White Fur, Blue Eyes, Black Heart

By Jason Wolfman

*Author’s Note*

Well, Band is back, whether you like it or not. But then again, I made a hidden promise to you readers to make a sequel, so this story would be expected, right? I hope you enjoy this story, and I also hope to make Band into a character that you will learn to hate! Or maybe I have already done that….. but now, there is someone even more evil… if that’s possible.

Band, Draco, Bitey, Jared, Burlan, Vincent, Captain, Christa, Roland (the dog, not the legendary knight), and Kembala are my characters and not to be used without my permission.

Jenner and Kala are characters thought up by Cyberwulfe. You know the rules.

Balto, Steele, Jenna, Nikki, Boris, Star, Sylvie, Kaltag, Doc, Rosy, and Dixie are characters created by Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. Please notice that once again, I have decided not to include Muk and Luk in this story. No, I don’t hate them. I just haven’t found a good place in the story for them. Maybe in some story in the future.

Oh yes, this is one of the darker stories that I have written as of now. I just want to warn you, that’s all.

Chapter One

"It’s been several months since I have last seen Band. I hope he’s dead, but I still wake up in the middle of the night because my nose would catch a scent of evil that only Band would own. He may be banished from Nome, but I know him. Territory rules are of no importance to him."

--Draco, chinook resident of Nome, Alaska

"Balto! Will you hurry up?!" Boris spurted out in anger as the goose paced in small circles amid the snow in front of Rosy’s small house. "I have been waiting for three minutes now! What’s keeping you?"

"I’ll be out in a second!" A voice cried out from inside the snow-roofed house.

Boris could only sigh, fuming with impatient frustration. They were late for the party in the Broiler Room, and the goose didn’t want to be late. "I don’t see what’s delaying him," he muttered to himself. "It’s not like he needs to dress up for the occasion or something. Someday, I will be so frustrated with him being late that I might as well leave without-aaaahhhhh!!!!"

A flurry of feathers burst out into the air as a bundle of brownish fur crashed out from the house’s door, and collided into the goose like a suicidal comet. As Boris screamed all that his fowl lungs could bear, the two hapless animals rolled together across the snowy road, kicking up snow and loose feathers. After several more yards, Boris finally stopped, and laid on the snow on his back, gasping for air.

The goose spurted out a chunk of snow from his beak, and shook his head to gather his senses. "Huh, what the-, uh…."

"Sorry, Boris," the animal on top of him apologized.

Boris gathered enough vision to recognize the one that gave him a ride he didn’t want. It was a brown furred canine; half dog and half wolf, with yellow eyes that gazed down on the goose with nervousness. Boris bellowed a sigh. "Balto….why did you do that for?"

"I ran out of the house, and because I was too fast to brake, I crashed into you," the dog answered, his massive wolf paws pressing against the downy of his friend’s stomach.

The pressure from those paws was painful, but Boris was too much in a state of shock to notice it. "Why couldn’t you….just walk out of the house?," he said, nearly breathless.

Balto grinned. "Well you did tell me to hurry up, so….."

"Bah! You don’t have much sense, do you?"

Balto knew him too much not to feel insulted. He merely widened his wolfish grin. "Well, you do look good lying on the snow like this. Your feathers blend in with it quite nicely."

Boris gave him a stern set of eyes. "I’m not amused."

The sled dog lifted his nose up in the air and laughed. The movement from the much heavier canine was giving the distressed bird more pain, and he groaned as a result. "Balto…."

Thankfully for him, Balto stopped laughing. "Yes?"

"Get off. You’re killing me," he said with a strained tone.

If the dogs wanted to escape from the chillier-than-usual nights, then the Broiler Room were a popular place to be in, full of dogs sharing their experiences old and new. The Broiler Room was their main place (other than the Old Mill) to socialize, hang out, and just to be warm from the chilly climate. Usually, only ten or fewer dogs would be in the same place at the same time, and during the busy weeks, it could only consist of one dog or not any at all. Tonight however, the Room was packed, due to a special occasion for one of the more famous dogs in Nome.

Over twenty sled dogs were in attendance, from the massive Newfoundlands, to the dominant huskies, and to the one chow-chow that was the guest of honor. Laughter and general chatter filled the air, and the light coming from the huge furnace in the back illuminated the entire room.

A black and white furred malamute, with cold eyes of steel that some say was the culprit of his namesake, yawned deeply and shuffled his paws in an attempt to lay down. Steele liked parties such as this, but the warmth from the furnace directly behind him had spoiled him, and he felt too relaxed to have much party cheer. Beside him was an even more relaxed chow-chow, his massive body plopped on several soft pillows and a cast was wrapped around his leg due to a fighting injury with a banished Samoyed.

The guest of honor chuckled. "Bored, Steele? In the middle of a party?"

Steele only glanced a lazy eye on him. "Maybe, Nikki. Just have no one to talk to now, besides you."

"Well remember, youse was never really the one to be trusted in the past, and they even consider youse as an anti-social."

"But those days are gone! The days of my banishment had taught me a valuable lesson, and I have changed now."

"Are you sere, Steele?"

Steele almost hesitated to answer that one. "Um…. a little. I am still a bit of a bully, and I still do have an interest toward Jenna, but still, I have really changed. You just don’t see it at first glance."

"Youse still need to stop being a violent-minded glory hound. Remember last week in Devil’s Cove?"

Steele merely laughed. "Ha! That stupid dog deserved it! He actually thought that the right way home was to go west and then make a shortcut through Valena’s Pass. My idea was more efficient, so I just merely tried to convince him that."

"By attacking him?" Nikki asked as he leaned closer to his friend.

Steele made a short gasp in defense. "It was just a bite!"

"At the throat?"

Steele gulped. "Um, uh…. I wanted to let him have it on the leg, but it was bad aim. Besides, it wasn’t much of a bite, anyway."

"It got him to the hospital."

"A bite is a bite, okay?"

Nikki rolled up his eyes, giving up. "All right, all right. No need to drag this all night. Sheesh."

"It was just a bite….," Steele softly mumbled as he turned away from his friend. Just then, Balto and Boris had came inside, amid cheering from the other dogs. Steele only bothered to utter a short growl. He still had feelings of resentment toward the wolf/dog hybrid, but he was correct about him being changed. His old hatred remained, but it was faint in comparison to what it used to be before the banishment. He tried hard to keep his resentment hidden though, for Jenna’s sake.

"Hey Nikki!" Balto exclaimed as he marched through the small crowd of dogs. "How’s the birthday dog doing?"

"Fine, except for the leg," the chow-chow mentioned to the cast. "I may have it for some time, but it still bothers me."

"So I see," Balto answered, and glanced at his old foe. "Steele."

The malamute grunted a reply and laid his head on his paws lazily. "Balto….", he greeted back, followed by a yawn. Balto ceased at once to have a conversation with him.

"Where’s Jenna?"

"She’s not here yet," Nikki replied. "She should be here by now……"

Balto hummed, and panic rose inside him. "Well, I guess I’ll better find her."

Nikki chuckled. "You worry too much. She can take care of herself. After all, she did slap that white dog in the face some time ago, you know."

Balto had to smile at that. The white dog was the malamute Band, a rather sick dog to his eyes, and now banished to the nearby forest. It was Band that terrorized most of the dog residents three months ago, by taking Jenna by force and kept her hostage briefly. Jenna sometimes complained about seeing Band in her dreams, and both she and her mate had looked over their shoulders from time to time, hoping not to see a glimpse of the blue-eyed white malamute.

"How long as it been since that dog as been banished?"

"Five months and nine days," uttered someone from behind.

Balto turned to find a chinook facing him with a tint of worry on his eyes. He was tawny-furred, which was typical of the rare sled dog breed, and his fur bore several small scars; a result from a one-sided battle against Kaltag in the forest. He never wanted to fight him, but his evil friend, Band, had forced him to do so.

Balto grinned at the sight of him. "Hello Draco. You actually keep count?"

"Not really. It might be five months and twenty days for all I know," Draco said with a smile.

"What’s up?"

Draco sat beside his former friend’s blood enemy, and breathed out his trademark sigh. "Well, something interesting had happened yesterday. A new team of dogs had arrived from Deerlick, and one of them was a chinook. She was the first one of my breed that I have seen in years."

Balto widened his eyes as he grinned. "She? Ooooooo..."

"You know, it’s strange. You saw Jenna in that race and to you, it was love at first sight, even though you already knew her name and all. Then Band spotted Jenna and it was love at first sight to him, and here I am, falling in love with a girl that I haven’t even met close up! This isn’t like me. This isn’t like me at all!!"

"Love can work in mysterious ways, dere," Nikki replied. "She still here?"

"The team she was in haven’t left yet, but that incident was the last I have seen her. I wonder if I would see her again."

"You might," Balto said assured him. "After all, she might even be in this party. Like behind you."

In a flash, Draco whirled around, eyes ablaze. "Huh? Where?"

He expected to see her, but there was no chinook in the room. "Sorry Draco," Balto replied. "I was just kidding."

But Draco was too upset to accept the joke. "Sheesh, don’t do that again!" He snapped as he turned again to face Balto and Nikki.

"Lighten up. I won’t do it again," Balto replied, a little hurt about Draco’s unexpected reaction.

Draco sighed, and simply shook his head. "Well, I gotta go. Getting sleepy."

Balto nodded. "Good night, Draco."

Although Draco has been declared as a hero for betraying Band and led him and Bitey to their banishment, he had been ridiculed for other things. Although he had made the decision to become traitor in Band’s eyes, many of the dogs questioned on why it took him so long to make the decision.

Draco often replied with the excuse that he owed him his life, and as a form of compensation, he was loyal to him, despite his constant disagreements with the lust-obsessed malamute. Even when Band had intentionally killed one of his mates back in Pine Cove, he stayed with him. Even when he witnessed Band laughing as Bitey was killing a stray cat, he stayed with him. Even when Band had burned the borzoi Sherry’s flesh by a furnace, he stayed with him. Draco now realized the errors of his loyalty and the stupidity of his faith to change him. No matter how hard he tried, Band was too stubborn to be changed.

When Band had taken Jenna hostage, Draco knew that he had finally crossed the line, if he hadn’t already. Steele was right. There was no hope for him. No hope for him to return to Nome and be accepted by the dog residents. No hope for him to be the dog that Draco wanted him to be. So, Draco swallowed his sense of loyalty to his friend, and double-crossed him. By doing so however, he had been made a target, and as a result, Draco became nervous and fidgety in quiet roads and alleys.

As he walked away from the party, the noise withered away and silence took over once more, and Draco hurriedly walked on a snowy road between dark houses and closed shops.

He was so tense that he literally jumped in alarm when he heard a short scream. Aroused by a sudden bang of curiosity, the chinook rushed to the source, but he was too cautious to make his presence known to whoever was screaming.

As he reached the scene, he noticed two dogs busy in a conversation, all alone in an alley beside a butcher shop. The strong smells of meat rushed up to his mind and a sudden drip of drool spewed out from his mouth. He roughly shook his head to ignore the tempting smells, and hid behind a barrel, his triangle ears perked up. He was a nosy dog, and he just couldn’t help but to steep into his snooping habits.

The larger of the two dogs; a burly St. Bernard with a thick leather blue collar, had a torn-off piece of a sausage in his mouth, dripping with drool that gave it a disgusting look. His brown and white fur was mostly matted, and his muddy paws cued Draco that he must be an outdoor dog, and not properly groomed lately. Also, since he had just stolen a sausage, his owner must not have properly fed him.

The massive dog swallowed his loot quickly, but his brown eyes were hinted with disappointment. "You know, the meat is good, but too salty," he said in a deep, bass-toned voice. He then reached his muzzle into the snow and shoved another torn-off sausage to the other dog. "Here. Let’s see how you like it."

Draco gasped when he focused his attention on the smaller dog. It was a female chinook. The same one that he saw yesterday! She was just as big as Draco, with shadier tawny-colored fur, and sun-bright yellow eyes. Her muscle-built frame gave her a tough look, and when she spoke, her voice carried a sense of bass that lacked the softness that Jenna has.

"All right, Burlan," she said as she grabbed the offered meat with pearl white fangs. "Just this once. You know how I hate to eat something that had met your slobber first."

Burlan grinned, and exposed his rather worn fangs. "I know, Christa darlin’. Dat’s a-why I keep on givin’ you offers."

Christa…Draco thought almost dreamily. A name I will remember forever.

Christa tasted the morsel, and after a brief look of disgust, she nodded. "Well, since your drool has an odd taste, I had a tough time with this, but you’re right. It is saltier than most I have tasted. Too bad."

Burlan raised his head in a show of pride. "Thanks for commen’ing about my best tasting drool in the entire region!"

"Whatever," Christa simply replied. She then sniffed the snowy ground and eaten what was left of their loot.

Burlan sniffed also, but in the air instead. Draco didn’t realize that a wind was blowing downwind from him.

"Uh, Christa darlin’, what’s that smell?"

Christa rolled up her eyes. "It’s something called meat. They’re often colored red and since we are near a butcher-"

"No, no…," the massive dog interrupted. "Sumthin’ else. I smell an intruder."

Christa appeared unfazed. "Really? Above the smells of meat? Either this intruder stinks like Hell or your nose is more powerful than I thought."

Burlan just ignored her and continued on tracking the source of the intruder’s smell. When Draco realized whom he had just smelled, he faintly whimpered in nervousness, and cowered even deeper into the snow, feverishly hoping that this dog has very poor vision. If he ran away now, then he would be confronted later on, and until that time came, he would be all worried about it. Better to be beaten up by a strange talking St. Bernard now than later.

He prepared for the worse when the huge dog finally looked down on him beside the barrel. "Hey you! Git off a’here!"

Draco gulped and stood up sheepishly. When he stepped out of hiding, Christa spotted him, and was speechless.

Burlan chuckled. "Well, well, well, me darlin’, looks a-like we have another one like yours." His eyes watched Draco, but he was talking to his shocked friend.

Christa walked over to the "intruder", and studied him with bewildered eyes. "You’re right…another chinook. Haven’t seen one in many years. What’s your name?"

Draco was still spooked by Burlan’s overwhelming size, so his first words to the first chinook he had seen was not what he wanted. "Um, hello,…um.."

"What a weird name," Christa replied, facing her huge friend. "Hello sounds like a welcoming name, but it might confuse the other dogs."

Draco finally gathered enough sense to give the right answer to her. "Draco. My name’s Draco."

"So you are, eh? Ther’s no need to be all scaredy-cat around me. I’m Burlan, the toughest, roughest dog in the region!"

Christa shook her head. "Don’t believe his pompous self-promotions. Although he’s correct on the drool. Name’s Christa. We’re both from Deerlick up north."

Draco nodded. "I know. I saw you yesterday when you arrived. I couldn’t gather up the courage to meet you at that time."

"But you still have enough courage to crawl behind a barrel and spy at us, right?"

Draco cringed at the word spy. "My apologies, but I heard a scream, and I thought someone was in trouble."

"A scream? Oh that’s the one I heard just a block away from here. Eastward, I think. It startled me a little, but it might just be some female dog enjoying herself with her mate."

Burlan uttered a short growl. "Christa, you’re the most unmoral speakin’ dog I’ve met."

Christa bowed at her friend, unfazed. "Well thank you, Dummy. Well, you live around here?"

"On the other side of town. With my master. What about you?"

"I’m not certain. I half-expected to leave today, but we didn’t, so I have no idea when we are going home. For now, there’s a horse shed next to some saloon, and we sleep there with the others in my team."

"Who’s the leader?"

Christa grinned and raised her head in a sense of pride rising inside her. "I am, of course."

Draco tried hard to suppress his laugh. "But you’re….."

"Female? Ha! One of the male dogs in my team challenged me because he felt disgusted on having a female lead the team. I whipped him so bad, that he eagerly accepted his position of being in the very back of the team."

Burlan shook his head in agreement. "You butter believe wha’ she say, Draco me-darlin’. I’m glad I’m not on her team. I’m just a gold dog."

Draco gave him a puzzled look. "Excuse me?"

"Deerlick is a gold mining town," Christa explained. "Because of his size, Burlan’s job is to pull a sled back and forth, transporting either gold or rocks from inside a mine. Because of this, he refers himself as a gold dog. Well, we have to-"

Another scream interrupted her, from the same direction as the first one. In fact, to Draco, it was deja-vu, only the latter one was louder.

"It’s her again," Christa said with little hint of shock in her voice. "Someday, I’m gonna go over to her and whip her tail if that’s going to shut her up."

"Darlin’, is violence th’ only thin’ in yur mind?" Burlan demanded.

"No, it sounded like she was in trouble or something," Draco said. "I’m going over to check it out. Nice to see you."

"Hope to meet again," Burlan said with a nod. Christa only nodded, and that hurt Draco a little, but he didn’t show it. He rushed off toward the source of the scream, and Christa sniffed the ground again for meat crumbs.

Burlan chuckled. "Kind fella, although he did snoop on us. Too bad we can only stay here shurtly."

"Why you say that?"

"Christa, me darlin’, dedn’t you see the way he looked on you?"

"No I wasn’t paying attention," the dog quickly replied, her nose still sniffling the ground.

"I thin’ he has an attraction to you, hurr hurr….too bad he doesn’t know about you always turning down suiters by kicken their tails."

"That was because they are snobbish pigs that think they can take advantage of me once they become my mate. This is different. I seem to have an attraction toward him as well," she said as she looked at him with a grin.

Moments later, another scream broke the silence. This time however, Christa realized it was Draco. She and Burlan were alarmed enough to leave the butcher shop to investigate what was going on.

They spotted Draco standing beside one of the most disgusting objects they had ever seen. It was a female husky, possibly the culprit of the first two screams, lying on red-stained snow. The husky’s brown and black fur around the neck was torn into small shreds, and the disgusting display of crimson-tainted flesh were splattered out in a show of gore. The yellow eyes remained open, staring into nothingness, and her fangs were also bloody, with bleeding gums and a ribbon-shredded muzzle.

Draco almost vomited. "Good God….. who could do such a thing…."

"Sheesh, seems to me we have a blood-thirsty killer in this town," Christa said, trying hard to look away. "What are we going to do?"

"The Broiler Room…. I have to warn the dogs about this!" Draco exclaimed, and ran the opposite direction from which he came from. Burlan and Christa promptly followed.

Chapter Two

"You seem to be a nice dog."

-Frieda, husky resident of Nome, minutes before her untimely death

Balto met the morning sun with a grumble. Ever since Draco had told him the news of the husky’s death, he couldn’t even nod off to sleep all night. It was the very first murder among dogs in what seemed to be a forever, and Balto was worried sick. Who could do such a thing? He repeated Draco’s question as he prepared to live through yet another day. But he knew that today would most definitely not be a normal one. He muttered a short sigh of displeasure, and walked slowly on the somewhat bustling road to the Old Mill.

"Balto!" A voice from behind demanded his attention. An Afghan hound rushed up beside him, nearly breathless. Her groomed dark tanned fur was sprinkled with fresh snow, and her long furry ears waved like flags.

"What is it, Sylvie?" Balto replied somberly. He was in no mood for the usual gossip chat with her, but there was something on her face that was so alien to her that it spooked him.

"I just heard from the dogs near the Veterinarian. They claimed that the husky’s name was Frieda, one of the generally unknown dogs here. Just a face in a crowd, as I would say. Anyway, Draco was right. She was murdered drastically. I felt sick to the stomach as the dogs gave me the gruesome details on the cause of death. Those dogs see death and blood so much that they are accustomed to it. Ugh….."

"Any leads on who did it?"

Sylvie shook her narrow head. "Well, not really. There’s a rumor around that says when the men found the body of Frieda, there was a brown and white husky sleeping right beside it. He awoke with a start when he heard the men coming, and burst off before they could catch him."

"This is getting weirder and weirder," Balto sighed. "First we have a murder, then some husky was crazy enough to actually sleep right by a carcass. Could we be in some nightmare?"

"Maybe. A living nightmare to be exact. Where are you heading?"

"The Old Mill. I just know what’s the meeting topic is going to be about," he answered with a displeased tone.

Sylvie nodded. "You’re the first dog I have told about this Frieda, so I’ll go with you. You look like you had a bad night’s sleep."

"Ha! I had no sleep at all. This murder really chilled me to the bone marrow, and not even that harsh blizzard in Deer Path several months ago managed to do that to me. Jenna tried to comfort me, and even Jenner and Kala tried, but no success. I hope this case gets solved soon. If I have to live with that killer around, then I might not take it after several weeks."

"With the lack of sleep you’re getting, at this rate, you won’t last a week. Where’s Jenna?"

"Taking the daily walk with her pups and Boris."

"Really? Despite the horrifying news?"

"Well, she was having second thoughts of taking the walk, but since Jenner and Kala does not know about the murder, Jenna failed to find any other excuse not to take them. However, I have insisted that two of my friends tag along with her, just in case."

"You know, you worry too much."

"Nikki said the same thing yesterday. Maybe I am worrying too much about her. But still…. I just can’t stand the thought of her being harmed or in danger. Especially after that Band episode."

"Hmmm…," Sylvie said as she drifted to another subject. "I wonder what’s Band is doing now."

"As long as he doesn’t step foot in here, I don’t give a hoot about him. But I’m hoping a bear is killing him right now, or even better, a pack of hungry wolves," Balto concluded with eyes of hopeful determination.

"You’ve got to be kidding me!" Star exclaimed in a startled voice. "He was sleeping with the body? I don’t know about this husky, but I think his head had lost a few nuts and bolts too many!"

"I know that sounds very weird, but I’m just telling you what I’ve heard," Sylvie responded. "But what we should really worry about is the killer, whoever he or she is."

Kaltag, sitting between Balto and a Newfoundland named Jared, shook his head. "But what can we do? For as all we know, this killer could be right here among us!"

The other thirteen dogs in the large room, including Christa and Burlan, nodded in agreement. "I think we should just be cautious," Kaltag continued. "After all, it might not even be a dog. It could be a wild animal that did this. I know this Frieda. She’s not the type who would give anyone a motive to kill her. It has to be a wild animal. Has to be."

"Sylvie," Jared said, "I’m just wondering…were there any pawprints on the snow in the crime scene?"

"I didn’t hear of any reports about it. It’s late to investigate now, for the men and their boots had trampled all over the place."

Kembala, a female husky/malamute mix, hummed. "Well, it might not be too late. I think it’s a good idea for us to go over there and try to find some clues. Better now than later."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Balto replied. "Let’s go."

Just then, a rustling sound buzzed into their surprised ears, coming from just outside. Steele was the first to come outside, but by the time he scanned around for the culprit, no one was there.

"What was that?" Dixie asked.

"I don’t know," replied Steele. "It might be someone that was listening to us through that window opening on the wall up there."

A sudden thought darted up to Balto’s mind. Huh…I did that once. Funny. "Well, let’s get this over with. It could be the killer or that strange husky, so we’ll better hurry. I think I have an idea where this interloper is heading off to."

I must do it. I must do it. My life depends on it. I must do it. I have to do it. The sentences warped through Roland’s mind like a turbulent wind. The eccentric husky whined faintly as he trampled over the still bloody snow, where hours before Frieda had laid dead. Crimson chunks of snow splattered out in all directions, victimized by the wrath of Roland’s blurry paws. In a frantic attempt to hide the blood, he turned over the tainted snow and folded it in a disorganized way. When he realized that the blood was still there, he growled in frustration and tried again, his mind too stormy for him to gather much sense.

If you tell anyone about me, the canine shadow in his mind warned, then I will come back to hunt you down, and you will never escape. Death will be your fate.

Roland yelled out a high-pitched scream of panic as he heard the words of his recent and most dreaded enemy. In response, he tried harder to ransack the snow.

"Hey you! Stop right there!"

Roland turned to face a crowd of dogs rushing toward him. His frantic eyes recognized them from the ones in the Old Mill, and he was too late to do finish what he was doing before they would come. Fearing for his life, he burst out in a desperate run, his mind even more tortured. No! If they discovered who had killed Frieda, then I will die! No! His mind raced along with his paws.

Since he knew he was the fastest of the dogs that were with him, Balto ignored the bloody mess and set his sights on the husky running away. Steele and Christa ran with him, and when they reached an intersection the alleys, they split up, hoping to cut the husky off.

Meanwhile, the other dogs stopped and groaned as they searched around the devastation. Sylvie growled in frustration amid heavy breaths. "Great! That stupid husky had ruined even the tracks! Now how can we even begin on finding the killer?"

Burlan, never a dog with great speed, had just caught up with them. "I think th’ dog dat ran from us knows much mure t’an we do. He will tell us abut ‘tis.""

"Yeah….if Balto or the others had managed to catch him," Kaltag replied, and scanned the carmine-colored mess. "Sheesh, this is horrible."

"Sure is," Kembala answered grimly. "That husky may have done this frantically, but for the most part, he had done what he wanted to do. If that husky escapes, then we’re done for in this investigation."

"Think he’s the killer?" One of the dogs asked her.

Kembala nodded. "We don’t want to jump to conclusions. For now, he’s the prime suspect."

"I know one thing for sure," Sylvie said. "He’s a brown and white furred husky. That means he could be the same one who had slept in this place last night."

If you get captured and tell them about me, then you will surely die. Don’t let them catch you!

"I’m trying! I’m trying!" Roland spurted out loud toward the shadow in his mind. His light brown paws kicked up snow as he rushed himself through the back hallways between houses and other buildings. Gaining up on him from behind was Balto, whom was surprised at the husky’s speed. The husky seemed to go even faster, and Balto’s lungs were beginning to burst.

"Get away from me!" Roland yelled out without looking back. "Get away!"

"I won’t hurt you!" Balto tried to reassure him. "We just want some answers!"

Roland ignored him, and picked up speed. Facing a T-interception, he swerved to the left, and found himself in a dead end. The wooden fence that blocked alley could have forced any dog to give up, but Roland was just too desperate to do so. To Balto’s surprise, he leaped at the fence, and frantically scratched on the wooden boards, in a futile attempt to break it down.

Balto stopped to catch his breath. He had him cornered, but what now? He wasn’t much of a fighter, and if this husky turns around and decided to rumble, then with the desperation that he has, how can Balto hold him for long?

Luckily for him, the husky was still clawing at the fence when Steele and Christa came along, huffing and puffing. They watched Roland with a puzzled look on their faces. The scratchy sounds rang into their ears for about a minute, and then Roland finally calmed down. He turned to face the exhausted trio, and bowed his head low.

"I surrender, and I will die soon. So be it," he simply said in a crackling voice.

Balto sighed in relief. "Follow us, and don’t make any sudden moves."

Roland said nothing, but he slowly came up to them and obeyed Balto’s command.

A few minutes later, the dogs were back in the Old Mill. The prime suspect sat nervously in the middle of the room, his eyes still darting in various directions, and he was whining softly. All the dogs except for one sat near a wall, facing Roland with stern eyes. The interrogator, whom was none other than Steele, paced back and forth in front of Roland, his mind plotting out questions.

"What is your name and location of residence?"

The husky spoke in a quivering voice. "Roland, and I live in West Beavertown, but I’m staying here temporarily in a stable near the crime scene."

"Who is the victim, and how are you associated with her?"

"Her name is Frieda, and she’s my girlfriend."

Upon hearing this, Balto leaned close to Kaltag. "I guess that explains why he slept with her even after death. He was too much in grief to leave her," he whispered. Kaltag only nodded.

Steele continued on, undaunted. "Did you witness the murder?"

Roland gulped nervously, then replied, "Yes, I have."

"Who killed her?"

The dark canine appeared in Roland’s mind again. Don’t mention me, or you will die. Roland quickly shook his head, but the shadow canine was stuck in his mind like glue. "Um, uh, who killed her?"

Steele nodded. "You heard me right. Who killed her?"

Roland opened his mouth and closed, his heart beating in forty thumps per second, literally. "Um, um, I…"

Steele was too impatient. He leaned close to him till their eyes met at only inches apart. "Who….killed…her?"

"It was a bobcat. Yes, it was a bobcat….a bobcat indeed."

Steele turned to face the dogs, not believing him. "A bobcat, you say? What were you doing just minutes ago? Trying to destroy the evidence?"

The shadow canine spoke again. Good for you, my dear Roland, but you are a terrible liar. Roland shook his head again rapidly, and stared down. "Uh…I didn’t want…um…uh…,"

"Roland, if you ask me, I don’t believe some dumb bobcat did this."

The husky turned angry. "It was a bobcat! I’m sure of it! Please believe me!"

The malamute sighed. Might as well use another strategy to fool him to confess. "All right, let’s say it was a bobcat that did it. Then tell me exactly what happened."

"Well…," he said after several quiet moments. "Frieda and I were walking together, having one of our nice talks, when this bobcat came. He growled at us, and though we tried to escape, he caught up with us and trapped us. I tried to fight him, but he was too much for me. He then-"

"Hold it," Steele interrupted. "You actually fought him? What parts of your body did he wounded you?"

Roland closed his eyes in disbelief. He has no wounds, and he knew it. "Um, it wasn’t much of a fight."

Steele laughed, then a second later, stared at him with serious, steel eyes. "You know what I think? This story of yours stinks like two-year-old sausage. I think you killed her!"

"No!!!" Roland shot back in a frantic voice. "I didn’t do it! I didn’t do it!" He then lay down and his paws collapsed upon his head. "I didn’t do it…. I’m not a murderer…." He mumbled.

Steele shook his head and faced the dogs. "Look, if he didn’t murder her, then why would he make up such a sorry excuse of a story? I say, he’s guilty."

Some of the dogs agreed with him, but Star thought otherwise. "I think he’s afraid. Afraid that someone might come back to kill him if the killer’s identity was revealed. I don’t believe his story, but let’s not be hasty on this. I think we should continue on with the investigation, but we keep Roland captive till the murder is solved."

"But what if his owner tries to find him?" Balto asked. "After all, he doesn’t live here."

"If the owner comes to receive him," Kaltag replied. "Then so be it. If he’s convicted, then he might be banished anyway. I agree with Star in that holding him captive while the investigation continues is the best way."

"All in favor for Star’s recommendation for action?" Balto said.

"Aye," all the dogs replied simultaneously.

Doc, a St. Bernard, then faced Roland, whom was laying on his stomach with paws tucked in, which was an unusual position for a dog. "Roland, since you are the only suspect in connection with this hideous crime, you are to be held under guard in the old trawler outside the borders of Nome. You will be captive until you are to go to West Beavertown or when the trial begins, if that will ever occur. If you ever attempt to escape, then you will be punished accordingly. This sentence is effective immediately."

"Who will be the guards?" Steele implied.

"I will volunteer," Kembala said.

"So will I," said Jared. "And I might convince two of my friends to do the same."

"Okay then. That would be enough. This meeting is dismissed," Doc said finally.

"Whoo boy, I think you ought to go for it, dog!" Vincent remarked to his brother as the two huskies walked across a silent and narrow path amid the towering (to them) buildings of Nome. "Didn’t you see the way she looked at you? Damn, I know that look even a mile away!"

His younger brother Captain, who almost looked like his black furred brother except for a white patch on his face, only shook his head in disbelief. "Sheesh, we’re only been here for three days and you’re already trying to get me in a relationship. After what happened last time, I’m not going to listen to you again."

Vincent threw back his head up, frustrated at Captain’s stubbornness. "C’mon! So what if my advice was bad and you ended up being slapped in the face?"

"And that malamute’s boyfriend, which just happens to be the biggest dog that I have ever seen, decided to come by and beat my tail up. It was two weeks ago and I’m still hurting from it!"

"Hey, you should’ve known that she already had a mate."

Captain stopped and faced him with a stern look. "Oh, it’s my fault now? Look, I’m just not listening to you! Face it!"

Vincent was just about to reply when they noticed a figure just ahead of them. Ten feet away, a large malamute, with the white fur of snow and blizzard blue eyes, sat on the middle of the path, facing them with cold eyes that exposed his evil. Just behind him was a tough-looking Samoyed, faintly growling at them.

"Howdy fellas!" The malamute barked a greeting. "I don’t see you around here before. You newcomers?"

Vincent nodded. "That’s right, and you’re in our way!"

The malamute chuckled. "You can get around me. You might not survive, but you can still have a small chance."

"You threatening us, dude?" Captain shot back. "Who do you think you are, punk?"

"Band," the malamute answered with a cruel grin.

Vincent laughed. "Band? What kind of a silly-dilly name is that? You think you can defeat me, Band-Aid?"

Band uttered a short growl. "I hate that name. This is your final warning. Turn back now and take another road to wherever you’re going. Try to pass me, and you will suffer."

Vincent scoffed. "Give me a break," he said, then mentioned to his brother. "You think I can take this idiot?"

"Sure you can, brother. Take him out cold," Captain replied, confident on his brother’s fighting skills.

Vincent laughed and curled back his ears in a fighting stance. "C’mon, Band-Aid. I’m going to chew you up and spit your white fur out!"

Band stood and imitated his stance. "Whatever you say."

Vincent charged first, rushing toward the bigger opponent with bared fangs. As he about to attack him, Band swiftly sidestepped and laid a punishing slap to the side of his face as Vincent slid by him. Vincent grunted as he received the blow, and tasted blood already. He swiftly turned and lashed out his paws in a standing position. Band did the same, and it became a pushing game as they pressed their paws on each other stomachs, growling as they bared their fangs. Band suddenly lurched his head forward and his jaws grabbed the fur of Vincent’s neck, and the husky yelped in response. They both landed on all fours simultaneously, and the hapless husky twisted his body with furious movements, but Band’s grip was too strong, and Vincent was beginning to suffocate as his larynx was blocked.

His eyes drew wide, and he could only uttered short gasps as Band kept on his suffocating move, killing him slowly. Captain could only watch helplessly from the distance, and he knew that he if decided to help his brother, then the Samoyed on the other side would attack him in retaliation, and being a horrible fighter, he would be at a complete disadvantage.

Soon after the rout had started, Vincent’s eyes slowly closed shut, and his body went limp. He collapsed onto the snow, with Band’s jaws still around his bloody neck. He laid still in a near death, helpless before his mightier opponent.

"He’s finished," the Samoyed remarked victoriously. Band replied by uttering a silent chuckle through the fur of the silent husky. He let go of him finally, and Captain cringed at the sight of his brother’s messy neck.

Band gave Captain a cold look. He grinned at the sight of the husky, with frantic eyes and his knees knocking in fear. He was afraid to death of him now.

"Boo!" He yelled out, and just as he expected, Captain lost all of his courage as he turned and fled the scene. The malamute laughed at the sight of him running with his tail between his legs, then looked down at the faintly breathing husky.

His muzzle crept close to the husky’s near-shut eyes, and his lips’ grin curled even wider. "Welcome to Nome," he said with bloody fangs. As a finishing touch, he slapped a paw on the side of his face, and left him alone to die on the middle of the snowy path.

Chapter Three

"Yes, I have known at the time that I would be targeted if I betrayed him, but I believe that if my friends are around to help me, I can defeat him at the right time."

--Draco, chinook resident of Nome

Nikki was right when he said that love works in mysterious ways. Such the case between Band and Jenna. Even though he was banished from Nome, he still had a strong interest toward Balto’s mate. To him, distance or territory boundaries meant little to him. Not after months being all alone with a silent Samoyed in a cold forest.

Ever since day one of the banishment, Band had mainly four things in mind. The primary one was to force Jenna to love him, but that was his goal at first. As time went by, he realized that he was a fool if he would actually thought that Jenna would actually love him. After what he had done to her, she might not even talk to him except for a growl or a savage bite. At first, Band wanted her to love him. Now, he just plainly wanted her. When he first saw her, he thought that she was a goddess in beauty, and though he had taken her hostage, he would not allow her to be harmed. Draco may disagree with that, and even Balto, but this was what Band thought. Now, desperation for lust had unmorally degraded him further. To him, Jenna was now an object, one to be cherished if pleasing, one to be beaten if irritable, and one to be destroyed if Jenna was truly stubborn, and Band feared that might as well be the case.

The second objective was to kill what Band thought to be Jenna’s main psychological foundation: Balto. Yes, Jenna may have loved her two pups Jenner and Kala, but Band viewed them as mere symbols for something much greater: the love between Jenna and Mr. Half and Half, as he still called him. If Balto was killed, then Jenna would half of her heart vanish in a flash. Band knew she might never forgive him if he did kill him, but there was always that glimpse of hope. What if he killed him in a show of power? Give her no choice in the matter? Or maybe, and this was Band’s best plan, what if Balto was killed "by accident"? He loved the thought of that.

The third was to gain revenge against Steele and all dogs of Nome in general. During the time when Jenna was held hostage, Steele and three of his closest friends approached Band and attacked him and his two friends. Steele’s group eventually won, and Band was forced to let Jenna go. Ever since that time, Band had been plotting the death of Steele, but it wasn’t until he was finally banished from the town did Band grew his hatred from a selected few to all the Nome dogs. However, since total obliteration of the dogs was out of the question, he figured that picking a few dogs off would get their attention. A murder or two would get them nervous, and make them look over their shoulders from time to time. The only way for him to know that he had succeeded in his third goal was that Steele would be dead, and even the bravest of dogs would flee at the sight of him. It may be a long shot, but Band was hopeful.

The fourth one was obvious after the banishment: get revenge on Draco, whom dared to betray him all those months ago. He often dreamed of Draco killed in a thousand different ways, some realistic, some impossible. Band could be found cursing the chinook’s name in his dreams and chuckling could be heard from his den as he fantasized yet another death of his former best friend. While the plans for the deaths of Steele and Balto were important to him, there was a special plan for the death of Draco. However, he must choose the right time to attack and launch his plan, and there were always the risks of being spotted by the other dogs, and the alarms would be cried out.

The morning after Vincent’s body was found by distressed men, Band and his friend Bitey were eating trout that they had caught by a large stream minutes before. The sunrays crept pass the countless pine trees, adding little warmth to Band’s pearl white fur. The stream that cut through the forest provided the only sounds to entertain his ears, besides the crunch of bones and fish flesh.

And a wolf howl in the near distance.

Band stopped his chewing and stared wide-eyed at the source of the noise. He may have lived in the forest for months, but he would never get used to that eerie sound. His lips curled back in a snarl. "Damn wolf," he spoke at no one at particular in sight. "Whoever created those mutts must have forgotten to give them a decent cry. God, the howls sound like dogs in torment. Someday, once I meet one of these beasts, I’m gonna make them howl the way they should: screaming for mercy!"

Bitey chuckled at that, but did nothing else except to finish up the rest of his fish. Band continued on, but he had changed the subject. "Bitey, we’re going back to town tonight. I believe today will be the day I have been waiting for."

Bitey knew what he meant. "Draco?"

Band’s blizzard-blue eyes sparkled evilly. "Yes,…" he growled under his throat. "Draco. We leave for town by dusk. Might as well give him one last chance to enjoy his dinner. It will most definitely be his last meal. Heh heh heh……"

That same morning, Draco had an upset stomach, so his bowl of dog food went untouched, even though the meat and bits of dry dog food was tempting to him. Whimpering in pain softly, he laid down on his stomach on the hay in his stable home next door to his owner. He was the only one there, for the other dogs had left with their owner for some errand that Draco haven’t cared to know, and for the most part, the air was still and silent, numbing the chinook to sleep.

"Draco?" A voice awoke him with a start. The chinook shook his head in surprise and recognized the dog standing at the stable entrance.

"Christa, you’re still here," he greeted with a grin.

The chinook came in and sat down close by him. "Looks like it," she said and glimpsed at the full dog bowl with hungry eyes. "If you don’t mind, can I….?"

"Sure, go ahead and eat. I have an ache in my stomach."

Christa nodded and began eating Draco’s dog food. "It’s pretty good."

"Yeah, I agree. Even Band said that the dog food here is better than in our old home back in Pine Cove."

Christa could only give him a puzzled look.

"Pine Cove is a place in the mountains far south of here," Draco explained. "Band, Bitey, and I were born there and we moved away half a year ago. I liked that place. Pine trees, a crystal clear river trickling downhill, cabins scattered about and not as dense as Nome. While Nome is an important outpost and many people stop here since this is an oasis in the middle of a frozen desert, Pine Cove is like a resort for people that just want to get away with it all. Very peaceful, serene, and cat-dominated. It can get warm there, and Band loved those days. I often see him sunbathe under the sunrays."

"This Band fellow," she said amid crunching on the dry food. "He was banished along with another dog, right?"

"Yeah. Among the three that came here from Pine Cove, I was the only one not exiled because it was me who betrayed him and sided with the dogs here."

"I also heard that he was some kind of a creep. Why was he your friend?"

"Oh, that was stupidity on my part," Draco answered, forgetting about the pain in his stomach. "I was loyal to him because he had saved my life a few years ago. I wanted to reform him, to change his evil ways, but it’s hopeless now."

"He saved your life?" Christa said, intrigued.

"You want me to tell you about that horrific incident?"

Christa laid down on the wooden floor, and ignored the food for now. "I got time, but if it bothers you…."

"Nah, I explain it to you. Might as well give you some entertainment as I lie here in pain," he said with a grin. Christa knew he was joking because of that grin.

"Okay Christa, here goes nothing. I was only about nine months old at the time, and because my father was killed by a car, my mother was left to raise me and my five sisters alone."

"What’s a car?"

"Um,…" Draco hummed as he tried to explain a recent (less than two decades old) invention to a dog living in an isolated place. "It’s a huge thing, just the size of a horse carriage, and it runs by itself and makes a lot of noise and smells like oil."

"Oh. What’s oil?"

Draco gave up and sighed. "Never mind. Can we get back to my story?"

Christa laughed. "Sure, sure. I’ll find out what oil is myself. Please, continue on."

"Okay, it was spring, and the ice on the river was just about to thaw. There was a log that my family and I would use as a bridge once the ice thaws, but my mother tested the ice and she felt that the ice was strong enough so that we won’t have to cross the bridge, since it was out of the way. I was a bit nervous however, and because my mom and my sisters knew that I tend to be paranoid once too many times, they didn’t really believe me. But this time, I felt that I was right on my suspicions that the ice was nearing to the point of breaking, so I stayed at the shore as my family crossed the ice."

"So you was still safe?"

"At first. When they were midway through, they kept calling on me to follow them, and because the ice still held, I felt that I was wrong on my concerns, and walked on the ice to them."

"Then the ice broke?"

Draco frowned. "Are you telling this story or me?"

Christa stuck up her nose in an exaggerated manner. "Well, excuse me!!!"

Draco sighed again, and continued on. "To answer your question, yes it did. Just as I was among my family in the middle of the river. When I heard the ice crack, I tried to turn and run back to shore, but it was already too late. I screamed as the ice fell apart from under our feet, and I began to plunge into the freezing water. My front paws grabbed hold of a small chunk of ice to keep afloat, but I was the only lucky one. My mother and my sisters didn’t have anything to cling on to, so…," he said with a cracking voice. "They quickly succumbed to the cold and drowned. I too was succumbing to the cold since most of my body was underwater, but my paws clung to that small piece of ice like glue. The ice was cracking all around me, and I closed my eyes as I shivered in the cold. I was scared to death, but I was still alive."

"When does this Band get into the story?"

Another sigh bellowed out from Draco. He was getting frustrated with her impatience. "To make a long story short, the next thing I remembered, I was lying down on the shore, soaking wet and nearing death. Band, whom was just fresh out of dependency, found me and took me as his own. He was actually like a father to me, but I knew of his evil ways soon after I met him. I have decided from the start to try to change him, to become like me and actually do the other dogs some good. Heck, I even saved his life a few months later, but that didn’t really change anything much. However, since that time, he had tolerated my objections to me. If he hadn’t, then he would just simply either kill me or left me for dead."

"Christa!" A voice in the distance cried out. "Where are you?"

"I’m here, Burlan!" Christa yelled out in reply. Soon, a St. Bernard came into the shed, and smiled.

"There you are, darlin’. With that Draco fella. Should have a-known, hurr hurr. How are you?"

"I’m having a problem with my stomach," Draco replied. "But other than that, I’m fine. I’m just chatting with Christa."

"I see. Christa darlin’, th’ master is waiting for you. Sumthin’ to do with’a vet check."

Christa stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Ooooh, I hate those visits. I don’t like it when a stranger probes and pokes me around. And the shots hurt."

Burlan laughed. "Tat’ will make you tougher, Christa. Cum’ alon’ now," he said as he turned and left.

Christa stood up and stretched. "Well, thanks for the meal, and for your time," she said to Draco, and the "host" stood up with her.

"Thanks for coming by. The death of my family was a terrifying experience of course, but I do need to talk about it. I hope the ‘vet check’ will go well, me darlin’," he said in Burlan’s gruff voice.

Christa scoffed. "Very funny," she said, and did something unexpected. She neared her muzzle to Draco’s face and gave him a soft lick. Draco gasped from it, then grinned.

"Farewell, Draco," she said finally and walked away from the shed as Draco watched her leave.

"Farewell," Draco answered, barely above a whisper.

Roland knew that he was in a dream, but it seemed too real for his courage and common sense to kick in. The brown and white furred husky was standing nervously in a misty void, all dark except for some light from an unknown source. Roland wanted to remind himself that this wasn’t real; he was actually sleeping as a prisoner in the old trawler outside of Nome. He wanted to wake up, but he knew that wouldn’t happen soon. Not until the dark canine said so.

As if on cue, Roland felt a presence just in front of him, and he shivered to the bone marrow. Out of the mist was the darkest furred mammal Roland had ever seen. He was purely canine, with shining coal-black fur and massive wolf paws, complete with sharp claws that scratched the surface, although in this dream, there was only a void where the floor should be. His eyes were so dark that Roland wondered if he had eyes at all. It seemed so hidden among the raven-colored physical features. But he knew that this canine has eyes. He could see all. The demon was over twice the size of Roland, and therefore he was a giant in comparison to even Jared the Newfoundland. His breath carried steam, despite the lack of chill in the air, and when he smiled, he exposed his ebony fangs and even blacker gums and tongue. It was like there was nothing inside this beast. But because of his control over him, Roland believed he was all too real.

"Y-you called for me…..master?" Roland said in a quivering voice, reeking with fear.

The canine’s voice was like nails scratching on a rock, with a demonic voice touch to it. "Actually, I am not your master. I’m just merely a guest in your most sane of houses; your mind."

Roland wanted to respond to that, but he merely stumbled at the words.

The canine shook his head. "Fool. There is no need for verbal speech, for I can read your mind. To answer your question, the reason why I have said that your eccentric mind is the sanest of houses is that you treat reality as an illusion. All of your life, you have been alone, and you live in an imaginary world to ease your loneliness. This was such the case for so long that you treat your imaginary world as reality more and more often, and as a result, the old reality had deteriorated into a mere illusion. I may be only in your mind, but you treat me as a real, breathing wolf."

Roland could only nodded, not wanting to respond now. His eyes remained fixed on the canine as the darkest of wolves continued on. "Yes, I have called for you. I have decided to leave this mind of yours for better pastures. You have done your duty, and for that, I will thank you."

"Um….what was my d-d-duty?"

The canine’s laughter echoed in the void yet misty space, and the eerie sounds forced a yelp out of Roland’s mouth and he cowered on the "ground", whimpering. "Fool, haven’t you known that already? I thirst for blood, and you fulfilled my request by shedding the blood of the innocent. I will give you a reward for doing your duty. It’s just my way of saying thanks," he said with a cruel smile.

Roland could only continue his cowering. He wanted to curse this beast for entering his mind unexpectedly four days ago. He wanted to curse this beast for foiling his mind and forced him to kill a dog that he knew only by name. He didn’t want to kill her of course. But this demon of a beast insisted, and had warped his mind enough for him to take complete control. He could only imagine what kind of gift a demon would bring.

The canine stepped by to him, and his dark eyes studied him up close. "Roland, I will leave very soon. I will leave your mind and you will be free from my control. Once I leave, you will witness the murder of the innocent that you have done for me, and it will repeat itself so that you can glorify the moment that I drank the blood of the innocent. Then comes my greatest reward. Once dawn breaks, the flashbacks will end, and you will slump into eternal darkness without life or breath. It is the greatest of rewards for death means peace."

"No…..no," the words uttered from Roland’s lips in a hoarse whisper. He stood up despite feverishly shaking legs and backed away from his controller. "I don’t wanna die!!!"

"Fool!" The word boomed in such a volume that it could crack stones. "Every mortal dies!! Life has become so accustomed to Death that it became a part of it!! Death is a part of life!! Death is truly your master, for as you age, you will come closer to Death, and you will never escape Death. Even on the first second after your birth, you were dying, for time is a great ally of Death. Death had claimed the soul of the very first dog in this pathetic little world, Death is now claiming the lives of dogs at this very moment, and Death will claim the soul of the very last dog to breathe in this world. Don’t you get it, my child? You should never resist Death. That would be asking the impossible. Instead, welcome it. Welcome Death as it reaches down into your soul and wretches it from your bag of flesh, fur, and bones. For Death will be the gateway to a world that is completely separate from the reality that you call an illusion. You will leave this pathetic world,"

Roland finally did something that no other would dare to do: he interrupted him. "I’ll be eternally damned! Death is not peace! You’re lying!"

The growl that uttered from the canine drilled into Roland’s mind like a steaming hot stake into butter. "Fool!!! Don’t you ever interrupt me!! Farewell, my dear Roland. It’s been nice staying inside your pathetic, eccentric mind."

Amid Roland’s blood-curling screams, the canine laughed devilishly as he turned and walked away into the misty void and disappeared. Suddenly, a flash burst into the husky’s eyes and when the flash cleared, Roland found himself in his own eyes days ago, facing Frieda whom was very much alive. Roland knew that this was the moments before the murder, but he couldn’t do anything to change it. The smile that he showed to her was beyond his control.

Frieda giggled. "You seem to be a nice dog," she said. Her last words.

Roland remembered the dark canine’s presence as he forced his jaws to open and his neck and body to lurch forward. He remembered being forced to sink his fangs onto the soft flesh of the husky’s neck, and the scream that buzzed into his ears went ignored. The fur bristled on his nose, smelling fear. Deep, unnatural growls erupted from Roland as he tried to suffocate her, and though he hated blood, the demon’s control forced him to savor the taste of it as the fangs torn open the flesh of the innocent.

Roland felt himself crying. He wanted to leave Frieda alone. He wanted to alter time, and he most definitely wanted the flashback to stop. But of course, he couldn’t. The demon-possessed husky continued on the onslaught, but suddenly, Frieda painfully executed a move that surprised Roland into releasing her, but she was already too weak. She laid down and rolled on her back just as a fire-eyed Roland leaped at her. Frieda screamed again for the last time.

A flash burst in view again, and a moment later, Frieda was revived, and Roland made the forced smile.

"You seem to be a nice dog," she said after she giggled.

Chapter Four

"He’s dead. I wonder how that happened…..."

--Kembala, on the death of Roland

The normal chilly wind blew as the sun drifted behind the mountains in the horizon, and to stay warm, Jenna had decided to stay home with Rosy and her family tonight, although Balto decided to go over to the Old Mill for a social event. Her two bundles of joy, Jenner and Kala, snuggled against Jenna’s soft and thick reddish fur, lazily sleeping. Rosy, a girl that was ill during the diphtheria epidemic and was close to death until the medicine came just in time, was busy scrubbing the floor in another room with her mother, although she would rather play in her room with Jenna.

Although she had recovered for the most part from the incident with Band, she still had nightmares about the kidnapping, and then there was the constant worry about the white malamute watching her from a distance, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. Jenna seemed calm in the outside, but her life after the kidnapping was more stressful, and she even worried about allowing the stress to control her life and someday she would snap and do something she would most definitely regret. She cursed Band, but in a strong sense, she was afraid. Afraid for the lives of her pups, who were still dependent on her, despite their growing sense of independence. Afraid for Balto’s life and safety. Afraid for even Rosy’s safety if Band would sink that low. She also worried about her own safety, but she also believed that Band may hurt her, but he would never kill her. Her friends often tell her to quit the Band paranoia and unnecessary worry, mainly because Band was out of Nome and she was surrounded by friends who would protect her, but their advice failed to make any effect on her. She won’t be in peace until she knew that Band was dead, and from the looks of it, Band was more than alive.

Jenna gasped in surprise when she heard a thump from behind. Even in the comfort of her own home, the worries stayed with her. She turned her head to the window to find Dixie looking at her through the glass. Since she couldn’t hear her, Dixie motioned her head to the front door, and from the looks of her eyes, it seemed urgent.

Getting her clues instantly, Jenna stood quietly so that the pups would not be wakened up, and met the samoyed just outside the front door.

"What is it, Dixie?"

The small samoyed scanned the surrounds before responding, as if she was searching for any dog snooping around. "Um, Balto wants you to stay in your house until he comes back in a little while."

"Why? What’s wrong?"

Dixie mentioned to a strange sight in the east. A plume of smoke was rising from a small building near the edge of town, and a flare of orange and red could be seen on the building.

"A fire….," Jenna whispered.

"Yeah, but that’s not even the worse part. Band is back."

Jenna’s eyes widened in shock. "WHAT???"

"True. Just heard that Balto and Steele spotted him. Just right next to the building where the fire started."

"Is Balto okay? What did Band do?"

"I have no idea. I was with them when they spotted that malamute, and like a coward, Band ran, and of course Balto and Steele gave chase. Just before Balto ran off, he told me what he wanted you to do. He just wants you safe in your own house. Balto and Steele can take care of Band."

"I hope so. I surely hope so."

Twenty minutes ago…

A combination of a clash of wood against wood and a splash rang into Band’s ears as he along with Bitey tipped over a small barrel of strange-smelling liquid onto the wooden floor, and the watery content spread quickly across the floor like a flood, darkening the planks. The two dogs were inside a large one-room storage building somewhere in one side of Nome, and from the way Band snickered, there would be trouble abound. Elsewhere in the room were four barrels that were already tipped over, and the same strange-smelling liquid were still spilling out of the barrels.

Even though they knew that the liquid were not acid, they were careful not to step on the wet boards. Bitey nearly sneezed, since his nose could not take the smell much longer. "Sure this works?"

Band knew what he meant to say. "Yes, despite the risk that maybe Draco knows what’s this liquid stuff really is. I’ve seen the humans put this stuff on lamps and such. It’ll work."

"Whatever you say," Bitey answered, and jumped out onto the snow. He remained silent till Band jumped outside with him. "Plan?"

"I will find a place to hide around here, and wait. You will find that bastard Draco and try to lure him into this storage room. That’s all you really need to know."

"Understood," Bitey said simply and ran off to find his prey.

Band chuckled. If everything goes well, then tonight would most definitely be a time to remember.

Ever since the conversation with Christa hours ago, Draco felt he was swimming among the clouds in spirit. Even though Christa would only be here temporarily, just the time with her would be enough for Draco, and there was always the hope that she would be back. However, he wondered if he was actually going too fast with this. Band always wanted physical beauty in his mates, so all it took to get Band’s attention would be stunning eyes, a slim body, a suave, or as Band liked to call it, sexy voice, and a well-groomed and glossy coat of fur. Draco however, was different. Since he hated Band’s attitudes toward female dogs from the start, he had viewed the same dogs much differently. Even though Band ridiculed him for it, Draco had placed physical beauty as a low factor in any search for a mate. Instead, he looked for personality, moral beliefs, and as much respect and faith to him as he would be to her. However, he was so fruitless in his search that he had thoughts of abandoning the entire "chase" as Band would put it, and die a bachelor.

But the feelings that he had toward Christa were a little out of character for him. Sure, beauty still mattered little to him, but how can he be in love at first sight with her and not believe that it was beauty that attracted him to her? After all, it would be much harder for Draco to love someone in a general sense. With Band, all it took was a glance, and when he wanted something, he would do anything to get it, despite the possible objections from the ones that he had an attraction to. With Draco, it would take an occasional small talk conversation to break the ice, then several more meetings at social gatherings, getting to know each other more. If the spark still flares between them, then Draco would be thinking about having a real relationship with her, but he must first have faith in her that she would love him back.

"Why bother?" Band once told him in Pine Cove a year ago. "It’s boring to her, slow, and by the time the first kiss comes, I would die of natural causes. Or maybe it will never come to that time, for the girl would leave you for a faster-going male. That’s why I treat them like property. They’re worthless bums who exists only to satisfy me, and so I treat them the way that they deserved."

Draco wanted to disagree with him on that so badly that his legs shook with anger, but he was speechless. Instead, he just turned away and left to be alone. Back at that time, he couldn’t find the right words to efficiently counter-attack him, but as a year went by and Band was gone from his life for now, Draco had more time to find the answer.

"I think I know the answer Band,…" Draco muttered to himself as he tramped on the snowy path amid the silent buildings of Nome at dusk. "The reason why you treat them like property and think they deserve it is because you are too overwhelmed by physical attraction to have any common judgement, for you believe this kind of attraction is true love. However, emotional love is not true love. You think that is the case, yet why have your so-called ‘mates’ end up being beaten, injured, and even once dead? True love is when a couple, at the beginning were two, became one spiritually."

Draco stopped on his tracks, his mind still deep in thought. Because he wanted Band to hear his words, he pretended he was nearby, listening to him for whatever the reason. He continued on his near-silent mumbling. "Oh no, don’t take that the wrong way, my dear idiot of a malamute," he said with a hint of recent courage and anger. "You may say to your mate, ‘We are now one and forever’, but what it boils down into is that those are just hallowed words. Even if one loves another passionately, saying ‘I love you’ to each other twenty stinking times a day, if they still believe to be two dogs, then it’s not true love. The so-called dedication statements would be hallowed. If a male dog loves another truly, then he won’t even make a pass at someone other than his spouse. Even in secret, or even in thought for darn’s sake. Same goes for the spouse as well."

He stopped his rambling again. He laughed, realizing that he had just made a speech in a middle of a cold and empty street, talking about love and pretending Band was around to hear it.

His laughter stopped when his ears caught a faint crushing of snow. His eyes went alert, but he couldn’t see anyone.

"Boo," a familiar voice startled him from behind. Draco turned his body to find a Samoyed with cold eyes staring at him.

"Bitey…" Draco gasped. "What are you doing here?"

The Samoyed growled. "What you think?"

Hell, if Bitey is around, then surely Band would…Draco quickly thought. "You’re not supposed to be around here."

Bitey chuckled. "Well, duh…"

Draco knew that this conversation was going nowhere, and he was in a bind. If he barked out a warning signal, then Bitey, with his ferocious style at attacking, would finish him off before he could utter the second warning bark. Draco knew him too much not to fight him anyway. Bitey was obviously here to kill him, and standing around won’t benefit him all that much.

With a sharp turn, Draco burst off into a run, and Bitey snarled as he gave chase. Snow kicked up from their blurry paws as the hunter and prey rushed through the road, their minds too intent on to kill and to avoid being killed for them to notice their surroundings. After several fast-paced minutes, Draco turned his head to see his pursuer, but was shocked to find no one there. He slowed to a stop, breathing heavily.

"Now where did he go?" He mumbled. His eyes darted here and there, hunting for a sight of a Samoyed or a white-furred malamute. No one was there, but his nose caught something odd. He sniffed the air several times, and nearly sneezed.

"Ugh! That stuff smells familiar. Sheesh that’s a strong smell. Where is that coming from…"

His nose led him into one of the smelliest buildings he had ever cared to visit, and the moisture on the floor and the overturned barrels aroused his curiosity even more. "What in the world had happened here?"

The smell quickly became nauseating, but curiosity and the opportunity to hide from his pursuer determined his actions more. He walked over to the center of the room, his brain still trying to determine the identity of whatever the smell was. "Well, it does smell familiar…"

"Want me to give you a clue, my back-stabbing friend?" A voice spooked him to jump slightly. It was none other than Band, standing on the doorway, and the spooked chinook noticed a small stick next to the malamute’s paws.

Draco nervously retreated slowly, trying to find a way out. Band was much more of fighter than the pacifist of a chinook, and even if Draco managed to get pass him, there was still Bitey to contend with. He glanced to his upper-right, and found what seemed to be his only glimmer of hope of escape without a fight; an open window that seemed to be too high to be considered as a decent escape hatch, but what choice does Draco has?

But he was still curious on what Band was planning. Instead of charging in and massacre him, he just simply stood on the doorway, staring at the one that dared to betray him.

"If I put a candle on the liquid that you’re smelling, then it’ll melt."

Realization struck Draco like a cannon exploding on his face. "It dissolves wax…kerosene…" The words escaped from his breath as a whisper.

Band laughed. "You got it now? Prepare to die in a way that all traitors deserve to die. Amid the burning flames of justice."

Band picked up the stick with his teeth, and then retreated back several steps. When he rubbed against a rock that he had placed on the road, a spark flared and a small fire appeared on the stick. Draco gasped. It was not just a stick. It was a match.

"Farewell, my dear Draco," Band growled through his fangs. He lowered his head and in one quick motion, threw the match of Death into the air. In slow motion (to both Band and especially Draco), the match flew in an arc and landed amid the flammable boards of the floor.

What happened next was something that both dogs would never forget. Like white water breaking through a circle of levees, the fire flooded itself over the floor, and a rush of heat darted into their souls. Draco screamed as the flames erupted around him, and in desperation, tried to climb upon a haystack. The flames spread so fast that by the time Band flinched away to avoid the flames, most of the floor was overtaken.

The last thing Band saw of Draco before the flames overtook most of the building was the chinook jumping atop a barrel just under the window. He also noticed him breathing hard with fear and his eyes looked up at the window, which was his only chance to escape, even though it seemed impossibly too high. Draco jumped, and to Band’s horror, the chinook’s outstretched paws grabbed the bottom of the window, but not much else. With little momentum, he couldn’t bring the rest of his body up over the window, and his weight became too much. His paws couldn’t hold on, and with a bloody scream, Draco released his hold and fell onto the haystack, which was already mainly burning with hungry flames.

Just then, the flames became too much for Band to see the chinook on the other side of the burning building. He raised his muzzle high in the air, and laughed the evilest of laughs. "Take that, you traitor! Burn! Burn like the gutless bag of fur you are!!! Ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!"

"You!!!"

Band stopped laughing and glared at the three dogs that ruined his fun, standing just several hundred feet away from him. One of them was a female Samoyed that he didn’t recognize, but the two males were most definitely familiar.

Band merely laughed in response. "Well, well, well… if it isn’t Steele and Mr. Half and Half!" He greeted, undaunted by the surprise appearance.

Steele growled deeply. For now, he ignored the roaring flames that were burning the wooden building nearby. "Band…you should have known better than to step your stinking hovel of a body into this town. I have defeated you before, and now, I won’t be as merciful as last time."

Band scoffed. "Talk, talk, talk. You were lucky last time."

The female Samoyed stepped back, and Balto mentioned a few words to her. Immediately, the Samoyed ran off, and Band sighed exaggeratingly.

"Aw, Balto, did you really have to do that? I wanted to take a closer look at her!" He said amid laughter. Of course the two dogs didn’t laugh with him.

"You leave her alone…you leave us alone…" Balto muttered. With scowling faces, the two dogs slowly marched toward their enemy, almost ready to break into a sprint.

"Hmm….I guess now’s the time for me to run for my life, eh? Might as well!!!" Band barked as he rushed his legs into a blurry run. Even though he knew that he might be killed if caught, he laughed almost hysterically as the two dogs ran behind him, yearning for revenge. Meanwhile, the storage building continued to burn, and the flames were attracting attention from the humans nearby.

"What’s wrong Mommy?" Jenner demanded with a concerned voice as his mother came back with worried eyes.

"Nothing honey. Go back to sleep," Jenna responded as she lay down next to him and the still-sleeping pup named Kala. As soon as the pup bored himself to sleep, Jenna tried to get some sleep herself, but she couldn’t. She expected that though. After all, the one that kidnapped her was last reported to be running loose in a forbidden area, and for all she knew, Band might be staring at her through the room window.

Jenna glanced at the window. No one there. Good.

Jenner’s yawn distracted her from the window. She softly nuzzled her pup comfortably, and sighed. Her two pups never knew Band, and none of the dogs wanted to talk to them about him, despite Band’s appearance to them just before his banishment. When the pups asked their mother on who the malamute was, Jenna simply told them that he was just a dog that caused too much trouble and there was nothing for them to worry about. It was a rule that they won’t know about Band’s intentions toward their mother or Bitey, for they don’t need have extra worry in their lives. However, all this secrecy came with a price. What if Band shows up and the pups actually come up to him, thinking he was just a total stranger, or as the pups liked to say, friends that they haven’t met yet? A tempest of tempers would occur if Jenna heard the news that one of her pups has been kidnapped by Band, and if Kala or Jenner were killed, then Jenna might never emotionally recover.

Her muzzle rested against the cold wood of the floor, ignoring the human chatter in another part of the house. She had so much hatred for that malamute. She wanted to curse him for all the mess that he had caused on her, Balto, and her friends. If Band decided to show his true disgusting nature in front of Kala and Jenner, then all the more reason to damn him even further. Still, there was that hope that Band would be killed by some bear or fall down in the middle of a frozen lake and maybe have a butcher mistake him for a pig and slaughter him.

"Go away Band….," she muttered at herself as she relaxed as much as she could.

A minute later, Band found himself alone in forbidden territory. Through the use of quick speed and the sudden ambush on the two dogs by Bitey, Band had lost his pursuers. He chuckled victoriously, but grimaced as his sides hurt. He may refer Balto as a general loser and poor fighter, but he actually respected him in his speed. In fact, Balto almost caught up with him when Bitey appeared off the corner of an intersection and rammed himself onto the shocked wolf hybrid. Band had no idea what happened next, but he had hope that Bitey would give Balto something to remember for the rest of his pitiful life.

He sat down on his haunches lazily, taking his time to get his breath back. Close by him was a window to a well-lighted room, and since it was the only room with light, it aroused his curiosity. He laid his paws against the wall on a standing position and he was tall enough to peer inside and not have to use the pile of logs next to him.

He was almost taken aback at the sight of the husky inside the room. It was a red furred female dog, sleeping with her crimson-iris eyes open and two pups sleeping with her. It was Jenna!!!

A wicked grin showed up on his face, and chuckles spewed out from him. "Ah….I have finally found you, my love. Might as well make a grand entrance!"

Still chuckling, he walked back several steps away from the glass window, and lowered himself into the ground. With a short scream, he ran forward and leaped, preparing for the surprise in Jenna’s life.

Jenna screamed as a white-furred malamute clashed through the glass, breaking off shards of glass big and small, and he landed among the clatter of glass, spewing off a reek of evil in the room.

Jenner and Kala yelped their lungs out, and they instinctually ran to hide behind a small pile of dirty laundry on an opposite corner of the room. Band promptly ignored them. He had more beautiful things to look at.

Jenna growled, her eyes full of fear, hatred, shock, and anger. "Band….you never learn, do you?"

Band licked his chops in such a way that made Jenna’s stomach churn. "Oh, I’m a smart sick little dog, all right. There are just some lessons that I just don’t want to learn by. Too bad, eh?"

Band walked forward, and Jenna in return retreated. She was trapped and he knew it. Only a miracle could save her now.

That miracle in the form of a broom appeared just as soon afterwards. The door opened with a bang and a woman armed with a broom marched inside. To her, Band was an intruder, and deserved to be forced out. Before the malamute could react, the wooden handle of the broom smacked him on the head, sending him reeling from the blow. He made a short jump to avoid a second blow, and growled at the woman.

Jenna, to compensate the woman for coming to the rescue, then took the offensive to save her. With a flash of sharp, ready, fangs, she leaped onto Band and let him have it on the dog’s croup. Having someone bite on another’s rump was not a comforting experience, as Band would point out. With a startled yelp, Band’s menacing face turned into that of surprise, and he jumped away from the second embarrassing blow that Band suffered in only a span of a few seconds.

Escape being on the forefront of his mind, Band ran pass the woman and burst out extra acceleration for the front door. With a hard thrust, hope that the door was only ajar, and another blow to the head, Band burst the door open and was well away from the house when Jenna reached outside.

She muttered a curse as she watched him quickly disappear amid the shadows of darkness. "Get out of here, Band! Just leave me alone!" She cried out, even though she knew that Band would not listen to her. She watched him even a half minute after he disappeared, crying in shock and frustration, and then retreated back to her room.

Kala and Jenner were out of their hiding place, but when Jenna came inside, they ran toward her for shelter, scared out of their wits. They hugged around their mother’s legs tightly, tears running down on their small faces.

Jenna mentally cursed again. Now Band had crossed yet another line and made himself known even to her own pups. Now she would have to explain to them about why Band would hate Jenna so much that he would actually burst through a window to get to her. They would now know Band’s lust-obsession, for Jenna had no other choice.

Chapter Five

"There were no casualties in the fire yesterday. At least I don’t think."

--Mr. Phoberson, resident of Nome

The next morning, the fire was put out, and the dogs were jittery after what happened last night. However, for now, their attention had turned to something else. Christa and Burlan were heading back for Deerlick.

"I wish youse luck on the trip home, dere," Nikki said to the female chinook at the edge of town. Christa was already tied up on the sled harness, and along with the other dogs behind her, she laid down on the snow, waiting patiently for the musher to come and start the journey.

"Thank you, Nikki. I wish you the best of luck too."

"Why would I need it?"

"For your injury to heal soon, for one thing. And to kick Bitey’s tail. Hmmm….I wonder what happened to those two fiends…"

"Well, Balto was lucky to have Steele with him for Bitey almost killed him at the ambush. The Samoyed was just about to launch those fangs onto him when Steele distracted him and saved Balto’s life. That’s something, isn’t it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Steele and Balto were once enemies. It’s a long story, dere."

"And Band?"

"He was never seen afterwards," another dog said as he came upon them. Balto was noticeably hurt from the ambush, being wounded on his side, but he was bandaged and for the most part, he was fine. "Stupid coward. Barging into Jenna’s room like that…." He trailed off, muttering in anger.

"Well, I hope he never comes back, but I think you won’t expect him to follow the rules, right?"

Balto shook his head. "Of course not. He will be back, unfortunately. Someday however, he will be stopped."

"Okay, darlin’, time to go," Burlan remarked. The St. Bernard had a sack full of supplies strapped to his massive body, and though he was a comical sight to see, no one was jolly enough to laugh.

Christa nodded. "Okay, you big dufus," she said with a grin and then glanced at the two dog residents of Nome. "It’s been nice meeting you. I’m a bit upset that Draco is not here, but he probably got other reasons not to be here."

Balto showed a puzzled face. "Speaking of Draco, where is he, by the way? I haven’t seen him since yesterday."

Nikki could only shrug. "Me neither."

"Oh well," Christa said with a sigh. "I might be back and meet him again."

The musher came by and took control of the sled. Christa and the others stood up at his command, and Burlan laid down on the sled, to the dismay of some of the new recruits of the dog sledding team. Christa could only laugh.

"Farewell, you two. Come back soon!" Balto said.

Christa responded with a nod, and her team was off quickly, away from Nome toward home. Balto and Nikki watched them go, and soon Kaltag came up to them.

"Well, Roland is dead."

The two gasps were expected to Kaltag. Balto widened his eyes. "That’s unbelievable! How?"

"I have absolutely no idea. Kembala is just as lost as I am. We’re going to pull him out into open view so that the men could find it and bury him. Jenna wants to see you, Balto. After what happened, she needs you."

Balto nodded in agreement. "Of course. See you fellas later."

A few hours later, the humans scoured through the charred remains of the storage area. Ashes were every where, and all the hay and barrels were burned up. The remains of a certain chinook were never found.