Chapter Five
Why?
"Watch out! Incoming!"
The sudden loud cry only just barely reached Gabriel's ears. Though he heard the warning, he never saw it coming. All he saw was a blur of gray and black that landed in a very large puddle of mud and water, splattering filth all over him. It was cold; very very cold and wet.
"Watch it!" he sputtered, jumping away abruptly and looking completely perplexed.
For a moment he couldn't see much through the mud, but he blinked and shook his head until he could. A very familiar laugh filled his ears.
"Gabe, you were doing it again."
It was Dis. As much as she and Blitz looked alike, the differences were never lost on Gabriel.
Annoyed, he bared his teeth and growled.
"Doing what again? And don't call me Gabe, you know it's Gabriel."
Dis didn't say anything, she just kept laughing. Though she was laughing at her mud covered friend, she was covered in it herself, but she looked absolutely delighted by it. Completely unlike Gabriel who looked like someone who had just been very rudely awoken from a very good dream.
The mud matted his fur in clumps that clung to him stubbornly despite his efforts to shake it off.
"Don't try that on me, we both know you're smarter than that!" Dis said, still laughing. She then dove at him far too quickly for Gabriel to avoid.
Her body collided with his, knocking him off balance and they both fell splashing into the mud and water. Although Dis was thinly built, she hid very powerful muscles under her coat that made her surprisingly stronger than she looked.
"Dis!" Gabriel grumbled as she landed on top of him.
"Get off!" He tried to push her off, but he was winded and couldn't find his strength to manage it.
Dis put her paws on Gabriel's chest, smearing more mud into his fur, and held him down.
"You had that ridiculous look on your face again, loverboy." She giggled, pressing his face close to his.
Gabriel's only response was to press his own mud covered paws to her neck and growl threateningly.
It might have seemed like a sinister reaction, but Dis had known the dog far to long to ever be fooled by one of his bluffs.
Although he pretended to be pinned by her, she could feel his muscles working under her paws and knew If he had really wanted to, he could have easily managed to throw her off.
"Aww, don't be such a bad sport Gabe" She teased, still giggling.
Gabriel tried to keep his face still, but he couldn't fight back the grin that stretched across his face when their eyes met.
Sudden inspiration struck him and he summoned his strength to put his legs under her and knock her off balance.
Gabriel and her wrestled with each other then. It was a furious but brief thing that left them both quite covered in mud from nose to tail.
They snarled and bit each other in a manner that would have looked extremely violent if it weren't for their laughter.
Blitz, who had been busy inspecting something inquisitively, was oblivious to their romping at first. She had her nose pressed to the ground sniffing around for something so intently that it barely dawned on her what she was hearing until their laughter finally reached her ears.
They stuck up on top of her head at the sounds from her friends coming from nearby behind her.
Ever the curious canine, she couldn't resist the urge to find out what they were laughing so much at when moments ago it had been peacefully quiet.
She pulled her attention away from her current task and spun around to look, but it took a moment for it to dawn on her just what she was seeing.
Both of them were soaked and covered with mud and looked utterly ridiculous.
She had to bite her lip to fight back the chuckle that fought to escape her as she approached.
After only a few moments, Gabriel successfully managed to pin Dis below him in a very similar fashion she had had him.
"Ha!" He panted, sounding triumphant and smiling very smugly but feeling very satisfied.
"Alright, alright." Dis said through harsh broken breaths. "You got me."
She squirmed under him, fighting to free herself, but Gabriel held her firmly in place.
"What's my name again?" He breathed.
Dis rolled her eyes but she answered all the same in the same defeated tone "Fine, it's Gabriel. Can I get up now?"
Gabriel leaned in close to her then, but before he could say or do anything else, Blitz interrupted him.
"Alright now, break it up. I think you won, Gabe."
It startled Gabriel enough that he almost lost his footing in the slick mud, but he managed to regain his composure without making a fool of himself.
"Hear that, Dis" He chuckled "I won."
He stepped over Dis and turned to face Blitz, ignoring Dis's mumbled words.
Blitz barely looked at him before she succumbed to laughter so strong that it sent her to the ground.
Gabriel could only stand there and watch her roll around, feeling rather ridiculous. He looked down at himself and realized just how absurd he must look right now.
He glanced back at Dis, who had pulled herself from the mud and was now attempting to shake it off herself. It was quite an amusing sight actually and he found himself unable to restrain his own laughter.
When Blitz regained her composure, she had tears in her eyes, and looked jubilated.
"That's a good look for you Gabe." She choked, fighting off another fit of laughter and pointing her paw at his half soaked, half muddy fur.
Gabriel flashed a toothy smile at Blitz then nodded his head towards the other muddy dog.
"All thanks to Dis."
"Hay!" Dis growled, bounding over to them and surveying them both with a daring look.
"How about another go? Come on, you're up next Blitz!"
Blitz looked bemused by the suggestion and shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not interested in getting cold, wet, and filthy. You two can knock yourselves out."
"Or" Dis started, grinning and catching Gabriel's eyes long enough to see the same thoughts going through his head.
"Or what?" Blitz asked, sounding sarcastic but looking concerned all the same. She even took a few steps back when she saw them look at each other.
"Or, we could tackle you in" Gabriel finished, wearing the same grin as Dis.
"Fat chance!" Blitz chuckled nervously, backing up even farther from them. She was about to run from them, but Dis had already made her move and leaped at her.
Blitz let out a shriek as her muddy friend flew at her but somehow she managed to roll out of the way just in time. She didn't waste any time running then, yelling at them for being immature and stupid as she ran.
Gabriel and Dis were right behind her though. The chase had began, them laughing while Blitz cried out for them to stop.
It went on like this for several minutes until they were all completely exhausted and too out of breath to run any longer.
"You know, you guys suck. You really really suck." Blitz spoke, her chest rising and falling rapidly, sucking air between each word.
"That's why you love us." Dis said when she had the breath to do so. She would have been laughing if it weren't for the cramps she felt in her legs and sides.
Gabriel was experiencing the same discomforts and couldn't find his voice to say anything. His mouth opened and closed like he was trying to speak but no words came out.
As they looked at each other, feeling the strong bond between them that had united them, they all knew what Dis had said was true. Blitz did love them, and they her. It was one of those few moments in their lives that they really felt how close they had become and that they really believed they were going to be ok as long as they stuck together.
"I have an idea." Gabriel spoke up when the stitches in his sides no longer made speech painful.
"Let's make a promise. To each other, right here, right now."
Blitz and Dis looked at each other, utterly perplexed but they turned back to Gabriel to hear him out.
"What kind of promise?" Dis asked.
Gabriel met eyes with them both before speaking again. "A kind of pact. That we'll always be there for one another, to protect each other come whatever may."
Blitz and Dis didn't respond right away, but it wasn't as though they were hesitating, they were allowing the full gravity of the promise to sink in.
"Why?" Dis asked "We don't need to promise each other that. It goes without saying that we'd do that."
Gabriel looked as though he had expected this kind of reproach from Dis.
"There's power in promises Dis. If it goes without saying, then let's say it and make it real."
Neither Blitz of Dis had anything else to say about it, they both appeared rather impressed by what Gabriel had said.
"Okay." Blitz said after several moments of silence. She stood up as tall as she could and nodded her head, declaring in a fiercely resolute voice "I promise to you Gabriel and to you Dis, that nothing will ever tear us apart. "
Emboldened by her words, Gabriel stepped up into the same pose as Blitz and spoke with the same resolve in his voice "I promise to you Blitz, and to you Dis, I'll never let anything or anyone hurt you."
Dis wore the kind of grimace that looked like she found this whole thing to be on the side of absurdity, but she followed suite and stood tall with them "and I promise to you Blitz, and to you Gabriel, we're in this together for life."
Something happened next that was not easily described, it was an emotionally intense moment for all three of them. As strong as their friendship felt only moments ago, it was almost frightening how much more substantial the bond felt.
They all felt it blaze up inside them, inside their chests, inside their very hearts. In that moment, It became their very purpose and goal in life.
The three dogs embraced each other then, feeling completely at peace with the world and certain that nothing could touch them now.
Suddenly, there was an enormous crack of thunder that made their ears ring. The day had been cloudy, but not one of them had expected a storm. Certainly not the kind of storm that descended down on them then.
The sky opened up and rain began to fall so fiercely and heavily, within seconds it was coming down in sheets over them.
"Bath time." Dis laughed, even though the other two looked completely startled by the sudden downpour.
"Well, that's just good timing, isn't it?" Gabriel laughed once he got over his initial shock.
As Dis looked back at Gabriel, she watched how one side of his face was washed clean of the mud, but oddly the other side stayed just as muddy.
She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could get a word out, they died in her throat and turned into a scream.
Before her eyes, she watched Gabriel turn his head to one side and saw a trickle of blood drip down his neck that steadily grew into a tide of blood falling in thick crimson sheets.
She couldn't understand what was happening. Nothing appeared to have attacked him, but under her gaze, a deep gash appeared on him and cut its way all the way across his face.
She wanted to cry out to make it stop, but Gabriel appeared to be oblivious to what was happening to him. Concern grew in his eyes before one of them swelled shut.
She looked around desperately for Blitz, but realized horribly that she was nowhere in sight.
"Dis, what's wrong?" He asked, sounding afraid, but then his body dropped like a rock into the blood soaked ground.
Another crack of thunder exploded over her just as his body stopped moving.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Dis awoke abruptly, feeling her scream die in her throat and her heart banging frantically in her chest. It took her a few moments to figure out what had just happened to her. She looked around at her strangely familiar surroundings without knowing exactly where she was.
The panic and fear from her nightmare still gripped her, but she could only remember pieces and fragments of it and wasn't entirely sure anymore why she felt so afraid.
As her heaving breath steadily calmed, her thoughts became less sporadic and the tightness in her chest lifted.
What was that dream about?
She screwed up her face in concentration, trying to remember anything she could about it. A small flicker of longing came to her, like recalling a fond memory.
Something had changed though. . . was it a dream? Or was it a memory?
Try as she might to remember, the details of the dream were simply gone. All she knew was she had felt very happy and then suddenly very afraid.
Her thoughts were interrupted then by movement beside her. A leg kicked her weakly in the side, and for the second time that morning, she jumped.
Gasping, she opened her eyes and looked at the sleeping dog beside her.
The dark grey dog looked just as bad as he had the night before and a small groan escaped her as the events of the previous night came back to her.
He at least no longer felt so cold, and his shivering had stopped. His body, pressed between hers and Blitz's, curved slightly towards Blitz who was still asleep against him. They both looked to be having far more pleasant dreams than she had.
Looking at them, It was easy to think that nothing was wrong, but there were few things as far from the the truth as that was.
Gabriel was hurt badly, and even if it no longer appeared to be life threatening, he had lost a lot of blood and it was unlikely he would be up to much for a couple days at least.
Dis reflected for a moment on the brilliance of Blitz's idea to bring him here once it had dawned on her exactly where they were and why they were there. Whatever had happened to Gabriel, he was safe now. They always were when they were together, that's the way it had always been.
As the night replayed itself in Dis's mind, her sense of guilt began to weigh down on her again. She frowned at her injured friend, feeling like she was the worst kind of friend.
The only reason he still lived was only because of Blitz. She was the one who dragged Dis out of Nome to go searching for him.
All I did was complain, I would have let Gabriel die out there just because I was cold and tired. . .
Despite the strong sense of belonging she felt when they were together, she now felt like she shouldn't be there.
This life long bond they shared. . . had she broken it? The very thought instilled fear in her again.
Though she had never been claustrophobic, the walls began to close in around her and she couldn't bear to lay there any longer. The second she dug her claws into the dirt and pulled her body forward, everyone of her muscles screamed in protest.
It almost hurt bad enough to make her cry out, but she clenched her jaw and fought through the pain until she made it out into the open.
Her body shuddered under the warm sunlight that fell on her when she pushed her way through the branches that concealed them.
Immediately, the sense of entrapment dissipated from her as fresh air filled her lungs. It helped to calm her thoughts, but it did nothing to make her feel any less guilty about the previous night.
Though the muscles in her limbs were a medley of throbs and aches, she felt like it was deserved. She just couldn't come to terms with the fact that, had it been Blitz following her instead of the other way around, Dis would have allowed Gabriel to die. Whether or not she could have ever known that didn't matter to her.
She just kept seeing herself trying to convince Blitz that she was being stupid and complaining about her paws hurting, meanwhile Gabriel was all alone, freezing and bleeding.
Brooding and sitting there was something she could stand only so much of. Only minutes passed before she had to do something about the emotions battling within her. Part of her couldn't allow herself to abandon her sleeping friends, but all logic told her they were as safe as they could possibly be. Another part of her was remembering something she had all but forgotten about.
Gabriel's trail. . . It had went in two different directions, it had even crossed the river! If there was a reason to do something like that, it was to hide something. . . but what?
Dis wanted to know what Gabriel felt the need to hide from them, but more than that, she wanted to know what had hurt him. Were the two things possibly one and the same?
Once she had asked herself the question, she had to know. At the time, she had had no idea what was going on, but now that she thought back on it all, she couldn't help but wonder what exactly could Gabriel have been up to that he felt the need to try and hide from them. Could he really have believed it was something they would have rejected him for?
Life without Gabriel was as foreign and scary as life without Blitz; she couldn't imagine it.
Thoughts of her friends filled her mind as her paws retraced their steps from the previous night. Curiosity had her well within its grip, and even if there was danger she was walking towards, she had to know what had happened.
Dis did her best to not look at the trail of blood Gabriel had left, but it was a difficult thing to do with how much of it there was. Seeing it again only made it all feel much more real and only enforced her feelings that every ache and hurt in her legs was well deserved pain. This was nothing, she could take it, even if it did slow her down and make her feel much weaker.
Despite her paws protests, she didn't stop walking until she had reached the river they had crossed and found Gabriel beside. By then, her thirst made her pause long enough for a few gulps of icy cold water.
By then, she was a dog possessed by purpose and didn't linger longer than she had to. If it weren't for her stiff and weak paws, she would have been running as fast as she could.
He attacked Blitz last night. . .
The thought popped into her head rather suddenly, like it was something she had only just remembered. It came back to her as vivid as her dreams and she could see it in her mind's eye as lucid as if she were seeing it happen again before her eyes.
The only way she could describe the way Gabriel had looked in that moment was that he simply was not Gabriel.
With every bit of speed she was capable of, she had tackled him off Blitz, but there had been a moment after she had pinned him where their eyes had met and she couldn't recognize who she was looking at.
Maybe the reason that had frightened her so much was because of the unbearable sense that he had been taken from them. She had fully felt helpless until everything about him changed back to the dog she knew.
Gabriel's tough. . . he'll be ok, I know he will. . . I don't know why I'm worrying about him so much.
Dis had finally reached the point where she and Blitz had crossed the river and it was here that they had picked up his scent again. Though Blitz had keener senses than hers, hers were still sharp enough to notice something Blitz had overlooked.
Now that she was here in the daylight, she noticed there were two sets of tracks. They both looked to be made by the same paws. One set went upstream, and the other went downstream. Whatever had happened to Gabriel, it had happened further downstream of the river and he had come back the same way he went.
She looked ahead and saw that the blood trail did indeed continue further on along with the tracks, so she kept going. Wondering the whole time what kind of trouble she was getting herself into. Whatever had almost killed Gabriel, she was walking right toward it.
Somehow, that didn't scare her. What she felt growing in her with every step wasn't even close to fear or nerves. It was determination and anger.
"We're in this together, Gabriel. For life. "
Fueled and emboldened by compassion, her legs no longer felt slow and heavy. They no longer hurt her with every step either. In fact, they became more and more effortless to move the longer she went on.
It dawned on her that she was making the same walk Gabriel had, and just like it had been for him, it was a long one. It said a lot to her about his resiliency for him to still be alive.
To be in such pain, almost frozen from the cold, bleeding in solitude and completely and hopelessly isolated from everyone. Dis wondered if Gabriel had actually tried to die, but that made no sense to her.
Why would he intentionally try to break the promise they had made to each other so long ago? After all, it had been his idea and through some strange and pure energy that passed between them, they had all experienced a change that words had never been able to describe.
Ever since then, the idea of going anywhere or doing anything without each other had seemed ridiculous. Even if that was what she was doing now.
As the time passed, they all grew in their own right, but they also grew closer. If what they shared back then couldn't be described as love, it definitely was now. There was honest fear bubbling inside her that Gabriel could possibly slip away from her and Blitz. Even if it wasn't in body, if it was just his mind that broke.
Dis's steps came to a stop just then. She only just noticed the absence of the sound of the river. It had curved away from her as she continued walking forward.
Her mind had carried her far and away, just as her paws carried her forward through the trees and snow.
Gabriel's scent was still strong, but now there was another scent mingling with it.
A foreign scent she did not recognize; an entirely different smell altogether. This one was wild.
"A wolf?" Dis questioned, leaning her head down and sniffing the ground. It was another male's scent, but not one she was familiar with. Since wolves never came close to Nome, she had never met one, but this was much farther away from home than they had ever explored. She became aware then, of just how far she had wandered from where Blitz and Gabriel were sleeping and just how far away home was.
At a guess, she figured she had followed the tracks for close to a mile now.
"What were you doing all the way out here Gabriel?" She asked, knowing he wouldn't be able to answer her. Part of her just wanted to know he was going to be okay, part of her hoped Blitz would be able to get some answers from him by time she made it back.
If I make it back. . .
The thought barely had time to go through her head before her ears caught the faint sound of voices. They stood up on top of her head as she strained her hearing to catch what they were saying.
Somehow, hearing others nearby had a way of rooting her to the spot. She couldn't have moved a muscle even if she had wanted to for fear of them hearing her. Her paws found purchase on the rocky hills she now stood on, and everything locked up.
Whatever had brought Gabriel out this far, it was just a little farther ahead, at the top of the hill. Whoever had hurt him, it had happened here. She couldn't have said how she knew that, but there wasn't a trace of doubt in her about it. She simply knew and even felt certain that one of the voices she was hearing belonged to the one who had almost killed Gabriel.
"Must you leave already? But It's still so early."
It was a female voice, sounding almost like a whine. Dis leaned forward, willing the voices to speak louder.
"You know I can't stay. You shouldn't either."
This voice was male, deep and didn't at all share the affectionate tone the female had spoken with. Compared to hers, his voice sounded practically annoyed, but in a reluctant sort of way that made it feel like he was forcing himself to do something he didn't want to.
"What's the rush? Come on, relax. Stay just a little longer?" Her voice sounded almost desperate.
For a moment that felt like ten, the male voice didn't say anything. Dis heard him grunt, but no sounds of movement. She wanted to move closer so she could hear better, but it was like her paws were fused with the frozen ground. She simply could not move them.
"Nikki, you know I can't linger here." The male said finally, his tone completely different now. He wasn't even trying to hide the defeat in his voice now.
Nikki?
The name didn't mean anything to Dis, but it meant something to have the name of someone who was at least involved with what happened to Gabriel. She seriously doubted this female could have actually been the one who hurt him, but that didn't make her innocent.
As strong as she was herself, Gabriel had always managed to hold his own when they had wrestled. Pinning her just as often as she pinned him.
"I know that, Dart. Just a little longer is all I'm asking."
Dart. . .
Dis felt certain this was the brute she had been looking for. She could still smell that odd wild scent in the air, but it was much more concentrated here. Almost overwhelming her nose. Though she did not know exactly what it was, something in her told her that it was not good. That it was a warning she should heed and get far away from.
She ignored it though, her need for answers was too great to just run away.
It's so strange. . . It almost smells like Blitz and Gabriel, but it's different. So similar and so different at the same time. . . what does it mean?
Her brain buzzed with questions at such a dizzying speed it would have been a blessing to turn her thoughts off, but she couldn't do it. She was far too inquisitive by nature to let a question go unanswered. If she did, it nagged at her constantly. It was almost enough to drive her mad.
What did Gabriel, Blitz, and this stranger named Dart have in common? It was their smell, but that didn't exactly answer her question. She needed a real answer, something that would put the question to rest in her mind.
"We're not leaving yet." Dart said, sounding more tense, pulling Dis out of her thoughts again.
"It appears that Slyth is having difficulties of his own. He has yet to find her."
Dis's heart practically skipped a beat in her chest. She was tingling with anticipation, her curiosity mounting ever higher.
Slyth? Who is he and who is he looking for?
As if she could hear Dis's thoughts, Nikki gave voice to that very question.
"Who is she anyway?"
Dart snorted, half amused and half agitated.
"Who she is isn't exactly important, but she is someone I need taken care of."
There was an uneasy edge to his words that made a shudder, which had nothing to do with the cold, ripple through Dis's body.
"I assume by taken care of, you mean the same way as Slyth." Nikki spoke with the same edge to her words, like planning the death of others was a perfectly normal thing to discuss.
"Of course. I stand to lose a great deal if either of them make it to Heaven."
His voice continued to sharpen, but Dis was confused by what he had just said. She was certain she had misheard Dart because it flatly made no sense.
Partially not wanting to do it, yet unable to help herself, Dis crouched down low to the ground and crept closer. Just a step at first, then another, and then another.
That smell, so thick and so earthly, it grew ever more pungent in her nose. Though there were only two voices, she could smell at least two more.
Why, why, why! Why is Gabriel a part of this? How? How is he mixed up with this Slyth character or this female they are looking for?
Her jaw clenched, pressing her teeth together tightly, trying to process it all.
"Heaven?" Nikki's voice almost seemed to echo in Dis's mind as if she were far far away, down some infinitely long tunnel that they were on opposite ends of, despite her slow and silent approach.
Something horrible was filling her and she couldn't say whether she was going to snap or be sick, maybe both.
A sigh escaped Dart. A rough and defeated kind of thing at first, but then he seemed to gather himself.
"Another time Nikki." He said it so pointedly that there could be no arguing with him.
Dis got the feeling that he had not meant to say anything at all about this Heaven, whatever it was.
Nikki made no attempts to press him either. Clearly, she had gotten the same message as Dis. For several long moments, their conversation paused. Leaving Dis to stand there, doing everything in her power to not make a sound. It was a ridiculous thought, but she was strangely certain that if she so much as dared to move or breathe or blink, they would hear her.
While she wasn't exactly fearful of that, it would spoil this golden opportunity to find out some information on exactly what the hell was going on.
So far, she hadn't learned anything real concrete. More questions were rising in her head, but her gut was filling in a lot of the blanks. A very vague picture had begun to form in her mind, but it was still unclear, like she were looking at it through a very heavy fog. A thick white cloud which she could almost see through, but also could not.
Silhouettes were all she had in her mind's eye. One female, one male, a dark shape that had no discernable shape or size, and Gabriel. The fog had a uncomfortable red tint to it. Blood red, and screaming of danger. . . and death.
Gabriel was the only one among them that was even remotely recognizable, and even still he only just barely resembled the dog she and Blitz had grown up with.
She could see the three dark figures standing around him. He lay limply on the ground in a dark red puddle, completely motionless, his eyes horribly empty.
It was enough to make her want to scream and if she wasn't so hellbent on staying silent, she may very well have. Even though it was a dumb and foolish idea, it was still a tempting idea. Her throat rumbled silently then.
"What do you think happened to Gabriel?" Nikki asked, finally breaking the silence. She sounded only mildly concerned, like she was only trying to keep Dart talking. As if she thought he wouldn't leave as long as she kept him talking.
At the mention of his name, Dis's ear twitched.
Finally. . . this is it.
Dart actually started laughing.
The deep rumbling chortles rang offensively in Dis's ears. Her anger rose ever higher as he continued to laugh. She decided right then and there, she was going to make this guy pay dearly. To do what he had done to Gabriel and laugh about it could only mean there was no remorse in him. Somehow in his mind, Gabriel had deserved what happened to him, and that made her anger intensify that much more.
"Oh there's no telling where that brainless wonder wandered off to die. It makes no difference, he did his part and now that that part is done, I have no more need of him."
Nothing could have further stoked the fire that was Dis's fury. Her paws trembled, her sharp white teeth bared, the golden hue in her eyes now a more orange tint.
She was almost beyond sense. The idea of charging in and attacking while their guard was down crossed her mind. The only thing that stopped her was the invisible force that still had her locked firmly in place.
All she could do was force herself to breathe and to try and calm down.
Listening to the pull and release of her own breath, hearing her own wild heartbeat in her chest, her mind turned to the other side of what Dart had just said.
His part is done? His part in what?
While she struggled to figure out how Gabriel was mixed up with these two, the conversation went on.
"Do you think you went a little too far?" Nikki pressed for further details.
Dart didn't say anything, but his laughter had dwindled away into nothing.
"You weren't wrong to hit him, but did you really mean to blind him?" Now she sounded almost timid. Wanting to hear the answers, but also not wanting to be the one to ask the questions.
There was a dismissal sort of snort, then Dart answered bluntly.
"Yes, if he hadn't managed to do what he did, he would be short an eye."
He paused, took a few breaths, then continued.
"I might have cut him deeper than I intended, but it's no matter. At least he managed to impress me once before he died."
In the next few moments following Dart's words, Dis felt certain her self control was going to fail her.
She was now hunched forward, prepared to pounce and strike, feeling her heartbeat thunder so hard against her chest that it felt like she was about to choke.
Hot, angry tears filled and blurred her vision. Standing here and listening to these two discuss murdering her friend was tearing her up inside. Anger no longer described what she was feeling. That had certainly been the right word, but it had continued to build and build and now, it was beyond words.
"So, you're absolutely certain that he's dead?" Nikki asked, still timidly.
"Oh yes, Nikki. That dog is lying in the snow somewhere right now, either dead or dying. It's not a question of if he's dead, it's a question of when. . ."
The finality of his words truly brought everything into focus for Dis. The full reality of what could have been smacking her hard in the face.
This would have been the outcome of her decision to stay home.
The only one who changed it, the only one who was even aware of what was happening, was Blitz. Maybe she wasn't fully aware of everything, but she had known there was something wrong and that was enough to make all the difference.
If he believes Gabriel is dead, at least he's safe now.
An image of him and Blitz still curled up and asleep flashed through her mind, and she felt a deep seeded need to get back to them. Some strange kind of force which almost pulled her toward them.
Not yet. . .
She still hadn't found out everything she wanted and she wasn't willing to leave until they did, or she got her answers.
She had the who, the how, the when, and the where. What still nagged at her, was the question Blitz was always the first one to ask.
Why. . .
Why indeed was the question that never had a suitable answer, only another question. Another Why. Why was Gabriel so far from home and so near death? Why was he mixed up with riff-raff like this? Why were they here? Why, why, why. . .
"Of course, he brought it on himself. He can only blame himself for what happened." Nikki breathed.
"You think so, Nikki? Would it be unfair to say that you are at least partially to blame for what happened?" Dart's voice was just as blunt as earlier, but it didn't carry any of its usual sinister tone.
Nikki was the one who laughed this time.
"That would be a fair thing to say, my love, but I will have to disagree with you about that."
"Oh yea? Explain it then." His voice practically boomed with sharp amusement.
"Well. . ." Nikki began, " How am I to blame for him not knowing how to hold his tongue?"
"Come on, Nikki. You don't honestly think I killed him because of that." Dart sounded even more amused by this, like this was their way of having fun.
"It wasn't?" Genuine surprise made itself heard in Nikki's voice for the first time.
"Nope. Want to try again?"
Dis's claws dug deeply into the ground. Her nerves couldn't stand listening to this kind of nonsense much longer. What she needed to know was almost in her grasp, all she had to do was wait, listen, and be quiet.
She was also struggling against the urge to be sick.
"You killed him because of. . . my mistake?" Nikki asked, sounding rather sheepish and uncertain.
Dart obviously didn't care to make her guess anymore. "Nikki, I made an example out of the moron. Best use I've ever had out of him. A rather proud ending for him if you ask me."
"Proud?" Nikki chuckled. "Is that how you want to die Dart? Alone in the snow and bleeding to death?"
"How I die is of no concern to me. I'm not dying anytime soon, so don't you worry about that." He spoke very plainly and there wasn't the faintest hint of doubt in his voice about it either.
"Okay, so Gabriel died because Slyth is still alive?" Nikki asked, moving swiftly away from the subject of Dart's death.
That name again. . . Who is this guy?
Whoever he was, he was in danger. Him, and this other female they were searching for. That much was clear to Dis, but she was certain the name Slyth was one she had never heard before.
She had to ignore the insults about Gabriel now, if she didn't, she would have certainly lost it and that was something she couldn't let herself do. Not now, not when the answer she needed was so close.
Bite your tongue Dis. Bite it, and don't you dare make a move!
"Exactly." Dart said triumphantly. "I had to pick someone. Poor pathetic Gabriel picked himself when he opened his mouth."
Nikki sounded much different when she spoke again. All of her previous amusement gone, instead she sounded rather defeated.
"So, maybe I do share some of the blame then."
"Why don't you tell me, how did you come to that conclusion? Spell it out for me. Beginning to end, I want to hear it from you." Dart didn't sound unkind, but his tone was much more serious.
Nikki sounded a bit caught off guard by the request, but she answered without hesitation all the same.
"It went exactly the way it was supposed to for Gabriel and Storm. I was responsible for getting Slyth where we needed him, which I did. But I got the wrong dog. . . Right place, right time. . . wrong dog."
Dis continued taking shaky breath after shaky breath, both quick and sharp. Feeling a lump in her stomach grow more and more uncomfortable as Nikki spoke.
Dart regarded her with the same unwavering somber tone.
"You got the wrong dog. How exactly does something like that happen, Nikki?"
"He looked just like Slyth." Nikki sounded so matter-of-fact about it.
Dis could almost visually see her shrugging as she said it.
"That's all I can say about it. I was certain that was Slyth. He even had that wolfish scent I love so much about you." Nikki went on.
Wolfish? What does she mean by that?
"Spare me the details of how you got him out so late." Dart said plainly.
"Oh, you'd be surprised by how easily he came." Nikki laughed.
"Followed me like a lost little puppy. . . It feels kind of weird talking about him now that he's gone."
Dart didn't say anything at first. There was a short pause, broken only by his grunt, before he spoke.
"Well, unfortunately the one I needed gone is still here, so we still have a bit of a problem to deal with, and not a lot of time to deal with it."
"How much time do you think we have? Nikki asked, sounding bewildered.
"That all depends on Slyth" Dart started.
"Either he finds her and we have completely failed, or we stop that from happening. That's what I'm counting on you for. Can you do that, Nikki?"
"Anything for you, my love." Nikki's voice swelled with deep affection, like Dart had given her some kind of compliment only she could understand.
"What about this girl Slyth is searching for. . . do you think you can find her before he does?"
There was another pause before Dart spoke, as if he were thinking the question over.
"Yes, of course I could. It's best if we deal with Slyth first though. Once he's out of the picture, I'll find her myself."
"You sound pretty confident about it. If Slyth can't track her, how do you plan to?" Nikki pressed, still sounding delighted.
"Oh, Nikki." Dart laughed "That's precisely what I was sent here to do. I'm Slyth's replacement."
It was becoming more and more clear to Dis as they talked that something big was going on. Whatever this was, someone was already dead because of it. This dog, whoever he was, had been killed when he was mistaken for Slyth.
These two, Nikki and Dart, they were planning another attempt to kill him.
What was that other name they mentioned? Storm?
How he fit into all of this was just another question in her mind. This female they were searching for, whoever she was, she was in just as much danger as Slyth.
Whatever Dart meant by being his replacement, Dis was certain it wouldn't be good news for anyone. It had already spelled trouble for Gabriel.
Gabriel. . .
Her mind struggled to cope with the idea that Gabriel had been involved in anyway with these two. It felt like a poison infecting her mind because it simply made no sense to her. Whatever his involvement, Dart had made him a scapegoat, and that was another insult she couldn't swallow.
Nikki started to say something, but Dart cut her off before she could get it out.
"The day is getting on, Nikki."
Dis couldn't tell what Dart did next, but a low purr sort of sound came from Nikki as he did it.
"Oh." She said, sounding pleasantly surprised.
In the moments of silence that followed, Dis felt certain that this was her opportunity to move without being heard.
If they were about to leave - which it sounded like Dart was about to - they would certainly see her crouched here, only a dozen or so steps away from them. If that happened, she was sure she would end up as bad as Gabriel.
As tempting as it was to strike now while they were unguarded and distracted, taking them both on alone would have been a foolish idea.
No, I need to get back to Blitz and Gabriel. . .
Sensing danger, feeling an immediate need to get back, Dis decided now was the time to retreat.
Carefully and slowly, she backed up step by step, making sure not to give herself away by making the slightest noise they might hear.
Whatever they were doing, it was enough to keep their attention as she retreated.
Even so, Dis couldn't take her eyes off that spot, right where the hill crested, right where she almost expected to see a face appear.
With each step, that urgency in her grew stronger and stronger. So strong, she felt certain something bad was going to happen if she didn't get back soon.
Exactly what was going to happen, she couldn't say. They were well hidden after all, nothing should be able to happen to them there. She couldn't have even said how she knew this or why she felt it wouldn't happen if she were there.
Her emotions were on the brink of their endurance. Perhaps she was just losing it, but that didn't seem like it. Close, maybe, but not exactly. She felt very lucid for someone who was about to crack if that was the case.
No, what it really felt like, was almost regret. So many things about what she had done and how terrible they were had begun to really dawn on her. Things she had known were bad ideas, yet she still did them anyway.
The whole time she had walked here and the whole time she had spent eavesdropping, something had been warning her, but she had found it so easy to ignore at the time. Now, however. . .
Now she was acutely aware of how foolish she had been to come here, to leave her friends behind, to put herself in such a vulnerable position.
Her voice of reason had always been Blitz, but Blitz couldn't help her now.
Answers was what she wanted. . . answers was what she got. But now she had no idea what to do with the information.
How could Gabriel have anything to do with this crazy plot going on around them. She wasn't a part of it, but she had stuck her nose in it all the same. Was that how Gabriel got involved?
It definitely sounded better than the alternative.
Now that the time had come to leave, she found herself chastising herself for ever coming in the first place.
What a dumb idea. . . I should have never left. I should have stayed put. That's where I should be right now, that's where they need me. . .
Her thoughts were cut off just then when she took another slow step back, and felt herself bump into something behind her.
"Well, well, well. What's a pretty girl like you doing out here all by yourself?"
Dis turned around and saw, in a moment of hear-stopping terror, that it wasn't something she had backed into, it was someone. Someone she didn't recognize who had an oddly satisfied look fixed on her.
There was something violating about the way he was looking at her. It made her feel sick to her stomach. Immediately, she knew the danger she was in had just become much much more real.
Panic began to well up in her, filling her till she could hardly think. She had been so focused on staying silent that it hadn't even occurred to her that someone else could have snuck up behind her as well.
Run!
Only there was no place to run. She was trapped.
Before she could move, before she could do anything at all, the male held up one paw and flashed four horribly sharp claws at her.
"Why don't you climb back up that hill and introduce yourself. It's only good manners. . ."
At the same time, she could hear scuffling from behind her and she knew that they had been heard. She was caught, and she had no idea what to do.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
First thing's first. Let me apologize for being inconsistent with my updates. I really do work hard on each chapter of this story until I feel like it's post-worthy.
So, how'd you like a solo Dis chapter? I certainly loved writing it, and exploring the relationship between Nikki and Dart is fun. Definitely a fun couple to play with, but there's going to be plenty more of that in later chapters.
Anyway, this chapter could have ended a couple ways, and I debated for a few days which way to close it. I was truly hesitant to end it the way I did, but once I wrote it, it was a clear decision which ending fit best here.
At over 8k words, this was the longest chapter by far, so I hope you enjoyed reading it!
I'm eager to hear what you think while I get busy on writing Chapter Six.