Saphrina circled her herd of cattle, making sure none of the new calves were left behind. There was no way she’d let one get lost and eaten! The huge cows moved forward slowly but with a little encouragement from the grey-blue dog, the black and white animals picked up the pace until they were bustling toward the little farmhouse and through the gate leading to their pen. Saphrina’s owner, John, closed the gate and gave the dog a pat on the head.

“Good girl Holly! I don’t know what we’d do without you!”

Saphrina beamed, glad she did a job well-done and ignoring the name her owner had given her. She bounded after her master happily and beat him to the porch, slipping through the doggie door gracefully. Inside, John’s wife Wendy was cooking dinner. Saphrina took a deep inhale, savoring the good smell. There was nothing that she cooked that ever smelled bad! John came through the door and greeted his wife with a hug while Saphrina settled down in her bed after a hard day of work, barely listening to what her owners said.

“Phil called today. He says that wolf got another one of his cows”

Saphrina’s eyes popped open. Wolf?! Here?! Phil’s farm was only a mile or two away!

“Oh really?” John answered casually. “Another calf?”

“He said it brought down a full-grown cow”

“Did he mean a pack of wolves-?”

“Just one. Same one from last time. Said they put some money on catching him”

“Hmm... well as long as we have Holly-”

“I don’t think she should be out there” Wendy replied. “That wolf’s already killed some other dogs”

“Holly can handle it, right girl?”

Saphrina barked enthusiastically, rising to her feet. She needed to talk to Phil’s dogs! She hoped they were alright. She waited until the family of four had their dinner and went to bed then hurried outside. Saphrina jogged along the fence line, checking over the cattle herd by habit and hurrying through the night, heading west toward the next closest farm: Phil’s. 

     For a while, the dog traveled alone in silence, not daring to look at the tree line on her right or go close to it. Then suddenly, Saphrina was tackled to the ground, sending her and her attacker rolling through the tall grass. Saphrina snarled until she had her attacker pinned. Only then did she recognize the brown and black dog she’d caught.

“Nimbin! You scared me half to death!”

Nimbin grinned. “Sowrry” he apologized in his thick Australian accent. “Just keepin’ ya on yur feet!”

Saphrina rolled her eyes, shaking her head. 

“Sow I guess ya know what’s goin’ on then?”

Saphrina nodded as both came to another fence and slipped under the lowest piece of wood. 

“Ridge has to be mad” Saphrina said quietly. 

“You ‘ave no idea”

Soon enough, both dogs could smell blood hanging in the air and as they spotted the group huddled around the dead cow, the stench only got stronger. Of the five dogs circling the kill, the tawny and brown Shepherd cross seemed the most agitated, piercing blue eyes scanning for tracks.

The other four dogs glanced up and greeted Saphrina with brief smiles. 

“So what happened?” Saphrina asked the only female, a grey-brown Tamaskan dog named Loki.

“Same thing that happened with the calves... I was guarding Nicole back at the house, the guys were relaxing back at the shed and none of us actually saw it happen. But this time, he howled. Almost like he was taunting us to catch him”

“But there’s nothing!” the Shepherd cross, Ridge moaned hopelessly. “No tracks, barely a trail! It’s like he vaporized!”

The other three, a black and white collie named Galileo, a rust-brown English Shepherd named Pilot and a tall, frazzled grey wolf-like dog named Trigg continued to search for clues. 

“Maybe it was a good thing you didn’t catch him. I heard he’s killed several dogs already”

“We could’ve taken care of him” Ridge muttered under his breath. Trigg nodded enthusiastically.

Loki looked at them skeptically but chose not to argue. “You’re probably right. But you better be careful. We’ve got each other for back up, but you’re the only one over there”

Saphrina nodded understandably. “I should head back soon before John and Wendy wake up anyway. Just wanted to make sure everyone was okay”

Loki smiled warmly. “We appreciate it”

“Want me to walk ya home?” Nimbin offered as Saphrina started off. 

“Sure” Saphrina grinned back. “It’ll give me a chance to get back at you for scaring me before!”

     All the way back to her farm, Saphrina teased Nimbin, pretending to fight him and play tag. Ever since she had been adopted by John and Wendy and moved out to the farm, Nimbin had been her best friend. He was only two years older then she was while Ridge, Loki, Galileo, Pilot and Trigg were all much older, making him the only dog she could really relate too. 

Soon, they had come back to the small farmhouse and Saphrina tackled Nimbin one more time before leaping up the steps.

“Don’t get eaten” Saphrina called lightly over her shoulder. 

“Psh me? I got too much muscle!” Nimbin grunted, striking a pose. “I’d be too tough for ‘em!”

Saphrina grinned, rolling her eyes, and dodged back into the house, allowing herself to settle down into her bed and forget about the wolf. At least until the next morning.

     For the next few days afterwards, Saphrina herded day and night as well. So far nothing had touched her herd, but she didn’t trust whatever lurked in the nearby woods. And every day, when she and John returned for dinner, Wendy had another report of an attack for John. Saphrina was so occupied, she barely had time to stop and play with John and Wendy’s kid and baby, much less stopping by to see Ridge and the gang like she usually did.

     About a week after the cow had been killed at Phil’s, Saphrina was returning from another hard day of work, very proud that she hadn’t lost a single cow or calf. As expected, when she came through the doggie door and into the cozy kitchen, a bowl of kibble was already ready for her.

“Hey Holly” Wendy cooed. Saphrina wagged her tail but didn’t stop eating. Just as she finished the phone rang and John got up to get it. Saphrina lay down in her bed for just a second, and eavesdropped on the conversation.

“Hello? Yes, this is John... yeah, she’s just fine” John answered, glancing at Saphrina. “Wha... what?! Really? All four?”

Saphrina’s heart beat faster, hoping that everything was okay.

“Yeah okay, I’ll keep an eye out. Thanks, talk to you later Phil” John finished, hanging up the phone and turning to Wendy. “That wolf killed four farm dogs”

Saphrina jumped up, ears perked forward.

“Not Phil’s were they?” Wendy asked empathetically.

“No, it was a farm a few miles away from Phil’s. He was warning us to keep an eye on Holly. Now that I think about it, maybe you’re right, we should keep her inside. She’s worth more then than any cow”

With that, John rose to his feet to lock the doggie door, but Saphrina had already gone outside.

     Out in the chilly autumn cold, Saphrina ignored her owners’ calls. So what if this monster had added four more dogs to his already lengthy list of animals he’d killed?! She could handle whatever came her way! But as the moon climbed higher and higher in the sky, the dog began to underestimate how cold it could get. To keep herself warm, she circled the cows, double checking to make sure all were accounted for. A little ways off, she could see one of the calves had wandered off. Saphrina grinned to herself and jogged toward the woods where the calf stood shivering.

“What are you doing all the way out here?” Saphrina crooned, half to herself. “Aren’t you cold? Let’s go back to your momma” She said, nudging the calf.

“Hold it right there”

The voice made Saphrina jump and made the calf freeze. She turned around the see a four legged creature, barely lit by the full moon, but she couldn’t make out what kind of animal it was. It trotted forward silently and as it got closer, the shadowy figure turned out to be a wolf. Saphrina stepped boldly in front of the calf. If this was the wolf, she was ready to defend it.

“Who are you?!” Saphrina called out, knowing what the wolf had come for.

“Well at least there’s someone who asks for a name before they call me a criminal” the wolf returned jokingly, finally getting close enough for Saphrina to get a good look at him. He wasn’t at all what she expected... in her mind, she had imagined a mangy, bulky, brown monster with daggers for claws and teeth. This wolf was a smooth gold and although he did have sharp teeth, Saphrina couldn’t help but to feel a little taken aback. His blue eyes were nothing like the dull, cold ones she had imagined. They were, almost kinda... nice?

“I’m Solo”  said the wolf introducing himself, “And that behind you... is my dinner” he added confidently, pointing to the calf Saphrina guarded. 

Saphrina shook her head, snapping out of her dazed, dream-like state.

“I’m sorry but you’re going to have to get your dinner somewhere else” Saphrina replied coldly. “This calf’s a part of my herd”

Solo made a face, as if considering whether to push past the much smaller dog or to be nice. He moved a step to the right and Saphrina copied his move, stepping back into Solo’s line of sight. A grin slid across the wolf’s muzzle.

“You know, for a simple little ranch dog, you got some pretty blue eyes”

Saphrina was totally caught off-guard.

“Excuse me for asking, but are you the only wolf around here that’s been killing livestock... and uh... dogs? Because you don’t seem like the type and I don’t think one wolf could do all that...”

“Oh, no. It was all me” Solo answered in an airy tone. “You and your humans are pretty right about that”

“So you’re the one that killed those four dogs last night?”

“Yuppp” Solo replied simply, starting to circle and keep his eyes on the shivering calf. 

“Why’d you kill them?!” Saphrina spat, almost not able to believe it. This wolf seemed charming, how could he kill anything?! “What did they ever do to you?”

“Actually, they were doing what you’re doing now” Solo replied, stopping and making eye contact with Saphrina. Saphrina froze and smothered a gulp.

“So why wait so long to try to go after me?” Saphrina asked in a quiet tone, ready to fight if he tried to make an attack. 

Solo shrugged, raising his brows. “Guess I never came across one so pretty before”

Saphrina frowned, eyes belying her anger and confusion. But Solo was as done with their little game as Saphrina was.

“Alright but seriously... uh-?”

“You don’t need to know my name” Saphrina snapped. 

Solo shrugged, but waited for her to answer.

“Saphrina” the frustrated dog finally spat.

“Alright Saphi, but it’s cold out, I just ran like ten or so good farm’s distance and I’m hungry out of my mind, so if you step aside and let me have my dinner-”

Solo dove one way but Saphrina moved just as fast, cutting the wolf off. 

“Fine, if you want to put up a fight” Solo smirked, furrowing his brow. Quick as lightening, Solo grabbed Saphrina by her bandanna and threw her down onto the ground before she could even react.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay there” 

Saphrina lay still for a moment but when Solo edged toward the calf, she was up on her feet in a flash and using all her strength, body slammed the wolf so hard, it sent him rolling. Before Solo got back on his feet, Saphrina lunged at the calf, driving it back to the cow herd which was now making a protective circle around it’s calves. Once the calf was safe, Saphrina howled as loud as she could to wake up John. Proudly, Saphrina turned to see Solo’s reaction. All traces of fun had left Solo’s eyes. Now they were just cold. The fur was standing on end all along his back and now that he looked angry, Saphrina had no problem imagining him killing the four dogs. The front door to the house opened, sending light streaming across the ground.

“Holly?! Holly!” 

John’s voice was comforting, as was the sound of a gun being loaded. Saphrina turned back around to look right into two cold blue eyes... the wolf was face to face with the her. Solo sank his teeth into the dog’s nose and threw her violently to the ground. John let out a yell and fired a shot into the air and when Saphrina looked up, Solo was long gone. Like Ridge had described, there was no trace of the wolf except for a faint scent trail. Saphrina rose slowly, legs shaking and felt something warm dribble off of her nose where Solo had bitten her.

John ran out to his dog, pulling a coat on as he went. Saphrina wagged her tail wearily and didn’t move when John examined her nose, dabbing it with the sleeve of his coat. 

“Good girl Holly” John said in a low voice, patting the shaking dog. “Very good girl”

Saphrina calmed herself down taking deep breaths and kept her eyes on the direction that Solo had disappeared in. 

     The next morning, when Saphrina stepped outside, Loki, Ridge and Nimbin were already there to greet her.

“Good morning” Saphrina greeted awkwardly, knowing why they were there. Ridge didn’t waste a minute and was up on the porch checking Saphrina over for any other injuries. As long as Saphrina had known Nimbin, she’d known Ridge. And as long as she had known Ridge, he had reminded her of a paranoid, less nice version of her own father.

“I’m okay” Saphrina said with a weak smile. “Just bruised and uh... I gotta cut”

“Cool gash though!” Nimbin grinned, eyeing the slash that crossed over the bridge of Saphrina’s nose. “I can’ believe it’s not broken!” Loki elbowed Nimbin who choked out, “But it doesn’t look that bad”

Saphrina had to smile at that. “Did anyone hear of him after?”

Ridge shook his head, satisfied that Saphrina was okay. “No one’s heard or seen of him since. But I doubt he’s gonna stay away”

Saphrina nodded, letting her eyes drop. 

“Well we’re staying here tonight” Ridge announced defiantly. “Trigg, Galileo and Pilot can handle the herd on their own”

Saphrina opened her mouth to tell them no, but she wouldn’t win an argument against Ridge. 

     Only a few hours later, the four dogs found themselves in the same state Saphrina found herself in the night before. Shivering, cold and wrapped in pitch-black except for a bit of moonlight to guide their way. The herd shifted uncomfortably in their big pen and Saphrina shivered. 

“He’s probably not going to come back tonight anyway” Saphrina mumbled to herself.

“Well we’re not going to take any chances” Ridge answered, overhearing her. 

Saphrina made a face and continued to pace around the herd. Ridge, Nimbin and Loki were all circling the herd as well as Saphrina was. They had tried to bring the herd closer to the house, but the big stupid animals stood stubbornly at the point out the pen closest to the woods. She lost sight of the other three for a moment, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Nimbin jumped out from somewhere. While she walked, she felt like something was following her and when she paused, the hair on her back stood on end. Her ears twitched backward and when she strained to hear, something was definitely breathing. Smiling to herself, Saphrina didn’t have to look over her shoulder.

“Nimbin, you’re going to have to work harder then that to surprise me!”

“Who’s Nimbin?” an eerie, smooth and familiar voice whispered in her ear, sending chills racing up her spine. Saphrina turned to look into the same blue eyes she had the night before. Solo was back.

“And I see you called in for backup” 

Saphrina didn’t say a word. She just stared hatefully at the wolf. 

“Not so talkative tonight, are we Saphi?”

“Don’t call me that” Saphrina spat. “Why are you back here? My human won’t let you near here and I’ve got help tonight”

“What do you want me to do then? It’d be pretty easy to silence you for good... that’s the only option you’re giving me”

On the other side of the herd, Nimbin called out to Ridge and Saphrina took her eyes off the wolf for just a second.

“Maybe it’d be easier to silence your friends instead”

“Stay away from them!” Saphrina growled. “I want you to get out of here!”

“I think I want one of your cows first” Solo said quickly, dodging around the dog. 

“RIDGE! LOKI! NIMBIN! He’s BACK!”

Solo paused for a second, taunting Saphrina to chase him and she didn’t disappoint him. Saphrina was right on his tail as he ran straight into the middle of the herd. The golden wolf slipped out of sight in the identical forest of the cows’ legs and only when she heard one of the calves bawl did she know where he was. Saphrina sprinted but faltered when she saw Solo... with a calf in his jaws. Then she ran faster then she ever had in her life, smashing into the wolf’s side like she had the night before, biting whatever she could reach. She could barely hear Solo’s snarling over her own. Suddenly, Saphrina felt herself be lifted and dropped onto the ground. Hard. She tried to get up but Solo’s strong paws held her down. 

“This was fun and all... but I think it’s time you learn that some little ranch dog isn’t going to stop me”

“LEAVE HER ALONE!” Ridge roared, Loki and Nimbin not a step behind.

“Don’t move or she’s dead” Solo shot back coldly, moving a paw to her throat.

“Don’t kill them” Saphrina said in a low voice, only loud enough for Solo to hear. Solo raised a brow. “If I were you, I’d be a bit preoccupied with what was going on to me-” 

“Let her go and we’ll let you go” Loki offered.

For the second night in a row, the door up at the farmhouse was flung open and John could be heard running down the stairs. 

“Or e’ll just shoot you” Nimbin growled. 

Solo glanced toward the house and his eyes dropped to Saphrina’s. He lowered his head down until it was almost touching Saphrina’s and whispered in her ear, “You owe me Saphi”

“For what?!”

“Sparing your friends. Sparing you however, is on me”

Then he spun around and took off into the night, allowing Ridge, Loki and Nimbin to rush forward to Saphrina. Saphrina stayed on the ground for a few moments before sitting up. 

“You awlright?” Nimbin finally asked.

“I hate him” Saphrina finally managed to stutter angrily, making the other three smile with relief. Just as they started to head back to the house, John pushed his way through the cows. Saphrina lowered her head and tail, unable to look at the calf that Solo had killed. 

“It’s okay girl” John said quietly, patting his scuffed up dog. “We’ll do something about this in the morning”

“We’ll keep watch for the rest of the night” Loki said to Saphrina as she followed John back to the house. Every step Saphrina took back to the house seemed heavier the the last. She had let John down. John reached the door first and after making sure she was settled in her dog bed, he locked the doggie door. Saphrina didn’t worry about the three remaining outside. For some reason, she seemed to trust what Solo had said. But as she drifted off into a deep sleep, the last thing she thought about over and over again was how much she hated the golden wolf. 

     The next morning, Saphrina was drowsy enough to let herself sleep in and by the time she opened her eyes, the sun was already streaming in through the windows. She stretched, wincing at her sore muscles, then stiffly walked over to the doggie door. As they had promised, Ridge, Loki and Nimbin were still on guard, much more at ease then they were the night before.

“Well guess who’s finally awake” Nimbin grinned.

Saphrina flashed a smile, laying down on the porch. “No trouble after I left, right?”

“Nope” Ridge said simply. 

“It figures” Saphrina breathed. “Where’s John?”

“Walked over to Phil’s” Ridge answered. “Said something about a reward and I’m pretty sure it had something to do with-”

“Solo”

Ridge raised his brow, surprised she knew the wolf’s name, but nodded. The dogs relaxed around the front porch, talking until the sun had started to set and John’s dark form could be seen against the frost coated grass. Saphrina rose to her feet and jogged forward to greet her owner. John patted Saphrina’s head but didn’t say a word. The only word he said was “Home” when he passed by Ridge, Nimbin and Loki. The three rose to their feet and Saphrina nodded. 

“I’ll be alright, he’s probably not coming back. He got what he wanted”

Ridge reluctantly started back toward his farm, Loki and Nimbin following after saying a quick goodbye to Saphrina. The grey-blue dog went to eat her dinner and listened as John called for Wendy.

“I’m going out for a few days” John announced. “We’re going after the wolf”

Saphrina paused, looking up at her owner.

“It’s already killing livestock and dogs, it’s not going to be long before it moves on to kids and people”

Wendy shook her head but remained silent. “Is it just you?”

“No, Phil invited me to go along. His cousin hunts wolves and we figure we can split the reward money between us if we get him”

“Well when are you leaving?” 

“Tomorrow morning. Phil’s cousin rented out a dog sled to take us closer to town and he’s taking his dogs. We’ll be back in about a week”

Wendy nodded and hugged her husband. Saphrina finished her food and went to go lay down to sleep. She was going to go along with the group. She had a score to settle.

     Early the next morning, before the sun had even risen, John’s heavy footsteps woke up Saphrina. Yawning, the young dog had a hard time just opening up her eyes, much less leaving her warm, comfortable bed. She wasn’t sure if John would want her to come along, but this was one thing she was not getting left behind for. After John had his coffee and Saphrina had her breakfast, there was a soft knock on the door. John opened the door and Saphrina saw the familiar, portly shape of their only close neighbor, Phil. 

“Ready to go?”

John nodded, yawning and didn’t object when he noticed Saphrina following him out the door. Ridge, Nimbin and Loki were already waiting next to the dog sled loaded with supplies, leading Saphrina to believe that Ridge had told Trigg, Galileo and Pilot to stay at the farm. Ridge seemed a bit apprehensive that Saphrina was coming along, given her previous encounters with the wolf, but the other two gave Saphrina tired smiles. The group started off at a brisk pace as Phil explained to John that they were going to meet Phil’s cousin at his farm on the outskirts of town. 

“Just wait ‘til you meet his dogs though” Nimbin moaned in his accent. “Unbearable”

“Really?”

“They’re awful” Loki added, joining in. “You’ll see” 

     For a day and a half, the group travelled, only stopping at night to make camp and get some rest. Near the end of the second day, they finally came upon what they had been journeying to. Less then a mile away, the group could see a small town, but the closest structures were an old barn and a beaten up ranch house. 

“Here we are” Phil announced. 

Saphrina observed her surroundings and the sound of a few dogs barking caught her attention. 

“‘Ere they come” Nimbin moaned, closing his eyes. Saphrina squinted and saw the four dogs. From what it looked like, the lead dog was the oldest: some white and grey flecked setter cross. The biggest was a white Akita-looking dog with small, beady eyes. Saphrina still hadn’t met them, but she had a bad feeling about the muscular white dog. The other two were hounds: one a blueish color with black patches, the other a creamy white with brown spots. Phil’s cousin, an older man that looked washed-out, waited on the porch. He looked tough but nice. The humans greeted each other but the two groups of dogs stuck to themselves. Besides Saphrina, they already knew each other. The four strange dogs stayed on the porch but Saphrina already felt shivers running down her spine. Ever since they had settled down by the sled, the white dog’s beady eyes had been scanning over Saphrina and as much as she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t relax.

“That’s Shoota” Nimbin supplied, noticing Saphrina’s discomfort. “He’s gotta be the wurst dog I’ve eva met”

“I believe you” Saphrina mumbled in a low voice. “Who’s the older dog there?”

“The grey one? That’s Captain. E’s not as bad as the rest a them, but e’s still not friendly. The two hounds are Blue and Duke. They kinda get on yer nerves after a while. They bark at everythin’!”

It didn’t take too long for Saphrina to figure this out on her own. Every time something so much as flinched, Blue and Duke would howl their heads off. By the time the sky had started to darken, Saphrina’s head was pounding.

“Toldya” Nimbin muttered as Saphrina put her paws over her ears. 

The sounds of human footsteps clattered down the stairs, making the dogs jump to their feet. All three men were carrying guns, making the dogs stand alertly. Phil’s cousin went into the barn and led out a calf.

“What’re they bringing the calf out for?” Saphrina asked cautiously.

“Bait” Captain grunted.

Saphrina grimaced. “Well it’s going to be alright, right?”

Captain whipped around so that he was nose-to-nose with her. “Listen now missy, if you’re gonna act like this for the rest of the time you’re here, we ain’t gonna get along so well!”

“Lay off ‘er” Nimbin snapped. “Not all of us are drones like you are”

Captain snorted and squinted at Nimbin. “You an’ I ain’t gonna get along neither”

“We already don’ get along” Nimbin retorted. 

Captain puffed his chest out and hurried to catch up with his master. 

“Well that was a great first impression, wasn’t it?”

Nimbin grinned. “You bet!”

Once the group had come to a small stand of trees, Phil and John hid in the bushes, the dogs following their lead, while Phil’s cousin led the calf out to the middle of the open space, closer to the woods, then tied it to the ground. 

When he came back to the other two, he hunkered down as well, cocking his gun and mumbled, “And now we wait”

“Ever been out here before?” Shooter asked, sidling up alongside Saphrina.

“Nope”

“I can tell” Shooter grinned. “Nervous as a house dog in the wild. Did you decide to come out here to prove something? Or did you just decide to try to impress someone”

Saphrina furrowed her brow. She barely knew this dog and he was almost the most obnoxious thing she’d ever met. If he met Solo, she bet they could be best friends.

“I’m getting back at someone”

“Oh you’re the dog that got whipped by that wolf then” Shooter pressed on, eyes lighting up. “Was it true you let him beat you up and then gave him one of your calves to keep yourself alive?”

Saphrina was about to snarl something back, but Phil’s cousin hushed the quarreling dogs and raised his rifle. John and Phil did too. Saphrina moved away from Shooter to get a better look and could clearly see a light figure making it’s way across the grass cautiously. It was Solo. The calf bawled but it was too afraid to move. Solo picked up his pace as he got closer, choosing hunger over vigilance as three unseen rifles followed him. For a second, Saphrina felt like she was going to be sick. Solo had been sorta nice to her... sorta. She had to remind herself of all the lives he’d taken before she felt better. Just before he got to the tiny cow, three shots rang out. Saphrina jumped and watched excitedly as Solo tumbled to the ground. 

“It’s all over boys” Phil’s cousin grinned, shaking the other’s hands. “He’s a big one too”

Saphrina took a half- relieved sigh and looked back at the fallen wolf... who was on his feet and running away!

Saphrina barked madly and the men struggled to aim. It was too late. Solo had gotten away. Again.

“Well one of us got ‘em”  Phil’s cousin said gruffly. “He definitely fell. He won’t survive for long without a gun wound and he’s not gonna come back to keel over. Guess we send the dogs out after ‘em”

John and Phil both nodded. Phil’s cousin pointed and yelled “Git ‘em”

Captain led the other three out, all barking as if their tails were on fire. 

“Well what are we waiting for?” Ridge smirked, “I’m not going to sit by while these clowns bring him in” Phil’s dogs took off, Saphrina not a step behind. Now she could really settle a score with Solo!

     The dogs quickly found out that their little journey was going to be anything but just that. Phil’s cousin was right: they had definitely hit Solo. There was enough blood to prove that. Seeing that, the dogs had slowed down to a brisk walk since they didn’t have to worry about losing a trail. Every few steps, a stain of red glittered in the grass. After a while, Saphrina wondered if Solo was still going to be alive when they found him. He seemed to have lost a lot of blood already. 

     The night turned into day and the day turned into night and the group soon had to pick up the pace. Smells of the first snow of autumn were on the wind and the increasingly smaller blood drops already seemed to be fading. The dogs kept twisting in and out of the woods as if Solo had been weaving to throw off any followers. But steadily, the group could smell the trial getting stronger. They were close! Saphrina’s heart raced when the trail once again started into the woods.

“Ready to catch a killer?” Captain grunted gruffly. “Because more then likely, we’re about to find him”

The group nodded and crept in. “If he’s still alive, then he’s one tough-”

A yell interrupted Captain’s marveling. They rushed forward, stopping when the came to the edge of a tiny clearing. There, next to a leafless, dead tree, was Solo. His right shoulder was streaked with blood that had dried in his fur, making it spike up. There was so much of it, Saphrina couldn’t even tell where the actual wound was. But it looked like his leg had finally given out, explaining the shout. Saphrina grimaced as the wolf picked himself off the ground, legs shaking, and rested against the dead tree, closing his eyes. That had to hurt. Saphrina couldn’t help but to feel sorry for him. Captain, on the other hand, didn’t care at all.

“Spread out. Surround him”

Saphrina nodded and moved a little ways off, making sure she was still able to see. 

“Wolf! We have you surrounded! Come with us peacefully or we’ll just kill you now!”

Solo’s eyes popped open and he scanned around but didn’t move. Captain jumped out and the rest of the dogs did the same thing. Solo’s cold eyes passed from one to the other as if it was taking a while to process until they stopped and rested for a second on Saphrina. Then he closed his eyes again and leaned all his weight on the tree, sliding down to the ground. 

“Why don’ you just kill ‘em now?” Nimbin asked, making Solo open his eyes and glare. “Wouldn’ that make more sense?”

“Well if you want to carry him back, be my guest. He’s got three good legs. He can walk” 

Nimbin shrugged and stepped closer to Ridge. 

“Well get up” Captain growled gruffly. Solo looked at Captain through squinted eyes and snorted. “I just ran for a day and a half with an injured shoulder” he uttered in a deadly tone. “Unless you’re dragging me, I’m not moving”

Shooter stepped forward, puffing up his chest. “Are you deaf? He said get up”

“Are you deaf? I said-” Shooter kicked Solo’s shoulder, making the wolf bite his lip to keep himself from making any noise. “Fine” he said, “But I’m not gonna get far unless I stop soon”

“We’re the ones who’ll decide when to stop” Shooter grinned. Solo didn’t take his blue eyes of the white dog and Saphrina recognized the look. He’d given her the same one just before he’d attacked her. With a groan, he pulled himself up, clearly bigger then Shooter and took a step forward. His right leg shook badly, but it seemed able to hold weight.

“Let’s get moving then. A day and a half without food is already too long”

Shooter shoved Solo forward, and Solo reluctantly limped forward. As they passed by Saphrina, Solo made eye contact and nodded respectfully. “Saphi”

     Like Solo had promised, they didn’t get far before the gold wolf had run out of energy. They had made it out of the woods, but they had to travel alongside the tree line to get back to the farm. Solo scanned it out of habit, took a step, then collapsed, groaning. “Get up” Shooter said, amused. “I said-”

“Yeah I heard what you said!” Solo snapped angrily. He stood up, took a step and once again, his leg went limp and the wolf hit the frozen ground. 

“Well, I guess we’re staying here tonight” Ridge yawned, sinking down to his stomach. Captain frowned, but nodded too, settling down. “I guess we’ll just take shifts to watch over him”

“I’ll take the first shift” Ridge offered. Captain shrugged, setting his head on his paws and closing his eyes. “Good luck to ya then”

Saphrina laid down between Nimbin and Loki and Shooter relaxed across from Saphrina.

“See, the big bad wolf didn’t get you this time” Shooter grinned, laughing to himself. Saphrina furrowed her brow, thinking of something witty to reply back. Solo watched, eyes flitting between Saphrina and Shooter. “Maybe all it took was some muscle!”

Saphrina turned her head the other way. She was quickly finding she hated Shooter far more then she had ever hated Solo. 

“You know what? I-”

“Go to sleep!” Saphrina snapped. Shooter chuckled to himself but shut his mouth. Saphrina closed her eyes tightly, trying to ignore her hunger and slipped into an uneasy sleep. It seemed like no time at all before she was nudged awake.

“Hmm...?”

“It’s your turn to watch ‘em” came Nimbin’s accent.

Saphrina opened her eyes lazily but made herself wake up when she noticed Solo’s blue eyes practically glowing in the moonlight.

“G’night”

“Night” Saphrina yawned. She blinked herself awake, looking up at the stars and practically full moon. 

“Pretty, huh?” Solo said softly.

“Why aren’t you asleep. It’s the middle of the night”

“Tried... then I remembered I had a hole in my shoulder. Kinda hurts. But that just might be me”

“You got what you deserved”

“You ever been shot before?”

“No” Saphrina scoffed. “Don’t take this personally but I don’t want to talk to you”

Solo shrugged and carefully rolled over onto his back, wincing. “Well I didn’t think it would hurt this bad”

Saphrina rolled her eyes and looked at the woods, wondering to herself if there was anything out there more dangerous then what she was in charge of watching.

“There’s nothing there”

“What?”

“I thought you weren’t talking to me” Solo said, grinning upside down so that his smile looked like a frown. “There’s nothing in the woods. At least not right now”

Saphrina squinted skeptically but didn’t say anything.

“What? Don’t trust me?”

“I usually don’t trust anyone that would attack me then threaten to kill me and my friends”

“Psh I wasn’t going to kill you. If I’d have wanted to, you would’ve been a goner”

Saphrina grimaced. Solo rolled back onto his stomach, holding his breath until he was back onto his belly, then let his breath out slowly. 

“I didn’t do anything to your friends. Plus, I thought you were the only one on your little farm”

“I am. They were helping me so you wouldn’t hurt anyone”

“Well that worked out well” Solo snorted. “No strong man to protect little ol’ you?”

“I can protect myself just fine” Saphrina growled. “I don’t need anyone else”

“Seems like you don’t want anyone else either”

The dog frowned, not making eye contact and Solo raised his eyebrows. “Is there a story behind that?”

Saphrina nodded, no believing she was letting herself open up to the killer. “My mom and sister... had some trouble with a dog back in Nome. He killed my father’s first mate and got my sister pregnant. I know that not every dog is like that, but I haven’t found one that isn’t”

Solo nodded, face blank and unreadable. Saphrina furrowed her brow, angry he’d gotten her to talk so much. “Well I don’t see any girl following us dying to save you”

“Most of ‘em hate me” Solo admitted. “But there’s always another girl right after last one”

Saphrina snorted. “I’d be terrified to see what kind of family you came from! I wouldn’t be surprised if your own parents taught you all that”

Solo was quiet for a moment and Saphrina was tempted to look and see what kind of reaction she was getting. “Well at least my family didn’t teach me to avoid everyone” he muttered coldly.

“They didn’t!” Saphrina snapped, rising to her feet. “I picked that up on my own! And after meeting you, I’m glad I did!”

Solo sized up the small dog but didn’t get up. Satisfied, Saphrina was about to lay down again before the wolf added, “For all you know, your sister might have been asking for it”

Saphrina snarled, whipping around and knocking the wolf back onto his side. The other sleeping dogs began to shift, waking up. “You don’t know anything about my family! You don’t know what happened! You weren’t there!”

Solo raised a brow then grinned, opening his mouth to say something back.

“As soon as we get you back, you’re dead and none of us are going to remember anything you did. And the sooner we can forget about you the better!” Saphrina kicked Solo in his bad shoulder with all the strength she could muster, making him double over in pain, and sulked back to her spot, throwing herself on the ground. Shooter chuckled and started to talk but Saphrina cut him off. “I don’t want to hear it Shooter!”

All the other dogs had woken up, but no one else said anything, surprised that Saphrina was the first to snap. “Somebody else watch him” she grumbled, letting herself slip off to sleep.

     The next morning, Saphrina was grumpy and still tired. Not eating regular meals was starting to get to her and although there was an occasional puddle or stream to stop by, she was still pretty thirsty too. Snow still hadn’t fallen, but the damp, frozen smell of it still hung around.

“Start walking” Shooter jeered, shoving Solo forward. Solo grit his teeth but reluctantly started walking. Captain led the way and Ridge and Saphrina walked on either side of Solo. The other four walked behind, in case Solo tried to escape. For a while, they walked in silence until they had walked the sleepiness off. Then Nimbin sped up to walk next to Saphrina.

“So what was that abou’? Last night?”

“Nothing” Saphrina yawned. “Just let something get to me. Nothing that I can’t forget about”

“I already forgot about it” Solo said as he limped along. Saphrina ignored him.

“How many more days until we’re back?” Saphrina asked aloud.

“Two” Shooter answered. “Unless someone could suck it up and walk faster”

Solo grunted. “Where am I being taken to anyway?”

“We’re not telling you” Shooter smirked.

“Back to town” Captain called over his shoulder. “Where we won’t have to worry about you anymore”

Solo nodded, considering it as if it was no big deal.

“Shouldn’t a told him that” Shooter frowned.

“Why not? Think I’m going to destroy it before we get there?”

Saphrina let herself smile at that. She disliked Solo, especially after the previous night, but she hated Shooter. For once, Shooter shut his mouth. Saphrina figured he was probably thinking up something smart to say... he didn’t seem very witty. And while everyone else seemed to soak up the silence and think their own thoughts, Solo only wanted to talk. 

“Ever been out in the wild before?” 

Saphrina glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw that Solo was aiming the question at her.

“Aren’t we in the wild right now?” Saphrina stated blatantly. 

“No! This is nothing!”

Saphrina ignored him, keeping her eyes straight ahead and trying to look bored.

“Bet you never saw a bear before either”

Saphrina gave Solo a side-long glance, hoping he wouldn’t notice her interest, but the gold wolf grinned.

“A giant furry ball of black fur and teeth. Think I’m bad? After you run into them, you’d think I was an angel!”

The group walked in silence for a little more before they got away from the woods and could see clearly around them. As the small hill they were standing on sloped down, they could see a huge marsh with tall grass.

“Looks like that’s the quickest way” Captain mumbled. 

“Are you serious?” Solo snorted. “You’re actually going to lead me through there?”

The dogs stopped and glared at the wolf. 

“It’s the fastest way to the ranch. Dudn’t matter if you get yer feet wet. You’re not gonna be alive for much longer anyway”

“None of you will be alive much longer if you go in there” Solo argued. “But by all means, go ahead. They aren’t going to attack me. They’ll go after dogs first”

Saphrina gulped wondering if it was a good idea to listen to the wolf. She could hear Nimbin gulp next to her.

“E’s, e’s probably just lyin’ anyway” Nimbin stuttered to his best friend, Saphrina nodding along with him. 

“Maybe I am” Solo muttered, overhearing Nimbin. “But then again, there’s nothing for me to be afraid of, so let’s go”

Captain shook his head, leading the group toward the marsh. Solo grinned as he followed the dogs down to the tall, dark grass.

“Now we can really bond, can’t we?”

Saphrina, Solo, Nimbin, Ridge, Loki, Galileo, Trigg, Pilot (and un-mentioned ocs) (c) me

Kit (Saphrina’s mom-mentioned) (c) ZukotheCat

Clover (Saphrina’s sister-mentioned) (c) Skotta