Whiskeyjack was now a year and a half. His strength and size was already being noticed, the other dogs were beginning to wonder how long it would be until he would overthrow Stone as leader. Stone was still bigger, but in less than a year, Whiskeyjack would easily be able to defeat Stone. Even Thompson was parsing Whiskeyjack.

Thompson was walking past Dawn and Whiskeyjack. They were sleeping with one another, she was resting her head on his back. Thompson’s boots hit the hard wood floor as he walked, they both awoke. Thompson smiled and said,

"C’mon Dawn, its your turn this week." He was going hunting, and it was Dawns turn to go with him. Dawn would refuse to go with him because she was worried that Stone would try to kill Whiskeyjack. Thompson would allow her to stay with him, but now he was old enough to be by himself. This time, Dawn would have to go. Dawn looked at Whiskeyjack with a worried look.

Whiskeyjack smiled. "Don’t worry ill be fine." He knew he would have to be with Stone. But he did not want Dawn to worry about him.

"Please be careful." She said nuzzling him.

"In a few days it will be your turn to come with me." Thompson said petting him.

As they walked out the door, Dawn made him promise that he would be fine when they returned. Whiskeyjack promised, but he knew that he might not keep it. The door slammed and the house was quite for awhile. Whiskeyjack was tired, but dared not to fall asleep, Stone would easily kill him. Before he knew it, Stone came from the corner of the room, the only thing Whiskeyjack could see was his teeth shining from the light the fire gave off. Whiskeyjack stood up and tensed his muscles. He did not growl, he wanted to see what Stone would do first.

Stone walked towards Whiskeyjack with a smile that worried him.

"Its just you and me now, mutt." Stone taunted.

"I don’t want to fight you, Stone."

"Of course not. It’s the sign of the weaker race. Refusing to fight, even if it costs your life." Stone wanted to fight. He wanted to show everyone that he was not going to let him take his place.

"Walk away Stone. Don’t make a foolish mistake, I promise you, you’ll regret it." Whiskeyjack would fight, but only if it was his last choice.

"You’ll regret ever being with Dawn." Stone snorted.

"I swear, if you do anything to hurt her. If you even make one false move against her-"

"You’ll do what? That’s what I thought, absolutely nothing. Your still a scared little pup."

Whiskeyjack had enough. He jumped on Stone a bared his teeth.

"Still think I wont do anything?" Whiskeyjack said.

Stone managed to throw him off. He had to admit, he underestimated him. He did not think Whiskeyjack was as strong as he was at his age. Both of them, readied themselves for a quarrel. The other dogs could only watch, it was not their place to speak out against their leader. Stone knew he had to keep his distance, if Whiskeyjack pinned him down like that again, he would not be able to get out like he did before.

"How does it feel to know that you wont be able to keep your promise to Dawn? By the time she returns, ill make sure your dead." Stone chucked.

Whiskeyjack lunged once more at Stone. This time Stone moved out of the way and slammed his head into Whiskeyjack’s body. Whiskeyjack lost his balance and flew several feet from where he was standing and into a wall. The other dogs began to cheer, egging both of them on.

"Oh! I felt that one!" Drake said.

"Get up Jack! Don’t disappoint us, we were looking forward to a good fight." Tank blurted out.

"Ill bet my next meal jack wins." Kelly said to Randy.

They started to make bets. But Whiskeyjack did not care, his only focus was Stone.

Stone went to grab Whiskeyjack’s neck. He rolled out of the way and drove his paw into Stone’s neck. His head bounced as it hit the floor, Whiskeyjack had him pinned once more. This time Stone could not brake free. Whiskeyjack growled at him and looked into Stone’s eyes. He saw nothing. Stones eyes locked into Whiskeyjack’s. Stone became frightened like Thompson did. His pupils became small, the panicked breath overcame him, and a cold sweat ran down his face. The other dogs began to talk amongst themselves.

"Why isn’t he fighting back?" Marc asked.

"Is he ok?" Xavier said.

Whiskeyjack still did not know what this eye does, but it paralyzes people with fear. He had to know what they saw in it.

"Tell me what you see." Whiskeyjack told him.

Stone did not answer. His eyes never left Whiskeyjacks’s. The same fear still had Stone in its grasp.

"Tell me what you see!" He shouted. He pushed his head closer to Stone’s

"I...."

Before Stone could answer, the door flew open. Whiskeyjack jumped off Stone and looked at the others. They understood what he was telling them to do. He wanted noone to speak of this. Stone got up and regained his sanity, he looked at Whiskeyjack at growled. But he knew he would have to kill him by surprise. Physical contact was out of the question, if they didn’t walk in, Whiskeyjack would have killed him. Stone walked away and hung his head low in shame.

"Very good weather! By tomorrow, well have much better game." Thompson said happily as he walked in.

Dawn rushed in and ran to Whiskeyjack.

"Are you alright? Did anything happen?" She was obviously worried about him. He did not want her to know about what happened.

"Im fine. Nothing happened, I just took a nap and waited for you." He said.

"Good, I was worried that Stone would....." She didn’t finish. She did not want to think of such things.

"Its alright. Im here, ill never leave you." He said nuzzling her.

She nuzzled him back and laid back down together. The other dogs left and went back to what they were doing. Whiskeyjack realized how he’s never seen what Thompson does with the animals he hunts.

"Did you two catch anything out there?" He asked.

"We tracked a decent size doe, and on the way back, a hare." She said.

"What does Thompson do with his game that he hunts?"

"Well....I’ve seen him do several things with them. Most of the time, he cleans them and it becomes our dinner. But I have also seen him skin them. Usually, when he does skin them, three men come here and take them. I personally don’t trust them at all. They treat Thompson like dirt, and they take what we hunt. And when he does skin them, we don’t have anything to eat. Those men take it."

Whiskeyjack thought a lot about what she said.

"Id like to see these men."

Thompson walked in with a large bloody knife and threw it in the sink. He turned the faucet on and washed his hands. Thompson was not himself, in fact, he looked worried.

"What’s wrong with Thompson? He seems scared." Whiskeyjack asked.

Dawn stood up and had the same worried look Thompson did.

"I think your going to see them for yourself." She said.

Thompson stepped back outside and returned with a pile of skins.

"That’s some of the game we caught this morning." Dawn said.

A loud knock hit the door, so loud that Whiskeyjack’s heart froze for a moment. Thompson rushed to the door. As he started to open the door, three men pushed the door open with such force, it slammed into Thompson. Whiskeyjack stood up and watched, Dawn was right. They treated Thompson like dirt. Whiskeyjack growled and bared his teeth to the intruders. The men pulled out objects from their coats and pointed them at Whiskeyjack. Thompson jumped in between Whiskeyjack and the men.

"No! Please, he’s new." Thompson pleaded with the men.

One of the men looked at Whiskeyjack with a scorn. Then he looked at Thompson.

"Is this how you treat your guests? Set your dog to attack us?" He spoke with a Russian accent.

Thompson turned around and gave Whiskeyjack a scorn.

"Whiskeyjack, be still. Go, leave!" He ordered him.

Whiskeyjack could not understand why Thompson acted like this. What did he have to fear of these people? Whiskeyjack obeyed Thompson and walked away. Dawn walked with him and sat next to his side.

"Don’t worry. Thompson knows what he’s doing." Dawn said.

The three men put the objects back into there coats.

"Be sure it does not happen again. I would hate to shoot him." He laughed.

Thompson apologized for Whiskeyjack’s actions. Whiskeyjack would like nothing more than to chew on the mans neck. But he stayed there with Dawn. The man looked at the pile of skins with disappointment.

"What’s this? Is this all you have for us?!" The man yelled.

"Im sorry Rubashov. The season is slow, this is all I can offer for now." Thompson said.

One of the men punched Thompson in the jaw. Thompson flew to the ground with part of his mouth bleeding. Whiskeyjack stood up and growled. Dawn put her paw on his.

"Please don’t." She said nuzzling him.

Whiskeyjack laid back down and was forced to watch it all unfold before him. Rubashov grabbed Thompson’s shirt and pulled him up.

"You take us for fools? We let you live. And all we ask for in return is for you to cooperate."

He pulled out the same object from before. He put it against Thompson’s head, his thumb pulled back, and the object made a clicking noise.

"This is enough to make you at least $500 or so." Thompson said.

Rubashov’s foot slammed into Thompson’s chest. A sound of pain escaped from Thompson’s mouth.

"How dare you insult my decision with your arrogance!"

Rubashov turned around and looked at the two other men and nodded. The two each grabbed Thompson’s arms and stood him up.

"Perhaps this will teach this dog not to speak out of place."

Rubashov made his hands into fits and swung them into Thompson. Dawn turned away, she could not watch Thompson being beaten like this. Whiskeyjack watched though, with every punch upon Thompson, the more angry he became. But if he stepped in to help, he would do more harm than good. After several minutes of the beating, Rubashov relaxed himself.

"Alright, that’s enough."

The two men dropped Thompson. He fell to the ground, and his body seemed to be like a rag doll. Thompson was bleeding from his nose and mouth, and he was badly bruised.

"My turn with this urchin." One of the other men said.

"No. He’s had enough. Unless he makes the same mistake once more." Rubashov said.

The other man grabbed the skins and walked out the door. Rubashov looked at Thompson on the floor.

"We will be back in two weeks. By then, you better have more than this. Or you and your dogs will be the ones who get skinned." He laughed from the bottom of his breath.

The other man left and the sound of their heavy boots echoed through the night, until it could be heard no more. Whiskeyjack ran to Thompson’s side. Thompson didn’t move, he just laid there. Whiskeyjack nudged him to see if he would get up. Thompson opened his eye and had blurred vision. The other dogs came to see if he was alright, including Dawn. Thompson pulled himself up and patted Whiskeyjack on the head.

"Uhhhh......" Thompson said as he tried to stand still.

"I need to get some rest and clean myself up. Everyone go to bed." Thompson said.

When Thompson left and went to his bed, Whiskeyjack became very angry with everyone.

"Why didn’t you help!? I was ready to attack, but the rest of you just stood there! Thompson counts on us, and we let him down. Together we could have easily taken them down! How much worse can they possibly be?"

"Worse. Far worse. That was only a small demonstration to what they can really do to him....and us." A low voice said. Whiskeyjack turned to see who it was. Stone came from a corner of the room and steeped forward.

Dawn came to Whiskeyjack’s side.

"He’s right. They could kill us." Dawn said.

"Well.....what are they planning to do with the skins?" Whiskeyjack asked.

"They are crooks. They sell them for money, and take from other families like us." Jason added.

"The best thing we could do is to hunt more. We’ll have to gather more skin so this will never happen again." Stone told Whiskeyjack. For the time, they would have to put aside there differences and work harder.

"Fine...everyone get some rest. Were going to need it if were going to hunt more." Whiskeyjack ordered everyone. Stone would usually be angry about how Whiskeyjack gave an order and everyone would listen. But this was not the time for that.

Whiskeyjack was younger, but he was bigger than Dawn, so now he had his own bed. He would place his next to hers, he loved her. He never told this to her, but somehow, he thinks she knows. Whiskeyjack had one word fly through his head. "Kill" that was the last thing he wanted. He laid next to Dawn, and whispered to her.

"I wont let them do anything to you, I promise." And then kissed her.

"I know you wont. I fear nothing with you." She replied kissing him back.

The moon slowly made its way to the sky, and the sun hid behind the mountain to rise again tomorrow.

Whiskeyjack was awoken earlier than usual. The sun was not even yet close to rising. Thompson had all of his gear on, boots, hunting knife, coat, bow, and his rifle. Whiskeyjack knew what this meant, ever since yesterday. If he was to obtain more skin, he would have to wake up earlier so he had more time to hunt. Thompson was back to his friendly self again. He was smiling and was cheerful once more. Both Dawn and Whiskeyjack were awoken by him walking past them. Whiskeyjack looked up to him with tired eyes.

"C’mon boy. Today’s your turn." Thompson said patting him.

Whiskeyjack jumped up with excitement. It was his turn, his day to prove how useful he was to everyone. He looked at Dawn who seemed as happy as he was. He nuzzled her and remembered his promise to her.

"Im going to finally prove myself to you. Ill be the best I can be."

Dawn kissed his muzzle and said,

"You don’t need to prove anything to me. I know you’ll do great. Ever since I first saw you, I knew you were someone who never gives up. Even when the future seems long and hard."

Thompson opened the door and motioned for Whiskeyjack to follow.

"Ill be back." He said kissing her back.

They both steeped outside as Thompson shut the door behind them.

"Alright boy, I know this is your first time so I don’t expect a whole lot out of you. There’s a few rules that I should tell you, lets work on them." Thompson held out his hand with his fingers together. "This mean stay." Thompson made the hand once more and backed away.

‘This is child’s play. I just have to know what’s what and obey them.’ Whiskeyjack thought.

"Good, very good. Alright, lets try this." Thompson made a fist. "This means move forward. I want you to move forward when I signal this." Thompson made the signal to move forward and Whiskeyjack walked past him and kept walking. He noticed that Thompson then made the signal to stay, and Whiskeyjack obeyed.

"Excellent! Fantastic! I was testing you, to see how long it would take you learn this. But you’re the fastest one who caught on to this! Your going to make a fine hunting dog!" Thompson praised him with such enthusiasm.

‘The fastest? That means im better than Stone! Now I just need to prove myself when we get to the real hunt.’ Whiskeyjack thought.

"Ok. Deer are grazing around this time. We should try to move upwind, it will be easier to hunt them." Thompson said.

Thompson walked into the forest and Whiskeyjack followed. In order to really impress Thompson, he would have to keep an open mind about his surroundings. It was about twenty minutes or so before they began to walk in tall grass.

"Damn frost. Every time I take a step, it can easily be heard. The deer will surely run." Thompson became irritated.

Whiskeyjack however, was light and not as heavy. He could walk without making a sound. Thompson made the signal to stay and he hid himself in the grass. Whiskeyjack could not see, but he sure smelled deer.

‘Alright. This is it, I hope I can do this right.’ Whiskeyjack thought.

Thompson armed his bow and signaled for Whiskeyjack to move forward. Whiskeyjack moved up slowly and could see a group of deer in the middle of an open field.

‘Too much open field, Im gonna have to move around in order to keep hidden.’

Whiskeyjack moved around and went into the forest where he was more covered.

"That a boy Whiskeyjack. Keep going." Thompson whispered to himself. He was amazed how quick Whiskeyjack was learning.

Whiskeyjack kept walking until he saw Thompson’s arm come out from the tall grass with the signal to stay. Whiskeyjack was sure he could move a few more feet forward, but Thompson was the hunter, he knew best. He stopped and realized how close he was to the deer.

"I hope he knows what to do when they run." Thompson said. He pulled his arm back and aimed at the closest deer Whiskeyjack was near.

‘Almost...almost....’ Whiskeyjack was ready.

The arrow flew from Thompson’s bow and into the deers shoulder. The deer made a loud cry of pain as blood came falling to the ground. The group of deer ran, along with the wounded one.

"Shit! Cross breeze!" Thompson’s arrow hit a large male buck. He was originally aiming for a doe. He didn’t want Whiskeyjack to chase something this large and dangerous on his first hunt.

‘Now!’

Whiskeyjack chased the wounded deer. He had to execute this just right, if he made a false move, the antlers could easily tear through him like paper. Whiskeyjack was now next to the running buck, he jumped and grabbed the throat. He felt his teeth sink in and he pulled with all his strength. The buck lost its balance and flew to the ground. Whiskeyjack threw himself on the squirming buck, he looked into the frightened eyes of his prey. The buck looked into the eyes of death, the deer stopped moving, it was still alive, but it didn’t move. Whiskeyjack knew it was looking into his red eye, the one that everyone feared. Whiskeyjack grabbed its throat once more and pulled. Blood came running down the bucks fur and onto the snow. Whiskeyjack had blood on his teeth and mouth, he began to shake with excitement because of what he did. He liked it....the feeling of taking another life, the chase, the blood, he loved it and he wanted more. Thompson came running up to Whiskeyjack and, he had to admit, he was extremely impressed.

"You...you just took down a full grown male buck! On your first day, your first kill! I didn’t think you were going to be able to...but you did." Much praise came from Thompson.

Whiskeyjack felt so proud of himself, Thompson was proud of him as well. He couldn’t wait to get home and show Dawn, and Stone his first kill, and more impressive a male buck. Thompson grabbed the corpse by the antlers and dragged it to a very heavy wooded area.

"I know we should head back to the house. But its still early and I want to see what else we can catch. Ill leave this here so no other predators will take this." Thompson said.

Thompson knew he had to gather more skin. He did not care about him, but he cared more for his dogs. Any animal with fur would help him at this point. But prices for fur, depended on how large, and how common the animal is. The buck was large but a common animal. It would bring in at least $120-$140. Not even close to what Rubashov and the other two are expecting. He had to gather a lot more for the day. Even though he had two weeks which seemed like a lot of time, it was not enough time at all. He had to hunt so he and his dogs could eat. He would have to eat less so his chances of raising the money would be higher.

"Alright boy, lets get moving." Thompson said.

Whiskeyjack was ready for any challenge. He felt like he could take on anything, and everything. As he was following Thompson, a hare ran past them, and Whiskeyjack couldn’t resist catching and killing it. It was not hard, all he did was cut off its running path and bite its neck. He walked back to Thompson with a grin on his face showing his new kill.

"Excellent. Catch anything with fur. If we catch a lot of game, we might have something left over to eat." Thompson said.

"Hmm.....it’s a good white hare. This will probably bring in $30 or so." He said observing it.

Whiskeyjack knew he was doing this to help Thompson. But the killing, it seemed to come natural to him. No style, no technique, he just did it. He wanted more with every kill.

Back at the house, Dawn was rudely awaken by Stone. He was nuzzling her while she was asleep. Dawn jumped and became very angry.

"What the hell do you think your doing!?" She barked out.

"Come on. Don’t tell me you never had the desire." He said.

"Never! Not once! I would never even dream of it!" She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

He walked towards her with a lustful look.

"Well.....I have, and its been driving me crazy. I’ve been wondering what the real thing would be like." He licked his muzzle with lust.

Dawn stepped back as he moved closer. She backed up into a wall and Stone came closer. He looked at her with demotic lust.

"This will be fun....for me." He said.

Whiskeyjack and Thompson began to walk back with the buck and the hare. On the way back, they were able to catch a doe. All together with the two deer and the hare, it would bring in at least $210. But with all the heavy weight that was being dragged back it would take awhile before they got home. But they were not to far at all. Whiskeyjack knew he was not far, he couldn’t wait to show Dawn his accomplishment. He decided to run ahead and tell her what happened. Thompson would not mind, he was to busy to even notice if he was gone. Whiskeyjack ran for about five minutes or so before he reached the house. He pushed the door open, Thompson never locked the door.

"Please stop!" Dawn begged.

Stone pushed her down and forced himself on top of her.

"I don’t think you understand. Im not asking, im making it happen."

Dawn prepared herself for the worst. She felt the weight of Stone suddenly come off her. She opened her eyes and saw Whiskeyjack stand over her. Whiskeyjack bit into Stone’s back, and threw him off her. He stood in front of her and growled at Stone. Panting heavily and still had dried blood on his teeth and around his mouth.

"I warned you! I told you to never hurt her! Im not going to let you live." Dawn had never seen Whiskeyjack like this.

"Ha! You think you can kill me!? Im not alone! Everyone! Kill this mutt!" Stone said with a smile.

The other dogs came around and surrounded them.

"What’s going on?" Whiskeyjack said.

"Don’t worry. Your going to see. Kill him." Stone replied.

The others just stood there. Ignoring his commands.

"Kill him!"

The dogs stood there ground.

"What the hell are you all doing!? I gave you an order!" Stone became very angry.

They all gave Stone a scorn.

"We fear you no more Stone." Jason said.

"We cant tolerate what you were going to do to Dawn." Drake added.

"If getting rid of you, means killing you." Kelly said.

"Then we will let Whiskeyjack do what he needs to do." Randy finished.

Stone became scared. He had noone, noone to help, noone to listen to him. He was alone. And now he had to fight Whiskeyjack once more. But this time Whiskeyjack was going to kill him, no matter what or who interfered. Stone stood his ground, but it was obvious that he was scared.

"Well Stone....you have anything to say before I send you to hell?" Whiskeyjack said.

"Be that as it may, I refuse to let you live as well." Stone said.

Stone lunged at Whiskeyjack and bit his scruff. Whiskeyjack yelped and was able to throw him off. Stone flew into a wall and struggled to get up.

"Im going to send you back to where you were born!" Whiskeyjack shouted. His teeth baring and his muscles tensed. He craved blood, he wanted to kill, it would be better than any deer.

Stone stood up, he was not going to give up so easily. "If you think my blood will be spilled so easily, your going to be proven wrong." He said.

"You honestly believe that? I pity your foolishness, I pity your sorry life." Whiskeyjack replied.

Whiskeyjack lunged at Stone. Stone anticipated his move, and he moved out of the way. He was able to grab Whiskeyjacks scruff and swung him into the corner of a table. His back hurt from the blow, but he did not seem to show any sign of pain or discomfort.

"I hoped you would put up a good fight, it will be like wrestling a deer to the ground. Making my teeth draw your filthy blood upon the dirt that you are lower to." Whiskeyjack said smiling, walking to Stone.

Dawn became scared of Whiskeyjack. She has neverseen him like this, or anyone for that matter. She was ready to run up to Whiskeyjack, she would try to stop this madness. But someone stood in her way. She looked up to see who this was. Jason stood before her.

"Please Jason. Let me through, I have to stop this." She begged.

"I am sorry Dawn. But Stone is much to dangerous to have around. If you even tried to step in, and interfere, you might get hurt in the process. Im doing this for your safety."

"Your just going to stand here and watch Whiskeyjack become a killer?!" She asked.

"Its what must be done. After all he did warn Stone, look what he tried to do to you. And you forgive him for that?"

"No! Of course not! But I don’t know if his salvation is through death." She couldn’t let her Whiskeyjack do this. He would kill Stone. She refused to let this unfold before her.

Dawn tried to push her way through Jason, but Tank and Marc came and held her back.

"I know you don’t understand right know. But I hope you understand in the future." He said with sorrow in his voice.

She was now forced to watch as the violence escalated.

Stone fell to the floor with blood smeared on his fur. He couldn’t tell wether it was his or Whiskeyjacks. Stone was weak and exhausted, he couldn’t keep this up for long. Whiskeyjack however, was still pumped and ready to fight another twelve rounds with a grizzly bear.

"Get up! Your whole life has been a disgrace, at least die honorably!" Whiskeyjack barked out.

Stone struggled to get up. Whiskeyjack noticed how Stone only used his front paws to get himself up. His back legs were broken. Whiskeyjack smashed his front paws into Stone’s chest. He put his paw on Stone’s throat and applied all of his strength on him. Stone gasped and struggled for air. Whiskeyjack put his face close to Stone’s, he growled and bared his teeth. Stone didn’t even make an effort to try and free himself. He was to weak and even if he did manage to get him off, Whiskeyjack would just toy with him more. A fate worse than death.

"Go on! Finish me! Its what you want, right? Then what’s stopping you?" Stone shouted.

"Nothing." Whiskeyjack whispered.

Killing Stone would be Whiskeyjacks own salvation. To no longer be afraid like he once was. He didn’t care if Stone looked into that red, blood colored eye. The only blood that would be seen, would be Stone’s. Whiskeyjack sunk his teeth into Stone’s neck.

"No!" A voice screamed.

Before Whiskeyjack could pull, he felt something nuzzle him. He turned around to see who would dare stop him. He was surprised to see Dawn nuzzling him, he felt tears run down his fur from his shoulders, down to the wood floor. The room fell silent, the only noise that could be heard was the tears hitting the floor with a steady beat. Whiskeyjack relaxed his paw, but did not take it off from Stone’s throat.

"Please....don’t. Your better than this. Your not like him." She whispered.

His anger slowly slipped away, but it still ran strong through his veins.

"Why would you ask me to spare him? He deserves to die." He asked.

"He deserves a lot of things.....but this. Noone deserves death." She said.

Whiskeyjack looked at Stone. Stone was not frightened, but angry. Angry that he was not dead yet, with all of his shame, grief, and mistakes feeding on him from the inside. A small smile made its way to Whiskeyjacks face. Perhaps letting him live was better than killing him. Let his pain dwell in him, swell, and grow like a cancer, until it finally kills him. And Stone knew it, that’s why he wanted to die. Whiskeyjack took his paw off Stone and nuzzled Dawn back.

"No! What are you doing?! Finish me!" Stone said angrily.

"Im not going to kill you, Stone. If I do, ill be no better than you." Whiskeyjack replied.

Both him and Dawn walked away. Dawn was proud of him. He made the right decision in her eyes. But if it was up to Whiskeyjack, he would have killed him. The others disbursed as well. Stone was left there, he still laid there with anger. He panted heavily and began to ache all through his body. Sadness suddenly came and grabbed Stone’s heart.

"Please...I cant live with this hereacy. Deliver me from this pain. This horrible fate. Death, I pray you take me away.....please." He whispered.

Living amongst the others, knowing what he did, was worse than death. The door opened and Thompson walked inside with the game that they caught.

"Hey, Whiskeyjack. Where did you go? I’ve been walking for almost ten minutes without realizing you were gone." He said as he opened the door.

He left the deer outside and walked into the house. He gasped at the sight of Stone laying on the floor, next to a puddle of his own blood. The wood floor soaked the blood up like a sponge, making a large maroon stain. A reminder of the act of treachery. Thompson rushed to Stone and picked him up gently.

"What happened here? Who did this to you?" He asked.

Stone never looked at Thompson. How could he? He was to blinded by his grief. Thompson laid him back down, and ran back outside.

"Im going to get the vet. Just hang on." He said as he ran out the door.

Stone remained motionless. He was still absorbing his acts. Whiskeyjack, Dawn and the others acted as if he was not there. Stone tried to pull himself up, but his hind legs were broken, and he had deep gashes on his body. He couldn’t pull himself up, the pain shot all through his body and his veins throbbed every time he pushed himself up. But as he got half way up, his muscles collapsed, and he fell to the ground, it hurt more than his shame. Everyone could hear him strain and growl at himself for being so weak. He was tired, and his body ached with pain, he cant keep doing this. He tried one last time to get up. His muscles failed him again, he felt his body fall and prepared himself for the hard floor. But....he suddenly felt himself stop. He opened his eyes and saw Whiskeyjack support him up. Stone couldn’t believe what he saw, Whiskeyjack, helping the one he hates. Stone was not the only one surprised. The rest of the group fell quiet as well. Dawn smiled, she knew he was not like Stone. Whiskeyjack pulled Stone up, and threw his arm over his shoulder.

"Why....why would you help me? I thought you would enjoy the sight of me suffering. But instead you help me? Why?" Stone could not understand. If Whiskeyjack was in his position, he would have laughed and mocked him. But why didn’t Whiskeyjack?

Whiskeyjack turned and looked at Stone. His red eye must have met with Stone’s because Stone was now showing more fear. A small smirk came to Whiskeyjacks face.

"Everyone deserves a second chance." He said.

Stone looked away, but his words cut deeper than a bears claw.

"Thank you." Stone whispered.

Whiskeyjack was astonished. He’s never known Stone to be regretful, or even thankful. He could see Stone acted like he never said anything. But Whiskeyjack didn’t care, he felt satisfied because Stone actually thanked him. The door of the house flew open and Thompson stepped in with another man to his side.

Thompson saw Whiskeyjack supporting him up. "Alright boy, stay back." He said.

Whiskeyjack put him back down gently and walked away. Dawn nuzzled him, she was more proud of him than ever before. The other dogs began to whisper to each other.

"What!? Is there something you all have to say!? Then speak now!" Whiskeyjack demanded.

"No. Its fine. Were sorry." Jason said. He walked away and so did the others. Whiskeyjack laid next to Dawn.

"What are they going to do to him?" He asked Dawn.

"I don’t know. But let them work. Im sure Thompson knows what he’s doing."

Dawn rested her head on his back, then she kissed him.

"Im so proud of you. You made the right decision, I knew you were different."

Whiskeyjack felt proud as well. Perhaps it was better to let him live. Maybe this will teach him a lesson.

"What’s wrong with him? Anything serious?" Thompson said with a worried voice.

The man turned and looked at Thompson.

"I’ve noticed you have many dogs. Is there a reason?" He asked.

"Im a hunter, and they come with me. They help catch and bring back what we kill." Thompson said.

The man let out a deep sigh. "Well there’s not much I can do. I can heal these gashes, but the structural bone damage is permanent. He wont be able to ever use his back legs again. Seeing how you’re a hunter, and your dogs need to run, perhaps it would be best if you just put him down. Otherwise he will just have to live without walking."

Thompson was shocked, but he was right. There’s not much a dog can do if he cant walk.

"No. I couldn’t do that. Ill make use of it somehow." Thompson replied.

"Alright. I gave him anesthetic for the pain, he’s going to feel some drowsiness. He needs rest, so don’t try to move him." The man said as he put his things into a black bag.

"Thank you, doctor." He said as he closed the door.

Whiskeyjack and Dawn was listening to the whole conversation. Both were in shock Whiskeyjack took away every dogs instinct. Being able to run, what dog couldn’t run? Only a pathetic one. Stone’s spirit was broken, he wasn’t the alpha anymore, he was nobody. Stone’s greatest fear came true. Whiskeyjack took his place as the alpha in the group, and everyone accepted it. The medicine that the man injected into Stone, began to take its course. He felt even weaker than before, and became more tired. He fell asleep, and even though he was sleeping, his horrible dreams already came alive.

"Maybe you should have let me killed him." Whiskeyjack said.

"I could never just stand by and watch it happen. Besides, why....why should I have let you do such a horrible thing." She asked in astonishment.

"Because, this is a fate worse than death. He must lay there, and be forced to live amongst those who hate and shun him. He must watch, as we enjoy the rest of our lives. While his has slipped out of his grasp. He will slowly rot away, while we live and fester life."

Dawn looked at Stone while he slept. She sighed and laid back down on Whiskeyjack.

"No matter what. You made the decision to let him live. You showed everyone that you were not as ruthless as Stone. And for that.....I couldn’t ask anymore." She said nuzzling him.

‘Maybe I should just try to forget about him. After all, he deserved this, if not worse.’ He thought to himself.

Thompson walked in and saw Whiskeyjack and Dawn laying together. He smiled as looked at them.

"Well...at least some of us are having a good day." He said.

"Oh! I forgot." Thompson said.

Whiskeyjacks ears stood up as he heard Thompson gasp. He watched him run outside and close the door.

"What’s going on?" Dawn asked.

"Oh yes! The game that we hunted this morning."

Thompson walked in with the doe over his shoulder, the hare in one hand, and he dragged the buck with the other hand.

"At least it was a good hunting day! This will surly help with the money finance." He said as he walked in.

Dawn, including the rest of the group, saw the game that was brought in.

"This is what Whiskeyjack caught, on his first day." He said displaying the game.

"His first day, and he already brought back two deer."

"Noone has ever done that before."

"If he keeps this up, we’ll have enough money to pay Rubashov off."

The other dogs talked amongst themselves. Dawn knew this as well, if the game kept piling up like this, they would have enough to keep those men happy.

"Im gonna go skin these, and work on dinner." Thompson said as he grabbed a large knife and stepped outside.

Whiskeyjack felt proud of the praises that came from the others.

"None of us has ever caught so much in one day. Especially on the first day of hunting." Dawn said to him.

Whiskeyjack did not answer her, but nuzzled her.

"I promised I would prove myself to you. You only deserve the best."

"You didn’t need to prove anything to me. Im not only proud of you Whiskeyjack.......but I love you." She knew it was a little wired. Raising Whiskeyjack as a pup and falling in love with him. But she did not care, she really did love him, and noone would tell her otherwise.

"I love you as well Dawn. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else." He replied.

They both kissed and loved one another more than they ever have before. They were alone, and everyone left them alone. But only one person watched this with hate. He looked upon this sight with disgust and anguish. Stone gave a scorn and looked away, and thought about Dawn’s new lover.

"I’ve tried to be nice. I’ve tried to be respectful. Hell, I’ve even tried to like that little snot! But now I lost you. And I can never have you again." Stone whispered to himself.

He knew what he did was his own fault. But he never took responsibility for his actions. Why should he take the fall for this? After all, he was only taking what was rightfully his. At least....that’s what he thought. In his eyes, this was Whiskeyjacks fault. He took Dawn away from him, he disabled him, why should Stone pay for this? Looking at him now, you would not know that he was a arrogant, self absorbed dog he once was. He was now a broken spirit, wallowing in his despair and shame. Stone let himself fall into slumber.

Thompson walked back in and washed the blood from his hands and knife.

"Well...there’s not much to eat. Most of the meat spoiled and im going to split what we have." Thompson said as he walked in. He had a large piece of meat, and put it in the stove. It was large, but when he splits the food, it would hardly be enough to satisfy ones hunger, but it would have to do for now.

Thompson walked to Stone and petted him.

"Poor old boy. Wish I knew what happened to you." He said.

‘If only you knew.’ Stone thought in his tired head.

A loud ring, echoed through the house and everyone knew what it meant. Thompson looked up.

"Oh. Dinners ready." He said as he got up.

He pulled out the meat and put it on a plate. He grabbed a knife and began to divide up the food. He walked over to each dog and handed out the meat, and then he went back into the kitchen. Nobody ate their food that was given to them. Jason walked up to Whiskeyjack. He dropped the food in front of Whiskeyjack.

"What’s this?" Whiskeyjack asked.

"You’re the new leader. And you get to have our food." He replied.

"I see.....and did Stone implement these rules?"

"Its what’s expected of us. We give what food we get to the alpha. And we get what you don’t eat." Jason said.

"Unacceptable!" Whiskeyjack laughed.

"How can I eat, and watch the rest of my group starve? I wont allow it. Keep it, and all of you eat what you have." He said with a smile.

Jason smiled back at him and took his food. He walked over to the others and told them the what Whiskeyjack told him.

"Sad. Stone would take your food, and give you back the scraps? He is a fool." Whiskeyjack said.

He looked at Dawn to see her answer to this. But she didn’t say anything. She just smiled at him back.

"Here, you take this." Whiskeyjack pushed the meat to her.

She looked at him with question. "No. You need the energy to....."

"I wont be going back hunting for another week. Your going back out in a couple of days. You need it more than me." He interrupted.

She knew arguing was pointless. He was more stubborn than a wild ox, when he made up his mind.

"Alright. But only because your so stubborn." She smiled at him.

She took the meat and ate it. Whiskeyjack had more than one reason to offer his share of rations. The first, was because he loved her and couldn’t bare to watch her starve. The second, was because Dawn really did need her energy to hunt. And hopefully this would provide her to help with the game and please Rubashov.

Whiskeyjack stood up and went towards the door. As he made his way, he looked upon Stone. He had glazed and glassy eyes, he seemed tired but did not sleep. Stone ignored Whiskeyjack as he walked past him. Whiskeyjack came to the door and pushed the door open. It made a creaking sound as it opened, and it caught the attention of Jason.

"Hey Jack. Where you heading?"Jason asked as he looked up while chewing his share of food.

"I need to go clear my head. I need time to myself." He said in a low voice.

"Alright. You feeling ok?"

"Just a little dazed. Im going out to get some fresh air."

"Do you want me to tell Dawn your going?"

Whiskeyjack paused for a moment. "Sure.....why not."

Jason left it at that, and watched Whiskeyjack walk out. As he opened the door, snow and wind pierced his face with a stinging feeling. But he didn’t give it any care whatsoever. He actually liked the cold, he liked the feeling of his blood stopping in his veins, he loved everything that the cold brought to him. Jason watched Whiskeyjack walk into the cold until he couldn’t see him anymore.

Dawn ate her food rather quickly, her hunger was eating her away. She noticed Whiskeyjack was nowhere to be seen.

"Has anyone seen Whiskeyjack?" She asked out.

"Yea. He went out for a walk." Jason spoke out.

"Where?"

"Don’t know. He didn’t say, but it sounded like he wanted to be alone for a while."

"Im sure he’ll make an exception."

She walked outside as well. He wasn’t to far away, his scent was strong. She followed where the scent would take her.

Whiskeyjack sat on a hill that overlooked most of the forest. But since it was winter, it was nothing but dead trees and frozen mountains. A wasteland of ice. Whiskeyjack had thoughts rushing through his head harder than the water falls crashing waters it leads below.

‘Am I capable of killing and not have the slightest bit of rebellion against my actions?’

His body began to attract frost. If he stayed there for another hour or longer, he could freeze. But it didn’t bother him.

"Who am I? If my own parents didn’t want me, then there must be a good reason for leaving me. Perhaps they left me for my own good, my well being. Who am I kidding....im just putting myself in false sense of security. Who just leaves their pup out for dead?"

He had so many questions, but no answer to be seen.

Dawn still searched for Whiskeyjack for ten minutes until she finally spotted him. Still suppressed in his own mind, letting the world pass him.

"Hey, what are you doing way out here?" She asked cheerfully.

For a moment he didn’t answer her or even acknowledge her being there. He turned and looked at her with a blank expression.

"I was just thinking." He said.

"About what?" She said as she sat next to him.

He paused and stared off into the distance. "About my past. Before I met you or Thompson. My real family, and why they would just leave me the way they did."

Dawn couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. She couldn’t even begin to understand how he felt. After all, she was raised by a loving family who viewed her as a prodigy. She had siblings to play with, when she was a pup. And her parents cared for her deeply. When she was a pup, her original owners put her and her siblings up for adoption. Her parents would choose who would take their pups. They wanted the best for their puppies. For Dawn, they choose Thompson, and they did make a good decision. Thompson made sure she had plenty of food, play time, and exercise. So how could she know how Whiskeyjack felt?

"Im sure whatever they decided, was for the best." She said nuzzling him.

"The best? If I ever had the privilege to be a father, I would never leave my pups like that. I would always be there when they needed me. Why couldn’t they do the same?"

"I don’t know. But all I do know, is that you’re here now, and that’s all that matters."

"Perhaps." He said without looking at her.

Dawn knew Whiskeyjack still loved her, but he needed time, so she left it at that and quickly changed the subject.

"You know Thompson is leaving for his hunting trip soon."

"Hunting trip?"

"Yes. Every winter he takes most of us to his cabin he built further up the mountain. The deer move further up to graze, and he definitely needs to move this year, if we are to please Rubashov for more skins." She explained.

"I see....I noticed you said most. Only some get to go with him?"

"That’s right. He wants us to stay and watch the house. Just for a few days."

"How do we know who stays behind?" Whiskeyjack asked.

"He’ll let you know. C’mon, your going to become a stiff statue if stay out here any longer." She laughed.

"Yea, I guess your right." He smiled back at her.

They walked together and talked about Thompson’s hunting trip up the mountain. It was these sort of things that she enjoyed about him, just talking and being around him. When they reached the house, they noticed Thompson standing outside.

"Hey! There you two are! C’mon inside, there’s a big snow storm coming this way." He said as he opened the door.

They walked inside and instantly felt the tempature difference.

"Hey, we were worried about you guys. Huge storm supposed to blow through here." Drake said.

"Were fine." Dawn added.

Whiskeyjack laid next to the fire place. Snow was stuck to his fur, and the frost began to cut his skin. The intensity of the fire began to melt the snow off his body, and his blood began to flow once more. But still, the cold had yet to cease its bitter chill on him, he began to shake and felt his face was numb. Dawn seen how badly Whiskeyjack was shaking, and she laid herself on top of him.

"Thanks. Hard to believe that im just now starting to feel cold." He looked up and smiled at her.

She smiled back and replied, "Well im not going to watch you freeze to death." she kissed him.

But they were not the only ones to warm themselves by the fire. Stone laid there as well, watching them enjoy each others company. He wished that was him, being warmed by her love. But he acted like he did not see them, and they did the same.

‘This is torture. Im forced to lay here and watch that half breed win her over.’ Stone thought.

He pretended to be asleep, and listen to them talk to one another.

"Whiskeyjack?" Dawn asked.

"Yes?" He awoke from a short nap.

She looked at him and nuzzled him with a smile. "I’ve been wondering for awhile now. Would you be my mate?"

Whiskeyjack felt his heart jump. He wanted to jump up and howl with joy. He wanted the world to know that he found love.

"I wouldn’t want to be anyone else’s." He replied kissing her.

Stone’s heart froze as well, but his felt like it was never going to beat again. Anger and frustration building up inside him mixed with hate. He still acted as if he was asleep

"Im so happy you accepted." She said kissing him back.

"Id be lying if I didn’t."

The next day.