Part 3 is here for your enjoyment! Things take a further sinister turn as 'The Carver' goes on the hunt! Enjoy!
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Balto: Cruel Intentions
Part 3
It was twelve o' clock in the afternoon, and Balto was walking the streets, Jenna at his side. The two of them were engrossed in their conversation of the events of last night.
"Do you think he'll come back?" Jenna asked him, referring to Seth.
"I don't know" Balto answered. "But if he does, we'll be ready"
Jenna sighed "I hope so. It scares me about what would have happened if Kodi hadn't been there"
Balto nuzzled her softly "Don't worry Jen. I'll make sure nothing happens to Toby. I promise"
Jenna smiled as they walked past the post masters. As they approached, Balto stiffened suddenly.
"What's wrong Balto?" Jenna asked, surprised at Balto's sudden change of stance.
Balto's expression darkened "It's another team" he replied, and Jenna stepped back slightly as she saw his mouth drawn up in a snarl.
Outside the post masters a large sled was parked, with a dog team next to it. The lead dog was a white and black German Shepherd, and at his side was someone she knew only too well.
"Lance" she murmured. Balto just nodded, his brow furrowed.
Lance was in deep conversation with the German Shepherd, shifting his eyes sideways as if looking out for someone. Jenna perked her ears up to listen in on the conversation.
"Just got in?" Lance asked. The leader nodded, a smug smile on his face.
"Yep, been really lookin' forward to it! Bout time something was done about this little...problem"
Lance smirked "I know what you mean. Quite a lot of dogs around here recently, I hope your team doesn't miss out on the fun"
Jenna felt Balto's muscles tighten, and a low growl emitted from his throat.
The German Shepherd laughed "I highly doubt that. My team have done this sort of thing before, but not on this kind of scale"
He leant further towards Lance "I have heard a rumour that there's a rather large wolf pack around here. Something like three hundred of them"
Lance nodded "No rumour. Fact"
The Shepherd's eyes widened "Well, it looks like we'll be busy then!" he chuckled.
Balto had had enough. He took several steps up to the group, his mouth pulled into a snarl and his ears flattened. Lance perked his ears up and turned round slowly.
"Ah. See you round buddy" he nodded at the German Shepherd, then slunk away from the sled. Balto remained where he was, his body shaking from the anger pent up inside him. The German Shepherd regarded him coolly.
"Hey. Is there a problem here?" he asked sourly regarding Balto with a look of contempt. Balto glared at him.
The Shepherd scoffed "Whatever. Be seeing you around lupus" he smiled smugly, before padding back to the rest of his team.
Balto inhaled deeply, allowing his anger to disappate slowly. Jenna moved up to him.
"Balto?" she rubbed against him to try to comfort him. Balto sighed.
"How could he? Why is he acting like this?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes remaning focussed on the dog team as they began to make their way towards the boiler room.
Jenna sighed "I don't know Balto. I know he's been through a lot but..." she shook her head sadly.
Balto nodded slowly "I need to talk to Chester about him. See if he can't straighten him out"
"Don't you think he might have enough to worry about already?" Jenna murmured. Balto sighed deeply.
"I just wish...that everything would just go back to the way it was. I love having Aleu back but...she was safer before she here. They all were"
Jenna nodded "I know. But it's her choice, and we have to accept that"
"Your right Jen. But still..." Balto shook his head.
Jenna nuzzled him softly "Come on. Let's go find Kodi and the others"
The couple resumed their pace, albeit slower than before. Behind them, Lance stuck his head out from within the alley he had been waiting. His face was contorted into an unreadable expression, his eyes trained on Balto's back.
"If I cant be happy, why should you Balto? Why should any of you?" he growled.
If he had turned round at that moment, he would have seen a dark shadow detach itself from the wall, and begin to form itself into the shape of a black wolf, it's eyes burning brightly with an intense fire. It was only there for a split second, before melting back into the shadows. Even so, Lance felt a shiver pass through his body.
Shaking his head, he padded back out into the street.
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Hawkeye walked through the undergrowth further into the cover of the foliage, a expression of immense boredom on his face.
"I hope this won't take long Strike" he sneered at the smaller gray dog in front of him.
"My humble regrets General, but he is proving most uncooperative" Strike replied, holding a low hanging branch out of the way, allowing Hawkeye to pass.
"So why burden me with it? Do what you wish to him. Torture him, beat him! Your a soldier for Christ's sake!" Hawkeye growled.
Strike bowed his head "We have tried sir, for the last few hours since we captured him. But he ain't budging"
"Your pathetic" Hawkeye muttered as he walked past his associate.
Franz and Deacon were waiting for the General's arrival in front of a small cave dug into the rock, and they bowed their heads as he approached.
"What's his name and function?" Hawkeye regarded the two dogs coolly.
Deacon shrugged "He won't budge. We've clawed him up pretty good, but he's still not talking"
"Can we torture him more sir?" Franz smirked darkly. "I mean, can we
really hurt him?"
Hawkeye rolled his eyes "Very well. If at the end of two minutes he fails to cooperate, you may do as you wish with him"
Franz smirked "Thank you sir"
Hawkeye looked up as Miranda barged past Strike and moved up to him eagerly.
"Can I watch the interrogation Hawkeye? Oh may I, may I, may I?" she looked up at him with dough eyes.
Hawkeye smiled "You should be resting Miranda, and you'll only get yourself worked up and then you'll be cranky later"
"Oh please darling?" Miranda rubbed against him. "I shan't ask for anything else"
Hawkeye licked her once on the nose "Oh very well. It can be my gift to you"
"Oh, thank you darling!" Miranda gushed.
Hawkeye padded into the cave, Miranda close to hsi side. Deacon turned to Strike.
"Sometimes, I think she is crazier than he is!" he exclaimed. Strike nodded dumbly.
Hawkeye walked up to the prisoner, a light brown wolf who's fur was now stained from the many claw marks on his body.
"Ooh! I like his coat!" Miranda gushed, noting the wolf's handsome features.
Hawkeye ignored her and focussed on the prisoner "Do you know who I am?"
The wolf glared at him from the floor "No" he growled, his features twisted in obvious agony.
Hawkeye smirked smugly "No matter. By the time this little operation is finished, every wolf and half breed will know my name. I am General Hawkeye, defender of the pure line of dogs"
The wolf scoffed "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
Hawkeye stiffened, his brow furrowing slightly "Do you realise that as 'alpha', if that is the term used by you and your associates, of this team I can have you killed at my leasure should you continue to refuse to answer my questions?"
"You'll get nothing from me!" the wolf snarled, and then spat at Hawkeye. It landed on his paw.
Miranda glared at the wolf with fire raging in her eyes "How dare you!" she growled, striking out and belting the wolf savagely around the face, leaving four fresh claw marks on his cheek.
Hawkeye appeared to have frozen, staring at his paw as the saliva slowly dribbled down it "Oh my God!" he exclaimed.
Miranda ran up to him and began to wipe the paw clean "Here my darling, let me get rid of it"
Hawkeye grimaced "He...touched...me!" he growled through gritted teeth.
Miranda finished tending to his paw and nuzzled him "Feel better darling?" she soothed, nuzzling his cheek.
Hawkeye nodded "Better, yes. Thank you Miranda"
The General looked straight at the brown wolf on the floor with a look of revulsion. Without another word he sauntered out of the cave, Miranda at his side.
"Strike, Deacon, Franz!" he called to his three asociates, who stood to attention.
"Yes sir?" Strike spoke up.
"Kill him" Hawkeye gestured to the cave. The three canines nodded in compliance and moved towards the cave.
"And also," Hawkeye smirked darkly "Cut out his tongue"
The three dogs padded inside the cave.
"What was his name darling?" Miranda asked.
"Do you know, I never even asked" Hawkeye smirked.
"Well then, it musn't have been important!" the female Irish Setter brushed her tail under his chin.
The two of them began to walk away as the agonised screams of the prisoner echoed from the cave.
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In the boiler room, tempers were flaring.
The new dog team had made their way inside, and already the leader, Vasil, was bragging.
"I've been doing this sort of stuff now for over a year. I must have killed nearly ten wolves now, with my own bear claws!" he chuckled.
In the corner, Kirby glared at the smug German Shepherd "If he keeps this up I'm gonna do something he'll regret"
"Same here" Ralph and Louis growled in unison.
There were eight dogs including Vasil who were seated near the boiler. A dark tan German Shepherd, a black Samoyed, a white Siberian Husky, a gray Chow-Chow, a brown St Bernard and three red huskies who appeared to be brothers. All of them appeared to be in prime health, and they were all focussing on Vasil.
"Tex" Vasil looked at the tan German Shepherd. "What's the matter, you look down" he smirked.
Tex scowled "You know why I 'look down'. No offense Vasil, but your knocking me sick wth all this talk"
Kirby and his friends perked up at this.
"Looks like there's a gap within the ranks" Louis muttered.
Vasil glared at Tex, and to the tan German Shepherd's horror and surprise, Vasil shoved his handsome but savage face into his nose "I’m the leader of this team, and if you don't like it you can go off somewhere else! You snivelling excuse for a dog!" he snarled.
Tex regained his compossure swiftly, and pushed Vasil away from him "Your sick Vasil, and so are the rest of you who think what he's saying is funny! It's disgusting! Wolve's have never hurt us before, so why should we hunt and kill them for fun?"
"Because it is fun" Vasil smirked, to the amusment of the others.
Tex glared at him "Well not for me!" he growled, then span round and barged through the door, taking Lance by surprise as he stepped inside.
"What's his problem?" he growled, before padding up to Vasil and his team. Kirby glared at him.
"What's he doing here?" he muttered.
"It's lucky Kodi isn't here, or he'd be in for what he deserves!" Ralph said in a low voice. Louis just nodded.
They turned away as Lance and Vasil broke into fits of laughter, thankful that their friend wasn't around to here the comments against his wolf heritage.
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Tex had been sculking round the alleys ever since he'd left the boiler room some time ago, and he had no intention of going back. He was sick of Vasil's boasting, and how the others fawned over him and every word that escaped his lips. In truth, Tex was tired of it all. He hadn't wanted to come to Nome in the first place, but his master had dragged him along for the ride as usual. He hated the fact that everyone had turned against him and sided with Vasil, and it further intensified his hatred and disgust of the white and black German Shepherd.
He had been looking for something to eat with limited success. Soon, he thought, he was doing to need to find some shelter other than the boiler room.
"I'll be ***** if I go back there! I'm through with it! Finished!" he thought. And he meant it.
The wind was starting to pick up as Tex padded down a narrow street, and he shivered as it penetrated through his fur.
He didn't here the sounds of rapidly approaching footsteps, as the wind whistled through his ears.
He didn't here anything until it was too late.
He turned round, as a paw impacted with his face. Tex staggered back and fell on his side. He recovered quickly, but another blow to his temple brought him crashing to the ground once again. He felt strong paws grab him round the neck, and through his spinning vision and pounding head he felt himself being dragged across the ground.
"Let me go!!" he screamed as his attacker dragged him into a nearby barn, and flung him through the open door. Tex impacted with the floor and rolled before sprawling to a halt. He looked up as his attacker loomed closer.
A black dog wearing a black fedora hat and a red flying scarf round his neck leant down over Tex, the brow of his hat masking his features.
"Who the hell are you!?" Tex growled.
"I've been called Pervert, Sicko, Madman, Maniac, Monster. But I am just a simple person trying to lead my brothers and sisters into the light, to liberate them from the cage of the wolf" the figure replied in a voice which was barely a whisper.
Tex yelped as the black dog grabbed him round the shoulders, and dug his claws into his skin.
"My only fault is that, no matter how hard I try, I just can't stop giving" the dog said, and Tex could tell from what little he could make out of the dogs features, that he was grinning.
"Why are you doing this?" Tex gasped as the dog dug deeper into his shoulders.
"You've defended the wolf, my friend. You are a traitor to your kind. And now I have to fix that" the dog growled.
Tex started shaking as the dog grabbed his head and lifted it up.
"No!" Tex pleaded. The dog slammed his head down onto the floor. Tex gasped from the pain, as the dog began to put weight onto the paw still over Tex's head. Tex started screaming as a sickening squelching sound echoed through his ears.
The dog turned his head away as Tex's head collapsed under his paw. He lifted his paw up and shook it, shaking off the blood dripping from it.
If anyone had witnessed the horrific scene, they would have seen a single figure slink out of the barn and disappear into the shadows.
Vanishing, into the darkness.
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"You must get some rest Miranda. It's a long day ahead" Hawkeye smiled at the female Setter.
"Mmm, yes, a long, glorious day! A long, glorious, exciting, marvellous day!" Miranda beamed.
Hawkeye chuckled "Goodnight Miranda" he kissed her once on the lips, and then padded out into the darkening foliage. He felt warm inside, like an intense fire was burning within. He smirked viciously.
"Capital! Quite, quite capital!" he sniggered.
He padded out of the foliage and approached the cave where Strike was stood on guard.
"Strike?"
Strike bowed his head "Yes General?"
"Get The Major on the line. We begin the attack tomorrow" Hawkeye smirked, and his eyes flashed demonically.
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Tell me what you all think! Part 4 coming soon!
Balto123
