Hoo boy. Looks like Kava finally found Kodan's red button. Let just hope that the husky's not biting off more than he can chew, or Kava might do likewise.

Part 4: Kodan

You know how sometimes you get into a crazy situation and end up doing stuff you never thought you'd do? Well, that's what happened. I was following Aniu, hoping to play a joke on her, and then I looked through the bushes and saw that creep Kava bothering her.

I didn't know what came over me at that moment. I mean, I'm a sled dog. Not a fighter. Never a fighter. I would probably back down from a kitten. But when I jumped out and crashed into Kava, I could see by the look on his face that, fighter or no fighter, I had surprised him. Surprised, and angered. I might have even scared him a little. Or a lot. His fur was bristling, his eyes burning like some monster. "And just who do you think you are, getting in my way?" he demanded.

I narrowed my eyes. "Someone you do not want to mess with." If I hadn't been so caught up in the moment, I would have been surprised that my voice could sound so ferocious, so… hateful. "Now either get out of here or get ready to fight."

Kava stood up. "Okay," he growled, testing his claws on the ground. "I've been waiting a long time for this." He looked about ready to attack when a voice stopped both of us cold.

"Kava! Kodan!" It was Sequoia, stepping out of the shadows. "What exactly is going on here?"

Kava jumped in, pouring out his story. "I was just talking with Aniu, asking if she wanted to be in the same group for the hunt tomorrow. Then Kodan jumped out of nowhere! He was going to attack me, honest!"

"That's not-" I started to protest, but Sequoia cut me off with a sharp glance. Then he stared hard at Kava, and if I thought the look he gave me was sharp, the one Kava got was a razor.

"I have ears, Kava. And 'I've been waiting a long time for this' doesn't exactly sound innocent. Anyway, you know that grouping arrangements are decided by me."

Kava was as quick as a whip with another lie. "Yeah, I know. I just, uh, wanted to see if she liked the idea before I asked you."

Sequoia shook his head and then fixed his gaze on me. "Kodan, what do you have to say about this?"

"It's all a lie, sir," I protested adamantly. "Kava was out here bothering Aniu, so I stepped in to stop him."

Sequoia nodded. "So, it all comes down to Aniu." He looked at her. "What happened?"

She edged away from Kava, ears back, tail low, eyebrows knit. Every inch of her body seemed to radiate contempt for him. "I was out here for a walk when Kava came up and asked me about the hunt tomorrow. I told him I wasn't interested again and again, but he kept on pressing the matter. Then Kodan stepped in, and then you arrived."

Sequoia nodded. "Very well. It's their word against yours, Kava. I would like to have a word with you." The way he said it, I knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience for the black wolf.

Sequoia turned and walked away. Kava followed, stopping long enough to snarl at me. "Listen, you," he uttered under his breath, "Aniu is…"

"Kava," called Sequoia, the second syllable an octave higher as if to emphasize the warning. Kava growled and loped away.

Looking after him, I muttered, "Definitely leech." Then I turned my attention to Aniu, who was staring after them with a look of relieved contempt. "Are you alright?" I asked. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine." She smiled a little. "I don't think he really planned to do anything. Sometimes he tries to frighten me, but despite all appearances he's got enough sense not to actually touch me. Either that or he doesn't have the brainpower to cook up anything rotten."

"I'm betting on the second one," I commented.

Aniu laughed. "Maybe. He tried stealing a kiss from me once and, well…" she rolled her eyes to the side. "Let's just say that for a while one of his eyes was even blacker than normal."

I was stunned. "You gave him a black eye?" I asked, mouth hanging open. I had never harbored any delusions about Aniu being helpless, but personally I found it easier to picture a rabbit getting into a fight.

"It was nothing next to what Papa did when he found out. That was the last time Kava ever tried to steal a kiss from me."

I nodded. "Well, I'm glad I was able to help, even if you weren't in any real danger."

"Yes," she said with a smile. "So am I. Thanks."

"Anytime," I returned the smile. "Care for an escort back to the cave?"

She smiled. "Sure." We walked in silence most of the way back. The only further conversation was when she said, "I owe you one, Kodan."

I shrugged. "Hey, you saved my life. I just got Kava off your case for a while. If anything, I still owe you."

It wasn't easy for me to sleep that night. I lay on the far side of the cave from where Aniu slept by her parents, and try as I might I could not stop looking in her direction. But where my eyes were on her, in truth I was looking at myself. At least, I was looking at my behavior. What I had done was completely unlike me. Oh sure, I stuck up for other dogs when I saw them being abused, but I never got into fights over it. It wasn't my style. And to be honest, I had to admit that sometimes I felt a little chicken about it. But I would never take a dog, or a wolf, up on a challenge to a fight, let alone make the first strike. So why had I just done that very thing less than two hours ago?

Observing Aniu's white fur, I was reminded of the one other dog whom I might, just might have been willing to fight on account of: Blizzard. Him I'd have laid down my life for, him or any of his kids. But he and I had known each other all our lives. Our dads had been pals; we grew up together like…

Brothers! Maybe that was it, I thought, looking at Aniu's sleeping face. Maybe this was what it was like to have a sister - something I had missed out on, being from an all-male litter. After all, she and I did everything together. And being in this new place was kind of like starting a new life, so why not start it with the sister I never had?

I smiled as my head sank down and my mind drifted into slumber, pleased by the novelty of the idea. If only the dogs back in Nome could see me now.

We started out early the next morning on the hunt, all gathered in one group. I noticed, with no surprise, that Kava was on the far side of the pack from Aniu, with Sequoia close by and maintaining proximity. All the better to pounce if he makes a false move, I thought, noticing the way that the alpha shifted every time Kava moved, maintaining a constant barrier to the black wolf's line of sight. It occurred to me that Sequoia was being so discreet about the blockage that, had I seen it only a few months ago, I would have been completely oblivious. Being with the wolves had sharpened my perception to almost on par with theirs. The other dogs had often spoken of wolves as a lesser, savage species with limited intelligence and no sense of society, but now it seemed the opposite was true: if anything, we needed to learn those things from them.

I turned my gaze to Aniu. If anyone could teach, it had to be her. More than just explaining or demonstrating, there was the fact that somehow she seemed to just… know things. It wasn't a skill she flaunted, but more than once I had seen her nuzzle a packmate, only to find out later that said packmate was experiencing some inner conflict. Or she would pinpoint the whereabouts of prey, even if the wind was against us. I had asked her how she did it once, and she just shrugged. "It's all a matter of cues," she had explained. "The whole world; every tree, every animal, every snowflake, is part of a story. I just follow the patterns." I had asked her to teach me, and she had tried. But aside from picking up a few clues, I was lost.

I had to break off the train of thought just then; Sequoia was listing groups for everyone to go into. Kava would be hunting with him and two other wolves, a dubious "honor" under the circumstances. We would travel in a cluster heading upwind, due east, in search of a scent. Once we were as close to the prey as he saw fit, different groups would break off to either side and fan out around the animal before drawing the circle tight like a snare. Aniu and I were in the group that would stay centered, approaching from the rear and cutting off its retreat. Ideally, we would be on it before it realized it was under attack.

I stuck close to Aniu as we set out, while Sequoia kept Kava right at his flank. Kava's tail hung a little lower than usual - wolves generally run with their tails sticking out more or less level behind them - a sign, I took it, of his displeasure.

I, on the other hand, could hardly have been in higher spirits. The wind through my fur like a stroking hand. The harmony of the pack as we moved in silence with a grace and coordination that would have made any sled-team jealous to watch. The scent of pines and snow and small animals in my nostrils. This was life.

Then a brown wolf beside me hissed something to Sequoia, who responded by lifting his tail in a signal and coming to a stop. He looked at the younger wolf. "What is it?" he asked.

"I smell something," the young wolf replied. "A little to the north, I think."

Sequoia sniffed and nodded his approval. "Yes, a moose. Alright, let's move in quietly."

We continued on, each of us moving as silently as owls in flight. The moose's musty, rank odor grew stronger every minute, until I guessed it was about twenty yards ahead. It was then Sequoia silently signaled us with a flick of his ears, and without so much as a yip we separated into our groups.

I have to say, the latter part of a wolf hunt was not something I would ever have called my forte. Not that blood or raw meat bothered me, at least not after the first few meals. No, I was bothered by the slowness. I like to move fast, run hard, give it everything I've got. But for wolves, the last part of a hunt is a slow, tense process, where the only real rush is moving in for the final blow. After my time spent with the pack, though, I had learned to enjoy the suspense, to study every detail of the prey before killing it. So it was that as we approached the bull moose from behind, I saw it was somewhere in the older range, most of its life already lived even without our involvement. But its battle-scarred hide showed plainly an abundance of muscles underneath. We weren't the first predators to try to take this bull down, and it would be no minor struggle to ensure that we were the last.

I couldn't see or hear the other groups, but I knew the plan well enough. The sub-packs would circle to either side of the bull, using wind and terrain to hide their scent from it until the final group, Sequoia's, moved directly in front. When that happened…

And then it did. I saw the moose turn its head from the branch it had been browsing on, snorting angrily and twitching its ears. Without even having to check, I detected wolf on the wind. Sequoia and his group were ready, which meant it was time to advance.

With a pounce, we emerged from our hiding places, presenting the moose with a ring of teeth and bristling fur. It let out a bellow, turning this way and that to find some way out of the circle of death. Everyone stayed alert, watching for a chance to leap and get it by the windpipe, but also wary of a sudden charge.

Then disaster struck. To the front of the bull, Kava leapt and made a grab for its throat. He missed, and fell right in front of the creature. The moose backed up snorting from this attack, then saw him there momentarily vulnerable. With a wild bellow of panic and rage, it reared, ready to crush him with its hooves.

Without thinking, I leapt forward and clamped my jaws down on the bull's hind leg, my teeth puncturing skin and driving into bone. With a furious cry, it jerked and spun, missing Kava completely. It threw me off with a kick, sending a piece of its hide with me. I couldn't see what happened next, but by the time I picked myself out of the snow, the bull was on its side, kicking feebly as three wolves hung onto its windpipe and others swarmed over it, weighing it down like so many bags of rocks.

As soon as the beast was still, Sequoia called a halt to the hunt. I was confused, even more when he turned his attention on me.

"Kodan," he said severely, "That was the most foolish thing I've ever seen."

I didn't know what to make of his sudden burst of ill temper, but I backed up both from his gaze and the eyes of all the pack, some surprised, some confused, and others derisive. "I'm sorry, sir, I only…"

His focus intensified. "Don't you dare apologize, Kodan. You just saved the life of one of my wolves, and for that you have my thanks."

That changed the looks all around. Several jaws hung slack, especially those of the wolves who had been derisive. Kava, who I think had been glad he wasn't the one getting yelled at, seemed most surprised. "Wait a minute. This dog did what?"

Sequoia turned to him. "Kava, when that moose was about to trample you, Kodan grabbed onto its leg and distracted it at the risk of his own life."

Laughter sparked, then spread among the wolves like fire in dry wood. Kava was completely stunned. "Impossible!" he blurted. "My life saved by a measly do-"

"You owe this dog your life right now," Sequoia cut him off. "And now hear this: I will tolerate no further abuse of him. Anyone who mistreats or even speaks ill of him will answer to me."

I could have died on the spot. I wasn't some big hero, I just bit the thing's leg! It was basic decency to do something like that under the circumstances. But I had to admit I felt some pleasure when Sequoia turned back to me and smiled. "Well done, husky. You are an example to wolf and dog alike."

Howls rang throughout the clearing, but I noticed two were not howling. One was Aniu, who stared at me in confusion. The other was Kava, who was glaring at me in abject hate.

Aniu stalled her questions while we ate, but she caught up to me later when I was alone. Most of the pack had laid down and were now sleeping off their meal, and I was close to slumber myself when she nudged me. "Why did you help Kava?" she asked. "You could have been killed."

I sighed. How could I explain something so basic? "I just did," I admitted. "It's the same for any husky, at least any good husky. You see someone in trouble, you help them out. Wouldn't you do the same?" Then as I looked in her pensive eyes, I thought of the siblings she had mentioned. Or maybe not, I thought.

She shook her head. "It's not that way out here," she insisted. "The pack is only as strong as its wolves, and a weak wolf weakens the whole pack. Besides, Kava hates you."

I thought about that. "My dad once told me something," I related to her. "He said the easiest way to get rid of an enemy is to make a friend. Maybe that would work on Kava."

She thought about this. "Maybe," she admitted, still sounding doubtful. "I have to admit, I'd like it if someone could do something about him. There's something… wrong about him, like he's up to something."

I shook my head. "You're just saying that because he wants to be your mate," I said, dismissing her doubts.

I felt a little guilty as I watched her face drop, and a little disappointed as she turned. "Perhaps," she confessed, walking away.

I considered going after her, but the warm meat in my belly was lulling me to sleep. Surely I could make it up to her later after both of us had slept it off.

If only I had known how right she was.

That night I couldn't sleep, thinking about the events of the past twenty-four hours. First rescuing Aniu, then saving Kava's life. The irony was so thick I could break my teeth on it. But why did he hate me so much for it? Confusion I could understand, but hatred? I had saved his life, and now he seemed madder than ever.

I got up. Maybe some fresh air would clear my head. Taking a careful look at the wolves sleeping spread out on the cave floor, I made my way gingerly to the entrance. Outside, the moon was full and the air was fresh. I took a deep breath through my nose, filling my lungs and savoring the crisp sensation of cold air down my throat, the nighttime aromas of pine, wildlife, the river not so far away, and… Kava?

I turned my head. Yes, there he was, walking away from camp in a strange pattern. He scarcely showed up against the dark patches of turf, only here and there appearing against a patch of snow. Then he turned to look back, and without knowing why right away I hastily ducked back into the shadows of the cave mouth. After a moment, I saw him turn and continue on his way. That was when it dawned on me that he was keeping off the snow for a reason: he wanted to be sure no one would know he was sneaking off. But why? Mulling over theory after theory as he vanished into the trees, I began to track the wolf.

After some time, he reached a clearing surrounded by bushes. Seeing no other cover, I hid in these to watch what would come next. I peered out and saw Kava talking with another wolf who was also midnight black, but bigger and more muscular. I noticed that the other wolf had a scar curving around his left eye. It looked inflamed, almost diseased, as if the wound had been brushed with some poisonous plant.

"I don't know how much more dawdling I can take," Kava was saying with the tone of an exasperated youngster. "I say we should just storm them. Our pack is stronger than theirs."

"No," snapped the other wolf. His voice was cold, hard, and had the kind of tone that made you wonder if the guy ever smiled. "We will stick with the plan. You must gain control of the Eagle's Bluff pack, and you must do it through tactics and diplomacy. Undermine Sequoia's authority and secure the loyalty of those most significant and most willing. Then, when you inherit command of the Black Claw pack, all their lands will be ours as well."

'Traitor!' I wanted to shout, but resisted. Either one of those wolves looked tough enough to turn me into a rug in no time flat. If I let the two of them know I was on their trail, I was dead meat for sure. So I lay still, hardly daring to breathe. What else were they up to?

"But why wait?" protested Kava. "Why not simply declare war now? We have the greater numbers, so how could we lose?"

"Kava!" the other wolf all but shouted. He seemed to grow bigger, and loomed over Kava as the younger wolf retreated from this intimidating display. "I trust there is no need to remind you that you will only inherit my rank if I decree it. If you cannot learn to fight and conquer by more than mere brute force, you will never be my heir. Am I clear?"

Kava bowed his head. "Yes, father."

"Good. Now, what of your efforts with Sequoia's daughter?"

My eyes widened. 'Aniu?'

Oh, boy. That can't be good.

Sorry for the long break in writing. More chapters of my other in-progress fics to come.