pulled it over Lusa and they laied down, talking.

Outside Kodi trotted by the Boiler Room entrance, talking to Kaltag.

Lusa perked her ears and sniffed as they trotted by, "Who are they?" she asked.

Dusty looked to see who it was, "The tricolored one is Kaltag, and the red husky is Kodi," she said.

Lusa's eyes gleamed at Kodi's name, "Don't you think Kodi's cute?" she asked.

Dusty couldn't help but let a giggle escape.

"What?" Lusa asked.

"Sorry but a, Kodi's taken," Dusty said trying to hold back laughter.

Lusa's eyes widened, "Oh!" she said, her face burning up, "I'm sorry"

Dusty laughed, "It's alright, you didn't know," she said.

Lusa gave her a wobbly smile, then both dogs cracked up. They laughed for a while, then ended in big sighs.

*************************************************

The next morning Kodi woke up an John's bed. He hopped off and stretched, shaking out his fur. Kodi padded over to the window and looked out at the ground below. A dog was walking by, one he hadn't seen before. Kodi bounded out of John's room and down the steps. He slipped outside and bounded up to the dog, "Hello," he said, "Are you new to Nome?"

The dog turned around, it was Lusa. She half-way gasped when she saw who it was. Lusa gulped, No! she shouted at herself, don't get caught up now!

When Lusa didn't answer for a while Kodi asked her, "Uhh, what's your name?"

"My name?" Lusa stuttered, "My name's, uhh, my name's-" Dangit! I forgot my own name! she told herself.

Kodi chuckled a little, "You can't tell me you don't have a name," he said.

"My name's uhh..." then she remembered it, but got tounge tied trying to say it, "My name's Lisa!... Uhh, I mean Lusa!"

Kodi chuckled again, "I haven't seen you around before, where are you from?"

"I'm from Nenana," Lusa said.

Kodi nodded and looked around at the neat rows of houses, "So where do your owners live?"

Lusa shuffled her paws, "Um, I don't have owners," she said.

Kodi was shocked, "You traveled all the way here? Why?"

Lusa nodded, "I uh-"

Lusa stopped talking when Dusty came up to them.

"Hey guys!" she said cheerfuly, "So you met Lusa?" she asked Kodi trotting up to him.

Kodi nodded, "Yeah," he said.

"I met her last night, she just came here," Dusty said.

While Kodi and Dusty exchanged a few words, Lusa slipped off, she was too embarrased to stay there any longer, "I can't believe I forgot my own name!" she muttered as she padded into an alley.

As Dusty trotted away from Kodi, he said, "So I'll see you later!" Dusty nodded and trotted off into town. Kodi looked back to where Lusa had been. She was gone! Kodi looked around but didn't see her, he still didn't know why she had traveled all the why from Nenana to Nome, and he was curious, so he followed her scent trail into an alley.

Lusa scuffed her paw accross the ground, "I probably wouldn't have a chance with him even if he wasn't with Dusty," she said quietly.

Behind her Kodi stopped walking, Lusa likes me? he thought, puzzled, but she barely knows me!

Lusa thought she heard something behind her, she turned around slowly and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw it was Kodi, "How long have you been following me?" Lusa demanded.

Kodi's eyes widened in fear, "I uh, I was just wondering why you left so quickly, and I was curious, so I followed you," Kodi said. Now he felt like a creep, "I'm sorry, I'll go," he said turning around.

"Wait!" Lusa shouted bounding back up to him, "Did you hear what I said? Just a few seconds ago?"

Kodi nodded, "I'm a, I'm flattered, but uh, I'm in my own relationship, sorry."

"Of course!" Lusa said, "I didn't mean it like that, "I could never be with you if your with someone else, but, could we be friends?"

Kodi thought for a second, "Sure," he said.

Lusa gave him a lopsided smile, "I've vever really had a friend before," she said.

Kodi cocked his head to the side, "Really? Why not?" he asked.

"I'm part wolf," she said, "That's why I came from Nenana to Nome, everyone in Nenana hated me."

"That sounds horrible!" Kodi said. He looked up and saw that the sunwas almost directly above his head, "Sorry, I've gotta go, I have a date with Dusty." Then Kodi bounded out of the alley, as he did, Lusa tried to smile, you should be happy for him! she thought.

"Good luck!" she called after him as he bounded away.

Dusy padded over to her bed where she had placed the collar she had borrowed from her mother. She picked it up and padded over to Mariah, her owner.

Mariah looked slightly surprised when she saw the collar, "I don't remeber buying you a new collar," she said. Mariah just shrugged and put it on Dusty.

Dusty glanced quickly at her fur, it was ruffeled. She grabbed a brush and dropped it in /Mariah's lap.

"When did you get so demanding?" Mariah asked as she brushed out Dusty's fur.

Dusty heard a scratch at the door, that must be Kodi, she thought.

Dusty trotted towards the door, but her father, Butch, got their first.

Kodi's eyes widened when it wasn't Dusty who stepped out the door.

"Uh, hello Mister Butch Sir," Kodi said.

Butch sniffed, "Why are you here?" he asked, although he knew the answer.

"I'm here to pick up Dusty, she's here right?" Kodi asked hopefuly.

Butch sighed, "Yes, I'll get her," he said.

Dusty popped out before Butch even turned around, "Hi Kodi!" she said brightly, bouncing down the steps.  Dusty bounded away a few yards, and Kodi was about to follow her when Kodi heard Butch say

"I guess I should stop trying to keep her my little girl huh?"

Kodi turned around to see the hurt look on the father's face, "Don't worry," he said, "I'll take good care of her."

Butch nodded and padded up the steps to his house wih his tail dragging.

"You coming?" Dusty asked bounding back up to him.

Kodi nodded, smiling, and bounded off towards the park. Behind him, Kira and Steele slinked from bush to tree, always staying hidden.

Kodi and Dusty arrived at  the park and saw a bunch of other dogs there. Kaltag bounded up to them, "Hi guys!" he said, "A whole buch of the dogs are going to race from the big oak tree to the ocean, want to come?" Kodi looked at Dusty and she nodded eagerly. Kodi saw that the race wouldn't be too long, so he decided to join it. He lined up with the rest of the dogs beside the big oak tree and waited for the signal to start the race. A small, scruffy dog was the starter and referee, and it was obvious that he took his job very seriously. He was by the ocean, to see who would win, and at the top of his voice he said, "On your marks, get set, GO!!"

Kodi pushed off with his hind legs and bounded off towards the shore. He took a quick glance to his right and saw Kaltag, and a quick glance to his left saw Star. Kodi looked forward again and ran harder, behind him he heard Dusty cheering him on. This gave Kodi more strength and he began to pull ahead of the other dogs. The ocean neared, and he was sure he would win. On his far left, he saw a brown blur race ahead of him, the dog splashed into the water a few seconds before Kodi did. Kodi stopped and turned around to see who it was, it was Lusa. The small scruffy dog trotted up to Lusa with a bone so big, he was tripping over it. Lusa took it happily and trotted off towards the big oak tree.

Kodi got out of the water and shook himself off, then the scruffy dog handed him a medium sized bone and said, "Congratulations on second place, Kodi."

Kodi took the bone and padded over to where Dusty was.

"Isn't Lusa fast?" she asked in awe. Kodi nodded, he had to admit that he was amazed by her speed. She ran so fast, and effortlessly... Kodi shhok his head to clear it, "Want to shar this bone?" he asked nosing it towards Dusty.

Dusty wagged her tail, "Of Couse!" she said, delighted.

Kodi and Dusty found a sunny spot to knaw on the bone, when it was gone, they spent the afternoon playing tag games, and tug-of-war.

When the sun began sinking under the ocean, Kodi remebered his dinner plans, he turned to Dusty and sai, "You go to the boiler room, and I'll meet you there. Dusty nodded and trotted away. Kodi bounded to his house, picked up his bowl of leftovers, and went to the boiler room. He set the bowl bwesaide the boiler to warm up and layed down as Dusty padded in.

"So why are we here?" she asked.

"Dinner, what else?" Kodi said picking up the bowl, he set it down infront of Dusty.

Steele and Kira waited for the perfect moment to execute thier plan. Steele had gathered cobwebs all day and put them in a bag that would drop from the cieling of the boiler room onto Dusty.  Now Kira was getting impatiant.

"Wait for it," Steele whispererd, "wait for it, Now!" Kira lifted up her paw and let go a piee of string which flew in the air and let loose the bag. The bag opened and out tumbled hundreds of cobwebs, right onto Dusty's back.

Dusty flew into the air with surprise and began trying franticly to paw off the sticky cobwebs, "I hate spiders!" she said fearfully. Kodi came quickly to her aid and pawed off some of the cobwebs, "Where'd they all come from?" he pondered.

Kira and Steele slipped out of the boiler room snickering, "Bullseye!" Steele shouted gleefuly as they bounded away.

Inside the boiler rom, Kodi pawed the last of the cobwebs off of Dusty, "See, no