Author's Note:
If you're wondering why it took me so long to return to this conclusion, it's because for the weeks leading up to and following Thanksgiving, I decided to take a break from writing so I could focus on spending time with my family. Before you start getting all mad at me, keep in mind I've been writing like a maniac ever since summer break ended. First I finished "Erdan 2" before I leapt into "The Revenge and Redemption of Steele" (working around a hurricane to do it), and I didn't exactly have time to take a breather from that before I got the gears turning for "Salvation, Part 3". So yeah, I'd say I earned this holiday R&R.
I had a lot to be thankful for this year, including my friends. I'm writing this message as shout-out to Mojotheomegawolf, who reviewed the first few chapters this month, and WolfdogmeetstheLionKing, who's review I'm gladly looking forward to at the end of this story. As for that anonymous user who reviewed the last time I posted (I wish you had an account so I could thank you properly), let's not get ahead of ourselves buddy. It's called the Salvation trilogy because there's only three parts. There will be other "Heritage of the Wolf" fics after this, but dragging this particular fic out to a fourth part would just be crazy. No, everything that needs to be resolved will happen right here, right now at the end of Part 3. Besides, even if I wanted to write a Part 4, seeing as how long it took me to find the time to write this installment, Part 4 probably wouldn't be written for another year. And there's no need to torture myself and everyone else. I'm pretty excited about this chapter, because it has a twist in it, involving Blaze, that I've been waiting for to reveal for quite some time.
Chapter 9: Love and War.
Nome, Alaska. 8:00 A.M. Friday, February 6, 1925:
"Are you sure this is a good idea?", Dixie asked tentatively.
"He may be a criminal, but he does care a lot about his boys. He even risked his own neck to save them, and he doesn't do that for anybody. So he deserves at least this, a chance to say goodbye to the only ones who ever believed in him", Doc replied, though Dixie still seemed weary.
It was the day after Sutherland's meeting and all the excitement in Nome had finally calmed down to it's usual boring state. Well, almost boring. There was still something that was keeping the townspeople from going on about their usual routines: Billy and Ethan.
Their father Samuel had spent the night in the town lockup, where he would stay for the next few weeks until his trial. When his hangover subsided, the sheriff was disgusted to find the man had no regrets whatsoever about the way he treated his children. In fact, he had nothing to say about it all. It was a pretty safe bet that even if by some miracle Sam actually won his trial, he still wouldn't see his two sons ever again. The people of Nome would make sure of that. It was the least they could do to make up for letting the two youths down.
Everyone felt tremendously guilty about what happened the previous night, and for a good reason. They were supposed to be a community. A tight-knit town full of people who watched out for each other. But they were all so busy targeting Balto that they completely ignored all the signs of what was wrong with Sam's family. And if it hadn't been for Balto's actions that night, Billy and Ethan might have died at their father's hands. The townspeople had almost cast out the only person who had cared about the children's wellbeing and that only added to their collective regret.
After Billy and Ethan were released from the hospital with only minor injuries, they were faced with a new dilemma: finding a new home. Besides their no-good dad, they were the last of the Edwards family, since they had no other living relatives and thus nowhere else to stay. Luckily, one person decided to speak up and allow the children to room with him for as long as they wanted - Frank, the man who worked as a conductor at Nome's train station. He had welcomed them into his home with open arms, and the children didn't know what to make of the man's generosity. Sam had taken care of them and given them a home to stay, but he had never been so kind to them, even before he started drinking. It seemed Balto had not only saved them, but gave them a chance at a new, better life. Something the wolf-dog had a habit of doing.
Now, the morning after the fiasco, nine dogs stood outside Frank's house, while the tenth inched his way across the street, under close scrutiny by his enemies. Balto, Jenna, Nikki, Kaltag, Star, Dixie, Sylvie, Doc and Jared watched Steele carefully, ready to spring at any second if something went wrong, as the malamute padded up to Frank's door and started barking loudly to get the humans' attention.
Like Doc said, there was a real good chance Steele would be found guilty in his trial and banished from Nome, Alaska forever, losing everything he ever cared about. And if that happened, he would never see his two boys again. The reason Doc and Jared had allowed Steele out of his 'cage' for the minute was because after his selfless actions the previous night, they felt he deserved a chance to say goodbye to Billy and Ethan before he left. However, they obviously didn't trust the canine crook not to run away, since nine dogs were guarding him from across the street, prepared to fight him again and subdue him in the slim chance he did anything desperate.
But for now, Steele seemed to be on his best behavior for once. In fact, he looked almost nervous when the door swung open and three humans (one tall and two short) started to approach him.
"Steele! You found us!", Billy exclaimed, throwing himself at the dog immediately. His older brother, Ethan, was a bit slower, since he still had a throbbing headache from where that bastard, Samuel, had struck him over the forehead.
"Steele", he smiled, mustering up enough strength to rub the dog's head while his younger brother squeezed the malamute as tightly as he could.
"The Patient Centurion" by Murray Gold begins.
A few feet away, Balto and Jenna smiled, before the wolf-dog's mate lowered her head and her happy expression vanished. "Balto, how could something like this happen to such nice kids? How could it go on this long?", the husky asked sadly.
"We were all so busy worrying about our own troubles, Jen, that we just weren't paying attention. We stopped watching each others' backs. We forgot what it meant to be a community…a pack", Balto speculated with a heavy heart.
"But surely someone must have noticed Sam's behavior, or the kids' bruises?", Jenna insisted.
"Someone probably did, but they just did what the people here do best, turned a blind eye. And because of that these poor kids' suffering got a lot worse. Remember what Doc told us the first time I went to the Mill? Sometimes you have to step in and get involved, or things like this can happen. Ignorance isn't bliss, it usually causes nothing but pain in the long run", Balto replied quietly.
"And they call you wolves monsters", Kaltag said darkly.
"I'm just glad we found out about it in time. Who knows what would have happened if we hadn't", Balto sighed.
Doc placed his paw on the wolf-dog's shoulder. "Balto, you did save them. You did exactly what you said you would do two nights ago. You stood up for the people and you fought injustice", the Saint Bernard reminded him.
"Yeah, just like a superhero", Star added in, beaming.
"I wouldn't say that, Star. But you did prove yourself to be the leader everything thinks you are, Balto. You're always doubting yourself, but you've faced all kinds of messed-up stuff and you beat all of it. After everything you've done these past few days, you've earned all our respect back…lead dog", Nikki declared, grinning.
"And maybe someday others will start to follow your example, bro. You were there last night when Steele tried to fight off Sam to save those kids. And if a selfish glory hound like him can do what's right, anyone can", Jared added hopefully.
Balto cracked a smile and nodded his head in reply, before he realized they had all taken their eyes off the sled dog in question.. Luckily, the prisoner hadn't moved at all in the past thirty seconds, nor did he have any intentions of doing so. And after he let the children pet him and rub his fur (something he would have normally found completely undignified), the malamute decided it was time for him to get back to his jailers. As much as it pained him, the sled dog backed away from the boys. He glanced back at Doc and Jared across the street and the two siblings understood what was happening fairly quickly.
"You're not staying, are you?", Billy asked. Steele barked morosely and the boy took that as a no. Billy sighed and got down on his knees so he could speak to the dog face-to-face. "I can understand you wanting to leave after what happened, boy. But wherever you're going, take care of yourself, okay?", Billy requested, trying to be selfless.
Steele barked and let the boy rub his ears one last time before Billy backed away. His brother Ethan was next. "I hope you'll find another owner, Steele. Someone who could take better care of you than dad…I mean Sam, did", Ethan said, correcting himself. And even though he wasn't quite as affectionate or teary-eyed as his younger bro had been, Ethan still patted Steele on the head before joining Billy and Frank at the door.
When Frank called them back inside, it killed the siblings to push the wooden barrier shut and turn their back on the malamute for the last time, but they knew it had to be done. They couldn't take care of their prized dog anymore, and after his failure in the serum run all the other humans wanted nothing to do with him. Even though they knew about dog society or Steele's upcoming trial, anyone could guess Steele was leaving town for good this time to start over somewhere else, somewhere he could find a new family, and a new home and a new job. Somewhere he belonged.
When Steele used to taunt Balto all the time, he always said there wasn't enough room for him and the wolf-dog in Nome, and one of them was going to have to leave eventually. Now that time had come. Nome, Alaska was Balto's home now, not his. But instead of being angry with the half-breed for 'stealing' his life from him, or wishing he would go to hell like he always did, Steele was strangely silent and reserved as he walked back across the street. He surprised everyone by returning to captivity so willingly for someone who was supposed to be a murderous maniac.
He was perfectly quiet as Doc and Jared flanked him both sides and told him to follow them back to his new prison. Another abandoned building, since the last one had a big gaping hole in the entrance where the door used to be. But as he was walking past his old friends and enemies, thinking who-knows-what to himself, the malamute paused for a few seconds and glanced at Balto. The wolf-dog didn't know what to expect when Steele opened his mouth, preparing himself for insults and verbal abuse nonetheless, but he certainly hadn't been anticipating the sled dog's next few words. "Thank you, wolf-dog", he spoke quietly, before turning around and following Doc down the street, leaving six stunned dogs and one wolf-dog behind him.
For a few seconds, no one knew what to say or do or even what to make of Steele's unlikely, uncharacteristic act. But eventually, Balto breathed in, filling it away for later, and decided to break the awkward silence. "Come on, Star. Let's go", he called, padding off and beckoning for the smaller husky to follow him.
"Go where?", Star questioned. Though he was hesitant and nervous as usual about Balto's motives, he still followed the half-breed's request and trailed him from close behind.
"The trawler. I promised you I'd teach you a few things about self-defense and I broke that promise. But since it looks like I'm gonna be here to stay, I might as well make good on my word", the wolf-dog replied, chuckling as he heard Star perk up and bark excitedly behind him.
As expected, Jenna and his other friends weren't far behind him. But while Jenna, Nikki and Kaltag seemed curious about what Balto and Star were up to, Dixie and Sylvie still hadn't moved from where they were standing. But before any curious canine could ask them about it, the show dogs beat them to the punch.
"You guys go ahead. Dix and I have something we need to do!", Sylvie shouted.
The afghan and the little husky had just spotted someone sitting across the street, holding their head down in a feeble attempt to hide their tears, and they felt they needed to go check it out. Grace looked like she could really use some company right now.
It had been a long time since Dixie had saw one of her oldest girlfriends cry, and she had a pretty good idea what it was about when she and Sylvie approached the husky. "Gracie? What did Blaze do this time? Is it this because of the fire water thing?!", she asked, scowling.
"How-?", Grace choked.
"How did I know? Who else could reduce you to tears like these? Why do you keep giving that creep second chances?", Sylvie asked, concerned.
"I don't know", Grace honestly admitted, sniffling.
"Grace, you can't keep doing this to yourself. You deserve better than this. Better than him. There's a guy out there meant for you, but you'll never find him if you keep playing this on-and-off again game with Blaze for the rest of your life", Dixie reasoned, bending over so she could rub the sad dog's shoulder. Even though she and Grace had had their arguments in the past, Dixie really did care about her friend just like she did Jenna, and it killed her to see her all broken up like this over a man. She knew how much the pain hurt. It reminded her of the heartbreak Steele had dealt her only a few days before. But she managed to move past that and forget that overconfident blowhard. Grace however, obviously needed some help when it came to letting go.
"What do you want me to do?", Grace questioned.
"You have to end this, Grace. Permanently this time. No more second chances", Sylvie firmly advised her.
((()-()))
"I gotta admit, Star, you are getting better fast", Kaltag said reluctantly, as he watched how the little husky struggled to keep up with his lead dog's movements. Kaltag now had a greater understanding of why he and his teammates had never been able to kick Balto's tail during their multi-year stint as bad guys, even when it was four against one. They would never have stood a chance against him. Sure, they were all tough bruisers (well, except for Star), but when it came to split-second agility they were almost as slow as slugs compared to the wolf-dog.
Balto and his friends had spent the past few hours in front of his trawler, teaching Star how to defend himself. If he had been learning from any old average Joe, they would have probably told him fighting was all about how hard you hit someone or how good your aim was. But Balto, having been in more than a few scrapes in his lifetime (and usually not by choice) knew better.
To Star's surprise, the best offense in fighting was a good defense. Now he understood why wolves were such better hunters than dogs. Because they had had thousands of years to work out a better technique than just attacking their opponent. A wolf fought a battle like a human would play a game a chess, by using their wits.
Balto moved fast, diving and dodging left and right, up and down, over and under. At first, Nikki and Kaltag weren't sure what the half-breed was teaching their buddy. He never threw a bunch or made his move, he just kept moving. In fact, for a few moments it looked more like running away than it did fighting. Until they realized that Balto was moving all over the place so much that he had tired out Star only a few minutes after they had started. And once he stopped to catch his breath, Balto made his move, thrusting his paw out at him and stopping short only a few inches away from Star's face. Of course, Balto would never really hurt his friends and had only pretended to do so to make a point, but Star knew that in a real fight he'd have a black eye (or two) by now.
But now that he had the technique down, Star was slowly beginning to make progress. He was beginning to understand what Balto was teaching him. Instead of focusing all his energy on blindly biting and snapping everywhere, he should try to study his opponent's moves and figure out their fighting style so he could try to understand where they'd move next. Finally, when he had a fairly good idea about the way Balto moved, Star moved to the left but then thrust his fist down to the right, and to his (and everyone else's) surprise, it struck something solid - Balto's ribs.
The wolf-dog groaned and stopped moving to rub his side, while a stunned Star took in the fact he had actually managed to make contact. "I did it!", he said excitedly, his grin only lasting a few seconds before he realized what he had done. They were only pretend fighting and he had actually hit Balto in the ribcage… fairly hard. "Balto, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that", he stressed quickly.
"It's alright Star. You didn't hit me that hard and the pain's fading already. Besides, at least you're making progress", Balto remarked, before straightening his stance. "Alright, let's start again. And this time, go easy on me, okay?", the half-breed teased, restoring the friends' light exchange once more.
((()-()))
Inside the Old Mill, the newly disgraced Blaze and his gang were deep in thought. The scorned dogs were in the middle of planning another retaliation attack against Balto, when Blaze's ears pricked up. The arrogant young husky glanced to his right and saw his girlfriend walk into the room with a neutral, reserved look on her face, followed closely by Dixie and Sylvie.
"Grace? Why are you here? And what you doing here with them?", Blaze sneered, glaring at the pair of show dogs behind Grace. However, Dixie and Sylvie paid him no attention, focusing only on Grace as the female husky took a deep breath.
"Blaze, I'm leaving you", she finally announced.
"What?", he recoiled, eyes widening.
"For good this time. There will be no second chances", she decided, repeating what Sylvie told her earlier.
"But Grace, why?", he started, before Grace raised a paw to stop him.
"Oh don't give me that confused act Blaze, you've used it one too many times now. You know perfectly well why this has to end. I'm not gonna be your trophy girlfriend, someone you say you love but you keep at an arm's length, never paying them the slightest bit of attention. I don't have to put up with that, and I won't any longer", Grace asserted herself, her tone growing increasingly firmer.
Blaze frowned, his brows furrowing, before his eyes shifted to the dogs behind her. His pupils narrowed into slits and he glanced back at Grace. "Is this because of them? Did they talk you into doing this?", he asked angrily.
"The only thing they did was speed up the inevitable, and I can't thank them enough for that", she replied, laughing oddly, weightlessly, as relief started to set in.
"Don't you see what they're doing Grace? They're on Balto's side! These…these lobo lovers are just trying to split us apart to get to me. That half-breed freak probably put them up to it to try and humiliate me more", Blaze snapped. And as soon as those heated words left his mouth, he knew he had stupidly let his temper get the better of him again and made the situation a thousand times worse.
Grace stared, utterly speechless for what seemed like a good minute, while Dixie and Sylvie glared at him with unconcealed disgust. Finally, after the shock of what she just heard wore off, Grace managed to get her vocal cords working again, to unleash the wrath that had been building up in her since she first walked in. Blaze flinched as he saw the furious expression grow on his ex-girlfriend's face.
"You wanna know why I'm leaving you Blaze? THIS IS WHY I'M LEAVING YOU! Your crazy obsession with Balto! It's like everything in the world revolves around you and him! Balto can't do anything without it being some diabolical plan to get to you! I can't break up with you without it meaning that I'm being used by him! God, you're even more demented than Steele!", she screamed, right before she felt Blaze's paw surge forward and crush her arm in a rage. "LET GO OF ME!", she bellowed, recoiling from Blaze's touch as his vice grip cut off the flow of blood in her limb.
"Let her go!", Dixie shouted, rushing to Grace's aid with bared teeth. Sylvie wasn't far behind her, and even Blaze's pals seemed concerned by how far this argument was going now.
Blaze ignored everyone else staring at them (which now included everyone in the Old Mill) and snarled solely at Dixie. At first, when he saw the much smaller dog wasn't going to back down, his fury only grew. But then he realized he was contemplating attacking a female. One of the worst things a male dog could do.
Dixie and Grace were right. He was out of control. Grace had said something he didn't want hear and he had reacted to it, or rather, overreacted. He was so wrapped around Steele's little finger that he was willing to snap at someone if they even had the gall to insult the malamute, even his own girlfriend. When he saw the look of anger and terror in Grace's eyes, he was so ashamed. He quickly released Grace from his grip and she backed away immediately. "Grace, you have to know that I'd never hurt you. Not you of all people", he said apologetically.
"Save it, you psychopath. We're through and nothing you can say or do will ever change that", Grace spat, before she turned around and stormed off. Dixie and Sylvie, instead following her immediately, glared fiery death at Blaze for a few more minutes, promising him hurt if he crossed their friend again, before they turned around and followed Grace out the door.
"Grace", Blaze whispered futilely, ignoring the stares of every male and female dog in the Mill, including those of his friends.
((()-()))
While Blaze was suffering through the worst moment of his life, Balto was on another unbelievable high. After worrying and despairing so much these past few days, it was like an enormous burden had been lifted off Balto's shoulders. Now that he knew he was going to stay in Nome, he could focus on what should have been his primary concern in the first place, his commitment to Jenna. In fact, the reason he had suggested Star's lessons take place outside of the trawler was so he could visit Boris and tell him something he had been meaning to ask him for a while now. While Star took a much-needed break, Balto sat down with his goose father and informed him on everything that had took place in the past two days.
"So the wedding's been rescheduled. It's next Saturday instead of this Sunday", Balto informed the Russian bird.
"Are you're positively sure you want to go with this, boychic? You're not going to get cold feet, are you?", Boris asked cautiously.
"For a while I did. But Jenna reminded me why I proposed in the first place. There's nothing I want more in the world than for us to be bonded forever", Balto said decisively.
Boris smiled. "I'm so proud of you. I still can't believe it. My son is getting married", he said, hugging the wolf-dog around the chest.
Balto chuckled and rubbed his father's back. "And you're gonna be my best man", the hybrid reminded him, trying to picture Boris of all people at a wedding. What that experience even be like? The wolf-dog figured he would find out soon enough.
Another hurdle had been overcome and the wolf-dog and his mate were currently in the clear. Like Balto had told his father figure, the wedding was still on and was coming up fast. A great big exciting and unknown future was ahead of them. There was only one thing left that still needed to be taken care of - Steele's trial.
((()-()))
9:00 P.M. Friday, February 6, 1925:
Late that night, Blaze and his team still hadn't moved from their spot in the Old Mill, even when everyone else had already went home. Instead of trying follow Grace and desperately win her love back, Blaze resolved to stay where he was and keep working on his plan to get rid of Balto. He had more incentive to continue now than ever. It turned out the solution had been right in front of him the whole time, and simpler than he could ever had expected. And he was just finishing pitching it to his horrified friends. "So guys, are you in?", he propositioned, grinning wickedly.
"Blaze, this is crazy. We can't kill the guy, that'd be murder. Besides, Doc would have our heads", Zeke tried to reason with him
"We'd never be able to come back to Nome again, just like that Devil guy a few years back", Mark added.
"They've got a point, Blaze. What you're suggesting is stepping way too far over the line", Derek advised him, putting his paw on Blaze's shoulder, right before the other dog threw it off.
"I don't care what it takes or what we have to do, but we're gonna make sure Balto never testifies! I won't let that smug little bastard get away with everything he's done. If Steele's willing to go down just to take him out, so should we! And if you guys were really as dedicated to this cause as I was, you wouldn't be arguing with me. I thought you of all people would understand that, DEREK!", Blaze snapped bitterly.
"Wow, you don't handle being dumped well, do you?", snarked someone who was neither Derek, Zeke, or Mark.
Blaze already knew who the voice belonged to long before his pals did, so he immediately turned around to snarl at Dixie. He stood up and ran over to get right in the show dog's face, seething with rage. "You! How dare you show your face here again after what you talked Grace into doing?!", he growled.
Dixie didn't flinch at all, but instead raised her eyebrow. "Wow, you might be bad at break-ups, but your demented little mind sure is great at your blaming other people for your problems, isn't it?", she whistled, pretending to be impressed.
"Why are you here?!", he demanded, having little patience for the gossip hound.
"I knew you would try to pull a crazy stunt like this. You have too much pride not to. I bet it ate you up alive when Balto got the best of you. You probably hated yourself for letting yourself be outsmarted by a 'wild beast'. And when Grace broke up with you this morning, it was like adding fuel to the fire. So naturally, instead of accepting you screwed-up, the first thing you decided to do was blame Balto. Because you could, right? So of course, you came up with some crazy plan to kill him and win the girl back, showing her the error of her ways? Classic Steele ploy. Then again, why not take a page from your idol?", Dixie mused, rambling on distaste.
"I said, why are you here?!", Blaze repeated, already building himself up.
"I'm here to stop you. I know what you're up to. You think that if you kill Balto and Jenna, they can't testify. And if they can't testify, there won't be sufficient enough evidence to convict Steele two days from now. But like your friend said, what you're planning to do is insane and I won't let you go through with it", Dixie replied coldly, a tiny bit of fire burning in her eyes despite how detached and aloof the show dog appeared to be.
Blaze snorted, taking her for a joke, while his friends eyed each other nervously behind him. "Stop me? And how are you gonna do that, show dog?", he asked sarcastically.
What happened next surprised them all. Dixie had the sheer nerve to smirk smugly at the husky, catching him off guard and taking him aback, like she knew something they didn't. Something vital. And instead of answering his question, she opted to change the subject entirely. "You know how Grace thought you were cheating on her last month, with me? I told her she was being ridiculous and paranoid. But deep down, I knew I was lying. I was just protecting her from the truth. You did cheat on her. But it's been going on for a lot longer than a month, and it hasn't been with me", the show dog accused him.
"You'll say anything to discredit me, lobo lover", Blaze growled, bearing his teeth.
"Please, I wouldn't my waste my time spreading lies about a slimeball like you. No, the proof was all over your fur. Grace said that you smelled of sex that night, but it wasn't my scent. You had been careful to leave no traces of what you and your mate had been up to. I was just unfortunate enough to run into you after you did the deed. Even if someone did suspect you were cheating on Grace, they would never be able to guess who in this entire town of dogs. Unless they knew what I did", Dixie clarified, before striding up to Blaze and standing on the edge of her feet so she could speak face-to-face with the dog.
"It was Derek, wasn't it?", she guessed.
And just like that, the entire energy of the room changed. The golden warmth that had filled the Old Mill that night vanished, replaced by a cold, tense energy that Dixie knew was radiating off of Blaze and his gang as they each took in what she had just said. "What?", he asked, teeth clenched.
"I'm saying that all this time Grace thought I was your secret lover, it was really your best buddy over there you've been sucking face with. Of course, I suppose you two have always been more than buddies", Dixie therozied, raising her eyebrow.
The show dog continued to scrutinize Blaze carefully, with wrought attention, as the expressions on his face changed rapidly. She didn't need to be a mind reader to guess what kind of different emotions were blurring by in Blaze's head as a cycle: shock, nervousness, fear, anger, and of course, the infamous denial. Which finally led to him composing his face again and trying to act like nothing she had just said had affected him.
"You're crazy, bitch. Did you actually just accuse me of being a faggot?", he scoffed.
"Blaze, don't be so crude. After all, you are referring to yourself and your teammate", Dixie reminded him, and as she expected, it only succeeded in making the sled dog angrier.
"We ask you to give us answers, and instead you accuse us of being…abominations. What gives you the right to slander us like that?!", he growled, outraged.
"Oh Blaze, don't try to play the self-righteous card, not after you just got through talking about killing somebody. Besides, you can't try to convince me I'm wrong, not after I saw you two making out two years ago", Dixie replied, unfazed. That shocked look returned to Blaze's face, like he had been slapped, and his boys didn't look much better. Dixie knew she had reached the turning point in their argument. There was no denying the truth now and no turning back. She figured a further explanation was in order.
"Two years ago, Grace and I were talking. She was complaining to me that you spend more time with Steele and Derek than you did with her, so I decided to follow you one day and see what you boys were doing - what kept you so busy that you had to put your girlfriend on the backburner. And boy, did I get the shock of my life. I didn't know what you were playing at, just that your team was helping you cover it up. I couldn't figure out whether you actually loved Grace, or you were just using her as a front. But either way, I didn't tell her. Everyone thinks I'm a gossip hound who likes to ruin people's reputations, but I care a lot about my friends. Telling Grace would have broke her heart and I always figured that one day you'd do the right thing and tell her yourself. And there were so many times I had to sit by and watch you torment my friends when I knew I had the ultimate leverage against you, but I loved Grace too much to ever use it. But now I see you'll never do the right thing. You're too much like Steele to even know what the word honor means", Dixie stated disgustedly.
When the shock wore off, Blaze snarled and advanced on the little show dog. "Are you threatening me?!", he asked dangerously, though again, his fury didn't seem to have much effect (if any) on his soon-to-be victim.
"You've picked up more than a few tactics from Steele over the years. Fear and intimidation are only two of them. You like to rile up a crowd and use their fear and blind loyalty to your advantage. But if they knew who you really were, all that would change in a second. I really couldn't care less if you're gay, but would the town really care about a wolf-dog anymore, if they knew one of their own purebreds was a sodomite?", Dixie challenged.
Blaze laughed, in a fairly mad fashion, before he proceeded to growl in Dixie's face. "So that was your plan, huh? You were just gonna come in here and blackmail me into submission? Well there's just one problem with that, girly. You can't tell anyone anything if you're dead and buried", Blaze whispered menacingly.
"I thought you and your gang would say that. You guys will do anything to protect your leader, huh?", she asked rhetorically, glancing around Blaze's head so she could get a good look at his followers. "But really, guys? Do you really think I would be stupid enough to come here without a back-up plan? I told Sylvie all about this, and if anything should happen to me, she'll tell Doc and Jared. Not only will the whole town know your secret, but the punishment you'll get for killing for me will be a whole lot worse than the one dealt to Steele, whatever that may be", Dixie grinned.
"Then we'll just kill her too", Blaze decided, though it sounded like less of a threat and more of a promise.
"But how do you know Sylvie and I haven't told some unknown third person as well? Someone who, right after our demise, will carry on the job Sylvie never got to do?", Dixie countered, unfazed. When Blaze didn't answer, only huffing and puffing rapidly, Dixie knew she had him right where she wanted him. Balto had proved a few nights ago, Blaze was terrible under pressure and even worse with mind games. "There's no way out of this, Blaze. And there's no way you and Derek can save yourselves, unless you do what I say", the show dog laid down the law, her faux grin disappearing in a heartbeat. She knew Blaze would comply before he did, he had no choice, no free will in the matter.
"What do you want?!", Blaze snapped.
"Like I told you before, I care a lot about my friends. Which is why I want you, your boyfriend and your goons to leave them alone and mind your own damn business. You are not going anywhere near Balto and Jenna before Steele's trial, and if you so much as talk to Grace ever again, I'll tell her the real reason you could never commit to her", Dixie ordered with a snarl, finally letting the full force of her anger show.
Blaze stared at her, that incredulous look on his face returning for a few moments, before he chuckled lowly which then morphed into a full blown laugh. "Look at you, one of the pure and virtuous lobo's best friends so eager to blackmail me. What would Balto and Jenna think if they knew you were doing this?", he challenged, taunting her.
"What would Grace and the others think if they knew you and Derek share more than a harness together on long nights in the tundra?", Dixie retorted harshly. "We all have secrets, Blaze, and not everyone can be as good to the core as Balto. But at least I'm doing this to protect my friends instead of hurting them. You know the old saying, Blaze: all's fair in love and war. And right now, I'd say you and I are in the middle of both", the show dog decided, before extending her small, incredibly fragile paw. "So do we have an understanding?", she questioned, leaving no room for further arguments.
Blaze didn't reply, but Dixie knew he wasn't worried. Before he shook her paw, the arrogant dog obviously wanted to get the last word in. "If you so much as breathe a word about this to anyone, I swear I will destroy you", he promised her.
"And destroy yourself as well", Dixie countered, entirely unworried, as the husky shook her paw in his own and shook it as roughly as he could. When he was done (resisting the oh-so-tempting thought of crushing the midget dog's paw), Dixie cleared her throat and held her head up high. "Well boys, it was a pleasure doing business with you", she declared, before turning around and walking away.
But just as she reached the front door, Blaze stopped her again, calling after her. "Hey bitch!", he shouted.
"Yeah?", she asked, glancing behind her, ignoring the insult.
"You don't know anything about me or Derek or Grace. I wasn't using Grace as a front. I actually did like her. But you'll never understand that. And don't think you've won either. Like you said, all's fair in love and war. Someday I will find a way out of this and when I do you and your friends had better watch your backs!", he snarled, hackles raising.
Dixie rolled her eyes and, like always, ignored his threats. "Always has to get the last word in", she griped, as she walked through the Old Mill's doors and left a gang of steamed, vengeful, jockish dogs behind her. Now that Dixie's work was done, she had hopefully ensured that Steele's trial would go on without a hitch and her friends could get on with their lives again. The gossip hound had just completed one of her many thankless jobs.
Author's Notes:
Well guys, don't hold back. And don't just sit in your chairs, staring blankly at the screen either. I know you want to skip right ahead to the next chapter, but could you let me know what you all think first?
