howled in pain and whipped around, slamming against the fence and knocking Celyn off.

Brier crouched, preparing to rush in and help, but Celyn was quicker then both Brier and the wolf. As the wolf lunged foreword, intent on killing the small female, Celyn darted aside, the wolf's large paws landing where she had been only seconds before. With more speed then Brier had thought her capable of, Celyn jumped at the wolf, ceasing his throat with her teeth. The wolf started to shake it's massive head franticly, trying to get her loose, but Celyn held firm.

"It's a wolf, Buck!" Mr. Mcaslin's voice hollered. A second later, he came around the corral, cocking the gun in his hands and taking aim.

Celyn released the wolf and jumped back, the fur along her spine bristling with rage as the wolf turned and fled back to the woods. Mr. Mcaslin shot, the gunfire echoing in the night, but the wolf's form melted away into the shadows of the forest.

"Darnit! He got away," Mr. Mcaslin muttered, "Well, at least ya kept him from getting away with any of the caribou, didn' ya Celyn?" he said, walking over to the cream female and patting her on the head. Celyn wagged her tail, looking proud of herself. "Tough lil' gal, ain't ya?"

"Everything okay?" Buck asked as he came around the corral, closely followed by Pa Mcaslin and Cody, each carrying a gun.

"Just fine. Celyn here chased off a wolf all by herself," Mr. Mcaslin told them proudly.

"She did?" There was no mistaking the tone of surprise in Buck's voice as he looked at the small female.

"Yup. Twice her size, and the lil' gal just fought him off," Mr. Mcaslin said.

It was too dark to go after the wolf to see if Mr. Mcaslin had hit him, so Pa and Cody decided they'd do it in the morning, while Buck and Mr. Mcaslin did the herding. Mr. Mcaslin thought it was a safe bet that the wolf wouldn't come back tonight, so he put Celyn and Brier back in the shed.

The dogs looked up as the door opened and Mr. Mcaslin let Brier and Celyn in. Once the door shut, Celyn lowered her head, looking a bit fearful as she started towards her bed of straw.

"Whoa there, nelly," Brier said, sticking her paw out in front of the female, making her stop. "We'all owe ya an' apology, don' we?"

"She's right," Lucy said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"We're sorry," Lariet added, and the rest murmured in agreement.

Celyn blinked, cocking her head and looked confused. "S-so-sowry?"

"Well, yeah, we're'all real--wait justa gosh darn minute!" Brier exclaimed, turning to look at Celyn so fast her neck hurt. "Ya can speak?!"

Celyn cocked her head with a gesture that could have been a shrug or a nod. Or both.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Nash asked.

"Can, ya, speak?" Brier asked slowly. Celyn blinked and shook her head.

"But she just did," Travis said in confusion.

Frowning for a minute, Brier got an idea. "Did ya just copy what ya heard us'all sayin'?"

Celyn perked and nodded.

"So, she's not mute and was mimicking us just now? Like a pup?" Nash asked.

"Lariet said it, she was raised by goats. She probably never learned how to speak dog," Mattie replied.

"Well, if yer gonna be stickin' around, we're gonna have to teach ya how to talk, an' act, likea dog," Brier said, nudging Celyn in the shoulder. The female wagged her tail.

"We'll take that as a yes," Mattie said with a smile.

"All right, if your gonna be one of us, we gotta do something about that name," Lariet spoke up, making everyone look at him. "Celyn is a way too fancy, smancy, cityfolk name."

"Lariet!" Lucy barked, swatting her brother on the shoulder.

"Don't ya think we should ask, if she wants a name change?" Clyde pointed out.

"Do ya, sugar?" Brier asked, and Celyn nodded with a wagging tail.

"There, see? She agrees," Lariet said.

"What do you want to be called?" Mattie asked Celyn gently, but the little female just cocked her head and frowned as Lariet and Nash started suggesting names.

"Nancy?"

"Sally?"

"Bobbie Jo?"

"Lucy?"

"I'm Lucy!"

"So? Don't be selfish, she can be Lucy if she wants. Ow!" Nash exclaimed as Lucy whacked him over the head.

Celyn giggled and Brier shook her head. "Awright, awright, now, settle down ya'll. Let the poor girl think. Did ya like any of those, sugar cube?" she asked, turning to Celyn. The cream female perked and nodded eagerly.

"Which one?" Lariet asked, "Nancy?"

Celyn shook her head and pointed a paw at Brier, who blinked. "Eh? Brier? Ya like my name?"

Celyn shook her head and made a gesture towards the black females mouth, then pointed at herself. "Ya lost me, sugar," Brier told her, and Celyn pointed at her mouth again.

"Sugarcube," Mattie said, and Celyn nodded, now pointing at the brown female. Mattie smiled. "I think she likes that name."

"Sugarcube? Ya'll wanna be called Sugarcube?" Brier asked, and Celyn barked excidetly, her tail a creamy blurr. "Well, that's settled. "I hearby dubb thee Sugarcube. Welcome to Mcaslin Ranch," Brier said, ruffling the top of Sugar's head. Sugar beamed.

"And don't you worry about learning how to be a dog," Nash said, giving Sugar a friendly nudge, "I'll teach you everything you need to know."

"We want her to be a dog, not a nut-job," Brier teased, "Don' pay him no attention, Sugar. He's studyin' to be a half-wit."

"I thought I was the one studying to be a half-wit?" Lariet piped up.

"No way, that's my bit," Nash replied.

"Uh-uh, your the nut-job, I'm the half-wit."

"Am not."

"Are to."

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

"You're both crazier then a pair of kangaroo's on coffee! Now shut up and get your sorry hides to sleep before I knock both your brains into next year!"

"Yes sir, Clyde, sir," both males replied in unison, scrambling off to their sleeping places.

"Don' you worry 'bout fittin' in, no more," Brier whispered to Sugar as the cream female laid down next to her, Mattie, and Lucy. "We're all 'bout as crazy as ya can git."

Sugar giggled.

"Lariet, Nash, what did I just tell you?!"

"It wasn't us!"

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All characters (c) Me