she hit her head on the way in." she mutterd. Just then the door opened and Dantella walked in. Crysa jumped up. "Well?" she asked. Dantella smirked. "Did you really think I'd come back with nothing?" Crysa hesitated, then shrugged. Dantella laughed. "Well, it's not much, but I found out that a few months ago, a red akita named Miliko took the champion trophy home."

"Miliko? Thats my Dads name!" Crysa said excitedly. "Wheres he live?" Dantella shrugged. "I don't know. No one there would tell me." Then she turned and left. Crysa sighed. "At least I know he's still alive." Then she ran out the door to tell Junie and Toner.

"Your serious! He's still alive!" Junie shrieked when Crysa told Toner and her the news. Crysa nodded eagerly. "Yes, and he's a red akita! We have a living, breathing Dad!" Toner whooped for joy and Junie squealed with delight. "And Mom? Was there anything on her?" she asked. Crysa shook her head. "No, Mom wasn't a showdog, remeber?"

"Oh yeah." Junie said, a little crestfallen. Toner wasn't however. "Hey, who cares! We know Dad's alive, so if we find him, we find out what happened to Mom!" he exclaimed. Junie brightened and Crysa beamed. "Now, we know he was at the dog show a few months ago. So now we just have to find out where he lives!" Junie exclaimed happily.

Their spirits dampened a little at that. "So, how do we do that?" Crysa asked. Toner and Junie looked at each other and shrugged. Then Toner brightend again. "Oh well, we'll figure that out later. Lets be glad we have a Dad to find!" he shouted happily and began tearing around the room. Crysa and Junie laughed and tackled him together.

Crysa still had one problem to deal with. Mitch. He was still boasting about how he was going to be her mate. And Aunt Magret wasn't helping by telling all her friends about it. Everywhere Crysa went, someone whistled or called out to her about Mitch. It was driving her crazy. At least when Wes and Teddy were with her, they growled and snapped at the callers. Crysa was thankful for that, but Teddy and Wes seemed to be gone alot ever since she had told them about what she knew about her Dad. She found it rather strange, but was too busy to do think much of it. She had to put a stop to Mitch.

Crysa found him in the boiler room again, strutting around a bunch of females, who swooned and giggled. "Sorry ladies, but I'm taken." she heard him say. Crysa rolled her eyes. Time to put a end to this. She walked in and all eyes turned to her. "Hey Mitch, your gir.ls here!" a dog in the corner declared. The other males laughed and a few females burst into giggles.

Mitch grinned and walked over to Crysa. "Hows it going baby. Haven't seen you for awhile." he flashed a grin to the other females. Crysa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I've been trying to find my Dad." she said simply. Mitch arched his brow. "Oh really? I thought he was long gone." Crysa shook her head. "Nope. He's alive and well. He's a champion akita." Mitch looked confused. "How do you know that?" he asked. Crysa smiled sweetly. "Well, I asked your sister for help."

"Dantella?" Mitch asked. "Uh-huh. Me and her had a deal you see." she said causualy. Mitch's grin faded a little. "What kind of deal?" Crysa shrugged. "Oh nothing big. She'd find out what she could about my dad, and all I had to do was give you one little kiss."

Mitch's grin faded completly and then low whistles and snickering broke out. Teasing calls went out to Mitch admist laughter. "Hey Mitch, looks like you've just been used!" a voice called out. Crysa smiled before walking out the door.

"Crysa!" "Hey Crysa!"

Crysa turned and saw Wes and Teddy running toward her, skidding and sliding to stop. "Whats up guys?" she asked. Panting, they both started talking at once before Crysa held up her paws. "Whoa, one at a time." she laughed. "We found your Dad!" they both cried together.

Crysa was stunned. "You what?" she whisperd. "Well, we think we did." Wes told her.  "Yeah, we'er not sure, but theres a red akita called Miliko that lives outside of Nome! Near the pass that leads to White Mountain!" Teddy said excidetly.

Crysa stood frozen, then cried out with joy. "What are we waiting for? Lets go!" Teddy and Wes grinned and motioned her to follow them. Then the three took off at a run.

It was awhile before the three dogs slowed down. "Here we are." Teddy declared. Crysa looked around. "I don't see anything." Wes pointed toward a cluster of trees. "On the otherside of those trees theres a small cottage. Thats where he is."  "You go. We'll stay here." Teddy told her. Crysa smiled at both of them. "Thank you." she said softly, then turned and ran toward the trees.

When she rounded the corner, she saw a small cottage nestled between two trees. Crysa's legs felt like jell-o. She couldn't belive it. Her Dad was in that small wood house. After so long, she'd finnaly meet him. And then her mother! Crysa walked up and scratched on the door. "For the last time Zack, the anserw is no!" a voice called from the other side. A mintue later the door opened and a red male stood there.

The male blinked. "Who are you?" he asked. "Miliko?" Crysa asked tentivly. "Who wants to know?" the male asked. "Crysa." she said. Miliko's eyes widened. "Crysa?" he asked, his voice horse with disbaleif. "Is that really you?" Crysa nodded. "Your all grown up." he said quietly. Crysa laughed shakingly. "Yeah, so are Junie and Toner." Miliko's eyes looked misty.

"Your here, I mean, I haven't seen any of you since--" he stopped. "Is, is Mom here to?" Crysa asked. Miliko's smile faded. "Oh Crysa, she's--"

"Miliko? Whos there sweetheart?" a soft voice called from the house. Then a black female was there and stood next to Miliko. Crysa gasped. The females stomach was swollen, like she was exspecting pups. Miliko cleared his throat nervously. "May, this is Crysa. Crysa, this is May." May smiled warmly. "Hello." Crysa said nothing. May looked at Miliko. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "Dad, shes not, is she...?" Crysa tried to ask, but her voice failed her.

"I think I know what your asking. Yes, I'm exspecting pups." May told her. "Whos?" Crysa asked horsely. May laughed softly. "Why, ours." she said and stepped closer to Miliko. "Now, whats this about you calling him Dad?" she asked, looking confused.

Crysa felt like she'd been slapped in the face with ice. "What about Mom?" she choked. "Crysa, your mother--" Miliko started, but Crysa cut him off. "She was sold, I know! That doesn't mean you had to go get a new mate! Why didn't you try and find her? Why didn't you try and find us?" she cried. "Crysa, thats not what I--" he tried again, but failed. "Your nothing but a traitor!" she screamed. Furious and crushed, she turned and ran.

She ran past Wes and Teddy, ignoring their calls. She ran until her legs burned and her vision was blinded by the tears that flowed. She didn't slow until she ran into something hard. Shaking her head, Crysa looked up and saw the old barn. Glad she had come here, though not sure how when she was running blind, she ran to the hayloft and collapsed. Grief and anger consumed and exzausted her as she fell into a uneasy sleep.

The sun was setting by the time Crysa made her way into town. She felt dazed and tired as she enterd the house. "Please don't be home." she begged silently. "Crysa? Is that you?" a sharp voice called out. Crysa groaned. Aunt Margret was home. "Yes." she called back. The tall black female emerged from the study, her blue eyes flashing angrly. "Well?" she asked sharply. Crysa blinked. "Well what?" Margret sighed, obviously anoyed. "Did you find that mutt of a father of yours?" she snapped. "Yeah, I did." Crysa said flatly. "You did!" Junie came bounding from the study with Toner behind her. "You really found him?" Junie asked, her eyes sparkled with excitment.

Crysa nodded. "Well? Where is he?" Toner asked. "He lives in a small cottage near White Mountain pass. With May." Crysa choked on the last word. Junie and Toner exchanged looks, and even Aunt Margret looked confused. "Whos May?" Junie asked. Anger flashed through Crysa like lighting. "His mate." she spat. "His beloved mate thats exspecting pups any day now." Junie, Toner, and Aunt Margret even, all starred at her with stunned looks. "His mate?" Junie asked quietly, the look on her face begging Crysa to say what she had just said wasn't true. Crysa nodded curtly. "But, what about mom?" Toner asked horsely. Crysa shrugged. "I guess he doesn't care. About her or us." she said coldly. Without waiting for them to ask anything else, Crysa stalked past them and headed upstairs. She barely noticed that Aunt Margret, for once, said nothing.

Toner and Junie went to see Miliko the next day. They wanted to know why he'd taken another mate. They invited Crysa, but she flatly refused. She didn't care why her father had gotten a new mate, she just knew she'd have to find someway to locate her mother. Aunt Margret, however, went with them. The entire house seemed quiet. Crysa sat on the bed starring blankly out the window. Next door, Mena was sunning herself on the back porch as a young black dog darted around the yard, aparently chasing something. Crysa recinaized the young dog as Charley, the little female that had been found on Mena's owners doorstep. Crysa wonder briefly if Charley had ever known what happened to her parents. Did they dump her then go and have more pups with different dogs? Or did they lose her and have been trying to find her?

The sound of pawsteps brought Crysa back to the present. "Crysa?" It was Junie. She and Toner must be back. "Up here." Crysa called. Toner soon nudged the door open and walked over her. He nuzzled her gently. Crysa welcomed the confert. Her head was still buzzing with anger from yesterday. Junie