Chapter 9 Escalations

Juji stomped through the trees, ripping at anything that got in his way, living or otherwise. He was beyond furious. Hell, there weren't words to describe the feeling now pumping through his brain and making him growl low in his throat. It flashed in his mind, a dark violet flash of malignant light as dark and deadly as any eclipse. Such a foul up…! Oh, those two bubbling idiotic morons would pay for this, oh you bet your furry ass they would! He'd thought the situation was entirely under his control, but he'd been overconfident. He'd underestimated those mongrel sons-of-bitches and looked what it'd gotten him! Now his entire plan was out the window…! Damn it all…!

His fury mounted to the point where he could no longer contain it and he suddenly darted forward, catching a rabbit in his jaws. The animal had time for one horrified shriek of pain and shock – only Juji had noticed it, the furry creature having been all but hidden from view by the shelter of a snowy conifer – before he broke its pitiful excuse for a spine and shook it like a Terrier with a rat in its jaws. He made no attempt to eat the kill; his only aim was to vent his frustration and atavistic rage. And so, he tore it to pieces, shredding its furry flesh, snapping and crunching the small bones like dry twigs, ripping at the carcass until what was left was only a bloody, inedible mass lying scattered across the snow.

Feeling a little better – not much, but a little was better than nothing, he supposed – he once again started off. His troops followed obediently behind; none spoke, for fear of incurring their leader's unpredictable wrath. The simply trotted on behind, tails lowered submissively. Even the pups were silent.

As Juji approached their temporary home, he let loose an imperious howl to alert the sentries of their coming. He and the others pushed into the small clearing and there, he stopped to observe the goings-on. Overall, he was somewhat pleased with this setting; he and his 'pack' had managed to find a small alcove of interconnecting hollowed-out burrows of the sort commonly used by bears and other such large creatures. The area was flanked on all sides by forest, save one that instead fell off into a steep descent of some hundred or so feet. Yet he liked the spot most of all for its view; from his own personal den, he commanded the sight of Nome, an inkblot on the paper sea of snow just beyond the Forest. From there, any approach would be visible and that was just the way he liked it.

His eye happened upon the sight of Aries standing a little behind him to his left with his mouthful of – for now – unmoving pups. They were scared, all of them. He could smell the reek of their fear, a stink like fresh crap and bad meat magnified by the fact that it was coming from pretty much all those around him. Though, he noticed, it was strongest in the cases of Timber and Aries…the supposed 'guards'. Huh, a hell of a lot of good they'd done him as such so far!

With this though, his temper – which had dissipated somewhat with his internal praise for his own cleverness – flared up again and he turned to face the assembled wolves behind him, they viewing his abrupt change in direction with some unease. He smiled, a small genial thing, to show them that he meant no ill will. Yet the expression was a fake and they knew it. And even better, he knew they did, wanted them too. It would make the example he was about to set take on a much larger and more definitive meaning, after all.

"Aries…?" he said, his voice also taking on the mellow pleasing tone of the forgiving. "Do me a favor will you? Drop those pups for a minute or two. We need to talk…"

"Y…Yes Juji?" Aries stuttered after doing as their leader bid. He was terrified and could feel Timber all but trembling beside him. It gave him a strange species of comfort knowing the coward was perhaps more frightened than he.

"Come here for a moment, will you? You as well, Timber…" the gray wolf went on, beckoning with his scarred head to indicate the space perhaps a foot and a half in front of him. They came, Aries barely noticing the way he almost stepped on Kodi as he did, and sat before him like the obedient soldiers they were. Both were trembling now, unable to hide it or keep it in any longer, Aries even more so than Timber, which was a rare occurrence in itself.

"Do you two wastes of fur know what you've done today?" Juji asked, still in the comforting tone of an elder explaining why being 'bad' was not the right way to behave to a young child. He turned his head as he spoke, making it look as if he were checking on the sun's position in the sky.

"I – " Aries said.

"We're – " Timber likewise started but both fell silent as Juji went on.

"I'll tell you what you did…" Juji said. His head whipped around as he suddenly sprang forward, seizing Aries' left foreleg and heard the bone break with a dry 'SNAP' as he twisted his head viciously. Aries screamed aloud and half-collapsed, still managing to support himself with his one remaining forelimb, gasping for breath, his eyes rolling horribly. Juji relished the sounds as he did the warm blood now dripping from his muzzle.

"You FUCKED up, that's what you did!" Juji roared, geniality sliding off his face like water to reveal the true fury underneath. He towered over the smaller black wolf whose breathing had become ragged and very loud in the utter silence. Juji could feel the eyes of the rest of the pack watching – having been drawn by the shouts and the smell of blood – and was heartened by it. Good, all at attention. Now to make his example…

"I don't tolerate FAILURE, you lowlife piece of DOG SPAWN!" he shouted, all but frothing at the mouth. "I gave you a job, the easiest and most important out of all of them and you two go and still managed to screw it up…!" he paused for air, respiration sounding heavy and feted.

"It wasn't our fault," Timber tried, speaking very fast, his voice small and scratchy with panic. "We were blindsided! They came out from a hole in the bottom of the boat! They – "

In a single swift motion in which his paw became a mere blur, Juji slashed him across the face, grinning as he caught the red eruption of fluid streaming from the three long gouges in the tan wolf's face, the longest passing over the left eye. It was like looking into a mirror, in a topsy-turvy kind of way. The thought made his grin grow and he tittered maddeningly as returned his attention to Aries.

The wounded canine was trying to speak and was being hindered by the fact that he was close to loosing consciousness. "I…I…I'm sorry J…Juji…. W-we – "

Juji's grin faded as he listened to the pathetic half-assed pleas coming from this stupid thing before him. Now, with his face made even more unpleasant with a sneeringly disgusted frown, he struck at Aries again, this time breaking his other leg in the same manner as before. Aries' screams were no longer audible, as he was seemingly unable to draw breath as he fell to he already scarlet colored snow. Lying on the ground and bleeding…very nice…that image was much better than the former, much more suited to a coward at heart.

The beast lowered his head until his now bloodstained mouth was almost in the newly crippled wolf's one remaining ear. "I hope you can still hear me Aries," Juji said, speaking in the low, hushed tones one might hear from a doctor being forced to give bad news to a patient in his best bedside manner. "Because I've something very important to tell you, very, very important indeed…" The soot colored wolf moaned thickly and Juji simply chose to take it as a sign that he was getting through to the mush-brain in his last moments.

"It's about my laws, Aries…or, to be more specific, my law about…failure." He paused to give the half-dead animal time to fathom all the macabre possibilities before going on. "I hope you remember it, my little furry friend. Do you?" Again, he halted as if giving Aries the chance to speak. When he of course did not, the gray wolf went on, now feigning shocked surprise. "What? You don't remember? Oh, Aries, Aries, Aries, just what am I going to do with you…? You have such an inconvenient way of forgetting things…"

Aries made some sort of moaning, half-whimper and mumbled something like 'please…mercy,' but that was all he could manage now, his breathing sounded harsher than before, his sides heaving up and down as he sucked in oxygen. "Well," Juji said, sounding resigned, "I guess I'll just have to tell you this one last time then, won't I…?"

He suddenly stepped back and said, in loud clear voice that Aries and all the rest heard very clearly in the small clearing, "The penalty for FAILURE is DEATH!" Then he jerked his head to one side, giving a silent but nonetheless all too obvious command.

Kill him.

The rest of them had gathered around as Juji had held a last one-sided palaver with the unfortunate wolf, forming a large circle, waiting. When the order finally came, they went to with a will, surging forward. Perhaps three full seconds passed and then Aries was totally blocked from view by the twisting, writhing mass of snapping jaws and ripping fangs as they all dove upon him in an instinctive frenzy.

The only one not taking part in the battle for fresh meat was Timber who was sitting in the snow now bloodied by his own dripping wound which, for now at least, was farthest from his head. He was starring at the pack with wide eyes, appalled and haunted by Aries screams of agony as he was literally shredded beneath them. The sounds and sights of those few minutes would stay with him, gibbering and capering now-and-again thought his dreams for the rest of his life.

The pups wore the same expression, though their mouths were hung wide open like great red doors left ajar. They watched for perhaps five seconds before cowering down, faces hidden in each other's fur, shaking like leaves in an October wind. Timber was only peripherally aware of it, his attention held fast by the hellish scene unfolding before his eyes.

It was mercifully short, though not by enough in his opinion. Juji called them off with one loud snarl and they all instantly fell back to their original places. Then, their psychotic, self-appointed Alpha approached the vaguely wolf-like form on the ground, paws squelching minutely with each step. Timber felt his stomach give a nasty lurch and tasted something sour in the back of his mouth as he saw that Aries had been butchered viciously, his belly ripped half-open, insides exposed, and his entire body torn and slashed …but he was still alive, though probably not for more much longer, thank God for his small mercies. 'He must be…' but no, Timber realized, he couldn't finish; he couldn't even begin to describe how Aries must feel at the moment.

Juji stopped, staring with avid scorn at the bleeding, dying wolf not two feet before him. "Well, Aries," he said, his tone almost sickeningly cheerful. "I hope you're still listening, because I've got one last thing to tell you before I send you packing off down the road to Hell, old friend…" He suddenly leaped forward, teeth flashing white in the sun's fading light, and before he dealt the finishing move, he yelled; "MAKE SURE YOU TELL THE DEVIL THAT JUJI SENT YOU!"

Then, Juji moved off again, only this time, as the pack swarmed in to reap the spoils and fight over the newly dead corpse, the gray demon turned and came towards Timber, smile slowly resurfacing. Timber held his ground, and even though he knew what was coming, he did not move, determined to die with whatever vestiges of dignity he had left in him intact. Juji came to a stop directly in front of him, now so close that Timber's nose was overpowered by the putrid stench of Aries' slowly drying blood caking the other's muzzle. Juji smiled thinly and Timber gulped, felling a lump the size of a walnut in his throat as he did.

"Good news Timber, I've decided not to kill you." His tone was disturbingly cheerful and happy. "Isn't that nice of me?" Juji asked simply, as though murder was at that particular moment, the furthest thing from his mind. Without waiting for a reply – like he would've gotten any at all that was – Juji continued. "Would you like to know why?"

Knowing the expected response, Timber nodded, eyes fearful. "I've decided to let you continue to draw breath simply because you've got more guts than Aries' did, at least when I cut your face open you didn't beg for mercy. Be proud." He shot a single, disinterested glance towards the pups; the two of them were still cowering and huddled together. "And just so you can keep an eye on the brats for me as well. I need someone who's not afraid to die and not cowardly enough to beg, but not particularly useful and it just so happens you fit the bill, little buddy. So, I'll spare you…for now." He grinned, showing his bloodied teeth. "When all of this is over however…I can't make any promises." His grin faded to a thin line as he turned and started moving off towards his own personal den, bloody paw prints trailing behind him as a mark of his passing. "Oh, by the way," he called over his shoulder, "take the pups into your cave with you. Watch and keep them quiet. Make sure they don't get away again either…I've got plans for those two…" he chuckled.

((()-()))

Timber stood, not completely able to grasp the knowledge that he was still breathing, was still alive, for a few seconds. He watched Juji trot up and away to his quarters, now licking the blood from his muzzle. Gross… He turned his gaze to the right in an attempt to rid himself of the unpleasant image, but the replacement view of Aries was even worse, too horrid to describe. So, feeling slightly sick once more, he looked at the only thing left available to him, his gaze now tired and sad.

The pups had calmed down a bit and at least that was something. The rust-colored one now risked a glance upwards at Timber, eyes still wide with fear and confusion. His maple eyes met Timber's green ones, and seeing the absence of the usual burning hatred and contempt in them, Timber saw he was further reassured. The young pup's body relaxed and he nudged the second gray one with his nose. She was a female, and still had her face hidden in the other's fur. At his touch however, her head raised, face turning hesitantly towards him until their eyes met and she was calmed by what she saw.

Then, quite suddenly, she asked, "Why are you so sad?"

Timber was surprised and touched at the same time. Of all the questions that were probably filling her head, she had asked that one. He gave her a small smile. "I'm sad because you two didn't get to go home…and because my friend is gone…" A single tear fell from the eye that hadn't been slashed as he finished, the liquid instantly turning to ice as it lay on his cheek. Aries may not have been the best wolf in the world, but he hadn't been one of the worst either and the two of them had shared something that could've almost – but not quite – have been called a friendship. It was more like a loose type of unspoken tolerance and respect for one another.

"It's okay! Don't be sad!" the other said, getting to his feet and rubbing his head against one of Timber's massive legs in an attempt to provide some comfort to the large wolf. This only made Timber's smile grow.

"I'm not anymore because he's in a better place now." Timber said, thinking, 'Sure, that's it, just keep bending the truth, they don't need to hear what you really think of him…or of where he's really at right now. They're only pups after all.' "And besides, he wasn't a very good friend to have."

"Why not? Did he do bad things like the mean wolf who wanted to hurt Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Kavik? The one who hurt you?" the gray one asked, also moving closer to him, her blue eyes gleaming inquisitively.

As Timber considered what he should tell them, the wind blew, making the snow flurry and dance about them in a little storm, causing the tan wolf to wince and grimace in pain as in settled into his open and still-throbbing face wound. The two pups suddenly drew closer to him instinctively to gain more warmth. The Timber wolf glanced up at the sky and wasn't surprised to see that most of the light had started to fade into darkness; meaning night was swiftly approaching, which in turn meant that the temperature was starting to drop. He had to move the pups to someplace warmer, like his den. "I'll tell you what," he said, leaning down a bit so they could hear him better, "how about you guys follow me to my little cave and I'll try to explain everything to you as best I can?"

They hastily agreed, shivering and nodding their heads. "Good." Timber said, "Now, this is really important; I need you guys to act real scared and sad while you walk in front of me on our way there."

"How come?" the rusty colored one asked, head cocked.

"It's so that mean gray wolf won't see how good I'm treating you. If he did, he'd probably take you away and make some other bad wolf watch you, and none of us want that, do we?" The pups shook their heads in unison. Whether it was intentional or not was a matter for later, or perhaps better yet, not at all. The three of them would have more important things to discuss. "Alright," Timber said, "Let's go. Remember – "

"We know. Act like we're scared that you'll do something mean to us if we're not good." It was the gray pup this time.

Timber nodded and allowed a flicker of a smile to pass over his face. "That's right. Now, let's go."

((()-()))

As night fell, an unexpected storm blew in, bringing with it heavy winds and more snow than anyone could remember. It was nowhere close to the blizzard that had taken place during the Antitoxin run, but it was still nothing any animal would want to find itself suddenly in the middle of out there in unprotected territory. The town itself was battened down for the night, and most of the people were optimistic, saying that the storm would blow itself out by sunrise the next day, so there was really nothing to worry about…at least not as far as the human population of Nome was concerned.

The unified gathering spot for the Alaskan sled dogs of the area was a place called the Boiler Room because…well…that's exactly what it was; a medium-sized space with one corner occupied by an enormous Boiler that provided the room with an almost constant temperature of satisfying warmth. The Boiler room wasn't as crowded as it usually was on nights such as this, but almost all those personally involved the afternoon's atrocities were present, save for Jenna, Kavik, Tricksey and Kaltag.

Balto surveyed the assembled canines with less interest than usual. From where he sat on the raised platform that ran the around most of the room, he could easily pick out those who were worst for wear; Star lay on his stomach, close to the Boiler with Angel and Draco beside him, both doing their best to painlessly dislodge the large and numerous splinters that had been embedded into the small dog's back during his and Angel's rather hasty retreat from the old Trawler while on their rescue mission. Angel had already gotten Axel and Nikki to help her with her own injuries and found that they had been minor compared to what they were now finding jammed into Star.

The physically and emotionally exhausted wolf-dog watched and felt a pang in his heart as he saw Draco remove one wooden piece that was an inch and a half in length, with Star whimpering in pain, and Angel bent over him, eyes full of sympathetic pity as she licked and nuzzled his cheeks and head, muttering softly in his ears in an effort to relieve some of his agony. Finally, with the last of them removed and fed to the ever-burning fire, Balto got to his feet and went to see his friend. He'd originally wanted to assist himself but had been shooed away – albeit kindly – by Angel with the reasoning that he'd done enough for one day. Besides, she'd said, she wanted to be there for him. 'It's the least I can do…seeing what he went through today to try and make sure we all got home in one piece…'

Balto knew all too well what such a bond between the two meant and was frankly pleased by the feeling that he eventually knew would develop and grow into an undying love between the two. It was about time Star found someone to hook up with…

"Hey Star, how're you doing?" Balto asked the three-quarters awake dog in front of him as he lay down next to him.

Star's pale blue eyes sparkled with mirth, the lids at half-mast as he chuckled dryly. "I've…been better…" a pause "Man…this really sucks…and I mean real bad." he said at last. "I'd rather let Kaltag smack me on the head for being stupid a hundred times in a row than to have to feel like this…" he offered Balto a smile that looked puzzlingly apologetic somehow. "…Sorry we couldn't save them all…."

Balto's eyes widened in shock and he was at a momentary loss for words. When he found his voice, however, he quickly shook his head saying, "Star! What the heck are you talking about? Do you think I'm mad at you for being smart and not throwing your life away or something?"

Star remained silent for a few seconds, his eyes downcast. "If only I'd – "

"Star," Angel interrupted, gently, "You did everything you could, we both did, we ALL did. No one's to blame for any of this except that Juji scumbag!"

At the mention of the fiend's name, there was a flutter of angry grumbles; what had gone on that late afternoon was now known by every dog in Nome and all of them – even the downright lowlifes who had hardly a scrap of dignity or self-respect left – were angered by the fact that anyone would go so far as to resort to such low and cowardly tactics. There was one constant rule among all the dogs in Nome, regardless of team rank, social status, lifestyle, it didn't matter; the rule – the law – was this:

You don't mess with a man's family, no matter what the circumstances are.

Balto was about to add a few more words to this, but before he could, there came a loud and ominous 'THUMP' against the door – filling Balto feel a momentary sense of Déjà vu – as if someone was knocking to be let inside…or smash their way in…Nikki, who happened to be closest, moved as if to open it and had to request both Draco and Callahan's help before they could manage; the ice had settled somewhat in the hinges, making the stupid thing all but impossible to budge and for a few seconds, Balto didn't think they would be able to move it at all.

Then the door was abruptly thrown open, the hinges shrieking hellishly as the cold iron workings grated against one another. There was a whooshing cloud of snow, then the last two dogs Balto had expected to see came half-running, half-stumbling in. It was Kavik and Kaltag, though the only way you could really tell who was who would've been by their size and color, seeing as both were mostly coated in snow. Ice had even formed on Kavik's huge cross and hung from the arms in small icicles that had already begun to melt due to the combined heat of both the Boiler and the collective body heat from all the dogs.

The two shook themselves, sending watery snow flying everywhere and causing most to cry out in dismayed alarm. This done, they walked over to where Balto and the others had gathered and sat down, taking a moment to relish the heat baking outwards from the man-made thing.

Finally Kavik sighed and opened his eyes, looking around at them all. "Sorry for the interruption guys – and lady – but holy cow is it cold out there." He shivered.

"God, I felt like a living dog-sickle!" Kaltag added, sneezing two or three times.

The two grew suddenly quiet and the rest instantly understood that their humorous comments had merely been buck and banter; they were still feeling as miserable as ever, perhaps as bad as Balto, Star and Angel did. Balto looked at Kaltag and saw that the golden Husky's face had crumpled in a sort of hopeless depression. He could relate, oh boy could he ever relate to how Kaltag must feel right now. "…What brings you here?" Balto asked, not particularly striving to make his voice sound even remotely cheerful; what was the point?

"Tricksey…asked if she could have an hour to herself…" Kaltag replied, seemingly unable to find the energy to lift his head and look at the canine he was addressing. "I know how she's feeling, so I went out for a little walk. Then, this storm blew up outta' nowhere and I probably would've frozen to death if Kavik here hadn't literally run into me." He sighed and shot Balto a sort of empty half-lidded gaze that tore at his heart.

"How about you Kavik?" Draco asked, "What made you decide to head outside and wander through town right before a storm?"

Kavik seemed to consider the question for a few seconds before saying with a shrug; "I'm not sure why exactly…maybe I just needed some time to mull things over a little…" he shrugged again, eyes faraway and unusually dull, with the his before limitless supply of energy seemingly to have run flat, at least for now. "I mean…how many times in your life do you find out you're an uncle only to have your loved ones ripped away from you?" He sighed.

Silence followed this last comment, and all thoughts were dwelling upon Jenna and Balto, Tricksey and Kaltag, and how they sympathized and pitied the pair of forlorn parents. It lasted for about five minutes, then, oddly enough, Star decided to break it.

"It's all my fault!" he cried, unnecessarily shame-faced, his ears drooping dispiritedly.

Kavik looked at him, a slight smile playing across his face. Balto and the others were barely able to believe it. "Star," Kavik said, smile gone now, "as I'm sure Balto and everyone else here would tell you; stop beating yourself up. There was no way any of us could've predicted how things would turn out…" his gaze drifted over to the Boiler, eyes seeming to draw some arcane form of strength from the fire blazing within. "Besides…if there's one person here to put the blame on…that would be me, not any of you." He chuckled darkly, the hollow laugh sounding scary and inapt in place of his usual full-throated roar. "After all…I'm the one who had the chance to kill him and didn't take it…" He suddenly growled and shook his head. "I was such a fool! Why? Why in the name of God didn't I…?"

He stopped abruptly, suddenly becoming aware that all in the room were looking at him, he dropped his eyes. "Sorry…I know in my heart that's wrong, but my head keeps telling me otherwise…" He smiled thinly. "If only it'd stop speaking in German then maybe I would've realized that before now…"

"It's okay…" Kaltag finally spoke up, giving him an understanding little nudge with his forepaw. "…Some things are hard to let go of, no matter how hard you want to. They just stick with you, always, for your entire life. You just have to learn to deal with it, that's all." He gave Kavik a small smile that the other returned.

From the left of the Boiler there came an abrupt clearing of the throat and then Steele came walking into view, blue eyes glinting with cold mirth. He walked towards them and sat down between Nikki and Axel, and shot Kaltag a sly little smirk. "Wow, way to go Kaltag," he said, smirk growing into a smile as he spoke, "I never knew you were such a good public speaker…" The Chinook's eyes widened in surprised response and he grinned sheepishly, embarrassed at having made a speech without meaning to.

There was an amused sort of pause as they all broke into smiles, which in turn, produced a small flurry of snickers from a few, Balto, Star, Angel and Kavik in particular.

((()-()))

Draco, shaking his head, turned and padded over to peek out at the storm's progress as the rest started to tease a certain embarrassed Chinook. Leaping nimbly to the upper platform, he pushed his nose to the glass, eyes peering outside into the growling tempest of snow and sleet…and his jaw dropped. He starred, unbelieving. They had a problem…and not a little one.

((()-()))

"Uh, guys…"

Balto turned his head and his comment about the extent of Kaltag's vocabulary died in his throat as he saw Draco's disbelieving face. 'Oh no,' he thought miserably, 'what else could go wrong today? Isn't having our pups stolen and threatened enough?' A second later, everyone was looking up at the tan Chinook, faces frozen in mid chuckle.

"I think we've got a problem…" he went on, voice gloomy and foreboding.

"Oh great," Steele moaned, rolling his eyes expansively. "What more do we need out of this perfect day?"

"I think," Draco said, and had to swallow before going on. "I think…the door's been frozen shut." There was a stupefied, slaw-jawed silence in which only the low simmering hiss of the Boiler could be heard, then:

"Oh, you've got to be freakin' kidding me!" Kavik moaned sounding even more exasperated than Steele. He walked over to the door and after laying his shoulder against it, pushed with all his considerable strength. The door didn't move. He tried again, straining against the wood, but did no good. "Dave! Balto! Lend me a paw with this stubborn little you-know-what, will you?" He asked looking over his shoulder. The two came forward and on Balto's mark, they pushing against the exit with all of their might, all three panting and growling with effort.

The door didn't budge so much as half an inch, and the trio of frustrated comrades fell back to catch their breath as Steele and Callahan took a try. The two of them were just as successful. Steele tried five or six times before finally stalking away to the opposite end of the room to recover his wind. Except, that's not what he did at all. The black and white Malamute tensed his body, muscles quivering, and then rushed forward, snarling. He leaped through the air and crashed side-on into the door, trying to force it open with his shoulder.

Instead of the door suddenly releasing with a squeal like a pig being castrated, a very surprised Malamute hit the solid wooden panel and then fell to the floor with a thump, where he lay moaning and twitching slightly as all of them rushed to his side, a few trying hard not to laugh.

"Steele, are you okay…?" Star asked.

The Malamute groaned thickly again, eyes finally beginning to focus. "Owww…ah holy crap, I'm gonna' feel that one tomorrow for sure…" Then; "What the hell kinda' question is that? I just ran into a door and your asking me if I'm okay?" He coughed and swayed dazedly as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He shot a look at Kaltag. His lips curled in a half-contemptuous leer as, not in an altogether unkindly tone, he said; "You really have hit him one too many times on the head! Now his brains are so scrambled he won't have any left before too long…."

Star rolled his eyes and a pouty little look formed on his face. "Well, ex-cuse me for being a concerned friend!" He huffed, obviously very miffed.

"We'll have to wait for the ice and snow on the hinges and outside the door to melt…" Angel said, looking depressed and bored already. "And that means…that we'll have to wait until sunrise at the very least…"

"Well…" Callahan said, when he could stand the silence no longer. "I guess…we're stuck here for the night." The Irish Wolfhound sounded bleak at the prospect.

"Super," Kaltag groaned exasperatedly. "Now what're we supposed to do?" he asked, brows knitting together in frustration. After they'd all gone back and lain/sat in their original places near the Boiler, all were silent. Most were brooding over the day's miserable events, and all eyes were downcast and ears dropped dispiritedly. For a long moment, no one spoke. Then suddenly, Kavik took the stand, a surprising move indeed on his part as he looked to be dealing with the largest amount of grief – with the possible exception of his brother, that was.

"Well…" he said, sounding unsure and tentative, "I'm not sure how much you guys would like to hear it but…I could…" he trailed off for a few seconds, seeming to draw the last reserves from his willpower. It was a wonder he had any left, seeing what they'd all been though during the day.

He took a deep breath. "I could…finish my story…from earlier…Tell you about how I met Juji and…Lakota." The last word seemed to have cost him a great deal, for he sighed heavily and looked at them with leaden eyes.

"It…would be…sort of interesting…" Balto said, uneasily, risking a glance at his snowy brother. "If you…really want to, that is." He finished, clearly uncomfortable.

Kavik's strained smile spread across his face again, eyes momentarily filling with gratitude towards his brother. It was weird, thinking of Balto in that context, but he supposed he'd have to get used to it and the sooner the better. Besides, being related to the guy who'd saved half of the populace of an entire town single-pawed definitely had its potential advantages. "I said it then and I'm saying it now; I need to get this thing off my chest…I've got to finish the tale or it'll haunt me for the rest of my life. And I've already had enough nightmares to last me however long that is…" he shivered, swallowing in an attempt to remove the sudden lump in his throat. "God knows I'll never be able to forget what happened earlier today…"

"…Alright…" Balto replied quietly. He hated the way Kavik's telling of his tale seemed to emotionally torture his sibling, but it was his brother's decision after all, and he was one tough canine; that one thing at least was for sure. All you had to do was search his face, delve into the depths of those shockingly blue eyes to see that he would risk anything and everything – including his own life – to ensure the safety of his kin. But if it so came that he was to fall, then he would not fall without taking a score of his killers with him. If nothing else, such undying loyalty to those he loved and cherished only went on to show how much of a match his heart was in comparison to his considerable strength.

"Gimme a minute to organize…straighten everything out…it's usually so jumbled and I've never made a habit of revisiting that part of my mind unless it's absolutely necessary…" He smiled thinly and after a moment's pause, began his tale from where they'd last left off.

((()-()))

Anchorage, Alaska

1924

"Why were you fighting that bear anyway?" he asked, his eyes alight with a tinge of curiosity. "Were you really that desperate…?" his expression suddenly grew serious as he waited for her reply, regarding her features intently.

"I didn't really have much of a choice…." She replied, somewhat uneasily, her eyes straying to the one side as if to regard the trampled snow around her. "I was with my pack…but I decided to disappear for half-an-hour or so after…I had a heated discussion with…well, with someone who wanted to court me." She felt slightly embarrassed, giving this sort of information to a wolf she barely knew, but then again he had just saved her life, so she felt she owed him the full explanation at the very least. Besides, he was the first of her kind she'd seen in the last two days and she'd been itching to tell someone other than her father about her little 'incident' the other day with that worm Juji.

"Did, or does he have…feelings towards you?" Kavik asked, the question seeming to make him uncomfortable but asking all the same.

Lakota was unable to stifle a snort that was half-laughter, half-contempt as she shook her head, a thin smile playing across her attractive face. "Feelings? Well, that depends on your point of view. If you mean simply using me as a tool to eventually get control of the pack – or as a convenient way of making sure he has offspring – yes. But other than that…" she rolled her eyes and let out a gusty sigh of contempt. "He barely treats me with the respect I deserve, not to say that he doesn't treat everyone else the same way."

"He's a bit of a scumbag, then I presume?" Kavik replied, and Lakota would've sworn she could detect a barely audible trace of disgust around the edges of his voice, as though the though of using a female simply as a way to obtain pups made his blood boil. She would've bet a week's supply of food on it…not that she or any of her pack members had had a week's supply of food in God-knew how long.

Smile broadening the tinniest bit, she said, "Not exactly the word I would've used, but a good enough substitute for the much more vulgar and un-lady-like term I was planning on." She chuckled.

Kavik nodded, his own darkly amused smile flashing out again as he replied, sarcastically, "Ah…he sounds like a real nice guy to have around."

The white she-wolf rolled her eyes, blowing out a sigh of exasperation. "He is…if you're into the arrogant and pigheadedly unpleasant type." She concluded, and was comforted when he laughed, a big and booming gust of a thing, utterly impossible to resist. And nor did she try. She laughed right along with him, her somewhat glum and sour mood at the remembrance of Juji's blunt treatment towards her gliding smoothly into her usual state of genial kindness and compassion.

"I can see why you wanted to ditch him," he said after their laughter had quieted, leaving only the smiles behind in their place. "Doesn't sound like the kind of guy I'd want for a friend, let alone a mate…" he added with another, more potent tinge of sarcasm.

"Hang on a minute, can you?" Kavik asked the silver-furred female as he shook a layer of snow from his pale fur, blood from his wounds dotting the crystallized substance covering the ground in various places. He heard Lakota utter a short laugh as she followed suit, momentarily halting her tale long enough remove the troubling white powder from her already dirtied coat.

Kavik continued to look towards the beautiful she-wolf until her little errand was finished, waiting patiently for her to resume her story. He gave her a smile and a nod of the head as she looked momentarily embarrassed, seeing as the two of them had just respectively showered each other without meaning to. After a somewhat awkward pause she went on.

"So, I decided to go out for a little walk to give myself a chance to cool off after I'd finished dealing with Juji for about the hundredth millionth time," she said, adding a little annoyed twist to the name of the wolf in question. "And it just so happened that horrible snow storm decided to blow right through here while I was on my return trip and I got separated from my father and the rest of the pack…lucky me." She added with an amusing little eye-roll. She went on. "And then, as if things couldn't have gotten any worse, I ran into that stupid bear…" She paused, looking at the larger wolf hybrid before her with warmth and gratitude shining from her emerald eyes. "I really don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you enough…or repay you for that matter."

Kavik couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah, don't worry about it," he said dismissively, jerking his head to one side slightly, "I did what anyone would've…besides," he added with a smirk. "If my mother saw me just walk right by a pretty young lady like yourself in need of my assistance, she would've beaten the living crap out of me…." His smirk broadened into a grin as he again joined in with her amused laughter following this entirely truthful statement.

The events leading up to and following their confrontation with the great furry behemoth lying dead behind them had been somewhat complicated, but he was able to grasp the general drift of things. However, matters became much more simplified as she went on: Lakota was part of a pack consisting of some thirty or so wolves, all fiercely loyal to their alpha, a wise and powerful leader by the name of Roland, who also happened to be her father. She'd told him – sounding almost sheepishly proud in a way – of her reputation for being hit on by some of the other wolves – especially during the time the pack was in heat – and Kavik had no trouble believing it. She was quite a sight, after all… She had not as of yet chosen a mate, for she perceived that the majority of her suitors were only interested in her for her figure and she'd sent them all packing.

"Huh…perverts," Kavik snorted, drawing a giggle from his companion.

There was however, one particularly persistent little bugger by the name of Juji, and he was considered amongst half of the pack to be next in line for the position of Alpha. He had led more successful hunting parties than most of the other males put together and had made no secret of his wish to eventually take Lakota as his mate – assuring the rest that the fact Lakota was Roland's daughter had only the slightest amount of significance. ("Like anyone in their right mind would believe that load of crap." Kavik interjected in another contemptuous snort). And so, his ego was as strong and dashing as he was, not that his appearance had any effect on her; she could see the mean-spirited creep hiding behind that pretty face of his.

"So…how do you feel about all this, Lakota?" her father had asked her one evening after a particularly hampering little run-in with said creep.

She'd sighed. "I know he means well, maybe, but I just can't get past the fact that he's a…he's a…a…." she had struggled, brow creasing as she racked her brain for the right phrase that would do justice to Juji's character.

"…A dirty, rotten scumbag whose misfortune it has been to simply be cursed with good taste in women?" her brother, Bane, had offered helpfully, one eyebrow raised, a corner of his mouth quirking.

"Right on target…" she'd sighed and then had given a little giggle.

((()-()))

Kavik's jaw muscles were starting to feel strained; he couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled so much in one sitting. Heck, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd smiled period! It must've been as long as two or three years…not since his family had been wiped out, in other words. His smile quickly faded away completely at the remembrance of that unhappy subject. Not since Ikea had been brutally murdered by another one of Man's accursed bullets…

He saw Lakota's face cloud in worry as she took in his suddenly mournful expression, but paid only minor heed. He was suddenly deep in thought about his mother. He wondered if, by some miracle, she had survived and gone on living for yet a while longer…He intensely hoped that it was the case and she was now out there, running free amongst the trees in some foreign territory, perhaps searching for her children…

Mayhap fate would reunite them someday, but Kavik's hopes weren't totally optimistic; there had been a great deal of empty shell casings scattered throughout the snow where her scent had died out. But there hadn't been enough blood to suggest that she had been butchered. He liked to think – or rather pray – that she'd merely been wounded and had still managed to escape….

"What's the matter?" Lakota asked, moving in closer, concern evident in her face and voice, not to mention her overall body language. Their noses were merely inches apart and he abruptly thought of Ikea again. Had the two of them not sat in this same manner countless times, giving and receiving comfort when either was scarred and their parents had been out hunting when Lobo and Nig were then but newborns? The unexpected surfacing of this all-but-forgotten memory shook him deeply for the second time that day. Add to this his hopeful but unlikely thoughts of his mother's survival and continued existence…. He felt a tear or two slip down his cheek but he made no attempt to stop them as his rekindled sorrow and a new doubt in the hope he still held for his mother overpowered his mind and he was left with an overwhelming sense of loss.

"Kavik, what is it?" Lakota, asked, obviously now a little scared as well. "What's wrong? Please, tell me! Are you in pain or –?"

"…No, no, it's all right, I'm fine," he said, shaking his head slowly, and attempting to swallow the walnut-sized lump embedded in his throat. "I was just thinking…of how my sister and I…used to sit like this together all the time when we were pups…" A cracked and weary sort of smile spread across his face and he suddenly felt ten years older, like he was about to keel over and kick the bucket.

"…Oh," she replied, her voice small and agitated, clearly not sure how best to approach this kind of thing. "…Did…did something happen to her?" she asked finally, though the second the words had left her mouth, Kavik sensed her wishing she'd never spoken them aloud. "I'm so sorry…"

He shook his head again, touched by her concern, even though they had but just met and were barely past the point of being absolute strangers. "No that's…" he stopped suddenly, lifting his head skyward briefly to sniff at the frosty air, eyes slipping closed in concentration. "Do you smell that?" he asked.

Lakota mimicked the action and her face was illuminated with happiness and relief. "It's…It's my father, my pack!" she cried, deliriously, all but barking with excitement – which just goes to show how excited she was for wolves rarely bark at all. She let out a long howl, and the sound of it was beyond beautiful; it was heavenly. After a few seconds, a corresponding one came from their right, followed by many more. She looked at him with shining eyes.

Kavik smiled broadly. "I'm very happy for you," he said, "but now I'm afraid I must take my leave…" he looked off in the direction he'd come, eyes seeming faraway and strangely misted over.

"What'd you mean?" she asked, her own smile faltering. "You can't possibly be thinking of trying to go on by yourself in your condition? You'll be killed for sure!" She looked up at him, unbelieving.

"I think it's best I take my chances…" he replied, gazing into that faraway land again. "I don't belong in a pack…I've already been in one that's died once, and I couldn't live with myself if – "

"You wouldn't even make it out of our territory by dark! It's almost twilight anyway!" A sudden smug look came over her face. "Besides," she said, her tone triumphant, "I bet you couldn't make it more than ten feet without falling down with you leg like that…" A sly little grin spread across her face as she finished.

"I'd like to see you try and stop me…" Kavik shot back, his own little defiant smirk appearing, the same smug look settling into his own face.

"I'd like to see you even try to get up." She retorted and in response to Kavik's stunned expression, she added, "What've you got to say to that, mister?"

"I say a bone says you're wrong on both counts!" he replied.

"You're on then!"

"Fine!" he shot back. He stood, put one paw in front of the other, managed two wobbly steps, and then promptly fell on his face. He heard Lakota start to laugh helplessly as he pushed himself into a sitting position and shot a grumpy sort of look in her direction. "It's not polite to laugh at animals in pain, Lakota." He said.

"It is when they're so stubborn it's funny!" she replied and continued on laughing. She was shaking so much that her footing in the snow slipped and she fell on her stomach with a little yelp of surprised pain. "Owww…" she moaned.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. How does it feel?" Kavik laughed dryly from where he sat, staring down at her with an amused grin on his face.

"Oh hush." She said and pushed herself into a sitting position as well and stared moodily across at him, both of them nevertheless smiling. Already there was a bond of friendship connecting the two, one that was unusually strong for such an early stage…

The two of them suddenly snapped their heads to the right as a small party of about a dozen wolves came running into the clearing, huffing and panting as a testament to how far and hard they'd traveled to reach this point. And with a jolt, Kavik realized…that he recognized the black and gray one leading them…it was….

"Lakota!" Roland cried in relief, as he went swiftly to his daughter's side and nuzzled her affectionately, she returning the gesture ten-fold. He pulled back a bit to look her over. "I was so worried! We'd all though you'd been lost for sure!"

"I'm okay…well mostly." She admitted, wincing as the dark-furred, older wolf touched his nose to a cut along her shoulder. "I was trying to get back to the pack when I was attacked by a grizzly bear – " Her father inhaled sharply at this, but she pretended not to notice. " – And I would've been torn to pieces if it hadn't been for Kavik over here…" she turned and smiled gratefully at her rescuer as the older Alpha turned to look upon his daughter's savior…and he stared, jaw dropping open, eyes widening.

"K…Kavik? Is that really you?" he asked, his usually strong and powerful voice reduced to a whispery croak in his shock.

Kavik was likewise struck dumb by the familiarity of the face before him. He was utterly speechless for a few seconds then managed to croak out; "Roland…?" he shook his head as if unable or unwilling to believe it. "God…how long…has it been…?" he shook his head again. "You've gotten so…um, sorry for the bluntness, but…you're old, old friend." He finished with a quirky smile.

"I never thought I'd see you again…" Roland replied, his own smile now resurfacing. And then suddenly, he burst out laughing. "Of course, who else would be gutsy enough to take on a fully grown grizzly bear almost single-pawed!" And then he moved forward and nuzzled Kavik like a brother.