Since I know I owe you all major league for not updating in…god-knows how long, allow me to explain; I haven't been updating because this last grading period, I spent too much time on IM talking to Eagle205 and Nighteyes and not enough time on my schoolwork. And…my grades fell so my parents put me on 'house arrest' if you will. And, as if that weren't enough, my beloved dog Shadow (my faithful furry companion of 10 years) passed away last month and that weekend, I was involved in a car accident where the vehicle fishtailed, missed a telephone pole by about five inches and ended up in a ditch – no cause for alarm; no one was injured and we were all wearing out seatbelts. In short, I've been having a rather rough time of it as of late… I've just gotten back on for the first time in about a month and a half and now I'm trying to make up for all the lost time. Thank you all so much for bearing with me! Sorry to all those whom I have caused to go through KodiXDusty fulliness withdrawal! I hope these chapters are beginning to appease you!

Chapter 6

The Guide

Kirby huffed and puffed, struggling to keep up with Kodi as he continued to lead them on at this crazy pace. He found himself wondering – and not for the first time since they'd set off – why the young rookie who'd grown to become Lead Dog was so set upon reaching Nome in what would surely be record time? He mulled it over in his head, considering all the possibilities and the most likely one of all. The big pup was in a hurry to get to Dusty, of course…. Youth was wasted on the young…. Then Kirby suddenly stumbled over a rock buried in the snow and nearly fell, hearing Ralph give an undignified little grunt behind him. He regained his footing almost at once but internally moaned at the comment he knew was coming.

"You're pulling to the right again, Kirby!"

"Will you please…do us all a favor…and keep your…ugly mouth shut for once?" Forest snarled in between strenuous gasps for air from behind the dark gray husky, making Kirby feel even less happy.

"Don't tell him…what to do…Tree-Hugger!" Growled the dog behind Forest. Nova was his name, one of the sons of Kaltag and Tricksey. He'd come up with the infuriating and amusing nickname himself and used it whenever the opportunity was presented, much to the displeasure of Forest and the delight of Kodi and the rest.

He was golden furred with a white underbelly and had large, dark eyes the color of German chocolate. The eyes themselves usually shone with the lightheartedness of a carefree spirit coupled with a deep admiration for his job. But, in light of their current situation, the burnished glow had gone out and his murky orbs were narrowed in irritation as he pushed on, moving with that seemingly tireless endurance possessed by the young.

"Don't tell me…what I can…and can't do…Goldilocks!" Forest spat back, making Nova call Forest something Kirby wasn't quite able to catch. It sounded something like 'Snowflake' but Kirby wasn't completely sure. As he caught Ralph preparing to defend Nova out of the corner of his eye, their oldest member decided enough was enough. At this rate, a fight would be inevitable and God knew what would happen if it did and they were still moving at this speed!

"Ralph…don't waste your breath," he called back, "And Forest…will you kindly…shut your…" Nova let out a short bark of a laugh as Kirby resorted to using four or five choice words his mother never taught him. " – Mouth…so we can concentrate." Kirby finished; feeling much better now that he'd finally used the words that actually applied to the replacement dog, the russet Husky returned his gaze to regard the snowy horizon.

Forest seemed eager to retort, his eyes flaring up at Kirby's insult but said nothing; he'd either decided not to push his luck or was simply unable to conjure the spare oxygen needed to engage in verbal communication. Either way, Kirby's dirty little sentence had done the trick and the team was once again silent save for the frenzied rasp of their breathing as they struggled to keep up with Kodi's seemingly suicidal pace.

((()-()))

Kodi increased his speed, pushing his sore body beyond his usual limits, never minding the way it seemed to cry out in protest at this harsh treatment. Mouth hanging open, his breath a steaming furnace in the crisp, cool spring air, the rust-colored canine was oblivious to all but the throb in his chest as his heart beat faster with his need to see Dusty, to feel the contact of their furs together, to be drowning in her scent…. So intent was Kodi upon reaching his home, not to mention his (hopefully) soon-to-be-lover, that he hardly noticed the argument brewing between Forest and his teammates until his ears caught the white furred Husky's snarl of "Goldilocks" to which Nova retorted with a reply that the wind ripped away before Kodi was able to catch it.

As he was about to slow up a bit to be better suited to put a stop to the bickering – God knew what would happen if he or somebody else didn't and a pile-up was the absolute last thing they needed at the moment – Kirby took charge. He was unable to repress a snort of laughter as he heard the older dog's short but heated stream of curses at Forest, who was apparently silenced by this show of verbal abuse, because the team quieted soon after and Kodi once again felt them moving as a single unit which signified their renewed concentration on the run.

Their speed automatically decreased a bit as they ascended the final steep array of low mountains that were all that was left separating them from Nome. This was partially due to the understandable – and potentially harmful – strain that would've been piled on their already worn-out bodies had they attempted to keep their rapid pace on such a sharp incline, but it was by no means the only reason for their slight let-up. That morning, Kodi had been hell-bent upon covering the remaining distance in as little time as possible for reasons already known not only to us but to most of his team as well – you couldn't really blame Kirby for spilling the beans on Kodi's feelings for Dusty; the rest of the Mail Dogs had practically begged to hear what was going on with their leader. But as they approached their destination, that feeling of doubt, of self-insecurity had crept up on him again and now he was reconsidering his decision to tell Dusty how he felt….

'I'll just tell her how I really feel.' Side A of his mind said, the part that was completely sure of his newfound feelings.

'That's crazy! She doesn't even like you!' Side B of his mind shot back, this one being the part that feared rejection.

Side A, 'No it's not!'

'Yes it is,' Side B insisted, clamoring for his attention, 'she never even – '

'She was the first one to follow along after you when that Bush Plane pilot was stranded in the woods.' Side A interjected calmly. 'She got the rest of them to follow you…'

'Coincidence!' Side B roared, but it sounded slightly panicky in Kodi's opinion.

'She's been working her ass off to get farther up the harness…just to get closer to you.' Side A shot back. 'What more proof do you need!'

He sighed in frustration as the two factions in his brain continued to war helplessly, each now in equal standing. Why did life have to be so complicated? He wondered, shaking his head slightly, nearly growling in irritation.

'I'm gonna' go crazy before I tell her!' he mentally cried, and heard a humorous and full-throated laugh inside his head.

'Ah, don't worry about it,' a voice, that of his Uncle Kavik said, and Kodi could almost hear the grin in it. 'You won't go crazy…. Not for too long, that is.'

Kodi rolled his eyes. 'Thanks for the encouragement, you sly white furball…' he thought back, but was helpless not to smile the tinniest bit. It would all turn out right in the end…or so he desperately hoped.

((()-()))

Dusty stopped, her body poised a mere five feet from the rectory's oaken door. That was weird. It almost felt like…. She swung her head around, sweeping the road with her blue-eyed gaze. She'd had the strangest feeling of being…watched. But that was stupid! It was the crack of dawn! Nobody was awake at this hour except her, and hopefully Kavik…. Right? Less convinced than she would've liked, she closed the distance between herself and the wooden barrier, and began to scratch gently at the wood, whining softly down in her throat.

She didn't have to wait long. Kavik appeared after not even ten seconds, coming to the door so quickly that for a moment she had the absurd notion that he'd been just inside the adjoining room, waiting for her summons. His face said otherwise. His head came poking out of the doorway, blue eyes blinking and squinting slightly like a mole exposed to sudden sunlight. He looked down – he actually had to, seeing as he was almost a head taller than she – and his look of slight confusion vanished to be replaced with a smile that lit up his face.

"Hey, Dusty! Been a little while since you came to visit me! Please, come in, come in!" He pushed the door open wide enough for her to slip past him and into the small entry room beyond.

After closing the door, he turned around and she couldn't help but smile in the face of that cheery expression. "Hi uncle Kavik!" she replied giving him an affectionate nuzzle as he leaned his down and returned the gesture. She may not have been related to him by blood like Kodi was but that still didn't change the fact that he was like a second father to both her family and Kodi's. The two had grown up under his watchful blue eyes, and he'd held them captive for hours on end with many a great tale in addition to playing and romping with them practically every day. He'd even once gone so far as to risk life and limb for the two of them and had nearly been killed in the attempt. If that didn't make him family than nothing else did in her book!

"It's been almost a month! I haven't seen you or Kodi for more than three minutes in one sitting." He laughed and she found she still loved the sound of it when he did. It was something you just could never get tired of hearing, she'd discovered a long time ago. "They're working you pretty hard!"

Dusty joined in, her laughter pealing off the walls to echo around the room. "Yeah, Kodi's one dedicated Lead Dog!" She grinned slyly. "'Neither snow, nor rain – '"

Kavik's smile grew into a grin as he took up the slogan; "'nor sleet, nor hail – '"

"'Shall stop the US Mail!'" She recited, and giggled.

"Catchy…quite possibly irritating after a while." He said, still grinning. "Kodi come up with it?"

She nodded, her own grin surfacing. "He's made it into our motto…" she said. "And once he said it so much that Ralph claims that was all he heard in his dreams for a whole week!" They both laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like something only Kodi could do!" He chuckled and then something about him changed. It might've been only a subtle shift in his facial expression or perhaps the way his eyes flicked momentarily from hers. Either way, when he spoke again, his voice sounded less happy. "So…how are you feeling? Any better since…since what happened a few days ago?" He asked, after a short and slightly awkward pause.

"Better, much better than I thought I would after what happened yesterday when…" She broke off suddenly, cheeks flaring up at the remembrance of Muk spilling the beans about Kodi's confided words in them regarding her, and she fell suddenly silent.

"I…I feel so sorry for you…." Kavik said suddenly, and all thoughts of her own embarrassment instantly vanished as Dusty saw a tear fall from the corner of his eye. "You didn't deserve what happened to you at all…" He suddenly gave a little chuckle and there was only the barest flicker of humor in it. "When I heard…I was absolutely furious." A corner of his mouth quirked, "Ask Balto when you get the chance. He and I were in the Forest together with my brother Kemo when we all heard. I tell you, we were so angry, and I just about went on a nuclear rampage back to Nome. But thankfully Balto and Kemo managed to dissuade me from doing anything too rash …"

Dusty couldn't help but give a small smile in light of this statement. The thought of Kavik on the prowl through the woods, wanting to kill – or at least horribly maim or maul – the animal or animals responsible for his Niece's unjust thrashing was somehow comforting. She was rewarded with a fit of giggles as she further imagined him forced to reduce some piece of wood to splinters when unable to vent his frustration upon the culprit.

He gave her the sort of look that she could read all too easily; amusement mixed with slight annoyance. "Oh sure, you think it's funny now, but Balto, Kemo and I were spitting mad when we found out…" Kavik let out a long, low whistle and shook his head slightly. "Man, Kemo…Well, at least now I know for sure we're really brothers…I didn't think anybody but me and Balto could get so pissed, but he was all but foaming at the mouth…" Kavik paused, seeming to consider something. "Actually, now that I think about it, we all were. I've never seen anyone so mad before…with the possible exception of Jenna and your Mother, of course."

This only caused Dusty's giggles to bloom into laughter that in turn, caused Kavik to join her. It felt good, being able to look back on what'd happened to her and know that so many others were as mad, just as concerned as Kodi had been. "Yeah…I could tell Kodi was really mad too when he found me in the alley…it was kind of scary…" she broke off again, cursing herself for possibly revealing her reasons for coming here in the first place to her already intuitive companion.

"That was quite an…'interesting' little transaction yesterday evening…" Kavik ventured. He'd been looking distractedly off in the direction of the congregation chamber where his owner, a kind-hearted Priest named Maverick Lupus, could be faintly heard reviewing his sermon for Sunday morning mass. Now, she saw his eyes flick to hers for an instant, and was suddenly and impulsively sure that he knew why she'd come here and she felt her heart flutter in her chest.

'Okay, okay, don't panic…just be calm and natural, don't make yourself look like a ditz…' she told herself, gulping and feeling a familiar lump. "…You could say that…" she managed, pointedly not looking at him. This was so awkward…

"Dusty…" he said softly, and she could tell by his tone that he was smiling. "…Is there anything you want to talk about…?" He made the question sound incredibly casual, even though she could tell by now that he was fully aware of her predicament. She fidgeted slightly, searching for words to begin and finding none. This was turning into a disaster and –

"It's okay," he said, and she somehow found the courage to look at him. His face was the picture of gentleness itself, and he wore a very kind little smile. "I know what's bothering you…you love him, don't you?" He didn't use Kodi's name but then again, what was the point? He didn't need to anyway…

"…Well…I…that is…uh," she stammered, heart beating furiously. She could actually feel the blood pulsing in her face. "…Yes…" she finally managed, "I…I do. I love Kodi…"

"And…you're afraid that he might not feel the same about you?" Kavik pressed gently, after a brief pause to let her gather her wits. His smile grew as she nodded, and she again averted her eyes, still embarrassed despite her trust in him. She'd though he might laugh when she did, but he never so much as sniggered. Instead, he rubbed her gray head with his own white one, reassuring her that it was okay, that all was well. "I understand," he said, and she felt a smile rise to her lips despite her still burning cheeks as his eyes sparked and he went on. "I know how strange this must feel to you, believe me, I should; I was in love myself a long time ago…" he chuckled and her smile grew, some of the heat draining from her face as it did. This wasn't so bad…it was actually a relief.

"What…what if Kodi doesn't feel the same way…about me?" she asked, knowing she was being repetitive, but not really minding; she had to tell this to someone or it would drive her bananas. "What should I do then?"

"I don't think I'm the right one to answer that question…" Kavik replied, and when he saw the way her face fell, he continued. "The only person who could really do that would be…"

"Kodi…" she finished for him, looking at her paws again.

"…But," Kavik said, and Dusty's head snapped up, her eyes alight with hope. "If it's any consolation, I'd say you don't have much to worry about…."

Dusty's heart leapt in her chest and for an instant she thought she was about to pass out. "W-what do you mean?" she asked, heart beating very fast now.

Kavik let out a small cluster of amused chuckles before replying. "I've seen the way he looks at you out of the corner of his eye when he thinks nobody's looking…. And he always gets a far-off sort of look in his eyes when he tells me about how much he admires your spirit…." Her Uncle's smile suddenly bloomed into a grin. "He even let it slip once he thinks you're more beautiful than the sunrise on the first day of spring and that you smell like Wild Flowers mixed with milk and honey." He chuckled again as he saw her face turn thirteen different shades of red.

"He…he didn't say that…did he?"

"Not exactly," Kavik admitted, still grinning, "but then again, I've known the both of you since you were pups…" He laughed. "I can read you like a couple of books!" He nuzzled her affectionately once more and the feeling of his fur was wonderful in its old familiarity as he pulled back and looked at her, pride blazing in his eyes. "I can't tell you for sure how he feels, that's something you'll have to find out for yourself. I can tell you this, however; I know he cares for you, and very deeply I might add…"

She returned his nuzzle, her smile beaming out at him. "Thanks Uncle Kavik…for everything."

He chuckled and shrugged. "Hey, it's what I'm here for…" he replied. "Now, you'd better get going…I imagine there'll probably be a certain Lead Dog pulling into town soon in an hour or less…" He gave her a wink. "Go get your man, Dusty. Show him what you're made of…."

With one last nuzzle followed by a quick lick to her Uncle's cheek, the young Husky turned and trotted off out the door, her pace giving not even the slightest hint of how her recovering body was starting to ache from all this unaccustomed and strenuous movement. She smiled. The world suddenly looked much brighter than it had before and there was a slight spring in her step, despite her injuries. "Kodi…" she sighed, and her heart skipped a beat. Her crafty Uncle may not have come right out and said it, but he'd given her the answer she'd been seeking nevertheless.

She could now only wait, and hope that what Kavik had told her was accurate.

'But no matter how you feel, Kodi…I'll always love you…' Her heart murmured and she continued on down the road back to her house. Little did she know, she was not unobserved in her coming and going from the church, nor in the matter of her conversation with Kavik either; A pair of maliciously bright golden eyes had watched her every move…and the ears had recorded every word that had passed between the two of them…

((()-()))

Sabbath held his position, waiting until the Gray Bitch had disappeared around the corner and even then he did not shift until a full minute had ticked by. When he was certain neither the Bitch nor her wolfen Uncle were going to make another appearance, he slithered out from under his hiding place and began working his way back to the shed where he, Pride and Forest usually stayed. He grinned devilishly, eyes burning, very pleased by his own cleverness. Oh, Forest would LOVE this; he'd eat it up like it was chocolate or the very waters of life.

He'd followed the Bitch's scent from a distance, being sure to keep to the shadows. In truth, he'd been both very confused and utterly furious; forgive the bluntness, but when he killed someone – or at least thought he did – he was used to them staying down for good. He'd gotten around her and had watched from a distance of perhaps twenty feet away in an alley as she prepared to enter the church. He'd felt a momentary twitch of unease when the Bitch had looked around but wasn't too worried; he knew the ways of camouflage well and she wouldn't see him unless he wanted her too. He'd watched her go inside and, after waiting perhaps thirty seconds or so, had worked his way towards the church, finding the hidey-hole that led under the floorboards of the old structure with ease.

That half-and-half mutt Balto might think he knew where all the little nooks and crannies in this town were, but long experience had taught Sabbath that there was always a veritable maze of passages under almost all structures. It was simply a matter of knowing where to look and how to gain access without detection. There he'd lay, contentedly listening to every word that had passed between the two friends, though he'd had to strain his ears mightily to make out their conversation owing to the absence of floor gratings in the place that would've allowed sound to be more easily conducted.

He'd grinned with malign pleasure as the wolf – or so Sabbath assumed him to be, judging from the smell – named Kavik had told the Bitch about how angry he and his brothers had been when they'd found out. Oh goody! It was always so much more satisfying when you could hurt and enrage so many people by abusing just one of them. The rest would always follow suit, like dominos aligned in a complex system, setting off a delightful chain of events.

In most cases that was, and now the system had been fudged up. Sabbath had known Forest would be none too pleased to discover their troublesome victim had survived – if he wasn't aware already, and that in itself was very likely. So he had listened with greater intensity, his intuition already whispering to him of the probability that his white Husky friend would want to finish the job, and sooner rather than later…the sooner, the better as the old saying went.

After perhaps half-an-hour, the Bitch and the Wolf had parted ways, and Sabbath for one had been very relieved. Their talk had been an extremely dull and utterly nauseating discussion dealing with Love, Emotions, Rejections and a whole lot of other bullcrap that just listening to had made him want to vomit up anything and everything he'd ever eaten. Thank God it was over now….

The snowy Samoyed gave his head a brisk shake, temporarily ridding himself of these thoughts so as to be better suited for the task at hand, namely getting back home whilst avoiding all detection or contact. Couldn't be seen wandering the streets in the wee hours of the morning, now could we? No, that just wouldn't do, wouldn't do at all! It might look mighty suspicious to some prying eyes…especially if that Balto mutt or any of his do-gooder friends happened to catch sight of one of the new dogs slinking around town…. Some didn't trust the three of them already, and it would not be wise to increase their suspicions and perhaps rouse those of others who had until then remained neutral. No, that would leave the wrong impression, and Sabbath had a feeling that if something wasn't done in the matter of Little Dusty, a.k.a. 'Gray Bitch', then the three of them might soon find themselves in hot water, VERY hot water at that. Water that might be hot enough to boil them alive…

'Ah, but now there's the matter of the Boyfriend as well,' he reminded himself, spitting a guttural curse into the snow at the realization. 'Yes, Pretty-Boy, Mr. Hero…' The bastard who'd spoiled his fun with the young dog, in other words. Yes, now that he thought about it, Sabbath decided that one more body wouldn't hurt…it might actually turn out to be pretty entertaining. His sadistic mind reeled and his golden eyes glinted as he mulled over all the possibilities….

Draw them out into a secluded place somewhere…or, maybe they wouldn't have to. From what he'd just heard, the two of them were practically dieing to screw one another and what could possibly be more romantic than a little passion in, say, the field out near the woods? Yeah, he liked that. Liked it very much in fact. Lure – or perhaps follow – the two out of town, ambush them while they were at it, maybe break Kodi's legs and force him to watch as they took her…. Yes, somewhere along those lines.

Had Sabbath been a mortal man instead of a dog, he could've easily been the precursor of such well-known serial killers as Ted Bundy, Albert Fish, Charles Manson and maybe even the Son of Sam. Such was the state of his warped mental recesses. He loved to kill for pleasure, and did it at his leisure whenever an opportunity equipped with a clear getaway was made clear to him. He'd always wanted to butcher a couple – the idea of two lovers dying in a bloody embrace had always seemed to portray some sort of ironically poetic type of justice in his eyes – but had never gotten the chance…until now, that was. He'd talk to Forest about it, although he knew the Husky would have no problem with taking out Kodi as well. Besides, having Pretty-Boy there would give Pride something to play with while he and Forest worked on Dusty…yes, that would be grand…splendid even.

"…And, maybe, before we kill her, we could finish what we started back in the alley…" Sabbath muttered to himself as he rounded the last corner and came upon the tiny shed that served as their home. He chuckled, and the sound was as twisted and crazy as mind from which it had come forth. 'Oh, this is gonna be so much FUN' he thought, and slipped inside the shed to fill in Pride…

((()-()))

Kodi picked up the pace as the town drew ever nearer, now running so fast that he was almost dragging the rest of the team in his powdery wake (as it was, it was all they could do to keep up with him). The sled was bouncing and bumping along behind him, the harness taught against his flexing muscles, the leather making subtle creaking noises with the amount of strain born upon it.

Forest was mentally and physically spitting curse after curse, each dirtier and more vulgar than the last, his chest heaving with the effort needed to keep up this crazy pace. His lungs were aflame and his heart felt ready to burst. It was beating so hard that the albino Husky thought he could actually feel the fist-sized muscle hammering away against his sternum. Oh, he would get Lover-Boy for this if it were the last thing he did! 'I'll fix him, but good!' he mentally snarled, 'I'll see him go down, groveling in dirt like the filthy piece of trash he is, him and his little Dustykins as well!' He suddenly felt an involuntary surge of relief as he saw Nome come speeding into view. They were almost there, by God! Perhaps just another half mile and then he was free!

Reenergized by this knowledge, he found the strength to simply – forgive the expression if you will – 'dog it out' with the rest and keep going, his tongue now lolling from his red maw of a mouth, his eyes bulging with effort. Finally, when he though he would be able to stand it no longer, they pulled into town, scattering pedestrians and strays to and fro, the sled now transformed into something that resembled a long, irregularly shaped bullet pulled by several smaller blurs that were emitting harsh barking sounds. They gradually slowed, the sled coming to rest directly in front of the Post Office.

The dogs fell, literally dropping into slump-shouldered heaps and gasping for breath, all with their tongues hanging out, their chests rising and falling with amazing rapidity as they struggled to slow their furiously racing hearts. There was none of the usual banter between them; they were all so fundamentally exhausted that it took almost a full ten minutes before they began to acknowledge the presence of others in addition to themselves.

Forest was aware of the Postmaster come striding out onto the porch, his jaw hanging open as their Master handed him the week's sack of mail, but felt not even the barest flicker of interest at his appearance. The two men began a conversation to which the albino Husky paid absolutely no heed as the Musher bent and began unhitching the team from their harnesses, beginning with Kodi, who looked, despite his obviously great reservoirs of stamina, like he was both suffering from an asthma attack and ready to simply pass out where he had just managed to gain his footing. Even though his condition was no different, Forest felt a surge of satisfaction at the sight. 'Oh, how the mighty have fallen…' he thought smugly, and felt a smile spiteful smile grace the corners of his mouth.

Turning a disinterested eye to his left, he noted with something like horrified disgust that Little Miss Bitch was standing off to the side in an alley, looking like she was ready to yark or something. Forest usually would've sent her a growling snarl of hatred, but under the circumstances, all he could manage was a low 'woof' that was barely audible even to his own ears. And, judging from the way Dusty's head did not so much as twitch, his show of hatred went unheard by her as well.

Then he saw Pride and Sabbath skulking around the corner of the General Store and his attention suddenly peaked, causing him to sneak a furtive little glance towards the rest of the mongrels just to make sure he was still unobserved in his actions. Kodi was being greeted by a furiously blushing Little Miss Bitch, not to mention Mom and Dad; Mr. Cocky and Mush-Brain were too busy messing with each other to notice anything, and Nova was being nuzzled by his own parents. There was a rather large white wolf/dog lying on the porch near Pride and Sabbath, but his eyes were closed, and he looked to be currently engaged in a nap. Excellent, the coast was clear then.

Having caught most of his breath, he gained his feet – not without considerable struggle- and padded over to where his two fellow conspirators sat, sparing a single, hate-filled glance back over his shoulder at Kodi, who it seemed, had been called off to the side and was walking away, so he of course didn't notice. Good. The albino Husky took up a seat before the other two, and was immediately verbally assaulted by Sabbath, who seemed very eager to tell him something.

"Slow up for a minute, will ya?" he growled, and Sabbath at once quieted. "Now," Forest went on, after taking another look around for potential eavesdroppers, "what the hell's so bloody important?"

"Well," Sabbath said, his voice low and silky, signifying that whatever he was about to entrust was very juicy indeed, "you won't believe what I overheard Gray Bitch and that white Wolf" – he tipped his snout in the direction of the canine asleep on the porch not ten feet away – "talking about…" he grinned.

"Really? Well, why don't you fill me in and then I'll tell you what I managed to snag off of Lover-Boy." Forest listened, his heart rate once again soaring as Sabbath recounted the conversation he'd overheard. This was the best, even better than what he'd expected! This would make things much simpler by far!

"Very good my ingenious little buddy, I should've known I could count on you." Forest complimented him after his tale had come to a halt. "You did very well. Do either of you have any idea what this means?" Pride was the only one to shake his head, but looked just as excited as Sabbath and Forest himself did. "Well then, allow me to fill you in on my little excursions…" In the span of fifteen minutes or so, the Husky's tale was spun out, and he saw that Sabbath at least, immediately grasped the implications of their now vastly improved situation.

"So…" Pride said, speaking up for the first time, "we're gonna' snuff em' both out now, are we?"

"Yes sir, you bet you ass we are." Forest replied, almost laughing now. "We couldn't have little Dustykins living long enough to possibly remember something and then spill her guts to her new Boyfriend, now could we?" Sabbath sniggered. "If he found out, he'd tell the other dogs, and then – oh, how can I put this? – Our gooses would be very cooked. No, we've got to get rid of them both now…but that shouldn't be a problem as far as we're concerned, right boys?" He grinned and the other two shook their heads, identical serial killer's grins spread across their faces.

"It shouldn't be any problem at all…in fact, with what I've already thought up, it could turn out to be very entertaining indeed…" Sabbath replied, his eyes gleaming murder-bright. And with that, he leaned in and relayed the beginnings of his plan to Forest, whose grin grew larger with every word spoken by the Samoyed. Oh yes, this would be a Grand-Daddy of a blast, you could take that to the bank…