Makings of a killer.

  It was a cold winters morning in Alaska, there had been a violent storm the night before and
the entrance to a cave was almost hidden behind a blanket of snow, inside that cave was a wolf
with a very young black pup sleeping soundly beside her, a large dark grey male wolf heaved into
the cave and shook off the snow that had settled on his fur,
"Is it done?" the lighter grey female asked him
"yes, all are hidden" he replied
The female held her head low,
"don't be sad my dear" the male whispered into her ear as he lay down next to her,
"the other pups may be lost but we still have our Valo with us"
the female looked at the small black pup and smiled,
"Yes, let us hope he grows strong" she said as she laid her head on her mates paws,
"He will" the male reassured her,
he looked out of the cave at the barren forest and sighed hoping he was right.

  Only two months had passed since then but already Valo had grown strong, his father always kept
a very close eye on him as he played in the snow outside the den, his mother came running out of the
trees and up to his father, she gestured her head towards the cave and both went inside,
"They're near" she said to him in a panic, "the pack is closing in on us" she explained further,
"now, now, calm down, it will all be fine" he tried to reassure her,
"You know as well as I that they will kill Valo and us if we are found" she said in a lowered voice,
"I know..." he answered unable to find reassuring words, suddenly a yelp was heard outside the den,
"VALO?" the female shouted as she ran outside, to her horror Valo was trapped beneath the claws of a
large white and grey wolf desperately trying to escape,
"oh Valo is it?" the wolf grinned, he looked at the female and bared his teeth,
"You know the penalty for betraying the pack!" he spat at her,
"leave her" the male said in a raised voice standing infront of her,
"You also know" the big wolf growled, "now you must pay the price" he snarled and as he did four other
wolves tackled the male to the floor and started beating him and biting him all the while he was yelping
and crying out to stop,
"NO!" the female shouted trying to save him but to no avail, the four wolves stepped back to reveal the male
wolf torn and bloody, the female tried to wake him but it was too late, he was dead, the female began to
sob and fell to the floor in tears, the big wolf grinned at the sight, Valo had seen it all and wanted to
get away and bit into the big wolfs paw, the wolf let out a cry of pain as the little pups needle like
teeth sank into his paw, released from his grip Valo ran for the forest hoping his mother would follow,
but she did'nt, she watched him run but never tried to follow him, the big wolf growled in anger and stood
up straight,
"should we get 'im boss?" one of the wolves asked,
"No, he'll die soon out there anyway" he answered, "back to the den" he ordered,
"what of her?" another of the wolves asked,
"leave her...she's broken" the big wolf replied and he and the four wolves walked off leaving the female
crying next to the dead body of her mate, meanwhile Valo had run to a small clearing where he caught his breath,
panting, he realised his mother was'nt with him, "Mother?" he shouted in a panic but there was no response, he
knew better than to make too much noise so hid inside a hollow log and soon fell fast asleep.

   Next morning Valo retraced his steps back to his den, when he got there his fathers body was covered in a
soft layer of snow but his mother was nowhere to be seen, he sniffed around the cave and after finding no trace
of her he plucked up the courage to sniff around for her near his fathers body, he soon caught her scent and it lead
him to a trail of paw prints, leading in the opposite direction he'd run the previous night, he followed the tracks
until the trail lead him to a small ravine, nothing to an adult wolf but for Valo is was impossible to cross, it
then dawned on him that his mother had abandoned him, sobbing, he started to wander off in no particular direction,
just away from his old den and the memory of recent events, he found himself staggering toward a small town, on the
outskirts there were a few unused barrels and empty wooden boxes that had been left, he could smell things he'd never
smelt before, other animals and a new smell he thought he remembered as one his father had told him to avoid, he
wanted to explore the new smells and new surroundings of this strange new place but night was closing in fast and
instead he sniffed around the barrels and boxes until he found a large empty, unbroken wooden barrel and lay inside
to get some sleep, as he lay watching the sun set he remembered just two days ago he'd been lying in a cosy cave with
his parents safe and happy, but not anymore, as he lay his head down on his paws he started to sob again as he drifted
into sleep.

  He awoke to loud sounds from the strange town and dogs barking, he streched and walked out to investigate, he decided
it was best to stay away from the big, funny looking, two legged creatures and find some animals similar to him, he soon
found some but they were large adults and were tied to a weird piece of wood with a two legged thing on the back, so he
wandered off again, after a while he heard some that sounded his age and ran toward the sound to find they were near the
old boxes and barrels he'd slept near, "hahahaha" a grey one laughed as a tan coloured one fell through the roof of one
of the boxes, "shut up Meeka" the tan one snorted as he picked himself up,
"me shut up?, you're the one who fell through the box" Meeka giggled,
"I would'nt have done if you did'nt distract me" the tan one replied,
"Yeah right Ringo, you just hate being wrong" Meeka teased, then both pups pounced on each other and rolled in the snow,
"Excuse me but what are you doing?" Valo asked them as he approached,
"Who are you?" Meeka and Ringo asked in unison,
"My name is Valo and I'm a wolf" Valo replied,
"Well I'm Meeka and I'm a husky and this bonehead is Ringo, also a husky" Meeka answered him,
"Who you callin' 'bonehead'?" Ringo spat at him, Meeka just giggled and moved closer to Valo,
"A wolf huh?" Meeka questioned, "what you doing around here then?"
"My father was killed and my mother left me so I came looking for shelter" Valo answered him,
"Well...you're okay by me but Triton is boss around here, it's only coz his dad is champion sled dog but we hafta do as
he says anyway" Meeka told Valo, "and he's mean" Ringo piped up,
"yeah and that" Meeka added, "c'mon, we'll take you to him" Meeka said as he walked off, Ringo following close behind,
Valo did'nt like the idea of being bossed around by a dog but followed anyway, when the three arrived all the other pups
jumped at the sight of Valo, Triton jumped down from a large crate and grwoled at Meeka and Ringo, then stood face to face
with Valo, "What do you want?" he snorted,
"All I want is somewhere to stay near food and water and shelter until I can fend for myself" Valo answered calmly straight
in Triton's face, this Triton did not like, he growled at Valo trying to scare him but Valo did'nt even flinch, infact he
wondered just what the dark grey husky was trying to achieve, Triton was very angry that Valo did'nt do what the other dogs
did and cower away from him, even though Valo was the same size as Triton, triton had all the other pups on his side, and
triton ordered two german sheperd/husky cross dogs to attack him and with all valo's best efforts he was no match for the two
older, bigger dogs and he got beaten up pretty badly, luckily being able to free himself and run away to the barrel he slept
in, Meeka and ringo had their ears bitten by triton for bringing Valo to their hang out and were told not to go near him again,
Valo made it to his barrel and lay inside licking his wounds, he felt angry that triton had been so hostile and angry he had
to be here in the first place, mad at the five wolves for killing his father, at his mother for leaving him, at the two dogs
for taking him to be cornered, at triton for doing this to him and at himself for not being able to go anywhere else.

  Valo stayed in his barrel for many months, eating fish from the nearby ocean and taking scraps from the people in the town,
he'd now grown into a big strong teenage wolf and was left alone for the most part, unless triton and his gang of stuges as Valo
called them wanted someone to pick on, Valo never fought back as that would cause him more pain than running away, triton always
had at least two bigger dogs with him, he'd not spoken to Meeka and ringo since the day he first met them but he'd seen them, at
the command of triton, Valo's anger at the dogs welled up inside him, valo never had the chance to talk it out with anyone as no
one was ever around for him and Valo seldom spoke unless he deemed it nessacary to do so and when he did speak those near him
would listen as it was always worth hearing, Valo's anger was instead taken out on rabbits and rats that he preyed on when fish
and scraps were unavaliable or when he fancied a change, but his attacks were always quick and fierce, if triton and the other dogs
ever saw him hunt they would think twice about picking on him, as they did'nt they knew no better, but with every time they bullied
him Valo became more and more enraged, one day whilst Valo was was out walking on the sandy beach he bumped into one of triton's
dogs who was often seen by his side and had bullied Valo in the past, as always he teased Valo and as always Valo walked on by, but
this time however the dog took it too far, "hey Valo, are you sure your daddy was'nt just playing dead to get rid of you" he snickered,
"or maybe he had a heart attack coz you turned out to be a chicken instead if wolf" the dog laughed to himself, Valo suddenly snapped,
in a flash he bit into the dogs throat and the dog had no time to yelp, Valo threw the dog into a beached boat and stood on his chest,
"This chicken enough for you?" Valo grolwed at the dog and the last thing the dog saw was Valo's amber eyes glaring at him as if on fire,
he died there and Valo licked his mouth and walked off calmly to his barrel, Triton and the other dogs found their dead friend later that
day and were all scared at the sight of him,
"looks like wolf paw prints here and there's only one wolf near here" one of the dogs said in a low voice, all the dogs were edgy and
triton was unsure of what to do as his next move and decided to think about it for a while, much to the relief of the others,
Valo felt a bit better that night, so deep was his anger and rage that he felt no remorse for the dog he killed,
"I'm a wolf, I'm stronger than they are" he thought to himself and had a new plan for triton and his gang, as far as Valo was concerned
they deserved everything they got, starting with that other dog, Valo slept in his barrel soundly that night.

  For the following months Valo thought about how to punish the dogs for bullying him so badly, during those months he grew into an adult
wolf and his fur turned deep black from the charcoal black it was before, his eyes remained the same though, deep, firey golden eyes that
glowed in the moonlight, he was still as calm too and finally had his chance that day when the other dog followed him into the woods seeking
revenge for his friends death,
"Hey you, wolf" the dog shouted, Valo stopped and slowly turned to face him,
"Why did you kill him?" the dog asked,
"you know why" Valo spoke as he stood looking at the dog, the dog felt unnerved by Valo and turned to leave but as he did Valo leapt on his
back, pinning him to the ground, the dog was too scared to call out for help,
"your friend died for doing what he did to me" Valo whispered in his ear,
"you also wronged me and therefor need to be taught a lesson" Valo said in a deeper voice, the dog was trembling in fear but Valo loosened his
grip on the dog and just as he thought he was allowed to run away Valo sank his teeth into his neck and bit down hard, the dog yelped in pain
but Valo put his paw on the dog's back and pressed down hard whilst yanking his head up breaking the dog's neck, Valo dropped his lifeless body
on the ground and licked off his mouth then dragged the dog's body to triton's hang out and left it hanging off his crate, blood began to drop
onto the floor as Valo left and he scratched two marks in the smaller crate by the entrance as he left, triton and his gang returned to the sight
of the dog dripping blood from the crate, triton ordered them to clear it up and began to worry about the large jet black wolf on the edge of town.

  Valo sat feeling better that he'd gotten rid of the two dogs triton used as his main protection but still his anger was strong and he began to
plan how he would get rid of triton himself, but for now he had to eat so walked to the beach to find some fish, when he got there he noticed a
familiar pair of huskies frolicking in the sand, Meeka and ringo were prancing around just as they had been when Valo first met them, at first he
thought of leaving them alone but then remembered they were the ones who led him to triton before as pups and instead approached the two of them,
Ringo first noticed valo coming towards them and when meeka realised why he had stopped running around he jumped in surprise,
"Valo!" Meeka squeaked, the two dogs backed slowly away from the wolf,
"Look, we did'nt know triton would react like he did, we just thought it was best he knew that you planned on staying is all" Ringo tried to explain,
Valo was having none of it, he'd had enough of these two just as much as he'd had enough if triton and his crew,
"You did'nt tell me he might be aggressive though did you?" Valo growled at them,
"we...well...how were we to know?" Meeka answered,
"You knew him, you knew what he did, you knew how he acted, you knew that he had those dogs to protect him!" Valo spat back at them,
"we did'nt know he'd do that to you" Ringo tried to explain again, Valo bared his teeth,
"that does not mean you could'nt have warned me he might order them to attack me" Valo growled again,
"We never thought he would" Meeka whimpered,
"you two are as thick as a large plank of wood are'nt you?" Valo yelled at them, the two dogs just shrank back into the sand, trembling infront of Valo,
Triton and his gang had heard the argument and went to see who it was, as triton looked over the brim of the sand dune he saw Valo moving closer to meeka
and ringo, the two dogs saw him,
"Triton!, triton help us, please" they shouted, Valo shot around to see triton and his gang up on top of the dune, triton jumped back as Valo's gaze met
his, his gang were unsure what to do, usually he ordered them to attack when someone threatened someone in his gang but he said nothing, instead he turned
and walked away quickly, his gang followed him obediently although were scared for their friends at the mercy of Valo, valo was now even more angry at seeing
what triton would do to protect himself, condemning two of his gang to death, Valo turned back to the two dogs who were still stunned that triton had left
them for Valo to kill them, both were shaking,
"follow me" Valo told them, the two dogs wondered why he had'nt killed them but certainly were'nt going to complain about it and followed him, Valo led them
back to his barrel and looked towards a smaller box not far away,
"go inside" he told them and meeka and ringo did as they were told, Valo sat outside it for a few minutes before speaking,
"You will go back to triton's hideout, you will give him message will you not?" he said calmly,
"yes" the two dogs answered in unison, Valo nodded slowly,
"You will tell him his time is drawing to an end and he will meet me at the large abandoned boat outside town tomorrow at dusk" he said to them, then moved out
of the way, the two dogs slowly crept out of the box and walked slowly to town, looking back all the way to make sure Valo was'nt bluffing and was following them,
they reached the hide out and repeated Valo's message to triton, at first he wanted to decline it but all his gang were watching expecting him to accept, and so
he did, Ringo and meeka then fell asleep in one of the dark corners of the hideout, thankful to still be alive.

  Next day, at dusk, Triton went to see Valo at the boat, when he arrived Valo was stood behind it staring right at him, triton's gang had followed to see what
was going on and what would happen, triton tried to look unscared but was'nt very convincing,
"What do you want?" Triton asked in a deep voice,
"I want an apology from you" Valo answered slowly and calmly,
"Heh, you want me to apologise to a wolf?" Triton said in a angry tone, Valo stared at him again,
"You refuse?" He finally asked, Triton edged back slightly but kept stood upright,
" I will not bow to a wolf who uses only force to try and persuade me" Triton answered half calmly, Valo stepped closer and glared at him,
"So you see it as right to bully me and get others to do the same?" Valo pushed the matter on,
"If you intrude on my turf and enter without permission, yes" Triton said quickly,
"As far as I can see this territory belongs to humans not you" Valo teased,
"I am top dog around here" triton shouted quickly getting agrivated,
"AS I saw when you left two of your 'gang' members to be killed" Valo teased again,
"But they were not, you lost your bottle" Triton tried to tease back,
"I needed a message to reach your ears and since you are too scared to talk alone I needed messengers" Valo smirked,
"I am not scared to talk with you alone I just refuse to stoop to your level" Triton tried to tease back,
"I see" valo said and moved closer still so their noses almost touched and looked straight into his eyes, Triton began to feel uneasy,
"I do believe this conversation is over" triton announced and turned away,
"This conversation is over but you are not and this is unacceptable" Valo said in a raised voice, Triton turned back to answer but as he did he saw Valo charging
toward him, fangs bared, he tried to run but Valo grabbed his tail and swept him to the floor, Triton went tumbling into the snow, all his gang scattered, terrified
Valo would go for them next, Valo moved closer to Triton,
"Revenge is best served cold" he whispered in his ear and then bit into his neck making the dog yelp in pain then threw him into a deeper drift of snow then leapt on
him and bit down hard on his throat and kept biting until triton went limp, he dropped his body in the snow, blood staining the white blanket covering the ground in
a deep red as the blood seeped from his lifeless body, Meeka and ringo crept out from behind the boat,
"Thank you for sparing our lives" Meeka said in a low voice,
"Yes, thank you so much" Ringo agreed, Valo turned and looked at them,
"Do not thank me for something you were lucky to get in the first place" Valo told them, the two dogs looked confused,
"Go now and die in a way that seems best to you" Valo said coldly and walked off, the two dogs just ran back to town, Valo went back to his barrel and slept, pleased
it was finally over and glad he could finally rest.

                                                       The end....for now.