The two walked for hours, talking on and off as they did so. Paws slowly became sore again, and even after a good night's rest, the aches in their spines and bones would not relent. Afore followed his powerful nose, and a flurry of strong smells led him straight to Castimun Tribe. It was only a few hours' walk. Although, they were still no more than a few hours walk from Veal Tribe; after arriving at Jall Tribe, they had walked to Castimun, which was perpendicular to Veal Tribe, or riding along next to it. Unknown to both Afore and Laika, Veal Tribe held a strong alliance with Castimun Tribe. After Veal Tribe's precious wolf had gone missing, Castimun was the first to hear of it, and with a sly offer that they could not resist: one of the wolf's pups would go directly to them if they were to catch him.

And so, it was not unusual that the Castimun area was heavily guarded and scouted, patrols lurking every corner. Afore had expected a situation similar to what they had been met with at Jall Tribe: a tribe caught off guard, and guided by greed and lust. But Castimun Tribe was guided by power and a strong alliance bond, proving them to be calculated, cold, and intelligent. And so, just about as soon as the scent of Castimun began drifting along on the wind, so did the strong scent of a nearby scouting group.

Afore and Laika both caught a whiff of them from somewhere upwind; and both subsequently hid, crouched behind some bare brambles, where they crawled quietly and slowly. But it was a shame that the spring had not yet grown in any green on the branches of bushes and thistles, as there wasn't much to obscure the sharp ebony and bright orange of the saluki. The wolf, on the other hand, with his grey and auburn agouti pelt, seemed nearly invisible against the grey and brown branches and leaves.

They etched forward quietly, their stomachs nearly touching the ground as they crawled. It wasn't long before their scent met the noses of the nearby scouts, and the searching party came into view. It was made up of four domestic canines. One was a large kangal-type dog, a female, rusty orange in pelt, lighter along her stomach and paws. Beside her were two males, slender, arched, and surely quick in speed, like short-haired versions of Laika. Although, they were plain grey, and not pointed in colour. Greyhounds, perhaps. One of them had light brindle stripes along his back like a tiger.

The last canine with them was a medium-sized mutt, red in pelt and with large, wide ears, one being halfway down. They were a mix of stocky and slender, as if a strong warrior dog had been combined with one of the speedy sighthounds. To Afore, they looked primitive, like a Dingo or perhaps a Jindo. The red dog wore a strap over their back, lined with pouches of leather. Afore wondered what was in them. The wolf and the saluki both stopped their movement and kept still, terrified of being caught. Hearts in their chests, paws sweating as all hell... fear, panic. It was all too familiar, and not any less unsettling.

Afore was overwhelmed with guilt, all at once and with suddenness. How could he have put Laika in harm's way? And how pathetic of him to do so! And for what? He knew, then, that he had been nothing but selfish. He knew, then, that he had to protect Laika, no matter the cost, to make up for putting her in this situation. Afore had just assumed that Castimun Tribe would fight him, and then be on their way, leaving them alone, just like with Jall Tribe; Afore knew he could handle a few more dogs. But he hadn't been expecting a scout, especially not this far away from Castimun Tribe itself. His mind was plagued with worry, heart pounding. He feared for Laika more than for himself.

The scouts slowed as they neared the wolf's unmistakeable stench, and the scent of a female with him. All four dogs whiffed the air in different directions, nostrils flared. It was the primitive red dog who first was able to locate Afore by his smell, and who then turned with fiery brown eyes to the shrubs in which the two hid in silence, only a few feet away.

It took a moment, but sure enough, Afore and Laika were seen. Well, Laika was seen, but Afore's strong, male musk gave him away quickly.

"There," the dog said, loud and clear, "The wolf is over there!"

Immediately, the scouts were a bee-line in that direction. The two greyhounds raced ahead. Afore knew that he and Laika could not hide from this, and so did she. Their only chance was to run or fight back.

Laika's instinct was to run. Always, her instinct was to run. Her body was built for speed; she was made to run. Afore's instinct was not to run. Instead, his instinct was to stand his ground. And whereas Laika stood with trembling tension, pulling on the heavy rope in an opposite direction, just waiting in strong anticipation for it to slack so that she may race away from this danger, Afore stood with broad strength and faced the four scouts, snarling, teeth glinting in the midday light and hackles raised. Every hair of his stood on end, making it seem as if he had a mane.

In two opposite directions they yanked harshly on the rope. Of course, Afore was much heavier than Laika, and so he was mildly tugged at the throat whereas she was completely pulled backwards, landing on her side with the crunch of the leaves beneath her. She grumbled something incoherently. All at once, hell broke loose.

Afore was distracted by the tug of the rope, glancing at Laika to see where she had gone and ensure she was alright; the second his large head swivelled, a bowling rusty kangal leapt upon him, bowling him over with a shock and thud. Afore kept his cool despite his pounding heart and fury, scratching at the sensitive stomach of the huge domestic dog. He was bigger than her, after all. He was bigger than every domestic dog.

Using flashing fangs, he snapped at her ankles and forelegs, and she yelped and pulled back. In a moment of her weakness, Afore leapt up and upon her. They reared back onto hind legs, clashing with their chests and forelegs in midair like horses or deer. Afore aimed for the neck, and the neck he bit. Hard.

He overpowered the red kangal, bringing her to the forest floor on her back, his mighty jaws around her throat, tight like a glove. In his exhaustion and surprise, he couldn't seem to get through her dense coat and pierce her skin, although he did leave scratches upon it.

As he writhed, a pain shot up his back, blazing from a bite on his hip where a greyhound's mouth was. Laika fought furiously with another greyhound nearby, tugging on the rope and throwing it this way and that. The primitive Dingo was tagging her as well, pulling her tail and ears and nipping at her legs like a herding breed. Afore quickly understood the skill and experience of these well-trained domestic dogs. He despised them for it, for their cleverness and strength, and fought back with pure, primal fury, snarling and frothing with hair flying and scarlet splattering. His tail pointed out right, his every hair on end, making him appear big and scruffy. His face was curled up in a terrible snarl, wet at the edges and gleaming along the red, black, and white.

The Greyhound forced Afore's rear to the dirty ground with his teeth, and Afore whined with the stinging pain and frustration and anger. He flipped around to fight this Greyhound head-on, and immediately, the kangal leapt upon him once again, pinning him to the ground beneath her weight in an awkward, curled position. He could hardly breathe, and began to panic.

"Get him," the Kangal snarled, and the Greyhound obeyed. From the brown pouches that the primitive red dog wore, the Greyhound pulled leather ropes and twines. Quickly, the Kangal's mighty paw pressed down with agony on the wolf's head, pinning him to the dirt and unable to speak nor move. He snarled in response, slightly muffled, struggling against the beast of a female on top of him.

The Greyhound worked swiftly, nearing the wolf, using his teeth and tongue to wrap the leather around the wolf's snout, then looping it to the back of his ears and around his neck, acting as a muzzle, harness, and collar all in one. Afore was certainly feeling the panic then; heart racing, veins coursing. His eyes were wide and gleaming with wet, flicking back and forth as he growled and whined and struggled desperately. He feared for his and Laika's lives. The walls were closing in on him, and he felt suffocated to the extreme, as if every wall was pressing right against him.

Eventually, the Kangal lifted her mighty weight, and Afore gasped with relief, filling his lungs with much needed cool, crisp air. But now his muzzle was tied shut and his head wrapped up in a secure, flat leather harness. He hadn't been able to see from his angle beneath the female, but Laika appeared about the same, her head laced with dark brown straps and tied in knots at various points. From both of their head halters were long leashes, and at the end of each leash was one of the domestic canines. The Jindo took Laika, and the Kangal took Afore.

Afore and Laika refused, snarling, spitting; but a painful nip to the hackles and tug on the harness, and they were forced on their way to Castimun tribe. The two kept their heads low with disdain, tails tucked with fear, and they walked so closely that their sides touched with every inhale.

A long walk through the late autumn forest, and the scents of the nearby tribe grew braver, the sounds louder; it was unmistakeable. Castimun Tribe was ahead, and it was large, busy, and dangerous. Afore stopped, pulling back on his leash, refusing to go any farther.

"Knock it off! Keep walking!" One of the greyhounds snapped, biting at his tail with his fangs, to which Afore whimpered, hesitated, and then begrudgingly went ahead. He was uncertain now, and that made him afraid. It also made him guilty. The guilt was immeasurable; he had led Laika to this dangerous place. He had walked her right to her death, hadn't he?

He shook it off. They would get out of this situation unscathed, certainly. He would make sure of it.