cliffside, and it was no thicker then her tail! "Oh boy." she breathed. "All righ Kish, you might get a gravel shower, but don't move, okay?" she waited until she saw the brown head bob up and down in a nod. Then, as best she could, Crysa bunched her muscles. For the sake of the pups, let me make it! she begged. With a grunt, Crysa lept. For a fleeting moment, she thought she'd missed the branch, but then her forepaws grasped something. Her entire body swung with the branch as she landed.

Quickly, she steadied herself. Taking a moment to catch her breathe, Crysa looked over at Kisha. The trembling pup was no more then a foot away, if even. "Kish, very slowly, come to me." Crysa told her. Kisha trembled, but edged closer until Crysa was sure she could reach her. "All right. Heres whats going to happen. That ledge isn't big enough for me to stand on, so I'll grab you, then take you up, okay? All you have to do is close your eyes, and stay still." Kisha nodded and Crysa felt the branch sway under her weight. "On the count of three. One, Two, Three!" Crysa thrust her head foreward and grabbed Kisha's scruff in her teeth. Kisha gave a little cry, but stayed still. Crysa looked up. The nearest rock wasn't that far above her, but the branch was creaking under Kisha's added weight. Please, please, let this work! Crysa begged before leaping upward.

Her paws scrambled for the rock, and she heaved herself up. Kisha was shaking like a leaf in her jaw, but Crysa grasped her even more firmly. The rocks seemed slipperyer then when she had climbed down. With a muffled grunt, she heaved herself upward. Her paws found the rocks and she kept climing until she felt the edge. Tighting her hold on Kisha, Crysa gave a small leap and grasped the edge. Her hind legs raked agasint the cliffside, searching for gripege. Something grabbed her scruff and Crysa saw April's black body pulling her and Kisha up. With a final heave, Crysa was over the edge.

"Kisha! Your okay!" April licked her sister's ear, but Kisha was too cold to talk. With every muscle in her body screaming in protest, Crysa rose to her paws and headed toward the cave, April close behind. "I thought you were gonna fall a few times, but wow! You made it look easy!" April's voice was full of admeration and awe. Crysa merely shrugged. She enterd the cave and followed April to the back, where Breezie was curled around a black lump. Breezie looked up and squealed when she saw them. "Your okay!" she cried as she scrambled to her feet. A.J looked up sleepily, but his jaw dropped when he saw Crysa.

Crysa maneged a smile and A.J seemed to relax. Placing Kisha down beside him, Crysa laid down and wrapped her tail around the two. "April, Breezie, you two get under her too." she orderd. The two pups didn't need to be told twice. Breezie wriggled in next to Kisha near Crysa's stomach and April curled up by A.J near her chest.  Graduley, Crysa heard their breathes become steadier and Kisha began feeling warmer. Giving each pup a quick lick behind the ear, Crysa curled around them and dozed off.

Crysa's ears twitched. She and the pups had set out shortly after sunrise, with her caring Kisha by her scruff and A.J carefully riding on her back. The two had been exzausted from the night before, and Crysa couldn't blame them. April and Breezie trotted along on eaither side of her, just in case A.J started to slip. So far though, he'd been fine. "Crysa, how far away are we?" A.J asked, his eyes blinking sleppily. Crysa gently put Kisha down for a moment and sniffed the air. "Not much farther. We should be there soon." she assured him before picking Kisha up again. The brown female blinked and coverd her nose with her paws, attempting to warm it up. "Hey Crysa." Crysa looked down at April. "Mhm?" she mumbled out of the corner of her mouth. "Why'd you come get us? We thought-" she broke off and looked down at her paws. Crysa ached, and not just her mucsles, but with guilt. Stopping, she put Kisha down again and gazed up at the sky. She was aware of the four sets of eyes looking at her, wanting a anserw.

"I don't hate you." she said quietly. "I was just confused." April tilted her head to the side. "Bout what?" Breezie quipped. "Well, you know May's not my mom, but Dad's my dad, right?" The four pups nodded. "Well, Dad didn't have me, Toner, and Junie with May." her voice softened. "My mom was June." Then she told them about how June had been sold, how Tom had died shortly afterwords and Aunt Margret had raised her, Toner, and Junie, how Miliko had found June again, only for her to say goodbye for the final time, and how he had met May. The four pups listened in silence. When Crysa finneshed, A.J was the first to speak. "I'm sorry." he said quietly. Crysa just smiled at him. "I know. It's not your fault. It's mine." April rubbed agasint Crysa's leg. "Come on now. Lets get you lot home." Crysa scooped Kisha up again and the group started off again. It wasn't long before Kisha spoke up. "Hey Crysa, why is it that both of dad's mates were named after months?"

"A.J! Kisha! April! Breezie!" May came darting out of the cabin and began fussing over her pups. The four crowded around their mother, all talking at once. Crysa watched aways off as Miliko and the rest of the pups came running from the house, Toner, Junie, and Amarie behind them. A smile played across Crysa's face as she watched. Miliko looked up and his eyes shone. A.J's head poked above the other pups, and with a leap and a scramble he was dashing over to Crysa. With one leap he tackled her side, his paws batting agsint her stomach playfully. Crysa laughed and placed her paw on his head. He grinned up at her as Kisha, April, and Breezie ran over and soon Crysa found herself under a pileup. Miliko and May came over with the rest of the pups following. Once seeing that Crysa wasn't going to attack them, the rest of the pups lept ontop of her as well.

Toner, Junie, and Amarie joined them. Miliko's eyes shone and Crysa's heart soared as she looked around. Kisha, April, Breezie, and A.J were telling their siblings about how Crysa had saved them, May was leaning agsint Miliko, her eyes dancing with delight, Amarie was nuzzling Toner, who was blushing scarlet, and Junie was watching them with a knowing smile.

Crysa sighed and laid her head on her paws. Dad finnaly had his family. She suddenly blinked. Across the clearing, barely visable in the shadows, were the outlines of two dogs. One was tall and lean, the other small and stood with perfect grace. Crysa blinked again and they were gone, but a soft wind blew a familur scent around her and she smiled. Thanks Mom. You and Tom were right.

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COPYRIGHTS:

Makayi (c) luckyshamrock

Mexico (c) Anileu

Juniper/Splotch (c)Kaz

Breezie and Isabella (c) Shadow's_Angel

Aaron Jason/A.J, Wes, and Amarie (c) White Wolf's Moon

Teddy (c) Iditarod

All Others (c) Me