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The Trio is another anthro fanfiction by myself. This one is set in the Wild West at the turn of the 20th Century. A trio of outlaws, Balto, Kaltag, and Kale are on the run, unable to be stopped as they sweep their way across the states of Texas and New Mexico. When the three good friends arrive in the small town of Silent Spring, two of them encounter something they'd never expect to find: love. The sheriff, Sheriff Steele, refuses to allow them to remain in town and falsely puts them on trial and they are sentenced to death. However, before the three can face the gallows, they are rescued and flee. They are pursued across hundreds of miles as they fight for their lives and their love, eventually losing everything they feared to lose. A story of love, loss, and the strength of true friendship is about to unfold.

Chapter One to come soon!

-- Balto5670

-jumps up and down-

Wow... I never thought that The Trio would be this popular this rapidly! Amazing! Well, I hope it lives up to your expectations! Here's Chapter 1, by popular demand and request!
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Chapter 1




New Mexico, July 26th 1896




The only sounds the three dogs could hear were the thundering of hooves beneath them as they rode across the vast New Mexico wasteland. Cacti lined the horizon as they rode onward, each dog a different appearance as they rode side-by-side. One was a scruffy gray-brown wolfdog with brown and gold eyes. Another was a tan husky with brown eyes. The third was an average black and white husky with ice-blue eyes. All three dogs appeared to be in their mid-twenties. They laughed and cheered as they rode on, the faint outline of a town before them.

“That’s our next target, I reckon!” the black and white husky shouted to his friends, lowering the jet-black bandana from in front of his muzzle, revealing a smirk on his face.

“Yep, time for the trio to strike again!” the wolfdog said, grinning as the town came closer and closer. He snapped the reigns on his horse and shot ahead of the other two, laughing as he did.

“Hey! Oh no you don’t Balto!” the black and white dog said, giving chase to Balto.

“I dare ya Kale! Try and catch me!” Balto shouted back.

“You’re on! C’mon Kaltag, let’s get ‘im!” Kale said to the tan husky, getting a nod in response and the other two shot forward after their friend in playful sport.

It took the three dogs all of five minutes to ride up to the town. Above the gate into the town was a sign that read:

Welcome to the town of Silent Spring.

The three dogs grinned and rode their horses through the town, tipping their hats casually to everyone they passed. The townsfolk smiled to them and nodded back, unaware of their intentions. Kale looked at the dressing of everyone, noticing that many of the men carried gun holsters with their revolvers tucked inside.

So with a population of roughly 50, that’d probably mean about 30 guns, plus however many sheriffs and deputies could mean a bit of difficulty for us… But not with the trio of my own… Kale thought to himself and grinned as he stared down at the two holsters on his hips and the one on the side of his torso: three revolvers in all.

Balto had also mentally noted the number of civilians, just in case a fight did break out. He glanced down at his twin revolvers, then over to Kaltag’s singe gun, then Kale’s triple set. He smirked, knowing the three of them could take down most of the town if they were in the right place at the right time.

The trio rode up to the saloon and dismounted, tying their horses to the stile outside and walking up to the front doors. Beside them was a wanted poster. Kale glanced at it and chuckled slightly, patting Balto on his arm to get his attention.

“Hey Balto, Kaltag, get a look at this!” Kale said, smiling at the poster, tearing it of the wall and handing it to Balto. It read:

Wanted: Balto McLane, Kaltag Lorden, and Kale McGovern
Dead or Alive
$500 per dog
These dogs have committed crimes across the states of Texas and New Mexico, robbing various towns in a group. All three dogs are considered armed and dangerous.

Beneath the words were three pictures, a sketch of each outlaw. Balto scoffed and handed it to Kaltag, who gave the same reaction.

“Well, they got your face pretty good, Kale!” Kaltag said, handing it back to the husky, “You’d better watch out! With a picture that good, you’re bound to have everyone after you!”

“That would depend, Kal…” Kale retorted, a sly grin on his face, “If by ‘everyone,’ you mean every girl in the state of New Mexico, then I agree.”

Kale laughed when Kaltag tried to hit him on the head. Balto snickered and stepped inside the saloon, followed by his friends. The establishment was completely vacant aside from a couple of dogs sitting at a table at the far wall, talking amongst themselves and sipping drinks. The trio walked up and each took stools at the bar.

“Barkeep! Three beers!” Balto called down to the Great Dane behind the bar. The dog took out three amber bottles, pulled the tops off, and slid them down the polished wood surface to the three outlaws. Balto raised his drink and grinned.

“To the trio that’s still got their rep goin’!” Balto said and Kaltag and Kale joined him, raising their beers as well. The three then tilted their drinks back and took a long swig of the cool liquid, certain that absolutely nothing could stop them. Nothing.

As soon as their bottles were empty, Balto pulled out a few coins and paid the bartender before the three stood up and walked outside again. Leaving their horses tied up, the trio made their way through town, examining every building and getting a mental map of the place. Once they had that down, they found the gun store and walked inside.

Like every other gun store they’d ever been in, various guns lined the walls and counters around the shop. Immediately, Kale went over to the revolvers and began looking at them with interest. Balto and Kaltag wandered about the store, looking at everything they had. Just then, the shop owner, a German Shepherd of about 25 came out from the back room and smiled at the three.

“Hello fellas!” he greeted cheerfully, “Is there something I can help you with?”

“No thanks…” Balto said, “We’ll let you know if we need anyth-”

“Hey, guys! Check this out!” Kale called over to them, holding up a shiny silver revolver, beaming at it, “Ah, this is excellent!” The shop owner smiled and pointed to the pistol.

“That’s the new model of the Colt Peacemaker,” he explained with pride, “Probably the best pistol out there.”

“May I see how it handles?” Kale asked, getting a nod from the owner who led him outside and around to the back of the shop where a target was set up, “Alright baby, let’s see what you can do…”

Kale twirled the revolver around his index finger a few times before tossing it up in the air and catching in inside the trigger-guard and twirling it again with his left hand in a smooth motion. He tossed the gun over his shoulder and caught it in his right hand, brining it back forward and opening the chamber. He pulled out a bullet from his bandolier and loaded it in one of the slots, closing it and smirking. Kale then went back to his fancy twirling, tossing it back and forth before grabbing it in his right hand, raising it, pulling back the hammer, and firing in one smooth, fluid motion. The gun went off and the bullet struck the center of the target, receiving a satisfactory grin from Kale.

“D*mn! I love this gun!” he exclaimed, handing it back to the shop owner who promptly began cleaning it off as the two walked back into the store, “Do you have a set of three?”

“Nope, sorry. Only have two for sale, but I do have three. They’re fifty dollars a pistol, by the way…” the Shepherd explained.

“You have three, but only two are for sale? Why’s that?” Kale asked, pulling out five twenty-dollar bills.

“Someone reserved one…” the Shepherd explained, taking the money and putting it the register.

“Reserved one? Who reserved the third one?”

As if by magic, the door opened and another black and white husky walked inside, dressed in a blue shirt and jeans, a gold star pinned to his shirt. He had the same coat and eyes of Kale, but was built bulkier than most dogs. The dog took a quick look at the three newcomers and scoffed slightly. He walked up to the counter and pushed Kale out of the way.

“I put a down-payment on one of those new Colt pistols…” the dog said, “It’s under the name of Sheriff Steele…”

The Shepherd nodded and walked around to the back room once more. Steele tipped his hat back a bit and turned around, staring at Balto. He chuckled darkly and walked up to him.

“You look familiar, half-breed…” Steele said insultingly, “Do I know you from somewhere? Maybe I saw your family out on the prairie!”

Steele laughed to himself and Balto’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Steele. The wolfdog’s hands balled up into fists as he seriously considered decking the husky right there and then. Kaltag shook his head ‘no’ and Balto let his hands relax again.

“Hey, leave ‘im alone…” Kale said defensively, “He didn’t do anything to you…”

Steele then turned on Kale. He slowly advanced on the husky and looked him over. He grabbed him by his white shirt and pulled him up into the air easily. Kale gave no reaction, even as his feet were lifted off the ground.

“You may look like me, boy… But that doesn’t mean I’ll like you…” Steele growled softly, “Learn to stay out of matters that don’t involve you and you’ll be just fine…”

Steele dropped Kale back to the floor and the husky went back to the counter. The German Shepherd came back around with three polished wood boxed and placed them on the counter. He handed one to Steele and the sheriff looked inside, smiling at the revolver inside. He motioned to the other two boxes.

“Who’re they for?” he inquired, staring down at the boxes on the counter. The Shepherd pointed to Kale and Steele cocked a brow in interest.

“Huh… Well, not only do you have some good looks boy, but you’ve got good taste in guns…” he said, “I still don’t see why you protected that half-breed… Ah, maybe you’ll learn…”

Steele took his box and walked toward the door. As he passed Kale, Kale gave the sheriff a fake friendly smile. Once the husky had left the store, Kale groaned in disgust and turned back to Balto.

“B*stard…” he muttered, “Not only is he full of himself, but he took the third gun…”

Balto and Kaltag laughed as Kale walked to the counter and picked up his new guns. He pulled two out of their holsters and tucked one in the waistband of his jeans. He then grinned at Kaltag and tossed him one of his old ones. Kaltag gave his friend a look of confusion.

“It’s all yours, Kal,” Kale said, placing his new revolvers in their holsters, “You were the only one of us with less than two pistols, so now you’ve got two!”

“Thanks Kale…” Kaltag replied, smiling at him with gratification, “This’ll help me in gunfights!”

Kale gave his friend a thumbs-up sign before walking outside again with Balto and Kaltag, back into the bright sunlight.




The three outlaws and friends spent the rest of the day loitering and milling about the town, just to see what Silent Spring had to offer them. They laughed at jokes one another told and stories they all suspected were fakes- and they all turned out to be fake. Time seemed to fly and before they knew it, it was night and they were back in the saloon, sitting at the bar.

“Thank you,” Balto said to the barkeeper who’d just handed them three keys for rental rooms above the saloon, paying the dog before turning back and looking at the crowd who’d just gathered in the saloon.

“So many people come at night…” Kaltag stated, taking a drink of his beer, “It’s simply incredible, it’s unbelievable, it’s stunning, it’s-”

“Kal, do we need to hit you?” Balto asked, looking at the tan husky. Kaltag shook his head and the two took a long drink of their drinks.

Meanwhile, Kale sat in silence, his knife out and holding a single bullet in his hand. His eyes were narrowed to a steel-like gaze that hardly blinked and stayed locked on the sole bullet in his hand. Using his knife, he scratched a target’s name into the side of the bullet:

Steele.

“Whatcha doin’ Kale?” Balto asked, snatching the bullet and looking at the engraving and chuckling, “You’re not seriously planning on killing the sheriff, are you?”

“Wouldn’t you want to, ‘half-breed’?” Kale asked, taking the bullet back while quoting Steele as he continued to perfect his engraving, “He seriously pisses me off… Jerk… I’d so love to put this round through him, but I can wait…”

“True… True…” Balto replied, taking another swig of alcohol.

“He’s the most malicious, the most self-centered, the most undignified-” Kaltag stated, beginning to ramble on until Balto hit him in his arm.

“We get the point, Kaltag…” the wolfdog replied.

“But I was just-”

“We get the point, Kaltag,” Balto repeated, giving him a look that told him to stop. Kaltag went back to surveying the crowd and drinking his beer.

A minute later, Kale grinned and stowed his knife. He held up the bronze bullet and stared at it with satisfaction. Steele’s name carved into the side made his grin widen as he replaced it in a special pouch on his bandolier, downing the rest of his drink before pulling out a rag and wiping off his revolvers.

Just then, the front doors opened and a female husky walked into the saloon and took a seat at the bar. She wore jeans and a white short-sleeved shirt. She had a radiant coat of a red back and white front. Her arms and hands were white and Balto reasoned that her legs were white as well. Her red hair fell down to her shoulders and she had a red bandana tied around her neck. Balto’s mouth dropped open and Kale looked at him in confusion.

“Hey, Balto. You alright? Hello? Hey, Balt, you still with us?” he asked, pointing into the wolfdog’s eyes and pointing in the direction he was staring, spotting the husky as well, “OH!!! Now I see!”

“What is it?” Kaltag asked Kale, turning to look at the dog his friend motioned to, “Whoa! She’s a real beauty! Nice spotting Balto!”

Balto remained silent, completely transfixed by the female. As the barkeeper walked by, Balto grabbed the dog’s arm and motioned to the girl.

“Hey, who is that over at the bar? The red and white husky?” asked Balto, unable to take his eyes off of her. The Great Dane followed Balto’s directions to the female and nodded as he recognized her.

“Oh, that there’s Miss Jenna McMahn,” he explained to the wolfdog, “She’s the most beautiful girl you’ll find for miles around. She’s got the eyes of most men ‘round here, even the sheriff!”

“Whoa, hold on. Sheriff Steele?” Kale asked seriously, growling softly as the barkeeper nodded and walked away.

“Jenna… Jenna McMahn…” Balto repeated, almost as if he was in a daze or trance.

“Hate to break it to ya Balto, but there’s a little red flag going up… She’s off-limits unless you wanna end up on the gallows…” Kale answered, replacing his revolvers.

“I’m gonna go talk to her,” Balto said, getting up and beginning his approach toward her.

“Good luck pal!” Kaltag shouted after him before looking to Kale, “He’s gonna get burned, isn’t he?”

“Oh ya…” Kale replied, placing his feet up on a nearby unoccupied chair, “Hope he comes back with his pride, at least…”

Balto took a deep breath to prepare himself as he reached Jenna and sat down beside her. He cleared his throat and tipped his hat to her.

“Evening, miss…” Balto said politely to Jenna, Jenna looked at him and smiled warmly to the newcomer.

“Good evening sir,” Jenna replied, turning to get a better look at him, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around town before. Did you just arrive at Silent Spring recently?”

“Uh, yeah, I just arrived with my friends…” Balto said, grinning inwardly at his cunning slip past the truth, “We’re travelers. We’ve been from many different towns… What about you?”

“I’ve lived here my whole life…” Jenna answered cheerfully, “I work for the gun store every other day… I had today off though, so I’ll be working again tomorrow. So, do you like it here, Mr.- er, I’m sorry…”

“Oh, the name’s Balto,” he answered, “And yes, I’m enjoying my time here, Miss…” Jenna smiled and held out her hand.

“Jenna McMahn,” Jenna replied, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Balto.” Balto smirked and shook her hand back.

“Call me Balto,” he said, “The locals seem very friendly… Except for that sheriff… something’s not right with him…”

“Oh, that’s Steele… Yeah, he got the position because he was the most experienced gunfighter in the town…” Jenna explained to Balto, “He’s not exactly the friendliest dog in town… and his friends are the deputies and they’re not much better…”

“Doesn’t sound too good…” Balto responded, glancing back at his friends to see worried looks on their faces. He followed their gaze to the door and closed his eyes in frustration.

Standing at the sliding doors at the entrance were three dogs. Leading them was none other than Sheriff Steele. He spotted Jenna and Balto and growled softly, motioning to his deputies and leading them over to Balto. He smirked at the wolfdog and chuckled darkly.

“You still hanging around, eh wolfdog?” Steele asked patronizingly, “Shouldn’t you be getting back to your friends?”

“Maybe,” Balto retorted, “Who’re your pals?”

“This is Star, and this is Nikki- and they’re the deputies of Silent Spring…” Steele corrected, glaring at Balto, “Now are you gonna get up or do I have to make you move?”

No sooner had Steele said those words than Kaltag and Kale rose to their feet and walked up to the small group by the bar. Each dog had a look of disdain on their face for the sheriff and his deputies as they came to their friend’s defense.

“What’s going on here?” Kale asked angrily, “Steele, can’t you leave ‘im alone for a single moment?” Steele scoffed and turned to face Kale.

“I thought you would’ve learned sooner, boy… Guess I was wrong…” Steele replied and grabbed Kale’s shirt, tossing him to the wooden floor.

Kale growled and got to his feet again. He exchanged glares with Steele and pulled out his marked bullet. He grinned slightly, his eyes still narrowed in anger as he held the bullet up.

“You seem like the type who enjoys a challenge Steele… Am I right?” Kale asked vindictively. Steele laughed slightly and nodded slowly.

“Sure, what challenge is this then?”

Kale pulled out one of his two new revolvers and loaded the single bullet into the chamber. He spun it and then pulled out his other revolver. He stared at the two completely identical matching pistols, then up at Steele.

“Do you know which gun has the bullet in it?” Kale asked the sheriff, receiving yet another scoff from the husky.

“Of course, I just saw you load it!” Steele replied in a matter-of-factly tone, pointing to the pistol in his right hand, “It’s in this one.”

Kale’s grin widened and Balto and Kaltag smirked, knowing this trick all too well. The husky then tossed both revolvers into the air, stunning Steele, Nikki, Star, Jenna, and all the on-lookers. He caught each one in the opposite hand, then continued juggling them back and forth between each hand, then began twirling them back and forth and tossing them over his shoulder and catching them. After several minutes, Kale held out both to Steele and chuckled.

“Now which one has the bullet in it?” he asked sinisterly. Steele’s brow became wet with his sweat as he looked at the two similar pistols. After a few minutes, he pointed to the gun in Kale’s left hand. Kale pulled the hammer back on the left pistol and aimed it at Steele’s head.

“W-what are you doing? Are you insane?!?!” Steele asked in a scared voice, backing up a bit.

“Let’s see if you were right, Sheriff!” Kale said and pulled the trigger.

The sound of the hammer hitting the empty chamber with a click sounded through the silent saloon. Steele sighed heavily with relief and returned to his relaxed posture. He glared at the trio before motioning to Nikki and Star and walking out of the saloon. After a few moments, activity resumed like it previously had.

“Heh, idiot…” Kale said, smirking at Balto, Kaltag, and Jenna as he opened both chambers to show they were both empty, “I took the bullet out during one of the twists. He had nothing to be afraid of!”

“Did you see the look on his face?” Balto asked, bursting into laughter, “Priceless!”

“It was the most amusing, the most entertaining, the most humorous-” Kaltag said, but stopped when Balto shot him a quick glance that told him to shut up.

“How did you do that?” Jenna asked Kale, “The twirling and juggling, I mean.” Kale grinned and put his twin revolvers back in their holsters, pulling out the tagged bullet from within his sleeve and replacing it in the pouch.

“I taught myself that… Ask Balto. I’ve been with him for years, from when I started just learning those tricks to now, when I’ve mastered them,” Kale answered. Balto nodded and smiled at Jenna.

“That’s really interesting! I have a friend in town you should meet!” Jenna said, smiling at the trio before getting up, “Well, I’d better be getting home before my Dad worries about me. Nice to meet you Balto and friends!”

Balto tipped his hat once more to Jenna and Kaltag and Kale nodded to her. Once she walked out, Balto sighed softly, a grin on his face. Kale saw this and smirked, chuckling to himself.

“Well, is the famous Balto McLane losing his mind or something else?” Kale asked, glancing at him.

“D*mn… And I thought I was a thief, but she’s stolen-” Balto began.

“I swear, you say ‘She’s stolen my heart’ and I’ll shoot you through the leg… You’re an outlaw, not Shakespeare’s Romeo…” Kale stated suddenly. Balto chuckled and shook his head.

“Yeah, you’re probably right… C’mon, let’s get some rest… Tomorrow, we’ll scope out the bank…” Balto said in a hushed tone and walked toward the stairs, his partners following behind him.

However, all the way up to his room, all Balto could think about was the beautiful Jenna McMahn.

Ya! Can't wait for Chapter 2. I Love this Story!

WOW! What an absoloutely fabulous story! One of the best fanfics I've read yet! ^__^

FYI; Kaltag's a chinook, not a husky

Good story, my man: You'd think you were Zane Grey. I can't wait to see where this one ends up.

Really? Wow, I didn't know that... Rebel taught me something today! Unfortunately, I have that he's a husky throughout the entire thing, and for the sake of saving time, I'll just leave it as is. Thanks for the pointer though for my future writings, pal!

Apologies for the double-post, but here's Chapter 2 for everyone! As the title says, I've finished The Trio and it should be up for March 1st. Appropriate, since March 1st is World Book/Reading Day! Hope everyone loves reading it as much as I loved writing it!
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Chapter 2




The very moment the dawn sun came over the eastern horizon, Balto was up and dressed. He was more than eager to go and see Jenna again and he’d be d*mned if he was stopped. As he silently snuck out of his room and walked down into the saloon and outside onto the porch, a very familiar voice stopped him.

“Where are you off to so quickly?”

Balto gasped and spun around, instinctively drawing and raising his revolver. He realized the dog that was leaning against the wall he was aiming at was Kale. The husky smirked and continued drawing something on his sketch pad.

“Kale, I almost shot you dead right there and then…” Balto said with a sigh of relief as he re-holstered his pistol, “What’re you doin’ up so early?”

“What’re you doin’ up so early?” he returned, giving the wolfdog a witty smile.

“I was… gonna go look around the town…” Balto lied, turning and walking down the steps of the porch.

“It’s not open yet…” Kale shouted after him. Balto stopped and turned back to face Kale.

“What’re you talking about?”

“The gun store; it’s not open yet,” Kale answered, walking down to him, “I know you were goin’ there to see Miss Jenna. Don’t even try to lie to me, Balt.”

Balto laughed weakly and smiled sheepishly at Kale. He shook his head slowly and sighed dejectedly.

“No, I wasn’t going to go see Jenna!” Balto replied, blatantly lying, “I need to pick up some more ammo for my pistols and our guns back at the house! Sheesh, I think I can handle myself around a girl!”

“Really? Because yesterday you were head-over-heels for her…” Kale responded suspiciously, “Well, if you say you have everything under control, I trust ya…”

Kale walked over to his horse and replaced his sketch pad and pencil in one of the large pouches on the side of the saddle. He turned back to Balto and smirked at him.

“Take care, partner…” he replied before turning and walking back into the saloon.

Balto was about to walk down the road but wondered what Kale had been drawing. Walking up to his friend’s horse, he pulled out the sketch pad and opened it to the last page with drawings on it. It was a detailed map of the entire town of Silent Spring, including the fastest way to get out of the town from the bank and from the saloon. The wolfdog sighed and returned the pad to its home.

Walking down the dusty streets of Silent Spring, Balto eventually found himself standing in front of the gun store. He pulled out his pewter pocket watch and checked the time. It had just turned 7 AM. Not a minute had passed before Balto heard the latch on the front door open and the store opened.

Grinning to himself, Balto replaced his pocket watch and quickly trotted up the front steps of the porch and up to the door. He straightened out the collar on his blue cotton shirt and took a deep breath before placing his hand on the doorknob and pulling it open. Stepping into the familiar gun store, Balto looked around and saw no one. He took a few steps forward and grinned when he heard a voice from the back room.

“I’ll be with you in a moment!” came the sweet voice of Jenna.

Balto felt his heart flutter slightly as he walked over to the display shelf where the revolvers were kept. He grabbed three boxed the size of a matchbox, each one filled with pistol bullets and brought them up to the counter and waited, turning to look over the weapons. It wasn’t long before Jenna came around and smiled at the customer who was facing the guns.

“Hello sir! See any gun you fancy?” she asked, not realizing it was Balto until he turned around, “Oh hey, it’s you! Balto, right?” The gray-brown wolfdog smirked and chuckled softly.

“Yep, you got me Miss McMahn!” he replied, handing her the three boxes, “And no thanks. Just need these here bullets, is all.”

“Sure thing! They’re a dollar a box,” Jenna said and took the three bills held in Balto’s hand, “Thank you sir!” Balto laughed softly and smiled at Jenna.

“Please, call me Balto.”

“Then you call me Jenna, deal?” Jenna asked, getting another smirk from Balto.

“Deal…” Balto replied and picked up the boxes of ammo, “So, Jenna, how old are you?” Jenna gave Balto a strange, almost irritated look.

“Excuse me?”

“Well, my friends and I were debating this after you left last night and I’d say you were 22… Am I close?” Balto asked and Jenna smiled, pushing a lock of her long red hair out from in front of her eyes.

“You’re right on the mark, Balto. I’m 22 alright,” she answered and turned around, organizing some boxes in the cabinet behind the counter, “So, I take it you shoot often? Have you ever shot anyone before?”

“Yep, sure have,” Balto answered, “In self-defense though, of course… How ‘bout you? You shoot?” Jenna nodded quickly, surprising Balto.

“Yep! My Dad taught me how to shoot when I was 18. After a year of practice, I became really good at it!” Jenna said, smiling at herself.

“Ah… Well alright Jenna, how ‘bout a little challenge then?” Balto offered, grinning slyly, “How ‘bout you take me on in a shooting contest? First one to smash their bottles in the lowest amount of rounds wins… You up to it?”

“What, do you think I just started shooting yesterday? You’re on!” Jenna replied challengingly, “Meet me around the back of the store in fifteen minutes and I’ll show you what I can do!”

Balto smirked and walked out of the store, walking down the little alleyway at the side. He arrived at the shooting range where Kale had practiced before and pulled out one of his matching revolvers. He twirled it on his index finger as he waited for Jenna. After fifteen minutes passed, Jenna came walking out with a crate and set it down beside Balto. Inside were many empty glass bottles. She pulled two out and set them up on the stand roughly thirty feet away from them.

“You ready, Balto?” Jenna asked playfully, pulling out her revolver and loading six bullets into it, “Let’s see what you can do… You all loaded up?”

Balto smirked and answered by pointing his pistol up in the air and pulling the trigger. The gun fired and the shot echoed through the quiet town.

“Yep… Now, tell me when to go…” he said, replacing the single bullet he’d fired off. Jenna cocked her pistol and grinned.

“GO!!!” she called out and raised her gun. Balto did the exact same thing and both bottles exploded into shards in one shot simultaneously. Balto and Jenna exchanged impressed looks.

“Alright, let’s see how you do with two bottles…” Jenna said, setting up four bottles, “Go!”

Once more, two bottles shattered, then two more in near-perfect unison. Jenna set up three and Balto held his pistol sideways. As soon as Jenna gave the signal, he fired, then again, and again, using the muzzle-jump to target the next one. The next three hours just blew by as the two dogs shot bottle after bottle, pulling off several fancy tricks every so often.

“You’re pretty good Balto!” Jenna complimented, reloading her pistol, “Now, one more round…”

Jenna set up the last two bottles and grinned. Just as she was about to give the signal to fire, two gunshots were heard behind them. The bullets ricocheted off the fence surrounding the shooting range and smashed the two glass bottles. Balto growled and turned around to tell the intruder to get lost until he saw Steele, holding his new peacemaker.

“Well, well… What’s wrong with this picture?” he asked in a mocking tone, “Jenna, didn’t your daddy ever tell you not to play with wolves? They’re dangerous, ya know…”

“Look here Steele, I know you have something against me, so just leave us alone and everything will be fine…” Balto said, glaring at the sheriff.

“I don’t think you understand the way things work around here, half-breed…” the sheriff replied maliciously, taking slow, steady strides toward his enemy, “I’m the law… What I say goes… So when I say ‘get lost,’ you get lost, no questions asked, understand?”

Balto glared at Steele with a fiery hatred before turning and walking off. He exchanged one final glance with Jenna before he walked out of sight. Steele smirked and scoffed at the vanishing figure of the wolfdog. He turned back to Jenna and re-holstered his revolver.

“Why’d you go and do that Steele? He hasn’t done anything wrong!” Jenna protested, but sighed dejectedly when the sheriff merely laughed.

“Jen, part of my job as sheriff is to protect the town from possible threats… All I need to know is that mutt is part wolf to know he’s dangerous…” Steele casually explained, “Plus his friend almost killed me last night if I hadn’t been so lucky…”

“Even if you picked the other gun you still wouldn’t have gotten shot! It was all just a trick; a mind game!” Jenna stated, irritated with the dog before her, “His friend unloaded his pistol during one of his stunts. Neither of them were loaded!”

Steele had an expression mixed of anger, confusion, and surprise. After a moment, he sighed and dropped his arms to his side. He looked down at his boots for a moment, then back up into Jenna’s amber eyes.

“Look, I have no vendetta against any of that half-breed’s friends- yet… But I’m keeping my eyes on them… I know they’ll do something wrong eventually…” Steele said darkly.

Jenna sighed heavily and walked back into the gun shop from the back door- only to find Balto at the counter, a sly smirk on his face. She smirked back and walked up to him.

“Miss me?” he asked playfully.

“Yeah, while you were gone for all of three minutes…” Jenna replied, hearing the door open and seeing a pitch-black wolfdog walk in, “Hey Kira! How’re you today?”

Kira walked up to the counter and smiled at her friend. In contrast to her black coat, she wore a white linen shirt and jeans, like everyone else did. Her eyes were a bright orange and although wolf was visible on her, she seemed more like a Sarloos Wolf Hound than anything else. She looked at Balto and then back to Jenna.

“Is this the guy you said I have to meet?” she asked Jenna, “The one who can do all those tricks with his pistols?” Balto thought, then realized she was speaking of Kale.

“No, I’m not him,” Balto replied, smiling back, “But I know who you’re looking for. You’re looking for-” Before Balto could finish, the door opened and that very person walked inside, dressed in his usual white shirt and jeans.

“Kale!” Balto said enthusiastically as Kale walked up to him, “I have someone who wants to meet you!”

“Look here Balt, if you think you can distract me from you lying to me, then you’re wrong! You told me you weren’t gonna come he-” Kale started, but stopped when he saw Kira, “Um, hello… Who’s this?”

“This is the friend I said you should meet!” Jenna said cheerfully to Kale, “This is my friend Kira. Kira, this is Balto’s friend, um, I’m sorry, I don’t know your name…”

“Kale… Kale McGovern…” he said, tipping his hat to Kira.

“Kira Thesher…” Kira replied, smiling warmly at Kale, “Jenna says you can do some pretty neat tricks with your pistols. Is that true?”

“Yep, every word of it!” Kale said, smiling in self satisfaction, “Wanna see?”

Kira nodded and Kale pulled out two of his revolvers. He spun both of them around on his index fingers a few times before tossing one up in the air and catching it behind his back, spinning it around behind him while still spinning the one in front of him. He tossed the one behind him over his shoulder and traded hands with the guns, still twirling them expertly. After a few more moments, he began to juggle them back and forth while spinning them, grinning as he focused on his tricks and stunts.

Kale then decided to get a little fancier and nodded to Balto. The wolfdog walked behind his friend and pulled Kale’s third pistol out of his back holster. He walked back to the counter and whistled, tossing the revolver to Kale. The husky gracefully caught it and added it to his juggling trick, now tossing three in the air, over his shoulder, and from hand to hand. Kira and Jenna watched in amazement as Kale finished up by tossing one of his revolvers high into the air and quickly re-holstering his older one before catching his two new peacemakers, twirling them, and re-holstering them at his sides, a grin on his face.

“Wow! That was really impressive Kale!” Kira said, taking a few steps closer to him, “How’d you learn to do that?” Kale shrugged and grinned at Kira.

“I taught myself to do the twirling… After that, I just experimented with what I could do with a pistol until eventually, I got this…” he answered, pulling out one revolver, twirling and tossing it before re-holstering it, “After that, I just practiced until I got it down pat…”

“Well, aren’t you talented?” Kira asked playfully, pulling off Kale’s hat and shoving it in his face and laughing. Kale replaced his hat on his head and laughed as well.

“So, what brought you to Silent Spring?” Kira asked sweetly. Kale’s face flushed and he glanced nervously at Balto. The wolfdog just gave him a shrug and leaned against the counter. Great… What do I say? “Well, my friends and I are wanted outlaws and we’re here to rob the bank?” he thought to himself as he swallowed slightly.

“We’re just passing through… Temporary visit… We’re travelers…” Kale said, lying fairly well. Fortunately, Kira bought into it.

“Wow… I bet you’ve seen many different towns, huh?” Kira asked with interest.

“Yeah, we’ve been all throughout the states of Texas and most of New Mexico,” Kale answered, still hiding their reasons for traveling through the two states and going from town to town.

“Do you have a house nearby?” Kira asked, obviously interested in their lifestyle.

“More or less…” Kale responded, “It’s about a two or three hour ride from here, so I suppose you could say so…”

Kale smiled at Kira, getting a strange sort-of feeling he’d never experienced before. He thought for a moment, desperate to start up a conversation again. After a moment of awkward silence, Kale opened his mouth to speak again.

“Um, hey Kira? Would you maybe like to go for a walk around town?” he asked a little sheepishly, “I’d like to get to know you and the town a little better.”

“Sure thing Kale!” Kira answered enthusiastically, “Come on!”

Kale was a little surprised when Kira simply grabbed his arm and led him toward the door. He cast a quick glance back at Balto, who was silently snickering to himself as he mouthed the words’ Good luck.’ Kale smirked back as he was dragged out of the store and out of view. Balto chuckled and turned back to Jenna.

“So Jenna, who was that other dog who was working here yesterday?” he asked casually.

“Oh, that was my friend Samuel. He and I alternate shifts here at the shop by days,” Jenna answered, “We’ve been friends since we were kids… He always wanted to run this shop and he was given it when his father died… I got employed to help him out- and to bring in a little extra money.”

Balto nodded understandingly. All thoughts of robbing the town of Silent Spring was erased from his mind with every second he spent with Jenna. Everything was silent for a few moments before Jenna finally spoke up again.

“Kira seems to like your friend Kale…” she said with a soft smile.

“And Kale seems to like her as well,” Balto stated, smiling back at Jenna.

“Say Balto… If it’s alright with you, would you like to come to my house for dinner?” Jenna offered sweetly. Balto smiled and nodded vigorously to her.

“You bet Jen! I’d love to come over for dinner sometime!” Balto accepted quickly, getting a soft laugh from Jenna.

“Great! I’ll see you at 7:30 then? Is that good for you?” Jenna asked.

“Yep! 7:30 it is!” Balto responded, opening the door, “So long, Jenna!”

With that, Balto left as one happy wolfdog.




Later that day, just as the sun was setting and the moon was rising, Kale and Kira walked down the dusty streets, talking and laughing. For once in his life, the young outlaw wore a smile created out of a joy, but not a joy from materialistic items or a victory over a battle. He was smiling out of affection.

“You know Kira, you’re the first girl I’ve spent this much time with…” Kale stated, “And I’m very happy about it…”

“I’m happy for you, Kale… You seem like a really nice guy…” Kira replied sweetly, “I really enjoy spending time with you… I’m glad I met you…”

Kale felt his heart flutter slightly inside his chest and knew precisely what was happening to him. He was falling in love. The two walked until they came to a house set just near the outskirts of Silent Spring; Kira’s house. Kale walked Kira up to the door and smiled warmly at her.

“I’d like you to have this, Kira,” Kale said, handing her his third pistol, “Just a little gift to remember me by… And don’t bother telling me you can’t accept it, because I insist you keep it…” Kira smiled and held the revolver tightly.

“Thanks Kale… I won’t ever lose it…” she promised, smiling warmly.

“Well, I hope you had a great day, Kira…” the love-struck husky said softly, staring into Kira’s orange eyes.

“I did Kale… Thanks…” she replied in the same soft tone. There was a moment of silence as the two stared back into one another’s eyes before the front door opened and an older jet-black wolfdog stood in the doorway, staring at the two of them.

“Kira, sweetheart, you’re home,” the wolfdog said in a friendly voice, “Who’s this young man?”

“Daddy, this is Kale McGovern. He’s just come into town with his friends,” Kira explained with a smile, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Kale said and held out his hand to Kira’s father.

“The pleasure’s all mine, kiddo…” he replied, shaking Kale’s hand firmly, “The name’s Frederic Thesher, and any friend of my daughter’s is a friend of mine! Kale McGovern- that name sound familiar…” Kale immediately felt a twinge of fear strike him.

“Um, I don’t know why my name would sound familiar, but I’m new around here… Maybe another dog with a similar name to mine?” Kale suggested, hoping he didn’t put 2 and 2 together.

“Yeah, probably. It’s nice to meet you son,” Frederic said in a neutral tone, turning to Kira, “Kira, come on inside! Kale, you come in too! Sit down for a bit, have a drink.”

“Thank you, Mr. Thesher,” Kale said almost automatically as Kira stepped inside, following behind her.

Kale took a seat in the living room and Kira took a seat beside him. Frederic walked over to a liquor cabinet and opened it up, pulling out an aged amber bottle and turning to Kale.

“Would you like a drink, Kale?” he offered.

“Oh, no thanks…” Kale responded, somewhat unnerved by being in the presence of Kira’s father.

“Alright, suit yourself,” Frederic responded, pulling out a single glass and filling it halfway with a bronze liquid before replacing the bottle and taking his drink to an armchair opposite of the two dogs, “So Kale, where do you come from?”

“Well I was born and raised in the town of Veraden. My friends and I travel mostly… But we do have a house, it’s about a couple of hours south of here…” he answered calmly, “We enjoy roaming about, checking out different towns…”

“A hobby of yours, is that?”

“More of a profession…”

Frederic was silent for a moment as he attempted to think of what Kale meant. After a moment of thought, he came up with nothing. He decided to give up thinking about it and let it lie. After all, it probably means nothing serious… Probably just merchants or traders…

“Daddy, you should see some of the tricks Kale can do with his pistols!” Kira said excitedly, “He’s really talented!”

“Oh really?” Frederic asked, chuckling at the embarrassed look Kale got, “Well what can you do? I’d love to see these tricks!”

Kale stood up and pulled out one of his revolvers, twirling it around on his trigger finger several times before tossing it back and forth between hands while twirling it, then tossing it back and forth over his shoulder. He then pulled out his second one and repeated the spinning tricks with dual pistols out. He then moved onto his juggling routine, catching both of them expertly every time. After his performance, he stowed his guns and sat down again. Frederic laughed and applauded Kale.

“Well done!” he said, obviously impressed, “That was fantastic! Have you ever shot anyone before?”

“Yeah… I have…” Kale said, failing to mention why he’d shot all those dogs, pulling out a pocket watch and checking the time, “I’m sorry, but I really should be getting back now… My friends will be wondering where I am…”

“Alright Kale, I trust I’ll be seeing you around sometime…” Frederic said, standing and shaking the husky’s hand farewell. Kale nodded to Frederic and walked to the front door. No sooner had he stepped out the front door, when he heard Kira call to him.

“Kale! Wait!” Kira called out to him, walking out onto the porch behind him.

“Yeah?” Kale asked, turning around only to see Kira place her hands on his shoulders and gently kiss him. After a moment, they parted and Kira smiled sweetly at him.

“Goodnight Kale…” she said softly and sweetly.

“Goodnight, Kira… Sweet dreams…” Kale responded in a soft whisper.

He watched Kira walk back inside before walking down the steps and back toward the saloon, a large smile on his face. Along the way through the town, he passed Balto and tipped his hat to his friend, not really caring where he was going to. Walking back into the crowded saloon, Kale walked up to his room- only to find the door was open a crack.

Kale stared cautiously at the door for a moment before pulling out one of his new pacemakers and pulling back the hammer. He placed a hand on the door and pushed it open slowly and silently. His eyes scanned the dark room as he stepped inside, pistol leveled, ready to shoot at anything. As soon as he got to the oil lamp on the nightstand, he sighed and lowered the hammer down on his revolver- only to be grabbed around the neck.

Kale gasped slightly as he was jerked backwards and the door was closed. His pistol fell from his hand and clattered to the wooden floor. The grip around his neck tightened and Kale began to choke as a sinister voice whispered into his ear.

“Ya know, you’re pretty slippery… I’ve been trying to catch you all day, but you kept getting out of my sight…” came a hushed whisper from the voice of Steele, “But now I’ve got you… and you’re gonna tell me why you and your pals are really in town…”

Kale grunted as he tried to squirm away from Steele’s grip. After a few moments of struggling, Kale elbowed the evil husky in his stomach, gaining his freedom and diving for his pistol. He rolled onto his back and pointed his gun at Steele as his enemy regained his composure, a shocked look on his face. Kale smirked, pulled the hammer back, and pulled the trigger.

Click!

His pistol was empty. Kale gritted his teeth as he remembered unloading it to show off his tricks to take some weight off the guns to make it a little bit easier and he’d never reloaded them. Steele walked over to Kale as the husky stowed his empty pistol and felt a hand grab his shirt. He was lifted off the floor and into the air, staring down into the face of the sheriff. Steele hit Kale in the side of his face before tossing him to the bed.

As Kale got up, he dashed for the door- only to feel something hard smash against his head and he collapsed to the floor. He rolled onto his back, his vision badly blurred. Around him, shards of glass lay strewn across the wood-paneled floor and knew Steele had hit him with the wall mirror. As Steele approached the downed husky, Kale lay weak on the ground.

Steele smirked and scoffed as he picked Kale up again, this time by the throat and tightened his grip forcefully around the dog’s neck. Kale gasped and choked as he flailed about in the sheriff’s strong grip. His already blurred vision began to spin and his head was pounding. Steele laughed with evil triumph as Kale’s body relaxed and went limp, his vision going black as he passed out.




Balto arrived promptly at Jenna’s house just as the time turned 7:30. He knocked on the door and straightened out his leather jacket just before the door opened and Jenna smiled at him.

“Hey Balto! You’re right on time! Come in!” Jenna said, opening the door for him. Balto tipped his hat to her and stepped inside, looking around the nicely-furnished house.

“Wow… You have a nice home here, Jenna…” Balto complimented, slowly striding through the rooms, admiring everything.

“Thanks… It’s a shame you couldn’t meet my Dad tonight though…” she replied, catching Balto’s attention.

“Wait, your Dad’s not here?” he asked.

“Nope, he’s out of town on business errands…” Jenna answered, then froze suddenly, “Oh shoot, I’ve left the stove on!”

Jenna quickly walked through the room and into an adjacent one. Balto slowly followed her around and into a dining room. In another room to the left was the kitchen, where Jenna was. Balto took off his leather jacket and placed it on the back of his chair before sitting down in it. Jenna then came out with a basket of sliced bread and set it down on the circular dining table.

“I hope you like stew, because I made my special recipe tonight!” Jenna said proudly, going back into the kitchen and bringing out a pot filled with a delicious-smelling stew.

“It smells absolutely heavenly, Jen…” Balto replied as he sniffed the air.

“Thanks Balto,” replied Jenna, spooning out the stew into two bowls and handing one to Balto before sitting down and taking her own bowl, “I hope you like it.” Balto took a spoonful, then another, and another.

“Mmm, it’s delicious Jenna!” Balto said ecstatically, “You’re an excellent cook!” Jenna smiled and blushed.

“Thanks…” she said sheepishly.

Once their meal was finished, Balto checked the clock on the wall and saw the time was 8:15 PM. Jenna smiled and led Balto around to the living room at the front of the house. She sat down on a couch and patted the seat beside her. The young wolfdog got the hint and sat down beside the beautiful husky.

“Balto?”

“Yeah Jenna?” Balto asked softly, looking at her as she looked at him.

“I know this may seem sudden, especially since we’ve only known each other for a day…”

Yes? Balto thought.

“But I really like being with you…”

Yeeesss…

“And, I think I’m falling in love with you…”

YES!!!

“… but I can’t… If I do, Steele may hurt you- and I don’t want you to get hurt…”

D*mn…

“Jenna, don’t worry about me and Steele… I can take care of myself… Just do whatever you feel is right and what your heart tells you to do…” Balto replied, holding Jenna close to him, “Now don’t you go worrying about me or Kale or Kaltag… We can handle ourselves… Trust me…” Jenna placed a hand on Balto’s chest and nodded.

“Alright… I trust you, Balto… Just promise me you’ll be careful… Steele’s been known to be very cruel…” Jenna said softly. Balto was silent for a moment before speaking only two words.

“I promise…”

The two dogs sat there cuddling for the next few minutes. The silence was calming and everything seemed perfect. Balto pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time once more. 8:30 PM. Balto sighed and looked back at Jenna.

“I’d better go before my friends wonder where I am…” Balto stated, “Goodnight Jenna…”

Balto was about to get up until he leaned forward and kissed Jenna. The two remained locked in their kiss for several moments until Balto slowly pulled back. He then realized what he’d done and opened his mouth to apologize, but was silenced when Jenna kissed him back. Minutes later, the two had finished kissing and they both smiled happily.

“Alright, now I should go…” he said, grinning at Jenna, “Goodnight Jenna…”

Balto stood up and walked toward the door. He pulled it open and walked out into the dark town. Jenna watched from the window as Balto walked into the street and then toward the saloon. Balto arrived at the saloon to see it packed, like it had been the night before. He went upstairs and knocked on the door to Kale’s room.

“Kale, you in there?” Balto asked, getting no response, “Kale, pal, say something. Are you in there?”

Still nothing. Balto growled softly and twisted the doorknob- and the door opened. The wolfdog’s face took an expression of concern as he opened the door and stepped inside. The room was messed up: the bed had been shifted, the mirror had been shattered all across the floor, and Kale was nowhere to be seen.

“D*mn it…” Balto muttered, running to Kaltag’s room and banging on the door, “Kaltag! Open this d*mn door! Kale’s in trouble!”




In a dimly-lit room in the Sheriff’s Office, an angry husky sat in a chair, his hands tied behind his back. As the wooden door opened and the sheriff stepped inside with Nikki and Star, the husky growled fiercely and struggled against his bindings. Steele laughed and stepped up to the tied-up dog, the dim light from the over-hanging oil lamp casting an illuminated orange glow across the small room.

“Well well, look who’s finally awake… Did you have a nice nap Kale?” Steele asked tauntingly.

“D*mn you to Hell, Steele…” Kale muttered, “I’ll get you for this…”

“We’ll see about that…” Steele replied, cracking his knuckles, “Now, tell me, why are you, your friend, and that wolfdog here in Silent Spring?”

“Go jump off a cliff…”

Kale grunted softly as Steele punched the husky right across the side of his muzzle. He groaned and shook his head, glaring at Steele.

“Again: why are you here?”

“To annoy you…”

Once more, Kale was hit. He groaned again and tried to get up to fight Steele, but was retained by his bindings. Sighing dejectedly, he relaxed in his seat again. Steele punched him twice more before hitting the dog in his stomach. Kale coughed, spitting a bit of blood up onto the wood floor.

“One- last- time…” Steele growled angrily, glaring right into Kale’s eyes, “Why are you in Silent Spring?”

“You really wanna know?” Kale asked in a hushed whisper, “Come closer…”

Steele leaned in so he could hear Kale. The husky smirked and rammed his head against the sheriff’s, knocking him backward and to the floor. Kale shook his head to clear the slight daze and stood up, chair still attached to his arms. As Nikki pulled out a knife and lunged at him, Kale moved to the side and the deputy ended up slicing the ropes around Kale’s wrists. Now free, he grabbed the chair and kicked Nikki to the floor. As Steele rose to his feet, Kale threw the chair at him, hitting the sheriff in the chest and knocking him against the wall.

Kale thought fast and ran for his bandolier on the wall. Grabbing it and strapping it on, he kicked the door down and began to run down the hallway, loading each one of his pistols as he went. Halfway down the hall, he saw two more dogs, each one wearing a silver star of a deputy badge. Gritting his teeth, Kale took a sharp left down an adjacent hall and ran as fast as he could. The two deputies behind him drew their pistols and shot at the outlaw as Kale ran for the window at the end of the hallway, leaping through it and into the cold night air.

Balto and Kaltag arrived at the Sheriff’s Office a few minutes prior to Kale’s daring escape. The two had a pistol in each hand, ready to fire. They surveyed the two-floor office before nodding to one another. Just as they prepared to run to the door and bust in, a window on the second floor smashed outward and a familiar looking husky landed on the dusty ground, rolling a few times before stopping and scrambling to his feet.

“Kale!” Balto exclaimed, running up to his friend, “What happened?”

“Well, the sheriff’s a psychopath, his deputies are homicidal, and I’ve been beaten close to death. What do you think happened?” he asked sarcastically.

Just then, the dust around them was kicked up as a few shots hit the ground. In the window above, the two deputies who had been following Kale were firing at them. Balto raised his pistols and fired off a shot from each one, smirking as he watched one of the dogs go down.

“C’mon, we’d better beat it!” Kaltag said.

However, they never got the chance. The front door to the Sheriff’s Office opened up at eight more deputies came out, cocking their guns and aiming at the three outlaws. Balto managed to kill one more before a shot knocked his pistols out of his hands. The trio grouped together, each one growling in frustration. There was no way out.

“Freeze you three! You’re all under arrest for the assault of the sheriff of Silent Spring and the murder of two deputies!” one of them said. Just then, Steele walked out and glared at the three.

“End of the line, half-breed and friends… You messed with the wrong dog…” he shouted, giving a hand signal and the deputies surrounded the three, “Now, surrender or be shot down now…”

Balto, Kale, and Kaltag exchanged glanced before finally lowering the hammers on their guns and dropping them to the ground. They raised their hands above their heads, looks of disbelief on their faces. Steele smirked as they were cuffed and led back into the office and thrown into three separate cells.

“You’ll be tried before a court tomorrow and then- you’ll be hanged…” Steele stated, chuckling at Balto’s look of anger, “Enjoy the very last night of your lives, you outlaws… Sleep tight…”

With that, Steele let out a laugh of evil triumph and walked away, leaving the three captured outlaws with his eight deputies.




The next morning, Kira woke up, a smile on her face. All last night, the only thing she could think about was Kale. She dreamed about him, imagining every adventure he’d been on and what the future might hold. She got up and got dressed before heading downstairs and spotting her father in the kitchen, reading the newspaper. She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, smiling happily.

“Morning Dad!” she greeted cheerfully, grabbing an apple and taking a bite out of it. Frederic chuckled slightly and smiled at his daughter.

“Good morning sweetheart!” he replied warmly, going back to the newspaper, “I’m gonna have to be off soon.” Kira cocked her head slightly.

“Off to where?” she asked with interest, continuing to eat her apple.

“To the trial today… Apparently, these three guys tried to kill the sheriff and managed to kill two deputies before they got nabbed…” Frederic explained, reading it from the newspaper. Kira suddenly lost her happiness and her face went dead serious.

“What three guys? What were their names?” Kira asked quickly.

“Doesn’t say…” Frederic replied, shrugging slightly, “But the trial’s in fifteen minutes… It’s open to everyone…”

“Does that mean I can come?” asked Kira, still very nervous.

“Sure, I don’t see why not… But I thought you weren’t interested in trials?”

“I’m not,” Kira answered, “But I have a very bad feeling about this one…”

Fifteen minutes simply flew by. The courthouse was soon filled with the occupants of Silent Spring. Kira saw Jenna sitting near the front and sat down beside her friend. The two exchanged a nervous look and Kira knew she probably feared the same thing.

“Do… Do you think it’s them?” Kira asked fretfully, clasping her hands together as they waited.

“I’m not sure…” Jenna asked, her voice filled with just as much worry, “But I’m praying it’s not them…”

Just then, the judge took to his stand and the doors opened. In walked Sheriff Steele, his deputies, and the three outlaws, bound in handcuffs. Everyone muttered silently amongst themselves. Jenna and Kira gasped in fear. They had been right.

The three prisoners were handcuffed to chairs at a table before the judge and the court. The jury sat off to the side, staring at the three accused convicts. Balto had a blank, neutral expression, Kale simply smirked, and Kaltag glanced around somewhat nervously. The judge banged his gavel and a silence fell across the courtroom. The judge turned to Steele and nodded to him.

“Present the case, sheriff,” the dog stated as the husky rose to his feet and stood before the court in the center of the courtroom.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your Honor, I present to you the three dogs that came into our town to deliberately cause us harm,” Steele began, pacing back and forth slowly, “They observed our daily activity and then what did they do? They made a move on the law-enforcers of Silent Spring. Last night, one of them broke into my office while me and my deputies were inside and made an attempt to kill us. He then jumped out a window and sought help from his two partners here. They then murdered two deputies before we were able to bring them to justice. Here they are now: Mr. Balto McLane, Mr. Kale McGovern, and Mr. Kaltag Lorden.”

Kale scoffed and shook his head. He leaned back in his head, arms folded across his chest. He had a look of amused disbelief on his face as he lowered the brim of his hat over his icy-blue eyes. Steele glared and him and chuckled softly.

“I’d like to call Kale to the stand!” he declared. Kale refused to move even a muscle. Steele waited a minute before speaking again. “Kale, get to the stand!” Kale lifted the brim again and smirked at Steele.

“Sorry, I couldn’t hear you over your blatant lies,” Kale retorted, “Besides, it’s kinda hard to ‘take the stand’ when you’re handcuffed to a chair!”

A few people in the audience chuckled, but were silenced by an angry glare from the sheriff. He let Kale up, brought him to the stand, and handcuffed him once more. Steele then sighed softly, now a little more relaxed that the dog was where he wanted him to be.

“Alright… Kale, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?” Steele asked. Kale merely shrugged and the husky continued, “Now then, is it true that you were in my office last night?”

“Well yes, but-” Kale began, but was cut off by Steele’s next question.

“And is it true that you did, in fact, inflict harm to several of my deputies, including myself?” Kale opened his mouth to speak, but Steele continued, “And did you not assist your friends in the murder of two deputies of Silent Spring?”

Kale went to speak, but sighed and leaned back in his chair. He smirked slightly, holding back a chuckle at the sheriff who was oblivious to the outlaw’s lack of interest as he continued his interrogation.

“So is it not true that you did, in fact, break several laws, including assault of several law-enforcers and the murder of two of them?” Steele finished, turning back to Kale and staring into his eyes fiercely. Kale casually glanced around the courtroom before returning his gaze to Steele.

“Oh, were you done? Sorry… See, I thought the points of trials were to ask questions and get answers on what happened, not have crooked sheriffs bark questions at you every two seconds…” Kale remarked wittily, “Can I answer now or are you going to cut me off again, Sheriff?”

Steele growled, but low enough so only Kale could hear him. “Answer-the-questions…” he snarled softly, his eyes burning with anger.

“Yes to all of them, but the only reason I did any of them was because you kidnapped me!” Kale snapped back. The courtroom was once more filled with low murmurs. Steele, however, kept his cool and turned around.

“So you’re trying to blame me for your own crimes? How desperate can one dog be?” he asked, getting Kale mad.

“Why you crooked, slimy excuse for a sheriff!” he shouted, going to lunge for Steele, but was restrained by his steel bindings to the chair. After a moment of struggling, he sighed dejectedly and sat down.

“One last question…” Steele stated, turning back to Kale, “Is it true you attempted to murder me before in a deadly ‘game’ of yours?” Balto and Kaltag went pale. They knew that that part was true. Kale simply stared at Steele and said,

“Can I go back to my chair now?” Steele growled once more and let Kale up so the dog could walk back to his seat and sit down. Steele then looked back to the others and pointed to Balto.

“You, Mr. McLane. I call you to the stand!” Steele barked out demandingly.

“Here we go…” Balto murmured and waited until Steele let him up to take the seat at the stand.

“Balto McLane, is it true that you murdered two deputies right before the entire force of Silent Spring?” Balto scoffed slightly at Steele’s accurate inquiry.

“Are you gonna keep interrupting me like you did to Kale?” Balto asked, receiving a similar fierce growl like Kale had.

“Just answer the question!” Steele ordered, banging his fist against the stand, “Did you murder two of my deputies?”

“Objection!” Jenna shouted angrily, rising to her feet, “Balto is kind and sweet and would never harm anyone!” Balto quickly glanced up and smiled at Jenna, not knowing she had been here.

“Ms. McMahn, please sit down,” the judge said calmly and watched Jenna sit before turning to Steele, “Please continue, sheriff…”

“Oh really?” Steele asked slyly, “Bring in the bodies!” Just then, the doors to the courtroom opened up and two of his deputies carried the bodies of their fallen friends inside, holding them in a standing position for the court. Two bullet wounds had hit either dog, causing immediate death. Steele walked over to a table with the three outlaws’ bandoliers on it and took out Balto’s pistols, opening the chamber to show the two chambers with scorch marks around them.

“You can inspect the other dogs’ guns, but only Balto’s has fired two shots recently,” he explained, determined to convict the trio, “The bullet types match with the ones in Balto’s gun currently and at an inspection of the gunshot marks on his pistol, one can tell by the scent it still carries that they were fired within 24 hours.”

“Objection!” Jenna declared defensively, standing up swiftly, “Balto had been firing his gun with me at some targets yesterday. That’s why his gun is like that!”

Ms. McMahn, please take your seat!” the judge said and Jenna sat down.

“But he undoubtedly cleaned it off, did he not?” Steele asked, a hint of malice in his voice, “Also, Kale did, in fact, break into my office and try to murder us all…”

“Like Hell I did!” Kale shouted, trying to stand again and falling back to his chair.

“Kale wouldn’t do a thing like that!” Kira called out, standing up once more, “He’s innocent, I know he is!” Kale’s ears perked up when he heard Kira’s voice and turned around to stare happily at her, overjoyed at her presence.

“Ms. Thesher and Ms. McMahn, one more interruption and I’ll have to have you removed from my courtroom! We’re trying to conduct a trial!” the judge exclaimed, looking back to the sheriff, giving him the signal to continue.

“Some trial this is! The only word you trust is to a sheriff who’s had a grudge against these three since they first arrived!” Jenna shouted, rising to stand beside her friend, “This is biased against Balto, Kale, and Kaltag! It’s like you’re just trying to kill them!”

“That’s the final straw… Sheriff, would you mind having two of your deputies escort Ms. McMahn and Ms. Thesher out of the room?”

“Certainly,” Steele replied, turning to his team leaning against the far wall, “You heard the judge! Watch them outside.”

Two of his deputies nodded to Steele and walked over to the two young dogs. Taking them by the arms, they led the struggling females out toward the doors leading to the lobby of the courthouse. Balto and Kale growled angrily and fought against their bindings.

“Get the Hell off of them!” Balto shouted, fighting a losing battle with his handcuffs.

“I swear I’ll tear you apart, you b*stards!” Kale shouted after them, still fighting with every ounce of strength in his body, “Argh, Son of a bitch! I hate handcuffs!”

Jenna and Kira tried to struggle away from the two deputies, but they were easily overpowered by the dogs holding them. They cast a quick glance back at the three convicts before the doors were closed and they were gone. Kale growled angrily and settled down, a fierce, deadly glare on his face. Balto had a look that could strike a dog dead at glance. Once all was still, the judge sighed heavily.

“Let the trial continue…” he said slowly, banging his gavel once.

It just keeps getting better. So, let me ask a question. Is Kale you? In other words, is he your alter ego? He's a pretty neat character, and I wonder if you perhaps see yourself in him.

No prob mate ^_^

The fanfic is amazing!!!!! It gets more & more enjoyable by the minute!!! And I love Kale! He's awesome!!! ^_^

OMG!!! I OSOSOSOSOSOSOSOOSO love it!
Its amazing
now this deff. needs a sequal
=]
*hugs kira* and she rules
>=]
haha
wow, I love it

Whoah. That hit me.
Great job so far, my friend! This is simply incredible.
You've built each character's personality so well!
The trial scene seems familiar...

Write on. Need more.
-LWf

Whoa, this is certainly a hit for me! Kale is the most popular guy in the trio of outlaws? I didn't expect this at all!

HrryNrmn -- Hmm, interesting. Actually, I did kinda base Kale off of my more wild-side, but his compassion, love, and loyalty definitely comes from me. So, in a sense, he is sort of like an alter-ego of me.

Rebel -- Wow, thanks! I knew Kale was pretty cool, but "awesome"? Wow! Kale's much more popular than I had anticipated him to be! Can't wait to see what you think of his through the rest of the story!

See, I figured that he did. Most, if not all, of the "main" characters that I've come up with over the years have been based, to one degree or another on myself. If you read famous authors, you can oftentimes find them somewhere in the book, not all the time mind you, but often.

The most striking example for me was during a sort of 'mega-role play" that I participated in over the course of about a year and a half, give or take. Me and the girl that were the main players worked our way through 3 different sites before it eventually fell apart due to mutual lack of interest and her subsequent disappearance from the internet. But anyway, I had a character named Duke, who was a Dalmatian. Originally, he was sort of a jerk; a womanizer and sarcastic type character. However, as I kept playing him, he morphed into a sort of handsome but bumbling and rather slow on the uptake buffoon. In a word, he became much more like myself (the handsome part is up to you, the slightly bumbling social life, right on). As I go, my characters conform to myself a lot of the time, which is perhaps why my fiction isn't all that great.

Your fiction, on the other hand, is very good, so I was wondering if you had the same tendency with Kale.

Incidently, do you pronounce his name like you would pronounce the name "Kayle" or the breed of dog "Collie"?


P.S. If you're out there, Rush Husky, we have a Role Play to finish!