and closed his eyes, he felt other eyes on him, but he didn’t acknowledge it. And soon he drifted off into a half asleep, half awake sort of state.

When night fell, another storm rolled through. Julian had felt it in the air earlier, it was part of the tenseness he had felt all day. He rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, listening to the rain pelt the tin roof, and wind make the wood whine around them. The thunder came in quiet and in small amounts, but Julian just knew that this would be the calm before the storm. He opened his eyes and looked through the small window above him, seeing the rain transform the way the glass allows light to pass. The lightning flashed in his eyes and outlined everything in the small confine he was in, as well as the slight figure of his roommate, Silver. He rolled his head over and looked at her. He noticed how light she was…and how the feeble light caught the different shaded of fur. How the lightning reflected on her gorgeously glossy coat. He blinked and shook his head; he was supposed to hate her, remember? She was nothing but a…he rolled his head over to her again, gazing at her multi-shaded fur.

Suddenly, he jolted at the loudest roll of thunder he had ever heard in his life. He heard Silver cry out and sit up quickly, looking around with wide eyes. Julian started at the sight he saw. Her fur was streaked with silver tears, still rolling down her face. He had never seen her look so…vulnerable. Almost childlike. “Silver? Uh…” He said, scrambling for words. She seemed to come to her senses, her eyebrows furrowed as she turned back over.

“I’m fine.” She said. Her voice deceived her, however, for it cracked on the last word. Julian sighed and shook his head.

“No…you’re not.” He said softly. She rose her head and looked into his eyes, finding she could see into them for miles. Then the floodgates opened. The tears poured from her atmospheric eyes as she lay her head to the floor, flinging her dainty paws over her face in a futile attempt to maintain dignity. Julian’s eyes widened as he flew up, and ran over to her. Then he stopped. What was he going to do? He barely knew this girl, and was supposed to hate her. His mind flashed through the first full day here, the fight, the screaming, and the fury. But standing here over her, he couldn’t feel the same way. His eyes teared up as he watched her, so scared and upset. His mind acted without his permission as he lowered himself down next to her, bringing the curve of his body close to her. She opened her eyes and stared at him in confusion, eyes glistening wet. He pulled his head next to hers, his eyes wide and trusting, willing her to accept him. After a second t of staring that stretched to infinity, she nestled her head into his feathery neck, the tears still coming strong.

“It is ok, my sweet.”

“We’re…never…gonna…get…out…of here!” She cried softly into his neck, the sobbing cutting her sentences like a knife. He then realized it was never the storms that were scaring her, it was the predicament they were faced with. He closed his eyes and curved closer to her.

“Shh, shh.”

“We’re…stuck…in this shed…to die…”

“No, no…do not say such s’ing.”

“It’s...true!” She cried louder, and he felt her nestle further into his neck.

“Shush, now. Let yourself be calm. Calm…” He said softly into her ear, willing her to become steady.

Ten minutes later, Silver’s sobbing had glided into the steady breaths of the sleeping. Julian opened his eyes and listened to the remnants of the storm pitter-patter against the tin roof, pondering on that night’s events. After a long time of no sleep, he heard Silver’s small voice in the darkness.

“Julian?”

“Yes?”

“I’m…scared.” She admitted into his fur, and he shushed her.

“I know, I am here. Sleep now, ma belle.”

 ----------------------------------------

“Hey, I think I found them!”

“Oh my god…”

The sound of creaking wood and force assaulted Julian’s ears and he awoke. He looked down to Silver who was still fast asleep in his fur, and he stood up abruptly, feeling surprised at himself for what he had done. Silver jolted awake and took a quick inventory of what was going on around her, and her eyes rested on Julian. Her white fur showed turned slightly pink as her face flushed, and she stood awkwardly.

The door slowly opened, and the sunlight poured in, stinging Julian’s eyes and making his go blind for a few seconds. He stepped out into the light, followed by Silver. They were greeted by Constance, Steele, and Athena, and as they began the trek back into town, Julian looked at Silver. Her gaze roved to meet his, and she blushed again. He smiled slightly, then cleared his throat, becoming serious again.

“Well…see ya.” She said quietly, running off to catch up with Athena. “Julian let his gaze follow her there, his eyes filling with regret.

“Goodbye…”

Throughout the following weeks, Julian never went a day without thinking of his time in the shed. Well, mostly, that last night with Silver. He told and retold the story to his siblings, his friends, and pretty much the entire Nome canine community. He found himself staring at her as she came home from runs, watching the graceful movements of her body as she danced along the grass and trails. He had dreams of thunder and lightning, the smell of wood and her silver fur. He didn’t even really notice Fletcher anymore, because his thoughts were wrapped up in this confusion of feelings about Silver.

Julian began to hang out with Steele more, who told him about his long time crush on Jenna. Julian listened, and when Steele asked him about any female possibilities, he just shook his head and steadily said no. As weeks passed, Julian noticed a change in Steele. He had been winning race after race after race, and his ego was becoming too big for Julian to handle. In late November, Steele won his first golden collar, and after that, he was never the same.

The months passed much like this, and pretty soon 1924 blurred into 1925, the time of a crisis in Nome. The Diphtheria epidemic struck hard, and its devastating hand struck down young and old alike. Even Julian’s beloved owner, Cristofor, was rushed to the hospital late one night.

Of course, the rest is history, I suppose.