-It was morning, and Kianu looked up, only to see a dark shadow in the sky.

         Just another say with that stupid shadow,

Kianu thought to herself. Ever scince the shadow had been cast over the snowy forest in which Kianu lived in, all her family had felt dread  and terror every waking moment. No one understood the strange dark mass, and no one wanted to, as everyone was afraid of what the truth might bring. Kianu was different. She was a brave, stubborn, but sweet young husky .  All the guys drooled over her beutiful black fur. Kianu was headstrong, and that quality often got her into trouble. When it came to mysteries like the shadow, she was determined and ready to solve them.

     The dark sky  that loomed ahead annoyed her. It spoiled her former days of gazing up into bright morning skies, watching the sun rise over the snowy plains. The shadow had somehow appeared and turned everyone into "worry pups", as Kianu often called her friends. Bottom line was, the shadow was a mystery and Kianu had to solve it.

     But How?

she thought. It was an impossible task, but Kianu was finally fed up with the town obsessing over fear instead of trying to solve the problem. Kianu thought that, if no one is the silly place would do it, than she would: Kianu would  conquer and rid of the shadow, whatever it took....

                                 CHAPTER ONE

"Kianu...KIANU! It's gotten bigger, I know it has!!!"

      An urgent yelp woke Kianu the next morning. Her eyes adjusted to see a small, tan-and-brown pup before her, eyes wide.With a grunt, she heaved into a sitting position and sleepily said,

    "Oh, Dejii, not another one of your stupied things about it growing!" 

   Dejii, Kianu's newest brother, and still a pup, was constantly remarking that the shadow had grown. The anxiety had come from their mother, Kanit. Kanit, who had srtiking red-and-white markings, was a fretful husky who was always fussing over her latest litter. ( Dejji, Kona, and Beka) Kianu thought all of the terror was nonsense, as it was just a shadow... a lack of light. 

       " It's NOT a joke; Mom said it was bigger!" Dejii wailed.

      "Go stick your head in the snow", Kianu snapped.

      Idiot, she muttered,  I'll find a way to prove this whole town worng, that there's nothing to fear!

                That night, Kianu planned her journey.

    "Where to start?",she wondered out loud. 

     " What are you thinking, Kianu?"

              a deep voice sounded. 

         " Dad! Um, nothing important!", Kianu stuttered. She wised her father hadn't returned from his recent sled mission.

    As Nevu's grey body came nearer, Kianu debated on what to tell him. 

   " Um, Dad.... I have to tell you what I'm doing, but DON'T try and stop me, and DON'T tell anyone! " Kianu said quietly. For a moment, Nevu was silent, and looked puzzled. Then he spoke:

   "Kianu, I know you well enough to tell that this is very important to you. I won't bark a word, sweetie!", he said, chuckling. "Now what is it that you're doing?" 

   "Okay, thanks, Dad", Kianu said, while thinking,

        Here goes...

   " I am finally fed up with that shadow, and how everyone is so scared of it!", Kianu began," So I want to get rid of it, find it's scource! Find out where it came from!" Her voice was almost a howl.

    " SLOW DOWN! Calmly tell me your reasoning; don't howl it!" Nevu barked. 

 "Sorry . Well,I would go to the far side of the forest, and then, um, maybe, that ice cave you pass on your sled trips. I have sometimes seen patches of light over there . Those caves might be the scource of the shadow!" 

        Kianu told Nevu. Nevu then gave Kianu's plan consent. Kianu leapt up, howled....... and remembered that the rest of the town was sleeping. Her ears felt hot with embarassment, but her paws tingled with excitement. She was finally going to conquer the shadow! 

                                CHAPTER TWO

       Planning the journey was not nearly as hard as preparing for it. It was the next night, and by then, the whole town knew of Kianu's plans. The news had somehow  brightened the dog's spirits, and for the first time in a long time, they were happy. A celebration was planned for the night of Kianu's departure. 

      "Come on guys! It's not that big of a deal!" Kianu said. She appreciated all that they were doing for her, but didn't think it was necessary. Logical but quick on decisons, Kianu was just trying to enjoy herself. Soon, a black-and-white male trotted up. His sweet expression masked a bully. Congo and his gang ( Burt, Snapdragon, and Skell) were mean to anyone but Kianu. Though headstrong, she disapproved of Congo and his bullying. Snapdragon, the red female, looked nice, and Kianu had once wanted to befriend her. ( Before "Snap" joined Congo's gang)  Brothers Burt and Skell were both small tan Malamutes. They had had a bad reputation scince puphood.

      " He-looo, Hot Stuff! Kianu, babe, tell me.Do you need a big, strong, guy to keep you company? Oh, something like a trail-mate? I mean, a pretty lil' girl like you shouldn't go out all alone! "

                  Congo said dreamily, twisting his  body around hers. 

     "Ugh. No, Congo." Kianu replied, breaking free of his embrace. Congo was  always "all over her", and she hated it.

       He's such a suck-up. A fake. she thought.

         " Hey, don't ditch me like that, baby! Come back!" Congo sounded rejected as Kianu walked away. Skell and Burt growled, and Snap barked. Kianu was too far away by then  to hear their angy remarks. It was a good thing, too, because she would have fought to get the gang to leave her alone. 

       After exchanging words with her mother,father, and siblings, Kianu announced she was ready to go. A small celebration was held, with chatting, food, and races.Kianu only competed in one race, to save energy. Beka won two of the four races he ran in. Dejii was too scared to come out at night.  Kona was a star, winning all her races. The red-and-white pup was most promising, and most thought she would turn out like Nevu-- a champion endurance dog.

    Kianu watched happily as the pups ran around her, without fear for the first time.

       All this because of me.....I really can...WILL make a difference. Everybody is happy because of me!

         "I think I should leave now! This has all been real nice, but if you want the shadow to go away, you souldn't hold me back any longer!"

            Kianu announced, sweeping her gaze to all. Her mother was the first to cry out "goodbye", and "good luck" and "travel safe!" filled the air. As the cries died down, the time had finally come-- Kianu was off! 

             She slowly padded away, the the wind whipping against  the black-and-white fur of her face. As Kianu trudged on, unbeknownst to her, deeper into the forest , a pair of eyes were watching her. Waiting.

                           x        x       x

"Najii! Are you keeping watch?"

                       a snarl racked the trees.

 "Ah! Um, yes...yes, Shaukwo, I am!"

                       replied a terrified, subordinate bark. 

 "Good...Good...hehehe......"

                       a deep, evil-sounding, dominant voice said suspicously.This deep voice belonged to Shaukwo, a large, muscular, midnight-black male wolf. He had glintering gold eyes, the only thing anyone ever saw of him besides the red-stained white fangs housed in powerful  jaws. The black wolf was leader of his small pack, and not afraid at all to remind anyone of his dominance.Known for killing anyone who got too close-- including family-- Shaukwo was a monster to his part of the forest. Najii, his "sidekick", was a slave to Shaukwo. Najii had only gained the rank of second-in-command by being scared into caring for Shaukwo's every need. 

       The other low-ranking followers of Shaukwo were normal-colored females. ( Aski, Nomo,Cabad, and Linny)  Shaukwo hadn't taken any of the females as mates because he disapproved of their cries of pain and fear over everything.He had decided to kill any of them, come too close.

      His latest evil sheme was a lifelong ambition: to capture Kianu and take her for a mate. He had gone near the town once, and immediately fell in love. Shaukwo wanted to twist his body around hers, feel the warmth of her black fur, look into her blue eyes to tell her he loved her.

     When Shaukwo heard she was going out of the town, he hadn't been more happier in his life.  He set up a search party. 

     His plan had worked from the start: use the spiritual chants his mother had taught him to cast an evil shadow over her town, make her leave, and capture her to be his mate ; his queen. Yes, that was his  plan, and, so far, it was working.

                    End of Part One

           Thanks for reading, and I hope you come back for Part Two!