Thanks for bearing with me, everyone. As it turns out, I didn't really need more than the one name for this chapter and don't foresee needing names for the sled team later on, but I want to thank the various people I spoke to both on here and on other sites for the input they provided.

This chapter took a fair amunt of work; my computer actually froze on me just as I was nearing the finish the first time around, forcing me to re-write the entire chapter. Fortunately I think it turned out better the second time, and I hope you enjoy it.

Kodan

"Aniu," I pleaded that night as she fussed over me, "I'm alright." The musher was asleep, and I had been bundled in furs on the sled, but Aniu insisted on breaking off from the sled dogs to check on me.

She didn't buy my story. "I can practically feel your fever over here," she said, despite the fact that "over here" was about six inches away.

"Then go away before you catch it," I urged. "There's nothing you can do about it anyway. Go to sleep with the rest of the team."

She shook her head. "You males," she muttered, "have a frustrating way of making sense. I know there's nothing I can do, but I'd still rather be here. You're my husband now, and the dogs..." she trailed off.

There was something in her ears, her tail, and her scent that tipped me off. "What about them?" I asked.

She looked away. "It's nothing," she said quickly.

Now she had me worrying. "What did they do?" I asked.

"They haven't done anything," she assured me. "You're right; I should just let you sleep."

"That's a good idea," someone said nearby. "Let him go to sleep, and we'll let you go away."

Both of us turned our heads to see four or five of the sled dogs. I hadn't had time for introductions in the course of the trip, and the musher had distanced me from the other dogs while he was awake. "And you are...?" I ventured.

"Dogs," the biggest one answered. Glaring at Aniu, he added, "That's all the she-wolf needs to know."

I bristled. "That 'she-wolf' is my wife," I told him, showing my teeth a little, "and she has a nme: Aniu."

The whole group stared at me, ears back and eyes wide. "Your what?" asked the smallest one.

Aniu cleared her throat. "My name is Aniu," she reiterated, "daughter of Sequoia and Nina. Kodan is, for all purposes, my husband; we were married just before you found us."

The big dog scoffed. "Well go have your honeymoon somewhere else," he snapped. "We don't like your kind here, wolf – or anyone who marries it."

I could sense Aniu's temper rising. I was working pretty hard to keep calm myself. "Look," I interjected anxiously, "We're not looking for any trouble. We don't even want to stick around once we get to civilization. I just need some medicine and we'll be gone; I promise."

"Not happening," Big Dog snarled. "You leave, now."

Aniu turned broadside to him, shielding me with her body. "And if we refuse?"

He stared her in the eyes. "We'll make you."

This was looking bad. The top dog was heavy with muscle and a little bigger than Aniu herself; huge for a sled dog. Against him alone, she might stand a chance. If she took on the whole group she wouldn't last a minute.

An idea occurred to me, and as much as I hated it I couldn't see a better option. "Do you guys have that little to live for?" I asked sharply.

Everyone stared at me. Even Aniu turned as if to ask if I had just lost my mind. I motioned for her to step aside, then did my best to look comfortable as if I had nothing to worry about.

"Think about it," I told the sled dogs. "If you kill us or even maim us, the musher's going to figure it out. Anyone would. So even if you mnage to get away without broken legs – which I doubt – you won't have much of a future as sled dogs. At best you'll probbly get sold to a dog-fighting ring somewhere, but if you catch my fever you might not even last that long. Of course if you really feel like attacking us anyway, there's not much we can do to stop you."

Although Big Dog held his ground, I could see the other dogs backing up or itching to do so. "Hey Klaus," said a small black-and-white one, "maybe we should rethink this."

"Don't chicken out on me now," the big dog growled, turning to face his subordinate.

"Challenge him," I whispered to Aniu.

"What?" she hissed at me.

I glanced past her. The other dogs were distracting Klaus for the moment with similar sentiments to that of the small one, but I knew it wouldn't last.

"Challenge him to a dominance battle," I hissed. "Taking him solo is your only chance, and he can't back out of it without losing face."

She nodded and turned. "Klaus," she called out. She must not have felt as confident as she sounded, but just hearing her say his name made me proud. "We should put aside formalities and simply fight this out – if you aren't afraid to take me on alone."

All eyes turned to her. "Sorry," he growled, "I think I heard you wrong. Did you just call me a coward?"

"I didn't call you anything," she argued, putting on a bold front. "I simply challenged you to a contest of strength. You do have those, don't you? Or is fighting something only us savage, ignorant wolves do?"

Later I would admire her bit of self-deprecation; if suggesting that fighting was a "savage, ignorant" thing to do didn't avoid a struggle, nothing else could have done it. At the moment she said it, however, I was horrified. I half expected Klaus to attack her then and there, but to my surprise he held back. "Do you really think you stand a chance against me?"

I couldn't see Aniu's face, but I heard a smirk in her voice. "Do you think I stand a chance against you?"

"That's ridicuous," he spat.

"Good. Then there should be no reason to refuse me. I assume that you dogs do fight for dominance. I don't want to take over, but if I win, you and your pack will let the musher do as he wishes with me and Kodan during the day, and leave us to our own devices at night. Nothing more, nothing less."

I didn't like the toothy sneer that spread over Klaus' face. "Deal," he agreed confidently. "And when I win, you and your sick 'husband' leave tonight."

A feeling of dread came over me as I realized that without the team, we'd never survive.

Aniu knew it too, but she was cornered. "Alright. Let me have a moment to talk with Kodan; he'll tell me the way dogs do these things." She turned and put her back to the team. "What should I do?"

I had to think fast. "Do what you would do fighting another wolf for dominance," I whispered. I hastily rattled off as much advice as I could think of, which wasn't much; all I knew was that we had to stay with the team and on the musher's good side, and I'd always done both by staying out of fights. "Try to win it clean," I finished, "but win."

She nodded. I could tell by her eyes that she knew how dangerous this was. "I love you," she whispered as if she might never say it again."

"I know. I love you too."

She turned to face Klaus. "On your guard, Klaus. Let's get on with this."