it's not that. In fact, things might be going right, but it's still a little much for me," she said. She looked up into his eyes and summed up all her courage to tell him. This was it, the moment of truth, "Amak, I'm carrying pups."

"Pups?"

"Yes, pups. Our pups," she replied.

Amak stood there with his mouth slightly open as the news washed over him, "You and I….. pups….. you mean…. I'm going to be a…… father?"

"Yes," she replied, "We're going to be parents." 

His mouth started to curl up into a growing smile and he started laughing, softly at first, but then it grew and grew. He squeezed her close to him and covered her with nuzzles and licks, all the while laughing his head off out of joy, "Wow, me a dad, who would've thought? Wow," he said, but noticed that she wasn't taking it as lightly as he was, "Hey, why the long face? Aren't you happy about this too?"

"I am happy about this, but I'm scared too," she replied, "What if Mayak finds out about this? Or worse, what if the other dogs in your town find out?"

"Then we won't let them find out," he replied, "Aniu, I swear I will protect you, no matter what. I don't care how big or mean Mayak is, but if he wants to lay a paw on you or our pups, then he'll have to answer to me. As long as you're with me, you'll always be safe."

"I know, but I'm still scared," she said, with tears starting to run down her cheeks. She started to cry into his chest; not out of fear for herself, but for her unborn children, "They won't notice it now, but when the pups start to grow, they will see. They'll see that I cheated on Mayak. He'll - he'll be so angry. I don't know what he'll do to me if he finds out that I went behind his back and mated with a husky. He hates them so much and I'm so scared about what he might do to me… or to you." 

"I know, but I'm here for you," he comforted, "I'll always be there for you, looking out for you." They remained together for a few moments while she cried herself out into his chest, "Okay, I know this is a bit overwhelming, but don't be scared. This is a happy moment for us right?" he said.

"Yes," she replied.

"Then you shouldn't be so sad. I'm happy about being a father, and you should be happy about being a mother," he said, "Now, do you want to go back to your pack tonight, or do you want to stay with me?"

She thought for a moment, and knew that it would be best if she her pack never found out about this. Salin may have been willing to keep her secret, but she wasn't so sure about Faro and Atka. They had offered to help her if Mayak ever gave her any trouble, but would they be as willing if they knew what she had done with Amak? "I want to stay with you," she replied, "I want to be with you."

"Okay, we'll figure something out. My goodness, you're shaking," he said, and Aniu realized that she had been trembling since she had arrived, "C'mon, maybe a quick walk would do you some good. It'll help you calm down from this crazy night," he suggested.

She nodded her head and they started to walk down the dark streets of the town, "Amak, if I do have to leave my pack to hide my pups, where should I go?" she asked.

"Well, I'd be happy to take you in," he replied, "I did it once before, and I'll be more than happy to do it again. Heck, I'd even be willing to share my little shed with you. Though, I will warn you, I sometimes snore at night." 

"Thank you, that's very kind, but how would you hide me?" she asked, "It won't be like the last time you took me in. You're in a town, with many people and dogs."

"Well, there's more than one way I can think of to keep you safe. You could settle yourself on the other side of town, far away from the other wolves, but still relatively close to me, " he suggested, "Or, and this may be a stretch, but bear with me; we could see if we could disguise you as a husky and hide you in plain sight."

"Are you sure? Won't they see that I'm a wolf?" she asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. Huskies and wolves are so similar that I have heard of cases where one has been mistaken for the other," he replied, "If not that, then maybe saying you're only part wolf would do the trick. Granted, it might earn you a few funny looks, but at least you won't have to hide."

"I don't know….. so much could go wrong," she said.

"Maybe, but what's important now is that you're safe with me," he replied, "We can work out the fine details in the morning."

Aniu was grateful that once again, he was sticking out his neck to help her. As they walked, she nuzzled into his side, and he stopped so that he could return it. After it ended, they took a moment to gaze at each other. Both wore a look of complete content, but before he could lean in to give her another nuzzle, his face suddenly became alert as he saw something over her shoulder. She noticed his reaction and when she looked back, her blood froze. They weren't alone on that dark street.

Standing no more than ten feet away was a husky with piercing blue eyes. It was Steele; they had been caught, "Oh, this is yet another unexpected twist," he sneered, "I didn't know you liked those kinds of girls Amak," Amak didn't respond and only glared at his rival, "I thought a respectable sled dog like you would be above this," Steele continued, "But, I guess no one's perfect. Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," he finished before lunging at them. Amak reacted quickly and intercepted the strike, knocking Steele to the ground.

"Aniu, RUN! NOW!" he yelled and she did not hesitate. She took off, with Amak following closely behind. Soon, they heard Steele barking his head off, which alerted more of the dogs that something was up.

"At this rate, we're going to be surrounded soon," she said.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he replied before they turned down an alley to evade the inevitable mob.

 ----------

Chapter 7: A Husky's Bravery

They ran through the alleys of the town, trying to throw their pursuers off, but Steele and his gang were persistent. Every minute, more and more dogs joined in the chase, barking their heads off. Aniu and Amak would start to think that they had found a clean break, but they would then see one of the dogs nearby and would be forced to turn around to avoid being caught.

"These guys are everywhere," Aniu said, gulping in air after their latest sprint away from Steele, "Steele must really have it in for wolves."

"You don't know the half of it," he said as he looked around. They were near the edge of town and surrounded by old, abandoned buildings. Amak looked around the area, occasionally peeking into the empty buildings, "Aniu, over here," he called after stopping in front of one of the cabins, "This one has a clear path out of here," he said and they crept inside. Years of neglect had worn on the cabin, putting holes in the walls and floorboards. The only sound they heard was the creaking of their steps on the old boards.

"It's so quiet here," she thought, "Wait, it's quiet; where are the sounds from the dogs that were chasing us? They can't have given up that easily."

At the opposite end of the building was an open door frame. Through it, they could see the open plain around the town, with the forest visible in the distance, "We're almost home free!" Amak cried and they both picked up their pace.

However, their relief would be cut short as three dogs, led by Steele, jumped in front of the doorway, blocking their exit, "Surprise wolfy!" he said, causing Aniu and Amak to backpedal in order to get away from him. However, when they turned back, they saw that at least half a dozen dogs had already come in through the same way they did. That was why they had gone quiet; they were planning an ambush.

They were completely surrounded and the encroaching mob pushed them against a wall, "Steele, she has done nothing to you, or to any of them," Amak called out, "Please, don't do this." However, his plea would only be met by savage growls as the dogs crept closer. Some of them even licked their chops in anticipation as they planned on sinking their fangs into a wild wolf. Faced with so many opponents at once, Aniu was overcome by terror. Seeing her tremble, Amak placed himself directly in between her and the mob. His head swung back and forth, trying to find an opening, but there was none. They were cornered by the pack of dogs.

"Well well Amak, what's wrong here with this picture?' Steele sneered as he led the snarling group.

"You all leave her alone!" Amak barked, causing them to laugh cruelly at him.

"Oh Amak, you of all dogs should know that wolves aren't welcome in this town," Steele said.

"But she has no where else to go," Amak replied, "Please, it won't be for very long."

Aniu knew that they were in a tough situation, and to the side, she saw another dog burst into the room. However, this dog was not an enemy; rather, it was Sonya, "What's going