suckling the husky's teat, another pup was released from its slimy birth sac and cleaned up.

Ah, a son...! The new mother smiled at the second pup's burgundy-red fur while gently nudging him to nurse. He looks like my family, just like his sister looks like yours...

The minutes went by, slowly turning into two hours... and soon, Jenna was completely exhausted from the stop and go process of whelping pups. Six fruits of her labor rested underneath the warmth of her bushy tail and near her once-again slender belly, quietly whimpering as they blindly moved about the basket. Five of them easily retained the hues of Jenna's fiery red-brown coat while one kept Balto's heritage visually intact, save for the fact that it was a much lighter brown-gray... and rather feminine-looking too. She'll be a beautiful pup when she's older, Jenna spoke to herself as she gave her eldest a lick, keeping her clean.

Oh, I need.... I need to tell Balto! That was the first thing she wanted to do, but she couldn't leave six newborns alone. They needed her more than anything, and her body was already too weak from giving birth to really move about a lot. She could feel the sun beginning its rise from the horizon by what gentle beams of light could pass through. If only she could get someone's attention... maybe someone nearby that could send a message!

Jenna hoped that a bark or two would get some attention... and lucky for her, a small gray and white terrier had just woken up for an early-morning stroll that happened to pass close to the shed.

"Oh...?" He halted in his snow-lined tracks, pricking his ears up before trotting over with several yaps and speaking with some exotic Scottish or Irish accent. "Why, 'ello there, lassie!" The yaps continued as he peeked into the doorway, much to Jenna's dismay. "Callin' quite early this morn, aren't ye?"

"C-could you stop that barking, please?" She asked, shielding the pups with her warm tail. "You might scare the pups..." Yes, she knew they couldn't hear yet, but their little bodies were still so sensitive. Jenna didn’t want to take any chances.

"Pups?" The terrier's attention changed, and her wishes were respected as he peeked inside just a little bit more.

"Yes. They were just born this morning." She couldn't believe she was finally saying that. She was a mother now, and just admitting it aloud gave her such a tingling sense of pride all over.

"Ah, congratulations to ye!" Instead of barking with glee, hopping about was something less noisy that both mother, pups and terrier could handle. He even got to see them; all that jumping made it easier for him to see once Jenna moved her tail enough to show them for a moment. "The stork has landed... six times for ye, eh?"

"Yes, and thank you very much." Jenna blushed, showing a bit of exhaustion in her face. "I was wondering... could you get my mate? It would mean so much to me, sir."

"Of course!" The terrier only let out a single yap. "Who's the lucky laddie, eh?"

He must be new here or completely immune to the town gossip, Jenna thought to herself. Everyone in town knew who Jenna chose as her mate by now. "It's Balto."

"...Balto?" The toy dog gasped. "You mean, that wolf laddie that saved the kiddies a couple of months ago?"

She nodded, blushing a little even as she corrected him. "Mm-hmm. The same one, except he's... only half-wolf."

That finally made sense to the smaller dog. "Ah. Well, I'll get 'im for ye, lassie. It's the least I can do for ye."

"He's usually up by now, heading this way." She looked up at the window, noticing how much the morning dawn was brightening and rising higher. "It shouldn't be too hard to catch his scent... or Boris's."

"Boris?" He tilted his head in confusion. "I thought ye said Balto is your mate."

"I did and he is. Boris is a goose that lives with him." Jenna clarified. "Can you just bring them here as soon as you can?"

"Yes indeed, lassie! Ye can count on me to track them down!" And with that, he bounced out of the shed and into the streets to sniff out the two males.

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

It had been an half-hour since Jenna sent out the terrier to bring Balto over, and she simply took that time to rest and recover some more. The sun was up a little higher by now, and it was must unlike the wolfdog to be this late to a morning meeting with his beloved.

I wonder what's taking him so long, the new mother wondered with a little whine. Maybe Balto got in a fight in town... or he got caught by someone...! Or maybe that terrier lost his scent and couldn't find him or Boris...  Sometimes she worried too much about him; he was a stray, yet he usually had Boris by his side - he'd be fine. Still, Jenna wanted to see him, smell that wild musky scent of him... just to make sure. I just hope he's all right.

Sure enough, she overheard the yapping terrier's barks growing louder, and as soon as they ceased, the wooden door creaked open a little and that scent was apparent. She didn't have to turn her gaze towards him at all to acknowledge his presence. "Hello, Balto."

He stood at the doorway, gulping nervously at the new scents his nose detected. One, two, three, four, five... no, six! Was this it... for real? He was now... a father? Nerves made him whine a little, showing that even the bravest of heroes could be afraid of something new.

"Balto, don't be scared," Jenna softly reassured him. "They won't bite... well, at least, not for another couple of weeks."

Good, that was enough to bring him closer, right up to the basket to see what he had helped create. Jenna lifted a foreleg and her tail a little bit, and his wild gaze softened at the realization of fatherhood just at the first sight of them. The five red pups squirming about whimpered near their looked almost like quintuplets, nearly identical in the placement of their white blotched markings. "Jenna... they're so beautiful." His nose went close to hers, nuzzling it gently. She'd been through a lot that morning, and he couldn't be prouder of her. "Just like you..."

Jenna grinned, sighing at the soft touch... before a gasp interrupted the sweet moment. Their attention went to a movement against her belly where the sixth pup, the light-brown girl, made soft whimpering sounds as she blindly sought after a teat to suckle. The husky chuckled softly back at Balto. "And you too. She's our firstborn, you know."

She...? His eyes widened. "A daughter?"

Jenna nodded. "Mm, and there's two more girls too. The rest are boys."

"Ah..." Balto moved close enough to kiss her, showing his love and appreciation for her in that one gesture. "You're wonderful, Jenna. That's why I love you so much."

From the doorway, the gander finally waddled inside, his face brightening up at the sound of soft whimpers. He commented aloud to himself with glee, “Look at me... I’m an uncle...!”

Of course, the title was for real now, given that Muk and Luk were merely a couple of bear cubs that called him “Uncle Boris” because he took them in out of kindness; Balto’s pups, however, Boris would gladly call them his nephews and nieces... if only because he considered the hybrid as his own son. Once the couple was done being affectionate, then he’d go in for a closer look at the newborns. For now, his webbed foot was busy back-kicking a certain annoying terrier, one that had returned to his yapping ways at the joyful sight, straight over a five-foot fence.

The husky moaned softly into the kiss, feeling like her breath was taken away. "Oh, I love you too, Balto. Now... we're a real family." She nuzzled under his head a little bit more before letting out a yawn.

"Oh, you're still tired, aren't you?" He worried with a whine.

“...Just a little,” Jenna replied, blushing a bit at getting caught. Still her nose brushed up against his neck fur, taking in that wonderful scent and sighing with a smile. “...but I couldn’t be happier.”

Jenna really could rest later, despite her yawns and how droopy her eyelids were getting. Right now, being with her mate, his feathered guardian and her pups made her life seem worthwhile and with some sort of meaning. It was a great feeling, even better than any sort of sleep she had ever had before.

After everything they had been through so far, things couldn't get any better than this, but for Balto, Jenna and their new family, the hard times unknowingly had just begun...

TO BE CONTINUED in Part TWO of "A Husky's Quest"!

Next time - Balto and Jenna are now the proud parents of six pups, and they are growing fast, showing their individual personalities to all that they see, but the biggest day of their young lives is on the horizon - Adoption Day... Is Jenna ready to let them go from her sight... and what is up with this dream that keeps awaking her up so suddenly?

Find out in the next part of "A Husky's Quest"! - coming in January 2012!