where Gemeni and his children sat.

Only two days later, Saba and Everest were sitting in the dog barn. At least for the time being, they had decided to live there.

Saba and he were talking. “So you still plan to defy Drake’s order?” Saba asked.

Everest nodded. “I told you I’d never leave you again, and I was serious.

Suddenly, Saba almost fell, a look of pain etched across her face.

“Saba!” Everest said, running to her side. “Saba, what’s wrong!”

“I… I think it’s… I think it’s time.” She said, clenching her teeth at the pain.

“Oh my God!” Everest said. “Are you sure?!”

Saba looked at him. “Yes I’m sure!”

She laid on the floor.

“What… what do you want me to do?!” Everest asked.

“I don’t know.” Saba said. “I.. I’ve never felt like….” She stopped talking as another spasm of pain ran through her. “Ahh! It hurts!”

She started breathing more rapidly. Everest himself was about to hyperventilate, and was almost running in circles. “Are you okay?!”

“I think so…” Saba said. “Ahh!”

She clenched her teeth again, as tears came to her eyes. “God it freakin’ hurts!” She said.

“I think… I think it’s supposed to.” Everest said.

Saba looked at him again. “Everest… Ahh… you’re… you’re not helping!”

“Oh…. Sorry…” He said. Everest saw a red blob start to appear under Saba’s tail.

“I… I think it’s coming!” Everest said.

Saba screamed, and a great amount of blood spread from under her.

Everest was vaguely aware of his head hitting the floor, and then… nothing.

Everest opened his eyes. His vision was extremely blurry, and he blinked a few times to clear it. Slowly, Saba coalesced in front of him. She smiled. “Hey…”

Everest groaned. His head hurt a little from falling. “What happened?” He asked.

“I think you passed out.” Saba said.

“Oh…” Everest replied, slightly embarrassed. “Are you alright?”

Saba smiled, “Everest, come here.”

Everest stood and walked over to her.

Saba lifted her tail, and underneath laid three very small red puppies.

“Oh Saba… they’re…” He smiled at her, and laid down beside her. “…they’re beautiful.”

Saba smiled, and kissed him.

Chapter 8

Exactly one month after the puppies were born, Drake reconvened the hearing.

Once again, Saba and Everest stood outside the old mill. Drake was speaking.

“It has been one month since the birth of Saba’s children, and as I said previously, this hearing is hereby convened.” He turned to Saba and Everest. “Do you wish to add anymore to the evidence?”

Everest shook his head. “No we do not.”

“Alright.” Drake said. “As previously decided, the sentence is permanent separation and banishment from the town of Nome. Do you understand the orders?”

“Yes we do.” Everest said.

“Saba, I’m going to need you to respond as well.” Drake said.

Saba sighed. “Yes.”

Drake nodded. “Once again, you are reminded that disobedience of these orders, however slight, carries the penalty of death. Saba and Everest, stand back to back, Everest, you face north, Saba you face south.”

Saba and Everest complied with the order given them.

“Now when I give the word, start walking, and don’t look back. You are to continue walking until you see a town, and it is there that you may stop and start a new life. Now, start walking.

Saba started walking south, and Everest started walking north. Neither of them looked back, and soon they were out of sight.

Saba stood on a snow covered hill outside Nome. She and Everest had decided against running away together, because it would be apparent that they were disobeying Drake’s order. Instead, they’d walked out of sight, and then looped back around, meeting at Everest’s cave.

Saba heard crunching snow, and turned. Everest was running up the hill. She smiled. Everest was out of breath. “Sorry I’m late.” He said. “Drake had a pair of dogs follow me for a while, and I had to wait for them to leave before I could loop back here.

“That’s all right.” Saba said, nuzzling him. “I wasn’t too worried about you.”

“So tonight we get the pups huh?”

Saba nodded. “They’re with mom.”

Everest sighed. “I still don’t want you to go back. I can, but you… if anyone spots us, it may be quite a fight to get out.”

“I can handle myself.” Saba said. “I’m they’re mother, and I’ll not abandon them.”

Everest smiled. “You are stubborn, you know that?”

Saba smiled. “So where to after this?”

“I don’t know.” Everest said. “We can stay here for a little while, but it’s too close to Nome to be a permanent home. They’ll find it eventually.”

“Well, we can worry about that later.” Saba said, smiling. “Right now we’ve got our children to rescue.”

Everest nodded and looked up. “Speaking of which, we better be getting to sleep. We’re going to need our rest if we’re going to be up all night.”

Saba nodded, and walked into the cave. She laid down, and Everest laid down nest to her.

Saba laid her head on Everest’s shoulder. “I love you Everest.”

Everest smiled. “I love you too Saba.”

Saba suddenly jerked her head off his shoulder, and kissed him.

They didn’t get much sleep.

Saba and Everest snuck into Nome at about ten ‘o-clock, well after the sun had sunk below the horizon. Jenna’s home was on the outskirts of Nome, so it would be easy to just pop in and out. Then when everyone awoke the next morning, Everest and Saba would be long gone.

Everest turned back to Saba as they stepped into Jenna’s yard.

“I’ll go in and get them, you sit on the porch, and I’ll give them to you.”

Saba nodded. “Alright.”

Jenna’s home was equipped with a doggy door, so entry wasn’t difficult. Everest crept through the darkened house, careful not to make too much noise.

He made his way into the living room, and saw a small basket by the window. Everest walked over to it.

Inside were three small red and white puppies. One of them, a female, opened it’s eyes. “Dad!”

“Shh.” Everest said. “We need to be real quiet Sunny.”

“Sorry.” The pup said quietly. “I knew you’d come back for us. I tried to tell the others, but they wouldn’t listen. They thought you left us.”

The other two pups had woken up by this time, and began to protest quite loudly. “No we didn’t!”

“Shh!” Everest said again. “Let’s not do this right now kids. Listen to me. Pretend you’re asleep. I’m going to pick you up one at a time and take you to your mother. Now, we need to be real quiet okay? Mom and dad could get in a lot of trouble if they’re found here.”

The pups nodded, and laid down. Everest picked up the first one by the scruff of it’s neck, and walked toward the front door.

Everest walked back into the house one last time, for one last pup. “It’s almost over.” Everest thought. He picked up the third pup, and walked quickly, but quietly toward the door.

This time instead of handing the pup to Saba, he just climbed out of the doggy door, and sat the pup on the porch, beside his siblings. “That’s all of ‘em.” Everest said.

Saba smiled. “So far so good.” She turned to the pups. “Now listen to me kids. We’re going to leave now, and I can’t carry you. You’re going to have to walk, but be very quiet.”

The pups nodded.

Everest stepped off the porch, and suddenly a flashlight beam landed on him. He froze.

“Everest!” Drake yelled.

Everest looked up to see Drake standing across the street. Roger had been returning home late, and had seen the dog’s on his porch. It was his flashlight that was blinding the small family.

“Run!” Everest yelled. Then he turned and took off. Saba and the children weren’t far behind.

The sounds of barking started to echo throughout the town.

Everest and Saba had been running for a while now, and the kids were getting tired. It seemed like everywhere they turned there was a dog waiting for them.

Everest looked back, and saw the kids begin to fall back. He stopped.

“Saba, take the kids and hide. I’ll lead them away, and then you can take the kids to the cave. I’ll meet you there.”

“No,” Saba said. “You can’t face all of them.”

“Saba I don’t have time to argue.” Everest said. He paused and listened. The barking was getting louder, meaning they’re pursuers were closing in on them.

“…just do what I asked.” Everest said. “Hide underneath those broken crates.”

Saba sighed and nodded. She herded the children under the broken crates, and stepped out next to Everest. “Be careful.” She said.

Everest grinned at her. “I’ll be fine. It’s me, right.”

“I love you Everest.” Saba said, nuzzling him.

“I love you too Saba.” Everest responded. “Now, get in with the kids, and I’ll see you back at the cave.”

Saba nodded, and crawled under the boxes, as one of the dogs pursuing them rounded the corner. “Everest Stop!” The dog yelled.

Everest turned and ran down another alley way.

Saba watched as all the dogs, thirty in all, ran by the crates and after Everest… all except two.

“I only saw Everest, meaning they must’ve split up. Let’s look for Saba. She’s probably got the kids.”

Saba restrained a scream, as the dogs walked toward the crates. She thought her heart would burst from her chest. “Please don’t look here!” Saba thought. One of the pups chose that moment to start crying.

“You hear that?” One dog said to the other.

He walked closer to the crates.

Saba quieted the pup, and held her breath. The dog wasn’t two feet from the crater they hid inside.

Suddenly another dog ran in from the alley Everest had run down. “Drake needs all of us. Everest ran down an alley way, and we lost him. We need to find him now!”

The dogs nodded, and then ran off with the newcomer down the alley.

Saba let out a