The sled dogs’ feet pounded against the snow as they rounded the corner. Their breath was blasting out of their mouths like smoke trailing from a flight of dragons. At their head was a strong purebred husky named Yukon, a dog as wild and strong as his name suggested. He was 'Yuke' to his friends, which he had plenty of.

 There was only one team ahead of them- the reigning champions. Their lead dog was Kodi, son of the famous Balto himself. But Yuke wasn’t concerned about bloodlines. Kodi’s team had been leading from the start, and it didn’t take an expert to see they were getting tired. “Come on!” He hollered to his team. “Let’s show these guys a real sled team!” He drew back his head and snapped it forward like a rock from a catapult, throwing his full weight against the harness.

 The finish line was approaching, but Yuke and his team rapidly narrowed the gap between them and their competitors. Now they were only behind by three yards, two yards, one, and then Yuke and Kodi were neck to neck. Yuke spared one look out of the corner of his eye at the younger dog and then burst ahead, streaking for the finish line.

 “Go, Yuke!” cheered the voice of his owner from the sidelines.

 “You can do it, honey!” came a bark that always made Yuke’s heart race.

 Without breaking his stride, he glanced toward the sideline and saw his master, Alicia Day, shouting and cheering his name. Next to her, wild with excitement was Alicia’s other dog, Terry.

 His eyes brightened. “Hey Terry…!” he called, but then his paw struck a rock hidden under the snow. With a cry, he tumbled head over tail and did a face-plant in the snow. His team tried to stop, but they tripped over him and the race ended in a massive pileup.

 The other team’s musher pulled his team to a halt and jumped off his sled. As the dogs from the other team stared, the two men worked fervently to untangle the dogs. Terry broke free of her leash and rushed to the scene of the crash, quickly followed by Alicia.

 At first it seemed they would be all right. The first six dogs to be pulled off the heap were frightened and in most cases bruised, but otherwise unhurt. Then it was found that two of the three dogs remaining had broken legs and were in excruciating pain.

 The last dog was Yuke, who looked to be unconscious but uninjured. Terry nosed her mate anxiously. “Yuke?” she pleaded. “Please, honey, get up.”

 But there was no answer. Terry sniffed, blinked away a tear, and then threw back her head and let out a mournful howl. Every dog and human present knew or guessed the meaning of the sound, and an examination by Yuke’s musher confirmed it. Yuke’s neck was broken. He had been killed instantly.

 The race went to the champions, although both the judges and the winning musher agreed it was only fair to give Yuke’s musher the prize money and recognition. They gave the golden collar to Yuke posthumously, hoping in some way to ease the loss felt by Terry and Alicia.

..........................................................................................

 It did little to help. Alicia cried for half an hour. Terry mourned for days. The only time she spoke to anyone was when her son Pete came to visit the day after the accident.

 “Mom!” he called as he came in the door. “Dad!”

 Terry, who was crying in a far corner of the house, lifted her head. “In here,” she managed to choke.

 Pete followed her voice and came in. “I just had the craziest dream,” he was saying. “I dreamed I was watching Dad in a race, and he…” he stopped and stared at his mother’s tear-soaked face. “Mom, what’s wrong?” Then with a start, he looked around. “Where’s Dad?”

 Terry dropped her head to the floor. “Pete, it wasn’t a dream. Yuke…”

 Pete’s eyes grew wide as he stared at her. “No,” he said slowly. “You’re tricking me.”

 “I’m not, Pete.” Terry lifted her eyes to the mantle for a moment before her head fell again. “Look up there.”

 Pete looked where Terry had looked, and there he saw Yuke’s collar. Alicia had hung it on the wall to remember him by it. “No,” he gasped. “Mom, stop it! This is some kind of joke, it has to be. Dad can’t be dead!”

 “He is, Pete.” Terry sniffled and turned away.

 “But why? How?”

 “He… he was looking at me when it happened,” she said slowly. “It‘s my fault.”

 “What?” asked Pete, horrified. “You mean…?”

 Terry couldn‘t take it any more. “Please, just let me be alone.”

 Pete was still dazed from the hammer blow of his father’s death, so he dimly nodded. “Alright,” he agreed. “Okay.”

 Terry turned to look at him as he walked out, and for a moment she had to force herself to do so. ‘He looks so much like him,’ she thought to herself. “Pete,” she called weakly.

 Pete looked back at her. “Yeah?”

 “Tell your brothers and sisters, please.” she requested. “I… I don’t think I could handle someone bringing it up again.”

 Pete reluctantly nodded. “Okay,” he agreed. And he left.

 Alicia came into the room and saw Terry laying on the floor. “Oh, Terry,” she said soothingly as she bent down and stroked her head, “I know you miss him. But you’ll get over it. You just need some time, that’s all.”

............................................................................

 In spite of Alicia’s promise, time didn’t help. Losing a mate would be hard for any dog, but it was harder still for Terry because she and Yuke had lived in the same home for years. This meant that everywhere she looked, she saw reminders of him. There was the spot where his food and water dishes had sat next to hers. There was the window where they had sat together. Even when she closed her eyes, she could smell him as if his ghost lingered in the air.

 Even finding a place to sleep was an ordeal. She tried laying down in the basket, but discovered that where Yuke had once taken half the space, now there was an empty gap that made it impossible to sleep.

 After staring at the empty basket for a while, she remembered the basket in the closet. She never shared that with him. But when she had dragged it out and laid down, she remembered that the reason she had never shared it with him was because there had never been room. It was the basket she had used when she was raising their puppies. His puppies.

 “So much for that,” she groaned, walking over to the carpet where the fire still burned. But as she lay there, she found her eyes drawn to the mantle where Yuke’s collar hung. Alicia had put it there to remember him, but all Terry wanted was to forget.

 Finally, Terry walked into Alicia’s bedroom and climbed up on the bed.

 “Who’s there?!” asked Alicia before she realized her mistake. “Oh, Terry.” She yawned and reached out a hand to pat her husky on the head. “You OK, girl?”

 Terry whined and buried her nose in the blankets.

 “Aww,” cooed Alicia, stroking her head. “You miss Yuke, don’t you?”

 Terry laid her head down.

 “Alright,” agreed Alicia. “You can sleep on the bed.”

  Terry crawled up next to Alicia’s head and lay down on top of the covers.

 “It’s okay, girl,” Alicia promised as they drifted off to sleep. “You’ll get over it.”

 But days passed, and Terry’s sense of guilt did not heal. Instead it grew and spread like an infection. Everywhere she looked she saw reminders of Yuke. His face seemed to haunt her everywhere- the grain of the wood in the walls, the frost on the windows, even the ripples in her water dish took on his image. At night she couldn’t sleep because of her recurring dreams of the crash. She couldn’t bring herself to eat, and only when her thirst became a raging inferno could she bring herself to drink. Even then she had to do it with her eyes closed to avoid looking at the ripples, although one might very well ask if this was any help with the images that flashed in her view behind her eyelids. One day she went out to his grave to be alone.

 “Yuke,” she said as if he could hear her, “I miss you. It’s my fault you died. If you had been watching the track instead of me, you’d still be here.” Fresh tears began to well in her eyes as she spoke. “I’m sorry, Yukon,” she sobbed. “I can’t stop thinking about you, and I just want you back.”

 But the frozen ground gave no answer, and she knew it never would. With a lead heart, she turned and went back inside.

 That night her dream was different. It went through the usual accident scene and faded to blackness as always. But then as she wept, a voice came to her ears. It echoed as if from a distance, and yet somehow it sounded close. “Terry?” it asked.

 Terry blinked away her tears and saw Yukon’s concerned face before her. “ Yukon?” she asked in confusion. “But you’re dead!”

 He laughed. “Dead?” he asked. “What are you talking about?”

 Suddenly Terry found that they were standing in the room where she had fallen asleep. She closed her eyes tight and counted to ten, but when she awoke it was all still there. The bare spot on the wall with no collar, the water and food dishes beside her own; but most importantly Yuke right in front of her like a beacon of hope. “Was it all a dream?” she asked, not sure if she could believe her eyes.

 “Of course it was,” he replied, nuzzling her. “I don’t know what it was about, but it’s OK now.”

 Terry drew back, smiled, and leaned forward to kiss him. But when her face went right through him, she woke up screaming.

 “Terry?” asked Alicia, awakened by her dog’s sudden movement. “What’s wrong?”

 Terry forced herself to calm down for her owner’s sake. But she knew this couldn’t go on. Gently, she licked Alicia’s face to calm her down. Then, as soon as her owner was asleep, she gently climbed down off the bed and crept down the stairs. She paused a moment as she passed the fireplace, and stared up at Yuke’s collar. After a brief hesitation, she dragged a small chair over and climbed up on it, placing her front paws on the mantle. She wanted to have one last whiff of him before she did what she was about to do. She sniffed his collar, and she could still smell his musty, doggy smell. “Yuke,” she whispered.

 She hesitated. She felt like she was abandoning all that remained of him. After some thought, she hopped off the chair onto the floor and put her paws behind her collar. With some effort, she forced it off over her head. Then she picked it up and put it on the mantle by his.

 “Its better this way,” she whispered as she stared at the two collars. Then she jumped down again, headed out the door, and vanished into the darkness.

....................................................................................................

“Come on, Rex.”

 The bloodhound groaned and rolled over, trying his best to act like a dog twice his age. ‘Why does he do this every sunny day?’ he wondered.

 Chief Scotty, head of Nome’s police force, bent down and tugged at the dog’s collar. “Come on, boy, get up. It’s a beautiful day out there, and you’ve been inside for the last couple of weeks.”

 Rex grumbled and rolled over. “There are no beautiful days in Nome,” he muttered, although he knew it would fall on deaf ears. His master had a remarkable understanding of dogs, particularly bloodhounds. It sometimes almost seemed as if he actually understood every word, or every other word, that Rex said. But he had a will that would dominate a rabid bulldog without breaking a sweat.

 “Hee-yup, boy,” the chief persisted, sliding his hands under the dog and driving him to his feet. “You’re getting out there and getting some exercise, and that’s that.”

 Rex groaned and walked over to where his leash hung on the wall.

 “No, Rex,” the chief replied. “I have to look over this report. Somebody robbed the butcher of two choice hams and a whole side of beef last night. You go on and have a nice walk. Maybe you’ll get a chance to have some fun with other dogs for a change, huh?”

 Rex grumbled and slid out the dog door. “Fine kettle of fish,” he muttered. He knew the chief wasn’t just trying to make him go out while he lounged around. Chief Scotty was just that busy, and saw no reason why a dog who wasn‘t shouldn‘t make use of any free time. Well, as long as he had to be outside, he might as well make the best use he could of it. So he set out on his patrol route around the town of Nome. He would go as far as the butcher’s shop that had been broken into, which was only a block from the far edge of town, then loop back around and come home.

 But when he got to a place two blocks from the butcher’s, he heard a noise coming from an alley. He peered in and saw three large, mangy street dogs cornering a frightened-looking female. The strays were thin and wiry, covered with scars. The husky, aside from a lack of scars looked even worse.

 “You’re outta your turf, housedog,” growled one of them.

 “Please,” she begged, pressed so hard into the corner that her spine looked to be almost at a right angle. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I just…”

 “Quiet,” growled the biggest dog. “You don’t belong out here, little missy.”

 “Let her go!” barked Rex; making is voice boom as much as he could.

 The pack turned to look at him and laughed when they saw the lone dog opposing them. “And just what’re you gonna do about it if we don’t?” one of them asked.

 “I’m the police,” Rex replied staunchly. He was hoping to bluff the strays, although he doubted it would work. “Now break it up or you’ll have no choice but to fight me.”

 The leader of the pack snorted. “I’ll make dog food outta you, copper,” he growled, and threw himself at Rex. Rex dodged and made a slash at the dog’s side, drawing some blood and a loud yelp. The stray turned and sank his teeth into Rex’s leg. Rex snarled and tore at the back of his adversary’s neck, making him let go.

 “Come on, let’s get him!” shouted one of the other two mutts. That was Rex’s last clear memory for the next three minutes or so. All he recalled after that was a mad blur of whirling fur and gnashing teeth. The next thing he knew, the other dogs were running. Rex checked himself quickly for any injuries, but to his surprise found none of any great severity. Then he turned to the female.

 “Are you alright?” he asked. The dog was still backed into the corner. She was thin and ill-groomed, but not enough to be a street dog. Rex estimated she had been out of her house for about two weeks, maybe a day more or less. “It’s alright, Miss,” Rex reassured her. “I’m not going to hurt you, and those thugs are long gone.”

 She stopped shaking. “Thanks,” she said softly.

 “Did they hurt you?”

 She inched her way forward. “Not really.”

 Rex beckoned her to get up. “Well, come on then. Let’s get you home.”

 At the word ‘home’, she violently shook her head. “No, I can’t!” she blurted.

 Rex wondered if she might be more injured than she appeared. “Can you stand up?” he asked.

 She shakily rose to her feet. “Yes,” she agreed.

 “Can you walk?”

 She tried to take a step and staggered. Rex tried to catch her, but didn’t make it in time. She bounced against his side and landed in the snow. “I don’t think I can,” she replied.

 “Well just lie there for a bit then, and gather your strength.”

 She seemed happy enough to oblige that request, and moved into as comfortable a position as she could manage.

 “What are you doing out here anyway?” Rex asked, knowing the best thing he could do right now was keep her talking.

 She sighed. “I ran away from home.”

 “Abusive masters?” Rex inquired, knowing that this was the most common cause of runaway dogs. The chief had been trying to crack down on animal abuse, but the laws were so permissive in Nome that there little to nothing he could do.

 She shook her head. “Memories,” she replied.

 Rex titled his head curiously. “Memories?” he echoed.

 The husky nodded weakly, as if just the thought of these memories had drained her. “You know the dogsled race a couple of weeks ago?”

 Rex thought for a moment and nodded. “The chief mentioned it,” he replied. “I never watch races unless they happen to go past my house, but the chief said there was a fatality.”

 She nodded. “My mate,” she explained. “He was the lead dog of one of the teams, but then he tripped when he saw me and… well, the vet said he broke his neck and died instantly.”

 Rex nodded. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “But why can’t you go back home?”

 “Because we lived in the same house,” she replied. “Everywhere I look I see him, like he’s haunting me. It’s my fault he died and now… now I just can’t stand it.” In her grief, she had begun rambling like a child, and a moment later she broke down crying. “You don’t understand!” she cried softly.

 Rex had to admit she had him there. He had never gotten close to anyone in the way she obviously had with her mate. Indeed, he had never gotten very close to anyone except the chief, outside of friendly exchanges with various police dogs when their masters came to his home for one reason or another. But police work didn‘t call for affection, it called for action. “Miss,” Rex insisted, worried by now that the street dogs might return, “You have to go back to your home. You’ll die out here if you don’t.”

 She didn’t move. “Maybe I should,” she muttered.

 “Miss, if this dog loved you enough to be your mate, he obviously wouldn’t want you to live out your life this way. He would want you to go back home.” A sharp breeze snaked its way into the alley, and Rex involuntarily shivered. “And we’d better get you there quickly.”

 The husky groaned, pulled herself up, and nodded slowly. ‘I forgot about that thin fur of his,’ she thought. “Alright,” she agreed. She went to take a step and almost fell, but Rex managed to catch her.

 “Come on,” he urged, glad he had managed to get through to her. “We’ll get you home.”

 “Thanks,” she groaned. She could feel his muscles tensing as he tried to stifle his shivering, and it gave her something to think about besides her own predicament. “By the way, my name’s Terry.”

 “Rex.”

 As they walked, Terry spoke very little except to tell Rex which way to go. Rex noticed with some surprise that they were heading in the same direction as his house. Time after time she would talk him through the turns he already knew, as if she were guiding him to his house instead of her own. Well, at least it’s convenient, he thought. A shorter trip back home once she’s been taken care of.

 Finally the husky stopped walking. “Here we are,” she said.

 Rex stopped and looked up at the house Terry was looking at. It seemed pleasant enough, hardly a place that would be so terrifying. But when he glanced in Terry’s direction, she had her tail tucked as far between her legs as it would go. In spite of the cold temperature, Rex decided he would stay there until she had gone inside. “It’s alright, Miss,” he urged. “You’ll be just fine.”

 Terry whined just a little. “I’m trying,” she whispered.

 Rex furrowed his brow. ‘She’ll never move on her own,’ he thought. Anxious to get this job over with, he opened his mouth and let out three loud, deep barks.

 “What are you doing?” asked Terry, staring at him in total befuddlement.

 Pleased to see that at least her mind was off of her deceased mate, Rex looked her in the eye. “I want you to do exactly what I just did.”

 “Why?”

 “Trust me.” Rex would have explained, but he wasn’t sure she would cooperate if he told her this was his plan to get her back inside.

 Terry eyed him warily. “Alright,” she agreed. And she barked three times just like he had.

 There was a sound like a book being thrown against the wall inside, and a young woman’s face appeared briefly in the window. A moment later the door flew open with a bang, and the woman attached to the face ran outside. “Terry!” she cried, wrapping her arms around the husky’s neck. “Where have you been, girl? I was worried sick about you!”

 Terry’s face broke into a smile and she licked the woman’s cheek. The woman laughed and hugged her tighter. “Oh, thank God you’re alive!” she choked, tears of joy running down her face.

 Rex nodded approvingly and turned to go.

 “Wait!” barked Terry.

 Reluctantly, Rex turned back to face her. “Yes ma’am?”

 Terry was smiling openly now, overjoyed to be reunited with Alicia. Her tail had even begun to wag a little. “Thank you!” she called.

 Rex nodded and smiled, more to reassure her than out of any sense of endearment. “All in the line of duty, Miss. If you ever need to talk to someone about this, you can come talk to me.”

 “Are you sure?” asked Terry. Her ears reclined slightly in confusion. “I wouldn’t want to pull you away from your job.”

 “Not at all,” he replied. “I never leave my house if I can help it. I’m a tracker, mostly, and I’ll take any opportunity I can to keep my workload down.”

 “Oh, I see.” Terry looked relieved. “Where do you live?”

 Rex jerked his head. “Right over there, actually.” he replied, “Just down at the other end of the block, on the opposite side.”

 Terry nodded. “Okay,” she agreed as Alicia got up and led her back inside.

 Satisfied with a job well done, Rex turned and high-tailed it back to his house with two things on his mind: the smoke coming from the chimney, and the warm fire it signaled within.

..................................................................................................

Rex gratefully slipped in the house, the cold clinging to him like a malignant phantom as he shut the door and shook the bits of snow off his paws. Inwardly he wished that he was able to grow a thicker coat, but that would never happen. Nor would a transfer to California, or anyplace that was more temperate then Alaska.

 He sighed inwardly. Such was life, after all.

 He padded towards the living area and was caught by surprise when a distinguished tone spoke up from near the fireplace. “Anything new on the rounds?”

 He relaxed. It was just Captain Orde, a tall, robust Malamute/Canaan Dog mix breed who was owned by Deputy Williams. Rex knew that Orde had been raised in the British mandate of Palestine under an army captain’s care, and therefore spoke with a crisp British accent that he could never quite shake. It irritated the Captain to no end when some of the other dogs called him ‘The English Muffin’, but he simply took it in his stride. There were better things to do with his time then getting offended over a joke, after all.

 “Hello Orde.” Rex hurried to sit by the fire, turning to Orde and allowing himself to bask in the warmth of the fire. He arched an eyebrow at him. “Why is it you never say hello or goodbye? It’s always right to the point with you.”

 “It’s merely a habit of mine.” Orde waved a paw dismissively.

 Rex chuckled. “I see. So what brings you around here? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

 “Deputy Williams needed to consult the Chief about a legal problem, and I decided it was high time to pay you a visit.” Orde glanced at the bloodhound curiously. “I hope I’m not intruding. Are you expecting anyone else over?”

 Rex was taken aback by the abrupt question. “Why do you ask?”

 “I was simply curious. After all, it’s not often I see you escorting an attractive female back to her house.” The look on his face was significant.

 Rex was completely caught off guard. He had momentarily forgotten Orde’s talent of observation. Usually he appreciated the Captain’s attentiveness, but now it just aggravated him. He certainly didn’t want Orde to think anything was…well, going on. Not that the Captain would think anything was going on, but it was better to stop a misunderstanding before it began. “What did you do, follow me the whole way?”

 “No, but one can’t help hearing a brawl in an alley, and one can’t help but notice that you are walking with a female; something you never do.” Orde said pointedly, ignoring Rex’s miffed tone. His look turned thoughtful. “I think I’ve seen her around before. Isn’t she the mate of that dog who died in the last race?”

 The expression on Terry’s face leaped to mind. “Yes. She told me a little about it on the way here. She took his death pretty hard.” The memory of her crying made his discomfort skyrocket, and he gruffly shook himself. Police work did not call for sympathy. It only got in the way of one’s job.

 The Captain grew somber as he stared past the fire, lost in thought for a long moment. “Grief is a burden one should never bear alone.” He slowly commented at last. “Comfort from another dog is not accepted easily when one is mourning a loss…however, it wouldn’t hurt to go and let her know you share her pain. She would more likely then not appreciate the effort.”

 Rex’s mouth nearly dropped open at the suggestion. “Orde, have you forgotten we’re the police? Police don’t go and cozy up to weeping females!”

 Orde’s eyes flashed angrily, but Deputy Williams whistled before he had a chance to respond. “Come on Orde, it's time we oughta be headed home.”

 Captain Orde got up and walked to the door, but paused and turned around. “We may be police, but we are also dogs. There’s a time when we are off duty, and that would be the better time to just be Rex.” He leveled a weighty stare at him before he slipped out the door.

 Rex stared after Orde as the older dog left; then allowed himself a small chuckle. 'That old Muffin,' he thought. 'Always coming up with some funny idea or other. Just because I helped the lady out, he thinks I've gone and gotten romantic.' Terry's image drifted into his mind. She was attractive, there was no question. But Rex knew himself too well for that. He wasn't that kind of dog, and she obviously wouldn't be taking applications for a new mate any time soon. 'British humor,' he thought with another laugh as the warm flames soothed his body to sleep. 'Orde always has something funny on his mind...'

………………………………………………………..

Two days later Rex heard a scratch at his door. ‘Now who could that be?’ he wondered as he walked to the door. “Who is it?”

 “It’s me, Terry.” came the reply. “Can I come in?”

 Rex’s heart moved to his throat. He still remembered the conversation with Orde the day before, and he knew that this would mean an even more awkward situation if his friend were to find out. But he had invited her to come by if she needed to talk, so in as normal a tone as possible he answered, “Of course, come in.”

 Terry slid through the pet flap. “I hope I’m not intruding,” she said, picking up on his unease. “I just wanted to take you up on your invitation to visit.”

 Rex looked at Terry with a slightly lifted eyebrow. “Trouble already?” he asked. His tone wasn’t skeptical or condescending. To Terry’s surprise, it almost sounded jovial.

 “No,” she replied. “Nothing serious, anyway. I just figured I should get away from it before it got to be too much.”

 Rex nodded his approval “Good thinking.” Inside, he was trying not to show any reaction to the change in Terry’s appearance. Her sandy-yellow fur had obviously been brushed, her shape indicated a swift recovery from malnourishment, and the scent of soap lingering in her fur suggested a recent bath. ‘When Orde finds out she came here looking like this I’ll really have a problem,’ he thought. Then he stopped himself. If she had come here, it was so he could help her. ‘Not so I can worry about her effect on Orde’s impression of me.’

 Terry looked around. “Where’s your owner?” she inquired.

 Rex shrugged, hoping to mask his unease. “The chief decided I’d been knocked around enough already after he saw my bruises the other day, so he decided to handle today’s work on his own. Besides, from what I understand it was going to be more the questioning sort of business than any tracking, so he won’t be needing me.

 Terry nodded at the mention of Rex’s fight. “About that…” she said slowly, as if not sure how to proceed. “Well, thanks. Thanks a lot. I hope it wasn’t that serious.”

 Rex shrugged again. “I’ve had worse,” he replied.

 Feeling awkward, Rex pondered what else to say. ’What does one discuss with a lady?’ he wondered. He had spoken regularly with one or two female dogs who belonged to or worked for Nome’s police, but that had always been strictly business. He glanced back and forth, trying to think of a casual topic.

 Terry, not sure what the bloodhound was doing, followed his gaze and spotted a map that sat surprisingly low on the wall. She had seen maps before, when Alicia had used them to keep track of where… she shook her head. ’Not going down that road again,’ she thought, pushing her deceased mate from her mind and focused on the map itself. This one wasn’t like the one Alicia had at home, which showed the Alaskan wilderness. This one was a jumble of lines and blocks which, after a moment, she recognized as Nome. “What’s that map for?” she asked.

 Rex frowned. “Well, ordinarily it might not be wise to tell you, but I suppose in this case it would be alright.” After a brief pause he added, “Especially because it concerns you.”

 Terry blinked in surprise. “It does?”

 He nodded. “In a way.” He stepped up to the map, and she followed. “You see, your recent… experience was not unique. In recent weeks several similar attacks have taken place. All were by strays in small groups, mostly in the evening-unlike yours-and the victims were always pets.”

 “How bad is it?” Terry asked.

 The bloodhound’s answer was grave. “The town vet has been very busy during that time,” he replied. “And… well, I don’t want to frighten you, but so have a few former pet-owners shovels.”

 She gasped. “You mean…?”

 He nodded. “Yes. But there’s one thing that throws the whole matter completely out of any sense of sanity.”

 “What’s that?” she asked. “Besides the obvious.”

 Rex answered her question with another. “Tell me, while you were living on the street, how many strays did you see?”

 She furrowed her brow. “Counting the ones that attacked me, only three.”

 “Exactly. Their numbers seem to be in decline, yet they are attacking more often and much more viciously.”

 “Any idea why?” she asked.

 He shook his head. “No. I’ve been using this map to keep track of the attacks, but so far I can’t find any pattern in times or places.”

 Terry stared at the map. “But there are no marks on it,” she pointed out. “How do you know where there were attacks?”

 “With my nose,” he answered with just a minute hint of pride in his tone. He gestured to a bowl on the floor, where there sat a few bits of uneaten food. “I always make sure to save some leftovers when the chief feeds me. Then, when something other than a standard open-and-shut case comes up, I use that food to leave a scent-marker on the place where it happened on this map.”

 “What about the order they’re in?” Terry inquired.

 “I have a good memory,” he replied. “It’s a trait common to us bloodhounds. We were bred to lead search parties, you see. And when my memory fails, I just see which markers are the freshest.”

 Terry nodded. “So where did the attacks happen?”

 “All over the place,” he replied. He lifted a paw and held it over the map. “The first was here about four weeks ago.” He moved his paw to another spot. “Then here, about three days later, there was another attack.” As he continued to recite the places of the various assaults, Terry was amazed at how readily he remembered them all. Moreover, she could see very quickly that Rex was right. There was no rhyme or reason to where or when the attacks would happen.

 Finally, Rex pointed to the spot where she had been attacked, then took his paw away. “That’s the location of the last attack,” he concluded. Turning his head toward Terry, he added, “I was hoping perhaps you might be able to shed some light on this. Do you know anything about the streets in question?”

 Terry shook her head. “No,” she replied. “That is, I know about them, but I don’t see any connection between them.”

 Rex frowned, turning down the corners of his already turned-down mouth. “I had hoped a local perspective might be useful,” he said softly.

 Terry dropped her head like a puppy being scolded for chewing on the couch. “I’m sorry.”

 “Oh, it’s not your fault. I should be the one apologizing.”

 “You?”

 “Yes. You came over here to get away from your problems, and now I’m asking you to solve mine.”

 Terry smiled. “At least you took my mind off of Yuke,” she replied.

 Rex smiled. “Well, I’m glad I could help then.” He returned his gaze to the map, and his face resumed its scowl. “Although I’d be happier if I knew what this all means.”

 Terry’s eyes flicked back and forth as if she were trying to watch a game of ping-pong without moving her head. “Maybe it’s some kind of disease,” she suggested. “Rabies, perhaps. If the street dogs are all getting rabies, then that would explain why they’re dying off.”

 “And it would account for the attacks too,” added Rex, “Except that none of the survivors have come down with rabies. And those dogs that attacked you certainly weren’t infected. I can smell rabies on a dog long before humans have a clue.”

 Terry eyed a bite mark on Rex’s shoulder. “Thank goodness,” she commented softly.

 Rex smiled. “I appreciate the concern, but I have a risky job. Don’t be wasting your worry on me.”

 Terry allowed her thoughts to drift for a moment before returning to the matter at hand. “So, if it’s not rabies, what is it?”

 “I don’t know,” the bloodhound replied as he stared at the map. “I just don’t know.”

 After staring at the map for a long moment, Terry was distracted by a sound from outside. She looked out and saw Alicia standing in the street, calling her name. “I guess I’d better go,” she excused herself.

 Rex nodded. “Come back anytime,” he offered, regretting the words even as they left his mouth. But like a thrown rock or an arrow from a bow, there was no bringing them back now.

 Terry nodded. “Thank you,” she smiled. It wasn’t a romantic kind of smile. It wasn’t even big, just a small smile of gratitude. But it started Rex worrying.

 ‘What have I done?’

…………………………………………………………………………

Terry found herself visiting Rex for the next several days and the two of them spent hours pouring over the map. They studied it from every possible angle- Terry even tried laying down on her back and staring at it upside-down while Rex went through the scenes of the attacks. “I heard about it somewhere, I think,” she explained when he gave her a puzzled look. But the endeavor only showed that the whole mess made no sense whatsoever, even with the town turned upside-down.

 “I don’t think there’s any point in trying to look for a pattern anyway,” Rex reasoned. “Street dogs are a disorganized group, so any pattern in where they attack is unlikely.”

 “Then why were you looking for one?” asked Terry.

 He shrugged. “I was actually hoping to find a concentration of attacks in any one area, and then look for clues there. But there seem to be concentrations, along with scattered attacks, all over the map.”

 “Pack warfare?” suggested Terry. “Maybe different groups are fighting each other and housedogs are getting caught in the crossfire.”

 “Already thought of that. But these don’t correspond with their usual haunts at all. And according to my officers, several pack hideouts have been abandoned.”

 Terry hung her head; disappointed that her theory had proven futile. “Well, it was a thought,” she said.

 Rex nodded in that slow, quiet manner of his. “It was a good one,” he agreed. “And you’ve been as helpful as anyone could ask and more.”

 She answered him with a tired smile. “Thank you.”

Rex willed his neck to remain stiff and his head not to shake. His mind was spinning like a log down a hill as he tried to sort the matter out. ‘The worst thing I can do is to risk leading her on,’ he thought, ‘But every time I do or say the right thing, I feel like I am. What’s going on here?

 Give it a chance, interjected a voice in his mind, like an echo of Orde’s advice. Who knows, maybe it’s working like this because…

 ‘Stay out of my thoughts, Orde,’ he thought forcefully. ‘Bad enough he’s egging me on when he is around, now I’ve got no peace when he isn’t.’

……………………………………………………………………

‘I’m getting too old for this.’ Orde groused inwardly, scanning the area once more from his vantage point and shivering slightly from the bitter cold. He began to wonder how on earth he convinced himself to take this position instead of the other posts that his two partners for the evening, Ewan and Comet, had taken up. ‘Climbing all manner of rooftops and jumping around like a cat at my age is foolish…' He smiled in spite of himself. 'Then again, I know that I’ll still be hoping around on rooftops for another two years yet before I even consider retirement.’  After all, he reasoned, it was rare for anyone to spot a dog (no matter their age) on top of a roof, and with the onset of dusk it would be nearly impossible to be spotted. He had agreed to take this post near the outskirts of town in the hopes that he could finally take back some useful information to the station about these attacks. The sooner this frustrating mess was taken care of, the better.

 Padding footsteps jerked Orde away from his thoughts, and he instantly flattened himself against the rooftop as he spotted two scrawny, ill groomed dogs enter the alley, both possessing a gait that instantly alerted Orde’s senses in spite of their scraggly appearance. These two dogs walked much differently then any common curs found on the street, he mused; this pair walked more like…trained dogs, like the British army dogs Orde remembered from his youth. The main difference however was that these two seemed slyer, more cautious as they made their way deeper into the alley. Definitely not like the cocky British Tommy after all. Pack leaders, perhaps?

 'I think it’s time I follow them. Perhaps they will drop some substantial clues.' He stealthily came down from the roof, soon slipping into pace behind the two as he blended in with the deep shadows the winding alleys provided. He noted with satisfaction that the two seemed to have no clue that he was following them, and he hoped it would stay that way as he pricked his ears forward to listen in.

 “…Well, waddaya think?” The left dog with mottled fur and dull brown eyes had just asked; his voice nervous. “Is it worth comin’ to get food without permission, or are we just askin’ for more punishment?”

 His companion, a solid light gray male who walked with a limp, snorted. “Knowing us, it’ll be both. Did you see what happened to commandant Ketchikan today? He got his sorry butt clawed to the bone for disobeying orders once he got caught talking back.” His hazel eyes were derisive, but still held an amused light in them as he glanced at his companion. “Just be sure you don’t give us away, and we’ll eat in peace.”

 Orde frowned in confusion as he continued to slowly trail after them. 'Disobeying orders? Commandant?’ His ears swiveled forward as far as they could go and he sneaked closer. This was the most information they had to go on ever since this whole blasted mess began!

 The duo paused near some garbage bins, but made no move towards them yet. “Ya really need to work on yer ‘inspiring confidence’ skills, Mac.” The mottled mutt chuckled nervously. “We could get inta serious trouble for sneakin’ food. I’ve already had three hits for talkin’ back to…you know who.” His voice dropped lower, and even in the dark his fearful expression was clear.

 ‘Mac’ sighed. “You’re hungry, right?”

 His friend whined pathetically. “Yes!”

 “Then we risk the chance of being beaten senseless. I for one will do my duties with a full stomach.”

 Orde’s mind was processing the information as fast as he heard it, and he resisted the temptation to puzzle over it right then and there. He would have time for that later at the briefing, and he knew he couldn’t afford to miss a single word of this.

 However, it seemed that luck wanted to spite him; for just as the strays reached over to touch the bin and resume their conversation, a horrendous clanging noise reverberated in the narrow alley like metallic thunder, and the two strays jumped in fright and bolted away at the noise as fast as their legs could carry them.

 Orde had instantly dropped to a defensive stance, but once his gaze snapped to the source of the noise and commotion he nearly groaned aloud. It was that overgrown pup, Comet! 'What the blazes is he doing here? We told him to stay put and watch Main Street!'

 The young Border Collie sheepishly sat up from the trash bins he had run into and rubbed his head. “Ow. That defiantly didn’t turn out like I planned.” He turned and his eyes grew wide once he saw Orde’s expression. “Uh oh…”

 Ewan hurried into the alley then, evidently in the middle of tracking the wayward pup down, looking just as angry as Orde felt. The husky kept his tone down however, mindful of the hour and the location they were in. “There you are! What were you thinking, disobeying orders like that? You blew our cover!” Ewan paused a moment as he took in the bits of trash slipping off Comet’s head. “Nice decorations,” he commented dryly, rolling his eyes. “Really, how could you run right into a trash can?”

 “It was an accident!” The teenager defended himself, bristling with anger and embarrassment. “I was just wondering what happened to the Captain when I saw he was gone from the roof and I”-

 Orde stepped between the two and shot them both a withering look. “Enough! We need to get to get back to the station and report what we have heard to our officers. We’ll go backtrack where these two dogs came from at dawn and see if they came from one of their usual hangouts.”

 Ewan frowned. “And what will that prove? They have been at completely random, unrelated places. Rex could tell you that himself. None of the locations makes any sense.”

 Orde paused. “Perhaps location isn’t as relevant as I thought.” He said slowly, ignoring the confused looks of his companions. The map that Rex kept came to mind. Perhaps they were focusing too much on location and not enough on the strays themselves. It was an idea Orde wasn’t comfortable with, but he knew it had to be presented. He sighed in resignation. “Let’s go. I have a report to make, and a few ideas to present.”

 Ewan and Comet shared an amused look. “Just be sure that those ideas aren’t too off the wall, my dear Captain, or you’ll give Rex another headache.” Ewan smirked, his normally serious air giving way to the occasional insolence Orde remembered from times past.

 'Cheeky whelp...' He snorted, feeling half annoyed and half amused at his former student. He decided to ignore Comet’s quiet laugh as they turned to head back to the station. He already knew what the teenager was going to say. “Aw come on Ewan. Knowing the Captain, he probably already has.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Orde hated to make an incomplete report, but in this case it had to be done. He rose early the next morning, arranging for Ewan and a few others to take over his side of the investigation for the time being. However, there were a few things to clear up… “Ewan!” He called after the husky just as the others were leaving. He caught up with his former student and spoke in a low tone. “You can manage without Comet can’t you?”

 Ewan arched an eyebrow in suspicion. “I suppose so. Why do you ask?”

 “I have to make a report to Rex before anything else happens. Comet could use an example on how to give reports properly.”

 Ewan caught the hidden message, and threw his mentor a thankful grin. “It’ll be appreciated, Captain. Comet can be a real handful…and it’s safe to say that last night didn’t go as well as planned thanks to his impatience.”

 “Indeed.” Orde sighed, then he turned to Comet who was busy laughing at some joke that Exile cracked. “You are coming with me.”

 “Why?” Comet asked, frowning at the stern tone. “I thought you needed me to help Ewan with the investigation.”

 Orde grimaced as he turned to go back to the station. “I think I may need some backup once I present my idea.”

 The Border Collie groaned as he trotted to keep up. “It’s that weird, huh?”

 The Captain glanced sidelong at the apprentice. “Of all the things Ewan should have taught you, one would think that you’d know by now that most sensible plans don’t work. We have to be inventive, and think outside the box if we’re to get anything done.”

 Comet rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Captain. Ewan says you always get everyone into trouble because of your ‘ideas’.”

 The term ideas was actually a very broad term when connected with Orde. Every single police dog in Nome had found out the hard way that Orde’s ideas ranged anywhere from plain sense, to ridiculous sounding, to extremely risky. The problem was, no matter how bizarre and off the wall they were; they nearly always worked. It was rather irking to the all the other dogs, and Orde knew this well. He shook his head. “I happen to get us out of trouble because of my ideas, young one, so we’re even.” He paused before the door, frowning as he listened intently. “It sounds like Rex has a visitor. Odd.”

 “It might be somebody asking for legal advice.”

 Orde frowned even deeper. “I doubt it. I hate to take up his time, but this will make it worse if there’s a visitor.”

 Comet rolled his eyes. “We’re here on business. It’s not as if you’re here to ruin his day.” With that said, he entered through the doggy door.

 Orde sighed before he followed Ewan’s apprentice. ‘If Rex is visiting with a certain female, then he will definately think I’m doing just that.’

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Meanwhile, Rex and Terry were having another meeting in the den. The map still refused to yield any secrets, and Rex was starting to feel frustrated. “I sure hope Orde’s scout work turns up more than we’ve found here,” the bloodhound commented ruefully.

 “Orde?” asked Terry, looking at him with her head tilted to one side. “Who’s he?”

 “An old friend of mine,” Rex explained. “One of Nome’s finest. He‘s been helping me on this case, although there‘s not much help to give so far.”

 “You can say that again,” she replied with a nod.

 Rex smirked. “An old friend of mine,” he repeated. “One of…”

 Terry shook her head. “Either you’re growing a sense of humor, or you need to get out more,” she remarked.

 Rex gestured to the window. “With the weather out there?” he asked. “Not on your life.”

 At that moment there was a creak of hinges as the pet flap opened, and both dogs turned to see a young Border Collie with lively blue eyes and blotchy brown and white markings enter. “Hey Chief! We’ve…” the teenager stopped upon seeing Terry, and for a moment his face bore the sort of expression you might have if you learned your best friend was an alien from outer space. He seemed to have trouble swallowing his shock, but at last he managed to partially hide it behind a politely blank mask. He turned to Rex, his confusion broadcasting loudly in spite of his best efforts.

 Rex inwardly moaned. He should have known that Orde would be sending one of his officers here to report. ‘Of all the most inconvenient times for someone to show up! Now I have to explain myself to another one.’ Rex cleared his throat. “Ahem. Comet, this is Terry. She’s one of my informants.”

 As the bloodhound spoke, Captain Orde entered as well. “Rex, are you in? I have a theory about-” he stopped, catching sight of Terry. “Ah, is this your friend?”

 Rex nodded. “Yes, Orde, this is Terry. Terry, this is Captain Orde, the one I was just talking about. And the soon to be officer here is Comet.”

 “It’s nice to meet you,” Terry said, dipping her head by way of a curtsy.

 Comet grinned. “Hi.”

 Orde nodded politely. “And you as well, madam.” He turned to Rex. “We’re not interrupting anything, are we?”

 “No, not at all,” Rex answered quickly, realizing even as he did that his swift denial was in itself suspicious. ‘This blasted female business has me every way I turn,’ he thought. Then, lest Orde should have a chance to comment on this fact or anything pertaining to it, he hurriedly added, “And how did the scouting go, Captain?”

 Orde shook himself. “There was a small …mishap…” Comet seemed to visibly wilt under Orde’s sharp glance. “But I think I managed to gain some insight into this whole business. I don’t know all of the matter, but the strays we followed said something about a leader.” He quickly outlined what he had heard.

 Rex blinked. “A leader?” he asked. “But no one could ever get those dogs to cooperate outside of the occasional small pack. It‘s impossible.”

 “I don’t know about that,” Orde replied, “But they appeared to be trying to sneak extra rations in violation of someone’s orders.”

 “Then they must have a leader!” Terry exclaimed. “There’s no other explanation, is there?”

 Rex shook his head. “I don’t see how there could be, but there’s still too much that doesn’t fit into place.”

 “Like what?”

 “Who could achieve such a thing?” Rex pointed out. “He would need a powerful hold over the strays, something they would all want.”

 “Just because you don’t know something doesn’t mean somebody else doesn’t know,” Orde countered. “It’s entirely possible that there is some common factor, some shared drive, which all the strays of Nome share. Or at least, one that enough of them share so the rest can be controlled simply by mob mentality.”

 “Mob mentality?” asked Terry.

 Comet shrugged. “That’s police talk for ‘everybody’s doing it.’ A group gets started up, then others join in even when they don‘t know what’s really going on.”

 Terry nodded. “I see,” she said slowly. “So at least their leader, whoever he is, has managed to get most of the strays under his thumb.” She frowned. “But how? And why?”

 Rex frowned as well. “I’m still not convinced, but it’s all we have to go on.”

 Terry got a knowing look on her face. “Are you so hesitant to consider it because you’re a skeptic,” she asked, “or because I suggested a similar theory days ago?”

 Orde interrupted before Rex could make any reply. “Let’s look at what we know before we puzzle over it any further, shall we? We know that the strays are becoming organized…”

 “We know that there is a leader.” Terry added.

 “There may be more than one leader.” Comet pointed out.

 Rex nodded, surprised that possibility hadn’t been considered yet. “But we do know that leader or no leader, they seem to have something against house pets.”

 Terry winced at the reminder of her own close call. “They certainly aren’t afraid to use violence,” she murmured.

 “…And it’s entirely possible that there’s a common goal they want to reach.” Orde finished. He arched an eyebrow and tilted his head. “That’s the catch. What is it they are ultimately striving for?”

 Just then the clock chimed. Terry looked up at it and clicked her tongue. "It looks like you'll have to continue this without me," she noted. "I have to get going."

 Rex nodded. "Alright, Terry."

 She nodded at him, and if it weren’t for the grim situation her nod probably would have been accompanied by a smile.

 "Pleasure meeting you, madam," Orde said with a polite nod.

 "Ditto," chimed Comet.

 This time Terry did smile. "It was nice to meet both of you."

 No sooner had Terry left than Comet began to grin. It was a barely suppressed, smug sort of grin, and coupled with his intent gaze it was starting to make Rex feel distinctly uncomfortable. “What…?” The bloodhound asked cautiously. With Comet, any grin like that meant trouble.

 Comet only grinned more evilly, getting up and circling around Rex and started chanting in his slightly off key voice, “Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match…”

 “Comet…” Rex muttered in a warning tone.

 “…Find me a find, catch me a- OW!” Comet was now pinned under Rex, held down firmly by the collar. Orde, meanwhile, was watching and trying hard to keep a straight face. Judging by the smirk leaking into his countenance, it wasn’t working very well.

 Rex uttered a groan around Comet’s collar, keeping him pinned down even as Comet’s laughter died down. When he had finally satisfied himself that the collie was ready to cease and desist, he let go. “Orde,” he questioned, “Why did you have to bring him?”

 “I felt it necessary to bring backup when approaching you with my theory, as you are rarely open to new ideas.” Orde replied smoothly.

 Comet still wore that infuriating smirk. “Yeah, how were we supposed to know you were having a heart-to-heart with your girlfriend?”

 “She is not my girlfriend,” Rex replied, with more than a little exasperation entering his tone.

 “So… you’re engaged?” he ventured. Orde rolled his eyes heavenward while Rex seethed. If it were at all possible, storm clouds would have formed over Rex’s head. "No." he replied firmly. How does officer Ewan put up with such a pain?

 Comet sniggered once more, and finally backed down. “Relax Rex. I’m only joking with you. It’s not meant to be taken seriously.” His cocked his head. “You do know that I was only kidding around, right?”

 Rex felt more then a little sheepish. He had allowed himself to be goaded on by a teenager. His pride stung. “Of course, I just…well…” He fumbled for the right words. Why couldn’t anyone realize that there was nothing going on between him and Terry?? “She’s only an informant. Only a friend.” He stated firmly.

 “Right…” Comet nodded, but Rex could tell that both police dogs thought otherwise.

 He sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time this week, and cleared his throat meaningfully. “Now, if we can go back to our previous discussion…”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Later, Terry heard a scratch at her door. It was followed by Pete, walking with the air of a dog on a mission.

 “Oh, hi Pete,” Terry smiled.

 Pete didn’t return the smile. His face bore an expression that could have curdled milk. “Mom, what are you doing?”

 Terry was confused. “Come again?”

 Pete’s scowl deepened. “That… dog you’ve been visiting.”

 “You mean Rex? Well what’s wrong with him?”

 “Mom!” Pete sounded as if he couldn’t believe her stupidity. “What about Dad?”

 Terry’s eyes widened. “It’s not like that,” she answered. “I’m helping him with a case, that’s all. He works for the police.”

 “So let him solve it himself!” snapped Pete. “That’s his job, isn’t it?”

 Terry clicked her tongue. “Look, he saved my life. The least I can do is help him try to stop other dogs from getting hurt too. I don’t know all the details, but something’s going on with the street dogs and-”

 “The street dogs?!” Pete exploded. “You are hanging out with some mutt from another country, going to his house for hours every day, talking about street dogs?”

 “It’s better than what you thought we were talking about, isn’t it?” Terry asked pointedly. As an afterthought she added, “And he’s not a mutt, he’s a purebred bloodhound.”

 “But… but…” Pete sputtered, “But what about Dad?”

 Terry sighed. “Honey, I know you miss your dad. I do too. But I’m not in love Rex or anything like that. Even if I were, Yuke’s gone. I can’t stay tied to his grave for the rest of my life.” Then she added something which, under the circumstances, might have been better left unsaid. “Rex helped me understand that.”

 Pete opened his mouth to say something else, then closed it in a scowl that could have stopped a charging rhino. In an enraged silence, he stormed out. Terry looked after him and shook her head sadly. If it hadn’t been so dismal, she might have laughed. Her and Rex? Maybe if she hit her head first. Rex was a gentleman, but not like that.

 Even if he was perhaps just a little handsome…

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The police dogs had turned up only a few clues that pointed to the things that were already well known. The next morning had broken already, and so far the little council in Rex’s den was sounding just like the previous day’s conversation.

 “There is too little to go on.” Rex stated.

 A muscle in Orde’s jaw twitched. “We have nothing to go on, and that fact alone proves my conviction that we are focusing on the wrong thing. We have to focus on what’s motivating the strays, not investigate the locations!”

 Terry sat with Comet, while Ewan tapped his tail impatiently. “Whatever we’re going to do, we need to do it fast.” He stated. “We’re wasting time.”

 Rex sighed loudly. “But we need time. We can’t blunder into this with our eyes shut! It could mean success or failure depending on our actions.”

 Terry frowned. This was getting them nowhere. She was about to open her mouth to offer her two cents on the matter, but a steadily growing noise had caught her attention. She cocked her ear, frowning. “What’s going on out there?”

 Rex and Orde hopped up to look out the window, where the most horrifying sight they had ever witnessed greeted their eyes. There were more strays then anyone had ever thought could possibly in Nome; of dogs were out in the street, biting and tearing, attacking everyone and everything in sight like locusts in a wheat field. The curs were thin, many showed signs of mange or disease, and nearly all of them had scars on their right sides.

 “It’s the strays!” Comet exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise as he and Ewan joined the two, “They’re on the loose!”

 Rex firmed his jaw. “Then we’ll just have to round them up,” he replied. “Let’s go.”

 “Are you crazy?” Terry cried. “You’ll be eaten alive! This is a job for the police.”

 “With all due respect Terry, we are the police,” Ewan replied dryly.

 “I was talking about-” she started to protest, but Rex cut her off.

 “No time to argue!” He watched as a pedestrian barely slammed her front door in time to escape a snarling cur. “The humans are scrambling to get to safety, so it’s up to us. Terry, you stay here.” And with that he charged outside, followed by the other police dogs.

 The army of strays gave them no chance to collect themselves. Before he was even halfway out the pet door, Rex found himself locked in combat with a dog that resembled a mix of mastiff and bulldog with just a touch of saber-toothed tiger thrown in somewhere around the mouth. “Stop this!” he ordered as the monstrous mutt tried to tear a chunk out of him. “We are the police!”

 “Really!” his attacker gloated. “Well, I guess I’ll be looking at a promotion when the boss finds out I wasted you!”

 Orde came out and plowed into the other dog. “I wouldn’t count on that!” he shouted, shoving the dog away and turning to intercept another that was chasing a pedestrian. Comet and Ewan were working in tandem right in the thick of the fray, driving the more dangerous ones away in a classic pincer move meant to contain the brutes in one area.

 Rex barely registered where his comrades were located before he threw himself into the fight once more. Kicking, clawing, slashing, and biting; it was a madhouse unlike anything he’d ever seen or imagined! There was no time to think: Rex’s senses were assaulted as they were by the sheer overload they were receiving; the fur, blood, barking, and repeated whirling to meet the next adversary had succeeded in momentarily making him feel disoriented. He shoved the dizzying feeling away and brought his focus back in just in time to meet the next dog. As he struggled to keep the white Akita‘s teeth away from his throat, a sandy-colored blur caught his attention. He turned to look and saw…

 “Terry! What are you doing out here?”

 “Trying to help,” she replied as she struggled with a black dog.

 Rex threw off his opponent and rammed into Terry’s, which turned to fight him instead. “Terry, get back in the house!” he hollered over the uproar.

 “But what about you?” she asked as she evaded an attack from a blotchy brown-and-white dog.

 “I’ll be fine, just get inside where it’s safe!”

 “But…”

 “NOW!” he ordered.

 Terry nodded reluctantly and retreated inside while Rex threw himself all the more fiercely into the fight. ‘Got to protect Terry,’ he thought; his reservations about her all but gone in the fray. ‘I’ve got to protect the dogs of Nome, but especially Terry.’

 Just then a howl split the air, and to Rex’s surprise the army began to retreat. In the space of a minute, perhaps less, the street dogs had all disappeared except for those who were too badly injured to run.

 “After them!” Rex shouted, but as he moved to lead the pursuit his leg crumpled beneath him. “AAAGH!” he cried out in pain.

 “Rex!” Orde exclaimed. Thinking quickly he barked to the others, “After those dogs and see where they went, now!” Then he swiftly turned his attention to his friend. “What’s wrong?”

 Rex struggled to his three working feet. “Something happened to my leg,” he grunted in pain. Every move sent a white-hot dagger lancing through the injured limb. “I can barely move,” he panted.

 “Let me help you,” offered Orde.

 “No!” Rex gritted his teeth and limped toward his house. “…Go with the others. If those strays are regrouping… we’ll need every dog we’ve got. I’ll be fine.”

 Orde took only a second before nodding in agreement. “I’ll hold you to that promise!” he called as he dashed off after his comrades.

 Trying not to black out from the pain, Rex limped up to his front door and dragged himself through the pet flap. Terry was at his side in an instant. “Rex!” she cried in alarm. “What happened?”

 “It’s nothing,” he replied, lying through his teeth. “A bad leg, nothing else. I just… need to lay down.”

 Terry shook her head. “I’ll go get the vet,” she volunteered, “Even if I have to drag him out of-”

 “No,” Rex cut her off as he set himself down on the rug. “The street dogs could strike again at any time.” He gestured to the bolt on the pet door. “Lock that if you can manage it,” he instructed, “and whatever you do, for Heaven’s sake don’t go outside. I’ll be fine until the chief gets back.”

 Terry nodded and trotted over to the door. With some effort and a little trial and error, she managed to maneuver the bolt with her teeth and draw it shut. ‘First Yuke died watching me, now Rex is hurt protecting me! Please,’ she mentally begged, ‘don’t let me lose my friend.’ Then, unsure what else to do, she came and laid her head on top of his.

 Rex didn’t have the strength to do anything but grit his teeth against the pain in his leg, and feel the fleeting annoyance coupled with an odd dash of pleasure. ‘If Orde saw this, it would follow me to my grave,’ he thought ruefully. “You don’t need to do that,” he told her gently. “I’m not afraid.”

 She shuddered. “Maybe you aren’t, but I am.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Since Orde hadn’t caught up to them yet, Ewan had taken control of the chase, running for all he was worth while trying to figure out the strays’ strategy at the same time. ‘This is ridiculous,’ he thought with a growl, turning a corner and veering to miss a stunned local who was standing in the middle of the road, blinking at all the dogs surging past. ‘They retreated before they caused much damage at all! It’s almost as if that howl was a signal to get them to fall back…’

 The howl played back in his mind, cutting clearly through the rest of the noise he had heard in his memory of the moment. It sounded strangely familiar…

 Eyes widening, Ewan turned his head quickly, relieved to see Orde had caught up with them. He returned his gaze to the street, feeling a sense of urgency as he realized what part of town they were in. He didn’t have the breath to shout to the others about his sudden suspicions, but he couldn’t help but feel worried the farther he chased the strays. ‘This is getting way too close to Jenna’s house. I hope she and her girl are indoors…’

 With a jarring abruptness, the pack suddenly stopped. Ewan only had time to register his shock at the unexpected move before instinctively swerving to the left so he wouldn’t crash into the suddenly still group. He and the others stood panting in the snow, blinking in confusion.

 The strays, to Ewan’s surprise, didn’t appear to even be trying to hurt anyone or anything like before. Instead there was a lot of yapping and barking going on as the strays gathered in a tightly packed group, making it nearly impossible to clearly hear anything that was said.

 Comet swallowed nervously. “Question; How are we going to arrest this many dogs without getting turned to dog-chow?”

 How indeed? “Leave that to us.” Orde said with a nod in Ewan’s direction, though in truth Ewan had already begun to wonder the same thing. He decided it was a question that would have to wait. “Right now, we need to find the leader.” He grimly scanned the throng of dogs. “We’ll worry about the others later.”

 As they began to try and force their way through the crowd, Ewan managed to pick out a voice somewhere in its midst shouting, but the only word he picked out was “-father!”

 There was more shouting from the unseen canine then, which caused a bit of a stir among the dogs. They stopped barking nonsensically, but the conversation that swept through the dogs like ripples in a pond was little improvement. All Ewan managed to pick out were two names; ‘Balto’ and ‘Chase.’

 At the mention of the latter name, Ewan’s mouth dropped open in shock before he tried harder to get through the mob. ‘Chase? What on earth is she doing getting involved in this?’

 Before he could even try to plow through the solid wall of fur and muscle, there came a maddened cry, and everyone paused long enough to catch some movement on the far side of the crowd. A black-and-white dog was making a run for it, causing the other dogs to turn almost as one body and start to pursue him.

 The three police dogs would have given chase in an attempt to see what that was all about, until they saw four dogs emerge in the parting crowd. One was a brown mutt he didn’t recognize, the second was Balto - thankfully mostly unharmed except for a deep gash in his shoulder - and the third was…

 “Jen!” cried Ewan, dodging a random stray and racing to his sister. “Are you alright?” his keen gaze swept over her. “What happened?”

 There seemed little reason to ask about her well-being. From one look at her glassy eyes, all could tell that Jenna was very obviously sick. But Ewan’s breath caught in his throat once he saw the fourth member of the party. For on the ground in their midst lay a young female, almost identical to Jenna save for one difference. She had obviously been in a fight, and by the looks of it her twisted right hind leg had taken the brunt of it. She was bleeding profusely.

 He stared at his youngest niece, wearing an expression of someone who had seen a loved one die, and knew for certain that the loved one hadn’t taken the high road. “Chase?” he swallowed, his gaze flitting to Balto’s face. “Is she…”

 “Alive,” Balto reported, the strain of the ordeal showing itself in his tight expression and tone. “But she’s passed out.”

 “Who did this?” asked Comet, wide eyed as he looked to Ewan and Orde.

 The last puzzle piece clicked neatly into place. “Steele,” Ewan uttered, his fur rising just a bit as he realized who the mysterious leader had been all along. “…He’s the one behind all these attacks!” Worst of all, he must have been the black and white dog who had just ran off! The coward had slipped from their grasp before they even knew who to look for!

 “Steele?” Comet echoed, “I thought that creep was chased out of Nome back in ’25!”

 Ewan didn’t hear him over the tumult of his thoughts. Steele had always been an enemy of Ewan’s family, one way or the other. He had harassed Balto numerous times, followed Jenna around like a bee after a rose, and had put all of Nome in jeopardy after he got his sled team lost during the diphtheria scare. Every single time though, he was able to elude true judgment. A hot fury started to flare up inside. As far as Ewan was concerned, social exile wasn’t good enough for Steele: dogs like him weren’t meant to be out on the street, period. “I’m going after him,” he growled, turning to follow the pack of strays. “Justice hasn’t been served yet, and I intend to see that it finally happens.”

 Before Ewan could give chase, Orde stepped into his path and stared him down with a severe look. “Don’t be a fool.” He stated slowly and deliberately, his voice ice cold. “You’ll never catch up to him now. This is not the time for retribution.” He pointed his nose at the nameless dog, who seemed to be trying to revive Chase, and Balto, who was anxiously looking between his daughter and his mate, both clearly unable to move. “Need I remind you that a police dog’s duty is to serve and protect? Right now you are needed here.”

 The moment of silence that followed spun out until Ewan slowly nodded; the flame of anger slowly dwindling down to a sense of helplessness by the time he uttered, “Yes Captain.” Orde was right, as usual, but the advice still didn’t make it any easier to get rid of the helpless frustration he felt.

 Orde’s demeanor grew softer. “Justice will come at the right time, Ewan. For now, we have much to do.” He smiled wryly, and after he got a reassured smile back from Ewan he turned. “Comet!” Comet rolled his eyes and stood at attention. “You go find the vet and bring him here, whatever it takes. Just try not to act aggressive and scare the man- you don’t want give him the idea that you’re one of those fanatical strays.”

 To his relief a crowd of people was already gathering, wondering what was going on. Orde nodded, satisfied. “Actually, forget that order. We have company that can handle it.”

 “Where are you going, Captain?” asked Comet.

 Orde had started for the group. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” he replied. As he came up to Balto he cleared his throat. “Balto, Jenna, I know this is an inconvenient time, but we will need to ask you a few questions when this is all over.

 Balto looked up from his loved ones and, recognizing the Captain, nodded. There were tears in his eyes as he said, “Just let me get them safe, and I’ll tell you everything I know.” ……………………………………………………………………………………………….

 Sometime later, Terry sat with the police dogs outside the vet’s office. They were waiting for the vet’s pronouncement, which had already been delayed by the amputation of Chase’s leg and various treatments for several other dogs far worse off than Rex. Orde had explained the whole matter to Terry, but anyone could see her mind wasn’t on his account. “This is almost as bad as when Yuke died,” she murmured. “Sitting here not knowing, and knowing that he was injured because of me…”

 Orde shook his head. “He did it for all the dogs in Nome,” he replied kindly. “I have known Rex for a long time, and I can tell you that he is very firm about what he believes in. He eats law, drinks order, and breathes justice. He would have gone into that fight whether you were in danger or not.” After a pause he added, “Then again, he’s also a loyal friend. So chances are he was thinking of you in that fight.”

 Ewan agreed. “Anyway, it’s only a hurt leg,” he added, his tone suggesting that he was dwelling on the much greater severity of the damage to his nieceand sister. “He’s been through worse before.”

 “But what if it can’t be fixed?” Terry questioned. “What if he’s crippled?”

 Orde stared at the door. “He’d probably have to give up tracking,” he replied. “A few weeks ago, I wager something like that would have killed him.”

 “It’s that important?” asked Terry in surprise.

 “It was,” Orde answered slowly.

 “Of course,” added Comet slyly, “That was before he had a friend with some connection other than law enforcement.”

 The door opened, and the vet and chief walked out talking. Orde calmly hooked the door with a paw and held it to allow the others to enter, following behind them. Terry wondered what Comet meant, but decided not to ask at the moment. All that mattered was making sure Rex would be alright. She saw him lifting his head to look at them as they entered. “So?” she asked. “What’s the diagnosis?”

 “Broken,” Rex groused. “Apparently it started out as a hairline fracture from the fight and then snapped when I tried to walk on it. The vet says it will be at least a month, possibly more.” He looked at Orde anxiously. “And the strays,” he inquired. “They are…?”

 “Back at peace,” Orde replied. “Apparently Steele was behind the matter.”

 “Steele?” asked Rex. “Not the same Steele who…”

 Orde nodded. “The same.”

 Ewan sighed, his ears slicking back. “I just wish we could have done something about him. Hitting on Jen was low, but this time…”

 “Do you mean Jenna?” Rex had only met Jenna once, but he knew that she was one of Nome’s leading canine citizens. “Was she hurt?”

 Orde shook his head. “He was attempting to make her fatally ill by having the sick strays crowd around her while she slept,” he explained. “He succeeded in making her sick, but it seems she will recover.”

 “And that’s pretty darn lucky for him…” added Ewan, still steamed.

 “Stay, Ewan,” Rex ordered sharply before returning to the subject at hand. “Is he in custody?”

 “No,” answered Comet. “The strays ran him out of town when they realized he had been using them.”

 Now it was Rex’s turn to growl. “Far be it from me to condone vigilante ‘justice,’ but I hope they finish the job.”

 Captain Orde nodded somberly. “Thank goodness the whole beastly business is done with,” he remarked. “And let’s hope we have peace …at least until you’ve recovered.”

 Rex heartily agreed with that. But he began to worry when the corner of the older dog’s mouth turned upward. “Then again,” the Captain went on as his eyes flicked from Rex to Terry and then back to Rex, “It might give you a little more time for somebody…”

 “Captain…” Rex groaned in a half-pleading, half-warning tone.

 But the damage was done. Terry, who up until now had remained silent, made the connection with Comet’s earlier comment. “I didn’t know you were seeing someone,” she said with her ears pricked. Her tone was hard to decipher. As best Rex could judge, she was either worried that her visits might have been causing this nameless someone to feel jealous, or… or the other possibility, which Rex didn’t want to think about.

 The bloodhound’s ears drooped even more than usual. “I’m not,” he replied. “Although it seems my old friend isn’t going to quit until he’s managed to change that.”

 Orde smiled. “Perhaps it would be best if we let you two talk it over without us around to interfere.” With that said he nodded at his officers and left the room. The other two left as well, but Rex could hear Ewan’s exasperated/amused, “Lay off already, Comet…” as Comet started to hum ‘The Matchmaker Song’ once again. Rex rolled his eyes. ‘I’m going to get Orde for this,’ he thought, not sure whether he really meant it. ‘If it takes me twenty years, I’ll…’

 Terry focused her attention on Rex. “What was he talking about?” she asked.

 Rex felt his face beginning to grow extremely warm. “Well, I suppose I’m not going to have any peace of mind until I tell you. Orde has been suggesting that I…” he paused, trying to think of how to say it. “…pursue a relationship with you.”

 Terry‘s ears went up, but the expression on her face and halfway position of her tail made it hard to tell if this was out of interest or alarm. “’Pursue a relationship?’” she echoed.

 “Yes, I believe he wants me to ask you out,” Rex admitted. “Or court you or something to that effect. He thinks we‘d be good together, I suppose.”

 To his surprise, she started to laugh. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

 “Nothing, really,” Terry admitted. “Only… well, my son Pete thought you and I were together, and all this time Orde was trying to set us up…”

 Despite himself, Rex began to chuckle. “I suppose it is rather amusing,” he agreed.

 Terry stopped laughing and looked at him like someone studying a painting. “So why didn’t you just tell me?” she asked.

 The bloodhound stared at the floor. “Well for one thing, getting involved with a female simply because of having rescued her is not exactly proper behavior, business-wise,” he explained. Feeling awkward, he added, “And I didn’t think it would be right, considering your recent loss. I felt it would be like trying to use your problem to my advantage.”

 Terry’s eyes took on an odd gleam at this statement. “Your advantage?” she asked. “Are you saying that you wanted to do it?”

 Rex started to shake his head in denial but stopped. Had he wanted to do it? “No,” he said slowly, “I’m not saying that.” And then, uncertain whether he wanted to say what followed or not, he added, “Though you are… rather attractive.”

 Terry smiled, just a little. “I didn’t want to say it before, but you’re a bit handsome yourself.”

 Rex blinked in surprise. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had used that term to describe him. Anyone canine, that is- humans often called him a 'handsome animal.' “You really think so?” he asked.

 She nodded, and Rex noticed that her tail had started to wag. “Yes.”

 “Then perhaps it would be alright if we considered it…” he suggested.

 Terry looked at the ground and shook her head. “It sounds wonderful,” she sighed, “but I don’t know if it would be right.”

 Now Rex was confused. “Why?”

 “Because Pete’s been saying… that I’m forgetting about Yuke.” Her voice was low, and sad as a funeral. “And I’m beginning to think he’s right.”

 “I thought Yuke was dead,” Rex replied.

 “He is…” Terry admitted. “But inside me, in my heart I mean, he’s still there.”

 Rex hung his head, ashamed at having not only reopened an old wound but then having put salt into it as well by pressing the matter. “I understand. And I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

 “No, I… I’m glad you did. It’s better that I know.” Terry turned. “I think I’d better go now,” she said quietly. As she left the room, a single tear fell from her eye and landed with an inaudible splash on the floor. It wouldn’t be the last. Not by a long shot.

 Rex hung his head and sighed. Perhaps it was for the best, he told himself. His place was on the police force, not out romancing with a widow. So why did he feel so terrible?

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

 He didn’t know how long it was before Orde came in. “It went badly, I take it,” the Captain said hesitantly, standing uncertainly in the doorway. It came out more as a statement then a question.

 Rex glared at him. “Thanks to you in large part, yes,” he growled.

 Orde’s body seemed to hang low to the ground, a rare posture for the Captain. “You know, of course, that I meant no harm,” he defended. “I was only trying to…”

 “Trying to push me into a relationship,” Rex snapped, “Trying to shove me into something that wouldn’t work! And do you know what the worst thing is?!”

 There was silence for a long moment, a silence Orde dared not to break. “The worst part of it,” Rex said in a quiet, broken voice, “Is that deep down, I wanted it to. I cared about Terry, and for a while there I was starting to want something to my life besides tracking criminals. I wanted someone with whom I could be more than just the chief, more than a comrade-in-arms, and now…” he took a deep breath and let it out. “Now I can’t.” He stared at his friend with a face as miserable as only a bloodhound’s can be. “For just a moment, I felt it,” he almost cried. “And now it’s gone.”

 Orde sighed. He hadn’t meant to cause anyone so much pain, least of all one of his close friends. And if Rex felt this way, he could only imagine how Terry must feel right now.

 Wait a minute… That was it! Perhaps there was a chance to salvage this blunder. “Rex...” he began slowly.

 “No, Captain Orde,” Rex growled.

 “Rex, please, allow me speak. If we were ever friends, give me a chance to try to make amends.”

 Rex sighed. “Be quick,” he muttered. “And that’s an order.”

 Orde took a moment to gather his thoughts before he spoke. “I never meant to cause you any pain,” he explained. “I only meant to help you, and maybe I still can.”

 “How?” Rex scowled. “You’re not Cupid, and we’ve seen how it works when you try.”

 Orde’s response was a wry grin. “Agreed, but now you have an understanding of her that could not have come any other way. You know now what it’s like to lose someone you care about.”

 “But she hasn’t died.”

 “To you she has, in a way.” Orde sensed he was getting through now. “You expect to never speak to her again, to feel pain every time you think about her. Perhaps you’ll see her again, but you’re probably hoping not to.”

 Rex began to nod. So far, Orde was hitting like a sniper- or a surgeon. “Except for the last point,” he admitted, “That is exactly how she described feeling about Yuke.”

 Orde raised a paw to point at him. “Exactly. As I said before, grief is never a burden anyone should bear alone. Perhaps that’s why this all happened, so you could help her bear the burden.”

 Rex frowned. “I certainly don’t see how doubling her pain in the bargain was called for,” he pointed out.

 Orde had to consider that for a moment before he admitted, “Neither do I.” Then, just as Rex was beginning to think the discussion was over, the Captain added significantly, “But now she needs you more than ever.”

 Rex groaned. “I should have known you would say something like that.” He shook his head forcefully. “Anyway, how am I supposed to bear the burden with her if she doesn’t want to speak to me?”

 Orde’s expression was about the equivalent of a pat on the head. “That’s where Ewan, Comet, and I come in.”

 “Oh, wonderful,” Rex sighed. “For a moment there I was worried.”

 “And now…?”

 Rex rewarded his friend with a wry smirk. “Now I know I’m doomed.”

 Orde laughed. “We shall see, my friend,” he replied. “We shall see.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………. 

 As Terry wandered aimlessly through town, everything seemed different and strange. The blue sky looked grey and the soft snow underfoot felt like icy slush. Everything felt muted and colorless, as grey as her melancholy thoughts. More than anything, she wished she could undo the whole mess. If it had been later, it might have worked, she thought.

 It crossed her mind that perhaps they could put it off and pick up later, but something in her gut rebelled against this. How could it be right to go on grieving Yuke while at the same time planning on seeing Rex as more than friends? That made no sense. She had come to care about the bloodhound, much as she had loved Yukon. But the time wasn’t right, and now even when it became right it would be like a seed exposed to water too soon, so that it had sprouted prematurely and would decay from lack of soil before it was time to plant. One way or another, it was hopeless.

 Sniffing back another tear, she looked up and found to her surprise that she had wandered directly toward the place where Yukon was buried. ‘My paths always seemed to lead me here now.’ Terry thought, staring silently at the marker for what seemed like a long time. The arctic wind chilled her as she struggled to pull her mind together. Her face slowly twisted bitterly as she glared down at the marker. She didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt furious with Yukon for dying and leaving her. “Why did you have to go?? Do you know how cruel you’ve been to me because of this?! Do you realize how hard it’s been?!”

 She jumped up and swatted a frozen clod of dirt at the marker as hard as she could, the dirt making a muffled *thump* as it hit the crude wooden cross. As quickly as the storm of rage had come, it drained out of her, leaving her feeling very guilty. ‘I hope no one was around to see that.’

 “Um… Terry?”

 Terry nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice. She whirled around to find that one of the police dogs had followed her. It was the young brash one. What was his name again? “You scared me.” she blurted, blushing furiously under her fur and grimacing at her reaction to the teenager’s presence as she quickly dried her face. When had she become so jittery?

 Comet winced. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you. Ewan is always saying that I walk too quietly for my own good, because sometimes I startle him too, when he’s lost in thought.” The Border Collie looked from Terry to the marker, his cheerfulness fading. “Who’re you talking to?”

 Terry swallowed against that tight feeling once more. “I’m not sure your friends have been talking about it or not, but…this is…” she forced herself to not look down, but meet him in the eye. “…This is where my mate is. Yukon.”

 Comet’s eyes widened as he glanced back down to the marker. “Oh.” He shifted nervously, frowning a little. “I didn’t know. Most stuff that’s found out is confidential and treated as if it’s no one’s business but the ones involved.” He looked almost offended as he sullenly added, “We don’t gossip, you know.”

 Terry almost smiled. For some reason Comet reminded her of Pete in his zealous attitude. The main difference was while Pete brooded and withdrew, Comet chattered (and moved) almost nonstop. “I didn’t mean it like that, I just wasn’t sure what exactly they had said about it.”

 There was a welcome pause as the two studied the marker together, both withdrawing to their own thoughts. To Terry it felt strangely comforting to mourn next to another, especially since Comet wasn’t your typical fellow mourner. Usually Terry found herself wincing away from the sympathy she found in her friends’ eyes, but Comet just accepted the fact that someone had passed without any of those annoying ‘how are you holding up, dear?’ questions. Simply put, he was much like Rex had been…

 Comet seemed to read her mind. “Rex is pretty bummed out about… you know, things not working out.”

 Terry nodded. “So am I,” she admitted.

 The collie stirred the snowy ground with a paw. “I was kind of freaked out at first, you know. I mean, Rex is always so serious, I never thought he had it in him to… well..." He looked her in the eye. “I think he’s really fallen for you.”

 Terry had to admit it was flattering, but sense told her to forget it. “It just doesn’t seem right,” she admitted, staring at the cross.

 They stood in silence for a long moment. “Ewan lost someone not too long ago.” Comet suddenly mentioned, surprising her. “He’s mostly over it, but I noticed that sometimes he still gets all weird and moody when he’s thinking about her.”

 “I would never have guessed that he was grieving too,” Terry murmured, the information still sinking in. “So that’s why he was so agitated about the rest of his family- Not that I blame him, of course. I would be the same way too.”

 Comet nodded. “I didn’t know what to make of it at first. But it turned out that it was – as Orde put it – a great life lesson. Ewan agreed; saying that though he misses her real bad, he knows that he can’t hold onto her forever. He said he finally learned to love with an open heart.” He scowled a little. “I don’t understand what that means… when I told him that, he just said that was why I was the student and not the teacher.”

 Terry chuckled. “You have some very wise mentors.” Her smile faded as something started to nag at her thoughts.

What was it trying to tell her? That she needed to learn the same thing?? It was a vaguely disturbing question, but one that demanded to be acknowledged. “He learned to love with an open heart?”

 “Yeah, like I said, I don’t know what that means.” He shrugged. “Ewan just said that at first he felt like he was afraid to let go of her, because he might forget her. But then he told me that he realized that all the memories would still be there, and that once he truly accepted the fact that she was gone, he found it was easier to get on with his life.” He cocked his head at her in curiosity. “Why do you ask? Do you know what he’s talking about?”

 Terry studied her paws as she thought. “I’m not sure,” she rose and gave a small smile. She had come to a decision. “But I think I just might find out.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Rex?” Terry called hesitantly as she entered the room. But he wasn’t there. In his place sat a female dog, a collie-malamute mix by the look of it.

 “Who’s Rex?” asked the dog. “And more important, who are you and what are you doing here?”

 “I’m Terry,” she replied, looking around in disappointed confusion. “I thought Rex was in here.”

 “Who’s he?”

 “A bloodhound. He belongs to Nome’s chief of police.”

 The dog on the table looked thoughtful. “Did he have a really baggy face?”

 Terry brightened. “You’ve seen him?”

 “They were carrying him out just as I was brought in here.”

 Terry didn’t like the sound of that. “Carried out?” she asked.

 The collamute pointed her nose toward a door. “In there,” she replied. “I think the doc’s checking on him right now.”

 Terry groaned. “Oh, the vet will never let me in there unless I break a leg or something.”

 With a lifted eyebrow, the dog on the table asked, “What’s the deal, are you his girlfriend?”

 Terry shifted uneasily. “Not exactly,” she admitted. “We talked about it the last time I saw him, and…”

 “Say no more,” she smiled. “I’ve heard it before. I’ll help ya.”

 Terry tilted her head. “How can you help me?”

 “Just wait by the door and get ready to move.”

 Terry went over by the door and sat, and her friend began to make a series of the most agonized sounds Terry had ever heard. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought the dog was having a major stomach problem. ‘Where did she learn to do that?’ she wondered.

 Wherever she had picked it up, it worked like a charm. There was the sound of footsteps; the vet came through the door, and the husky slipped through.

 The room she entered was mostly empty. Several shelves of what she guessed must be emergency medicines and other supplies lined one wall, and cages on top of other cages sat against the opposite wall, filled with pets who had been injured in the massacre. ‘This must be the recovery room,’ she thought. She cleared her throat a little hesitantly. “Rex?” she called.

 There was no response at first. Thinking he might be asleep, she stepped back and scanned the cages. She spotted Rex in the one on the bottom left, lying motionless except for the steady rise and fall of his back as he breathed.

 “Rex?” she asked. She hated to wake him, but with him in a back room, who knew when she would have another chance to get in and see him? “Rex,” she persisted, drawing near to the cage, “It’s me, Terry.” After further hesitation, she slid a paw through the mesh and poked him. “Rex?”

 “Huh, what?” he asked drowsily. As he blinked away the sleep in his eyes, a smile grew on his face. “Terry!” he beamed. “I… I was hoping to see you again.”

 She nodded. “Yes, Comet told me.”

 Rex blanched slightly. “Orde sent Comet to talk to you?” he asked. “I, er…” he cleared his throat… twice. “I hope he didn’t exaggerate too much.”

 She smiled. “I only believed every other word.”

 Rex’s demeanor softened until his expression bore the softness of chocolate pudding. “Terry, I…” he stopped. “I just wanted to tell you that when you left, I understood you.”

 She tilted her head. “You did?”

 He nodded. “I understood why you were walking away, and I think I felt some of the pain you felt when you lost your mate. I…” he stopped and hung his head. “I’d never lost someone important to me before. Not except when I left my mother as a pup, and you know that’s different.”

 “Oh, Rex,” she sighed. It wasn’t a gushy sigh like you might find in a bad television show, more a comforting sigh or a sad sigh. “I didn’t want to make you feel that way.”

 “Jeez, give her the collar and get a doghouse already!” cracked a Pomeranian in one of the cages higher up.

 Terry and Rex both scowled in his direction, although for Rex this only resulted in hitting his nose against the wall. “I think,” the bloodhound suggested, “This conversation had best be held at another time.”

 Terry nodded. “I need a chance to think this over anyway.”

 “We both do,” Rex added with a smile. There was something in the moment that told him, whatever followed, they would at least come out of this as friends. “And thank you for coming.”

 The door opened right at that moment. “What are you doing in here?” asked the vet. “Come on, if you’re not sick you don’t need to be in here.”

 “That’s what he thinks,” winked a dog two cages to Rex‘s right.

 Terry rolled her eyes and let out a breath. “I’ll see you soon, Rex,” she promised. “Hurry up and get well.”

 “Gladly,” he assured her as the vet led her out.

 As the door closed, Rex could hear the Pomeranian start up again. “So, you two got some big plans when you get out of here, huh?”

 Rex glared in the direction of the yappy voice. “If we ever meet without cages separating us,” he joked, “Remind me to do something I will regret.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 The very afternoon Rex was released from the vet’s, Terry came to see him. As she approached his house, she thought over again everything they’d been through, and what they were now considering. She had let go of Yuke, she was ready to move on, but she knew that in itself was not reason enough. She also knew, however, that somehow it was meant to be, just as it had been with Yuke.

 What she didn’t know was that she was being followed.

 Rex smiled as Terry came in. “Hello,” he greeted.

 Terry blushed. “Hello yourself,” she replied. “Leg feeling better?”

 Rex stretched it out with a contented mix of sigh and grunt. “Good as new,” he grinned. “For all his beads and rattles, that doctor knows his business.”

  Terry started to laugh, but was interrupted by the sound of someone entering through the pet flap.

 “I knew it,” snarled an irate voice.

 Both of them stared at the sandy-colored husky coming in. “Pete, I presume,” Rex observed. “I wish I could say it was a pleasure.”

 Pete growled at him. “Listen, you creep. You stay away from my-”

 “Pete,” Terry cut him off, frowning. “Enough is enough.”

 “What about Dad?” Pete protested.

 “Your father is dead,” Rex replied. “Your mother is doing nothing…”

 “This isn’t right!” Pete snapped.

 “…wrong,” Rex said, both concluding his statement and answering Pete’s. “And let me assure you that as an officer of the law, I don’t want to cause…”

 “Then get lost!” Pete barked at the top of his lungs.

 That bark was Pete’s mistake. The chief came in, saw Pete growling at his dog, and needed ask no further questions. With a skill born from years of handling troublemakers both human and canine, he seized hold of Pete, maneuvered the door handle with his foot, and heaved the husky out, quickly slamming the door shut and moving a box of firewood to cover the pet flap. It was only when he turned around that he actually saw Terry.

 “Well, what are you doing here?” he asked. He had seen Terry once or twice outside, but never inside the house where she had always been careful not to be caught.

 Hoping to fend off further trouble, Rex nuzzled Terry to show she was a friend.

 Chief Scotty laughed. “Well, just don’t get into any more trouble,” he instructed them, and walked back to his office to resume his paperwork. Canine visitors were nothing new to him, just an oddity he had long ago accepted as one of the many mysteries of the canine world. True, Rex had never nuzzled a guest before, but since guests were so common the man gave it no further thought.

 Meanwhile, Terry was blushing from the touch of Rex‘s nose. ’I guess Pete’s interruption was good for something after all,’ she thought. “So,” she asked slowly, “Since Pete brought it up…”

 Rex sighed. “I know what you’re getting at,“ he confessed. “And I do want to, more than anything. But deep down I only want it if it will make you happy.” He deliberately looked away from her. “I know what your heart is telling you, but I don’t want to cause problems between you and Pete.”

 She shook her head. “You don’t know Pete. Once he sets his mind on a way of thinking, nothing shakes him out of it. He’s determined to believe what he wants to, no matter what.”

 Inside, Rex was decided on what he wanted. But everything in him was telling him loud and clear that he shouldn’t pursue something which might cause Terry such sever family problems. Heaven knew she had enough already. “You could lose your son,” he insisted. “Look at what just happened.”

 The husky sighed. “Rex, I lost Pete the day his father died. He loved his father, and so did I. But I’m ready to let go of that. What I’m not ready to do is to spend the rest of my life alone. It’s not what Yukon would want, and it’s not what I want either. I want you.”

 Rex hung his head for a long moment. She had him convinced, but there was one more thing that needed to be said. “Police work is my life, Terry. It’s everything I have. I’ve spent my whole life committed to it. Committed to staying out of any relationship, any attachment that might interfere.”

 Terry blinked. Was he saying no? After everything that had happened, was Rex backing out? “But…” she protested.

 He stopped her. “Yes, there is a but,” he continued. “I always fled from anything that might get in the way of what I do. But you have not. You helped me understand the mystery of the strays. You helped me stay alive in the fight. In the fight, and after, you gave me someone to fight for. I understand now that I don’t have to be one thing and one thing only, and I‘ve been cheating myself by trying to do so.” He kept his face and posture firm, despite Terry’s wagging tail. “So now I have three questions for you: can you live knowing I’ll be in and out without any say on my part or yours? Can you understand that as much as I love you, I do have a commitment to live up to? And if those are yes… will you be my mate?”

 She didn’t answer with words. Instead she kissed him right on the mouth for a long, long moment. When she pulled out of the kiss and pressed her neck against his, she only spoke one word.

 “Always.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Many months later…

 The two dogs smiled at the puppies in the basket. Terry’s smile was sweet and serene. Rex’s was every bit as happy, but at the same time just a little uncertain. Even after all of this, the future held some sweet, uncertain scent of the unknown, a thing which he both craved and feared. It was fatherhood. “So,” he commented, “You know more about this puppy business than I do. Think they’ll be any trouble?”

 Terry laughed. “Puppies are always trouble,” she answered. “That’s the fun of it.” Looking back down at the litter, she added, “But with a daddy like you, I don’t think they’ll be too much of a problem.” She bent down and nuzzled one of the pups. “Isn’t that right, Toby?” she asked in a cooing sort of voice.

 Time would tell just how wrong she was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Balto, Jenna, Steele, and company: © Universal Studios

Ewan, Comet, Captain Orde, Deputy Williams, Mac, and nameless comrade: © Kelev

Chase, the white Akita, and Ketchikan: © redwolf03

Everyone else: © Dragon Tamer

And last but not least, ‘The Matchmaker Song’: © to the person who wrote the music for ‘Fiddler on the Roof’