremendous strength, propelled himself at the enormous creature. The bear moved to swipe a claw at him, as if intending to rip his face wide open. Kavik’s movements were fast, but not quite fast enough. He managed to dodge the bulk of the attack, but was slashed along his right flank, deep enough to draw blood.

A normal wolf would’ve perhaps simply shied away to lick this potentially grievous wound, but Kavik had his mother’s blood running through him and the surge of pain he felt did not send him limping away; it merely mad him all the angrier. This fury at being so wounded, coupled with the pent up after-rage of Ikea’s death, transformed him from a simple animal to a killing machine with no ‘off’ switch.

With an infuriated roar followed by a flash of white, Kavik leaped upon the offending beast, sinking both fangs and claws deep into the shoulder and torso of his adversary. The bear cried out in surprised pain, and attempted to shake and/or strike him off, battening him with its six-inch talons as it dug into his angelic fur, staining it a crimson red.

Kavik felt them not at all.

He was burning with impersonal anger, his mind frantic with the urge to rip, to tear, to kill. All the emotional trauma of losing his family came back again in an adrenaline rush of images. With a snarl of utter fury and utmost wrath, he wrenched his bloody jaws from the Grizzly’s shoulder and buried his jagged maw in its face, his teeth battening upon the thing’s muzzle.

The bear’s fury only grew and with a scream of mingled outrage and agony, it jerked him from his purchase and hurled him bodily into a tree, where he hit with a sickening ‘thud!’ and then sank down into the snow. He starred out at the world through eyes made momentarily blurry with his collision with the tree. And saw the bear coming for him…

((()-()))

The young she-wolf lay in the snow, breathing heavily and staring at the animal towering above her. She couldn’t believe it had come to this! Now she, daughter of Roland, Alpha Male of their pack, was about to be killed by a bear! She couldn’t accept it…no, more; she refused to accept it. And so she got to her feet, panting and made for the Grizzly’s throat again. Her strength and stamina were starting to fail, thus were her attacks becoming all the more sluggish. The bear saw her intended target and countered with a blow to the side of the head that sent Lakota reeling back to earth, where she landed in a heap.

‘This is it,’ she thought, miserably trying to find the strength to move, to retreat, and finding none. ‘I’m done for…sorry father…I let you down…please forgive me…’ a tear trickled from her eye as she squeezed them shut, not wanting to see how she was going to die.

Her eyes snapped open as she heard the rapidly growing growl of another wolf moving swiftly towards her.

Lakota was at first unable to comprehend what her eyes were telling her. One moment, she was pinned to the ground with a yelp of pain as the bear was getting ready to gut her, the next, an enormous white wolf had come careening out of the trees and proceed to rip into her aggravator. She lay in stunned silence, temporarily frozen in shock, as he sank his teeth into the other’s shoulder, oblivious to the claws that were beginning to rip into him.

Her mind went blank with shock as he rescuer, after removing his teeth from the bear’s shoulder, sank them instead clean to the bone of the bear’s muzzle, it letting out a roar of pain and surprise. A low cry ripped itself from her chest as the bear ripped the stranger from it’s face and hurled him through the air to slam side-first into a tree with a low yelp before slumping to the snow.

The bear spared her a single, mindless glance, before turning to finish of her would-be rescuer first. As it did, she saw – with a mingled feeling of shock and revulsion – that the entire right side of its face had been ripped open from eye to jaw. She could actually see the bones in its muzzle…

It was this grotesque vision that seemed to give her back her strength, for she rose quickly, and with a little shake of her head, leaped at the animal’s unprotected back, sinking her teeth into the base of it’s neck, feeling a primal sort of satisfaction as its blood soaked her muzzle and face and neck.

The bear roared again in surprise and tried madly to rip her from her itself, standing upright and attempting to use its forelimbs to reach behind it and strike her down. It was at this opportunistic moment that Kavik struck for the throat…

((()-()))

Kavik lay, vision clearing but his body seemingly unable to move momentarily. He knew he would be able to soon, but not soon enough with the way the bear was advancing on him, face horribly mauled as a mark of his fangs. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly. ‘Got you, you dirty piece of trash. Ripped you a new mouth…’ he thought but froze as he saw the young she-wolf suddenly leap onto the back of the wounded behemoth, biting to the bone at the base of its neck. The bear, rising to stand on its hind legs, tried to claw her off using its deadly forelimbs.

An overwhelmingly powerful voice within him abruptly burst out ‘Now! Strike NOW! You won’t get another chance!’ Only later, when he took time to consider it, would he realize that it had been the voice of both his mother and his father, speaking as one. Now however, such thoughts were far from his mind, and he forced his legs to propel his lacerated body forward and he sank his jaws into the place where the Life’s Blood bubbled just beneath the surface, and rejoiced when he felt his teeth strike home.

((()-()))

Lakota leaped clear as the Grizzly tumbled over backwards, with the white wolf’s jaws still clamped onto its throat. She watched as he stayed there; even though his prey was now too weak to do anything but twitch slightly as its life ebbed away, jaws still locked in his death-grip. At last when the last faint vestiges of life had left the great monster, the white wolf released his hold and turned his head to look at her, panting.

She was shocked not by his sheer size, but by his eyes. Such eyes…she had never seen the like. They were like twin balls of blue fire burning out at the world from the core of his soul. They were hardened to glimmering chunks of ice, but now softened to the kind, gentle eyes of one who, since birth, has never in life turned refused to help anyone, no matter the personal cost. They were…familiar in some way that was both touching and slightly mesmerizing.

His fur was as white as the snow around him, save for the spots where the bear had scarred him with its claws. She was both amazed and touched when she saw the flicker of a smile play its way across his face. After a few more breaths he said, “Hi…”

That was all just ‘Hi’ as if the two of them had met on some forest path whilst on the hunt for the evening’s meal instead of having just killed an animal easily twice his weight. She smiled, green eyes shining, lips quirking into a smile. “Hi yourself…”

He licked his chops and spat out a mouthful of obsidian fur before saying, “…Sorry I didn’t get here sooner…”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at a remark like that. He acted as though he were late for a clan meeting or something. “I’m just glad you got here when you did…”

He chuckled before attempting to rise, almost fell, but then gained his feet. He walked steadily over and sat down before her, letting out a great huff of air as he did so. “Thanks for the help back there…”

She was startled. “I’m the one who should be thanking you!” she said, flustered and clearly somewhat embarrassed. “After all, it would’ve killed me if you hadn’t come along…” His smile broadened the tinniest bit.

“Yeah, but if you hadn’t bitten him on the back of the neck, we both would’ve been goners…” he chuckled. His voice, she noted, was a bit deep and held a sort of inbred authority, yet soft and gentle at the same time. He sounded like her father…

“Alright, but you were the one who dealt the finishing blow…” she replied and that got them smiling again, seeing as both were took weak to do much else but chuckle. And movement? Ha, the idea was a bitter joke…

“So…” he ventured after a moment’s pause to catch his wind. “What’s your name?”

“Lakota.” She replied automatically. “And yours?”

“Kavik.” He said and smiled. “Now that the introductions are out of the way, just what were you doing, fighting that bear anyway?”

((()-()))

Kavik was aware of the she-wolf’s escape as the bear crashed to earth, but only peripherally. He knew the bear was dead, he’d ripped its throat out after all, but he hung on nevertheless. His father had always taught him to hang on until the kill was dead, and he had no intentions of releasing his death-grip until every ounce of life was driven out of this beast. Finally, when at last the last vestiges of life had fallen away from the thing on the ground, he looked towards the she-wolf he’d saved.

And he stared.

She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, even coated in blood and injured as well. Her fur was a light silver, almost like the material he’d seen cultivated in rocks, though a bit lighter, now splashed throughout with blood. Her underbelly was a sort of snowy white, a few shades darker than his own overall coat. Her eyes were a deep emerald green and glinted with a shine like rough-hewn diamonds. Her tail was long and bushy, ending in a white tip, and she had about her a sort of queenly heir about the way she did things, however small. In a way, she unconsciously made ever move of her body look and flow like liquid mercury.

‘If she’s this pretty when she’s injured,’ he thought numbly, ‘then she must look beautiful when she’s not all covered in blood.’ It came to him that some of the blood now staining her coat may very well have been his, and this seemed to snap him back to reality for some reason and he knew he had to say something. He couldn’t just stand there gawking at her or she’d think him a fool or worse.

He wanted to say something cool and suave, but when he opened his mouth and tried to speak, all that came out was “Hi…” ‘Way to go Kavik!’ he mentally berated himself. ‘Great way to start off a conversation!’

He saw her smile and was relieved by the sight. “Hi yourself…” she replied, the edge of a girlish giggle evident in her words. Her voice was sweet and melodious, almost like the singing and chirping of the birds at sunrise.

He heard himself speaking and was horrified when he recognized the words spewing from his mouth. “Sorry I didn’t get here sooner…”

She laughed again. “I’m just glad you got here when you did…”

He chuckled without knowing how or why but only knowing that it was right. “Thanks for the help back there…”

She replied something to the effect of how she should be thanking him and then the two of them began to volley that back and forth. After of few plays at this, he asked, “So…what’s your name?”

“Lakota.” She replied. He instantly liked the name. He thought it suited her perfectly.

After she returned the question and he answered with his own name, he felt the need to ask a more important question; “Now that the introductions are out of the way, just what were you doing fighting that bear anyway?”

((()-()))

1925
Nome, Alaska

Kavik paused for breath, and Balto sat in the utter silence that pervaded the room. Most of them had thought Kavik to be just an ordinary dog in most respects. Sure, he had a little wolf in him, but what can you do? You are who you are. But now they knew different. Kavik’s life so far sounded like the sort of thing you heard whispered about in corners and told to pups as bedtime stories; A legend, in other words.

Something had been nagging at Balto all through the story, something about Kavik’s mother. He couldn’t put his paw on it, but something about the description seemed so oddly familiar…He shook his head. Best to leave it be for now. He and Kavik could pursue it and the matter of Kemo’s kinship with the two of them further when the time was right.

Kavik stretched, drank some water from a nearby bowl, and seemed on the verge of continuing when suddenly there was an abruptly startling ‘thump’ as something – or someone – collided with the now-closed door. (Nobody knew exactly who had done it, but almost all took it to simply be the wind afterwards.)

Kaltag moved forward and pushed open the door. A medium-sized golden dog of nondescript breed came shambling in. Taking in his wide, bloodshot brown eyes, jittery way of walking, and the quick way with which his head snapped around at every little noise, he looked to be the most frightened dog any of them had ever seen – and that included Star.

Balto, Jenna, Star, Kaltag, Angel, Tricksey, and Kavik all moved toward the dog, concern and puzzlement scrawled across all their faces. At their movements, the small dog shrank back, eyes wide with a convulsed cry of fear. He muttered incoherently with his paws covering his head as if to ward off a blow.

“Move back guys,” Balto called, “give him some space.”

After seeing he wasn’t going to be ripped to pieces the small dog stood, eyes jumping from side to side, a small whine building in his throat. Finally, very slowly, Balto moved forward.

In his gentlest voice he said, “Hey…what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Did something happen to you?”

For a moment, it didn’t seem as though the stranger had heard him, then he muttered something Balto couldn’t make out.

“What?” Balto asked, straining to hear.

“I…I…I…I asked…is…o-one of you n-named K-K-Kavik?” The message was louder this time, but so disjointed and stuttery it was almost impossible to understand.

“Yes…” Kavik said, taking a small step forward. “My name’s Kavik…”

“I g-g-got-t a m-m-message for y-you.” The dog said.

“Tell us your name.” Jenna said, also in a gentle voice. “We won’t hurt you., I promise.”

“M-m-my name’s A-Axel and I g-got a m-m-message for M-mr. K-Kavik over t-there.” Axel replied, still like he was about to pass out.

“A message?” Kavik asked, puzzled. How could it be? They were all here…except. “Who’s it from?” He asked, heart pounding. ‘Please, let me be wrong, let me be wrong. Oh God in Heaven, let me be wrong!’ he silently prayed, although his heart knew the answer even before Axel spoke.

“It’s f-f-from a w-w-wolf n-named J-J-J-Juji.” Axel replied, stutter now so bad you almost couldn’t understand him. “H-he says f-for you t-to c-c-come and m-meet him at the e-edge of the F-F-Forest. N-no t-t-tricks. T-three of f-f-four can g-g-go w-with him, b-but n-no more.”

“Why?” Kavik asked, heart beating wildly. “Why does he want to talk to me?”

“W-Wouldn’t say. H-he said he just wants t-to talk.” Axel said, starting to calm down now noticing that he was actually going to live to see another sunrise.

“…What happens if he says ‘no’?” Jenna asked.

Axel shuddered violently before replying, his eyes bugging out slightly as he said, “I-if Kavik d-doesn’t show up, t-then he’ll k-kill the 12 pups on the b-boat…”

((()-()))

Author’s Note:

Balto: OMG! I can’t believe you’re using my pups as an evil ‘Juji bargaining-chip’ plot device!

Jenna & Tricksey: (in UNISON) My poor babies! (CRY)

VTS63: Oh calm DOWN you dinosaur heads! I can’t let anything happen to any of the pups because if I do, then it’d mess with my other stories…I think…I hope.

Kavik: That’s it. I gonna’ kick Juji’s head into the ground!

Steele: Hey! No fair! I didn’t get a big part in this chapter!

VTS63: No, but I DID spend three hours of my time DRAWING a highly detailed sketch of you so don’t complain!

Oh. My. God. I’m SO evil! I can’t believe I’m making you guys wait so long to find out what happens (not really; already posted next one)! As always, review or no updates! I’m serious! (Not really!) And a free Kavik plushie to whoever can get the closest to guessing the right answer about what Balto’s familiar feeling about Kavik’s mom is!

If you want to know what Juji’s voice sounds like, just picture Alucard from ‘Hellsing’ or Tsume from ‘Wolf’s Rain’ for Juji – It’s perfect, trust me! XD Or, you could picture him with Knives’ voice from ‘Trigun’

Chapter 7
Juji

The noonday sun rose high into the air, pouring its golden radiance down onto Nome and the surrounding area. The snow flashed and heliographed in the sunlight and made it hard to look at without your eyes watering. If you were a bird, just happening to fly overhead, you might happen to see three or four brown or black-looking specs and one white one, the last made almost invisible by the throwback reflections thrown by the snow.

Kavik was furious. No, scratch that; he was beyond furious, he was molten. A lot of it was his hatred of Juji beginning to break-dance it’s way out of the woodwork of his heart but most of it was self-loathing. How could this have happened? Why had he allowed it to happen? He’d heard Jenna herself say that Boris and Sylvie were watching both her pups and Tricksey’s on the old trawler. He’d heard her say it, yet he hadn’t done or said anything, Gods curse him! He realized now that he should’ve taken Balto, Jenna, Kaltag, Tricksey out to Balto’s boat and insisted that the pups be brought to the Old Mill.

They would’ve heard a horrible story of course – the story of his past was the worst story in the world for anyone to have to listen to and even worse for him because he was the one who was always forced to tell it every time. Yet that would’ve been better by far than the situation they were currently in, and looking at it now, Kavik realized a horrible thing, the worst one yet in a long and terrible line; if Juji had enough wolves to take control of an adult female, an Old Russian goose and twelve hyperactive pups, then his numbers must’ve been very great. Not that Boris and Sylvie would require much looking-after (they had probably been knocked unconscious at Juji’s orders,) but twelve pups – all of them almost 3 or 4 months old – would be a handful even for half a dozen adult wolves.

He growled deep in his throat, a menacing, full-throated rumble as the thought of all of the pups being held hostage, especially Jenner, Kodi and Dusty most of all. He loved all of the pups with a passion – loved them like they were his own – but those three had somehow come first, probably because they were the ones who’d shown no hesitation whatsoever when they saw him up close for the first time. He would never forgive Juji for this, even if the crafty old serpent had only done it as a way of keeping Kavik from killing him, he couldn’t forgive something like this; it wasn’t in his nature to be able to.

He highly doubted Juji had done it for that purpose anyway. He didn’t need any sort of extra insurance against a foul-up, not as crafty and slippery as he was. Kavik now suspected that it was far more likely that Juji was using it largely in part as a display of his power – he now understood they were outnumbered 3 to 1 at least. But Kavik understood that it was just another way of making his life as hellish as physically possible.

The hybrid fetched a heavy sigh as they neared the place Juji had specified and even though he couldn’t see him, Kavik knew Juji was there just the same, crouched low to the ground, with maybe as many as a full dozen wolves behind him. Kavik’s lips curled into an involuntarily snarl of hatred. He would KILL Juji for this! Rip him to pieces! He’d already had more than enough reasons to want the demon masquerading in wolf’s clothing dead, but this was now the largest. It was the worst…even worse than what he’d done to her…

His mind tried to speak Lakota’s name, but he wouldn’t allow it; he couldn’t let himself be caught up in the past at a time like this. He needed all of his concentration for this to go off without a hitch and he would be sent into exile before he’d be the one to screw it up!

They had at last reached the place at the edge of the Forest where ‘negotiations’ were to take place – although he knew better than to think of this as something like that. Negotiations were what you called when each side traded back something the other had, and Juji had both Jenna’s and Tricksey’s pups whilst Kavik and the rest had nothing. And Juji knew it too. Just more display…how pathetically arrogant.

The five of them stopped, the other four sitting down in the snow to rest while he kept watch. Their little group consisted of Balto, Kaltag, Tricksey, himself and – after a heated, but mercifully short argument – Jenna as well. Upon looking to his right, Kavik observed with not much surprise, that Jenna and Tricksey were both flaring with a fury that was almost as great as his own. You could smell it seeping from their very bodies, a reek not unlike that of brimstone, the scent carrying with it a tinge of fear and worry.

Looking closer, he also realized – with slight alarm – that Jenna had started to cry, Tricksey as well. They may’ve been angry, but almost as great as that anger was the fear that they might never see their pups again. Balto and Kaltag offered what comfort they could, speaking in soothing voices that Kavik barely heard. His entire body was rigid with tension, on the lookout for the object of his malignant feelings. After a few moments, Balto came over to where he sat and joined him in staring into the Forest where it began some ten feet away. Five minutes later, Kavik started, catching everyone’s attention at once.

“What is it? Is it him? Is it…Juji?” Balto asked in a slightly tense voice that bristled with anger as well as nerves. All of them were angry – the two couples had lost all twelve of their combined pups to this evil wolf – but Kavik still held the position of highest temperament. His wolfish nature, now uncannily close to the surface, was spitting and insane with a species of blinding white rage that the angelic canine could barely contain. His hackles rose, and he growled like a semi rumbling up a hill.

“He’s coming. Close…very close. Maybe 20...25 yards and closing.” Kavik said, and had to struggle mightily to keep himself from simply rushing, fangs bared, snarling with rage towards Juji as he neared the place of their meeting.

“How can you tell?” Jenna asked.

“I could smell his rotting stink all the way from town when I stuck my head out the door and it’s only been getting stronger all the time...” Kavik replied in a low, carefully controlled voice.

He was right on the money. Perhaps thirty seconds later, a huge gray wolf appeared, accompanied by at least five others that were almost three-fourths his size. Juji stalked forward, in all his bestial glory, eyes glimmering and flickering, his ancient battle scarred fur rippling as the muscles beneath it moved and flexed. His chest and throat were the worst, the ugly twists and knots of white crisscrossing and re-crossing both areas in a wide, almost hairless patch. His face also bore a large vertical slash along the right side, the white line beginning at the forehead, ending briefly at the eyebrow, and then picking up again at the lower lid of the eye. ‘Yeah,’ Kavik thought with something like black delight, ‘can’t forget that one, can we? Lakota was the one who gave it to him after all…’

Then his own faded blue eyes met Juji’s own ones for the first time in almost a year. The eyes…

‘Star was wrong, and so was I for that matter.’ he thought, ‘and how could I’ve been so stupid not to realize it before now? We got the eye colors wrong.’ He concluded bitterly, as he looked Juji full in his deformed face. The left eye was a dull gold the color of a nuclear sunset, while the right – there was really only one way to describe it – sat in his slashed face, the color only able to be justified as an obsidian red.

The gray wolf grinned suddenly, exposing fangs the color of the snow upon which he now stood, and looking at his expression, Kavik judged it to be the sort of grin a loony wears right before they tighten their big toes on the trigger of the .30/.30 they just jammed into their mouths or prior to massacring their family members in their sleep; the grin of the insane, almost certainly.

“…Hello Kavik,” Juji said, his very breath rotting and stinking of blood and spoilage. “…Long time no-see…”

((()-()))

Balto seethed as he followed Kavik’s lead towards the place where the monster that’d kidnapped his children had told them to wait. Broiling with silent anger, he followed, squinting against the sunlight reflected off the snow. Five minutes later, they stopped and Balto, too anxious to be still, looked to his mate…and was startled to see her beginning to weep, the tears steaming down her furry cheeks. He went to her willingly and licked them away, saying, “Don’t worry Jenna, everything’s going to be fine, you’ll see. I promise.” He nuzzled her and Jenna’s tears subsided for the time being.

“Oh Balto…” she said, almost moaning, “what’re we going to do?”

“I’m not sure yet, but all we can do now is wait…and hope the plan we made goes off without a hitch.”

“I’m scared, ” Jenna said, her tears beginning to return, “…I don’t care about anything other than our childeren! All I want is our pups back! I don’t want to lose them!” Her tears flowed faster and Balto worked to quickly sooth her.

On the surface, he felt pity and woe for his beloved Jenna, who had in no way earned this brutal punishment, but underneath everything, a raging fury was burning within him, quickly shutting out anything else. It was his wolf’s blood he supposed, and knew Kavik must feel the same way. ‘Only with him, it’s a thousand times stronger judging from the growls he was making while we were coming here…’ He thought and knew it to be true from the way Kavik’s eyes, usually so warm and gentle, had turned to twin points of black ice.

With Jenna quieted, Balto rose and took a seat next to Kavik, and could practically smell the sulfurous odor of the other’s unquenchable fury, like a fire that would never go out, no matter how much water or earth you threw on it.

Kavik’s hackles suddenly rose, and his anger blazed tenfold from his eyes and the scent became a miasma. “What is it? Is it Juji?” Balto asked, anger likewise flaring like an inferno that had just been feed an armload of dead wood. Yet underneath, was a slight case of nerves; he wasn’t exactly happy to meet this guy, far from it, but if Kavik had tried to kill him and failed…then Juji must be one tough wolf.

“He’s coming. Close…very close. Maybe 20…25 yards away and closing.” Kavik growled, eyes smoldering.

“How can you tell?” Jenna asked, in what almost sounded like a rather tentative tone to her husband.

“I could smell his rotting stink all the way from town when I stuck my head out the door and it’s only been getting stronger all the time...” Kavik replied in a low voice.

A few seconds later, almost as if on cue, the canine cause of all five dogs’ furious tempers came striding into the light.

Balto stared, words failing him, even in his rage.

Juji was an enormous gray wolf, about the size and shape of Kavik. Yet that was where the similarities ended. He was followed on three sides by a troop of five others, all of which were roughly about three-quarters his size. His body was horribly scarred, the hideous white lines meshing themselves across both neck and chest. Yet most noticeable was the one along the right side of his face, which ran from his forehead, extending to the eyebrow where it ended briefly, and then picking up again on the lower lid and running on for some two or three inches. His build was strong and his body corded with sinewy muscle.

But the eyes…God, the eyes; they would haunt him in his dreams for the next few weeks, always those lamb-slaughterers eyes. The left was a gold the color of something almost like liquid amber and the right was best described as a black sort of red, with sparks seeming to pinwheel deep within both.

The Juji smiled, grinned actually. That look too would haunt both him and his mate for a period of time. When he took a moment to look back and think about it – after the exhausting events of the rest of the day had played themselves out this was – he would come to associate that sardonic grin with the look he’d seen on Band’s face…only multiplied by a thousand.

Then, Juji spoke, his eyes never leaving Kavik’s – whose, Balto now noticed had hardened to the likeness of twin blue titanium bullets – saying, “…Hello Kavik,” and Balto felt a shiver shake his spine, his skin seeming to want to crawl from his body. The voice, it was worse than… well forget it; it was the worst he’d ever heard. Such evil…so much hatred. Balto came then to realize the animal before him was indeed no ordinary wolf; this thing was a devil. “Long time no-see…” Juji finished, eyes sparking in the ruins of his face.

((()-()))

Kaltag stomped along behind the rest, wallowing in Jenna’s wake. He was burning with a passion the like of which he’d never felt before, and save for the slight similarity to the feeling he’d gotten when he and Tricksey had made love for the first time, it was completely new. This was like that, only this time, instead of intense pleasure and a furious kind of longing devotion, he now felt fury burning and festering within his guts, almost like hot metal pouring throughout his system.

His jaws clenched until the muscles working them were aflame, but even then he was unable to relax them. Never in all his life had he been so enraged…yet so frightened at the same time. He was crazy with anger towards Juji; the filthy wolf had dared to lay paws on all six of his perfectly beautiful pups, daring to defile them with his putrid touch. Yet at the same time, he was secretly terrified with the unconscious conviction that he would never see any of them again. He snorted and kept on moving…

Finally, when the five of them came to a stop at the place where Juji had instructed them to await his arrival, Kaltag risked a glance towards Tricksey. He felt his heart take a dipping wrench in his chest as he saw the slivery tears slipping gently down her velvet cheeks. He rushed to her side, giving and receiving comfort as she said, in a choked, shaky voice; “Oh Kaltag…I’m scared. I’m mad as hell, but I think I’m more scared than angry…” she looked into his eyes, hers still swimming with tears yet unshed.

He licked her cheek and then nuzzled her shaggy head against his own golden one. He tried to be strong (hell he could feel Tricksey almost needing him to be) but couldn’t help but allow a small whine to escape him nonetheless. He couldn’t deny it; he was as scared as she was.

“It’ll be alright Trix, you’ll see….” he whispered soothingly. “As long as the plan we all talked about goes okay, you’ll see them again tonight before the sun goes down…” This seemed to give her new courage, for she stood back and blinked away the remainder of her tears, smiling with slight embarrassment.

“Sorry…I know we’ve got to be strong for this to work, but I’m so worried about Dusty and Marx and all of them….” She suddenly drew herself up, seeming to briefly overcome fear. “But I know they’d want me not to worry, so I’ll try not to, for all our sakes.”

Kaltag smiled and licked her muzzle again. “That’s my girl.” He said, and she returned the lick.

This little heart-felt moment was shattered when Kavik – who’d been sitting and regarding the Forest with a stony sort of impatience – suddenly jumped to his feet, hackles rising, a growl thundering from his throat. His kind eyes had been replaced with two chunks of icy blue flame that burned with a dark sort of anger, and Kaltag was dimly thankful that he wasn’t on the receiving end of that look.

Balto, who’d been sitting next to him also jumped up, asking, “What is it? Is it Juji?”

Kavik nodded. “It’s him. Close…very close. Maybe 20…25 yards and closing.”

“How can you tell?” Jenna asked.

“I could smell his rotting stink all the way from town when I stuck my head out the door and it’s only been getting stronger all the time…” Kavik replied in a low, carefully controlled voice.

Kavik was right. Almost precisely on time, the huge gray wolf came sauntering out of the woods towards them and Kaltag was helpless not to let out a little gasp. He was flanked to three sides by a group of five or six wolves, all about three-fourths his size, and he himself was as large as Kavik, with the powerful build to match. Kaltag’s mind reeled as his gaze fell upon the heavily deformed areas of both Juji’s neck and chest, the flesh was heavy with the old scars left by Kavik’s teeth and claws from his former assassination attempt.

Looking at how deep the old wounds had gone, and how many there were, the golden Chinook felt his heart take a twist within the cavity of his chest. If Kavik had inflicted that much damage and still been unable to kill him…Kaltag gulped, thinking, ‘Man! If he didn’t go down after that, I’m not sure anything will stop this guy!’

All this he saw, yet Juji’s eyes held the largest portion of his attention. ‘*****…how could Star have gotten so confused?’ Kaltag asked himself. But then again, he reasoned, Star had just nearly been killed…again, so you couldn’t really hold that against him. The left eye was the color of fermented honey with a spot of tar for the iris. The right eye held the deep red-black color of Heart’s Blood. A long, gouging scar ran from the crown of his forehead, petered off for an instant at the eyebrow, but then started up again at the lower lid and ran almost to the corner of his maniacally curved mouth.

Then, the foul beast that had taken his kin hostage grinned expansively, exposing his snow-white fangs, the grin of one who has committed murder – and far worse atrocities – and found the act to be…an utterly delightful, almost sensual sort of pleasure.

The demon spoke. “…Hello Kavik….” The voice might very well have been the one of Satan himself. “…Long time no-see….” Juji’s eyes glimmered with scummy laughter…

((()-())))

Over and over again, Steele asked himself why? What in the hell made Balto and Kavik think this plan would work? There had to be a million things that could go wrong, probably more. Then again, he reminded himself as he stole a glance back over his shoulder to snatch a peak at the half-dozen or so that were following, did he have any better ones? The obvious answer to that being no, the black-and-white Malamute who had once harbored a hatred for the very canine whose pups he was now risking his life to save, continued on with merely a grumble and a small stream of curses. ‘I never should’ve agreed to this…’ Steele mentally growled, remembering all too clearly how it had all gone down after Alex’s terrified delivery of an apocalyptic message.

((()-()))

The second outburst of the morning ensued, everyone yelling and shouting incoherently until Balto stamped his paw on the floor. When that failed to produce the desired result, Kavik took a try, the floorboards screaming and all but cracking under his massive weight. This proved far more effective. Both Jenna and Tricksey were taking the news remarkable well but were still fairly shaken. And could you really blame them? After all, how often is it that you learn all of your children have been abducted right out from under your nose and are being held hostage by a wolf crazier than Albert Fish?

“Alright, alright, let’s just calm down.” Balto said, though he was clearly not at all calm himself. He was trembling all over, and looked scared out of his mind. “Let’s think through this carefully and rationally. There’s got to be something we can do.”

A few brief seconds of silence, then Kavik spoke up, “Yeah,” he said, “there is: you can let me go alone.”

Kaltag – and not to mention almost half the room – opened their mouths to protest, but Kavik plunged forward before they could.

“It’s obvious why he’s done this,” Kavik shook his furry head, brow creasing. “Why didn’t I see it coming? This means Juji’s been here longer than I first thought, if he knows who I’m closest to.” He turned an apologetic gaze to Jenna, who looked only puzzled by the look in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said, “it’s my fault the pups got involved in all this…If I could, I’d go back and – ”

“Not change a thing.” Tricksey finished for him, and when he only looked at her in surprise, she went on. “You’re one of the best things that’s ever happened to them….” She finished off this heartfelt fact with a tender smile.

“That’s right.” Jenna added. “Paradise turned into Heaven for them when they met you.” She too smiled, and Kavik was deeply touched to see tears standing out in the corners of her eyes. “You’re like a second father to all of them.”

“Besides,” Steele said, moving from his place among the others and into the small gathering of dogs in the center of the room. “We couldn’t let you have all the fun now, could we?” he smiled. It was a hard grin, one that said he had heard enough talk to know that Juji wasn’t the kind of wolf you could just run out; he was too great a danger to everyone to be left alive.

“Like Balto said, we’ve got to come up with a plan.” Star said. It was the first thing he’d said in a while. “Like…a rescue mission or something.”

“Get em’ while their back is turned, you mean?” Kaltag asked, comprehension dawning in his eyes.

“Hit them on their blind side…” Balto added, nodding slowly.

“Yeah…” Angel said, “while Juji and everyone else’s attention is focused on Kavik and the others, a couple of us could sneak up to the boat, fight our way in just long enough to grab the pups and then high-tail it outta’ there.”

“Dere’s a variable youse missed,” Nikki said, his dry, slightly amused tone of voice heightened by his naturally slurred tone of voice. “Dere’s a dozen pups all together. Even if youse could somehow carry two at a time, dere’d have to be more than just a couple of youse to make it work.”

“And that’s if we could even get close enough to grab them in the first place, assuming we aren’t all killed in the attempt…” Draco growled bitterly, jaws clenched in irritation.

“Still, we’ve got to try something!” Kirby, a youngster barely three years old spoke up. “I mean seriously! What’re we gonna’ do, just leave them there?”

“I feel the same way,” Doc, a large old St. Bernard replied, “But what can we do? An approach from either side will be spotted almost instantly, and there’s no way Juji would allow us to just waltz on through the Forest-side…”

A long, considering silence followed after this. It seemed as though all the dogs were coming to the same conclusion that it just couldn’t work when, suddenly, a small, unsure voice spoke up.

“What about…through the water?”

All heads turned to look wide-eyed, at the owner of the voice. Axel – who had calmed down considerably – simply stared back, eyes a little wary, as if he was afraid that by speaking, he’d done something wrong. When no one spoke or did anything except stare at him, some with mouths agape, he went on. “Well…sure. It means getting wet and freezing your tail off on the going and returning trips, but it’s the last place they’d expect an approach from if you ask me…” He finished with a nervous little gulp, eyes slightly jumpy.

There was a stunned silence and then Steele spoke. “Oh, that’s gotta’ be the stupidest, most idiotic plan I’ve ever heard!” Yet he did look like he was considering it as a possibility.

“…It’s the best one we have, all the others would be suicides.” Balto said, Jenna giving a slight nod of agreement from his right.

“It’s not only the best; it’s all we’ve got.” Kavik said judiciously, looking around. “Unless someone comes up with something better in the next ten or fifteen minutes, we won’t have the time work it all out anyway; we’re pushing our luck as it is if we don’t want Juji to get impatient…”

“All in favor say ‘Aye’!” Balto called, voice sure and strong in the crowded room.

“AYE!” chorused the gathered dogs of Nome.

“Good,” Balto said, motioning for them all to move in closer, “Now, here’s how it’ll work.” He tipped his snout in Steele’s direction. “Steele, can I trust you enough to put you in charge of this?”

Steele smiled crookedly and prepared to say something languid, but the strained look on Balto’s face told him the half-breed was in no mood for his antics today. Instead, in a totally flat and serious voice, he said, “Yes Balto, I can handle it just fine.”

“Okay.” he turned his gaze to rest. “Anyone here who can swim maybe 40, 50 feet underwater without needing to stop to breath in between?”

For a moment no one answered and it seemed the plan would go down the drain anyway. Then surprisingly, Angel and Star both spoke up. “I can. My brothers and sisters and I used to do it all the time when we were little to see who could hold their breath the longest, and I was always the best.” Angel’s cheeks were tinted a shallow pink as she finished, as if embarrassed by her ability. Star gulped nervously before saying, “I don’t know about being able to hold my breath for that long, I think I might be able to, but I know I could swim it the fastest.” There were murmurs of assent at this; it was true. If nothing else, Star could’ve bragged about his swimming abilities all he wanted, that was for certain – not that he would’ve though, given his shy and quiet nature.

“Okay,” Balto said, when it seemed no one else would speak. “Here’s what I’m thinking…”

((()-()))

And now the whole thing was laid out in front of them, just as neat as you please, and Steele along with about seven or eight others had set out about ten minutes after Balto, Kavik and the rest had left. It’d been decided that Steele’s group should stick to the network of alleyways and various side roads spread throughout the town, as a direct approach to the water would’ve been just as bad as one from the land or Forest side. All this would take place whilst Kavik and the others went to meet Juji…ugh. No thanks.

Steele’s group or the ‘Rescue Squad’ as he himself was beginning to refer to them as, consisted of himself–leading, the rest following behind–Draco, Star, Angel–God in Heaven help them–AXEL, a large Siberian Husky named Dave and–surprisingly enough–an enormous and battle-scared Irish Wolfhound called Callahan. Steele took a moment to go over the plan again in his unusually jumpy mind for the hundredth time, and decided his first recollection of their outcome had been a teensy bit too harsh. They weren’t going to be slaughtered. No, quite to the contrary, their chances at success had risen from 10 – 1 to those of 10 – 5. Fifty percent chance either way in other words. Well, it was better than nothing.

Steele shot a glance towards Draco who’d moved to flank his right, whilst Callahan moved to his left. “So…” Steele said casually to Callahan, attempting to lighten the wire-tight strain he could practically taste baking out from their little group, “where’d you come from…?”

Callahan was silent.

Steele tried again. “What does your Master do?”

Again, the dark-chocolate brown Wolfhound didn’t speak. “Not, much of a talker, is he?” Steele murmured side-mouth to Draco.

His traveling mate gave a small smile. “I think he’s a m – ”

“I’m not, so don’t trouble yourselves by whisperin’ about it.” Callahan cut in. He had a deep, powerful voice, but his gaze was disconcerted, as if he didn’t care one way or the other.

Draco managed to conceal his surprised expression until Callahan dropped back to his former place in between Star and Angel. With a twist of amusement, Steele saw that the two smaller dogs didn’t look too happy with the arrangement. Turning his gaze back to Draco, Steele asked, “How’d he know you were going to say m – ”

“I’ve good ears, that’s all. And I don’t like to talk much.” Callahan cut in again. Steele grumbled silently to himself again. What a merry band they made! Oh happy day, be still my beating heart! Yes, agreeing to lead this group had been a terrific idea. Oh, this was going to be so much fun! And there was the water. At the very sight of the thin scum of ice coating the black-looking liquid facing them, Steele’s spine shook. ‘Ah no,’ he thought, distressed. ‘Ah crap, I’ll bet the temperature’s freezing at this time of year…’ he growled again to himself. Who was he kidding? He knew he was going to freeze his butt off, along with everyone else.

The point was, when you got right down to it…this whole situation really kinda’ sucked.

((()-()))

For a moment, there was silence as their little group regarded the water and the ice covering it and then Star asked, in a low and stealthy voice, “Okay…who wants to go first?” In an almost universally comic sort of gesture, all heads unanimously turned and all eyes focused upon Steele.

The unfortunate Malamute, was at first seemingly oblivious “What?” He asked, then realizing the implication, broke out, in an unbelieving tone, “Oh come on! Why do I have to go first?” he almost whined.

“You’re the leader…” Star mumbled in a tone that seemed slightly embarrassed when no one else dared to speak, for fear of laughing.

Steele’s roundhouse glance was hard, but not altogether unwilling. “So…” he asked, in a resigned sort of sighing tone, “how’re we going to do it?”

It was Angel’s turn to speak. The whole thing sounded relatively simple – to her at least; She and Star would lead the other five through the water to the underside of the boat, to a place in the small, submerged portion of the hull, near the bow one by one. Balto had reportedly told them the wood that particular area was starting to rot a little…it had felt spongy to the touch the last time he’d been down there anyway. The first three would gnaw/claw their way inside, leaving a hole big enough for Star and Angel to guide the other four to until all were safely aboard.

Once they were all inside undetected, (“Assuming we aren’t all discovered and killed before then.” Draco put in dryly. Callahan gave him a look and Dave was forced to repress a snigger), Star would sneak around and try to figure out how many wolves were guarding the lower storage room – which was, of course, the only one with a still-working lock on the door, not that the prisoners needed it anyway. Once that was taken care of, Star would report back and they would go from there. If they could find a way to take out however many guards there were without alerting the rest, so much the better. If not…well, they’d get to that when/if it came up…

“But still doesn’t explain why I have to go first.” Steele pointed out.

“You’ve got the strongest jaws, other than Callahan, and Star and I don’t want to take him out first because then we’d waste all our energy with supporting him, keeping ourselves from sinking and chewing through the wood all at the same time.” Angel said in the patient tones of a parent explaining to a young child why it was unwise to stay up past his or her bedtime.

“…Any questions?” Star asked. All shook their heads. Axel himself looked – in sharp contrast to his latter attitude – calm and cooler than the ice that coated the water.

And, when no one said anything to the affirmative or otherwise, Angel said cheerily, “Good! Than let’s get moving! We’re wasting time as it is!” With that, she and Star guided a still muttering Steele – “…no-good-(curse)-dirty-little-(curse). Never heard nothin’ about this (curse) stuff…” – who continued on in this manner until Star silenced him with a soft blow to the shoulder.

“What?” Steele hissed, irritated. The three of them were very close to the boat now, and all were afraid that by raising their voices any louder, they might attract unwanted attention.

“Would you cut that out!” Angel hissed, “don’t talk like that in front of the little guys, you’ll hurt their virgin ears!”

‘Virgin ears my ***,’ Steele mentally sneered, and then chuckled as another thought came to him. ‘With Balto as their father…I’m sure they’ve heard one or two ‘Bad Words’ before…’

“Ready?” Angel asked. They’d come to the point of descent; a patch were the ice was the thinnest, the black water silent and unmoving beneath them.

“Ready!” Star responded.

Steele, most certainly NOT ready, tried to protest, but the other two had already taken him by his studded collar, and with a slight ‘splash!’ upon entry, the three of them slid into the water and deep into it’s icy depths…

((()-()))

Whilst a certain Malamute was mentally shrieking at the freezing temperature of the water, another certain wolf was looking idly at five very-angry faces before him with mild interest.

“…Juji…” Kavik said, the words coming out in a snarl. “…I should’ve ripped your black heart out when I had the chance…”

In return to this cold-blooded threat, Juji’s grin only grew wider. “Maybe you should’ve…but then again…you never had much in the way of guts when it came to killing outright, did you?” His smile shrank into a contemptuous smirk. “If only Lakota were – ”

“Shut up, you devil!” Kavik snarled, body trembling with rage and rising fury. He wouldn’t be able to control it much longer if this kept up. “Don’t you EVER dare say her name again, you *******!”

Juji’s eyes gleamed as bright as firecrackers. “Oh, such strong language,” he said in a mocking tone, “…looks like someone’s a little angry today…” his gaze became wistful. “…Might it have something to do…?” he asked idly, “with a certain number of pups I have in my possession?” His serial killer’s grin reappeared, accompanied this time by a sardonic laugh.

“You…MONSTER!” Jenna growled, bristling, fear momentarily forgotten in her flash of anger. “How could you…?” she seemed unable to finish due to the buildup of emotion, for her question ended in a growl that was soon joined by that of her husband and then by Tricksey and Kaltag.

Juji only looked politely offended, as if Jenna had merely asked him a bit-too-personal question at a private dinner party. “Oh my, were those yours?” he asked, sniffing the air as if trying to tell. “Oh, yes I see now…I wonder how I could’ve missed it….” He chuckled insanely. “After all, they all smell like week-old garbage just like their parents.”

“Why? Why did you have to do this Juji?” Kavik snarled. “The pups had nothing to do with me and you or anything that happened in the past between us! They were innocent bystanders!”

“But it’s so very fun!” Juji replied, as if this should’ve been obvious. “It’s so much more fulfilling when you get to kill innocents that are close to your enemy. And pups are so delightful to torture! They make the most exquisitely awful noises when you cut them up, one small piece at a time…” he went on rapturously. “And you should’ve heard them when I took them prisoner!” His eyes flashed out again. “’Where’s Daddy?’ ‘Who’re you? Why did you hurt Miss Sylvie?’ ‘You’re a mean person!’ ‘I want Uncle Kavik!’ ‘Go away! Leave us alone!’ Oh, I tell you, it was like music to my ears!” he cackled, and the others behind and to either side of him joined in, sniggering.

“Shut up!” Kaltag snarled, and Juji gave him a half-interested glance, as though the sled dog was merely an irritating bug he wanted – but was quite ready – to smash. “Tell us what you want in exchange for our pups back!”

Juji’s grin, which had shrunk to nothing more than a smirk, reappeared in an instant. “How quick to act we are,” he said casually, eyes shifting to Kaltag, “How fast to make demands…” he seemed on the verge of laughter again. “I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out by now…”

“What’re you taking about?” Kavik asked, a seed of unease sprouting in his heart. This didn’t sound right. Juji was too sure of himself, even for someone so cocky as he. He must realize that, even with his supporters, Balto and his brother Kemo could easily call for help to bolster Nome’s own ranks to equal or overpower his. So…

In a sudden movement so quick that only Kavik’s sharp eyes could follow it, Juji moved forward until his face was inches from Kavik’s own. “Don’t you get it yet?” he asked blithely, eyes blazing with sheer hilarity of it all, his muzzle all but pushed into the cup of his adversary’s ear.

“You want me in exchange for the pups…” Kavik snarled, barely managing to stop himself from simply thrusting his head forward and tearing the golden eye from the gray wolf’s face, leaving only a ragged bloody hole in its place. “Am I right…?”

Juji chuckled again. No, it was more like a titter, one that sent a shiver down his spine. “My dear Kavik…” Juji said, stepping back a bit and favoring him with a contemptuous look. “Whoever said I was only after you…?”

Chapter 8
Rescue

On the lower levels of Balto’s boat – the lowest one in fact, in the bow storage room – where the floor was beginning to rot, a patch about a foot and a half in diameter had started to shift slowly up and down. This kept up for maybe a full minute before the ancient-water soaked wood split with a sound like that of ripping cloth and the head of black and white Malamute burst forth, his forelegs clutching for purchase. Steele breathed heavily, panting as he moved slightly to the side to allow Angel and Star to join him. The malamute blew out a sigh of relief; five or ten seconds away from completely blacking out, they’d finally managed to break through.

“About feakin’ t – ” he started to say, but the rest of it ‘About freakin’ time I just about drowned,’ faded away as he took in his surroundings. Staring at him, not three feet away, were the pups, all silently stunned. They were quiet…though for how long Steele couldn’t be certain. As if conferring his fears, a small golden pup – one of Kaltag’s almost certainly – started to yip. “Mr. Steele! You’re – ”

Star managed to shush him before he could say much else, acting quickly, shaking his head vigorously and mouthing ‘Quiet! Quiet! No talking! They’ll hear!’ at them. They seemed to take his meaning easily enough, for the rest remained utterly silent. After pulling themselves from the wet and freezing water and shaking the chilling stuff from their fur, the pups came closer, all but whining with excitement.

“Star, Angel, Steele!” Whichever one of them was speaking sounded breathless with delight, even though they were all whispering. “Are you here to save us?”

They nodded, and then, looking around Steele spotted Boris and Sylvie in the corner, both groggy, seeming as though they’d just awakened from a heavy sleep. They’d been knocked out alright. But first thing was first; gotta get the pups outta here. ‘Well, looks like we won’t need the others’ help after all, they put them right where we wanted without even knowing they were doing it,’ he thought with some satisfaction. This job had just gotten a whole heck of a lot easier and far less dangerous.

“Alright,” Steele said, speaking quickly and quietly, striving for calmness, his whole body was shaking slightly. He’d never felt so nervous in his entire life. “I’ll go back and tell the others we won’t all need to come aboard, that we’ll just take the pups out two by two.” He smiled. This was gonna’ be a snap!

“Great,” Angel said, moving toward the pups with Star in tow as Steele – with a grumble about the temperature – slipped back into the water. She explained quickly and simply how they would get out; She and Star would take them out two by two like Noah and his Ark. They should be as quiet as they could, “Otherwise,” Star said, “Those bad wolves will hear us and won’t let us take you guys home, okay?” They all nodded, lips apparently sealed shut.

The two of them started off, shepherding first Jenner and Marx to the slightly ragged hole and plunging in one at a time, doing it with extra care so as not to injure the pups. They propelled themselves with all of their strength, encouraged by the fact that the pups couldn’t hold their breath as long as they themselves could, the two of them having the advantage of being fully-grown. Once out, and after a brief caution for the pups to still remain silent, they speed back again.

On the fourth trip, they judged Sylvie and Boris – whom they’d spared a few minutes to clue into what was happening – ready to go and allowed them to exit in the same manner before they, with their two little ones, followed after. All went well, and everyone seemed to think everything would go as planned, and they would be victorious in taking the pups back to safety of Nome.

That is, everything would’ve turned out as planned if something hadn’t happened as Star and Angel – both almost too exhausted to move much – hadn’t been discovered with the pups just before their last return trip…

((()-()))

Aries sat in the hallway leading to the room where those ***** brats were being kept, sighing with boredom that Timber – his companion guard – couldn’t help but glance at. Aries himself was a large black wolf with cold yellow eyes – he’d often been compared to El Diablo by his pack-mates, with more than adequate reason – and had a reputation for being utterly merciless, no matter what the circumstances. He could’ve been Juji’s right-hand man if that position hadn’t already been filled…

Timber, on the other hand, wasn’t particularly interested in the life he’d all but been forced to lead for the past year. He was a large tan Timber – ‘Oh ha, ha, ha, look at how stupid his name is! Timber! Timber for Timber wolf! So he won’t forget what kind he is!’ the others would joke, nastily – wolf, larger than Aries in fact, with green eyes and placed near the bottom of the social structure that governs the Wolf Pack; the Scapegoat in other words. He wasn’t a bully, or particularly bad natured either – as a matter of fact, he was sorry their leader had taken the pups prisoner, for he honestly liked them – and disliked attacking anyone without reason or provocation. But all that didn’t matter when you were honor-bound to a crazy gray wolf named Juji who’d saved your life and who also just happened to be double your height and weight and was utterly intolerant of insubordination among his followers. Well, such was life…

It was for this reason that Timber, being the nonviolent soul that he was, had dozed off during their shift – he’d even started to snore a little – right around the time Steele and the two others had broken in through the weak spot in the hull. It was also for this reason that Aries, who’d chosen that precise moment to wake him up with a rough shove, the action resulting in a little yelping cry of surprise from the until-then dozing Timber, didn’t hear Steele’s murmured conversations. Aries growled at the glowering Timber wolf. “Shut your coward’s mouth, and stop sleeping on the job.”

Timber, uncharacteristically irritated – for he hated these kinds of jobs, especially this one with its unjustly taken prisoners – shot him a nasty look. “I can’t help it if I fall asleep, there’s nothing to do!” He blew out a sigh. “This is so pointless! I mean what’re a bunch of pups gonna’ do against us? Hell, they couldn’t even get out the door even if they wanted to! It only opens into the room, and we’re guarding the only way out! Plus, we’ve got it locked!”

This little remark caused Aries to likewise become irritated. He hated the pups, especially when he and Timber and about six others had spent twenty minutes rounding them up and then afterwards, they’d all started crying and calling for their mommies and daddies and been utterly annoying. “Shut up about those brats, I hate to think about them, they’re so annoying. If I had the choice, I’d kill them all outright, right here and now so as not to have to listen to anymore of their pitiful woes.” he growled. Timber, who – as you should’ve by now guessed – was inwardly horrified by this bland statement – the words ‘I’d kill them all’ had come out sounding as natural as ‘good morning’ or ‘hello’ – but knew better than to show it on his face.

The two sank into an uneasy truce, one that neither had the guts to break, until Timber got up and walked out with the excuse to need to take a leak to which Aries grumbled a reply. He hoped Juji finished whatever business they had here soon so he could kill Timber and be done with him; he was nothing but a pathetic weakling in his opinion.

Aries lay down, head on paws, nearly drowsing himself, when a sound roused him. Was that a splash he’d heard just now? Surely not…after all, there was no way for the pups to reach the porthole in the wall, even if they stood one-atop-the-other, and he doubted they had the brains for such a feat. He told himself it was just his imagination or better yet, it was that idiot Timber stumbling and falling from the deck and into the water! He liked that the best. Yeah that was what it was. Had to be. Soon Timber would come sulking around the corner and Aries would ask ‘So, you enjoy your swim?’ and the other would growl ‘Stow it, Dog Breathe.’ And life would go on.

He settled back down and when he thought about it later – not that there would be much time for him to reflect – he’d decide that yes, okay, maybe he had dozed off. In any case, it took a few more sounds for him to register that, even if Timber was swimming back to the bank, he wouldn’t bother to make so much noise, nor would he take so much time between strokes…

He leapt to his feet just as Timber came round the corner, and the tan wolf was completely dry from head to paw. “What’s wrong?” Timber asked and just then the two of them heard another splash, this one the loudest yet. And then as if to top it all off they heard a low, feminine voice mutter, “Come on you two! Time to go home!”

“THEY”RE GETTING AWAY, COME ON!” Aries roared and rushed down the hall with Timber following somewhat reluctantly at his heels. Timber himself hoped that whomever it was who’d spoken would manage to get all the pups out before they got there. With a mighty ‘CRASH-RATTLE’ the black wolf threw himself into the door, causing it to go flying open only to rebound off the wall to come crashing back into Timber, who was struck, sprawling to the floor, head spinning and vision fuzzy.

((()-()))

Kavik could only look at Juji, confusion burning in his eyes. “What do you mean?” he asked, staring at Juji mistrustfully, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Well,” Juji said, lightly. “After you nearly killed me, my goal in life became simply to repay the courtesy, only where you failed, I’d succeed.” His eyes flashed again with that dark mirth. “But, after the first few months, I thought to myself, ‘Why stop there?’ Why be satisfied with just killing you…when I could do SO much more damage by snuffing out everyone you love and care about…” He laughed maniacally again.

“But…you do have something on the ball.” He admitted, “I do want you to come with me in exchange for your precious little playmates back.” He cast his scarred eye over the others. “Or…maybe those two bitches could go in your place... It’s been a while since my pack’s had any…” He stared directly at Tricksey, licking his chops as if with lustful anticipation. “…And I bet their blood tastes delicious…not as good as yours, maybe, but close enough…” he tittered again, that insane little lisp making them all, even his cronies Kavik noticed, shiver.

“You’re insane…” Balto said, voice trembling with anger. “I’d never let my wife be violated by a scumbag like you…”

Kaltag’s rage seemed too great for words, but his mate suffered no such hamper. “I’d rather DIE…” she retorted and spat in Juji’s face.

The effect was immediate, intense and somehow terrifying. Juji’s outward look of calm, insane amusement fell off his face as if it’d never been there in the first place. What replaced it was a malicious anger so great that it nearly matched Kavik’s own in ferocity and made his eyes bulge slightly. His hackles rose, and he growled deep in his chest, muscles twitching as if eagerly begging himself to rush forward and rip Tricksey’s head off and drink of her blood.

“That…can be arranged, very easily….” he said, in a tone that shook with anger and hatred. He took a step toward her, and despite her courageous spirit, Tricksey shrank back, eyes afraid. Balto, Kaltag, and Kavik moved to block her but Juji didn’t look like he was very intimidated. Quite the contrary in fact; he looked almost savagely pleased by this show of defiance, as if the thought of a brawl made his heartbeat double with excitement…

The situation would’ve boiled over at that point – Kavik had reached the end of his restraint and was about to unload all of his considerable fury upon his loathsome adversary and rip him to bloody pieces, wolves or no wolves. But at that moment, a long howl rose into the air; the message carried on the wind to Juji’s instantly alert ears…

((()-()))

“Come on you two! Time to go home!” Angel muttered to the two remaining pups, Kodi and Dusty, who came forward willingly. Angel risked a quick glance over to Star who, she saw, was shaking. She didn’t blame him. After what’d turned out to be a total of somewhere around eleven or twelve plunges into the sub-zero water, she was drenched to the bone and freezing. The two pups came quickly and joyously, tails wagging, eyes bright with excitement –

A sudden shout of “THEY’RE GETTING AWAY, COME ON!” stopped them all cold and they could only stand, stunned. With a momentous ‘BANG' the door was thrown open and a black wolf, at least four times her size leapt into the room. Frightened, Angel and Star seized the youngsters in their jaws and attempted to make their escape before the black lupine could intervene. He was too quick however. With a snarl of “NO YOU DON’T, YOU THEIVIN’ *******!” he launched himself at them with his jaws agape.

Without thinking – pup-preservation automatically asserted itself and her maternal instincts took control – Angel dropped Dusty from her mouth and called to Star “Go! Get them out of here, now!” and turned to face her assailant, growling with all the courage she could muster. Star, unable to abandon his friend, likewise dropped Kodi and sprang to her aid, teeth locking onto the ear of the black wolf that was attempting to pierce Angel’s jugular with his great fangs. As Star’s own fangs tore the appendage from his head, he immediately released his hold on Angel to yowl in surprised agony, shaking his head from side-to-side, blood flying in spatters from the gouging wound. In the few precious seconds before he was clouted upside the head and knocked out cold, Star saw the look of gratitude in Angel’s eyes and thought it to be the most fulfilling of his life. He also he a very brief glance of a tan paw come propelling through the air and opened his mouth to tell Angel to watch out, there were two wolves, but didn’t even get past the second word. It struck him (almost gently, he would think later) along the side of his skull, laying him out cold on the floor, eyes large double zeros.

Angel, seeing Star go down, cried his name and rushed to his side, barely glancing at the tan wolf standing over him. When she looked back on it, she would realize that the Timber wolf had never wanted to hurt them at all, and, were it up to him, would’ve released the pups in an instant. Now, however, she was very briefly torn between two choices: Grab Star and escape, or stay, fight, possibly win and return with the pups. An agonizingly strong but mercifully short battle ensued within her, and in the end, she chose the first option, though it tore her heart to see the look of utter helplessness on the two remaining pups’ faces. If they stayed here, she and Star would both very likely end up dead, and that would only add problems to the already problematic situation. They wouldn’t help anyone by sacrificing their lives for nothing.

And so, with a quick snap of her jaws on the scruff of Star’s neck, she leapt clumsily into the hole the three of them – she, Star and Steele – had made. The pair just barely managing to escape certain death by mere inches as the black wolf snarled in fury and took one last swipe at them before they’d disappeared into the dark waters. They didn’t escape entirely unharmed however; the hole was ragged and simple, having been literally torn out and open, and she almost yelped in pain as she felt splinters sink into her back and felt Star give a twitch along side her as if he felt the same and sympathized. Once submerged, Angel started to kick for all she was worth for the shore, which meant life, all the while feeling the cold liquid surrounding them seep to her caress her very skin and imagining it to be the fingers of Death himself...

((()-()))

Timber rolled over, staring dazedly at the battle unfolding not five feet away from him. He watched in shock as three small dogs leapt onto three separate Aries and tore off three separate ears. He blinked, and the wold cleared again. He saw Aries, who’d been on the verge of killing one of the rescuers, the female probably, suddenly release his grip and jump away, yowling in pain, his left ear gone. Timber got quickly to his feet, dizziness momentarily making his legs feel like rubber – that smash in the face from the door had really hurt, you bet – but he shook it off and ran to assist his partner…little as he wanted to.

As he entered the fray, he swung his right paw, hitting the small one who’d ripped off Aries’ ear with what most would’ve called a ‘love-tap’; it wasn’t really hard at all. But the small dog – who really felt like he weighed no more than a feather – went sprawling and Timber felt guilt hit him like a punch in the stomach. He’d never meant to hurt the little guy…

He hoped the dog wasn’t hurt and hoped even more that the female saw the look of remorse in his eyes as she called out “STAR!” and then pulled him away with her. She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and vanished into the hole they’d made in the wood. They were fast, but almost didn’t make it just the same, as they barely managed to escape Aries’ last attempted swipe. Then they were gone, the two pups whining and crying on the floor. Aries, furious, turned and told them to shut up or he’d give them something to cry about and they ceased their sniffling and simply huddled in the corner together, both of them shaking with fear.

Then Aries was in his face, eyes blazing. “Where the HELL were you?” he snarled. Timber almost expected to see twinjets of steam issuing from the black wolf’s nostrils.

“The door hit me on the rebound, knocked me almost unconscious, if you wanna know, no thanks to you!” Timber replied, affecting likewise anger. Yet inside he was shouting with joy at the escape of all their little prisoners…well almost all of them. There were still those two in the corner.

“Why didn’t you kill them?” Aries asked, as if he hadn’t heard Timber’s first answer.

Timber sighed. “I was lucky enough to be able to hit one of em’. When I came running in, I was seeing three of everything!”

Aries was pulsing with anger. He threw himself at the hole – though it was clearly too small for such as he – trying and failing to do anything but splash a lot of water everywhere and Timber was finally forced – with a sigh of regret – to pull him up to keep from drowning. Aries’ mood was somewhat improved when Timber pointed out that they hadn’t lost all their prisoners; they still had the two huddled in the corner. But Aries’ mood darkened once again and he started off on a tirade about what Juji was going to do to them when he found out that they’d screwed this up. Timber spared the pups a single glance that said, he hoped, ‘I’m sorry you two didn’t get a chance to go home too.’

Aries glowered, throwing a dirty look at the pups in the corner. “Yeah…I guess you’re right.” He said, resignedly, “Having only two out of twelve is better than none at all…” He sighed. “Come on…let’s go tell him…” He walked over to the corner and seized both pups in his jaws by the scruffs of their necks – none too gently – and then lifted them up and carried them out the door and to the top deck.

As the two of them stood, Aries with his mouth full of wriggling squirming pups, Timber took a moment to look in the direction of Nome. So peaceful…he wished he could live in a place like that, instead of some unforgiving wolf pack made up of the dirtiest and most dangerous (and not to mention disgusting) wolves on earth. Yet he knew, or thought he did at least, that the dogs wouldn’t accept him for his wolf heritage and because of his involvement in whatever plan Juji had concocted… what a shame.

Aries’ growled and nudged him. ‘Hurry it up’ that growl said, and it brought him back to earth, and he pointed his nose to the sky and let out a long, piercing howl that carried to their leader across the snow…and Juji heard it. Heard it loud and clear…

((()-()))

Juji’s eyes widened, but with shock instead of anger. Balto was furiously glad to see it. Juji was furious, you could see it in his body language, the way his muscles jumped and twitched. Kavik was also glad to see it, only his joy lit up his soul and spread a calm sort of clarity throughout his being, and he was able to push back his anger just enough to assemble coherent thought again.

“Something the matter?” He asked, a hint of mocking triumph in his voice.

“Oh clever you're a clever boy, you are, very clever indeed.” Juji retorted, his own smile returning, and that made Kavik a little uneasy. Hell, let’s be honest, it made him very uneasy…if all the pups were safe and sound, then just what the heck did Juji have to smile about? The question blazed in the foreground of his mind, like a big warning sign written not with paint, but with the bright neo-red glow of a woodstove.

“I have to admit, you’re a lot smarter than I expected,” Juji said, shooting a grin to Balto and Kaltag. “I’m afraid, despite my best efforts, you’ve been successful in your little ‘rescue attempt...I really must comend you and your little friends....” He sneered at them.

“In your ugly face…” Jenna growled proud triumph shining in her eyes.

Juji turned his attention to her and his grim smile was still as prominent as before. “Well,” he said, as if considering some trivial piece of information not worth the trouble of bothering with, “…I shouldn’t say that; you weren’t entirely successful…” His grin, so large it looked as though it would chop his head in two, spread across his face.

“What’re you…?” Tricksey started, but at that moment, two wolves approached from Juji’s right…and one of them, the black one, held Kodi and Dusty by the scruffs of their necks. The pups saw their parents and cried out to them, their tears starting up again, and their parents responded, promising them everything would be alright, that they would be together again, soon. The whole pathetic scene made Juji want to puke his guts out. Yet he turned to Aries, who looked scared – and yes, he should look scared, he had every right to look scared. Right now, he was lucky that Juji didn’t merely tear his throat open for his ***** foul-up. Never had been so angry…yet he kept his cool, even smiled a bit.

“Dusty…” Tricksey said, tears streaming down her face. “Honey, don’t worry, Mommy’s here! We’ll – ”

“You ain’t gonna’ do a God. *****. Thing…” Juji interrupted smoothly, in a dangerously soothing tone of his own. “Not unless you wanna see you precious little children back alive and in one piece that is,” he added, smiling as though just daring them to try it.

“You sick *******…” Kavik said, making Balto and the rest start; they’d almost never heard Kavik come right out and curse before, not once before today. If nothing else, the action only served to underline the dire tone of their current situation “I’m gonna’ tear you limb from limb for this…” His body shook with anger and Juji looked if anything else, delighted by it.

“Oh don’t worry, nothing will happen to them,” he said, coolly. He shifted his gaze to the two wolves, the other – the one not holding the pups – was a Timber wolf, Balto now saw, and he was almost shocked stupid by the look of utter guilt the tan wolf shot him, his green eyes heavy with regret. On some sort of signal, the black wolf and the Timber wolf began to trot away, taking Kodi and Dusty with them.

Jenna and Tricksey made identical moves as if to follow them, but Kavik stopped them with a single “NO! Don’t!” and they stopped, realizing his meaning at once; if they tried to follow now, they would do nothing but ensure the death of the two pups. And looking at their sad faces, ones that were pleading for help, almost begging for it, Kavik promised himself that he would get them back…no matter what the cost.

Juji and his followers turned to go, but the large gray wolf stopped as if suddenly remembering something. “Oh, one more thing,” he said, turning his head to look towards them. “Try to follow us now, and I’ll break their little necks and use them for chew toys…” he finished darkly. “Of course,” he went on, “don’t let that stop you from coming after us later, if you like. It’s been far too long since any of us has had a good challenge…give us a good show, won't you…?” he turned and started away again.

“YOU COWARD!” Jenna yelled in a choked voice, tears pouring down her face.

“You won’t get away with this!” Balto called to Juji’s rapidly retreating back.

And Juji called back, his voice all but lost in the distance already separating them; “An old line, and a good one too, but it’s wasted…you’re too late, you stupid mutt...in case you haven't noticed, I already have…”. And then, even his smell was gone, lost among the mixture of scents in crowding the wind and covered by the sweeter smell of pinesap…

((()-())))

Several hours later, Balto and Kavik met in Rosy’s yard wearing identical looks fury and utter hopeless. The two of them sat, side-by-side on the porch looking out towards the Forest with the air of dogs who know they are only rubbing salt into the wounds but unable to do otherwise. Jenna was inside, comforting her pups, and Kaltag and Tricksey had likewise gone home and were doing the same. It hurt Kavik to see Jenna trying to smile and act happy around them. It pierced him like nothing he’d felt before, even a bullet, save for the deaths of his family and his love....

“I’m sorry Balto…” he said at last. It was the first thing either of them had said in hours. “I should’ve done something...anything…I should’ve protected them…”

“You couldn’t do anything…” Balto replied, gaze flicking to Kavik. “None of us could. We all saw the look on his face; Juji meant what he said, and we both know it…”

“That’s no excuse,” Kavik said, but with little conviction. He could see the point Balto was trying to make, and knew it would do no good to argue when he knew his friend was right.

Silence descended upon them again. Finally after a period of perhaps another fifteen minutes, Balto asked, almost tentatively, “So…I’m guessing you tried to kill him because…he took Lakota away?”

“Yes…” Kavik said, upper lip curling slightly as if at the very memory of it. “That monster killed her, like she was nothing more than trash…and I tried to do the same to him…” He sighed.

Thinking about Lakota suddenly got Balto thinking about Kavik’s earlier as-yet unfinished story, the one about his family…and that led to Kavik’s mother. He couldn’t figure out what was so strange about it. Kavik had said his mother was a wolf. A white wolf yes… ‘But that doesn’t mean anything…’ Balto thought, he knew he was being silly. It was probably just a coincidence…

But a white wolf…with golden eyes?

‘So…’ Balto reasoned, ‘there are a lot of female wolves with golden eyes…’

A white wolf with golden eyes that’d taught him the Wolf’s Code of Honor…? Who’d talked to him of Pride…? It almost sounded like…But no, that was impossible! It just couldn’t be! We’re talking foolishness here, utter lunacy for crying out loud! It’s like something out of a child’s bedtime story! Yet…

“Your Mother…” Balto asked, feeling for any remote sign from Kavik that he was uncomfortable with the subject. He didn’t want to upset him anymore than he already was...”Was her name…” he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

With a great breath and all the courage he could muster, he asked. “Your Mother…was her name…” he had to swallow before the words would come out. He willed himself to speak the name. Kavik was looking at him now, eyes gleaming with curiosity and a slightly puzzled look on his face.

“Was her name…” Say it! Say it, for the love of God and for your children, just spit it out!’ his mind mentally raged and frothed. He found he could say the name, but when he did, it came out as a whisper of guilt, embarrassment, respect, and – oddest of all – a strange sense of...hope?

“…Aniu...?”

Kavik’s faded blue eyes widened with shock, and for a terrible moment, Balto though the white hybrid was going to faint. “H-how…?” he asked, and then took a second or two to clear his throat. “How do…you know…?” His gaze was one of shocked wonder, his mouth hanging open as if on a hinge. He looked as if someone had just awoken him in the wee hours of the morning by throwing a bucket of subzero water in his face. “…I…I never told anyone my Mother’s name…except Lakota, and I only told her once…And even after that, I swore her to secrecy…. So how?”

“I know…” Balto said, trying not to show that he was just as shocked if not more than Kavik was. “I know,” he repeated in a slightly trembling voice. “…Because…that was…my Mother’s name as well…she...she took me away from the rest of us...I remember now...when I was very little.... God...” he intoned, nearly fainting at all the implications evoked in light of this latest revalation...

“I guess…” Kavik said, though lips that left as if they’d been rubbed with ice. “I guess that makes you, me and Kemo…all brothers…” He stopped, as if considering something else as well. “…And that would make me…an Uncle…huh, imagine that.” His eyes slipped shut and fainted dead away.

Chapter 9 Escalations

Juji stomped through the trees, ripping at anything that got in his way, living or otherwise. He was beyond furious. Hell, there weren’t words to describe the feeling now pumping through his brain and making him growl low in his throat. It flashed in his mind, a dark violet flash of malignant light as dark and deadly as any eclipse. Such a foul up…! Oh, those two bubbling idiotic morons would pay for this, oh you bet your furry *** they would! He’d thought the situation was entirely under his control, but he’d been overconfident. He’d underestimated those mongrel sons-of-bitches and looked what it’d gotten him! Now his entire plan was out the window…! ***** it all…!

His fury mounted to the point where he could no longer contain it and he suddenly darted forward, catching a rabbit in his jaws. The animal had time for one horrified shriek of pain and shock – only Juji had noticed it, the furry creature having been all but hidden from view by the shelter of a snowy conifer – before he broke its pitiful excuse for a spine and shook it like a Terrier with a rat in its jaws. He made no attempt to eat the kill; his only aim was to vent his frustration and atavistic rage. And so, he tore it to pieces, shredding its furry flesh, snapping and crunching the small bones like dry twigs, ripping at the carcass until what was left was only a bloody, inedible mass lying scattered across the snow.

Feeling a little better – not much, but a little was better than nothing, he supposed – he once again started off. His troops followed obediently behind; none spoke, for fear of incurring their leader’s unpredictable wrath. The simply trotted on behind, tails lowered submissively. Even the pups were silent.

As Juji approached their temporary home, he let loose an imperious howl to alert the sentries of their coming. He and the others pushed into the small clearing and there, he stopped to observe the goings-on. Overall, he was somewhat pleased with this setting; he and his ‘pack’ had managed to find a small alcove of interconnecting hollowed-out burrows of the sort commonly used by bears and other such large creatures. The area was flanked on all sides by forest, save one that instead fell off into a steep descent of some hundred or so feet. Yet he liked the spot most of all for its view; from his own personal den, he commanded the sight of Nome, an inkblot on the paper sea of snow just beyond the Forest. From there, any approach would be visible and that was just the way he liked it.

His eye happened upon the sight of Aries standing a little behind him to his left with his mouthful of – for now – unmoving pups. They were scared, all of them. He could smell the reek of their fear, a stink like fresh crap and bad meat magnified by the fact that it was coming from pretty much all those around him. Though, he noticed, it was strongest in the cases of Timber and Aries…the supposed ‘guards’. Huh, a hell of a lot of good they’d done him as such so far!

With this though, his temper – which had dissipated somewhat with his internal praise for his own cleverness – flared up again and he turned to face the assembled wolves behind him, they viewing his abrupt change in direction with some unease. He smiled, a small genial thing, to show them that he meant no ill will. Yet the expression was a fake and they knew it. And even better, he knew they did, wanted them too. It would make the example he was about to set take on a much larger and more definitive meaning, after all.

“Aries…?” he said, his voice also taking on the mellow pleasing tone of the forgiving. “Do me a favor will you?”

“Y…Yes Juji?” Aries stuttered after doing as their leader bid. He was terrified and could feel Timber all but trembling beside him. It gave him a strange species of comfort knowing the coward was perhaps more frightened than he.

“Drop those pups and come here for a moment, will you? You as well, Timber…” the gray wolf went on, beckoning with his scarred head to indicate the space perhaps a foot and a half in front of him. They came, Aries barely noticing the way he almost stepped on Kodi as he did, and sat before him like the obedient soldiers they were. Both were trembling now, unable to hide it or keep it in any longer, Aries even more so than Timber, which was a rare occurrence in itself.

“Do you two wastes of fur know what you’ve done today?” Juji asked, still in the comforting tone of an elder explaining why being ‘bad’ was not the right way to behave to a young child. He turned his head as he spoke, making it look as if he were checking on the sun’s position in the sky.

“I – ” Aries said.

“We’re – ” Timber likewise started but both fell silent as Juji went on.

“I’ll tell you what you did…” Juji said. His head whipped around as he suddenly sprang forward, seizing Aries’ left foreleg and heard the bone break with a dry ‘SNAP’ as he twisted his head viciously. Aries screamed aloud and half-collapsed, still managing to support himself with his one remaining forelimb, gasping for breath, his eyes rolling horribly. Juji relished the sounds as he did the warm blood now dripping from his muzzle.

“You FUCKED up, that’s what you did!” Juji roared, geniality sliding off his face like water to reveal the true fury underneath. He towered over the smaller black wolf whose breathing had become ragged and very loud in the utter silence. Juji could feel the eyes of the rest of the pack watching – having been drawn by the shouts and the smell of blood – and was heartened by it. Good, all at attention. Now to make his example…

“I don’t tolerate FAILURE, you lowlife piece of DOG SPAWN!” he shouted, all but frothing at the mouth. “I gave you a job, the easiest and most important out of all of them and you two still managed to screw it up…!” he paused for air, respiration sounding heavy and feted.

“It wasn’t our fault,” Timber tried, speaking very fast, his voice small and scratchy with panic. “We were blindsided! They came out from a hole in the bottom of the boat! They – ”

In a single swift motion in which his paw became a mere blur, Juji slashed him across the face, grinning as he caught the red eruption of fluid streaming from the three long gouges in the tan wolf’s face, the longest passing over the left eye. It was like looking into a mirror, in a topsy-turvy kind of way. The thought made his grin grow and he tittered maddeningly as returned his attention to Aries.

The wounded canine was trying to speak and was being hindered by the fact that he was close to loosing consciousness. “I…I…I’m sorry J…Juji…. W-we – ”

Juji’s grin faded as he listened to the pathetic half-assed pleas coming from this stupid thing before him. Now, with his face made even more unpleasant with a sneeringly disgusted frown, he struck at Aries again, this time breaking his other leg in the same manner as before. Aries’ screams were no longer audible, as he was seemingly unable to draw breath as he fell to he already scarlet colored snow. Lying on the ground and bleeding…very nice…that image was much better than the former, much more suited to a coward at heart.

The beast lowered his head until his now bloodstained mouth was almost in the newly crippled wolf’s one remaining ear. “I hope you can still hear me Aries,” Juji said, speaking in the low, hushed tones one might hear from a doctor being forced to give bad news to a patient in his best bedside manner. “Because I’ve something very important to tell you, very, very important indeed…” The soot colored wolf moaned thickly and Juji simply chose to take it as a sign that he was getting through to the mush-brain in his last moments.

“It’s about my laws, Aries…or, to be more specific, my law about…failure.” He paused to give the half-dead animal time to fathom all the macabre possibilities before going on. “I hope you remember it, my little furry friend. Do you?” Again, he halted as if giving Aries the chance to speak. When he of course did not, the gray wolf went on, now feigning shocked surprise. “What? You don’t remember? Oh, Aries, Aries, Aries, just what am I going to do with you…? You have such an inconvenient way of forgetting things…”

Aries made some sort of moaning, half-whimper and mumbled something like ‘please…mercy,’ but that was all he could manage now, his breathing sounded harsher than before, his sides heaving up and down as he sucked in oxygen. “Well,” Juji said, sounding resigned, “I guess I’ll just have to tell you this one last time then, won’t I…?”

He suddenly stepped back and said, in loud clear voice that Aries and all the rest heard very clearly in the small clearing, “The penalty for FAILURE is DEATH!” Then he jerked his head to one side, giving a silent but nonetheless all too obvious command.

Kill him.

The rest of them had gathered around as Juji had held a last one-sided palaver with the unfortunate wolf, forming a large circle, waiting. When the order finally came, they went to with a will, surging forward. Perhaps three full seconds passed and then Aries was totally blocked from view by the twisting, writhing mass of snapping jaws and ripping fangs as they all dove upon him in an instinctive frenzy.

The only one not taking part in the battle for fresh meat was Timber who was sitting in the snow now bloodied by his own dripping wound which, for now at least, was farthest from his head. He was starring at the pack with wide eyes, appalled and haunted by Aries screams of agony as he was literally shredded beneath them. The sounds and sights of those few minutes would stay with him, gibbering and capering now-and-again thought his dreams for the rest of his life.

The pups wore the same expression, though their mouths were hung wide open like great red doors left ajar. They watched for perhaps five seconds before cowering down, faces hidden in each other’s fur, shaking like leaves in an October wind. Timber was only peripherally aware of it, his attention held fast by the hellish scene unfolding before his eyes.

It was mercifully short, though not by enough in his opinion. Juji called them off with one loud snarl and they all instantly fell back to their original places. Then, their psychotic, self-appointed Alpha approached the vaguely wolf-like form on the ground, paws squelching minutely with each step. Timber felt his stomach give a nasty lurch and tasted something sour in the back of his mouth as he saw that Aries had been butchered viciously, his belly ripped half-open, insides exposed, and his entire body torn and slashed …but he was still alive, though probably not for more much longer, thank God for his small mercies. ‘He must be…’ but no, Timber realized, he couldn’t finish; he couldn’t even begin to describe how Aries must feel at the moment.

Juji stopped, staring with avid scorn at the bleeding, dying wolf not two feet before him. “Well, Aries,” he said, his tone almost sickeningly cheerful. “I hope you’re still listening, because I’ve got one last thing to tell you before I send you packing off down the road to Hell, old friend…” He suddenly leaped forward, teeth flashing white in the sun’s fading light, and before he dealt the finishing move, he yelled; “MAKE SURE YOU TELL THE DEVIL THAT JUJI SENT YOU!”

Then, Juji moved off again, only this time, as the pack swarmed in to reap the spoils and fight over the newly dead corpse, the gray demon turned and came towards Timber, smile slowly resurfacing. Timber held his ground, and even though he knew what was coming, he did not move, determined to die with whatever vestiges of dignity he had left in him intact. Juji came to a stop directly in front of him, now so close that Timber’s nose was overpowered by the putrid stench of Aries’ slowly drying blood caking the other’s muzzle. Juji smiled thinly and Timber gulped, felling a lump the size of a walnut in his throat as he did.

“Good news Timber, I’ve decided not to kill you.” His tone was disturbingly cheerful and happy. “Isn’t that nice of me?” Juji asked simply, as though murder was at that particular moment, the furthest thing from his mind. Without waiting for a reply – like he would’ve gotten any at all that was – Juji continued. “Would you like to know why?”

Knowing the expected response, Timber nodded, eyes fearful. “I’ve decided to let you continue to draw breath simply because you’ve got more guts than Aries’ did, at least when I cut your face open you didn’t beg for mercy. Be proud.” He shot a single, disinterested glance towards the pups; the two of them were still cowering and huddled together. “And just so you can keep an eye on the brats for me as well. I need someone who’s not afraid to die and not cowardly enough to beg, but not particularly useful and it just so happens you fit the bill, little buddy. So, I’ll spare you…for now.” He grinned, showing his bloodied teeth. “When all of this is over however…I can’t make any promises.” His grin faded to a thin line as he turned and started moving off towards his own personal den, bloody paw prints trailing behind him as a mark of his passing. “Oh, by the way,” he called over his shoulder, “take the pups into your cave with you. Watch and keep them quiet. Make sure they don’t get away again either…I’ve got plans for those two…” he chuckled.

((()-()))

Timber stood, not completely able to grasp the knowledge that he was still breathing, was still alive, for a few seconds. He watched Juji trot up and away to his quarters, now licking the blood from his muzzle. Gross… He turned his gaze to the right in an attempt to rid himself of the unpleasant image, but the replacement view of Aries was even worse, too horrid to describe. So, feeling slightly sick once more, he looked at the only thing left available to him, his gaze now tired and sad.

The pups had calmed down a bit and at least that was something. The rust-colored one now risked a glance upwards at Timber, eyes still wide with fear and confusion. His maple eyes met Timber’s green ones, and seeing the absence of the usual burning hatred and contempt in them, Timber saw he was further reassured. The young pup’s body relaxed and he nudged the second gray one with his nose. She was a female, and still had her face hidden in the other’s fur. At his touch however, her head raised, face turning hesitantly towards him until their eyes met and she was calmed by what she saw.

Then, quite suddenly, she asked, “Why are you so sad?”

Timber was surprised and touched at the same time. Of all the questions that were probably filling her head, she had asked that one. He gave her a small smile. “I’m sad because you two didn’t get to go home…and because my friend is gone…” A single tear fell from the eye that hadn’t been slashed as he finished, the liquid instantly turning to ice as it lay on his cheek. Aries may not have been the best wolf in the world, but he hadn’t been one of the worst either and the two of them had shared something that could’ve almost – but not quite – have been called a friendship. It was more like a loose type of unspoken tolerance and respect for one another.

“It’s okay! Don’t be sad!” the other said, getting to his feet and rubbing his head against one of Timber’s massive legs in an attempt to provide some comfort to the large wolf. This only made Timber’s smile grow.

“I’m not anymore because he’s in a better place now.” Timber said, thinking, ‘Sure, that’s it, just keep bending the truth, they don’t need to hear what you really think of him…or of where he’s really at right now. They’re only pups after all.’ “And besides, he wasn’t a very good friend to have.”

“Why not? Did he do bad things like the mean wolf who wanted to hurt Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Kavik? The one who hurt you?” the gray one asked, also moving closer to him, her blue eyes gleaming inquisitively.

As Timber considered what he should tell them, the wind blew, making the snow flurry and dance about them in a little storm, causing the tan wolf to wince and grimace in pain as in settled into his open and still-throbbing face wound. The two pups suddenly drew closer to him instinctively to gain more warmth. The Timber wolf glanced up at the sky and wasn’t surprised to see that most of the light had started to fade into darkness; meaning night was swiftly approaching, which in turn meant that the temperature was starting to drop. He had to move the pups to someplace warmer, like his den. “I’ll tell you what,” he said, leaning down a bit so they could hear him better, “how about you guys follow me to my little cave and I’ll try to explain everything to you as best I can?”

They hastily agreed, shivering and nodding their heads. “Good.” Timber said, “Now, this is really important; I need you guys to act real scared and sad while you walk in front of me on our way there.”

“How come?” the rusty colored one asked, head cocked.

“It’s so that mean gray wolf won’t see how good I’m treating you. If he did, he’d probably take you away and make some other bad wolf watch you, and none of us want that, do we?” The pups shook their heads in unison. Whether it was intentional or not was a matter for later, or perhaps better yet, not at all. The three of them would have more important things to discuss. “Alright,” Timber said, “Let’s go. Remember – ”

“We know. Act like we’re scared that you’ll do something mean to us if we’re not good.” It was the gray pup this time.

Timber nodded and allowed a flicker of a smile to pass over his face. “That’s right. Now, let’s go.”

((()-()))

As night fell, an unexpected storm blew in, bringing with it heavy winds and more snow than anyone could remember. It was nowhere close to the blizzard that had taken place during the Antitoxin run, but it was still nothing any animal would want to find itself suddenly in the middle of out there in unprotected territory. The town itself was battened down for the night, and most of the people were optimistic, saying that the storm would blow itself out by sunrise the next day, so there was really nothing to worry about…at least not as far as the human population of Nome was concerned.

The unified gathering spot for the Alaskan sled dogs of the area was a place called the Boiler Room because…well…that’s exactly what it was; a medium-sized space with one corner occupied by an enormous Boiler that provided the room with an almost constant temperature of satisfying warmth. The Boiler room wasn’t as crowded as it usually was on nights such as this, but almost all those personally involved the afternoon’s atrocities were present, save for Jenna, Kavik, Tricksey and Kaltag.

Balto surveyed the assembled canines with less interest than usual. From where he sat on the raised platform that ran the around most of the room, he could easily pick out those who were worst for wear; Star lay on his stomach, close to the Boiler with Angel and Draco beside him, both doing their best to painlessly dislodge the large and numerous splinters that had been embedded into the small dog’s back during his and Angel’s rather hasty retreat from the old Trawler while on their rescue mission. Angel had already gotten Axel and Nikki to help her with her own injuries and found that they had been minor compared to what they were now finding jammed into Star.

The physically and emotionally exhausted wolf-dog watched and felt a pang in his heart as he saw Draco remove one wooden piece that was an inch and a half in length, with Star whimpering in pain, and Angel bent over him, eyes full of sympathetic pity as she licked and nuzzled his cheeks and head, muttering softly in his ears in an effort to relieve some of his agony. Finally, with the last of them removed and fed to the ever-burning fire, Balto got to his feet and went to see his friend. He’d originally wanted to assist himself but had been shooed away – albeit kindly – by Angel with the reasoning that he’d done enough for one day. Besides, she’d said, she wanted to be there for him. ‘It’s the least I can do…seeing what he went through today to try and make sure we all got home in one piece…’

Balto knew all too well what such a bond between the two meant and was frankly pleased by the feeling that he eventually knew would develop and grow into an undying love between the two. It was about time Star found someone to hook up with…

“Hey Star, how’re you doing?” Balto asked the three-quarters awake dog in front of him as he lay down next to him.

Star’s pale blue eyes sparkled with mirth, the lids at half-mast as he chuckled dryly. “I’ve…been better…” a pause “Man…this really sucks…and I mean real bad.” he said at last. “I’d rather let Kaltag smack me on the head for being stupid a hundred times in a row than to have to feel like this…” he offered Balto a smile that looked puzzlingly apologetic somehow. “…Sorry we couldn’t save them all….”

Balto’s eyes widened in shock and he was at a momentary loss for words. When he found his voice, however, he quickly shook his head saying, “Star! What the heck are you talking about? Do you think I’m mad at you for being smart and not throwing your life away or something?”

Star remained silent for a few seconds, his eyes downcast. “If only I’d – ”

“Star,” Angel interrupted, gently, “You did everything you could, we both did, we ALL did. No one’s to blame for any of this except that Juji scumbag!”

At the mention of the fiend’s name, there was a flutter of angry grumbles; what had gone on that late afternoon was now known by every dog in Nome and all of them – even the downright lowlifes who had hardly a scrap of dignity or self-respect left – were angered by the fact that anyone would go so far as to resort to such low and cowardly tactics. There was one constant rule among all the dogs in Nome, regardless of team rank, social status, lifestyle, it didn’t matter; the rule – the law – was this:

You don’t mess with a man’s family, no matter what the circumstances are.

Balto was about to add a few more words to this, but before he could, there came a loud and ominous ‘THUMP’ against the door – filling Balto feel a momentary sense of Déjà vu – as if someone was knocking to be let inside…or smash their way in…Nikki, who happened to be closest, moved as if to open it and had to request both Draco and Callahan’s help before they could manage; the ice had settled somewhat in the hinges, making the stupid thing all but impossible to budge and for a few seconds, Balto didn’t think they would be able to move it at all.

Then the door was abruptly thrown open, the hinges shrieking hellishly as the cold iron workings grated against one another. There was a whooshing cloud of snow, then the last two dogs Balto had expected to see came half-running, half-stumbling in. It was Kavik and Kaltag, though the only way you could really tell who was who would’ve been by their size and color, seeing as both were mostly coated in snow. Ice had even formed on Kavik’s huge cross and hung from the arms in small icicles that had already begun to melt due to the combined heat of both the Boiler and the collective body heat from all the dogs.

The two shook themselves, sending watery snow flying everywhere and causing most to cry out in dismayed alarm. This done, they walked over to where Balto and the others had gathered and sat down, taking a moment to relish the heat baking outwards from the man-made thing.

Finally Kavik sighed and opened his eyes, looking around at them all. “Sorry for the interruption guys – and lady – but holy cow is it cold out there.” He shivered.

“God, I felt like a living dog-sickle!” Kaltag added, sneezing two or three times.

The two grew suddenly quiet and the rest instantly understood that their humorous comments had merely been buck and banter; they were still feeling as miserable as ever, perhaps as bad as Balto, Star and Angel did. Balto looked at Kaltag and saw that the golden Husky’s face had crumpled in a sort of hopeless depression. He could relate, oh boy could he ever relate to how Kaltag must feel right now. “…What brings you here?” Balto asked, not particularly striving to make his voice sound even remotely cheerful; what was the point?

“Tricksey…asked if she could have an hour to herself…” Kaltag replied, seemingly unable to find the energy to lift his head and look at the canine he was addressing. “I know how she’s feeling, so I went out for a little walk. Then, this storm blew up outta’ nowhere and I probably would’ve frozen to death if Kavik here hadn’t literally run into me.” He sighed and shot Balto a sort of empty half-lidded gaze that tore at his heart.

“How about you Kavik?” Draco asked, “What made you decide to head outside and wander through town right before a storm?”

Kavik seemed to consider the question for a few seconds before saying with a shrug; “I’m not sure why exactly…maybe I just needed some time to mull things over a little…” he shrugged again, eyes faraway and unusually dull, with the his before limitless supply of energy seemingly to have run flat, at least for now. “I mean…how many times in your life do you find out you’re an uncle only to have your loved ones ripped away from you?” He sighed.

Silence followed this last comment, and all thoughts were dwelling upon Jenna and Balto, Tricksey and Kaltag, and how they sympathized and pitied the pair of forlorn parents. It lasted for about five minutes, then, oddly enough, Star decided to break it.

“It’s all my fault!” he cried, unnecessarily shame-faced, his ears drooping dispiritedly.

Kavik looked at him, a slight smile playing across his face. Balto and the others were barely able to believe it. “Star,” Kavik said, smile gone now, “as I’m sure Balto and everyone else here would tell you; stop beating yourself up. There was no way any of us could’ve predicted how things would turn out…” his gaze drifted over to the Boiler, eyes seeming to draw some arcane form of strength from the fire blazing within. “Besides…if there’s one person here to put the blame on…that would be me, not any of you.” He chuckled darkly, the hollow laugh sounding scary and inapt in place of his usual full-throated roar. “After all…I’m the one who had the chance to kill him and didn’t take it…” He suddenly growled and shook his head. “I was such a fool! Why? Why in the name of God didn’t I…?”

He stopped abruptly, suddenly becoming aware that all in the room were looking at him, he dropped his eyes. “Sorry…I know in my heart that’s wrong, but my head keeps telling me otherwise…” He smiled thinly. “If only it’d stop speaking in German then maybe I would’ve realized that before now…”

“It’s okay…” Kaltag finally spoke up, giving him an understanding little nudge with his forepaw. “…Some things are hard to let go of, no matter how hard you want to. They just stick with you, always, for your entire life. You just have to learn to deal with it, that’s all.” He gave Kavik a small smile that the other returned.

From the left of the Boiler there came an abrupt clearing of the throat and then Steele came walking into view, blue eyes glinting with cold mirth. He walked towards them and sat down between Nikki and Axel, and shot Kaltag a sly little smirk. “Wow, way to go Kaltag,” he said, smirk growing into a smile as he spoke, “I never knew you were such a good public speaker…” The Chinook’s eyes widened in surprised response and he grinned sheepishly, embarrassed at having made a speech without meaning to.

There was an amused sort of pause as they all broke into smiles, which in turn, produced a small flurry of snickers from a few, Balto, Star, Angel and Kavik in particular.

((()-()))

Draco, shaking his head, turned and padded over to peek out at the storm’s progress as the rest started to tease a certain embarrassed Chinook. Leaping nimbly to the upper platform, he pushed his nose to the glass, eyes peering outside into the growling tempest of snow and sleet…and his jaw dropped. He starred, unbelieving. They had a problem…and not a little one.

((()-()))

“Uh, guys…”

Balto turned his head and his comment about the extent of Kaltag’s vocabulary died in his throat as he saw Draco’s disbelieving face. ‘Oh no,’ he thought miserably, ‘what else could go wrong today? Isn’t having our pups stolen and threatened enough?’ A second later, everyone was looking up at the tan Chinook, faces frozen in mid chuckle.

“I think we’ve got a problem…” he went on, voice gloomy and foreboding.

“Oh great,” Steele moaned, rolling his eyes expansively. “What more do we need out of this perfect day?”

“I think,” Draco said, and had to swallow before going on. “I think…the door’s been frozen shut.” There was a stupefied, slaw-jawed silence in which only the low simmering hiss of the Boiler could be heard, then:

“Oh, you’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me!” Kavik moaned sounding even more exasperated than Steele. He walked over to the door and after laying his shoulder against it, pushed with all his considerable strength. The door didn’t move. He tried again, straining against the wood, but did no good. “Dave! Balto! Lend me a paw with this stubborn little you-know-what, will you?” He asked looking over his shoulder. The two came forward and on Balto’s mark, they pushing against the exit with all of their might, all three panting and growling with effort.

The door didn’t budge so much as half an inch, and the trio of frustrated comrades fell back to catch their breath as Steele and Callahan took a try. The two of them were just as successful. Steele tried five or six times before finally stalking away to the opposite end of the room to recover his wind. Except, that’s not what he did at all. The black and white Malamute tensed his body, muscles quivering, and then rushed forward, snarling. He leaped through the air and crashed side-on into the door, trying to force it open with his shoulder.

Instead of the door suddenly releasing with a squeal like a pig being castrated, a very surprised Malamute hit the solid wooden panel and then fell to the floor with a thump, where he lay moaning and twitching slightly as all of them rushed to his side, a few trying hard not to laugh.

“Steele, are you okay…?” Star asked.

The Malamute groaned thickly again, eyes finally beginning to focus. “Owww…ah holy crap, I’m gonna’ feel that one tomorrow for sure…” Then; “What the hell kinda’ question is that? I just ran into a door and your asking me if I’m okay?” He coughed and swayed dazedly as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He shot a look at Kaltag. His lips curled in a half-contemptuous leer as, not in an altogether unkindly tone, he said; “You really have hit him one too many times on the head! Now his brains are so scrambled he won’t have any left before too long….”

Star rolled his eyes and a pouty little look formed on his face. “Well, ex-cuse me for being a concerned friend!” He huffed, obviously very miffed.

“We’ll have to wait for the ice and snow on the hinges and outside the door to melt…” Angel said, looking depressed and bored already. “And that means…that we’ll have to wait until sunrise at the very least…”

“Well…” Callahan said, when he could stand the silence no longer. “I guess…we’re stuck here for the night.” The Irish Wolfhound sounded bleak at the prospect.

“Super,” Kaltag groaned exasperatedly. “Now what’re we supposed to do?” he asked, brows knitting together in frustration. After they’d all gone back and lain/sat in their original places near the Boiler, all were silent. Most were brooding over the day’s miserable events, and all eyes were downcast and ears dropped dispiritedly. For a long moment, no one spoke. Then suddenly, Kavik took the stand, a surprising move indeed on his part as he looked to be dealing with the largest amount of grief – with the possible exception of his brother, that was.

“Well…” he said, sounding unsure and tentative, “I’m not sure how much you guys would like to hear it but…I could…” he trailed off for a few seconds, seeming to draw the last reserves from his willpower. It was a wonder he had any left, seeing what they’d all been though during the day.

He took a deep breath. “I could…finish my story…from earlier…Tell you about how I met Juji and…Lakota.” The last word seemed to have cost him a great deal, for he sighed heavily and looked at them with leaden eyes.

“It…would be…sort of interesting…” Balto said, uneasily, risking a glance at his snowy brother. “If you…really want to, that is.” He finished, clearly uncomfortable.

Kavik’s strained smile spread across his face again, eyes momentarily filling with gratitude towards his brother. It was weird, thinking of Balto in that context, but he supposed he’d have to get used to it and the sooner the better. Besides, being related to the guy who’d saved half of the populace of an entire town single-pawed definitely had its potential advantages. “I said it then and I’m saying it now; I need to get this thing off my chest…I’ve got to finish the tale or it’ll haunt me for the rest of my life. And I’ve already had enough nightmares to last me however long that is…” he shivered, swallowing in an attempt to remove the sudden lump in his throat. “God knows I’ll never be able to forget what happened earlier today…”

“…Alright…” Balto replied quietly. He hated the way Kavik’s telling of his tale seemed to emotionally torture his sibling, but it was his brother’s decision after all, and he was one tough canine; that one thing at least was for sure. All you had to do was search his face, delve into the depths of those shockingly blue eyes to see that he would risk anything and everything – including his own life – to ensure the safety of his kin. But if it so came that he was to fall, then he would not fall without taking a score of his killers with him. If nothing else, such undying loyalty to those he loved and cherished only went on to show how much of a match his heart was in comparison to his considerable strength.

“Gimme a minute to organize…straighten everything out…it’s usually so jumbled and I’ve never made a habit of revisiting that part of my mind unless it’s absolutely necessary…” He smiled thinly and after a moment’s pause, began his tale from where they’d last left off.

((()-()))

Anchorage, Alaska

1924

“Why were you fighting that bear anyway?” he asked, his eyes alight with a tinge of curiosity. “Were you really that desperate…?” his expression suddenly grew serious as he waited for her reply, regarding her features intently.

“I didn’t really have much of a choice….” She replied, somewhat uneasily, her eyes straying to the one side as if to regard the trampled snow around her. “I was with my pack…but I decided to disappear for half-an-hour or so after…I had a heated discussion with…well, with someone who wanted to court me.” She felt slightly embarrassed, giving this sort of information to a wolf she barely knew, but then again he had just saved her life, so she felt she owed him the full explanation at the very least. Besides, he was the first of her kind she’d seen in the last two days and she’d been itching to tell someone other than her father about her little ‘incident’ the other day with that worm Juji.

“Did, or does he have…feelings towards you?” Kavik asked, the question seeming to make him uncomfortable but asking all the same.

Lakota was unable to stifle a snort that was half-laughter, half-contempt as she shook her head, a thin smile playing across her attractive face. “Feelings? Well, that depends on your point of view. If you mean simply using me as a tool to eventually get control of the pack – or as a convenient way of making sure he has offspring – yes. But other than that…” she rolled her eyes and let out a gusty sigh of contempt. “He barely treats me with the respect I deserve, not to say that he doesn’t treat everyone else the same way.”

“He’s a bit of a scumbag, then I presume?” Kavik replied, and Lakota would’ve sworn she could detect a barely audible trace of disgust around the edges of his voice, as though the though of using a female simply as a way to obtain pups made his blood boil. She would’ve bet a week’s supply of food on it…not that she or any of her pack members had had a week’s supply of food in God-knew how long.

Smile broadening the tinniest bit, she said, “Not exactly the word I would’ve used, but a good enough substitute for the much more vulgar and un-lady-like term I was planning on.” She chuckled.

Kavik nodded, his own darkly amused smile flashing out again as he replied, sarcastically, “Ah…he sounds like a real nice guy to have around.”

The white she-wolf rolled her eyes, blowing out a sigh of exasperation. “He is…if you’re into the arrogant and pigheadedly unpleasant type.” She concluded, and was comforted when he laughed, a big and booming gust of a thing, utterly impossible to resist. And nor did she try. She laughed right along with him, her somewhat glum and sour mood at the remembrance of Juji’s blunt treatment towards her gliding smoothly into her usual state of genial kindness and compassion.

“I can see why you wanted to ditch him,” he said after their laughter had quieted, leaving only the smiles behind in their place. “Doesn’t sound like the kind of guy I’d want for a friend, let alone a mate…” he added with another, more potent tinge of sarcasm.

“Hang on a minute, can you?” Kavik asked the silver-furred female as he shook a layer of snow from his pale fur, blood from his wounds dotting the crystallized substance covering the ground in various places. He heard Lakota utter a short laugh as she followed suit, momentarily halting her tale long enough remove the troubling white powder from her already dirtied coat.

Kavik continued to look towards the beautiful she-wolf until her little errand was finished, waiting patiently for her to resume her story. He gave her a smile and a nod of the head as she looked momentarily embarrassed, seeing as the two of them had just respectively showered each other without meaning to. After a somewhat awkward pause she went on.

“So, I decided to go out for a little walk to give myself a chance to cool off after I’d finished dealing with Juji for about the hundredth millionth time,” she said, adding a little annoyed twist to the name of the wolf in question. “And it just so happened that horrible snow storm decided to blow right through here while I was on my return trip and I got separated from my father and the rest of the pack…lucky me.” She added with an amusing little eye-roll. She went on. “And then, as if things couldn’t have gotten any worse, I ran into that stupid bear…” She paused, looking at the larger wolf hybrid before her with warmth and gratitude shining from her emerald eyes. “I really don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you enough…or repay you for that matter.”

Kavik couldn’t help but chuckle. “Ah, don’t worry about it,” he said dismissively, jerking his head to one side slightly, “I did what anyone would’ve…besides,” he added with a smirk. “If my mother saw me just walk right by a pretty young lady like yourself in need of my assistance, she would’ve beaten the living crap out of me….” His smirk broadened into a grin as he again joined in with her amused laughter following this entirely truthful statement.

The events leading up to and following their confrontation with the great furry behemoth lying dead behind them had been somewhat complicated, but he was able to grasp the general drift of things. However, matters became much more simplified as she went on: Lakota was part of a pack consisting of some thirty or so wolves, all fiercely loyal to their alpha, a wise and powerful leader by the name of Roland, who also happened to be her father. She’d told him – sounding almost sheepishly proud in a way – of her reputation for being hit on by some of the other wolves – especially during the time the pack was in heat – and Kavik had no trouble believing it. She was quite a sight, after all… She had not as of yet chosen a mate, for she perceived that the majority of her suitors were only interested in her for her figure and she’d sent them all packing.

“Huh…perverts,” Kavik snorted, drawing a giggle from his companion.

There was however, one particularly persistent little bugger by the name of Juji, and he was considered amongst half of the pack to be next in line for the position of Alpha. He had led more successful hunting parties than most of the other males put together and had made no secret of his wish to eventually take Lakota as his mate – assuring the rest that the fact Lakota was Roland’s daughter had only the slightest amount of significance. (“Like anyone in their right mind would believe that load of crap.” Kavik interjected in another contemptuous snort). And so, his ego was as strong and dashing as he was, not that his appearance had any effect on her; she could see the mean-spirited creep hiding behind that pretty face of his.

“So…how do you feel about all this, Lakota?” her father had asked her one evening after a particularly hampering little run-in with said creep.

She’d sighed. “I know he means well, maybe, but I just can’t get past the fact that he’s a…he’s a…a….” she had struggled, brow creasing as she racked her brain for the right phrase that would do justice to Juji’s character.

“…A dirty, rotten scumbag whose misfortune it has been to simply be cursed with good taste in women?” her brother, Bane, had offered helpfully, one eyebrow raised, a corner of his mouth quirking.

“Right on target…” she’d sighed and then had given a little giggle.

((()-()))

Kavik’s jaw muscles were starting to feel strained; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d smiled so much in one sitting. Heck, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d smiled period! It must’ve been as long as two or three years…not since his family had been wiped out, in other words. His smile quickly faded away completely at the remembrance of that unhappy subject. Not since Ikea had been brutally murdered by another one of Man’s accursed bullets…

He saw Lakota’s face cloud in worry as she took in his suddenly mournful expression, but paid only minor heed. He was suddenly deep in thought about his mother. He wondered if, by some miracle, she had survived and gone on living for yet a while longer…He intensely hoped that it was the case and she was now out there, running free amongst the trees in some foreign territory, perhaps searching for her children…

Mayhap fate would reunite them someday, but Kavik’s hopes weren’t totally optimistic; there had been a great deal of empty shell casings scattered throughout the snow where her scent had died out. But there hadn’t been enough blood to suggest that she had been butchered. He liked to think – or rather pray – that she’d merely been wounded and had still managed to escape….

“What’s the matter?” Lakota asked, moving in closer, concern evident in her face and voice, not to mention her overall body language. Their noses were merely inches apart and he abruptly thought of Ikea again. Had the two of them not sat in this same manner countless times, giving and receiving comfort when either was scarred and their parents had been out hunting when Lobo and Nig were then but newborns? The unexpected surfacing of this all-but-forgotten memory shook him deeply for the second time that day. Add to this his hopeful but unlikely thoughts of his mother’s survival and continued existence…. He felt a tear or two slip down his cheek but he made no attempt to stop them as his rekindled sorrow and a new doubt in the hope he still held for his mother overpowered his mind and he was left with an overwhelming sense of loss.

“Kavik, what is it?” Lakota, asked, obviously now a little scared as well. “What’s wrong? Please, tell me! Are you in pain or –?”

“…No, no, it’s all right, I’m fine,” he said, shaking his head slowly, and attempting to swallow the walnut-sized lump embedded in his throat. “I was just thinking…of how my sister and I…used to sit like this together all the time when we were pups…” A cracked and weary sort of smile spread across his face and he suddenly felt ten years older, like he was about to keel over and kick the bucket.

“…Oh,” she replied, her voice small and agitated, clearly not sure how best to approach this kind of thing. “…Did…did something happen to her?” she asked finally, though the second the words had left her mouth, Kavik sensed her wishing she’d never spoken them aloud. “I’m so sorry…”

He shook his head again, touched by her concern, even though they had but just met and were barely past the point of being absolute strangers. “No that’s…” he stopped suddenly, lifting his head skyward briefly to sniff at the frosty air, eyes slipping closed in concentration. “Do you smell that?” he asked.

Lakota mimicked the action and her face was illuminated with happiness and relief. “It’s…It’s my father, my pack!” she cried, deliriously, all but barking with excitement – which just goes to show how excited she was for wolves rarely bark at all. She let out a long howl, and the sound of it was beyond beautiful; it was heavenly. After a few seconds, a corresponding one came from their right, followed by many more. She looked at him with shining eyes.

Kavik smiled broadly. “I’m very happy for you,” he said, “but now I’m afraid I must take my leave…” he looked off in the direction he’d come, eyes seeming faraway and strangely misted over.

“What’d you mean?” she asked, her own smile faltering. “You can’t possibly be thinking of trying to go on by yourself in your condition? You’ll be killed for sure!” She looked up at him, unbelieving.

“I think it’s best I take my chances…” he replied, gazing into that faraway land again. “I don’t belong in a pack…I’ve already been in one that’s died once, and I couldn’t live with myself if – ”

“You wouldn’t even make it out of our territory by dark! It’s almost twilight anyway!” A sudden smug look came over her face. “Besides,” she said, her tone triumphant, “I bet you couldn’t make it more than ten feet without falling down with you leg like that…” A sly little grin spread across her face as she finished.

“I’d like to see you try and stop me…” Kavik shot back, his own little defiant smirk appearing, the same smug look settling into his own face.

“I’d like to see you even try to get up.” She retorted and in response to Kavik’s stunned expression, she added, “What’ve you got to say to that, mister?”

“I say a bone says you’re wrong on both counts!” he replied.

“You’re on then!”

“Fine!” he shot back. He stood, put one paw in front of the other, managed two wobbly steps, and then promptly fell on his face. He heard Lakota start to laugh helplessly as he pushed himself into a sitting position and shot a grumpy sort of look in her direction. “It’s not polite to laugh at animals in pain, Lakota.” He said.

“It is when they’re so stubborn it’s funny!” she replied and continued on laughing. She was shaking so much that her footing in the snow slipped and she fell on her stomach with a little yelp of surprised pain. “Owww…” she moaned.

“Ha. Ha. Ha. How does it feel?” Kavik laughed dryly from where he sat, staring down at her with an amused grin on his face.

“Oh hush.” She said and pushed herself into a sitting position as well and stared moodily across at him, both of them nevertheless smiling. Already there was a bond of friendship connecting the two, one that was unusually strong for such an early stage…

The two of them suddenly snapped their heads to the right as a small party of about a dozen wolves came running into the clearing, huffing and panting as a testament to how far and hard they’d traveled to reach this point. And with a jolt, Kavik realized…that he recognized the black and gray one leading them…it was….

“Lakota!” Roland cried in relief, as he went swiftly to his daughter’s side and nuzzled her affectionately, she returning the gesture ten-fold. He pulled back a bit to look her over. “I was so worried! We’d all though you’d been lost for sure!”

“I’m okay…well mostly.” She admitted, wincing as the dark-furred, older wolf touched his nose to a cut along her shoulder. “I was trying to get back to the pack when I was attacked by a grizzly bear – ” Her father inhaled sharply at this, but she pretended not to notice. “ – And I would’ve been torn to pieces if it hadn’t been for Kavik over here…” she turned and smiled gratefully at her rescuer as the older Alpha turned to look upon his daughter’s savior…and he stared, jaw dropping open, eyes widening.

“K…Kavik? Is that really you?” he asked, his usually strong and powerful voice reduced to a whispery croak in his shock.

Kavik was likewise struck dumb by the familiarity of the face before him. He was utterly speechless for a few seconds then managed to croak out; “Roland…?” he shook his head as if unable or unwilling to believe it. “God…how long…has it been…?” he shook his head again. “You’ve gotten so…um, sorry for the bluntness, but…you’re old, old friend.” He finished with a quirky smile.

“I never thought I’d see you again…” Roland replied, his own smile now resurfacing. And then suddenly, he burst out laughing. “Of course, who else would be gutsy enough to take on a fully grown grizzly bear almost single-pawed!” And then he moved forward and nuzzled Kavik like a brother.

I haven't had time to read the whole thing, but from what I've read I can say that this is another FANTASTIC story!
I hope you continue to write, however long the wait may be!
Keep writing! Don't give up on Newfound Emotions!

-LWf

Chapter 10

Roland

Anchorage, Alaska,

1924

“Okay, okay old man, easy! You’re cramping my style!” Kavik said jokingly, laughing with the unexpected delight of seeing his old friend again after so long. He pulled back and took in the other wolf’s appearance; he was happy to see that not much had changed, despite the passage of time. Roland’s fur was as dark as ever, the color of polished ebony on top with a lighter, silvery-gray coloring for the underside. It had started to fade the slightest bit in some places, but the change from black to gray was unnoticeable unless you really looked. There were a few scars here and there but that was really nothing: in the wild every wolf had at least two or three on display. “You haven’t changed a bit,” he said, and chuckled.

“Yes, but you’ve grown since we last palavered!” Roland exclaimed, also looking Kavik over, his eyes – which were the faded blue of a robin’s egg – widening slightly as he took in the white hybrid’s slowly clotting wounds. “But…you’re still the headstrong and compassionate youngster I remember,” he said and smiled broadly with fond recall. “Always rushing into things and blatantly disregarding your own safety.”

All through this, Lakota had remained silent, her mouth slightly open, and the capacity for speech seeming temporarily beyond her reach. Yet now she shook her head, clearly confused somewhat. “You know my Father?” she asked Kavik, incredulously looking from one to the other. “How…?”

“It’s a bit of a long story…” Kavik said, shooting her father a smile. “And one, correct me if I’m mistaken, your Father would prefer to be told in a place that’s nice and warm?”

Roland was about to speak, but was stopped even before he got started by the low gurgling rumble of Kavik’s stomach. He arched an eyebrow, smiling in amusement as the younger wolf blushed and laughed embarrassedly. “Sounds like somebody’s – ” A similar growl followed in the wake of the one left by Kavik…only this time it came from Lakota, who also blushed and gave a nervous little giggle. And then, as if the sound was some sort of cue, a chorus of hungry stomachs was raised from most of those gathered, insides braying with the need to be filled.

And, now that his hunger had made itself known to him, Kavik began to smell the aroma of the gargantuan creature behind him, just lying there…and reeking of fresh meat. “Seems like we could all use a bit of a pick-me-up….” he ventured. “It’d be a shame to just leave it here for the other scavengers.” He looked questioningly towards Roland, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “Shall we…?”

“I don’t see why not.” The dark wolf replied, his own smile growing. After calling to the rest of his party, the small group settled down to dispose of now deceased Grizzly. Roland even went so far as to insist that Kavik have the honor of taking the first bite, a simple action which signified to all those present just how vast his respect for him was. And Kavik had obliged, though not without some slight argument about how it wasn’t fitting, that Roland should be first since he was Alpha and that he, Kavik, had no business with such matters, seeing as he wasn’t part of the pack. Needless to say, however, Roland prevailed and without further hindrance, they fell to the meal, disposing of the creature with astonishing swiftness, leaving only bones as a witness to the animal’s existence.

Finally, when all were sated and left with nothing more to do than contentedly lick their chops, Roland turned once again to his daughter’s rescuer. “How have you been?” he asked, his voice sounding slightly giddy in his anticipation. “How is your sister? And what brings you so far North?”

“She…. Ikea,” Kavik started and then had to pause in order to keep his voice from shaking. “She’s… dead…Shot by a hunter. I’m the only one left.” Tears slowly formed in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks and he lowered his head, seeking to hide his face from the obsidian wolf in his embarrassment, not wanting any of them to see him in such a state of despair.

However, Roland moved closer, giving what comfort he could, nuzzling Kavik and saying sympathetically, “I’m so very sorry…I knew her well; she was a kind-hearted and merciful soul, always willing to listen to what the other side had to say…. I will miss her as you no doubt do…. What of your brother, Kemo?”

Kavik shook his head. “Still no trace of him…though I’ve searched for God-knows how long…I suspect he’s somewhere to the East…” his voice trembled slightly as he shook his head, a small, grimly amused smile playing across his face. “Who am I kidding…I have no idea where he is…I don’t even know if he’s still alive for crying out loud!”

Roland gave what comfort he could. “Fear not…for the Great Spirit is with you…” he smiled gently, feeling pity for his troubled comrade. “I’ve no doubt that you shall see your brother again someday, mayhap very soon…”

“Thanks….” Kavik said, now uncomfortably aware that all eyes were upon the two of them now and that everyone had seen him cry. ‘Ah, crap.’ He thought somewhat distantly, ‘great, now I’ll have to show these guys that I’m not just some pushover…what a blast that’ll be….’ What he said was; “I’ll like to tell you the whole story but – ”

“First, we have to get moving and regroup with the pack.” Roland finished for him. And, when Kavik first only looked at him blankly, and then seemed on the verge of arguing, he went on. “And don’t even try it; we know each other well, and I think it’s safe to assume you realize that I’d jump off a cliff before allowing you – the very wolf who now not only once saved my entire pack from utter destruction, but now have also saved the life of my daughter Lakota as well – to simply wander off into the wild with injuries such as yours without allowing me to first do whatever I can to help.”

“Look Roland, thanks for the offer, but I don’t – ” Kavik began, but Roland suddenly cut him off, his own voice now taking on a stony edge. His eyes gained a slight glimmer that Kavik recognized all too well.

“Enough of this nonsense! You’re as much a part of my family as any of these wolves here! Your parents were good friends of mine and in the short time I spent with you, I realized you were like a son I would’ve been proud to call my own. You’re strong and intelligent, devoted and compassionate! And to top it all off, you handle pups a ***** sight better than any other wolf I’ve ever met, including myself.” He smiled at the way the color in Kavik’s cheeks grew deeper with each passing compliment and took the opportunity to address the whole group as one.

“Now, let’s get moving! I’d like to catch up with the pack before midnight if we can manage it!” He shot Kavik a sideways look of amused triumph as he saw the white hybrid’s own mouth quirk, a sure sign that he had accepted Roland’s terms…for now anyway. They all got to their paws, shaking snow from their coats in preparation for the run ahead of them, a run that would be made all the longer by the fact that two of their number would be able to do no more than trudge along for most of the way. This also meant that the likelihood of all of them being caught out here long after dark was rapidly increasing with each second that ticked by. But, a group of wolves is in itself, a formidable gathering of wills, and if harnessed, this collective force is one to be reckoned with. Such was the power and strength of mind of these animals, and they were able to make and keep up a steady pace, even though Kavik and Lakota were forced to slow up a bit to give their aggravated bodies time to stop complaining.

((()-()))

They kept it up for hours, exactly how many, Kavik was never completely sure of. All he knew was that by the time he caught the scent of what could only be Roland’s Pack, the moon had all but vanished from view and if he strained his eyes, he could just see the faint edges of the suns rays as it began its ascent into the sky, the beacon of the coming day. They’d been on the move for most of the night and on into early morning… Holy crispy crap but this was exhausting.

Lakota was to his left, Roland directly in front of him, exercising his duty as Alpha to lead their party. And all around him were the rest, a mix of colors and odors, attitudes and shapes. From his position, Kavik had a clear view of both Lakota and her father…and the sight of the former was none too comforting; both he and she were panting more heavily that all the rest, and Kavik himself had begun to bleed again from several of his more painful injuries, his own path now marked by a semi-steady spatter of blood droplets. Lakota’s own blood trail however, was more constant than his own, making him feel a slight tinge of unease. He had no doubts whatsoever that she could handle herself – she’d taken on and managed to hold off that Grizzly for almost a full ten minutes before he’d turned around and come racing to her aid – but even for one such as she, if this kept up for too much longer, Lakota might have some serious problems on her paws….

‘It’ll be up to you to look after her if that happens.’ He told himself – or rather, his Mother’s voice spoke inside his head. ‘That is your duty as a both her packmate and her friend….’

‘Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold the phone for a second, Mom!’ he thought back, mind suddenly frantic, ‘it’s a little early to say we’re friends, let alone packmates don’t you think?’ He apparently would never know exactly what she thought, for he received no reply and Kavik was forced to push the thoughts away and focus his attention instead on the band of dull, throbbing pain that had began to run up the leg which the bear had slashed, making him grimace and his breathing quicken. God, but this was starting to become very bothersome!

He had just begun to think that he wouldn’t be able to stand it much longer when they suddenly slowed to a brisk walk, the snowy foliage surrounding them now denser than ever. Kavik tried to remember the last time he’d been so deep into the Alaskan wilderness before and could not; this was beyond anywhere he’d ever cared to venture. He was in the Heart of the Forest now, like it or not, and there was no turning back…not that he would’ve been able to do much of that in any case; he had now become so fundamentally tired that he found it a continuous wonder that he was simply able to keep placing one paw in front of the other.

Roland pulled ahead of the rest suddenly, briefly pointing his nose to the sky and letting loose a low, short howl that, after a few seconds wait was answered by two identical ones, both not more than 400 yards away. He turned to Kavik. “Sentries. Let them know who’s coming.”

“I know.” Kavik replied, a bit testily. With the way Roland had just addressed him, you’d think this was his first trip into the wild after he’d been raised by a human his whole life or something. What an idea! Mentally chuckling at the hilarity of the thought of a human who could show such an attitude towards animals such as him, he sniffed the air and sighed. “You’re getting a bit sloppy, Roland.” He commented dryly, mouth once again quirking.

“Oh?” The black Alpha replied, sounding amused. “How, pray tell?”

“There’s only three coming toward us. You should’ve prepared at least six, five at the very least.” Kavik went on, sounding slightly reproving.

“Can’t get anything past you, can I?” Roland replied, helpless not to be pleased by the other’s observations. He offered Kavik another smile. “Maybe you’re right, but out here, the humans have yet to discover our little niche in this neck of the woods, so not quite as large a degree of caution is needed.” He suddenly gave Kavik a curiously worried sort of look. “Mayhap you’re being a bit overly cautious….”

“I should hope not,” Kavik replied, now grinning. “My being ‘overly cautious’ has kept me from being somebody’s winter clothing more than a few times.”

A sudden rustle from the tree next to him swept away whatever remark Roland might’ve chosen to make in light of this statement. Kavik tensed somewhat, not really wanting too, but doing it anyway. Old habits die-hard…especially when you were used to such a sound being followed by a gunshot or some other equally nasty surprise as he himself was. His muscles relaxed the barest margin as he saw a large Timber wolf with green eyes about a head shorter than himself emerge from between two large conifers before them.

The sentry’s face split in a relieved grin as he approached Roland and bowed his head submissively. “Roland, thank goodness!” The tan lupine sighed, his voice conveying that he was indeed very thankful for his Alpha’s return. “I’m glad you’re back, and you too as well Lakota!” he added as he took her in at her rightful place by her father’s side. His face suddenly darkened as he saw Kavik and then noticed his and Lakota’s numerous lacerations. “What happened?” A slightly uneasy pause followed this query. “Who’s he?”

Kavik heard the suspicious note in that last question, but didn’t mind in the slightest. Such was the way wolves were expected to treat newcomers on their lands. A sort of ‘Wait-to-see-where-your-loyalties-lie’ type deal inherited by all wolves as a matter of instinct. Again, Kavik could only anticipate such a greeting firsthand; such behavior was one of things that kept the Clans from spinning off into totally lawless chaos, and God knew what would become of their already endangered race if that ever happened. The humans would have a field day, that much was for certain….

Far from being put out, Kavik was, if anything else relieved by the Timber wolf’s instinctive actions. Such a reaction firsthand showed that the Timber wolf before him had learned his lessons in survival well. In any case, such suspicions were lessened for the time being as Roland stepped forward and returned the grin, quickly assuaging the wolf’s questions.

“Hello Timber, I’m glad to see you so alert.” Roland replied, making the wolf in question lower his eyes and blush a bit. “I’d like to explain everything but right now, there isn’t time; my daughter and this young wolf who so kindly gave her aid, need to rest and tend to their wounds. We’ve been running for almost four or five hours now and all of us are very tired.” When Timber seemed on the verge of voicing another question, Roland added, “And don’t worry; you’ll get the full story in the morning as I’d prefer to wait until the entire pack has awoken so as not to be forced to spin the same tale any more than I have to. Do you take my meaning?”

“Yes, of course.” Timber said, now shooting Kavik a look that held more curiosity than suspicion. Kavik, in return, offered him a kind but tired smile. The action looked to be totally genuine, but in truth, it was more reflexive than anything else. Timber might well have given him a look of dislike or even hate, but the expression or the feelings propelling it at that particular moment ceased to matter. Kavik was far too weary to be affected by anything so meager as a first impression when in comparison to his yammering and howling body.

Two more wolves, one a uniform gray, the other a dusky brownish-red, appeared to either side of Timber and Roland was again forced to repeat himself. Kavik paid no heed. All he cared about right now was finding a place to crash for a while. He felt as though he would’ve slept all through the next day if given half the chance, and had never felt so exhausted and bushed-out as he did at this moment.

When the last little bit of gibbering had passed between the new arrivals and their Alpha, the now slightly larger party continued on their way, plodding on with only the motivation of sleep to coax their appendages into coordinated motion. Kavik was only dimly aware as the trees abruptly fell away as they entered a sudden valley that was flanked on both sides by thick snarls of knotty vegetation and jagged, interweaving mountain peaks between which ran a single snowy path that led the rest of way to their destination. At the end of this proverbial hallway, the steeply wooded hills suddenly gave way to a large, bowl-shaped clearing of rough-hewn stone shot through on almost every side with an intricate weave of interconnecting dens and passageways.

The sky above them was star-lit and cloudless, and had he the energy left to take it into consideration, the pallid canine tromping along behind Lakota would’ve thought it one of the most beautiful places that he had ever laid eyes upon. However, Kavik did not, as we know, possess any strength with which to perform this observation at the present time, and so his bright gaze remained locked onto the she-wolf in front of him as they at last reached and emptied out into the snowy clearing and Roland turned to address them all once more before they turned in.

After a short conversation with the others of his party, the velvety wolf turned his blue gaze upon his daughter and her rescuer, a kind and somewhat relieved looking smile spreading across his furry face. “Kavik…” he sighed and shook his head, all but laughing now. “There are so many things I want to say, but I know the time for questions will come later. You are both injured and I dare say you look like you’re about to collapse.”

“Right on the money.” Kavik replied with his own smile.

Roland let loose a short bray of chuckles at this. He shook his head, as if to tell himself that he should’ve expected as much from the likes of Kavik. “Sorry to hear it. Now that that’s been established, if you’ll follow Lakota I’m sure she’d be happy to lead you to our – ”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Kavik interjected gently. “I know how the hierarchy that governs a wolf pack works as well as anyone else and something tells me there’d be trouble if a few of the other pack members happened to see the newcomer being given shelter in – ”

“Oh give me a break!” Lakota interrupted in a foreful, but not unkindly tone, and Kavik turned, startled at hearing the remark come from her mouth rather than Roland’s. She gave him an embarrassed little smile that made him feel funny in a way that was not at all unpleasant. “Who cares what those other suspicious mutts think?”

Roland seemed about to step in, but a sudden howl from one of the sentries that had stayed behind at his post alerted him to a possible threat. “I’ll leave you two alone to work this out then,” he said absently and then flitted away without another word. For a few seconds, the two young adults simply stared after the departing elder, then Kavik blinked, as did she and the two started up again.

“Lakota – ” Kavik tried but she overrode him with a simplicity that seemed to suggest that it was a tactic that she’d gotten a lot of practice with. Then again, it wasn’t all that surprising considering her position in the pack.

“No,” she said, and her tone was surprisingly gentle. “We’re standing outside in the snow, dripping blood on the ground and you’re so tired I’m amazed you can even keep your footing.” She gave him a smile so sweet that it had the capacity to simply melt his heart right then and there and she even garnished it with a little nuzzle to his bloodied neck. The gesture alone seemed to make him feel slightly dizzy, though he knew not why it should’ve been so. “You risked your life to save me, and even though you knew that you’d probably get hurt…you still tried.”

Her smile suddenly faded, transforming into what could almost but not quite be called a frown and her brow creased. She looked almost indignant. “You save me from a Grizzly and reunite me with my pack and after all that, you have guts to think that I’ll just let you be miserable and sleep out here in some uncomfortable little hole in the ground!?” She snorted. “You’ve got some nerve!”

Kavik was at first incapable of doing anything, momentarily knocked off kilter by this statement. He sat there, staring at her, utterly speechless for one of the first times in his life. Then, he burst out laughing. He couldn’t help it. She just looked so funny with that pouty, almost puppyish look on her face. The fact that the expression was joined with her all but scolding tone of voice only served to make moment all the more humorous. She at first only looked surprised by his reaction, then smiled and laughed right along with him, both making sure to keep the noise to a minimum so as not to awaken the rest of the still slumbering pack nestled in the vast array of caves and dens encircling them.

Finally, their laughter petered away to nothing and they only sat there, staining the virgin snow with their blood and simply looking through and studying each other, all the while still smiling. At long last after a period of perhaps ten seconds, Kavik finally broke the now slightly nervous silence that had grown between them. “Well…I’ll admit you might have a point.” His smile grew to a grin as he conceited. “Alright fine, you win; we’ll play it your way.”

She returned his grin. “Glad you finally see the light…” she replied, her tone sounding somewhat triumphant. “Now that that’s settled, follow me if you would…”

For a few minutes though, it seemed to the two of them that perhaps neither would be going into any den for the night, seeing as they were briefly unable to walk or even stand up for that matter. But after a few grunts and slightly labored breaths, they managed to gain their paws and begin to plod their way towards the Alpha den. They encountered yet another roadblock when they reached one of several natural wide ledges of granite that served as makeshift ramps leading to the upper cave levels. The shelves and the valley clearing itself had been formed as a result of hundred’s of years natural wearing-down by melting snow and water-run offs that had eroded the rock face in a specific way, shaping the structure into something akin to a single side of a rough Incan step pyramid that extended in a crude three-quarter circle shape with rows of comfy dwellings nestled along each ‘floor’.

The Alpha’s den was, as you can guess, located on the third of these natural step-levels, and therefore, presented a somewhat tiring problem to the two already injured and drowsy wolves at the structure’s base. This problem was more easily dealt with than some might’ve guessed; taking turns as they climbed each successive incline, they leaned on one another, each supporting the other’s worn-out body, a job which required Kavik to offer Lakota more and more support as they started to climb the progressively steeper slopes.

Eventually, the two of them bested the last rise and walked on somewhat wobbly legs down the ‘balcony’ to one of only two caves located at this height. Kavik allowed Lakota to precede him and waited for her signal before following her into the inky blackness of the cave. It was surprisingly warmer, but not by much, as there were only three or four other wolves currently asleep within, but Kavik gave the temperature little consideration. He had no strength left to spare and he wanted desperately to sleep. He had been planning to simply follow Lakota into the cave and then, after the silvery female was dead to the world, to creep back down and find an unoccupied den in which to spend the night. The trek up had forced him to scrap this plan; as he lay down on the cool stone floor, he knew that he would not be able to get up or even lick clean his injuries until at least morning.

Ah, well, such was life….

His eyes slipped closed…

And then snapped open again as he felt another furry warm body come into contact beside his own as Lakota – who else? – Lay down next to him. She was…ah…uncomfortably close, her side pressed to his back, her ribs gently moving and expanding with each respiration. Under normal circumstances, Kavik would’ve jumped up at such a gesture, but was currently unable to do anything but give a slight twitch and a sharp intake of breath. His eyes wider than usual, he turned his gaze to Lakota, intending to ask her just what the heck she was doing, but before he could even begin, she answered his inquiry for him.

“Calm down, I’m just trying to keep the two of us warm. And don’t even try it,” she added hastily as she saw him preparing to argue. “You’re hurt and it’s too cold for you to sleep all alone in here…you’ll get sick and your wounds could get infected.”

Kavik knew she was right – an injured wolf in the cold almost always got sick if unsheltered, not to mention suffering a nasty infection– but the knowledge didn’t keep his cheeks from flaring up as Lakota rested her head atop his. ‘Too close! Too close! Too freakin’ close!’ his mind screamed and Kavik crushed the annoying voice like a bug underfoot as he lay in the dark, cheeks molten, a female wolf all but lying atop him. The stupid thing wasn’t helping anyway. His color deepened even further a few minutes later as Lakota mumbled, in the fuzzy tone of one who is almost, but not quite yet under the Sandman’s spell, “Mm Kavik…. You’re really comfortable…” before sighing contentedly and apparently drifting off into a deep sleep. And, trying desperately to push certain thoughts out of his mind, Kavik followed suit.

He dreamed of his Family…of playing with his brothers and sister and their parents…and, most of all, of Lakota… And in his sleep, he scooted closer to the warm body next to his, and inhaled the fragrant reek that was Lakota’s and hers alone…

((()-()))

Roland came trotting up the last of the inclines, his breath condensing into mist before his eyes as air blew out from both nose and mouth. The sentry’s howl had been nothing at all to be concerned with, just a false alarm, nothing more. He’d hurried back, in the hopes that he could maybe catch the two wolves halfway up and maybe offer assistance. He apparently wasn’t needed, seeing as the two of them had managed to gain the summit before he’d even returned and were now resting in the – hopefully – warm cave.

He padded into the den, claws skritch-scratching on the stony ground beneath him. He noted their position with some amusement; Lakota was practically on top of Kavik, with her head buried in the angelic white mane of his neck, he with his own head resting on the ground not far from her. Both were snoring, Lakota softly, Kavik somewhat louder and in what could almost be classified as a growl. You could only expect such from him; not only was he relatively bigger than Lakota herself, but his snores were amplified by the fact that he was also a male and happened to be more prone to the sometimes annoying sleep disorder than most others.

As Roland watched, Kavik moved, positioning his head so that it rested across his daughter’s forepaws. Lakota did not wake, but moaned slightly before drifting off again. The old black wolf felt a smile cross his face as he watched Lakota snuggle deeper into Kavik’s fur, sighing as she did. Had he not known better, Roland might’ve been of a mind to assume that Kavik and Lakota were lovers, said assumption implied by their abnormally close and personal position.

Most wolves were usually solitary sleepers, the only exceptions to this rule had to do with couples and temperature; mates usually slept together for the enjoyment of their shared warmth. But if it was unusually cold, perhaps even life threatening, and there was no immediate shelter, then a large group would huddle together to conserve heat. It was highly unusual for contact to take place outside the said circumstances, but here it was, lying right in front of him… They did look rather nice together though, he observed and that was something in itself.

Chuckling mentally at the thought, Roland moved into the cave, making not a sound in passing, his fur granting him invisibility in this darkest of places. Stepping carefully, he made his way to the back of the den, navigating through the intermittent weave of sleeping forms with the ease of long practice. At last he came to a halt beside his mate and lay down so that his back was to hers. He stiffened slightly as he heard her give a half-asleep moan and ask, in a groggy and slurred tone, “R…Roland? What’s…?”

“Shhh,” he replied, giving her cheek a single lick to quiet her. “It’s nothing. I’ll explain in the morning.” He nuzzled his dark head against her silver one, ears flattened against his skull, his tone gentle and coaxing. “Go back to sleep.”

Without need of further request, she promptly let her eyes slip closed as she dropped back off into sleep. Moving a little closer to her, Roland followed suit, laying his own head overtop hers, unconsciously mimicking his daughter. His mind attempted to barrage him with worrisome thoughts of the morning to come, but he pushed them away, content now merely to sleep. He was too tired to consider those things now and such would have to wait until morning. He smiled to himself as he lay in the dark, already beginning to drift off to sleep. Not only had he found his daughter, but he’d encountered a friend he hadn’t seen in years.

The day had come to a very...acceptable ending after all…

Chapter 11
Newcomer

Kavik awoke in the early hours of that same morning and yawned, his eyelids fluttering back to expose the faded blue orbs concealed beneath as he did so. He stared out at the rising plume of orangey red that was the slowly assenting sun spreading its fingertips of warmth over the land as it climbed the ladder of the sky. He blinked, turned his head to the right – the sun was just too bright to look at this early and besides it hurt his eyes like no tomorrow – and then froze. In spite of having just awoken, he was suddenly the most wide-awake wolf on the planet, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as he stared at the face of the animal lying almost on top of him.

Lakota lay on her side, her head having gently slipped from its perch atop his own either at some point during the night, or just now when he’d first stirred and then awoken to be blinded by the day’s approaching light. One of her large yet delicate paws was draped over his side and he pushed it gently away with the tip of his nose, trying not to rouse her.

Had the light only a bit stronger, he would’ve stopped to marvel at her beauty, for she was beautiful, the most voluptuous creature he’d ever laid eyes upon. Now, however, all he was concerned about was getting outside and down to the small brook that ran into and through the central clearing to tend to his wounds, thereby making himself acceptable for Roland’s address later that morning. Catching some grub for both himself and the other occupants of his temporary residence wouldn’t be a bad idea either, come to think of it, and he promised himself that, should the opportunity present itself, he would not pass it up.

With utmost care, he gently slipped out from under Lakota, going slow and making no sudden moves in an attempt to allow her to sleep on – god knew how she needed it. He finally managed to gain his feet, his muscles and injuries moaning and groaning as he did. Turning to the entrance of the cave, he somehow managed to half-limp, half-stumble over the rest to come into contact with the strangely cool air. He sniffed the fragrant breeze. Something was up…Why did it feel like spring when he knew couldn’t possibly be that warm…?

Shaking his head, deciding to leave such matters for later consideration, he stretched and nearly fell; his leg injury throbbed and the pain flared up once more and he clenched his jaws together until his muscles ceased their agonized howl. Even then he was forced to suppress the groan of delayed agony that wanted to come spilling from his mouth. No, wouldn’t do for him to wake the rest in such a fashion, wouldn’t do at all. He to somehow dealt with the pain and began to limp down the long sloping path that led to the clearing, wincing at every step. He told himself that the twinge he felt was nothing; he was just sore. Yeah, sore. Right. Just keep telling yourself that. And for a while it worked. But, by the time he reached his destination, his head had begun to pound with the steady, rhythmic pulse of his throbbing body. It was all he could do to even keep upright, let alone put one paw in front of the other. After a period where his pained limb reigned supreme and blotted all the rest out – a time that seemed to last for years and years, though it had really only been five minutes – he came to the bottom of the last incline and began to pad slowly over to towards the steady babble of brook. Finally, when he thought he could stand it no longer, he gained the stream…and by God, wouldn’t you know it, he tripped over a rock and went sprawling.

He let out a short yelp of panic and tried to prepare his body for the jarring double-edged effect of that frigid water soaking first his fur and then his skin, adding cold to his now blazing pain. Oh, man…yes, this was going to suck something awful, you bet! His eyes squeezed shut…and then flew open with a slight gasp as, contrary to his expectations of what he was sure would feel like liquid ice, he felt his fur being soaked in surprising warm water. In truth, it actually felt pretty good. Hell, scratch that; it felt heavenly. “Thank you…God,” he sighed as he pushed himself into a sitting position with great difficulty, letting the water runoff worm its way down along his back like long balmy threads. As he dipped his muzzle into the blessedly warm water again and preceded to clean all the wounds he could reach, he surmised that, judging from the temperature, the stream must’ve been made from the melted snow runoff from the mountains as it tricked down to the valley below.

Needless to say, where the water came from hardly mattered to Kavik; all that mattered to him at this moment was enjoying this feeling of peaceful serenity as the warm water cleansed and sanitized his cuts and gashes – not to mention silencing his aggravated muscles. So, it can come as almost no surprise whatsoever that, being engrossed as was in his ritualistic healing process, Kavik failed notice the small group of wolves until they came padding into the clearing…

However, this in not to say that they took the same amount of notice of him as he did of them, oh no never think it. They all froze immediately and for a space of perhaps ten seconds, only stared at him with cold eyes. On the other hand, while it would be true to say Kavik may’ve been occupied to a large degree by his pain, it did not mean that his instincts – which had been honed to razor blades in the wilds of Alaska – were dulled in any way. His head snapped up, instantly focusing on the leader, eyes hardening the slightest bit. He liked neither the feeling nor the looks he was getting from the small party. ‘I’m not getting a good felling about this,’ he thought and felt a twinge of unease. ‘Nope. Not good at all...’

They were a small group consisting of only five or six and had obviously just come back to report a successful night’s hunt, for they stank of fresh blood and there were traces of meat hanging from the mouths of one or two. One was black, another two brown and one other was beige, but the fifth…he was a pale gray, an odd color for a wolf, even in these parts. While his color may’ve seemed odd, what struck Kavik the most about this wolf wasn’t his looks or his aura of bad-temperament; it was his size.

The other three were all pretty average when you got right down to it – he towered over them by at least eight or nine inches – and he could sense a trace of fearful respect in them, as was only natural; he was larger and therefore their superior. But the last easily stood three feet tall and probably a little more. The gray wolf was almost his equal in size and just this in itself was amazing. It should not come as any surprise to us that Kavik – whom, you must bear in mind, was himself just an inch or so under three and a half feet tall and so being was as rare as they come among his kind – was blown away by the possibility that there was another so close to his physical status.

Oh sure, there was Roland and his offspring who were all very large for wolves but Kavik had long ago learned of the link connecting him to his lupine friend. Both their mothers had belonged to the same pack, except that it had been made up almost entirely of Great Wolves. It was – or had been – the last remaining pack of his true ancestors, his true kin, in the north. Then, humans had come – as they inevitably always did and nothing you did could ever change that as he himself learned the hard way many, many years later – and the pack had been forced to scatter like mice before cats, never to be reunited again. His own mother Aniu had been but a year and a half old and was, sadly, separated from all of her family save two; her mother Sophie and Roland’s own mother, a beautiful pitch black female named Amara. The two females had been…no, were the last of their kind and had stayed together as long as possible…but the Great Spirit hadn’t been with them one fateful day during a nasty encounter with a group of hunters and they had been forced to split up, leaving Aniu with only her mother for guidance. Kavik had heard this story from Roland himself years ago after they had first met and had been pleased to know that there was a small smoldering roach of hope for his dwindling kind…

He shook his head slightly, cursing himself. It hurt a bit and he felt a momentary dizziness, but he did it anyway; it cleared his head of all those troublesome thoughts about the past, and it wasn’t the past that should be most concerning him now, it was the present and immediate future! Based on Roland’s tale, Kavik guessed that the gray wolf must’ve been one of the offspring of one of those who – like his own mother – had eluded the humans and lived on. But all that was by-the-by, and the reality of it was that Kavik didn’t much care where this wolf had come from, for the gray beast began to move forward and Kavik could smell the reek of disgust and suspicion pouring from him with every step he advanced. He noticed with an inward twinge of alarm that his carefully controlled features did not suggest, that the rest of the hunting party seemed to have taken this as a sort of signal from their ‘leader’ and were beginning to follow in his wake. Kavik swallowed. The situation seemed to be getting worse and worse by the moment….

The wolf continued to stalk forward, paws crunching in the snow, the sounds amplified by the silence of the early morning. Kavik would’ve also stridden forward to meet him, but was prevented from doing so by the pain raging through his exhausted body. Finally, the monstrous lupine halted, and fixed his eyes with Kavik’s…and the white hybrid found himself somewhat startled by their color. The left was the dull gold of over-ripe tree sap whilst the right appeared to be the color of…blood. A blood so dark, that it was almost black. Heart’s Blood in other words… They looked at each other, and as they glared piercingly into the other’s face, Kavik saw that the wolf’s eyes had almost no reflective property, as if they displayed a soul so dark, so corrupted by dark desires, that it gave him the glassy-eyed expression one often sees in the eyes of the newly deceased.

The wolf seemed to be studying him not as a threat, but as one studies an annoying insect that can be squished at any time. This is not to say that Kavik was intimidated, even to the slightest degree. It bears repeating that he was normally a very kind and gentle soul, and would not, under other circumstances, have answered aggression with aggression. But, though he was only a few years into adulthood, life as a lone wolf in the wild had taught him much, and he was wise beyond his years, and he knew what sort of creature this wolf was at a glance and could’ve told you that words would do no good with one such as him. Pain was the only thing that could get through to his kind. And so, Kavik returned the stare, his own eyes narrowing in likewise suspicion. His normally soft and loving expression turned to one of grim determination mixed with a flash of warning. His eyes blazed as if with blue flame, yet remained as sharp and hard as frozen steel or the polar ice caps.

Suddenly, his adversary’s scowl of distaste was replaced with the flicker of a smile. “What’s your name, mutt?” he sneered, voice dripping with all too obvious disgust that he made no attempt to mask.

Kavik felt a growl trying to rise in his throat and fought to keep it at bay, but was only marginally successful as he replied, “My name is Kavik, first-born kin to Aniu and Loki.” He was surprised to feel himself practically trembling with rage. What was it about this wolf that made him feel so angry…? “And, what may I ask, is yours?” he added, slipping in his own slight edge of amused disgust into his voice.

The wolf merely continued to smile, though his eyes flashed as with mirth as he let out a slight chuckle and replied, “Not that it’s any of your concern, trespassing dog, but I am Juji, son of Nikita and Cujo.” He sniffed the air in front of Kavik’s nose and then seemed to recoil slightly, snout wrinkling as though he were about to vomit. “Ah…I see. You speak the truth; you are his son. After all, who could ever forget that half-breed’s stench?” He sneered and Kavik his face grow slightly warm with suppressed rage. “You dare call yourself a wolf? You reek of those disgusting creatures that make it their duty to crawl on their bellies before the humans….” His sneer morphed into a sly smile of contempt. “You’re no better than a dog…”

This time, it was Kavik’s turn flash, not with mirth, but with a species of almost uncontrollable fury. “I would watch your tongue when you speak of those whose blood runs though me, Juji, son of Cujo,” he retorted, his voice trembling, so great was his resentment at hearing his father addressed in such a manner. He felt his hackles begin to rise yet paid no heed; his whole attention was focused upon keeping his temper under control. “Or of my own self for that matter…for I have no quarrel with you or your mates.”

“Oh really?” Juji growled in return, his own hackles now rising. “And why, pray tell, should I take orders from one such as you, a cowardly mutt who has the nerve to sneak into our land and think he has the right to our recourses?”

“Because,” Kavik said through clenched teeth, “I arrived here late last night, in the company of your Alpha, Roland, son of Virgil, and his daughter, Lakota, and am here as her father’s honored guest and good friend.” He had hoped the mention of his Alpha’s name would give Juji second thoughts about whatever he was obviously planning, but realized almost at once that his words had fallen upon deaf ears; Juji did not so much as twitch a single whisker.

In any case, Juji continued on smoothly as though he hadn’t heard, although his eyes gave a flicker of his own warning sign. “I knew your mother Aniu, Kavik,” he said, letting the second name spew from his mouth as though propelled by vomit. He suddenly grinned and it made him look, for lack of a better word, quite insane. “Oh, she was a real looker she was, and she knew how to do the most exquisitely dirty things late at night…” He chuckled, and the rest joined in. “…The things that bitch could do with her mouth to your c – ”

“Shut up.” Kavik suddenly snarled in a tone that was low and deadly and trembled in fury. He threw caution to the wind. Hang the consequences as well! He knew this was the sort of reaction Juji had been hoping for, but he would die before allowing this scumbag to degrade his mother, his own mother Aniu–who was known widely for her undying devotion to his father, Loki (she’d even followed him into exile)–with such filthy and slanderous lies! “Don’t you dare say another word about her, you sick b*****d!” He felt as if he would simply explode! An emotion so great that even the word ‘hatred’ did not do it justice billowed from his every pore and his lips writhed as he snarled like a rabid animal.

“Oh my, it looks like someone’s got quite a temper…” Juji remarked blithely to the others, who were now looking a trifle nervous, despite the fact that they outnumbered him 4 to 1. “I thought you knew all about your dear, sweet **** of a – ”

“I’m warning you,” Kavik interrupted him, eyes blazing like hot coals. “One more word – ”

“And you’ll what, Kavik?” Juji interrupted him, his own tone abruptly matching Kavik’s own, his own eyes flaring with the anticipation of what he knew he could drive Kavik into doing. It was quite clear he was looking forward to combat. “What’ll you do if I – ”

“…If you don’t shut your ugly – ” (here Kavik used two or three words his mother or indeed even his foster parents had never dreamed of telling him and nor did he want to think about what their reaction to his sinking to the level of using such language would’ve been) “ – mouth right now and walk away, so help me God…I’ll kill you.” This last was spoken in a voice so low that it could almost have been classified as a whisper…except that it was a thousand times more unnerving and more terrible than any raw shout ever could’ve been.

“You’ll kill me?” Juji inquired in an equally low and deadly tone, as though he doubted or hadn’t taken the threat seriously. “Do you honesty think that I’d let the son of such a dishonorable cur and his ***** of a mate even – ” But just exactly what Juji wouldn’t allow Kavik to do nobody ever found out, for at that very instant, Juji had gone too far. He’d pushed the hybrid’s last button.

Kavik could no longer hold himself back and he discovered with a slight surprise that he no longer wanted to. Even if he had, there would’ve been no point in trying, for he had reached the outermost limits of his restraint and couldn’t take it any longer. The rage and bloodlust roiling within him could no longer be contained; he had to act. Words were of no more use here. Without a snarl, a bark, or even so much as a growl, he suddenly sprang for the other’s throat, his pain forgotten, as was that morning’s previous feelings of exhaustion. He had never felt such a blind hatred as he now did for Juji and he felt a red mist begin to cloud his mind.

Juji, obviously not quite prepared for this, tried to roll with the blow and nearly succeeded all the way, though Kavik’s fang’s still ripped deep into his shoulder and dark blood spurted out, staining the white snow a deep crimson. Juji spun back to face his opponent, snarling, his eyes blazing as if with the very fires of Hell itself. He quickly tried to counter with a strike to Kavik’s injured flank, but only managed to tear a long, shallow gouge across the other’s back.

Kavik grimaced as he felt Juji’s teeth slice into his unprotected back, and swung round, snapping at his enemy’s momentarily unguarded left foreleg. Juji tried to flit out of harm’s way but wasn’t quick enough and Kavik’s jaws locked around the limb like a steel vice and, before the gray wolf sank his own teeth into Kavik’s own shoulder, twisted it viscously to the right. Each let out a yelp of pain that was muffled by whatever pieces of each other they had a hold of and both instinctively released their grip.

Juji leaped away, muzzle stained with Kavik’s blood, his shoulder deeply torn and soaking the fur around it with blood. He breathed an inward sigh of relief; the mutt hadn’t managed to break his leg entirely, for his angle of attack had been awkward to begin with. Still…it was a near miss. Juji allowed himself a slight smile. He’d almost given up hope of finding someone like this…and now here was this wolf/dog Kavik. He was a worthy opponent all right…

But Juji felt as though he’d had enough fun for the day. It was time to get this over with. He signaled the others and before Kavik had time to react, he suddenly found himself beset by three different pairs of fangs. Smiling in triumph, Juji swiftly attempted to strike for Kavik’s exposed throat. It was all over…

Or so he thought.

Kavik cringed and was helpless to suppress a few yelps of pain as he felt the teeth of his adversaries’ rip into him. One went for his forelegs, another for his right shoulder, and the last buried his teeth in Kavik’s already ripped back and untouched right side. He swung his head to the right, smashing his skull against the brown wolf clinging to his shoulder, stunning him. His head flared in pain but he did his best to ignore it and sank his teeth into the stunned wolf’s face, driving them clean to the bone. The wolf yelped and slashed franticly at him, ripping into Kavik’s own face. They were trying to knock him off his feet and if they succeeded, any chance for victory–or survival–would be lost. Then, out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Juji–the lowly coward–spring for his unprotected throat.

As it was, with a wolf tearing at his back, another at his leg and one more occupying his jagged maw, Kavik was ill disposed to successfully fend off his gray nemesis. So, in desperation, he did the only thing left; he swung his head around, wrenching the brown wolf whose face his still held in his jaws away from his shoulder and flung him bodily into Juji’s face – tearing out a good chunk of the brown lupine’s cheek as well as most of his ear as he did so. Thankfully, the wolf was smaller and lighter than he was so the action did not require as much effort.

Unfortunately, this rash action invariably caused him to loose his balance, and he toppled over with a cry of dismay. He felt a primal sort of joy as the other black wolf who had been latched onto his back, himself gave a yelp of dismayed pain and surprise, having been crushed and pinned by Kavik’s superior weight and size. Hearing his comrade’s cry, caused a second’s hesitation in the other’s attacks, and it was all the opening Kavik would ever need.

Snapping his head downwards to his right, he sank his teeth into the black wolf assaulting his foreleg at the base of the neck, ripped him free with a roar of effort – his awkward position made the movement all the more strenuous – and repeated the same tactic as before, hurling him into the advancing Juji, effectively stunning him just enough to administer a few brutal bites and gouges from his rear legs to the one attempting to free himself from under Kavik’s bulk. Free of all that dead weight, Kavik jumped to his feet just in time to meet Juji head on.

The other three watched, lying in their own respective pools of spreading blood as the two titans clashed and battled with one another. They were awe-struck by the scene unfolding before their eyes – as were a good many others who had been roused hastily from their sleep by the din they’d made with their fight. Never had any of them a more ferocious or brutal confrontation; Juji and Kavik hacked and slashed at one anther, bit and tore and each attempted any number of tricks and maneuvers…the only difference was that Kavik tried to fight with honor and dignity whilst it was all too clear that Juji was willing to resort to any means to achieve victory, no matter how such low-leveled attempts were looked down upon. He threw dirt, went for Kavik’s tail, and even once tried to go for his eyes.

At last, Kavik managed a lucky snap to his already injured foreleg, causing Juji to trip himself up. Juji landed flat on his back, an appeasing move if there ever was one. For a moment, he glared up at Kavik as though daring him to do it…yet, Kavik held back.

“What’s…the matter…Kavik?” Juji asked in a maddeningly mocking tone, grinning wildly. “Can’t you…do it?” He voiced a brief chuckle of disgusted pity. “Pity…your father…ain’t here…to see what a…coward his son is…” He taunted.

But Kavik, who, unlike Juji, was not a cold-blooded killer at heart, and took no pleasure in ending the lives of others without just and credible cause, made no attempt to strike; it was not in his nature to sink so low as to deliver a finishing blow to one of his kind when they were down, not in a fair fight, anyway. But this had long ago ceased to be a fair fight so…

No…no, he would not be baited, and certainly not by the likes of this mutt. Not twice by the same despicable wolf. “My father,” he said, between gasps for breath, “wouldn’t…approve…and neither would…my mother…or…my sister for that matter.” He said. And then, he did something very unusual, even suicidal; he stood up, drawing himself to his fullest height…and turned his back on the very wolf that had tried to kill him and had even sunk to new levels in the attempt. Kavik knew he would’ve gained neither honor nor respect in taking the life of such a creature…besides, if he did, he’d probably catch something really nasty from having bitten him…

The rest looked on in wonder; never had they seen any beast nobler – or, in the eyes of a few, more foolish – than the one who now half staggered over to the stream once more to return to his task before he had been so rudely interrupted. A few who had known his mother and father felt tears spring to their eyes at the thought of what Aniu and Loki would’ve said were they among them to witness their son’s actions. Suddenly a cry of outraged alarm went up, for Juji suddenly sprung to his paws and set upon the tenderhearted wolf/dog’s unsuspecting back. Kavik cried out in surprise and pain as he felt Juji’s claws and fangs sink into the torn flesh once again. He felt the strength run out of his legs and he collapsed, falling face-first into the bloodied snow. He squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to brace himself for the fresh wave of agony as Juji ripped into his unprotected back once more. Once, twice, three times Juji hacked and slashed into his back. Luckily, the gray wolf was just as exhausted as his prey, and therefore, was unable to deal much life threatening damage to that particular wound. Juji spat out a mouthful of blood and leaned down, jamming his bloodied snout into Kavik’s ear.

“Shoulda’ taken me when you had the chance, Kavik.” Juji sneered in his ear. Kavk watched their reflections in a tiny pool of water from the stream as Juji raised a paw to deliver the final blow. He watched as the claws flexed and the paw curled and was surprised when, instead of the wave fear and shame he would’ve expected to feel had he been about to be slaughtered as he now apparently was his fate, he felt only a surge of guilt at the sorrow his death would no doubt induce within Roland and his family…especially Lakota, who was as kind and loving as she was attractive. He puzzled over this last revelation, but his curiosity was interrupted as Juji went on. “Really, I marvel at your stupidity. I mean, what kind of dumb sh*t would walk away from an opportunity like that?” he inquired, punctuating the curse with a gob of mucus that he launched into Kavik’s face. “I, on the other hand, won’t be so – ” He was interrupted by a suddenly loud and imperious voice, one that boomed through the clearing to reverberate off the valley’s slopes.

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, JUJI?” The voice was so powerful in its obvious rage and outright shock that Kavik felt a chill run down his spine and was not at all surprised when he both saw and felt the way Juji’s own body shook with fear. Whoever it was, their temper was both larger and more malignant than the two of them combined at their most volatile levels of aggression.

Kavik felt the weight slowly slide from his back and at first, could do nothing but lie there, hardly daring to believe how close he had come to being killed. After a few labored breaths and sip of water from the stream, he attempted to push himself into a sitting position. It hurt like you wouldn’t believe but he somehow managed it, despite the blaze of pain that rippled throughout his torn back. He glanced at himself in the pool and grimaced at the ghastly reflection he cast; he was bleeding from over a dozen different wounds and his left ear seemed to have been badly ripped in addition to the indescribable signals being sent to his brain from his battered body. Tearing his gaze from the reflection, he looked upwards to see to whom that God-like voice belonged…and saw Roland, standing on the edge of the cliff that served as the exit for the his family’s den.

And he looked furious.

No, Kavik decided. It would be better if he did only look furious; the emotion Kavik really did see burning in his friend’s face was something like livid rage, fury and sadness all mixed together to create one of the most startling and awe-inspiring continuances Kavik had ever seen.

He came slowly down from his perch, sending wolves scurrying backwards a few steps so as not to obstruct his path. Four more followed him, but Kavik had no eyes for them; he was fixated upon Roland, who no longer looked a day older than he himself was. In his current state, the Alpha seemed to be a hundred times bigger that he normally was. Finally, Roland reached the clearing and even Juji, cocky and somewhat foolish though he was, had his head and ears submissively lowered as a sign of fearful respect. Kavik too, had assumed this position, though in truth, he did not realize it until his back – which could not support such a posture – suddenly cramped and he was forced to sit straight up with a strangled groaning cry of pain.

No one said a word. All were silent. No one even dared to breathe as Roland repeated; “Well, let’s have it, Juji! What’s going on? Why have you, the son of one of my closest and oldest friends, taken it upon yourself to attack this wolf?”

“Well…you see Roland, it’s not my fault! I didn’t even growl at him and he just jumped – ” Juji began but was silenced with a yelp of pain as Roland’s paw, faster than blue blazes, whipped out and smashed against his wounded cheek.

“I ASKED FOR AN EXPLINATION,” he roared, and Kavik was helpless not to let out an involuntary whine, “NOT A LIE NOR AN EXCUSE!” He glared at Juji. “Do not make the mistake of taking me for a fool, Son of Cujo, for I know for a fact that Kavik was injured far to grievously to do any ‘unprovoked springing’ as you say!”And when it seemed that the gray wolf would not – or more likely, could not – speak, Roland turned and padded over to Kavik.

Kavik himself instinctively lowered his head submissively, not daring to do otherwise despite the fact that his forelegs began to tremble from the effort. He kept his eyes locked on the ground in front of him, unable to look his old friend in the face. He waited for Roland to begin shouting at him as well – he might even disserve it – but…he never did. Instead, the black wolf placed a gentle paw under Kavik’s bloodstained muzzle and slowly but surely forced Kavik to look him in the face. And Kavik saw that tears were coursing down the older wolf’s cheeks as he asked; “Kavik…Oh, dear friend…Since the other cannot or will not speak to me, will you tell me what happened out here? And why you and he were engaged in an unnecessarily brutal conflict?”

“I…I came down here, maybe fifteen minutes ago to clean myself up and tend to my wounds in the stream…I wanted to be…presentable to the clan.” Kavik said, uncomfortably aware that every pair of eyes was resting upon him. “I witnessed…a group of wolves coming out of the forest and assumed they were returning from the night’s hunt.”

“And were they successful, do you think?” Roland asked him mildly, a note of polite interest in his tone and raised eyebrows.

This was such an exact opposite of any question that he had been expecting to hear that Kavik blurted out; “Yes. I…I could see and smell blood about them.” Roland nodded and made a twirling motion with his paw, as if indicating that Kavik should go on with the tale. “He, Juji I mean, came over and we stared at each other for a while…” Kavik paused searching for the right words to describe the feelings flowing between them. “I got the feeling…that he didn’t care much for me.”

“Ah, and how did you know this?” Roland asked.

“I…I could smell it,” Kavik replied, “It was like…he hated me, no, like he loathed me.”

“I see,” Roland replied thoughtfully, seeming to reflect deeply upon this. After a moment or two, he said. “Go on. What happened next?”

“He asked me who I was. I told him my name was Kavik and that I was the first-born son of Aniu and Loki and then I asked for his name and he told me he was Juji, son of Nikita and Cujo.” Kavik’s eyes and voice hardened as his next words ground out between clenched teeth. “And then he called me a ‘trespassing dog’ and said something about how I smelled like my father, Loki and how it wasn’t easy to forget a stench like that…”

“That isn’t tr– ” Juji began, but Roland swiftly overrode him, shouting; “SILENCE! I will hear your version in a moment, but not before I’ve given Kavik a chance to recall his own!”

“You can’t –” Juji started, beginning what Kavik thought would’ve been a sentence only an absolute retard would utter. Saying, ‘You can’t do that’ to the Alpha was like signing your own death warrant. In any case, Roland’s son, Bane growled, “Shut up.” and then silenced him with another backhanded blow to his injured cheek. And, deciding to act like a good little coward and follow instructions, Juji shut up in a hurry.

“Please, Kavik, continue,” Roland invited him warmly.

Kavik gave his friend a small smile and said, very softly, “Thank you, but before I oblige your request, can you do something for me?”

Returning the smile, the black wolf replied, “If I can and it’s reasonable within our laws.”

“Please, try not to hit him in the face anymore.” Kavik asked in a very serious tone, glancing at Juji. And when Roland only stared at him, his jaw hanging slightly ajar, Kavik went on, “I’ve hurt him enough as it is and I’d prefer for him not to have to suffer any more than he already has.”

“Very well.” Roland said, “I will bow to your wishes.”

Giving a nod of thanks, Kavik picked up his story again. “I told Juji that I wished to hear no ill will spoken against those whom I love and tried to assure him that I had no quarrel with either him or the rest of his party.”

“And how did he respond?”

Kavik smiled a trifle grimly. “He asked why he should bother to take orders from someone like me who ‘sneaks into the pack’s territory and uses their recourses without consent’.” Kavik replied, shooting Juji a sideways look of distaste. “And I tried to explain that I had arrived with you and Lakota and the rest of our own party last night and that I was an old friend of yours…” He trailed off, suddenly unsure how to proceed. How could he tell them what Juji had said about his mother?

“And?” Roland said, now a trifle impatiently, twirling his paw again in that ‘go on, go on, can’t you see time’s wasting?’ gesture of his.

“And…and…” Kavik had to pause to draw a deep steadying breath. “And then he…insulted my mother…” At this there was a murmur amongst those attending, for some of them–as I’ve said before–had known both his mother and his foster parents and knew Aniu to be a kind and loving creature, as were .

“How did you respond to this?” Roland asked, and although his voice gave nothing away, Kavik could tell the fires of his rage had once again been sprinkled with kerosene.

“I told him to shut up, of course!” Kavik suddenly burst out, and then embarrassed, he said, “I told him to shut up and I…I called him a…sick *******.” Again, a flurry of mutterings was roused by this statement, though not nearly as many as when Kavik had told them of Juji’s ugly lies about Aniu. “And then he…he…” Sincere though he wished to remain, even Kavik had trouble suppressing the tones of rekindled anger and outrage as he cried out, in a strangled half-roar; “He…he called my mother, my Mother Aniu, a ****! And then he…started going on about how she’d…” again, he had to pause and gather the courage to speak the words. “He started going on about how she’d…done…things to him at night that my mother would never have done in her life! She would rather have died than do something like that!”

This raised the greatest clamor of all, for even those who hadn’t known Aniu as well as the others had at least heard of the kind of queenly creature she was, and Roland was finally forced to call for silence before things got out of hand. He shot Juji a look of pure venom and snarled in a deadly whisper, “If I find that this is true, Juji, the punishment for committing such an offence will be far greater than you can imagine…For I knew Aniu very well, as did many members of this pack, and I am sure that I speak for us all when I say such an offence against her good name will not be tolerated!” The eyes in that face were like two roughly hewn emeralds that blazed with an emotion so strong that Juji wilted before his gaze and averted his eyes, a shudder racking his bloodied body.

When Roland turned back to Kavik, the white hybrid was touched to see that two large fat tears had fallen from his eyes and he looked as if he might just loose control and begin to weep at any moment. This time, Kavik needed no prompting to continue. “After that I…I lost control and we just started having at it…” He shuffled his forepaws uncomfortably. “I admit he tried a few dirty tricks and didn’t fight fair, but then again the same might be said of me; I used two of those wolves you see lying on the ground as both a shield and a distraction…” Kavik finished, looking at his paws, his cheeks aflame.

Roland took a moment to steady himself and then said “Very well, Kavik, son of Aniu and Loki.” He turned to regard Juji. “And what say you, Juji, son of Nikita and Cujo?” and although his voice was low and utterly devoid of emotion, Roland’s eyes burned with a passion unlike any Kavik had ever witnessed. Juji opened his mouth, but before he could begin, Roland added, “You would do well to remember Juji, son of Nikita and Cujo that the penalty for this action is either expulsion or…death, whichever we members of this pack decide.” He paused. “However, should you attempt to deceive those present with falsehoods, your punishment shall be much more severe. Choose your words carefully…and keep in mind your situation among your elders in light of your previous engagements with other members of our pack….”

For a moment, Juji looked unsure, as if finally considering the consequences of his brash and unreasonably violent behavior. He might be killed a few minutes from now…. Finally, opting for forgiveness, he growled, “I have nothing to say in contradiction to Kavik’s story. It’s all true…every stinking word of it.”

There was another wave of disgruntled muttering among the assembled lupine colony, but they fell silent at once as Roland raised a paw. He fixed Juji with a leveled stare that was striking in its enmity and asked, “Do you realize what you have done by confirming Kavik’s story?”

“Yes,” Juji all but spat out, shooting a hate-congested glance towards the wolf in question.

“So, you admit to attacking him without provocation?” Roland roared.

Juji growled out something to the affirmative.

“And do you also realize the consequences of your cowardly attempt to take Kavik’s life whilst his back was turned after he had shown you mercy when he could very justifiably have ended your life then and there for this action? Speak!” Roland asked, his voice strengthening and rising in tone and volume. To this Juji said nothing but he nodded, though he and Kavik still starred at each other, both with eyes narrowed in furious loathing. Wordlessly, Roland returned his gaze to Kavik and said, “According to our ancient laws and customs…his life forfeit to your will. You may deal with him yourself, or you may turn partial or even complete judgment over to the council if such is your desire…” He shot Juji another of those wilting sidelong glares before returning his expectant gaze unto Kavik once more.

Needless to say, Kavik was somewhat taken aback by this turn of events. He had known about this type of situation but had never imagined it would fall to him to decide whether or not his would-be assassin should either be banished from the pack or not live to see another sunrise. His brow furrowed in concentration as the two halves of his conscience fought it out. One was saying that he should spare Juji because he, Kavik, just couldn’t give the order for one of his kind to be executed – it went against not only his mother’s teachings but his own morals as well. ‘I…I can’t. I can’t sentence him to that. Such a sentence would be too harsh…even for the likes of him.’ he thought. The other side was screaming for him to go for the kill or to at least order that Juji be killed like the backstabbing, underhanded piece of garbage that he was. ‘He tried to kill you without just cause and let’s not forget what he said in regards to your dear sweet mother…’ that side whispered and Kavik nearly decided right then and there to simply rip out the troublesome gray wolf’s throat after all. And really, he’d deserve it… Reason reasserted itself within seconds of this thought. ‘How dare you think of going to such extremes!’ Aniu’s voice rang in his head ‘He may be a hotheaded monster, that’s true and what’s truer still is that he’s a cowardly trickster, but his crime does not warrant a punishment of such a high degree…’ After a few more seconds’ internal debate, Kavik finally came to a decision. “Roland, son of Virgil?”

“Yes, Kavik, son of Loki, have you settled on your choice of action?” Roland replied, seeming to steel himself for the answer he knew as coming.

“I have.”

“And what is your decision?” Roland asked, again steeling himself for whatever answer he expected.

“I choose…to spare his life.” He said. A great babble of noise, the loudest yet broke out. Some applauded, others begged him to reconsider, and still others looked unsure of which side to stand with. Finally, Roland, for the last time that day, called for silence.

When all the talk had died down he asked, “This is your final decision then?” He seemed slightly surprised by Kavik’s choice but deep down he’d known that it had been the only one Kavik would’ve been capable of levying upon the unfortunate lupine.

“It is. I have only three conditions.” Kavik replied, in a strong, firm voice that his state of body – small pools of blood had begun to form from the places where the crimson fluid had dripped onto the snow – hardly supported.

“Name them.”

“Firstly,” Kavik said, “I request that Juji be sent forth from the pack for a sentence time of up to 2 months, mayhap less.” There were several murmurs of approval at this. “Secondly,” he went on “I request that, before he is sent forth, all his wounds be tended to and his body given time to begin healing.” More muttering followed this. “And thirdly,” Kavik went on, raising his voice above those assembled. “I request that those whom aided him in the unjust attempt upon my life are to share his sentence and receive the same degree of medical attention before they too are sent away in his company.”

Much talk followed this last statement and Kavik waited patiently for their decision, even though he was beginning to feel rather tired himself as a result of the amount of excruciating damage done to his already exhausted body. Finally, the hubbub quieted down and Roland asked in a loud, clear voice, “What say you, council of the White Wolf pack? Though Juji tried to kill him, Kavik has opted to spare his life and instead expel him from our order for a set time. And, though the decision is his to make, the final word still rests with the council. Now, I ask; Does this sit well with you?” The response was immediate and unanimous: “AYE!” called out some forty and odd voices. It could be no clearer; Kavik’s verdict held.

The wolf/dog smiled wearily and shot Roland a small, satisfied smile that the other returned…except there was something weird going on. Kavik squinted, puzzling over this latest development. Since when did Roland have two identical twins? Come to think of it, he’d never mentioned that Lakota had two twin sisters either. His smile became slightly listless, and his eyes lost their focus. ‘Perfect. I’m seeing double. No doubt I’m also about to pass out from the pain and blood loss,’ he thought and chuckled, seeing Roland’s face darken in sudden concern tingled with a hint of fear.

He tried to rise to all fours, but his legs felt wobbly and unreliable and so he stumbled a few times before managing to coax his weary paws into supporting his immense weight once more. Even so, he overbalanced and it was up to Roland to hurriedly support him.

Upon seeing Kavik teetering on the edge of balance, obviously in a lot of pain, Roland started forward and it was a good thing too; had he been only a second or two slower in his movements, his old friend may very well have fallen flat on his face, adding a bruised nose to his already fully stocked arsenal of current afflictions. “Whoa, there, easy.” Roland cautioned him, not liking the unnaturally high temperature of Kavik’s body against his own. “We’ve got to get you fixed up, right now. You’re really hurt, Kavik…” Roland said, trying to hide the worry in his voice. ‘Dear God, please, don’t let it be a fever,’ he prayed to whoever or whatever deity would listen. ‘I’m not sure if he could survive such an illness in this state…’

The white wolf–or so the Alpha judged him worthy of being called–nodded and sprouted a slightly crooked smile as he chuckled and said, “Man…I’ve really stepped in it this time!” He glanced over towards where Juji and the rest of his small party were being shepherded – none too gently – into a small cave by an older wolf who had a sort of look about her that said she would take extra care to make cleaning their wounds as unpleasant as possible. “Make sure they’re taken good care of…”

Roland was slightly confused by Kavik’s request. Here he was, bleeding, his wounds re-opened and made even more serious, and in spite of it all, he was still trying to see to it that the very animals responsible for his miserable situation were not mistreated. ‘He’s certainly his mother’s son and his father’s pride and joy, wherever they might be….’ he thought and smiled. Then he and Kavik were making their way to his den again, this time with Roland supporting him instead of his daughter.

Finally, after much panting and more than a few eager helping paws offered from many a wolf along the way, the two made it to the Alpha Den where Roland laid Kavik down on the stony floor and then ran – albeit reluctantly – to make sure Kavik’s request was being carried out. Kavik watched through half-lidded eyes as several other wolves crowded into the den upon Roland’s departure. He looked over their faces and was a little alarmed when he suddenly realized he couldn’t make out a single one. His vision was going very fast and he knew already that loss of consciousness would follow in short order. He began to shiver at the thought of being surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces and scents – some of which might not be so sympathetic to his condition in regards to the aftermath of the morning’s brawl. His teeth began to chatter and he suddenly let out a shapeless groan. Why did he feel so hot…yet so cold at the same time? What was wrong with him?

He knew of course; they all did. He had pushed himself far beyond his physical and emotional limits in too short a time span and was now paying for it with the onset of some sickness. He shivered once more as he remembered that most wolves that contracted any illness didn’t survive for very long. ‘No…not here, not now…’ he thought, his mind already becoming jumbled and murky. ‘I can’t die…not like this…It’d make Roland and Lakota sad…not to mention all the others…. But what chance do I have of survival?’ Slim to none, that’s what. At this last thought, another tremor racked his body and he felt like he was barely four months old again and he found himself wishing for his mother and father, the warmth and comfort afforded by their furry bodies…

Strangely, as if this thought alone had summoned them, he suddenly felt two warm bodies press into him on either side. He tried to open his eyes and look to see who it was so he could thank them, but his eyelids felt like they weighted ten pounds. “M-mom? D-dad?” he asked stupidly, hardly aware of what was spewing from his mouth. His brains felt like mush.

He moaned softly and flinched the slightest bit as he felt the creature at his back give him a comforting lick on his bloodied muzzle. Lakota’s angelic voice drifted to him even as he sank down into the darkness of a troubled half-sleep; “No, Lakota and Eravice. Don’t worry, you’re going to be fine.” He heard these words but, in his delirium, thought the two voices belonged to two angels who, it seemed, had been sent by a merciful God to spirit him off to the Great Beyond.

Whether or not it was true, he couldn’t think of a more beautiful way to go, wrapped in their loving embrace…

Okay, I just want to say how sorry I am that it took me three stinking months to get this written...but I hope you'll forgive my porcrastination and read this long chapter anyway. Why am I even still talking to you? In fact, why are you still reading this stupid thing? Let's get on with the chapter, shall we...

Chapter 12
Attachments

Kavik swam in and out of consciousness for seven days, his temperature skyrocketing through the roof on the fourth and dropping dangerously low that same night. He was never moved from the den and was unable to distinguish between reality and his fever-induced dreams. Even the ability to tell night from day eluded him in the haze of his sickness. He often moaned and whined in his uneasy sleep, his eyes rolling in fear. Lakota stayed with him throughout, offering what comfort she could, licking his face, nuzzling him, offering murmured assurances that all was well and that he need fear nothing. Yet it did no good more often than not, for he was still plagued with nightmares where he would whimper and call out for his mother, father and two others named Lobo and Nig and another named Kemo. Sometimes, her mother or father was there to help her to do their best to soothe him…often without much success.

She felt her heart go out to him as she watched his paws jerk and his muscles twitch as he began to moan and cry once more as his fever again began to work its hideous black magic on his dreams. “No…Mother…Father…look out…for them!” She felt something deep inside her cry out as she saw tears begin to course down his face. “Lobo…Nig…Ikea…No…Run Kemo! Go…get away…got to go on…!” She crept closer and laid her own silver head across his own snowy one, gently licking away his tears, trying to give what comfort she could to her distraught friend.

“Kavik…Shhhh…it’s okay…it’s only a bad dream…” She cooed and was heartened a bit when he at least ceased to mumble and his tears stopped soon after. She stood, stretched a bit to relieve the stiffness in her muscles and then lay back down beside him. She watched as he began to sink into what looked to be a more peaceful reverie, for his breathing slowed to almost normal and the tremors slowly left his body. She smiled sadly. ‘Oh Kavik…’ she thought. ‘You’re so kind and gentle…but inside you’re in so much pain….’ She sighed. “What happened to you, I wonder…?” She puzzled over it, but not at great length for at that moment, Roland came padding quietly in, carrying with him a hunk of bloodied deer meat, still fresh from the scent.

“Father…” she greeted him with a smile and an affectionate nuzzle. She looked into his kind, wise face…and then for some reason, did not know what to say. A moment ago, she had been brimming with questions regarding Kavik – where was he from? Who were his parents? And (perhaps most importantly) how did her father know him? But in light of that gaze, her mind suddenly went blank, and she could – for some reason unknown even to her – find no strength with which to speak.

“How is he?” Roland asked, having noticed his daughter’s momentary brain fart or not. He had glanced over her shoulder to regard the still ailing Kavik, who, for once, looked to be actually having a rather halfway decent time of it. He tried to make the question sound nonchalant…but she could sense how worried he was nonetheless; she was, after all, his daughter and knew him better than he knew himself as far as certain areas of his personality were concerned.

She too looked over at him. “He’s fine, actually getting a decent rest for once…” She felt a small, tender smile creep onto her mouth. “He had it bad last night…but his temperature seems a little better now…” She paused and remembered how even his fur had felt hot to the touch and she – along with all the other occupants in the den – had feared the worse was coming to pass. But – amazingly – the hybrid’s condition slowly lowered to the point where they needed not fear such a fate…at least not yet. “I have to admire him…” she said, unaware that she was still starring at the white-furred lupine. “It’s like he’s fighting fang-and-claw against whatever’s wrong with him…such determination…”

Roland allowed himself the barest flicker of a sly smile. He could see what feelings Lakota might have begun to invest in their new addition to the clan…and there were some who wouldn’t be happy if such feelings blossomed and word got out, as it undoubtedly would; you can’t control gossip no matter how much you want to or how hard you try. But, the decision was hers, after all…and, to some degree, his own. “Yes, he certainly seems to be…” He chuckled. “Aniu and Loki would be proud…” He smiled and added, “and…you needn’t keep a constant watch on him…I think it unlikely he’ll go anywhere in his present condition…”

He chuckled once more as he saw his daughter’s cheeks go a light pink as she averted her emerald eyes back to him once more. “I-I’m sorry, Father, I…” she trailed off, flustered and blushing furiously while her father only gave her a knowing look and continued to smile to himself.

“Nay, you needn’t apologize, I’m sure he’d more than appreciate what you’re doing for him…” He interrupted gently, returning her nuzzles with of his own.

“That…that’s hardly fair to the rest of you!” She retorted, somewhat indignantly. “I’m not the only one who’s been taking care of him. What about you, Mother, Bane, Ash?” She gave let loose a slight sigh. “We’ve all been worried sick about him…”

“Mayhap you’re right,” Roland allowed, still smiling, “but…none of us have stayed up for the last three nights in a row to watch over him…. Or lain at his side for hours at a time long after our shift as his guardian has passed…” His smile split into a grin as he saw her blush deepen as he went on. “Which brings me to why I’m here…” He dropped the meat before her and nosed it forward. “Here, I thought you might be hungry…”

She started to shake her head, but stopped halfway; her stomach voicing a loud, reverberant clamor that made her laugh. “I guess I am a bit hungry…” she said and then glanced over at Kavik once more and picked up the chunk of bloody venison, intending to try and give it to him instead. Roland was deeply touched by her good intentions…but interceded, stepping gently between the white wolf and his daughter.

“No,” he said, shaking his head when she tried to go around him. “Nay, you need to eat something…”

“But Kavik – ” she started, but the Alpha overrode her, his voice taking a slight edge that brooked no argument.

“Kavik wouldn’t want you starving yourself for his sake.” He said. “Besides…I think he’d rather you went out and stretched you legs for a bit as well.” He gave her another of his soft smiles.

“But…” she began, looking at Kavik again. Roland really had to admire her devotion, but enough was enough. Heir to his throne she might be, but she was still his daughter, and it was time he reminded her his superiority.

“Lakota,” he said, his tone hardening and catching his daughter’s attention immediately. He continued in a softer tone. “Please, go out for a bit. You need a break. I’m sure Kavik wouldn’t want you to waste away from watching over him…let someone else shoulder the task for a while. Your friends have been worried about you.” He grinned. “There’s been…talk. Gossip regarding the two of you…” He smiled at the way she blushed even darker than before and gave another of his loving nuzzles. “I love you…now, go and do as I say…and don’t worry; I’ll stay here and look after him for you. And, you needn’t worry; I’ll keep him safe from, ah…let’s call it, ‘competition’?” he added, with a sly little wink and a chuckle.

“What’re you t – ” she began and then faltered as she realized what he meant. “F-Father!” she chided him, blushing furiously, her cheeks now as dark as roses in full bloom. “I…I didn’t mean–”

“Run along, run along,” Roland replied dismissively, but she could tell he was very amused indeed by her reaction. And so, badly flustered and not knowing what else to do, she padded out and began to move down the long, winding path leading to the inner courtyard…

((()-()))

Roland moved to the mouth of the cave, watching his silvery daughter depart down the path. He smiled once more as he saw that she was immediately surrounded by a crowd of giggling females, most her age, some a little older. He could just imagine the questions that were being thrust upon his pretty daughter…’How’s he doing?’ ‘Is he well yet?’ ‘What’s going on?’ ‘When can we see him?’ ‘Is he as handsome as everyone’s saying he is?’

He smiled again. He seemed to be doing a great deal of that lately, but he wasn’t about to complain; it was having Kavik back in his midst and by his side. He turned and padded over to where the young crossbreed lay, thankfully still sleeping peaceably by the look of him. He chuckled as he recounted how he had first met this young daredevil of a wolf…and how he had forever earned a place of respect in the Alpha’s eyes….

Back then he, Roland, had still been young…well, ‘young-er’ would’ve been a more accurate word he supposed, but he wasn’t going to belabor the point, much less with himself. He had been in control of the pack for only a few years, and though he was strongly supported by the majority of their band, there were still a few scattered throughout who doubted his abilities somewhat…he still had yet to prove he was as great a leader as his Father, Virgil…well, let’s be honest, no one could measure up to that wolf; he had been in a class of his own….

Hard times had befallen their then relatively well-sized clan. This was not uncommon for any wolf pack in the wilds of the far Northern countries; quite the contrary, starvation had become an almost constant threat to their livelihood. Sometimes there were bloody coups waged between two or more clans for dominance over what little game there was to be had in one territory or another…sadly, Roland’s bunch had been involved in on of these. Upon their retreat, they had even been forced to split into separate groups so as to throw off their would-be killers. Their actions had only served to underline the direness of the situation; normally they would’ve never dreamed of splitting their numbers…but fate had demanded it to ensure their survival…. In response to the unexpected division of their quarry, those of the Black Hawk clan had begun to pursue them with greater vigor. Nor was theirs the only clan that had been killed off by these barbarous mongrels. More than once Roland and his own group of followers had come across the remnants of some poor slain wolf who had been brutally eviscerated, the entrails devoured, and what remains there were having been picked over by the scavengers… The black wolf tasted bile as he remembered one particular case where the victim had been a female…who had been with pups. He felt a shudder rack his body; he was glad Lakota had not been there to see …nor Bane for that matter either. It would not have done for them had they been witness such taboo killings at their age…for they had still been considered early adults back then, not long past their adolescent years but not accustomed to adulthood either….

Roland allowed himself a small smile of pride at one thing in particular; no matter how hungry they had gotten during that hellish period, never once had they resorted to devouring their own. Such actions were reserved for ravens and other such disgusting creatures. They were wolves after all and were, if nothing else during their long, ageless reign upon the earth, been nothing but adaptable. They would rather have survived on rats and vermin rather than resort to such atrocities – and they were often forced to scrounge for such despicable creatures.

They had gone on and on for three days. No food, no rest and no water save for the odd gobble of snow that really did little to ease the insufferable discomfort; it only reminded them of their still-empty stomachs. Then, on the fourth day, he had called them to a halt. Knowing that their enemies were not as far away as they would’ve liked had done little to ease his frantic mind at the time; to go on as they were, exhausted and malnourished would’ve done nothing to increase their chances of surviving a full-scale brawl with Black Hawk wolves. When it had finally come to that, as some part of him had always known it would, he had decided to hand select a small group of his most trusted and worthy hunters and trackers to lead in an ambush on their foes to try and slow them down so as to give the rest time to make their escape….

And that’s when he had shown up….

((()-()))

Roland stopped in his tracks, head lowered and his tongue lolling from his mouth like a red flag. He risked a glance over his shoulder to see how the rest were faring; no luck there. The brothers Crash and Eddie were struggling to top a particularly troublesome snowdrift, Marcus, a brown wolf with a penchant for being unshakably optimistic was faring only a little better, having to stop and assist his young son Timber every once and a while. Roland felt his heart ache as he saw Jonas, his Beta, come to a stop beside him, looking tired but no less determined than when their little group of thirteen had set out a hour and a half ago. The gray wolf also stopped beside his leader to take stock of the small band that had accompanied the two of them from outcrop of sheltering deadfalls that was currently serving as the group’s temporary residence until this bloody business was finished.

He checked them off one by one. Crash, Eddie [1], Marcus, Timber, Silvermane, Swiftpaw and Serpico – a trio of wandering brothers who had come to them from out of a great arid desert far to the east [2] – Dante, a loner who had somehow made a place for himself despite his tough, unyielding attitude. Chehalis and his son Mingan, accompanied by a cream-colored lupine named Ash, a long-time friend of Chehalis’ [3] and last but not least, Ishmael, a wolf who had only very recently joined them and had previously been in league with the Ice River pack [4]…. Including Jonas and himself, the Strike Force was all accounted for. Ha…strike force, oh please. It was too grand a thing to call the eleven exhausted, miserable bodies moving up the hill. A hindrance was a more accurate description of what they hoped to accomplish. The Alpha smiled grimly. He wouldn’t be surprised in most or all of them perished in this last desperate attempt to save their clan…. Not that he minded; he would’ve gladly laid down his life for his loved ones and could think of no other wolves he would die beside than these….

“It doesn’t bode well Roland, our present condition….” Jonas said conversationally a few moments later when the others had caught up and they had once again started on what was almost certainly their death match. “We’re outnumbered, outmaneuvered and most of all outclassed…” he smiled, his one good eye twinkling merrily. “But what the hell…at least we can all go down fighting together….”

Roland returned the smile and let out a humorless chuckle that the wind snatched away the moment it’d passed his cold lips. “Yes…but there’s no one I’d rather walk paw in paw into the Spirit World with, old friend…you are all better wolves than I could ever hope to be.”

“Aw…now you’re just trying to butter me up, you big softie….” Jonas replied, a defeated grin capturing his mouth.

Roland open his own mouth to reply when he suddenly went rigid, tail raised in a silent warning to the others who all instantly stopped, bodies tensed, trying to ready themselves for whatever command their Alpha might issue. Roland sniffed the chilly night air. A full moon hung in the sky, fat and bloated, its light reflecting off the snow casting a dim throughout the woods around them. He could smell a thick musk, and another, more feminine reek. Both were very peculiar indeed. They were half a mile away at best…. Neither smelled like a Black Hawk scout…. He sniffed again. Their scent was heavier, muskier…and somehow oddly familiar…. He couldn’t say for sure, but he knew he had sampled this particular fragrance before. His brow furrowed and he racked his brains feverishly, searching his memory banks, trying desperately to assign a face, a name, anything to identify these newcomers.

Jonas was looking at him closely. He too had scented this wolf and was now looking at Roland with some puzzlement. “They don’t smell like any of Black Hawk’s…but neither do they smell like two of ours either….”

“I know this wolf…” Roland replied. His voice sounded fuzzy in his own ears.

“What?” Jonas was regarding him keenly now. “You – ”

“Yes…or one like him at any rate. His father or mother mayhap…” He sniffed again. The two were so similar…a brother and his sister perhaps? Out here, in a place where outsiders were often killed on sight without question…? He puzzled over this latest development. Whoever these two were…they were either very courageous…or very, very stupid…mayhap a bit of both, as stupidity and courage often go paw-in-paw with one another. But, judging from what his gut told him, it was more likely they were the former rather than the later…but why here, of all places…?

Roland shook his head, attempting to rid himself of this pointless distraction…they had a ways to go as of yet and they could ill afford to be waylaid by two travelers who might just happen to be passing through. Hell, they themselves had no business being where they were! With the matter decided, Roland signaled to the rest to follow and continued to plow through the snow. He prayed to all the Gods that were that they would at least be able to buy the others some time to get far enough away so as to be safely back in their own territory….

An hour later and it became painfully obvious that whatever deity held sway over the great scheme of things had declined to answer his prayer; the snow was now falling so heavily that Roland, skilled in the ancient art of tracking though he was, couldn’t tell if they were even headed in the right direction anymore. He turned his head to the left, eyes narrowed against the wind that was tearing at his face like sandpaper and razors, and spied a small outcropping of rock and earth.

It was then that he realized that it was back, that strange scent from before…only much closer now… and coming from that very cave as a matter of fact….

Roland paused, considering. They were exhausted, all of them, and at the rate their party was moving, it would be impossible to navigate through this snow and hope to reach the enemy den site in time to make any difference whatsoever. Their best chance to help their loved ones was to hunker down for an hour or more and let the storm blow itself out…and catch up on their sleep in the meantime. Whoever these two were, they were outnumbered…mayhap they wouldn’t mind sharing their shelter with a few weary travelers but if they favored opposition…it wouldn’t be too difficult to turn them out, or so he hoped….

He looked to Jonas and gave his head a jerk to the right. “We’re heading west! Towards that cave!” he jerked his head to indicate the jumbled pile of boulders from where the strangely familiar scent was coming. Upon closer inspection, however, he discovered it really wasn’t fair to call it a cave; an abandoned bear den was a more accurate description of the ragged hole he could see that had been all but punched beneath the sheltering roots of some mighty pine.

“Are you sure?” the gray wolf inquired, casting an appraising sidelong glance at spacious den. “If those two are of a mind, they’ll give us plenty of trouble if we just barge on in unannounced and uninvited. And I hate to say it, but I doubt we could do much in the way of defense against them in the state we’re in….”

Roland sighed. “If it comes to that, we’ll have no choice but to try and drive them out; theirs is the only place that’s big enough – not to mention close enough – to accommodate all of us at the same time. We’re all exhausted and at this rate, we won’t find either a decent resting place or our targets until it’s too late to make any difference in the matter. Besides, this wind is blowing to hard for any of us to even be sure of what direction we’re going in, much less which is even the right one.” And without further argument, the Alpha turned and started to head for the roomy den, leaving the rest to follow him of their own accord, if they had any inkling to survive any longer out here in this steadily increasing storm.

The gray warrior sighed in agitation, but followed his Alpha without hesitation. Why should he not? He would follow Roland to the End of Oblivion if need be…he was not just his Alpha; he was like the brother he’d so long pined for during his youth, and therefore, he would stick by him, no matter what the consequences.

((()-()))

Kavik lay in wait within the shadowy confines of the ‘cave’, readying himself to spring upon the approaching wolves should the need to defend himself and Ikea arise. His eyes narrowed as he caught the powerful scent of a wolf that was perhaps three, maybe even four years his elder, and therefore more seasoned in the ways of combat. Kavik himself was not helpless mewling pup when it came to the art of bloodletting, but he was by no means a fool; age and wisdom walked paw-in-paw with one another. More than once older and more experienced wolves had driven he and his sister away, Kavik’s natural prowess in combat having been outmatched by his opponent’s more cunning battle tactics.

Yet this time it seemed that age and experience might not be the deciding factor in this duel – should there prove no way to reason with these solicitors other than with claws and fangs and pain. The encroaching scent told him that this wolf and the others who followed in his pawprints were exhausted. He felt a grim smile rise to his lips. If there was a fight…he was confident he could best these weary beasts, though it would still be far from a walk in the park, make no mistake about that.

He stood suddenly, his corded muscles tightening like piano wires as he stared directly ahead of him. They were close, the leader not more than five or six feet from the entrance, followed closely by another, more seasoned warrior. Kavik stood, his tail high and straight as a ramrod as he called out “That’s close enough, all of you,” in a strong, clear voice that carried with it a touch of aggression.

Now, all would play itself out…for better, or worse….

((()-()))

Roland squinted, searching for the entrance to the makeshift shelter, and began heading toward it, all his senses tuned so as to warn him of an approaching enemy if any came calling. He was all but at the cave’s very doorstep when a voice like a grizzly’s deep-throated rumble ordered he and his bunch to come to a halt. There was power in that voice, and a good deal of it too and Roland didn’t need his nose to tell him that this wolf was not about to be driven from his den by force alone.

His gut told him that this was one lupine brother he did not want to cross, and so he obediently stopped, trying to stare through the haze of blowing snow and raging wind and catch a glimpse of his…his what, exactly? He couldn’t call the wolf his opponent, not when they had not even exchanged names as of yet, so…?

The commanding voice cut into his thoughts, jerking him roughly back into reality. “Who are you, and what business have you with me or my sister? Speak.” Roland found himself taken aback. This was no simple scavenger, huddling in the corner. No, this wolf spoke with a note of authority in his voice, in a tone that demanded respect…. He was one bad son of a bitch to be sure.

Roland cleared his throat and moved forward a pace. “My name is Roland, Son of Virgil.” He replied, his own voice sounding just as hard and flat as the den’s unseen sentry. “As to my business, I seek no quarrel with either you, nor your kin. I am traveling with a group of my packmates and we seek protection from this storm, nothing more, nothing less. Yours happens to be the only one available and we would be forever indebted to you if you were to allow us to stay.” He paused and then added, “And now you have me at a disadvantage, for while you know my name and reasons for being here, I remain ignorant of both of yours. The second I can do without I think, but might I know the name of the one with whom I seek shelter with?”

A few seconds ticked by. They seemed endless to exhausted wolf. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, there came a reply. “You are very wise, Roland, Son of Virgil, to keep your true numbers hidden from me…as well as your true intentions.” Roland relaxed a bit. He could hear the smile in that voice and some of the bite had been worn out of it. Both were good signs. “You have earned my trust…for the moment. Come to the entrance, and bring along your Beta, if you so wish and if he is present among you.” There was a short, good-humored chuckle. “If we’re going to palaver, we may as well behold the face of those with whom we deal. Do you agree?”

Roland felt a smile of his own tug at the corner of his frozen mouth. “I do.” He motioned for Jonas to follow and the two swiftly closed the gap separating them and their possible benefactor. Upon reaching the entrance, the reason for the unknown wolf’s seeming invisibility became immediately apparent as he was stark white, blending in perfectly with the powder now showering them. But his eyes…they were an intense cerulean blue and blazed out at the world from his scarred face, the suspicion lingering deep within them even now. And he was big. As large as Roland himself, and he was larger than most of those in their party, including Jonas, who stood a good three or four inches below him.

The wolf gave them a soft smile. “I am Kavik, Son of Loki. Farther behind me is my sister Ikea.” Roland noticed Kavik didn’t bother to jerk his head to indicate her; he never even so much as glanced in her direction. He was smart. A good many others had made such a mistake before. By taking your eyes off your enemy, you exposed yourself to possible attack, even more so if you were foolish enough to expose your throat. This wolf, Kavik, had been taught well in the ways of both survival and war. “But, now it is you who have me at a disadvantage…for while you have my name, I’ve yet to learn yours….” He spoke, not to Roland, but to Jonas.

Jonas himself lowered his head fractionally, a sign of respect and trust. “I am Jonas, Son of Singe….” he said, sounding out his father’s name as though it were a bad taste he wanted to rid himself of. Roland winced internally.

The subject of Jonas’s father had always been a touchy one indeed. His father, Singe, had been a cruel monster, a demon in wolf’s clothing that had facilitated a bloody war between the Western clans of the Rocky Mountains and the Southerners, those of the Plains, who had included Chehalis and his family. Among his earliest victims had been Ash – a good friend and personal counselor of Roland’s – whom he had instructed to butcher an expectant female along with another bitch and her litter of young pups. He had refused, of course and had been forced to watch whilst Jonas’s father slaughtered them himself before turning his attention to the rebellious Ash, whom he had severely injured and then left for dead. Amazingly, Ash had somehow survived, though he even now bore the horrible scars from the monster’s claws, and had devoted his life to avenging the innocent females Singe had killed and his own attempted murder. He had succeeded…but only thanks in part to Singe’s mate, Hope, and his then year-old son, Jonas, who had realized what a monster his beloved father was and helped to bring him down. After his father’s death, Ash had taken a liking to Jonas and it was widely known that Jonas considered his father’s killer a worthy replacement…not that Singe had or ever would offer up much competition in that regard. Apparently, Hope was of the same opinion, for a year later, she took Ash for her mate. Jonas had been nothing short of overjoyed at the news.

But, that was all a story best left for Jonas to relate, and Roland merely kept silent. Whether Kavik noticed his Beta’s change in tone or not, his expression gave nothing away. He merely inclined his own head, still not taking his eyes off Roland. He smiled. It was an easy smile and it warmed Roland’s heart to see it. Things were getting better and better by the moment. “And now, just to even out our playing field; my sister and I would be glad to accommodate you and yours…always assuming there’s room enough, as we’re still unaware of how many you are…?” He finished, raising one eyebrow in a good-natured jest.

“We are thirteen in all, including Jonas and myself.” Roland said. He was immensely relieved. This Kavik seemed so compassionate…so willing to make friends. And he was a skilled warrior, much like Jonas and many others whom Roland had brought with them. This might turn out be advantageous in more ways that one…

Kavik’s smile grew. “It is good then.” He said, grinning now. “There should be just enough, though we may be a bit hard pressed for space.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll gladly let you and your party stay here as long as you wish, though I’d prefer to take counsel with my sister before the final decision is made.”

“By all means.” Roland replied, in no position to oppose the request – not to say that he would have, even under normal circumstances. A female wolf awakening to find herself surrounded by unfamiliar males was a time bomb concocted with nitroglycerin, just waiting to go off. However, if this Ikea was anything like her hardened brother, then she would be just as willing to take them in…or so he hoped.

A few minutes later, after a hurriedly whispered conversation between the two–of which both Roland and Jonas remained ignorant of–Kavik reappeared, still smiling. “We have consulted one another…and have decided to accommodate you for as long as either of our parties see fit.”

Bowing submissively to show his gratitude, he and Jonas returned to the rest of their now very anxious group. In a matter of minutes, the situation was all told, orders had been issued and all the wolves were herded into their temporary home. To everyone’s surprise, the cave turned out to be more spacious then their host had originally estimated, and was large enough to hold them all quite comfortably.

Hours passed. There was surprisingly little movement within the cave; almost all of the wolves were sleeping like the stones themselves, all but dead from exhaustion. Save for two. Roland lay in a sort of half-finished adjoining chamber – it was really nothing more that a large bubble in the cave’s outer wall – contemplating his strategy for the coming battle. He tried to focus, knowing that not only his life but also the lives of his whole pack depended upon their success…yet thoughts of his mate Eravice and his beautiful children Lakota and her brother Bane kept trying to crowd all the rest out. He sighed in frustration. This was getting him nowhere…he stood, feeling the need to clear his head. Maneuvering around the slumbering bodies with the ease of long practice, he reached the entrance of the cave and looked out at the snow. The storm had shown no signs of letting up anytime soon when they had entered and the situation had not changed, which was troubling to say the least because dawn was not far….

He sighed, looking through the surrounding forest and into his memories. ‘Ah…Eravice, how I miss you so,’ he though, feeling a tug on his heart at the mention of her name. He could see her now…storm gray fur shining in the light of a full moon, her amethyst eyes sparkling like the throwback reflection of the sun off polar ice. Thinking of her got him thinking of Lakota as well…. He wondered how she was doing, leading half of their pack alongside her mother? He felt a smirk rise to his lips. She was no damsel in distress; that was for ***** sure. She’d be taking charge, leading them with confidence and determination…. Roland sighed again. If only he could be there to see it…how proud it would’ve made the both of them….

“Couldn’t sleep?” a voice to his left inquired.

Roland’s heart leapt into his throat, and he barely managed to stifle a yelp of surprise. His head whipped to the left, seeking out the owner of the voice…and found Kavik, sitting next to him, eyes sparkling with mirth.

The onyx wolf favored him with a short chuckle. “You startled me.”

“Sorry, that wasn’t my intention.” Kavik replied, with an apologetic smile.

“No, it’s all right. You should feel proud of yourself Kavik, Son of Loki, for it’s been a long time since anyone’s been able to get the drop on me so quick.”

“Don’t berate yourself,” Kavik offered an understanding smile. “Soul searching has the drawback of making you blissfully unaware of your surroundings.”

“You speak as though from the voice of experience,” Roland observed, his own smile resurfacing.

“Aye, you say true,” was all the other had to say on that subject.

There was a slightly awkward pause between them, and then Kavik said, “The snow seems to be still going quite strong….”

“Yes,” Roland replied, tone betraying his agitation.

“Something the matter?”

Roland opened his mouth, and then closed it, opened it once more and then decided to keep his own counsel. No need to burden this kind savior with his own problems. “Nothing you need trouble yourself over,” he said at last.

Kavik was helpless to repress a small smile. “Your actions betray your true worry, Roland. You needn’t worry about–”

“It’s none of your concern!” Roland spat, more sharply than he had intended. He immediately regretted the snide remark.

Kavik did not wince or flinch away from that tone but his eyes widened slightly. After an awkward pause he said, “Forgive me if I spoke out of turn. You’d rather keep yourself to yourself, I more than understand.” He seemed uncomfortable. “After all your affairs are not mine to meddle in….” He trailed off and then turned to go.

Roland felt a pang of guilt in his gut. Here was this perfectly friendly wolf that was just trying to help and he had rudely turned him away. He should feel gratitude towards this concerned lupine, not mindless anger. “No, no, it was I who spoke out of turn not you, Kavik. Forgive me….” He said quickly, voice laden with regret. After an awkward pause of his own he asked, “Would you still be willing palaver with a cranky old codger like me?” he offered the other a small, hopeful smile. If he didn’t tell someone of his woes they would suffocate him like an impending avalanche.

Kavik’s smile returned in greater force, the warmth spreading to his soft, comforting cerulean orbs. “If you trust me enough to tell, then what civilized answer can I offer other then to sit and be a confidant in your time of need?” His eyes softened even more, becoming swimming pools of blue that, at the very sight, seemed to assuage Roland’s fears and doubts.

“First, before I begin, I must ask; are you familiar with the Black Hawk clan?” This would decide a great many things, the most prominent among them whether or not Roland would be forced to explain much more than he had to.

Surprisingly, Kavik’s expression underwent a shocking change. His eyes grew stony and when he next spoke, Roland detected a note of anger and resentment embedded in his voice. “Ah…yes, I’m afraid so….” He glanced to his right, eyes searching out his slumbering sister where she lay next to Jonas. “I…we…my sister Ikea and I, I mean…the two of us had a rather rough encounter with them only a week ago….” He swallowed and Roland herd the click in his throat. But, when he continued, his voice was still firm. “We ran into a few rouges by chance while we were attempting to pass through here on our way to the forests of the great north….” His gaze returned to the falling snow. “They seemed to think us spies from another pack, one they called White Wolf. I tried to reason with them, saying that we two only wished to pass through unhindered–for it was obvious that this White Wolf pack had run afoul of them and I didn’t want to involve either of us in whatever conflict was raging between them….” He sighed. The exhalation was tired sounding, as if this was not the first time such an incident had occurred.

“They didn’t believe me…though I tried in vain to allay them of their suspicions, their ears were closed….” His tone suddenly dropped, taking on a dower note of bitterness. “We were surrounded and told to accompany them as prisoners. They were but a small party of five…but it was enough to keep either of us from trying to escape.” He suddenly stopped and looked at Roland, seemingly abashed.

“Sorry. I must be boring you-”

“No,” Roland interjected, his eyes bright. He was greatly interested in what this wolf had to say regarding his enemies. After all, who would know them better than one who had been their prisoner, if only for a short time? “Please, go on. Your story intrigues me.”

This last earned him raised eyebrows and the amused grin of a wolf that shares some private inside joke with someone. “All right…if you insist. Though I was of the impression that we should be more concerned with your recent escapades rather than mine…unless the two are somehow connected?” he added, his eyes sparkling, an intuitive smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“We’ll soon see…but first, continue your tale, if you don’t mind,” the shady Alpha countered, as a small chuckle and the first smile in what seemed like eons graced his wise and tired face.

“As you wish…” He paused, trying to find the dropped thread of his story. “Ikea and I were taken into their camp–which, by-the-by just so happens to occupy a valley only a few miles trek from here.” He added with a conspiratorial wink that made the other smile again. “We were interrogated…and to a degree, tortured some might say.” His voice had lost the lightheartedness of only a few seconds before, falling back into what was now a bitter growl. “For three days they lorded over us. Throwing us into a dark wet cave with no food for the night with only each other to keep warm and then dragging us out at the crack of dawn for another merry-go-round of interrogation and persecution.”

Again, the white wolf that fate had seemingly drawn Roland to paused, an unreadable emotion evident in his somber eyes. “This went on for four straight days and no matter how much he tried, their Alpha–a despicable warmonger with a heart like petrified wood called Flagg–couldn’t get us to talk or tell him anything of use. Not that we would have, even if we had known; I don’t give out information regarding the whereabouts of an opposing faction until I know where both sides stand and what their reasons for conflict are, and neither does Ikea. Flagg was not very pleased.” Kavik smiled suddenly; it was a hard, flat look of one who has been victorious but paid highly for their success.

“Finally, after two straight days, he either got fed up with the standard tactics or simply wanted some ‘entertainment’,” Kavik went on, and Roland noted the tone of sarcasm in which the last word was spoken. “He dragged us out, same as always, only now, he posted more guards than usual around me…and I got a bad feeling.” Kavik’s lips pursed and he seemed to be unsure of whether on not to continue.

Apparently he opted to go on, for he took a deep breath and said. “Then, before I even knew what was happening…he had called forth two more and forced Ikea to separate from me.” Roland’s heart sank. He knew where all this was leading all too well. “Then, he ordered the two newcomers to…rape my sister, right before my eyes.” His voice quavered for only a few seconds but it was long enough for Roland to be able to see that the experience had affected his snowy companion deeply. “She fought like the devil, of course,” Kavik went on, his voice now taking on an oddly hollow tone, “and managed to hold them off for a while at least. Eventually, they overpowered her and one mounted her while the other held her down….”

Kavik face suddenly brightened the tiniest bit. “I’m not a bit sorry to say that he never got any further than that because…well, I guess you could say he was a little hampered by the fact that I went berserk and ripped his throat out.” A grimly satisfied smile crossed his face. “After that, everything sort of blurs around the edges a bit, but I know we were able to make it out of there with our hides intact, and that was all we cared about. We’ve been traveling for the last few days, trying to get out of their territory…” He finished, looking at Roland with expectant eyes.

“You must be quite a warrior if you were able to get the both of you out of there alive….” Roland remarked with adoration.

Kavik smiled smugly. “I’m not bad, but then again, Ikea’s no helpless pup either when it comes to physical force,” was all he would say on that subject. “But, come now, here I am piling all this on you when you’re the one who’s supposed to be getting something off his chest.”

Roland agreed and commenced his slightly longer tale and an hour later, when all was said and done, the two insomnia-stricken wolves had grown to know each other quite well. Kavik was more than sympathetic to Roland’s cause and offered his services to his new ‘comrade in arms’ so to speak. The Alpha readily accepted this offer. His only request of this formidable ally was that he guide their band to the valley where the Black Hawk clan laid in wait. After that, he was free to do as he saw fit.

Needless to say, the idea of abandoning his friend to fight off these demons alone did not sit with Kavik, who flatly renounced the idea of taking Ikea and fleeing while the rest engaged in heated battle. “You can forget about my running away,” Kavik snorted indignantly when Roland suggested he not get involved, “I’m sticking by you and yours to see fit that those marauding scumbags are punished for their crimes!”

It would be an outright lie to say that this bland sentiment did not please the older wolf….

((()-()))

Roland grinned as he remembered how close the two of them had become after that night’s fateful palaver. The two had slept for as long as they could–which wasn’t long at all considering how anxious they were for combat now that their plans had been initiated. Miraculously, the storm blew itself out only an hour or so before the dawn had broken and Roland had earnestly awoken the rest of his small party. It was amazing what the magic of a good night’s sleep was capable of, for not only were their bodies revitalized but the fire of the impending ambush rekindled their spirits as well.

There had been mixed opinions regarding Roland’s announcement that Kavik and his sister would be joining them in battle; none of them had known Kavik for more that 12 hours and this abrupt alliance with a complete stranger had unnerved more than a few. This had been quickly nullified however, when Roland had imparted to them the details of last night’s conversation. In light of this newly acquired bit of history, most had found it easier to trust in their leader’s decision, though a few had still held to their suspicions.

Kavik had not blamed them in the slightest. More, he was happy. Their reaction only indicated that they had all been trained by a more than component teacher in the Rules of Engagement. Suspicion was what had kept him alive through many a tight situation he had later told Roland.

They had set out with empty stomachs but determined minds and hearts, knowing that the lives of the entire pack depended upon their success in the coming conflict. Roland had kept both Jonas and Kavik close to him and Jonas in turn had kept Ikea close to him–much to Kavik’s chagrin. Getting their battalion of destruction started had proved a tad difficult, but once it had, nothing had stood in their way for long. Roland and Kavik led them steadily onward with the white wolf relating to them his own story of how he had encountered these despicable wolves only a few days ago.

It’d had the desired effect, all right.

At the mention of the horrible fate that had nearly befallen his lovely sister Ikea, their hearts were further set on not only stalling the approaching pack, but wiping it’s ugly smear of existence from the pages of their history by any and all means necessary. Even those who still harbored feelings of mistrust for Kavik soon tossed them aside, as it became apparent in a shockingly short amount of time how dedicated he was to aiding them. He even went so far as to instruct a few of the adolescent pups in the proper method of delivering the proper finishing move, which varied depending upon the circumstances. He had described them all in detail from the simplest and most common to a few he himself had invented over the years. These latter techniques were not lost on the older members of the pack either, as many of them, not even the oldest, had never before heard of one of the particularly complex moves that could be executed not by one, but three wolves simultaneously to maximize its efficiency.

Still, despite all he had to offer, a select few were still unsure of whether or not he could be completely trusted. What little suspicion remained did not last for long. By the end of that one, bloody confrontation, all traces of disbelief had been banished from all of their minds. Roland still marveled at their conquest, even now. They had been up against such overwhelming odds that victory had seemed like a bitter joke, and some had begun to lose hope even before the battle itself had ensued.

But Kavik was a different story all together. His anger and hatred towards those fools who had dared try to debase his beloved sister had blotted out all traces of fear and had pushed him to the brink of a terrible bloodlust. Upon seeing his hated the foes within reach of his seeking paw, Kavik had struck faster than any snake and with more ferocity than any of them had ever witnessed. The sight of him alone and unaided, holding his own against three or four of their adversaries had spurred them all on to greater daring, bolstering their drive, no, their need to win to levels before thought of as unattainable. Roland himself had fought side-by-side with Kavik, each seeking to hold his own alongside his comrade.

The battle had been something fierce, lasting longer than many on either side had anticipated, and though those of Roland’s group were in the end victorious, their triumph hadn’t come without a price; Marcus, father of Timber, had been badly wounded and Crash and his twin Eddie had fallen together, shielding each other with their bodies and working together as one to sew a great mass of destruction throughout the ranks of the Black Hawk clan. Dante too had suffered, having lost his ear and even Ikea had received a nasty blow to the back that had been the source of some worry for Kavik when he joined Roland and his pack, per the request of the surviving party members and the Alpha himself. But, all told, their casualties had far outnumbered those of the enemy’s. When at last they had come to their senses and retreated, three dozen of their order lay lifeless on the ground, with only five left to turn tail and run.

Roland looked at Kavik’s sleeping form. Had you been present for that skirmish, you never would have guessed that such a perfect killing machine could harbor such infinite kindness in his heart, but you’d be surprised. Upon joining up with what was left of Roland’s own portion of his split pack and the retelling of their victory and how it was won, Kavik and his sister were welcomed with open paws by all. They had been formally inducted within White Wolf’s ranks that very day in fact and oh, how the children had loved them both! Roland chuckled at the memory of his good friend and faithful advisor managing to hold the pups (of which there were nine in all) totally captivated with the outlandish stories of the adventurous wanderings shared by he and his sister…

His sister. Yes Ikea. She too had shared Kavik’s uncanny ability to manage the little ones and she often volunteered to act as their guardian whenever the rest went off hunting–an ancient act she herself had thoroughly enjoyed and one her grievous back injure had prevented her from joining in, to her mild dismay. However, she had found solace in the newborn bundles of fur and it soon became a habit amongst them to refer to her as ‘Auntie Ikea’, a nickname that had failed to tickle her to no end.

They had traveled together like that for a few months, and during that time, Kavik and Ikea had related the sad tale of their family’s murder at the hands of Man, and of the brother they both had still hoped to encounter. Roland too had told of his own family, of his beautiful mate Eravice and of the children born of their union. Sadly the opportunity to meet the other half of Roland’s then still separated pack never presented itself, as on the very morning of their ambush of the Black Hawk clan, Lakota and her mother had begun to move their own portion of the pack steadily towards their home, which had lain far to the East, in the very heart of the Alaskan wilderness, an area left to Roland by his father Virgil, who had in turn received it from his own brother Nava.

As their months of traveling passed, it was discovered that Ikea’s once hampering injury had completely healed, save for the scars. A few days later, Kavik and Ikea had regretfully approached Roland with the need to be off in search of their only living brother, Kemo a request to which the Alpha had agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

The next day, the entire pack had seen them off. Roland recalled the event in great detail. There had been crying and a lot of wonderful things said, yet perhaps no one was more affected by their departure than the pups to whom Kavik and Ikea had grown to become a sort of second family to. They whined and cried, pleading for them to stay, but unfortunately, the two nurturing lupines could not, much to the distress of their small furry playmates. Finally, after they had received Roland’s blessing and best wishes from all present, the two of them had left to continue their search.

Roland sighed expansively, marveling at the passage of time. ‘Oh what a strange existence we lead,’ he though. ‘We move on and yet the despite the passing of years the world and the land in which we live still remains largely unchanged.’ A lot had happened in just two years…and there was much Roland himself was still curious about….

He looked down at the wolf who had quite literally been the savior of his kin, indeed, the entire pack…and wondered what plans the Gods had in store for them all. If Kavik and his daughter were to… Suddenly, Kavik stirred and – amazingly- opened his eyes. Roland hardly dared believe it. They were clouded and rather unfocused but soon riveted on Roland’s shocked face in almost no time at all. Never in all his years had he seen a wolf come down with what Kavik had and live to tell of it. This was unheard of! It–

Kavik was speaking. Well…wait, no, scratch that; his mouth was moving, yes, but he seemed to lack the energy for real speech. Hastily, his dark friend bent forward, leaning down until the white wolf’s muzzle was pressed into the cup of his ear.

“…W…water….” Kavik’s voice was little more than a choked rasp and sounded like dry, dead leaves fluttering over old, moldering bones. Yet he could talk, and so soon…. Again, Roland found himself utterly amazed; never in all his years had he seen a wolf withstand so much only to recover so quickly….

“I…we’ll have to go outside, down to the stream…” Roland said. His whole body was a trembling, shaking with both exultation and shock. Kavik truly was a wolf in a class of his own. Roland’s sky-blue eyes were alight with hope. “Do you think you can…? If not, I can always ask someone to–” “…Don’t…don’t baby me…I’m no pushover.” The other replied as a ghost of a grin flitted across his features, momentarily brightening his haggard appearance.

Roland let out a sigh. “Yes, you’re out of the woods, all right…your sense of humor can attest to that much at least…” Roland remarked, shaking his head in mock exasperation, as a doublewide grin spread across his face.

Kavik looked as though he wished to retort, but seemed unable to due the exhausted condition brought on by his bout of sickness. He wheezed, and–to Roland’s further amazement–actually managed to force his body to assume a sitting position. He didn’t hold it for more than a few second –the midnight wolf was forced to hastily position himself between his worn out friend and the stony floor of the cave to prevent a nasty fall–but still; he had managed to move….

‘Where for the love of God does he get it all?’ Roland thought stupidly as he gazed at the half-dead wolf that was all but hanging onto him for support. ‘For all the Gods, is there no end to his strength?’ The apparent answer to this inquiry was a definite ‘no’ for at that moment Kavik fixed his glassy, burned-out eyes on him and said something Roland couldn’t quite hear, even as close as he was.

Twisting his neck strenuously, he moved his head closer until the breath spouting from his companion’s nose tickled his ear once more. Kavik sucked in a ragged breath and let it out speaking; “Let’s…let’s…go outside…” he swallowed. Every word seemed to be costing him a monumental effort. “I…I want…to…to see…the others…” he licked his cracked, dry lips. “And…and maybe…to refresh myself…while I’m at it.” He looked up at Roland, a hopeful expression in his eyes.

“I…I think it would be an unwise venture on your part, my friend…” his former comrade in arms replied after a few seconds’ careful deliberation. “Your body is still too weak to – ”

“Aw…c’mon…don’t gimme that…” the other interrupted, though it seemed his voice was growing weaker with each passing moment. “I…don’t wanna be…cooped up in here…for the next week and a half….” He shook his head, a lopsided grin twisting across his face. “C’mon Roland…please…?”

Roland opened his mouth to reiterate that it would be better for all involved if the alabaster wolf did not push himself so hard or so soon after his miraculous recovery…and discovered an amazing thing; he couldn’t. The words simply refused to come out…. ‘Gods curse that smile of his,’ he thought with a flare of irritation sparked with more than a touch of amusement. ‘If only he weren’t so ***** persuasive…’

Sighing resignedly, Roland steadied himself so as to better allow the injured lupine to gain support from his steadfast frame and said grudgingly, “Well…I suppose a little walk wouldn’t hurt….” He snorted for effect. “Might even get you back into shape….”

“And…and what’s THAT…s’posed to mean…huh? You…you sayin I’m fat or something?” Kavik demanded sarcastically, rousing a chuckle from the wolf beside him as the two friends began the long, painfully slow journey out of the cave and down to the water where a great many others were gathered….

Oh, this was just going to be a perfectly lovely day….

((()-()))

Author's Note

Well, there you have it folks. Sorry, as I know this chapter took WAY too long to write...but I've started Cross Country runs again and they take quite a bit out of me. Just today I was finally able to sit down in front of my computer for...oh, four or five hours today and crank out about 3/4ths of this extremely long chapter. Thanks to all of you for your undying patience!

But, let's not forget, there were footnotes in here.

[1] Crash and Eddie - these two are just an all-too obvious homage to the two crazy spazmodic possums from Blue Sky Entertainment's masterpiece, 'Ice Age: The Meltdown.'

[2] Silvermane, Swiftpaw and Serpico - These three bundles of joy happen to be three main characters from a now-removed RP called 'The Great Rolling Plains'...though in truth, the last name, Serpico is actually a homage to the 1973 movie Serpico, staring Al Pacino as the title character of Frank Serpico in his first Oscar Nominated role.

[3] Chehalis, his son Mingan and their friend Ash - this little trio is from a rather lengthy RP entitled 'The Ghost White Claims a Territory', an RP of epic (and I do mean EPIC) proportions. The first two - Chehalis and Mingan, his son - belong to my good friend Eagle205, as I think he's long overdue for a little recognition around here. The last one, Ash (who's name actually came from the main character of Sam Raimi's cult classic 'The Evil Dead' and whose life story is related above) is of my own creation.

[4] Ishmael - this furry little ball of...uh...fur belongs to my good friend and faithful reviewer Lone Wolf_fanwriter, who I promised to use at least once in a few of my fics as homage to his own great fic 'Dark Eyes, Cold Heart' the sequel to his first fic, 'New Life', both of which are worth digging up for a read.

Well, there you have it. The long awaited 12th chapter. Don't expect 13 to come all that soon...as I have another fic entitled 'Newfound Emotion: A Kodi and Dusty Romance Story!' that I'd like to finish before I devote all my attention to this one. Till next time, loyal readers!

BaltoLuver63

Very Good! I egarly await the next chapter of this and Newfound Emotion. Keep up the good work!