Blu was bracing herself to have her through ripped out. But the wolf paused giving her a chance to just let him win "too soft to kill me?" She taunted blood trickling down her shoulder and staining her white leg red. She thought for a moment. Teuful wouldn't last as wingdog for long sure he was fast and athletic but he had been wheel dog all his life he was going to give Kodak hell for the first three months trying to adjust and Blu wasn't going to be a helpfully wheel dog anyways. She may be big and well muscled but she had no desire to keep the role of wheel dog. "I'll retreat, for now" she said cooly waiting for teufel to release her from his jaws.

Teufel didn't react. "I don't kill for sport." he mused, immediately releasing her when she said that she was done. His goal was not to be Swing Dog forever... it was to be able to take any spot he wanted, whether that be Wheel dog, Swing dog, or Team dog, and for others to respect him. He didn't want to cause trouble past this trial period. However, this is when he could cement his place in the pack... and he wanted his place to be up high.

Everyone thought they could figure him out easily, he could tell. Blu assumed he had been a wheel dog his whole life, Kodack assumed they could just boss him around, Jaeger assumed he was a threat. No one knew his story, and he wished they'd try to stop guessing.

Truthfully, he had started as a bright eyed 2 year old in a pack that wans't fit for anyone to join. The dogs were big and cruel, a terrible team. He got constantly put down, attacked, bullied. Many of his scars came from that time. He ended up snapping after a year of being a team dog and attacking the lead dog, permanently maiming them. The musher sent him away immediately. His next pack tried him, but he got in a fight and again, the dog almost died. Sent away again. The next musher that took him got a 3 and a half year old wolf full of scars with a wild look in their eyes. He constantly got into fights, but he was beat more times than he won. Sent away again.

At 4 years old, he took charge of a pack and was the lead dog for a year. They won the Copper Basin 300, and everything was going great- but disaster fell when he was attacked and he ended up killing one of the dogs. Sent away.

One last musher tried their luck... he didn't fight now. His fight was gone. He always stayed at the back of the pack, kept quiet. He was a swing dog, because of his former experience. 5 years old, a good age... this is when he was half blinded. He was sent away when the musher saw it. They thought he'd never run again.

He was 5.2 years old now, half blind, but still strong as ever. His personality had been dampened considerably though, and he was a rather timid, snappy, aggressive creature. A musher saw him and sympathized with the fear in his eyes. On this new team, he became a wheel dog. He stayed with them for a full 2 years.

And we're all caught up, as he just moved to this pack. The reason? They got a younger dog to replace him. He had ended up seriously injuring them, too, in an effort to keep his position.

Now here he was, a little older than 7, in prime shape, half blind, trying to claw his way up to a top spot just to get respect and peace. Deep down, all he wanted was peace.

He stood and watched her climb to her feet, blood dripping slowly from his belly, then turned and walked away, towards the back of the pen.

.{Kodack}.

Kodack watched the blood dripping from Blu, each individual droplet making him shift.

The sight wasn't pleasent, it never would be for him, not after the accident back at Yukon.

He had been bought by his old musher 3 years ago, back when he was only 2 years old.

They had wanted him as a replacement for their injured Wheel.

He had been young and naive, thinking that the rest of the team would be happy to have him.

He was wrong.

First day of training was a disaster, he was bitten and yelled at for a solid 5 hours.

Because of his age they thought him to be unfit for the coming compitetion, the Pasvik Trail.

He had been young of course but he was fit, smart and ready for the challenge.

It was rough and after a week there he had cuts all along his back and shoulders.

The musher wanted to send him back, saying he couldn't fend for himself and wasnt working with the rest of the team.

Somehow Kodack mustered up the strength to challenge the other Wheel, for no purpose other than to keep himself safe.

The fight was long and hard but Kodack came out on top.

That came with a price though, it always did.

The second Wheel was badly gashed on his side and was bleeding all over the snow.

The musher couldn't help him and let him bleed out.

After that Kodack was sent to compete at Yukon for another team, better suited to him.

He ran as Wheel for months with them, but eventually grew restless and started picking fights with the Swing dogs.

A few weeks before the Iditariod he and another dog, Togo who happened to be a Swing, got into a massive fight.

Kodack went at him like he'd never before, and it didn't end well for either of them.

Togo was injured in the leg and shipped off while Kodack got his wish for Swing Dog, just not there.

He went and ran in the Iditariod and brought his new team to first.

After the whole ordeal though he struggled looking at the dripping blood and not thinking of Togo and the other dog that had been shot.

That memory would always be there to haunt him.

Blu shook her pelt watching teuful stalk off she huffed. She could read the look in his eyes he didn't want to be aggressive he just wanted to be respected. She gave him a fight but she didn't kick him off when she was pinned. She wanted piece just as much as he did. Even if that meant dealing with her God awful brothers taunting her at the upcoming race. She lashed her tail deciding she would briefly run teuful down on how to swing with Kody tomorrow. Sighing she stalked past the other dogs into the shed where she curled up into a ball. Her tail laying over her nose, the she dog gritted her teeth hoping to sleep through the worst of the pain.

-+-+-

Elvis sneezed as he shook the anger out of his pelt. He was hoping not all of the dogs saw him snap but he knew some of the more important dogs did. He let out a low woof as the musher came into the pen...strange he never came into the pen unless it was to knock a dog. The mouse brown wolf dog tense as the musher whistled "Elvis" he sung. The male dog wagged his tail with uncertainty as he crept forward that's when he realized that the mushers daughter was their. Elvis sighed sometimes the daughter liked to run just him on a small sled. He was the easiest dog to control so he let himself be harnessed and hooked up. Their wasn't much snow but the kids sled was light into pull across the slick icy grass.

Teufel managed to find a small dark corner that it looked like no one had been in in a while, and curled up on the fallen leaves and grass there. His tail settled over his nose, fur ruffling as he huffed out. His stomach throbbed where a chunk had been torn out of it, but other than that, he was fine... and he was used to pain, anyway. What did it matter? Life was mostly pointless, anyway. He mineswell try and run, the only thing he enjoyed, in a way he wanted.

-

While Jaeger waited for a response, he watched Teufel stalk past, leaving a thin trail of blood. A grumble emanated from him- they'd better get it cleaned, as he didn't want sticky blood all over the pen.

.{Arya}.

Arya was quiet for a little, gazing out across the snow.

"You never answered." She murmured, "Do you find me a threat or not?"

She didn't particularly care whether he did nor not but it would be nice for Jaeger to admit she had a chance.

The she-wolf turned her head slightly to look at him better, her ice-blue eyes fixtating on his.

Arya hadn't really expected Jaeger to take the bait, not when he was so tired atleast.

He knew she was fully rested and ready to go.

Didn't stop it from being annoying though. She wasn't usually so angsty but right now she was itching for a fight, especially with Jaeger.

That smug look on his face obviously meant he thought she nor Tahoe would be able to take his stop and that was going to to slowly push her over the edge.

-

.{Kodack}.

He was curled up in his usual area, hidden amoung the foliage but cushioned by the hay.

He and Arya always slept in the same area and the rest of the pack knew better than to join them.

Kodack looked around for a little, trying to figure out where Teufel would've gone.

The current guess was that little corner by the shed, it was never occupied which ticked the for Teufel.

After much conteplation Kodack finally got up and padded towards that corner.

"If i were you, i'd stick with me and Arya. The pack will feel threatened after the fight and i wouldn't put it past some of them to attack you in your sleep."

That was partly true.

Kodack had purposely chosen to use the words 'in your sleep' though, he assumed thats where some of Teufel's scars came from.

It was only a wild guess but he was usually pretty spot-on with his guesses, especially when it came to other dogs.

Jaeger paused, glancing at her as he weighed how much she cared about his answer, if it would hurt him or help him, etc. He had a truthful answer, but would it just egg her on? Make it more difficult? His dark eyes fixed on hers as she looked at him and he decided to at least do her the liberty of giving her the truth. They were still teammates. "Yes. If you decide to challenge me, I would be worried. The only reason I wasn't before is because I didn't know if you were or not." He replied evenly. "You are a good fighter and you're very cunning. It would be a fair fight." That's all he was going to say for now, but he was much more alert now. His gut told him that she was going to challenge him soon, so he should prepare.

-

Teufel opened his eyes slightly as he heard pawsteps, watching as Kodack came around the corner. He stood with a huff, eyes narrowed slightly. That short sentence sent a look of pure malice shooting through his gaze before it calmed into just irritation. "First off, if anyone dares attack me in my sleep ill assure they lose BOTH eyes. Second, how do I know I can trust you and Arya not to do the same?" He replied in a stiff, brittle tone, his lips lifting slightly. "Don't try and read me, Kodack. We all have our own stories to tell and it is our own decisions if we want to tell them or not."

Blu stifled a laugh as she heard teufuls response to Kodak "if he where to attack a dog in their sleep he would've done me a long time ago." She shook her head fluffing the straw out of her bloody pelt " and Arya isn't a malicious dog, if Kodak tried to pull anything she would stop him" the dark coated she dog had been on the team for just as long as Arya did. They used to get a long pretty well that was untill the team dog that use to be next to her challenged Blu for her position and younger quicker Blu who didn't have her shoulder injury yet had fought viciously making major injuries to his belly and neck. In the end their musher had to shoot him and that was when the pack first started to separate themselves from her.

+

Elvis was laying near the front wall he was half asleep but catching everything other word the dogs where saying. He sneezed as straw tickled his nose. Adjusting his face so it wasn't in the straw he cracked an eye to look at the canines.

.{Kodack}.

He snorted at Teufel's response, barely stiffling a scoff.

"Tell you really believe that. I don't attack dogs in their sleep, its cowardly and thats one thing i'm not."

He scanned Teufels body, tense, eyes locked and lip slightly drawn.

"Your a Swing Dog now. That means i have your back, whether you like it or not."

Kodack sniffed the air, checking for anyone who may be eavesdropping.

"Keep that to yourself, yeah? The pack would eat me alive if they hear i'm helping out the newbie."

He sweaped his tail over the snow, unconsciously trying to cover his pawprints.

"Tahoe would probably go for you while you sleep, he did it at me my first night."

-

.{Arya}.

She let the words wash over her.

She had been deathly still, barely blinking as she thought.

Finally Arya turned to Jaeger, "Good." She whispered before rising to head to her and Kodack's sleeping area.

She was very much certain Kodack was trying to convince Teufel to sleep with them instead of alone.

Since Teufel had taken over Blu's place as Swing Dog Kodack would have eyes on him at all time, making sure he didn't come to harm.

Arya padded quietly towards the hay and nestled down, waiting for Kodack and Teufel.

Teufel could've flattened a mountain with the glare he shot at Blu, but he seemed to be grumpily settling down. He didn't trust anyone with anything, nevermind his life. He was not going to go along with this happily. His eyes rolled at their glance around and pitiful attempt to erase their steps. "We're a team, but we do not have to be besties." He huffed lowly, a low rumble emanated from his chest. "If Tahoe tries anything, I'll rip his throat out. I swear." He shook his thick pelt, the fur ruffling as he stepped back. "I don't need your help. However, I won't let my pride get in the way of my safety- I'm not that stupid." With that, he stalked slowly towards where he could smell Arya was. Since everyone else was still outside, he had his pick of the shed, and he chose the farthest place away from both of them that was still in sight in the small shed. Out of habit, he scraped his way through the hay to the earth, laid down, and shifted so the hay mostly fell back over him, covering him.