Chapter 1: Albino Assassins.

"Okay you have your orders" barked a large, dark grey wolf.

The wolf's bark pierced the silence that had fallen in the grove. The wolves he had been woofing to stood static and silent.

"Diego, why risk attacking a whole pack just to kill one dog?" questioned the young white male, trembling, obviously terrified of the bigger dog.

"Well" Diego began "That is none of your concern is it pup." The large wolf growled these last words. The young half-breed quickly and quietly backed off lowering his head submissively.

"Go! Now!" shouted Diego. The two white half-dogs nodded, turned and ran as fast as they could out of the grove towards the sea.

"Spirit you shouldn't question orders like that. You know how Diego hates insolence, especially from inferiors like us." The white bitch stared at the dog as she spoke.

"I guess your right Arianna." The male agreed "but why are we inferior in the first place? Huh?" he added.

The bitch wheeled about to face him, a disapproving look on her face. The twins stood still facing each other, both staring into the others eyes. Arianna and Spirit were both ostracized from birth both for being half-breeds and due to the fact they were both albino. When their mother died they were exiled from the pack. With no mother or father they were left helpless until they were found by a male wolf named Diego. From that day on he raised them as his enforcers, his personal weapons. After a minute or two of silence she answered the question.

"We are inferior because of our parentage and because he raised us. He cares for us." The bitch argued.

Spirit gave her a look that told her he didn't believe a word of what she had just said. "He cares for us." He repeated irritably "He cares for us because we're useful to him. Because we're stronger than him and he knows it."

"Still we need to follow orders and kill that dog." She added conceding defeat. She couldn't argue with what her brother had said it was after all true.

The white male agreed, "I know, either she dies or we die in her place. And I really don't feel like dying today, or ever for that matter." He added with a small chuckle.

The two outcasts walked side by side contemplating how to kill the alpha female of a pack, under the packs noses and live to tell about it. They also thought on why Diego wanted this one bitch dead enough to risk them both being torn apart.

"So how do we kill her when she's protected by the pack?" Arianna mused.

"Easy" Spirit answered after pretending to think for a while. "Take her away from the pack first then kill her."

"Oh of course, how could I be so stupid its that easy isn't it?" Arianna replied sarcastically.

"I never said we wouldn't need to plan this perfectly but we can do it." He stated. "This bitch, Aleu will die today by my paw, I promise."

The next few hours were spent observing the wolf pack and planning their attack. They would wait and watch for their opportunity and then they would strike, one of them distracting the pack while the other went for the kill. Quick and easy what could go wrong? In their minds nothing, this plan was perfect. Spotting their break when Aleu was alone at the edge of the lake they moved into position. Arianna ran to the wolves from the north howling and acting injured. While their gaze was on her Spirit made his move, he pounced on the unsuspecting bitch knocking her to the snow covered ground. As he stood above her snarling something happened, he hesitated finding it impossible to deliver the fatal blow. Instead of killing this bitch he found himself staring into her eyes.

"Run" he told her "someone wants you dead, go somewhere safe."

He then turned and ran back to meet his sister not looking forward to facing her. Aleu stared at him as he fled confused at what had just happened, wondering who he was.

"Spirit there's no blood on your mouth. Why?" Arianna asked as he walked towards her already guessing the answer but begging she was wrong.

"Be...because" he hesitated "I...ah...I didn't kill her." He added timidly.

"WHAT! Why not?" She growled angrily.

"Because I couldn't." he answered.

She was livid at his answer. "Why! Why do you feel the need to develop a conscious now? Why is it you have to fall in love with our target?"

He stared at the ground as he spoke "I'm sorry I failed."

"Apologizing wont help, you blew our only chance to kill her. Hours of planning wasted. You know what Diego's gonna do don't you?" she asked. He knew and what's more he didn't care. For the first time in his life he wasn't scared of Diego or what he would do to them. As he replayed the event over and over in his mind he decided he had done the right thing. He was glad he hadn't killed her. Arianna was right, he was in love with her and he would protect her from Diego at any cost.

The two dogs walked slowly and silently back to where Diego was waiting for them. Every time Spirit tried to speak Arianna would stop him and tell him to remain quiet.

As he saw them approach Diego shouted to them "So your back then. I trust all went as planned." They were less than ten feet away before they answered.

"Well, no" Arianna told him trembling, her voice shaking.

"You mean she's still alive!" He barked at them.

"Yes" Arianna replied at once "Spirit hesitated, he didn't kill her when he had the chance."

The wolf stood for a moment in thought and then ordered "Go back and finish the job NOW!"

"That wont do any good" Spirit responded. The two dogs stared at him as he spoke. "I told her to go somewhere safe. She's not with the pack anymore.

"Then the three of us will track her down. We'll catch her in the wild and then she'll be ours, wont she." Diego's muzzle twisted into an evil grin as he spoke. "She'll be helpless."

The three animals tracked her until it became too dark. Spirit loved her; he wouldn't let Diego kill her. Once the others were asleep he crept out of the clearing they were in and continued to follow her scent. After nearly four hours he saw her lying in the snow, wet and shivering. For a while he stood watching her breathe deeply as she tried to get to sleep. Building up his confidence he walked slowly towards her. As he neared her she turned her head startled by the sound of footsteps. Upon seeing him she relaxed a little, still shivering she put her head back on the snow-covered ground.

"Hey, you ok? What happened?" the young wolf asked concerned.

"Yeah I'm ok." She answered nodding toward a hole in the ice nearby "I was having a drink and the ice I was standing on cracked."

Spirit lay against her, his left foreleg over her back with his head between her shoulders, trying to keep her warm. She smiled as he nuzzled against her.

"I don't understand you. First you attack me, then you help me what's going on?" she asked.

He started weakly "I was ordered to kill you but when I was standing over you I realized I" he found it hard to continue, "I love you."

After the initial shock of these last three words wore off she asked him "Ordered by whom?"

As the hours passed he told her about his exile and about Diego. Diego wanted her dead but neither Spirit nor Aleu knew why. He also told her to hurry to where she was going; they were barely four hours behind her.

When he awoke he was alone but not for long.

"Where the hell did you go!" shouted Diego as he and Arianna walked towards Spirit.

Thinking fast Spirit lied "I carried on tracking her after you were asleep. I wanted to correct my mistake quickly to apologize for failing in the first place."

It was a good lie and it would work on Diego; he was too arrogant to see through it, he would think it a great honor, but Spirit doubted it would fool Arianna.

"What are you thinking Spirit?" He turned to see Arianna looking disgusted with him. "I followed you last night you know. I saw you with her."

Diego's voice pierced the air "Silence both of you."

They kept tracking Aleu until they eventually caught up with her a day later. As Diego leapt at her he was knocked off course and sent flying. He looked up to see spirit standing over him. Never had the juvenile wolf dog even had the nerve to answer back to him, but know he had the audacity to attack his leader to protect a dog he'd never even woofed to. This was betrayal beyond forgiveness.

"SPIRIT! HOW DARE YOU!" Diego was furious, angrier than either Spirit or Arianna had ever seen him.

"DIEGO!" the albino male howled "I WONT LET YOU KILL HER! I LOVE HER!"

The howling caught Aleu's attention, when she saw the scene behind her she ran as fast as she could away from the dogs.

"Spirit I'll give you one chance kill Aleu or I will tear Arianna's throat out, your choice."

"Diego, I will not kill Aleu understand." Spirits voice quivered as he said these words. Diego wasn't going to take this insolence from a part breed puppy. True to his word he clamped his powerful jaws around Arianna's throat. Her blood stained the white snow as the powerful jaws closed around her neck. She stared at her brother gasping for breath as the wolfs fangs tore into her soft flesh. Silently Arianna was begging Spirit to stand down but she knew he wouldn't, she had never seen him so determined. She was dead before she hit the ground, blood pouring from her neck onto the virgin snow. Diego stood over her body smiling as the last of her blood dripped from his teeth onto the ground. He spat the remaining blood and flesh out and just turned to look at Spirit. Spirit simply stood there staring at his sister. He was too angry to even cry, he had never liked Diego but now simple dislike was replaced with loathing. He had endured much pain in his life and now he was going to take it all out on this wolf he had once feared. This wolf would pay for killing Arianna, for killing his sister.

Spirits eyes flashed with anger as he spoke. "Diego I am going to tear you apart, I promise"

"That, dog, is a promise you won't keep." Diego sounded confident but inside he was scared, he knew this "puppy" could, no would kill him unless he could outsmart him.

Spirit and Diego both leapt for each other but Spirit was faster, before Diego's paws even hit the floor Spirit was already to the wolfs side. He struck out, his sharp teeth tearing into Diego's side. The bulky wolf howled in pain as the adolescent half-breed ripped a chunk of skin out of his side. Diego however gripped him by the leg and swung him into a large rock. Spirit dropped to the ground hurt but not enough to keep him there. As the wolf closed in for the kill Spirit leapt at him sending him sprawling backwards. He clamped his jaws around Spirits muzzle to keep the dog from biting him while he was down. Spirit managed to pull free but was left with large gashes across his muzzle. Seeing the pup reeling in pain Diego took the opportunity to attack again, this time his teeth tearing a large chunk out of Spirits ear. Despite the pain he was in Spirit kept fighting until he overpowered the wolf. Standing over Diego's panting, blood soaked body he knew he had won.

"A promise I won't be able to keep huh?" panted the exhausted dog. He continued, "This is for my sister."

A deafening howl penetrated the cold dusk air as Spirit ended Diego's life with one final bite. Spirit had won the fight but now what was left for him. His sister was dead and he was alone. He wandered for hours, not going anywhere specific. Blood was dripping from his muzzle, ear, leg and the many gashes on his back. He was in pain but he didn't care, he was free. Despite the pain his injuries caused him he was happy, except every time he closed his eyes he saw his sister's death, these images haunted him always. She hadn't suffered long or even howled but she was still dead. Killing Diego hadn't changed that fact, he knew it wouldn't but it had still felt good. It was his fault she was dead, he was sorry but as she herself had said not a week earlier "Apologizing won't help." He tried not to dwell on her but found it hard to think of anything else. He was alone and facing an empty unknown future.