Chapter 15
The Reckoning

Pain.

For a few hellish seconds, it was all his delirious brain could register. The craziest part of it was that there really were no words to describe it, none that he knew of anyway. Kodi lay in the slowly reddening snow, barely conscious, his vision swimming in and out of focus like a badly put together camera…and the colors…they kept changed. First gray, now black, then full color, then back to gray and now…color, finally. He blinked. It took an effort. He stared up at the leering faces of his torturers, seeing past them to lock eyes with his beloved, thinking; 'you monsters, oh you sick monsters, what've you done to her!? What've you done?!?'…Because all he could make out with his spotty vision was a dog-shaped purple blotch that wouldn't stay constant.

In actuality, it really was something of a miracle he was even conscious at all – with both his legs broken on top of all they'd subjected him to before now, he should've fallen prisoner to shock at least ten minutes ago. But, as his team would've attested to, he was not lead dog for nothing…and he and pain were more than casual acquaintances. He lay in the now bloody snow and tried to remember a moment when he'd felt this horrible and couldn't. The closest he could come to comparison had happened many years ago, back when he had first decided he'd wanted to join the mail team. He'd been training of course – how could he expect to have a chance of making it into the ranks of Nome's most respected circle of canines without some kind of one-up on the competition – and he'd pushed himself too far, too fast, pulling muscles in both his back legs (and, he suspected, one in his back as well.) This was like that, only about a thousand…no, make that a billion times worse.

And he was tired…so very tired. He could feel the pull of unconsciousness, sensed in some instinctive way that it would be the best, the only way to escape this agony, this Hell that had been thrust upon him…but he wouldn't. Not quite yet anyway, for something else, some minute strain of wolfish blood that had never affected him before took hold now, urging him to fight it, to look for some opening…because there would be one. All he had to do was wait…and watch….

So he waited, his legs and head throbbing in pain…and suddenly, Pride's paw was before him. Right there, not half an inch from his twitching nose. It was what he had been waiting so diligently for…something too good to pass up. It wouldn't pay for a tenth nor even a hundredth of what these mongrels had done to him or his mate…but it was all he could do. So, with his last bit of strength, Kodi lifted his head, opened his mouth and sank his razor sharp teeth into Pride's left hind-paw, a taste like copper flooding his mouth an nose. The mutt let loose a cry of agony that was, under the circumstances, like music to Kodi's swollen ears…but there was one thing missing and, what do you know – it seemed he had a little more energy left than he thought, enough at least to give his head a vicious twist, listening to the crunch of bone with a sort of savage primal joy before Forest delivered one last blow to his head and he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep…. But not before he heard someone – sounded like his father – calling his name…..

((()-()))

Of the three of them, Sabbath was the only one who could've claimed to have really had time to react to what happened. It had just happened to darn fast…but then again, that was the way things of this nature always did; quick and never clean.

He hovered over Dusty, listening with glee to her sobs of desperation, savoring the moment when he would turn those sobs into shrieks. He licked his lips, sucking back a long ropey strand of drool and prepared himself…when the wind abruptly shifted. It wasn't much, just the barest change in degree…but it was enough and suddenly he could smell them, smell him – the one called Kavik, the huge monster whose battle prowess had given them reason to tremble like pups in the snow before him. Swearing he turned, meaning to warn the other two of the impending ambush…but before he could get so much as a single word out, Lover-Boy had broken Pride's paw in what looked to be three or four places and the brute's almost womanish shriek of agony drowned out whatever he intended to say.

Another roar, this one much louder, exploded from directly behind and slightly above him. Thought was out of the question; he merely reacted, half-turning and half-rolling out from under the huge snarling white thing that came rocketing out of the grass. He had a split-second's vision of a vast furry body, a huge mouth bristling with fangs easily an inch and a half long as Kavik landed in the center of the clearing and barreled forward, striking Forest squarely in the chest with his massive head, bowling him over.

Growling curse after curse, Sabbath turned, springing for Dusty, planning to at least finish off his work. If he couldn't have her, then at least he'd get what satisfaction he could from her death! He raised a deadly paw…and from the corner of his eye, saw a flicker of movement from the still swaying grass. Again, only the Samoyed's lightening quick reflexes saved him as Lover-Boy's father, Mr. Town Hero came bounding into the clearing with a snarl of built up rage, his jaws closing with an audible snap over the air where Sabbath's left foreleg had been only a moment before. Furious at being denied even his simplest pleasure, he flitted backwards, out of the way of Balto's furiously snapping jaws, his own lips writhing back to expose his smaller, but much sharper teeth.

Stooping low to the ground, they circled each other, Dusty between them, hackles raised, bristling with anger, each waiting for the other to make the first mistake and pay for it with his life. Finally, Balto sprang, intending to bowl the slightly smaller dog over and go for his soft underbelly, but Sabbath was crafty. Quickly, he moved to put Dusty's broken form between them, forcing the other to pull up for fear of further injuring her. It wasn't much of an opening, but it was all Sabbath needed. Launching himself forward, he struck out, lashing the other's mud-spattered face with his paw, leaving bloody furrows on his enemy's muzzle. Balto stumbled backward and Sabbath, knowing he had to keep the upper hand if he was to have even a chance of survival against him, pushed his advance, making as if to seize Balto's foreleg and then striking his side with full force, knocking him over. Grinning fiendishly, the Samoyed leapt, jaws agape, only to have Balto deliver a stunning kick to his exposed chest with one abnormally large paw.

Stunned, the wind temporarily knocked from his lungs, Sabbath fixed him with a burning look from his honey-colored eyes. The wolf/dog was on him like a beast as the two of them rose, circled, then came together over Dusty's prone form, both of them rising up on their hind legs. Fangs flashed and claws scarred as the two combatants flailed at one another, Balto's advantage of greater weight hampered by the fact that he didn't wish to fall forward and risk further injuring Dusty. Desperate, knowing he could not last much longer in such a fight, Sabbath looked for any opening, but there was none to be seen. His foe was all teeth and claws and bone, refusing to expose his throat to him. With a mighty heave, Balto struck, his claws gouging the other's face, laying it open to the bone. Blinded by the sudden loss of his right eye, Sabbath let out a scream of pain and stumbled backward…and that was when the Gray Bitch made her move.

Had he been given time to consider it, Sabbath would've said his greatest mistake throughout this whole bloody affair would've been his dealing with Dusty. He had simply not paid her enough attention, hadn't administered near enough pain to keep her docile and compliant to his whim…and now he was paying the price. Far from being incapacitated to the point of shock, the iron-willed canine fought through the haze of pain as Sabbath stumbled near her and, summoning the last of her strength as Kodi had done not five minutes before, sank her teeth into her tormentor's leg. Not having the energy to shatter the limb as Kodi had done, she settled for giving it a quick twist, distracting the Samoyed long enough for Balto to bring him down. Half-blinded, cut in a dozen places and facing a sudden explosion of pain in his leg that was impossible to ignore, the Samoyed finally felt Balto's teeth sink into his forleg, the bone snapping between his steel jaws a split second after Dusty's own counterattack hit home.

It was too much. Sabbath let out a placatory yelp as his adversary finally pushed him to the ground, pinning him on his back in the mud with one massive paw. Sabbath struggled weakly, his breathing ragged as he did his best to suck in what he knew to be his final breaths. He starred up at the face of the hateful enemy who had spoiled his one good aspect. Where there had once been shiny fur and golden eyes that drove women wild, there was blood and dirt, not to mention one less eye. Yet he grinned savagely, in spite of the pain raging through his system. He had to say this…had to….

((()-()))

"…C…Cowards…"

It came out in little more than a whisper, but Balto heard it plainly enough, and it made him angry all over again. This…this thing that didn't even look like a dog anymore so much as something out of a nightmare had the nerve to insult him – and after what he'd done…!

Leaning down, moving his paw a bit to allow the wretch to have his last say, Balto stuck his nose close to Sabbath's, growling out from between clenched and bloodied teeth. "What was that?"

The Samoyed struggled – the words were costing him everything Balto could tell, but for the first time in a long while, he felt no pity. Only disgust. "…Bunch…of cowards….taking us…while we've got…our…our backs turned…."

Fighting to control his rising temper, the wolf/dog's eyes narrowed dangerously as he increased the pressure one Sabbath's chest. "…And what about the bunch of dogs who'd sneak up behind a defenseless female and try to violate her, huh? Who'd thrash her to within an inch of her life…only to come back and do it again?"

Sabbath's sick grin shone up at him, his remaining eye shining wetly as he let out a weakened old man's whisper of a laugh from his bloody mouth. "I….I d-did…what I h-had to…." Another of those sick laughs. "…D…do it…again…if I…had the ch-chance…."

"I'll bet you would, you bastard." Balto snarled.

Sabbath laughed into his face…and after that final blast of pain subsided and the darkness came, he embraced it with open paws, never knowing what horrors the afterlife held in store for him.

((()-()))

Nova snarled, his eyes burning from his bloodied face. Around him, Kirby and Ralph were doing their best to keep up, the three of them circling Pride continuously, ignoring their aching bodies and open, dripping wounds, determined to see this through to the end. In the middle of their small circle, Pride stood, hackles raised, looking desperate and just as tired as they were. Bleeding from half a dozen different wounds and limping around on a useless leg, the Husky mutt was still a force to be reckoned with, even with all three canines doing their best to bring him down. Lips writhing back from his once-white teeth, Nova faked a right, then a left, before charging his foe directly.

The beast did his best to follow him, but he was at a fatal disadvantage. With only three paws left to steady himself and three attackers to contend with, it's safe to say Pride knew what would eventually happen but, like Sabbath, he just couldn't conceive of surrender. No, he was a fighter till the end, and so what? Would Nova really have preferred it any other way than this? Would Kirby or Ralph for that matter? True, they were not hardened warriors or psychopathic killers, but they knew the difference between taking a life when it was defended or doing the same to a dog who had asked for quarter. Because even if he had asked for forgiveness, even if he had given himself up the moment they appeared, it would've been no different; death was the only suitable punishment for a repeated offense such as his.

Pride intuitively knew this, and so he had chosen to stand his ground and fight and die on his feet rather than on his belly. Dodging Nova, he tried vainly to catch him under the jaw with his paw as he passed…only to have Kirby leap from behind, ripping into his unprotected back with claws as well as fangs. The brute spun, trying to throw him off, but in so doing forgot about his mangled paw. When he put his weight on, Nova saw his face seize up in a mask of pain and he knew there would never be another opportunity like the one before them. Praying Kirby could hold on and keep him distracted for just a bit longer, he turned, rushing his prey from one side while Ralph came at him from the other. The four collided in a mass of fur and teeth and claws. Kirby was nearly crushed when he lost his purchase as Ralph bowled Pride over onto his side. Nova struck like a snake, the blood pounding in his ears as he hit the monster again and again and again, but the stubborn sonuvagun just wouldn't expose himself.

Desperation fueled a fire in Pride's raging body and he kicked out, landing a blow to Ralph's face with his one working back leg more out of mere luck rather than skill. This dealt with, Nova jumped back as the Husky turned, snapping at him with foamy jaws, trying to drive him far enough away so he could deal with Kirby, who was still attacking his back with savage fury. Finally, Nova saw him snap. Twisting his head, Pride snapped at Kirby, catching him by the ear as he tried to flit out of harm's way. The tan Husky yowled in pain, and struck back, catching Pride across the face with a paw. Then it happened – Pride finally lifted his head a bit too much and exposed his throat.

Nova needed no second beckoning; he had been waiting for this moment, more, praying for it. He rushed in, his heart pounding, fast as he legs could carry him. Pride saw him coming and released Kirby's ear in favor of blocking himself…but Kirby would have none of it. Neither, it turned out, would Ralph, as they both abruptly seized the struggling canine in their jaws, Kirby by one ear as Ralph rushed in to push him over onto his back. Pride tried to turn, but by then it was too late; Nova struck for the throat and held, his teeth locking like a vise until the larger canine went completely limp. Then and only then did he release his hold and pad away on legs that shook with each step.

He sat on his butt abruptly, his tongue lolling from his mouth like a slab of meat as he tried to catch his breath.

"You guys…okay?" They all turned. Balto was moving shakily toward them, looking a little roughed up with a few cuts, but nothing that wouldn't heal in a week or so.

Nova nodded, his lips twisting into a hopeless sort of smile. "…Yeah…I guess…." He turned to Kirby. "How's…your ear?"

Kirby did his best to grin. He looked as exhausted as Nova himself felt. A good chunck of his left ear was missing and there were two or three nasty looking claw marks on his back. "…I'll live." He said at last. Amazingly, he chuckled. "At least…this make…for a good story back in Nome."

Smiling tiredly, he turned at last to the last member of his little three-dog army. "Ralph?"

The Husky nodded. He had an ugly gouge along one flank that probably went clean to the bone, but other than that there was nothing else wrong with him, at least as far as Nova could see. "I'm…just fine," he said, still a little winded. He jerked his head to the left, indicating Pride's limp form. "…He's not."

"…N…Nova…?" The head of the dog in question whipped around, his pain forgotten at the sound of his sister's call. Summoning what dregs of strength he had left, he limped over to where Dusty lay, dropping onto his belly beside her.

"Hiya sis'…" he said, doing his best to fight back the tears that wanted to come streaming down his face as he got a good look at her. It was a good thing they'd gotten here when they had, and not a second too soon; Sabbath had shown her no mercy. Old wounds had reopened along her back and sides and her face looked puffy, as though she'd been struck repeatedly by an unforgiving paw – which Nova had no trouble conceiving. She looked up at him and he saw those blue eyes of hers, usually so bright and clear, were now dull, giving her a dazed sort of look. He licked her cheek and she smiled – a weak twitch of the lips – before looking at him as if seeing him for the first time. Her brows knitted together.

"…You're…you're hurt…" the concern he heard in that simply statement undid him and the tears that had been threatening for the last few minutes began to fall.

"I…I'm okay, honest." He lied – it would be a miracle if he was able to do more than hobble a dozen paces the next day with all that his beaten and worn-out body had been subjected to in the last 48 hours.

She actually smiled at that, as though amused. "…You big fibber." She chastised him, a little clarity returning to her now. He saw her gaze shift to either side of him as Ralph and Kirby came over to offer her what comfort they could. "…Hi guys…." She paused, seeming to force herself to speak. "…Did…did you all…come out here….just to r…rescue…lil' old me?"

They had a good chuckle or two over that before she called to him once more. "…Nova?" Now there was real concern in her voice.

"…Yes?"

She swallowed, visibly forcing herself to speak. He wanted to tell her not to, that she had a long road of recovery ahead of her, but knew it would do no good; if ever there had been a stubborn goat among his family, she was it. "Wh…Where's K-Kodi…?" she licked her lips, either from anxiety or to get her tongue used to forming words again he couldn't tell. "I…Is he…all right?" Mean of course, was he still alive.

Nova turned – it seemed to take a dreadful amount of effort and he wondered vaguely about how the seven of them would manage to get home in the shape they were in – and saw Balto lying by his Kodi's side, doing his best to clean his son's wouldn't. Every now and then, Kodi would give a grunt or a moan as his father reached some particularly nasty injury, but other than that he remained still. Probably unconscious Nova guessed, and he was the lucky; he would have quite a painful time of it in the months to follow with two broken legs.

"N-Nova?"

He turned back to her. "He's hurt, badly…but he'll pull through." He licked her cheek, trying to give life to what felt like a lie for some odd reason. "He's too stubborn to die…."

She nodded, her eyes drifting past him, then Ralph, then Kirby. She seemed to be looking for someone. "Nova…?" There it was again, that touch of worry in her voice, only slightly more urgent this time.

"Dusty…please, you shouldn't talk. You've been through a lot and your body is weak."

She nodded fractionally, but went on anyway. "Nova…wh…where's Uncle Kavik?"

He jumped slightly, having nearly forgotten about his adopted uncle in all the commotion. He turned his head this way and that…but his uncle's white furry hide was nowhere to be seen….

((()-()))

Elsewhere, deep in the woods, the moon shone down through the trees, illuminating the snow that had yet to melt under spring's warm and gentle hand. An owl hooted, a low, eerie sound that carried on a whispering wind. Twigs and branches snapped underfoot as something in a great hurry without a lot of sense rushed ever onward. Forest crashed through the undergrowth, feeling branches and twigs snapping under his paws but not caring. He had to get away – had to! That was all that mattered! He felt as though someone had set fire to his lungs and his limbs had begun to feel heavy from exertion, but he wouldn't – no, he couldn't stop, for to stop meant death because –

"…Run, little doggie. Run as fast and as hard as you can…."

Forest felt his bowels loosen dangerously and pushed onward, trying to block out the sounds of his pursuer, blindly telling himself that there was no way Kavik could catch him, just no way! He'd find a way out of this, he'd come back, come back and finish off Lover-Boy and his little girlfriend too!

With the recklessness of the damned, he scrambled over several deadfalls, repeating this lie to himself, driving his fevered muscles to greater heights. He'd been running for hours, or so it felt. Clearing the last fallen tree, he jumped down, landing in a heap in the snow six feet below. His shaky legs held for a moment, but when he tried to force himself to walk, his body refused to move, so he gave in and sank down onto his belly, greedily gobbling snow in an attempt to put out the inferno blazing in his throat. He tried to think – the wolf was injured; he'd gotten him in on the shoulder when they'd gone crashing down the hill from the meadow a little while back. He'd bleed pretty good too, must've gotten him pretty deep. The Husky personally hoped the white-furred crusader was bleeding out at that very moment.

'I got him, got him good' he thought, smiling to himself, conveniently forgetting that Kavik had scored a number of far more crippling injuries than a cut shoulder. He glanced down at himself – might as well take stock of his wounds while he could. He was dismayed to see that blood was still dripping from what remained of his tail – the wolf had practically bitten it off in at attempt to put a stop to his running and he silently promised himself that he would make him pay for such an embarrassing and cowardly attack – and from two or three other ugly-looking gouges to his flanks. His head still throbbed where Kavik had ripped the ear from it, but that was all right – he could do without it if it came to that. The albino Husky suddenly found himself wishing for his sorry excuse for a shed with its moldering pile of hay. Sure, it wasn't much, but anything would be better than lying out here in the cold sn–

That's when he heard it.

The crack of a twig, followed by the louder, crueler report of a young sapling branch giving way as the massive bear of a lupine passed. The Husky who had so boldly challenged this relentlessly stalking horror now felt himself begin to quake with fear, helpless not to. Like all those of his ilk who had come before him, Forest was, at heart, a coward, and now was no different. Part of him wanted to run, to bolt like a stag that has scented the hunter lurking near the pond, his rifle poised for a headshot. Still another part whispered to him in a high, scratchy voice made tinny with panic that he should reveal himself, give up and simply beg for forgiveness.

It would never work, of course, but what was his alternative? Stand and fight? The very idea of it was a bitter joke – he was no match for Kavik, never had been and never would be, this much at least he understood. Run then? His body decided that without much debate; he was exhausted. The only thing he could manage would be a loping cripple's hobble – thanks mostly in part to a punishing blow the beast had scored to his right flank, which was still throbbing and screaming like a bear caught in a trap. Suddenly, a third option presented itself; why not just stay where he was? The wolf had to be tired…and he wouldn't dare venture too far from town, would he? Forest thought not, and looking around…he saw that yes, if he had to…he could stay right where he was.

Without realizing it, he had fallen into a cave of some sort, formed by the root system of some long dead tree. Yes…why shouldn't he stay here? Sabbath and Pride could handle themselves without him and he would seek them out soon enough. Yes, all right, Lover-Boy and Miss Bitch would get away, there was that, but they'd broken his legs, hadn't they? Let him try to run on those after they got don healing! He sniggered, imagining Kodi stumping along like a cripple. They'd live yes, but they'd always remember him…and who was to say he couldn't leave here and come back in a few years or so? Kavik and Mr. Hero were older than he and they would be dead in a few years anyway. They wouldn't be around to protect Lover-Boy then, or Little Miss Bitch either, so–

He stopped, tongue frozen in mid-lick as he starred at the snow behind him. It was bloody…he sniffed. Fresh blood too. He felt his stomach tighten and realized a second before the wolf's voice spoke from directly in front of him that Kavik hadn't been trying to stop him when he'd bitten off his tail.

He'd wanted to give himself a bloodtrail…something so easy to follow, he could take his sweet old time, let his prey wear itself down before finally striking.

'…Damn it…' He thought, cursing himself for a fool, fighting back panic. 'That's it, I've got to go, tail or no tail, I've got to get out of h-'

"…Hello Forest."

If there had ever been any doubt in the Husky's mind about there really being a special place in Hell reserved for those such as he, they were obliterated as he heard that growl sound from directly in front of him. He turned…and found himself starring up into Kavik's face and as he looked into those blazing blue eyes, he felt his bladder let go.

If he had any kind of conscious thought in that moment…it was to realize just how much bigger and stronger Kavik was…and just how much damage a creature of that size could inflict upon him, especially when his blood was up...and he was mad….

((()-()))

Kavik looked down at the bloody, squirming excuse for a dog on the ground before him and felt nothing but contempt. An hour or so ago, he would've torn this piece of filth limb from limb and spat on the remains before leaving them to the vultures with a curse. The problem was, he'd underestimated what the Husky could do when he was fighting for his life – as the bloody wound in his shoulder clearly proved. He had not let Forest get away from him by choice; he'd just had the bad luck of striking his head on a rock as they rolled down the hill from the meadow where Kodi and Dusty had lain. Another dog with a little more guts and a little less cowardice in him might've taken the opportunity to finish the job while he'd been momentarily stunned, putting him down for good and making sure he stayed that way instead of merely wounding him and leaving it at that. In the time he'd been patiently tracking him, Kavik had come to realize that Forest was nothing like the wolf Juji had been, far from it actually. Whereas Juji had been a crafty and ruthless leader, the Husky who was now begging for mercy before him was just a case of your garden-variety bully being confronted by an older and tight-fisted disciplinarian elevated to a higher level.

He'd been tracking him at a leisurely lope, knowing that all he had to do was let his quarry run rampant through the woods, hopped up on a combination of fear and adrenaline, running flat out until he exhausted whatever reservoirs of strength and stamina he might have. He had more than enough reasons to gut this monster, this backstabbing bastard, this sorry excuse for a mutt and leave to bleed it out on the snow – part of him even wanted to, very badly too – but that wasn't his way….

Now, here he was, the cause of so much pain and the object of so much hatred…Kavik sniffed delicately at the frosty, fragrant air. Yes…and, he'd wet himself on top of it all. In light of this latest show of utter cowardice, whatever vestiges of his monumental anger remained turned into a sour soup of utter disgust. Lip curling, he clouted the husky soundly across the face, sending him flying through the air and out into the night with a yowl of pain.

"…You really disappoint me, you know that?" He asked the bloody, wide-eyed, wanna-be rapist as he advanced with calm deliberation, the snow crunching almost hungrily under his paws. "I mean, I was expecting a little more from the likes of you."

He watched with cold satisfaction as Forest struggled to his paws, his temper rising to overtake his fear of the approaching lupine. Lips writhing back from his teeth in a predatory snarl of hatred, the Husky stalked forward, his wounds apparently forgotten. "…Hard to judge someone's worth…when you sneak up on them like a filthy wolf." He spat.

Kavik's eyes blazed and he moved closer, the two of them moving in a slow circle now, each trying to level the other with his eyes. "Big talk" he snarled, "coming from a dog who has to use two lunkheads just to get the drop on one big, bad female." He retorted.

"I'd like to hear you say that when I've got you by the throat."

"…Come and get me then, if you can." Kavik retorted. Forest hesitated for only a fraction of a second, then charged forward recklessly, hoping to overpower him with sheer brutality. It was a stupid move, perhaps the oldest and stupidest of them all, but then again, Forest was in dire straights…and at least he wouldn't feel so bad about putting him down. Forest was big for a Husky, true, but he was tired, bleeding and had been on the move at high speed for the last hour or so, while Kavik's wound had already begun to scab over and he'd had plenty of time to breath the fire out of his lungs to afford himself a cool head in battle.

He stood motionless in the snow, poised to strike, formulating his plan of attack while waiting for Forest's lumbering charge to bring him within striking distance. Sidestepping his adversary at the last minute, he turned, striking with lethal accuracy, his razor fangs ripping into the soft mane of fur at the other's left shoulder. The Husky's momentum carried him forward for a few more paces before he went down, his right foreleg abruptly crumbling before Kavik was on him, hacking and slashing with tooth and claw, laying him open in a dozen different places, all the while raging at him at the top of his voice, his furious tirade drowning the other's pathetic pleas for mercy.

"Like that, huh? No, too BAD!" He smashed his head into Forest's side, hearing a rib crack before the other flew through the air to land in a heap a few feet away with a yelp. Kavik could hear the ragged breathing of his enemy, and even as he watched, Forest tried to stand, tried to flee, but all he could manage was a few steps. Kavik wasn't about to let him off so easy – he'd had enough of toying with this mutt and this business, which had been unpleasant to begin with, was leaving him with a bad taste in his mouth. He closed in, hard and fast, dealing another blow. More blood soaked the snow.

"…Please…"

At this, Kavik nearly broke. "…How dare you…" he breathed, his hackles rising, jaws locking together in a snarl of fury as his eyes blazed. "How DARE you ask for MERCY after what you DID!" Again, like some bird with half a brain, Forest tried to rise. A hefty blow to the side of the head put him in his place. "I tried to warn you, Forest." He growled, flipping him over onto his back, exposing the other's soft underbelly. Instinctively, the Husky tried to resist, lashing out with his hind leg. Kavik seized it in his jaws, snapping the bone like a twig.

"I told you to leave town and take your mates with you when I could've ended all three of your pitiful lives right then and there." He placed planted a paw against his prey's chest, pushing him further into the snow, cutting off what little wind Forest was trying vainly to suck back into his screaming lungs. "You chose to ignore that. What's more, you made the biggest mistake of all and tried to finish what you'd started." Forest's eyes were bulging now, his breathing harsh and ragged. "Then, when I get out here, what do I find? Some sorry excuse for a mutt who won't even stand up for his so-called friends in a fight!"

Forest looked up at him, hatred burning in his green eyes. "…Get…you…" he somehow managed to gasp out. He had quite a set of lungs on him, Kavik had to give him that.

"You won't get squat." Kavik snarled, removing his paw from Forest's chest and giving him another kick to the ribs with his powerful back legs. This time there could be no mistake; there was definitely a break in there somewhere. Kavik bent, grasping the now limp Husky by the scruff of the neck. The were standing on the edge of a slight bowl in the ground, the remnants of some ancient lake, long dry these many years, or Kavik assumed. He spun quickly, using his momentum to propel the bloody dog out into the night, watching as he landed in a heap. He moved soundlessly forward over the snow, watched with a detached expression as Forest struggled to a standing position, his limbs shaking, teeth locked in a snarl of mingled pain and fury. Finally, he was before the shaking Husky.

A dry laugh came from the other's throat. "…Well…come on…" he taunted, green eyes burning. "Finish me off…"

"No." He sounded almost bored with the idea.

A snigger of sick amusement bubbled from the other's throat. "Hah! I get you now…wolf talks big…but when it comes down to the killing…you just can't abide the thought…of getting…your 'widdle paws dirty!"

Kavik's face remained expressionless. "I'm not going to kill you, Forest…they are." He tipped his snout upwards, indicating the high bank looming behind them. With an effort, he turned…and Kavik saw his eyes go wide as he beheld the sight that greeted him.

Wolves, easily numbering over 50 in all, materialized out of the shadows, their eyes glowing witch-like in the darkness. There pelts ranged from dull black to mottled gray to a patchwork of browns and tans…but they all looked at the Husky with a conscious thought pulsing from their collective aroma; hunger. Tongues licked at long ropey strands of saliva that dripped from mouths filled with teeth as long and sharp as Kavik's own. One of them came drifting down in the crater to stand at Kavik's side. She was a large female wolf with a light gray coat and glittering yellow/green eyes. She spared Forest a single unpleasant glance before turning her attention back to Kavik. She smiled.

"Hello Uncle Kavik." She moved forward and nuzzled him affectionately. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Aleau." He replied, smiling in spite of himself. He licked her cheek, and was gratified to see she could still giggle and blush with the best of them. "I wish we could've met again under…more pleasant circumstances."

Her jade eyes hardened and she turned to regard Forest, who wilted under that withering gaze. "…Is this the one you told Jeremiah and the others to watch out for?"

"Yes." Kavik turned, regarding Forest one last time. "Allow me to introduce you to my niece Aleau, Kodi's sister. She's been away for a year or so, but she got a little lonesome, so she decided to swing by and check up on her family, see how things were going." His eyes flashed darkly. "Bad luck for you, my friend."

Jeremiah himself came striding out to meet them, accompanied by Ash, looking concernedly at Kavik's shoulder, then at Forest. "My, my" he said, his tone flat and icy. "So this is the brute who's caused your family so much pain?" He snorted. "I expected something more." He spat on the cowering Forest before turning to the two of them, his mood brightening considerably. "Come now – I dare say your family's anxious to know what's become of you after being gone for so long."

As they turned to go, Ash spoke up. "…What shall we do with this one?" he asked, jerking his head in Forest's direction. Already the wolves had begun to close in, trying hard to restrain themselves, not daring to move until give the order to do so.

"…What you will." Kavik replied. He felt suddenly tired. Bloodshed was a nasty, but sometimes necessary business, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Come on, then," Jeremiah called and he began to lead them back through the woods in the direction of Nome.

((()-()))

Author's Note:

And…Oh my dears sweet Lord, it's DONE! throws up arms THANK YA JEEZ-US! Ahem. Anyway, yes, I know these last two chapters took FOREVER to get going…but at least it's finally done. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the way things turned out. . The bad guys have been vanquished – thanks in part to Aleau's pack and Jeremiah's Ice River Pack (who are property of my good friend and faithful reader Lone Wolffanwriter) – and Kodi and Dusty have been saved. All's well with the world again! Yay!

Like I said, I'm sorry for taking so long with this, but I've just been having a bit of trouble getting into writing lately…and I think I've almost gotten my fix for a while. I'll polish this off soon with a nice little Epilogue with an attached Author's Note thanking everyone and explaining all the secrets that made this fic turn out so well! Unfortunately, you guys will probably be waiting till sometime next week before I post that, as I've been feeling a little under the weather lately (I even had to stay home today, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise – look how much writing I've gotten done! He works in wonderful and mysterious ways, no?

Anyway, thank you all so much for sticking with me through all that's happened these past few months! God forever bless and keep you all!

BaltoLuver63