Chapter 13
The Ambush

Pride lay beside Sabbath, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. God, but it was cold! The snow was like ice against his belly and nether region but that was nothing. It was only the cold and he could deal with it easily enough – he was a sled dog after all – but even a coat as thick as his couldn't shield him from the rapidly dropping temperature forever. Though spring was perhaps only just beginning, already the snow had begun to melt in some areas of the countryside, one of them being the meadow in the woods where Kodi and the team sometimes spent their evenings romping and playing tag. There was still some on the ground, true enough, but a good portion of it was of the sticky, slowly melting variety…meaning that it was now sticking to his fur, making him shiver as the cold slush slowly worked its way through his pelt, caressing his skin with what felt like the very fingers of death itself.

Why did they have to keep sitting here anyway? Their prize was there, right in front of them for God's sake! He didn't know why Forest was so tense; with the way Lover-Boy and his bitch were carrying on, rolling around and slobbering all over each other, he doubted even a whistle blast from an oncoming train would've registered to the two heavily occupied huskies.

The answer was simple of course; Forest was slowly but surely losing it.

It was the truth, really, honest to God it was. Pride might not have been what you'd call the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he had enough brains to realize that their leader's obsessive need to slaughter the two love-struck canines presently engaged not ten feet from their hiding place was slowly beginning to whittle away at whatever mental pillar that kept his sanity intact. Oh, it wasn't driving him stark raving mad, no, not by a long shot. Forest wasn't muttering to himself or trying to talk to birds, but neither could Pride quite bring himself to believe that the sometimes unhealthy gleam he saw in the other's eyes signified mental stability. Not that this changed anything; he would follow Forest wherever he chose to lead them…if for no other reason other than the fact that he knew Forest could still hold the threat of death over his head with confidence.

The big mutt grunted to himself. That might change in the coming years if he had his way, but for now, he was perfectly content to follow his murderous mentor…especially when he was offering such a juicy prize as that delectable gray husky before them. He gazed in slight wonder, temporarily forgetting himself as he watched them go at it. Holy crap…he swallowed, his throat suddenly made very dry, feeling a stir in his loins. He'd had no idea that any female could have so much control over her mate, even when she wasn't on top…. Well, let them enjoy themselves for now. After all, it was the only chance they'd ever get to do the nasty, if they even chose to go so far before death took them.

As far as killing went, Pride had no big qualms about it…as long as it was always him who was doing the bloodletting. As for himself, he had no major qualms about dying…so long as Death took him many years down the road in some mercifully peaceful fashion, in his sleep perhaps, and not at the jaws of an enemy…. He shivered slightly, though he'd long since forgotten the freezing snow. His brow furrowed and his mouth turned down, as though he'd tasted something sour. It wasn't the snow that was bothering him. No, it was the thought of that damnable wolf/dog. He felt his temper begin to rise at the memory. Never before had he been so utterly helpless in the face of an enemy. He hated to admit it, but Sabbath had a point; the brute had just been to damn fast and even now, he marveled at the ease with which he'd bested them. Hell, bested them? Let's be realistic; they hadn't just been bested, they'd been downright throttled – the sizeable lump decorating the side of his head still hurt and he knew his comrades were feeling just as bad as he was. They were lucky to still be alive…and if Kavik or his brother Balto somehow found out about this and came calling….

Pride shook his head, dispelling the disquieting thoughts, or trying to at any rate. He had a job to do, and Forest would have much more than just his head if he was the one who botched it. He looked to his leader for a signal of some kind, anything to tell him what to do…and saw the albino jerk his head, indicating the two lovebirds and draw a forepaw across his throat. The message was clear enough.

It's go time, boys.

((()-()))

"All right you dumb mutts…they're coming. Stick to the plan and wait for my signal and don't either of you move so much as one god-pounding hair before I give the word or I'll have your eyes."

The warning was little more than a low growl and Forest couldn't be completely sure if the other two had managed to catch it, but he could ill afford to risk scaring off their quarry by raising his voice even by a fraction of an octave now could he? No, mustn't do that, not now when they were so very, very close to success. He glanced to his right and breathed an internal sigh of relief as he saw Sabbath was being a very good boy; keeping himself in check, making sure all was quiet before the coming storm. Forest felt a sinister smile crawl across his face as he saw the Samoyed was on a knife's edge between staying put and jettisoning the plan in favor of simply bolting from cover right now and jumping them while they had their backs turned. The albino Husky really had to admire the true killer in his smaller friend; he was a perfect engine of death, every sense turned all the way up to catch the finest nuance. In all the years they'd known each other, never once had Forest ever seen someone who could stand up to Sabbath in the heat of battle…until today that was.

He gave his head a little shake, trying to clear his mind and focus his attention on the impending attack, yet thoughts of that damnable Kavik still rung in his ears 'I don't kid around when it comes to disciplinary measures…I'll rip you in ways that'll make you useless to any woman…. I'll smell it on you and your mates like bad meat….' Was he a little on edge? Sure? Who the hell wouldn't be after something like that?

Though he'd done his best to prepare a plan that could – and would – work in any kind of situation during their assault, Forest was more than a little worried. It had never occurred to him to factor a vengeful lupine that could probably snap his neck like a twig into his plans before this afternoon, and there'd been no time to adjust for this potentially deadly variable….

The knowledge left him feeling a little uneasy. Truth be told, in his heart of hearts it was not the possibility of failure to capture his two targets that daunted him, but the memory of the violent threat the he was sure the hybrid would make good on and then some if he were to somehow get wind of their plan. Impossible, of course; there was no way he could've figured it all out since that afternoon in the span of only a few hours. No one could've; they'd been far too careful, too crafty to get caught.

Still…there was always the possibility…however remote the chances….

Suppose for a moment that the Big Bad Wolf had by some miracle or another figured out their plans or learned of their little bit of fun in the alley – for one would lead to the other, just as sure as crap sticks to a blanket. What then? Go galloping off in search of them with bared teeth and murder on the brain? Forest supposed it was very likely, but it just didn't seem to fit somehow. Though their meeting had been brief and he hadn't been any kind of shape make many useful observations, when he looked back on it later, he would decide that Kavik had something on his side other than brute strength; the big S.O.B. was smart.

His plan had been simple and he'd had only a few minutes to prepare, but he'd executed it with militaristic precision, first using the element of surprise and then pushing them into a corner, effectively cutting off their escape. Forest didn't know what kind of world had shaped such a creature, but he knew it sure as hell hadn't been a quiet place like Nome. No, more likely he'd been hardened by the cold and calculating wolves of the Alaskan wilderness…and someone had taught him well, that was for damn sure and…and….

'…And every wolf or dog worth his fur knows that there's strength in numbers.' Forest swallowed, as the notion reared its ugly head again. It had occurred to him that if Kavik didn't come right off, he'd bring others, but like the wolf/dog himself, Forest had had no time to make room for this variable either, and now here it was, daunting him again with its nagging presence. He couldn't say how many would come, not for sure, but he suspected that a good portion of the canine population might rally to the cause, for Little Dustykins was well liked throughout the town. So they might have a mob of dogs to contend with…and maybe even a few wolves as well, for wasn't there a pack reputed to be skulking somewhere deep within these very woods, and who would know the lay of the land better than they? Dogs they might be able to deal with, but wolves were another thing altogether. Against their superior size, speed and strength, the three of them would be lucky to last the night.

Forest gave his head a shake, knowing he was risking exposure and possibly their chance of a successful ambush, but doing it all the same. He needed to clear his head and think! Here he was, getting all worked up, and over some sneaky old wolf that might or might not catch them even as they took their prey, if he had the brains to figure it all out in time? He snorted.

No way, no way in Hell….

((()-()))

He couldn't stop grinning – if you could go so far as to call that toothy rectos twisting across his face a grin. This was just so good, so utterly delicious…almost too good to be true. He'd thought it would be easy to get the drop on them…but never in a million years had he ever dared dream that the whole business would go so smoothly. His eyes blazed with witch light as he recounted it all, recalling every detail with unnatural clarity…Little Miss Bitch and Lover Boy, rolling around on top of one another in the snow, too engrossed in the possibility of finally making it happen to notice the three of them until it was too late.

Sabbath licked his chops, bending his elegant neck down to bury his nose in the Bitch's fur as she continued to writhe under him. He took no notice of her struggles for freedom – it was amazing she had the strength for what pitiful resistance she'd been able to put up. She moaned and snarled in fury, trying once more to buck him off, hating the feel of his cold nose pressing against fur, the skin beneath still fever-hot from the recently interrupted snowy romp with her lover. He inhaled that heavenly scent again; the reek of her was sickly sweet, like archaic spice and ginger….

His golden eyes roamed over her body, relishing the beautiful visage held in place beneath his strong paws. Her fur was sleek and soft beneath his flexing paws, flowing like silk and softer than velvet. The muscles in her legs and back coiled weakly, promising hours upon hours of satisfaction of a very basic kind in the not-so-distant future if he had his way. He felt the blood rush to his head, felt it all but pounding at his temples as his lamb slaughterer's eyes traced the elegant arch of her neck as she tried unsuccessfully to catch him between her snapping jaws. Gods…what a prize…

A malign sort of pleasure coursed through him as he felt her stiffen as he ran his nose up the back of her neck to press its wet, questing tip into the cup of her ear. "God…what a fox…. Now I remember why I wanted you so badly the other night…."

He felt a ripple of pleasure as he saw the bulb flare up above her head. "You…you're the ones…the ones who…?"

"Bingo, little birdie…" he replied grinning like a shark, "you might've fluttered out of my paws the last time…but now I'm wise to you…and this time we're not leaving till I've had me fill of you…." He growled, pressing himself against her, feeling fire coarse through his body as he touched her.

"You…you sick pig!" She screamed and in a rush of anger and hatred, twisted her neck at an insane angle, whipping it around and catching him on the ear as he tried to jerk away. The Samoyed let out a yelp of surprise and for a moment his control faltered. If she managed to knock him off…she might be able to make a run for it and fast though he was, Sabbath knew he would be no match for her speed and agility, even in the state she was in, for adrenaline worked like morphine if the situation was dire enough. Before she could take the opportunity to deal him another blow, Forest was on her, smashing her across the face with a vicious paw-strike that left her ears ringing.

Then, before she'd even had time to regroup, he was on her, his killer's grin now replaced with a feral snarl of rage. "You…BITCH!" he roared, dealing her another blow, this time to the neck, knocking her over onto her side. She instinctively tried to crawl away, but he leapt on top of her, savaging her unprotected back with claw and fang. At her cry of pain, Lover-Boy started to yell, but he barely noticed, all his attention was focused on this bitch, this whore who had dared…!

"Snap at me, will you? Well, looks like we need a lesson in manners." Dark blood flew through the air, staining the snow a deep crimson. She let out a breathless cry of agony. "Lesson one: Respect your elders."

More blood. Another scream, weaker. "Lesson Two: Speak only when spoken to."

"SABBATH!"

His head jerked upward, eyes like two bright pinpricks of amber in the growing darkness. Pride was there, his stupid idiot's face inches from his own. "That's enough, you idiot. What do you want to do, kill her before we have any fun!?"

Sabbath's temper flared. "Get off my ass, boy-o; I ain't in the mood."

Forest spoke up from where he now held Kodi pinned a few feet away. "Maybe you're not, but I am – so get a hold of yourself and stop cutting her up or there won't be anything left for us after we finish with Lover-Boy here. Besides, the Bitch is right; let's hurry and get a move on…" let out a little shudder, "if anyone got wind of what we're up to, then the faster the better. Help me with him." He said, indicating Kodi with a kick to the ribs. He turned. "Sabbath…clean her up; we don't want her bleeding to death in between turns."

"All right then…." Sabbath breathed heavily, trying to slow his thundering heartrate and restrain himself from resuming his work on the now bloodied Dusty. Looking over the jagged wounds his teeth had made, he supposed this current dose of agony would have to do…for now. Later, however, was a different story, but he had work to do before his particular brand of fun came into play. He gave her a few choice licks, trying to seal the worst of his handiwork and keep her from simply bleeding out, trying not to notice how sweet the red fluid staining her fur tasted as it ran across his tongue. She didn't make any move to stop him or throw him off – probably in too much pain to do anything but lie there and pray for death to take her soon. She surprised him by finding the ability to speak, and not just words but whole sentences.

"You…you son-of-a-bitch…you'll pay…pay for this!" He felt a shiver of excitement run down his back. God but she was hot when she was angry!

"Keep your mouth shut, if you know what's good for you…or would you care for a more in depth episode of our time together in the alley?"

"Yeah…well, as I recall…you didn't get me…."

A single crease folded the killer's brow as he mulled over her retort, his grin shrinking to a twisted smile. "You may've gotten away from us – away from me – last time but where's your shining knight now? I don't see him running to your rescue this time…where could he be? Aren't his Hero Senses tingling?" he asked mockingly, then, when she gave no answer; "Oh, wait I think…yes, isn't that him? He's the big stupid redhead who just got his ass handed to him by Pride right?" His grin flashed out once more as she began to cry silently, tears sliding down her now dirty cheeks to freeze in the frigid air. "That's right, baby, get it all out now…

"You'll pay…."

A full-throated laugh escaped him, his eyes shining with amusement. "Oh, will I? Just who exactly am I supposed to be afraid of? Lover-Boy's big-to-do, Mr. Town Hero father or maybe that big bad Papa of yours or– "

"I'd say…you've got…a reason…to be scared…all right…" she chuckled darkly, "but not just…of them. I can see…you've already met…my uncle Kavik…."

"Shut up, bitch," he growled, trying to exude menace but feeling a twinge of fear deep in his guts all the same, "I don't know who the hell you're t–"

She actually laughed a little at that. ""No? How'd you…get that bump on your head then…I wonder? Run…into a door?" she paused as if considering. "I thought not…."

Enough was enough.

Sabbath had allowed her this little speech simply for his own amusement…well, maybe that was a lie, but who cared? So what if what she was saying put a little fear into him? What was the harm in that? She was allowed her last little rant, he supposed, but it was time to remind her who was in charge here…and there was only one way he knew how to do that. A good dose of pain did the trick every time. So, before his talkative gray tramp could finish, he lifted a paw and raked his claws viciously down her back, relishing the high, almost musical note in her breathless shriek of agony as he only deepened old wounds he himself had inflicted only moments before.

"Daddy's Little Girly-Girl didn't like that now, did she?" He grinned, sinking the yellow razors embedded in end of his paw deeper into the wound, making her give another of those breathless screams as her aching muscles bellowed in protest. "Oh, you think that's bad, princess? That's nothing. Just wait till the fun really starts…you'll soon be all mine, my pretty little peach…oh, what a good time we'll have together…." Overcome with lust, the Samoyed ran out his tongue and swabbed the fur of his captive's cheek. Dusty, her energy drained, was unable to anything but give her head a feeble jerk, her stomach clenching as her nose was assaulted by the smaller but more powerful dog's foul breath. "Just you wait, darling," he promised her, "I'm gonna use you till you're raw and then, oh, then I'll really get to work on you…"

He grinned once more as he saw the tears beginning to pour from her terrified eyes, and she started to sob silently….

((()-()))

He hadn't been caught completely off guard, there was that much to be thankful for at least. It wasn't much, but still, the brief battle cry he'd had time to send up might still have gotten to someone. It was all he had to hope for in any case, that and the fact that their brief scuffle had bought them a little time at least. Not much, but again, every little bit helps…and God help him but he had a feeling they were going to need all the help they could get. Kodi craned his neck around so as to fix his gaze with that of his lover's. His heart seemed to burst as he looked at her wide, eyes and listened to her shaky voice as she conversed with the creamy Samoyed – Sabbath, his name was Sabbath – pinning her to the ground. He watched in horror and felt a snarl of rage bubbling in his throat as the dirty mutt licked her cheek and whispered promises of violation in her ear. How dare he, how dare he! Kodi would've sprung to her aid

Sabbath looked up, eyeing the trapped Kodi with distain, his face twisted in disgust. "Shut him up for me, would you Pride?" he asked the bulky Husky mutt nonchalantly, a suicidal gleam in his murder's eyes.

The big dog nodded, his own grin surfacing. Kodi cried out as all coherent thought was swallowed up in an explosion of pain as Pride sank his teeth into his captive's unprotected right shoulder, burying them all the way up to the gum line. Kodi cried out as the brute finally ripped free of him, leaving a ragged hole from which the blood was still flowing. He felt a tiny spark of shame as, unable to find any other way to express the depth of his agony, he tipped his head back and howled, baying his lamentations up at a sky now stained purple in the last rays of twilight. His captors didn't seem to take too kindly to this potentially revealing vocalization and quickly silenced him with a blow to the muzzle, hitting him hard enough to make the exhausted sled dog feel as though his brains had been not just scrambled but blown completely out of his skull and onto the already bloody snow.

He was currently sprawled on his stomach like Dusty, one of Pride's massive forepaws pressing down none-too-gently against back of the younger dog's neck, with another two weighing down his furiously working body. Unlike his lover, his struggles had yet to cease or even slow, much to the dismay of the three conspirators, though they tried not to show it. Kodi snarled in frustration as Sabbath looked on, amused by his increasingly desperate attempts to wriggle out of Pride's grasp, his eyes burning with hatred. Kodi starred not at Sabbath, but at Forest, who, for a wonder, was sitting off to the side, his vulnerable throat just two or three inches from Kodi's furiously snapping fangs. A deep growl rumbled up from his chest as he starred at the dog responsible for the savage beating and near rape of his mate, calling down curse after curse to strike the head of the villainous canine.

Forest, meanwhile, continued to look docilely onward, a smug, satisfied smile spreading across his ugly face. "Now, now, now, Lover-Boy, such language! What would your mother say if she caught you saying things like that?" Their laughter only fueled his already monumental anger.

"She'd tell me to – " here Kodi went on to describe a particularly unpleasant method of execution that ranged from disembowelment to castration " – off, that's what!" he roared, trying and failing once more to extricate himself from Pride's death-grip.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, little Kodiak," Forest said him, leveling his burning gaze at him, "Such language, my goodness! Tell me…if you could, would you really have the stones to really go through with all that, or am I right in guessing you'd puss out at the last second and just rip my throat out?"

"YOU'D DESERVE IT AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO HER, YOU SICK FUCK!"

A blow to the face silenced him, and Kodi let out another yelp of pain as a lacerated tongue was now added to his list of ailments. Still, he managed to spit out most of the blood, or enough so that he could speak at any rate. "…Why…?" he croaked. "Tell me…why her? Why…" he paused to spit out a gob of pink phlegm, "why…kill us?"

Forest let out a chuckle. "Well," he said, lowering his voice to that confidential tone reserved for those on their deathbed, "if you really must know, I just wanted to fuck her, that's all. I was nice, I made small talk, I even asked for her name, all the things a guy has to do to get a woman…but in the end, she proved be just too stubborn for me, so I decided to just take what I wanted, along with a little something for Pride and Sabbath" He laughed as he saw Kodi's eyes narrow in hatred. "Now, I'll bet that really pisses you off, huh Lover-Boy? The truth is, I didn't give a damn, not now and not back then either. In fact, I was gonna kill her there, right there in that alley even if she had agreed…only you showed up, and spoiled all out fun. Well, it's our turn to play with her now, friend." He paused, as if to relish the prospect. "She's beautiful, you know," he went on, tipping his snout in Dusty's direction, "you were really lucky…she would've made such a great lay…too bad you'll never get to taste her for yourself, but oh well; as they say, such is life."

"You…bastard." Kodi coughed.

"Now, now Kodi, is that how you want your slut of a girlfriend to remember you while we're at it? A foul-mouthed, disrespectful little puissant who didn't know when to keep his big, stupid mouth shut?" He grinned. "Clean up that mouth of yours…and I just might let you watch. How would that be, hmm?"

"Go to Hell."

Forest sighed in mock exasperation. "I should've expected that kind of response from the likes of you. After all, what would the others think if they ever found out that you let some other guy get with your woman just to gain a few extra minutes?" He shook his head. "Why am I even wasting my time talking to you? Pride?"

The dog in question looked up, eyes alight. Expectant.

"Get down to business, would you? I'm getting bored with all this talking…."

The big dog grinned wickedly. He bent, spared Kodi a single sideways glance, then seized the russet canine's right foreleg in his powerful jaws and gave his head a vicious twist. Kodi couldn't even scream; the pain was so great. He just lay there, his body going through spasms as he listened to the sound of his bones first bending, then rubbing together and finally splintering with a sound like a snapping tree branch in a high wind. Tears welled in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. It was amazing that he was still conscious…god, it hurt, worse than anything he'd ever felt before.

Though he wouldn't be able to say with any certainly just what exactly went on in those next few moments before the calvarly finally arrived, he would never forget the horrible nonsense rhyme Pride had recited as he'd systematically broken first one foreleg and then the other.

"This little piggy had roast beef…this little piggy had none….this little piggy went to the market…." On and on and on….

It was enough to drive you mad.

((()-()))

Author's Note

Hmm…ah, haha…well, I uh…oh God I'm a dead man, aren't I? Sorry guys but…well, it looks like we have one more to go! Again, I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger, but this chapter was already so long as it was (10 whole pages) and there's so much more I want to do with the scene between Kavik and Balto and the rest of the team and Forest and his gang. A lot of possibilities have been going through my head, and I'm hard and work trying to decide which way to kill them…slow torture or quick but unnecessarily brutal? (Any input you could give me on execution methods you'd like to see would be welcome) Oh, and just a little something to keep you from crucifying me: those wolves Forest kept worrying about? Let's just say they have…ah…special interests in the present situation. (semi-graphic violence alert: shield your eyes, young ones!) Bottom line: while this chapter was slightly darker than those that preceded it…the next one will be a violent, violent, violent climactic clash of fur and fangs! (plus, I know a lot of you have been sending me reviews that practically scream KAVIK OWNS and KILL FOREST so don't worry I'll give Kavik his moment and Forest…well…he'll get his due…I just want to make it as dramatically twisted as I'm permitted to on this site!

Thanks so much to all my loving fans for continuing to stick with such a horrible liar like me for so long! My best wishes and all my love to you! Your support is the only thing that keeps me going sometimes, well, that and Jesus, but He's always got my back (cause He's the Man) but I couldn't ask for better reinforcements! You truly have no idea how much you all inspire me!

I love you all from the bottom of my heart,

BaltoLuver63