(the Main characters:
Catila- toller bitch 2 year old, white paws and bit white on her chest. Golden brown eyes.

Thomo, mixbreed between Saarloos Wolfhound and pure wolf. 5 years old, green gray eyes, black coat except from his belly, legs, paws and face where he is dark gray.

Katal, mixbreed between Ovtjarka, ½ wolf and ½ husky. Yellow eyes, 3 ½ years old. Light brown coat with black colour on his legs and back of his tail)

Chapter one

“So you’ll take her?” Jack looked down on his dog who wagged her red, fluffy tail as their eyes met. He didn’t want to leave her, but he had no choice. He’d have no time for her where he was going and it wouldn’t be fair towards her if she wasn’t used for anything. If she stayed here in Nome she could still have a bright future with hunting and a family who loved her.

“Yeh sure, I’ll pick her up tomorrow around 4, need to get some things done first in the store.” George, who was a man in his best 40’s, loved to go out hunting and he had experience of dogs from past. And when the hunting season was over he worked together with his wife in their little store that was placed in the south edge of the little city called Nome. Jack couldn’t think out anyone else who’d fit to take care of his precious dog.

“Okay then, it’s a deal.” The both men shook each other’s hands. “Thank you so much George for taking her, I don’t know what I’d do if I hadn’t had you to go.”

George bent down and patted Catila on her head. Catila wagged friendly on her tail, without any kind of idea of what was going on. She’d known George since she was a pup and had spent some hours in his store when Jack was away for business. He was a nice man who smelled earth and a bit of smoke.

“Nah no problems Jack, she’s a nice girl. We’ll take good care of her, promise.”

Jack nodded and the two men tapped each other’s shoulders before Jack went outside George’s home, Catila following at his heels. It was a beautiful autumn day in Nome; kids were running around playing while their parents either shopped or worked. People were eagerly talking with each other and some where laughing. Catila however didn’t leave her master’s side even though she wore no leash or collar. Jack had taught her in early age to stay at his side, otherwise he’d disappear. And she had followed him ever since, never letting him go out of sight, except for the times she’d been at George’s. During the recent past days she’d noticed a change in her master’s mood. He looked at her in a different way and quiet often he would bring her to him and place his hands on her cheeks, his forehead resting against hers and mumbling words as ‘good girl’, ‘I’ll miss you’ and ‘I’ll never forget you’. She didn’t understand the two last ones, she’d only had one master in her life and never had he mentioned those words to her before. Also, he had begun to pile his things into bags and suitcases. She wondered if they were going for hunting, but why would he then mention these words when he had never said such things when they had gone hunting before? She wished she could ask him, but satisfied with watching him.

After dinner, Catila decided to go out by her own before going to sleep. When she passed through the doggie door, she saw a familiar face walking towards her house.
“Hi Thomo!” Catila barked, her tail wagging and her face lightning up in a smile. Thomo smiled back at her as he approached with a certain pride in his move. Lucky for him, because he was a mixbreed between Saarloos and Wolf, he looked a bit like a slender husky and was sometimes used as a sleddog when any dog got hurted or sick.

“Hi Cati,” Thomo greeted her with a soft nudge on her shoulder. “Going somewhere?”

“Just for a walk, wanna join?” Catila had already jumped down the stairs and gotten a few meters ahead before Thomo had even answered. With a smile, Thomo gracefully jumped over the stairs and headed towards her. He caught up quickly and soon they both slowed down the pace.

“I saw that Jack is gathering his stuff, you going for hunting again?” Thomo asked.
 

“I’m not sure. He’s been saying weird stuff to me lately and.. I’ve felt this weird kind of feeling whole week now. I can’t shake it off and I don’t know what it means.” Catila looked down to the ground, her ears dropping.
“Oh...Well what has he been saying then?” Thomo had a vague feeling of what Catila was talking about. After all he had seen more than Catila and knew more about how humans worked. Catila raised her head, her brows furrowing as she thought back at the memories.
“Well.. like... ‘I’ll miss you’ and “I’ll never forget you’.. that kind of stuff.”
Thomo stopped abruptly with Catila turning around to see why. His face scared her a bit and made her stomach twitch. It looked anxious, sad and a bit frustrating. What was he thinking on?
“Catila... I...” Thomo couldn’t bear it. He didn’t understand why Jack would do this. She was just 2 years old! Why was he leaving her? Because that was what he was going to do. And pretty soon judging by all the packing and the words he had been telling Catila.
“What? What do you think he’s up to?” Catila searched the answer from his face but he turned away.
“You’re...you’re not going to hunt... He’s...” Thomo sighed and turned, inhaling deeply before he looked straight into her eyes. “Catila, I think Jack is moving out of town.”

Catila raised one eyebrow. “But that’s not that bad. I wonder where we are going. Oh and how are we gonna meet again?!”
Thomo shook his head and took a step forward. “No Catila it’s not like that. He’s... not taking you with him. He’s... leaving you behind.”
Catila silenced. For a moment she just stared at Thomo, melting his words. They felt like a punch, or a slap in the face. Leaving? What? Jack couldn’t leave her. He was her master. She belonged to him. Why would he else teach her to never let him go out of her sight other than in hunting?
Thomo tilted his head a bit, looking anxious.
“Catila..?”
“You’re wrong...” Catila spoke in a cold voice, still staring at him. “He’s not leaving me. He could never.. You’re wrong! I belong to him, he’s my master!”
Thomo took a step backwards, a bit surprised over her reaction. Though of course he should’ve seen this coming, she was still so young.

“Cati, I’ve seen many people leave their dogs even though they’ve seemed like they’d stay. Sometimes it’s because they’re getting a new human into the family, sometimes it’s because they’re moving or can’t afford to have the dog. Or that the dog isn’t what they thought it’d be...” He stopped himself from saying anything more when he saw the face of Catila. She looked furious, though tears searched their way down her chin.

“You’re wrong. Jack is nothing like that. He loves me, and he won’t leave me.” The last words she spat out in his face before turning and heading back for her house.

When Catila entered the hallway she quickly scouted through the house until she found Jack. He was standing by one of those suitcases in the bedroom, packing some of his human skins. Catila jumped up on the bed and looked at the suitcase. Would he really leave her? After all he had taught her, after everything they’d done together. Would he really leave all that behind? She looked up at him and tilted her head, whining quietly. Jack looked down on his dog, a weak smile on his lips.
“Hey girl...” He raised one of his hands and stroke her head, Catila licking his palm and fingers. “Wish I didn’t have to go to White Mountain. But you’ll do fine with George, I’m sure. I’ll miss you though.”
Jack sat down by the bed and embraced Catila gently. Catila placed her head on his shoulder, the same weird, stubborn feeling growing inside her again as he hugged her. Jack sighed and got up on his feet, closing the suitcase and locking it. He exchanged one last glance with Catila before he went out to the hallway to put the suitcase among the rest. Catila remained where she was, her head full of questions and thoughts. What if Thomo was right? He knew after all more about humans than she did. But the thought of Jack leaving her. She immidately shook it off her, it hurted far too badly. Catila moved out of the way when Jack came back to go to bed. He patted her once before he got under the cover and soon fell asleep. Catila watched her owner, the only one she had truly trusted with her heart and who might disappear from her, for a long while before her eyelids stubbornly forced her to close her eyes and soon she was sound asleep.