The Road to Nome        

Book 1: Take a risk on love    

          Chance meeting

          Cathán walked through the woods near Fairbanks pulling a small sled on wheels. Next to him walked his musher’s son Franklin, a boy with dark brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes. Franklin was a young boy of ten, not the most experienced driver but then Cathán was no normal dog. Cathán was a grey and brown husky with a dark brown marking on one leg which earned him the nickname Chocolate Paw by his friends. The pair were a few miles from home, in an area that both knew well, spring had arrived at last, life was returning to the forest. Franklin was in the woods to do some artwork for a school project and Cathán was with him to make sure he returned home safely. The sled was loaded with the food, water and art equipment. Walking through the woods the pair stopped whenever Franklin saw something that caught his eye. In the couple of hours they had been out Franklin had captured several birds, a hare and a fox. Sitting by a tree stump Cathán watched his young master draw, keeping his senses alert for any hint of trouble.

     Suddenly Cathán caught a scent on the wind, a scent which was seen as a threat to human and dog alike. Acting on the best interest of Franklin, Cathán raced off to investigate, to see whether the scent’s owner would pose a threat. Running around a corner near a waterfall Cathán stopped in his tracks, as drinking from the plunge pool was a stunning white wolf. As Cathán approached her head shot up, her golden eyes looking straight through him. Wolf and dog were united in a brief moment as they regarded each other. Cathán was captivated by her beauty, never had he seen a wolf or dog as beautiful as she.

  “Who are you stranger?” asked the wolf in a soft voice.

“Cathán, I am a sled dog.”

“Tell me what is a sled dog doing here alone?”

“I am here with my master’s son, he is nearby doing artwork. I caught your scent on the wind. I have come to see if you are a threat to him” Cathán replied walking forward.

 “I am no threat to your human so long as he does not try to harm me” the wolf replied. “I do not harm humans.”

 “Then you and I have nothing to fight over” Cathán replied with relief walking a step closer. “May I ask your name?”

  “It is Aniou”

“That is a beautiful name, as are you.”

“You are charmer, is that your master?” Aniou asked as Franklin walked around the corner.

“Yes” Cathán replied as Franklin walked up to him.

“Hi boy, wow a wolf, you are beautiful” Franklin said as Aniou stared at him. “Chocolate Paw could you ask her to pose for me?”

  “Did you hear that Aniou?”

“I heard your master, he has a kind heart” Aniou replied.

        Walking away from the pool Aniou climbed up onto a rock that overlooked the pool. Laying down Aniou hung her paws over the edge of the rock and looked directly at the pair, wagging her tail happily. Seeing her pose Franklin immediately understood, sitting down on a rock and opening his sketchpad. Sitting next to him Cathán admired Aniou, her pure white fur, her beautiful and her personality. Like most dogs Cathán had heard stories about wolves and had met some wolf dogs in his time, but he had never met a pure wolf.

     Sitting on her rock Aniou admired the husky in front of her, his grey and brown fur and his blue eyes. As a spirit Aniou had seen dogs before yet she had never met one and was naturally wary of them as they were of wolves.  Despite this she could not help but admire him and his blue eyes captivated her. Calling on her spirit powers she was able to see into his heart, seeing that it was good and strong.

     After Franklin had finished the painting Aniou walked down from her rock, standing in front of Cathán and Franklin.

 “Thank you for allowing Franklin to paint you” Cathán said.

“It was a pleasure your human has a good heart, as do you.”

“How can you tell that?”

“Oh just call it a gift I have” Aniou replied smiling.

“Well it has made his day.”

“I am glad he is happy” Aniou replied as Franklin hitched Cathán to the sled.

“It was a pleasure to meet you Aniou, you are the first wolf I have ever spoken to. I now know that the stories about your kind are untrue.”

“You need not apologies for what you though, you knew no better. You have done no wrong. I am pleased that you see my kind in a new light, as does your friend Franklin, the world needs more like you.”

  “You are to kind, well we have to be head home or Franklin’s parents will hit the roof, goodbye Aniou.”

  “Goodbye Cathán” Aniou replied as she watched the pair head home.

          Arriving home that night Franklin related his meeting with Aniou to his parents, both of who were surprised yet impressed. As he laid in his kennel that nigh Cathán thoughts drifted to Aniou.

 “Why on earth am I thinking about that wolf? I’ve just met her today. Fine she was beautiful, white fur, eyes like the sun. STOP. Stop thinking about her! It was how she acted, she was nice, pleasant, she posed for Franklin. That is why I am thinking about her, she posed for Franklin and made his day. Must be the spring madness getting to me” Cathán thought as he fell to sleep.

 Forest Encounters  

   A couple of weeks had passed since his meeting and Cathán was in the forest once more, this time for a long run. With the arrival of spring the workload for sled dogs decreased slightly, meaning he had more free time to relax. The forest was one of his favorite places, and running through it was one of the few times he had privacy. Running over the lush grass Cathán breathed in the crisp, clear air, enjoying the feeling of grass beneath his feet.  Then suddenly around a blind bend came a deer, missing him by inches, when seconds later he was hit by the creature perusing said deer.

“Owe my head, jeez what where you are going……” Cathán said as his eyes fell onto the creature he had hit.

    Aniou glared back at him angrily as both picked themselves up off the floor, shaking their fur out and checking for injuries.

 “You ran into me dog, all I was doing was hunting” Aniou snapped. “Now you have caused my lunch to escape.”

  “Well maybe you shouldn’t chase game around blind bends! I didn’t even have chance to flipping move!”

 “That is not my concern.”

 “Well it should be. Anyway nothing you can do now, how about I treat you to free lunch?”

“You treat me to lunch, how? You cannot hunt” Aniou replied was the pair began to walk through the forest.

 “No, but I sure know a great hotel that gives its leftovers to dogs” Cathán replied with a cocky grin.

 “A hotel, charming, the problem is I am a wolf, the owners would panic.”

 “Perhaps they would. So tell me, do you make a habit of knocking over unsuspecting dogs?”

 “Not usually, only those who are ignorant of forest life.”

 “Not fair. I know plenty about the forest.”

 “Hardly” Aniou scoffed shaking her head. “You may be able to surviving in, you can tell the thickness of ice, you can sense danger, but you do not truly understand it.”

 “Oh please she wolf give me a break. I am a sled dog, running through forest is my job. I know the trails, where the hills are.”

 “Exactly you know how to run through it, you do not know how to run in it” Aniou replied as they reached a river.

 “Run in it” Cathán replied cocking his head “Is there a difference between the two?”

“Oh yes, one implies fear the other that you are one with the forest” came the reply as the pair swam across the river.

“One with the forest?”

“Yes, to understand it, to respect each part of it. If you can do that then you need never fear it” Aniou whispered as she shook her fur. “Become one with the forest and even the depth of winter, on the darkest night, even when all your team mates lose hope you would be able to lead them home.”

“Teach me then. Teach me how” Cathán answered looking directly at the white wolf.

“Alright sled dog I will. Are you willing to meet me here and obey my commands?”

“I am she wolf. When shall we begin?”

“Today.”

“Alright, show me how you live.”

“Then cast aside all you were taught by your humans” Aniou replied smiling.

       Looking into her eyes Cathán saw a wild spirit and a genuine desire to show him her world. Walking next to Aniou, Cathán listened as she explained the ways of the forest animals, the deer, moose, about