Sasha tore into the huge fish she had just caught watching the others Demon sat with Finlay on the other side of the clearing their heads bent low in conversation, he threw a brief glare at her and went back to talking, and Gemma and Charlie were just leaving to hunt. Dexter came up to her and sat next to her dropping a mouse at his feet before lying down " what was that all about earlier today" he asked.

Sasha rolled her eyes couldn’t she get five minutes without some other dog asking her that. She ignored him and rolled onto her side closing her eyes in much needed sleep.

Sasha saw chocolate swimming towards her through the river his brown pelt shining even under the water. He climbed onto the bank beside her and she gasped, he was young, his pelt was sleek, his eyes were bright and his muzzle was unmarked with age. "Chocolate" she gasped "but you’re…." She broke off as Chocolate snapped his head around as if he were scared of something.

Her turned back to her "you must go he yowled urgently now".

Sasha looked at him "but…." She stammered. Something slammed into her back slicing through her dream. Sasha scrambled to her paws in fright and saw Buffy tumble off her, great stars didn’t she let her and her pack have any rest. The rest of the pack was already racing in frightened circles, yowling. Buffy regained her footing, stood up and shook herself, then she dived for Sasha pinning her to the ground. Sasha tried desperately to shake Buffy off her, if Buffy got past her defence Sasha knew she was dead. Suddenly Buffy’s weight vanished, Sasha scrambled to her paws to see Dexter grappling with her " No Dexter don’t" cried Sasha scrambling to her paws.

"go away Sasha" growled Dexter turning his head to her "ill bide you the time"

Sasha opened her mouth to argue but Charlie pulled on her shoulder "come on Sasha she growled through clenched teeth if we don’t go now we’re dead". She pulled Sasha along until she reluctantly began to run, glancing back at Dexter and Buffy. But the rest of the pack pushed her along. Suddenly Dexter let out a loud screech of pain, Sasha skidded to a halt in pure terror and spun around terrified, but Dexter was limping toward them.

Sasha ran to meet him "Dexter thank….." she broke off as she saw the bite on Dexter’s shoulder, she backed away "you, you were bitten she stammered". Sasha knew that rabies was passed on through bite.

Dexter just pushed her forward "don’t worry about me" he growled "just run"

Another screech split the air and Sasha spun around to see Buffy tearing into Gemma’s throat "NO" she screamed. But it was too late Gemma’s body convulsed and lay still. Faster than a striking snake Buffy leapt onto Finlay and pinned her to the ground, then before Dexter could stop her she tore out Finlay’s throat. A loud bang made Sasha jump and look up, Charlie was standing on a ledge above then Sasha had not seen, she had knocked a rock to the ground. Buffy snarled and darted away. Sasha nodded thanks to Charlie and knew that dogs with rabies hated loud noises. Sasha heard Finlay gasp, She was alive!. She raced over to Finlay guilt washing over her at there last encounter.

She crouched down next to her "go" Finlay stammered weakly "survive for me", then she leant in close to Sasha ear glancing at Dexter "for your pups" she whispered.

Sasha looked at Finlay in amazement, she had kept the secret from Dexter for months how could Finlay know. Guilt washed over her again " Finlay" she sobbed "please forgive me for calling you a coward and your mothers death was not your fault" she looked at Finlay guiltily "can you forgive me?"

Finlay smiled warmly up at her "must not everyone forgive their friends" she growled, she touched her nose to Sasha’s "of course I forgive you my sister" then her eyes closed and she lay still.

Sasha stood staring at her body her legs felt like jelly now only she, Dexter and Charlie remained of her pack. Dexter appeared beside her looking sadly down at Finlay’s body. Silently Sasha buried her face into Dexter’s shoulder tears streaming down her face. After a few heartbeats Dexter spoke "Come on Charlie has found a hidden cave we can spend the night. Unable to speak Sasha lent against him as he led her into the cave and settled her into the sandy floor. Dexter nodded to Charlie who was guarding the entrance, then sat down in front of Sasha Will you do something for me my love" he growled seriously "and not argue or hesitate". Sasha looked up at Dexter confused "you must kill me when I turn" he growled.

Sasha looked at him outraged "but, I can’t" she stammered

Dexter flicked his tail for silence " you can" he growled "and you must". Again Sasha opened her mouth to argue but Dexter swept on "if you do not, I will kill you and Charlie and wipe out the pack, the pack must live on to warn others of this terrible curse".

Sasha didn’t reply she just lay her head on the ground and closed her eyes, letting sleep claim her.

Sasha walked through the misty night, straining her eyes to see in the eerie light. The moonlight was hidden beneath the clouds making it difficult to see. Suddenly Sasha saw a flash of yellow through the trees up ahead and flee away from her. Curious Sasha ran after it,, but no mater how fast she ran the strange creature always stayed ahead of her. A screech of pain and horror split the Quiet air and Sasha skidded to a halt as the grass beneath her paws grew wet and sticky, she looked down and saw blood lapping over her paws and screamed in terror…

Sasha woke sweating from her dream and shot to her paws. Dexter was still asleep beside her unaware of Sasha fretful dream. Sasha sighed and lay down again placing her head on her paws and closing her eyes once more Suddenly alarm flashed through Sasha and her eyes snapped open, Charlie was nowhere to be seen and her scent in the cave was stale. Then it hit her, the strange creature she had been following in her dream had been Charlie, and if that were true that would mean Charlie was about to get killed. Sasha raced out of the den and into the misty night, leaving Dexter behind. Charlies scent was easy to follow but it was stale, too stale. Sasha pelted forward, following Chartlie's scent, Suddenly she skidded to a halt and let out a gasp of horror. Charlie’s body lay in front of her; her throat had been ripped out, her chest had been ripped open, and she had been practically torn to pieces. Sasha felt something sticky beneath her paws and looked down, blood was lapping over her paws "my dream" she gasped "my dream". There was a loud snarl and Sasha spun around, Buffy stood in front of her, her lips drawn back in a vicious snarl and her eyes cloudy. Blood dripped from her jaws and she let out a vicious snarl blood curdling in the Summer leaves. Sasha backed away her legs shaking violently. "Buffy she stammered it’s me Sasha I’m your friend don’t you recognise me?" Buffy gave another snarl and leapt, she Knocked Sasha onto her back and tried to rip open her throat. Sasha gave a cry of fear and struggled to free herself knowing that if Buffy bit her or she got any of Buffy’s salver on her it would be over she would catch the infection herself. With a snarl Sasha threw Buffy off her and into the dirt she then got to her feet and ran. She pelted through the dark forest panting with exhaustion, the sleep she had gotten had not given her any energy. Buffy crashed through the bush behind her. As Sasha got closer to the den she thought of calling Dexter but instead she veered away from it leading Buffy away from Dexter. Suddenly she saw a tree that was slanted against another after falling over; the trunk was slanted enough for her to jump onto it. She leapt onto it and ran all the way to the top; she weaved her way in between the branches and waited for Buffy. She had a plan, Buffy reached her and poised to leap at her, with the strength of a grizzly bear Sasha plunged her paws into Buffy’s side, claws unsheathed, Buffy stumbled and fell off the tree, she hit the ground below and lay winded. Quickly Sasha leapt off the tree and raced toward the cave.

Dexter was still asleep when she raced inside, pulling a large tree branch after her to hide the entrance. Sasha lay down again in an exhausted heap and let sleep claim her.

A paw prodding her in the side awoke Sasha. She opened her eyes to see Dexter looking at her a worried expression on his face "Charlie’s missing" he growled urging her up with his paw "And her scent is stale".

Sasha sat up and yawned "She, she went west" lied Sasha "she said she wanted to keep the pack alive, I will join her after…" Sasha stopped she did not want to say it out loud"

After you kill me" Dexter finished for her. Without waiting for a reply Dexter relaxed "Thank heavens Charlie is safe" he growled "if she was dead I would have lost all hope of the pack surviving to tell truth of this atrocity"

Sasha swallowed guiltily and looked away, she hated that she had lied to Dexter but she had to keep his hope alive, at least in his last hours of life. Footsteps coming toward them from outside startled her and she jumped to her paws with a snarl, realizing to late the need to be quiet, the footsteps stopped just outside the den and Sasha heard a low snarl and felt the stranger staring into the branches. Together Dexter and her sprang out from their hiding place with a snarl, expecting it to be Buffy. But as soon as Sasha saw the stranger she skidded to a halt to stare in disbelief, she had though this dog was dead years ago "MOTHER" she gasped.

Her mother (Rishani) snarled again and Sasha saw the blood that soaked her chest and smelled Charlie’s blood. Sasha suddenly realized that it was her mother who had murdered Charlie not Buffy. "Mum what did you do…" she stammered "you murdered Charlie"

"I’m not your mother" snarled Rishani "I am the mother of death and blood". Her mother eyes blazed with the fire of insanity.

Sasha took a step back "mother it’s me your daughter Sasha don’t you remember me".

"Of course I remember you" snarled her mother "you were always the weakling of the litter, I don’t know why I didn’t snap your little throat the moment I set eyes on you, like I did with your brother Sunny".

Sasha gasped and backed further away, he mother had told her and her littermates that Sunny had died the day after he had been born and that she had tried to save him. But it had all been a lie; all the grief and pain had been a show, so that her true side didn’t show. "Mother what’s wrong with you" stammered Sasha.

"Nothing is wrong with me" snarled her mother "your just a little weakling who doesn’t understand how to survive"

"Have you caught the virus" asked Sasha

"Virus" yowled Rishani in disbelief "no, the only thing I have is the need to kill, and who better to kill than my weakling daughter who should have been killed at birth". With a snarl Rishani leapt at Sasha and rolled her onto the ground. She raked her claws viciously down Sasha’s side, startled and completely caught off guard Sasha was winded and try as she might she could not raise her paws to fight back. Her mother’s teeth met in her windpipe and bit down crushing the air from her lungs. Sasha struggled vainly against her grip pushed her paws into Rishani’s chest to try and push her off. Suddenly Rishani was ripped off Sasha. Sasha scrambled to her expecting to see Dexter tackling her mother but it was Buffy. Rishani quickly shoved Buffy off and disappeared into the shadows. Buffy gave a snarl and turned on Sasha and Dexter. Both of them tune and ran with Buffy close behind. Sasha raced through the trees her mind whirling at the memory of the insanity in her mother’s eyes and the thought of her betrayal. Suddenly a large cliff caught Sasha’s eye. She skidded to a stop as a sudden idea came to her, she turned around to Buffy who was pelting towards them and narrowed her eyes in anger and hatred at all the things Buffy had done at all the blood she had spilled. A heartbeat later she raced straight for the cliff "this way" she yowled to Dexter. Dexter Quickly changed direction to fall in beside her step for step.

He glanced at the cliff Sasha what on earth are you doing" he yowled

"I’m finishing this once and for all" Sasha snarled "I’m going to lead Buffy over the cliff" she growled

Dexter was silent but just as they were about to reach the edge of the cliff he spoke "then its not for you to do" he growled. Without warning he gave Sasha a shove with his hip sending her tumbling head over paws. Sasha dug her claws into the ground to stop herself and looked up in time to see Dexter leap off the cliff; Buffy couldn’t pull up in time and went tumbling over as well. "No Sasha yowled "Dexter" she scrambled to her paws and looked raced over to the edge of the cliff. Dexter’s body lay broken on the sharp rocks bellow his blood staining the stone and Mixing with Buffy’s. Sasha bowed her head it was finished, her fight for life was over; Dexter had saved her and their pups life. She lifted her head to the heavens and let out a mournful howl.

The end

Want to know what happened to Sasha’s mother? See the next book ‘after Rabid Sasha’s journey of truth’ and find out. Coming in late November and early December 2009. (See fanfic profile for description)