Disk ran with all his might, to catch up with his sisters. He didn’t turn back he didn’t want to see his mother being ripped apart. “Riley! Raven!” He called for them, but he didn’t hear their paw steps cease, they continued running. He remembered his mom yelling that they can’t stop until they reached the end of the pack’s territory. He had to get there before the wolves realized that him and his sisters are still alive. Disk could hear his sisters calling for him up ahead, and he howled back to them.

            “Disk?” Riley’s voice was only a few yards off, and her scent was growing stronger, as was Raven’s. Disk could hear the wolves coming but they were too far off to catch him before he reached safety. He leaped on top of Riley and smiled gleefully.

            “We did it!” He yipped with joy.

            “Where’s mom?” Riley asked him, and Disk stopped jumping and his smile faded.

            “She fell back to save me.” Disk lowered his head.

            “So it’s your fault she’s dead.” Raven snarled.

            “No!” Disk whined. Suddenly the group of wolves that had been chasing the three young wolf/dogs were sitting at the boundary.

            “Congratulations.” A deep throaty voice was heard from behind the wolves, “I didn’t think you would make it.” Luke stepped out of the shadows and gave the three a big smile.

            “What happened to mom?” Raven asked through clenched teeth.

            “Oh her?” Luke smirked and ducked his head for a second and when he looked back up at the threesome he had Jenna’s body in his strong jaws. She was still bleeding and barely alive. “Want her?” He asked.

            “Let her go!” Disk growled.

            “Come and get her.” He laughed and set the female down right on the line, Raven slowly began moving forward when Luke stopped her, “Come any closer and I will order my pack to kill you.” Raven paused; she sat down staring at her mother.

            “You’re horrible.” She whispered.

            “Thank you.” He smiled a big toothy grin.

            “What if we made a deal?” Raven lifted her head.

            “What kind of a deal?” Luke seemed interested.

            “Take me instead of Jenna.”

            “Raven no!” Riley spoke up, “He’s devious, and he won’t stay true to his word.”

            “SHUT UP PUP!” Luke roared. “Raven, you speak with intelligence and your deal isn’t half bad,” He paced in a small circle.

            “Deal?”

            “Deal, take her.” Raven went to reach for Jenna when the wolves piled on top of Raven. She fell to the ground, with a loud thud.

            “RAVEN!” Disk shouted, amidst the chaos.

            “Give us Jenna.” Riley said, “A deal’s a deal.”

            “Fine.” Jenna was gasping for air, and her body was shaking.

“MOM!” Disk collapsed on the ground next the red husky.

“Disk?” Jenna asked, slowly lifting her head and her son smiled. Riley paid no attention to her mother and focused completely on her sister who was fighting for her life. Riley’s tail bristled and she fell back on her haunches, getting ready to spring.

“Don’t you dare move!” Raven growled, “Stay back!”

“I will not let you die.”  Riley snarled in return, but she knew that if she jumped into the fight she would be just as dead as Raven when it was all over.

“Luke…” Riley turned around, her mother was sitting up and leaning against Disk, “Don’t make me watch my eldest daughter’s death…please have mercy on her and I.”

A cunning smile spread across Luke’s face, “STOP!” He howled and the wolves froze right where they were, one of them held Raven’s throat in their jaws. “Hmm…what to do, what to do?” He glanced at the black wolf/dog and then back at Jenna who was so pitiful. “I won’t kill her if you, as your daughter did, make a deal with me.”

Suddenly all eyes were on Jenna as she glared at Luke, “Anything.”

“She will continue to live with me as you, Riley and Disk leave here and never return.”

“And if we do?” Jenna asked, testing him.

“Then every single one of you will perish.” Luke growled.

“Raven…I can’t bear to see you die.”

“So you’re going to give me a fate worse than death?” Raven mumbled, she was badly bleeding and had deep wounds on her legs. She was lying on the ground; her black body was covered with dust and blood.

“Can we have a moment alone?”

“If you make a move to leave then Jenna I will…”

“Luke you have my word that I won’t leave with Raven.”

“Fine.” He turned on his heels and the wolves followed him. Jenna, Riley and Disk stood in shock gazing at Raven. Riley was the first to move, she bent down and helped her sister up.

“Why didn’t you just let them kill me?” Raven said weakly.

“I couldn’t bear to watch them do that to my daughter.”

“You were being selfish. And now I have to live a life with creatures that can do anything they want to me…I will never live with my real family. Go away!” Raven bared her teeth. Riley slowly backed away, with her tail between her legs.

“I…” Jenna was at a loss for words, she put a paw across the boundary line and Raven snapped at her and Jenna yelped.

“I belong to Luke’s pack now, I’m supposed to kill any outsider who wanders onto our territory.” Raven said with tears welling up in her eyes, she had no choice but to chase off her siblings and mother. “GO!”

Jenna turned around sadly defeated and Riley and Disk followed behind her. Raven turned as well, heading in the opposite direction toward her undesirable destiny given to her by her own mother.

________________________________________________________________________

            The winds had shifted yet again and now the snow was falling directly on Dusty’s face, the flakes melted slowly and she squinted to see what was in front of her. She had gone to visit Saba; she felt it was her duty to keep an eye on Jenna’s first litter. The snow had grown deeper and Dusty’s paws sank through and her paw pads stung. She climbed the steps up to Saba’s porch and she scratched lightly on the wooden door. A young girl opened it and allowed Dusty entrance inside the warm cabin. A fire was brewing in the fire place and the humans were gathered around it talking amongst each other. They ignored Dusty completely, so the gray dog made her way into the kitchen, “Saba?” She whispered.

            “Huh?” The red husky lifted her head and she turned so that she was facing Dusty. “Oh hi.” She gracefully stood up and stepped out of her bed, approaching Dusty.

            “I just decided to stop by and say hello.”

            “Well that’s nice of you, is it still snowing outside?” Saba asked, craning her neck to see out the kitchen window.

            “Yes, it’s a blizzard out there.” Dusty sat, wrapping her tail around her paws.

            “Look I’m sorry for the way my brother, Kodi has been acting…” Saba said, “I didn’t expect him to do anything like that, he was really bothered by our mom’s behavior.”

            “It doesn’t surprise me at all, I would be just as upset.”

            “You would try to murder your own mother?” Saba asked.

            “No, nothing like that but I would be embarrassed and appalled.” Dusty sighed, “I was adopted and transferred to Nome from Anchorage so I didn’t get to know my parents that well but I do miss them.”

            “I miss my mom too, and dad is a wreck.” Saba whimpered.

            “Don’t cry Saba.”

            “It’s been over a year…”

            “Don’t lose hope.” Dusty licked Saba’s forehead and stood up, “I have to go home now, tomorrow I have mail duty early in the morning so I need some sleep.”

            “What about Kodi?”

            “What about him?”

            “How can you two work together when you are enemies?”

            “I’m not going to let my personal problems interfere with my work.” Dusty said, but she was just as unsure as Saba as to how things would unfold the next day. “Good bye Saba.” Dusty smiled and Saba nodded. Dusty exited through the kitchen doggy-door and began making her way back home. The snowstorm had calmed a bit, but the snow was up to her legs and she trudged all the way home through the deep snow.

            “Dusty there you are!” Dusty looked up to see her female master smiling down at her, “Come on girl it’s dinner time.” She closed the door once Dusty was inside. The house smelled of salmon, Dusty licked her lips and followed Kali into the kitchen. “Here you go.” Kali placed a bowl of cut up salmon and dog food in front of Dusty who gratefully chowed down.

            After dinner the family sat around the dinner table, talking lightly about the days’ events. Dusty found her bed in the corner of the living room and curled up into a little ball and fell asleep.

            “Wake up! Wake up! Hurry! Come on, come on,” Dusty was awoken by Saba yelling into her ear.

            “Saba, it’s not even morning yet.”

            “It’s Jenna!” Saba practically shouted. Dusty’s eye’s flew open and she jumped out of bed.

            “Where is she?”

            “She’s outside with two other dogs.” Dusty raced out of her doggy door and froze on the porch; she focused on Jenna and then glanced over at the two dogs on her right.

            “Hello Dusty, long time no see.” Jenna smiled pleasantly and Dusty ran off the porch and nuzzled Jenna’s neck.

            “What are you doing here?” Dusty asked.

            “Luke kicked me out, along with two of my children.” Jenna sighed, “My first born had to stay behind.”

            “I’m so sorry Jenna, do you think we could go back and get her?” Dusty wanted to help the pitiful female in any way she could.

            Jenna shook her head vigorously, “No, no Luke won’t give her up she’s too good of an asset to the pack.”

            “Mom…” Saba stepped outside behind Dusty, and smiled shyly at Jenna.

            “Saba.” Jenna walked up to the porch and went to nuzzle her red daughter, but Saba backed away.

            “You left us.” She said with a hint of aggression in her tone.

            “I had to.”

            “Oh, so you had to mate with some strange wolf and run off with him and go live your happy life with him and his pack.” Tears began welling up in Saba’s eyes, and Jenna stood speechless on the porch.

            “You had pups other than us?” Riley asked, stepping up onto the porch she smiled at Saba, “I’m Riley, the product of your mom’s affair.” Jenna sighed.

            “Riley please go back with your brother, Dusty can you take them somewhere other than here?” Jenna asked without turning to look at Dusty.

            “No I’ll take them.” Saba said and nudged Riley to follow her, Disk waited a few seconds before taking off after them.

            “What am I going to do?” Jenna lied down on the porch and stuck her face in her paws.

            “First you need to talk with the person you hurt the most…” Dusty said.

            “Kodi?” Jenna asked looking up at Dusty.

            “Balto.”