his wolfish looks, he stood out like a growing cactus in a field of tiny blooming flowers with his large yellow and red eyes and his rough, scruffy fur of brownish-gray with tan lupine markings around his eyes, chest, legs and tail. He gazed solely on his eldest, Aleu, who was suddenly pounced on by one of her little brothers, Dingo, who resembled his mother in looks. 

"I'm excited too!" He squeaked out gleefully as Aleu tried to straighten up the fur that Dingo had just messed up. "I can't wait to get a human!" He began to imitate his biggest dream for his new life with his concluding segment, letting out a playful growl of happiness. "And chew on their socks!" He giggled as his twin brother, Kodiak, and now-straightened up Aleu both returned the gesturing tackle back at the eager pup.

One of the girls, Saba, placed her paws to the wooden siding of the box near her father. She also looked exactly like her dam, but unlike most of her other siblings that had brown eyes, she had bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle like azure diamonds; perhaps that color was given to her by her father's wolf blood, since Aleu had blue eyes as well.  

The young female questioned her sire curiously. "Papa, are you gonna get a human too?"

He knew there was no way that any human would still want an old half-breed like him. Actually, he had decided on his own to remain on the old land-grounded boat outside of town; he had lived in that wooden schooner for much of his life. Although he was a hometown hero, he was still half-wolf, and everyone knew that there was still that slight chance that even in his age, he could possibly go off and turn wild on anything that was nearby. Even though his pups looked like huskies - with exception of Aleu, mind you - each of his children had the equal potential to go wild on their own masters too, for they all had secretly inherited that wild wolf instinct inside their souls. 

He couldn't tell his children the truth about them having wolf in them by saying the real reason why he wouldn't get a human of his own, so all he could say was what he thought his children should hear at this special moment.

"Naw. People like cute little puppies like you, not old grizzly grown-ups like me."  

Well, anyone listening would have had to hand it to him - at least he was honest about it.

He gave Saba a pat on her head using his paw and quickly allowed his giggling daughter to join her three brothers and two other sisters, noticing that a tall man and his young son approached the box. Deep inside, the half-breed only hoped for the best for the six yipping pups, which all moved towards the child, knowing that one of them was to get a real home at last. 

"These are Rosy's puppies, Daddy." The boy pointed at them as he tugged on his father's long coat. "Jenna had 'em."

After receiving a nod of approval from the grinning patriarch, the boy moved back and forth between the six panting puppies, gazing and pondering on which one he should make his own. He wanted no help from either of his parents - this was to be the first grown-up choice of his young life: selecting a puppy to become his playmate and best friend forever. 

"I like . . ." Moments quickly passed until he finally grabbed a moving ball of red and white fur. ". . . this one!"

Young Dingo had been chosen. He was placed on the young man's shoulder, facing away from the only family he had ever known, not realizing what events would take place next. The remaining five watched their brother get carried away, saying their farewells and waving their front paws at him, not knowing if they would see him again.  

The mother leaned up to her mate with a smile, cheering up the worried father. "I know that human! He'll be a good boy for Dingo."

She herself was equally as worried about her children leaving her safety, only eight weeks after she had labored and birthed them herself. She, as well as her master, Rosy, had been raised knowing that this is normal for all young puppies; she had been chosen by Rosy at that age - a major milestone in every domesticated dog's life. Both parents knew that children had to be weaned from their mother's milk and father's protection, learning how to live life on their own. But the maternal husky pricked her ears up, hearing Dingo's new owner say something that made her sigh with relief and gladness. 

" . . . And my puppy can play with Jenna when Rosy and I play together . . ."

At least she was reassured that she would still be able to see her little Dingo, or as her other children would call him playfully, "Ding-Dong." 

More children started to notice the beautiful husky beside the box, recognizing her and seeing that she had her litter of puppies to give away to local children.

"Daddy, Daddy! Look at the puppies!" 

"Mommy, Mommy, look! Puppies!"

The sound of the children's joy made the five puppies that were left even more excited to get a human owner. But none were more excited as young Aleu. Oh, if only she could howl for joy! She knew her parents would silence her at once, before she even made a squeak. All she could do was hope that someone wanted her, and only her for their own. Her blue eyes gleamed, glowing with longing in that piercing way in which they were made for her to have. 

The next humans to approach the box was a mother and her daughter; the dark brown-haired girl had begged the woman for a pet of her own, and now that Rosy was allowing Jenna's first litter to be given away, this was a perfect opportunity. She had tugged her mother to the box where the proud parents allowed their children to be taken into good homes.

As the girl patted the array of puppies, Aleu, being the eldest, tried her best to get the girl to take her home. She attempted to do a paw-stand, stood on her hind legs, and even laid on her back, asking for a tummy rub; these attempts got no more than weird looks from her remaining siblings, for they thought she was acting crazy due to her excitement.  

Unfortunately, it was her dark red sibling, Denali, who was the lucky one this time. He was scooped up into the little girl's arms out of almost sudden surprise and placed onto her shoulder, looking back at his siblings. He mouthed out the words, "Goodbye" with his white painted mouth, returning their farewells and waves with his own. The canine parents sadly looked back into the box, seeing the ones that still remained: Saba, the blue-eyed beauty; Kodiak, the runt of the litter and Dingo’s identical twin; Yukon, another husky pup of her mother’s color, but she had a red strip down her muzzle and a pair of eyes that were a sheen of gleaming azure; and the eldest, Aleu. They all leaped from inside their boxy abode, watching their brother until he disappeared from sight into a house on the main street.

The next few hours seemed to go by quickly, causing the mother to shed tears down her white face. The grizzly hybrid father comforted her with his touch, wiping away her tears with his own cheek. They never realized how hard it would be to have their own flesh and blood be taken from them. More children came by to choose their new canine companions, and with each pup, both parents started to fear the worst for themselves when the last pup was adopted . . . if the last pup was actually adopted. 

Saba and her sister, Yukon were taken next by a boy and a girl who were both best friends with Rosy; now that they had puppies to play with, they too could bring them to Rosy’s house whenever they wanted. Though the separation of parent and child was hard for the first-time parents to bear at times, they were somehow comforted in their silent grief with the young humans’ overjoyed happiness in their words and actions.

“You’re so cute!” The girl – now Saba’s owner – gave her new puppy a gentle hug as the husky pup lightly licked the tip of the little girl’s nose, causing her to giggle. 

“Oh, I love you!” Yukon’s owner, the little boy, patted her head and caused Yukon to let out a happy bark, as if to return her human’s compliment.

At long last, two puppies remained, still wrestling amongst each other playfully. The last red pup, Kodiak – Kodi, for short – pounced on his mousy-colored sister, giving her a nip on her sepia-painted ear. He didn’t mean to bite so hard, but Aleu let out a squeaky yelp of pain, pushing herself away from her young brother’s grasp. The husky dam and the hybrid sire let out a quick gasp, but instead of scolding them for their sudden rough-housing, they allowed their children to resolve their situation on their own. With her paw, the wolf-like child tried to calm the slightly throbbing pain down on the tip, but it took a gentle nuzzle from her little brother to make her smile again. He licked her cheek, causing her to return the gesture and even forget that the accidental bite ever happened. The parents both grinned sweetly at their children, for they had never been so proud to have such kind-acting and quick-resolving pups. 

Finally, one last parent and child came to the box, gazing with awe at the two beautiful pups inside. Both Kodi and Aleu sat up against the edge of the box, trying to captivate the humans with their adorable looks and facial features. Their bushy tails of red and light-brown wagged as the tanned boy’s hands seemed to move in slow motion, approaching the baby canines in the box. The two did not know which he was to choose, but somehow in their silence, they wished each other good luck.

His mitten-covered hands clutched around the red and white puppy, lifting him up and putting him close to his mud-colored coat; the boy tightly kept a hold on the pup, who turned around in his arms to face the sister he was about to leave behind. The two older canines watched glumly as their oldest child, still in