"Hal, Hal!" The old human called out into the warm afternoon. He smiled as he saw the young brown and white dog crest the hill, side by side with an enormous yellow dog. "Hal! Kilowog! Where have you been? It is almost night and the Red Fangs will be gathering soon. We must meet Scar." The old man shouted. The two dogs picked up their pace, Hal's ear's cocked at a confused angle.
"But, weren't we supposed to meet her tomorrow? We were surprised when you called us back from border patrol." He barked. The human smiled. He loved the ability to communicate that only he and a select few possessed. Whenever he heard the animals around him speak it was like a puzzle his brain rushed to solve.
"Ah, yes. But she has come early. And she has brought a few surprises for us." The man smiled. Both Hal and Kilowog exchanged a glance before following after their human. The three walked and walked as the sun continued to set. Finally, they could smell the familiar trading post. They broke through the tree-line and could easily see the bright campfire. Humans crowded around it, the men on one side, the women on the other. A little farther from the fire stood a group of children, all focused at something at the center of their group. As they approached, Hal and Kilowog began scenting to see if they could identify the piece of interest. It was animal, dog-like, but nothing like they had ever smelled before. Before they could investigate further, an old woman came up to their group.
"There you are Ganthet. Are these your Green Fangs?" She asked, gesturing to the dogs. Ganthet smiled.
"Yes, Scar. This is Hal and this is Kilowog. They are the first of the Green Fangs Pack of the North. We openly welcome your new additions."
"Additions?" Hal asked, mainly to Kilowog. The large yellow dog shrugged, still focused on the children.
"Of course. I will retrieve them." Scar nodded. She turned. "Lanos, Aya, Shiel! Come!" She commanded. From the group of children three canines emerged. They all looked similar, obviously of the same breed, possibly the same litter. Lanos was taller than the other two, long legged and thin. His ears were upright, unlike Hal's and Kilowog's, and his muzzle was slender. But his dark gray fur was obviously thick and ready for the cold winter soon coming. His white chest puffed out with pride. His blue eyes looked around with excited curiosity. Aya was just as slender, yet smaller in stature. She had bright green eyes and a curly tail arched over her light silver back. Each of her paws was dipped with white. Her ears both stood erect as well. Shiel was a sturdier female, her tail long and loose behind her. She was tall, but not quite as tall as her brother. Her coat was almost black with light spattering of gray across her shoulders and chest.
Kilowog looked from one to the other then to the other then back to Hal.
"We've got a bunch of snowballs on our backs." He growled. Hal stifled a chuckled and padded forward to meet the new Green Fangs. He put on his most charming look and padded right up to the two females.
"Well hello, ladies." He barked.
"I do not believe that we are all female. If you wish to greet my sisters, their names are Aya and Shiel." Lanos chirped happily putting himself between the mutt and his sisters. Aya wagged her tail, a smile in her eyes while Shiel huffed and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, um…thank you?" Hal stammered. He wasn't used to being blocked off like that. Lanos just wagged his tail and sat down, still between the two females and Hal.
"You are most welcome."
Kilowog laughed as he came up beside Hal.
"So sorry for my rude partner. He's not the best representative for Green Fangs is he?" He joked, shouldering the smaller dog, who just pouted. This time both Shiel and Aya smiled.
"It seems to me that they get along well." Ganthet's voice broke in. All the dogs turned to face him.
"Just see that they are put to good use. I've spent good time training these ones." Scar sighed and held out her hand. Ganthet took it in his own and they shook once. With that Ganthet turned to leave, the dogs immediately took up a circle around him, ready to defend their human against any dangers.
It was a long walk home, but they did make it just after dark. All seemed well until Shiel, Aya, and Lanos all froze. They were a hundred feet from the cabin but the three refused to go closer or let Ganthet closer.
"What is the matter?" Ganthet asked, slightly frustrated. Shiel stepped forward, growling.
"I smell a wolf." Her voice was cold and rippling with power. Lanos and Aya came to her side, both snarling just a viciously.
"There are two." Aya corrected. Her ears twitched forward and locked. Lanos watched her for a moment, then burst forward.
"Hey!" Hal and Kilowog said in unison. They had no choice but to follow him.
"Kilowog, stay with Ganthet. If you need help, just howl." Hal barked before bolting after the young male. The two sisters were just ahead of him, and made it into the house before he did. He froze in the open doorway. Inside, two pairs of red eyes glowed in the shadows. Hal slowly padded up through the three dogs until he was nearest the wolves.
"Red Fangs?" He asked, his voice a snarl. His hackles began to rise.
"Who else would we be?" A harsh voice broke from the back of the room. A small but sturdy wolf padded into the light, his muzzle was horribly scarred and caked in dried blood. Behind him, a much younger yet larger wolf emerged from the shadows. His eyes were cold and calculating. Hal knew that was the wolf to fear.
"We don't need a fight…just leave our human's home alone…" Hal cautioned. His training told him that a fight could always be avoided.
"You want us to leave? Then make us." The young wolf snarled. His tail stood up like a branch above his back. He leapt, intending to hit Hal, but Aya lunged between them. The two wolves wrestled, the wolf pinning Aya before anyone could help her. Lanos moved to intervene but was attacked by the small wolf. The devil creature sank its teeth into his shoulder and ripped. Shiel snapped her jaws over the runt's tail, a sharp crack echoed for a moment before the howl/snarling began. The small wolf released Lanos and turned on Shiel, only to be attacked by Lanos. Hal leapt onto the young wolf and threw him off of Aya. The young wolf snarled and made a move to lunge but was cut off by the smaller wolf's shout.
"Razer! We must retreat!" The runt yelped. Razer growled, but leapt over the dog's heads and out the door, with the smaller wolf just in front of him.
The dogs were on their heels until they reached the forest line. From there they watched the wolves make their retreat. After a moment of quiet panting, the dogs sighed and turned to make their way back to Ganthet.
"We defeated them! We should rejoice!" Lanos yipped happily.
"Don't get too excited Kiddo, I have a feeling that we will soon be seeing those two again." Hal warned. They all became quiet as they walked back toward Kilowog and Ganthet.