“Papa are you gonna get a human too?” Saba asked as her father arched his head over to nuzzle his daughter one last time. “Naw humans want cute little puppies like you not big old grizzly grown ups like me,” he answered with a wink. Saba giggled as her father and mother licked her tenderly, seeing that she was being eyed by a small young girl who’d been waiting outside for her father. The young pup sat beside her twin brother Dingo, who’d said something about wanting to get a human and chew on their socks. She laughed and let her young mind wander into a daydream about her new home, one which had lots of toys, food and soft comfy bed for her to sleep on.

She’d fallen so deep into the trance that she’d barley noticed the same young girl as before lift her up and hug her. She yipped as the girl squeezed her a bit too hard, “Sorry girl,” she said as she brought Saba to her eye level. She turned the pup so that she faced her siblings, “Good bye you guys see you later!” she called to them from the girls arms. Saba licked her parents quickly as she pasted them on the way to her new home.

“Honey where home and Nikki has someone she’d like you to meet!” called Nikki’s father as they entered the house. Saba looked up, expecting to see her new girl’s mother, but instead a medium sized black husky/mix entered the room. Saba was set down as the dog came closer so that they could properly be introduced. The dog known as Honey looked at the pup who coward between the young girl’s legs, “Don’t be scared girl Honey’s the nicest dog around she won’t hurt you,” her girl said in a calm manner.

Saba quivered as the dog took a few deep whiffs of her fur, “She’s right you know, you shouldn’t be afraid, not of me. I could never hurt a cute little pup such as yourself,” Honey said in the same tone, she licked Saba which seemed to calm her down. She watched the dog walk over to a near by rug and lie down. Saba looked at her, Honey’s eyes sparkled like her mother’s eyes and were the same color which put her mind at ease and helped her to come closer.

“I’m Saba, “She said quietly. Honey smiled, “Saba…. Oh right your Balto and Jenna’s pup aren’t you? You know your dad saved a lot of people that night of the storm? Thanks to him a lot of us still have kids to come home to, including our little Nikki,” Honey said, a hint of sorrow lay in her voice to show she’d truly have missed the young girl had Saba’s father not retrieved the medicine that night. “Papa told me it was a team effort all he did was point them in the right direction,” said the pup as though she’d rehearsed it. Honey smiled, “Speaking of direction, why don’t I give you a tour since you’ll be staying with us a while?” Honey asked. Saba nodded a humble yes and followed her new friend through the house.

Saba lie on Nikki’s bed beside her and Honey much later that day. She watched as her girl slowly began to drift into sleep as Honey snored peacefully beside her. The pup’s ears perked as Nikki’s father walked in, “Headed off to bed sugar pie? Don’t wanna name your new puppy first?” he asked as he spotted his daughter’s eye lids droop. They shot back up at the sound of her fathers’ voice, “Huh daddy?” she asked sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. “Well it’s just, we don’t wanna call her pup for the rest of her days now do we? It’s best to give the little dog a name,” he said. The young girl picked up Saba with both hands and stared at her for a long time, “Hum, you look like a Samantha to me,” she said. Saba wagged her tail, even though it wasn’t her name, she didn’t mind being called so by her human, she licked the girl’s cheek showing her she was pleased.

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Kaleny snarled loudly as many of the town dogs surrounded him in the ally near the outskirts of town, “Coward! You couldn’t take me on alone so call your goons for help!” he barked. The dog had been fighting the others off all day long and was weakened greatly.

A large, black and white husky/border collie cross with piercing brown eyes stepped from the circle of growling dogs, “As if I’d sick them on you again. You wanna fight one on one skinny I’ll give you one,” he said confidently. Kaleny snarled as the dog came closer to him, “After I tear you apart think I’ll have a little snack before lunch then take a nap and dream about the rats eating what’s left of the mutt you once were,” the dog said. Kaleny growled low, “You gonna keep talking or are we gonna fight?”  He said, figuring the dog was just buying time. The two circled one another, teeth bared and eyeing each other angrily. There was a snarl that emerged from one of the young dog’s mouths then loud bang as they collided biting into one another’s flesh. Kaleny growled as he grabbed a hold of the dog’s shoulder and tugged hard.

The dog yelped as the area began to bleed, he grabbed the loose skin on Kaleny’s back hard in spite of his own pain. Kaleny grunted, his body already so weak he nearly felt fait. He scratched the dog in the chest causing him to let got and step back a few feet. Kaleny ran towards his attacker quickly and took a hold of his neck, latching on tightly and forcing him on to his back. He let go of the dog and stared him in the eyes, “Touch me again Peter and I swear I won’t spare your life,” he said coldly. Peter was stunned momentarily that the dog that was nowhere near to equal his size and even weaker then usual had pulled him down. He was so stunned that he barley heard the young mix breed speak. He did however smirk when his rival turned to limp a way “Never turn your back on me mutt!” Peter shouted as he started for the unsuspecting mix breed. Kaleny gasped as Peter took him by the tail and through him into a nearby wall. The dog’s body landed on a few trash cans causing them to rattle harshly and one itself to fall on him. Peter smirked when his opponent refused to get up and sauntered away from the hushed crowd. Three dogs followed and began to praise him for his sneaky actions.

Saba yawned as light hit her face, “Get up Sab time to walk Nikki to school,” said Honey as she jumped off the bed. It’d been nearly two years since Saba had been adopted and renamed by the girl called Nikki. Walking her to school had become her job as well as a good way to start off the day each morning but since school was letting out soon, the young dog/she-wolf was becoming a bit lazy. “School’s back already?” she asked sleepily. Honey laughed, “It hasn’t even let out yet come on it’s the last week you can do it,” Said Honey. Saba opened her eyes and walked to the door to wait for her girl, a bandana lay around her neck which matched her navy blue eyes. She barked as Nikki and Honey walked up to her, “Good girl Sam, let’s go girls,” Nikki said as she opened the door.

Saba smiled as she and Honey watched their girl enter the school building, “Soon she’ll be off to college and we’ll be ready to join our families in the big dog house in the sky,” Honey said with a sigh. Saba smiled, “You worry too much we’re only two and four years old, our girl is 12 we have time,” she said, trying to reassure her friend. “Yeah I know and soon we’ll blink and she’ll be 21 and we’ll be wondering where the time went,” Saba rolled her eyes and started down the street. After a while, Honey followed behind and noticed her friend turn off the road a bit, “Where you headed Saba?” the dog asked. “Gonna go check on dad you know he gets lonely now that uncle Boris left to be with Stella,” she said. Honey smiled, “Alright then, tell that old wolf/dog I said hello,” she said. Saba nodded and her pace sped into a run only stopping once at the butcher shop.              

Kaleny awoke several hours latter still in the trash, he coughed up the dirt that landed in his mouth as well as a few spats of blood. He yelped as he tried to raise himself. The fights from the day had proven to take quiet a toil on his body and left him far too weak to stand. Tired, he slinked back down and tried his best to fall back to sleep.

Saba trotted slowly to her father’s boat, with her nose pointed into the air she’d been following the strange scent of a canine she hadn’t recalled seeing before. She sped into a run once she’d heard the sound of a yelp coming from the same direction she was headed.

Saba dropped the steak she’d been carrying as one of the trashcans toppled over in the back of the ally in the outskirts of town. “Hello?” she asked quietly. A low groan was her answer, “Who’s there? Do you need help?” she asked. “Back here, names Kaleny but everyone calls me Kal that is if I had any friends but don’t need any help. I’m fine ahhhh!” Kaleny screamed as he tried once again to get up. Saba walked over to where the trashcans had fallen and looked at the injured dog. At least he was part dog… Saba looked at Kaleny, his tan fur, thinner then a runner’s body, black muzzle and wild amber eyes suggested there was something other then dog in his breeding and whatever it was it excited her and caused her heart to skip a beat.  “You’re not alright Kaleny, you need help if you let me I could…” she was cut of by the young mix breed with another grunt as he tried to get up, “Do what? Call a few dogs to finish me off? I don’t need your help I’m fine,”  “It’s nothing I’m not used to,” he said barley glancing at her. Saba stuck her