ones own family but unlike his younger sibling, he did not care. To Peter a fight was a fight, at least that’s what his father had taught him. So when he saw the hatred in his younger sib’s eyes he merely laughed and walked off leaving the girls and his sorry excuse for a brother to themselves.

Lucas submitted as Saba approached him and backed away a few feet, “Hey thank you Lucas, you saved your brother from a quiet a beatin’ back there,” she joked. He smiled but only his tail returned to its normal lolling, “No problem, heh I know how my brother gets, and I didn’t wanna see what he dose to other girls happen to you,” he said shyly. Saba smiled and nuzzled him kindly, “You’re sweet. It’s hard to see how you two share the same father,” she said. “We share the same father but I was raised by our mother, because he looks pretty much like Steel that’s who took him in,” he explained. Honey smiled, “Your mother must be a very good dog to raise such a polite young pup,” she said. Lucas blushed, his ears perked as he heard the sound of his name being called from outside. “Hey I’ve gotta go my girl’s callin’ me,” he said, leaving before they could wish him goodnight. Saba frowned as she watched him speed off, “There’s something very familiar about him, other then his breeding,” she said. Honey rolled on to her back and yawned, “Could it be you find him cute?” she asked. Saba rolled her eyes and laid in the cool spot Lucas had been in before.

An hour before sunrise Saba slipped out of the boiler room and got two links of sausage to share with her father and Kaleny. She yawned as she reached the boat and shook her fur free from the morning tension. Balto howled as he saw his daughter walk up the plank. “Morning dad brought you and Kal something is he up yet?” she asked. Kaleny walked up to Saba as she got on the boat, “Morning Sab, how was your night?” he asked. Their eyes met, her blue eyes penetrating his amber ones, “Wow,” he gasped quietly, Balto grinned he’d heard the young mixes comment even if his daughter hadn’t. “It was… interesting, Peter made a move on me again,” she said, her tone so bitter when she mentioned Peter’s name, it was as though she tasted a bad piece of meat.  Kaleny smiled, he was impressed by how disgusted she’d been with Peter. “Are you alright did he hurt you?” asked the elder mix breed. Saba shook her head, “I’m fine his brother actually saved me,” she said still amazed how different the two brothers were.  Balto frowned, he had a hard time believing that Lucas’s help wasn’t coming with a price. Kaleny looked from Balto to Saba, he was wondering about Peter’s littermate when he spotted the link sausage around Saba’s neck, “Hey um is that for us?” he asked easing the tension that had began to grow.

After breakfast Balto left the young canines alone to get to know one another better while he visited Jenna to catch his mate up on the day’s events. Kaleny smiled shyly as he stare at Saba, “So um you’ve lived here your whole life huh that most be fun seeing as how you seem well liked,” he said, finding himself a bit nervous around her. “Well…. I guess it has been fun but to tell you the truth most of the males you see around me are courting me and I don’t have many female friends,” she said. Kaleny smiled, “Heh, well I see why, you are rather beautiful,” he said. Saba looked away as she felt herself blush, “Thank you, you know you’re not that bad looking yourself Kal,” she said. This time Kaleny blushed, it’d been a long time since a female had been so kind to him and even longer since his last crush. “So Kal can ask…. Dad tells me you’re a dingo and wolf mix um I was wondering….” She started. Kaleny looked off toward the forest as his mind searched for the memories he’d kept closest to him, “My father was the dingo. His owner raised him from pup-hood until one night he got lost in the woods and was helped by this black wolf with blue eyes. She helped him survive out in the forest for a month before he was found. By then she was already pregnant with me and three others. On the eve of our first birthdays mom had become dangerously ill and could no longer care for us so, being the old fashion father he was he did what any other father would do and tried his best to find us all homes with humans. It was difficult seeing as how we looked rather wild and most humans with small children fell into the ‘maybe the dingo ate your baby’ stereotype but after some months he’d found a home for my younger siblings. I however was most difficult, I not only looked wild I’d had a hard time adjusting to living with humans. One night my father came to me while I lay in my mother’s den and he wasn’t alone, a young boy maybe 18 or so, looked at me and smiled. It didn’t take long to figure out my new job was lead dog on a very fast sled team. Heh I loved that boy and that team so much, there was even a girl dog called Mars who had these wonderful eyes that liked me there….” He trailed off and sighed, his eyes fell to the floor as his heart sank. Saba nuzzled him and licked his muzzle gently to comfort him, “I’m sorry,” she said, “You don’t have to go on if you don’t want to,” Kaleny smiled as he looked at her, thanking her with his eyes, “I’ll tell you the rest I just….you never forget your first love,” he said. Saba smiled, ‘Tell me about it,’ she thought as she looked at him. “I remember the night it all changed…. We were on a flight to White Mountain to challenge this sled dog team for the title of Champion when something went wrong which made the plane crash a few miles from the runway. There weren’t any survivors, that is, except for me and even then just barley. It took about four months at the vets but I was right as rain after. I wondered the town for a while but everywhere I went I got picked on, I couldn’t even find a decent meal for myself non-the-less a home so I moved here. I’m still picked on but not always chased off and it’s mainly Peter who’s my problem,” he said.

“Wow,” she said. “I had no idea how hard a life you’ve had but at least it wasn’t always filled with sadness and it’ll get better from now on, I can promise you that,” she said. Kaleny smiled. He stood and paced a bit, testing his paws and ribs to see if he could hold his own, “Hey um, Saba, wanna race?” he asked. Saba cocked her head, “Don’t you still have some healing to do? I mean you just got those bandages on a few days ago,” she said. Kaleny shrugged, “We dingoes are made of tougher stuff,” he said confidently. Saba rolled her eyes, “You’re only half dingo,” she corrected. “Whatever, you wanna race or what?” he asked. Saba sighed, she knew she shouldn’t but she knew he wouldn’t let up about it and besides that her legs did need a stretch. “Alright, you, me, and the beach from end to end,” she said. Kaleny smiled and wagged his tail in agreement.

Kaleny and Saba spent most of the day running around and playing games like they were a couple of six month olds. The heat of the summer caused the two hybrids to stay water bond for most of the day but neither mind. They rested on a hill and watched the sun fade into the sky as they finally took the time to catch their breaths. Saba sighed, “I don’t think I’ve had this much fun in a long time Kal, thank you,” she said. Kaleny smiled, “It is I that should be thanking you Saba, without your friendship and your help, I’d be lost,” he said. Saba smiled, she inched closer to him and rested her head on his neck. He returned the smile and rested his chin lightly on her head. They sighed happily as the sun disappeared in the sky unaware of pair of menacingly brown eyes watching them from nearing bushes.

Peter snarled loudly as he approached the young couple, “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favorite squeak toy I thought I’d left you for dead back in that ally,” he said. Kaleny growled as he got to his paws, Saba did the same. “Leave him alone Peter!” Saba commanded. Peter laughed, “Samantha, of all the dogs to wind up with I never thought it’d be the most pathetic mutt in this town, you’re no better then your stupid mother when she choose Bingo over a champion like my dad,” he said. Saba snarled as she felt rage fill he heart and vent through her body, “My mother is NOT stupid, you and your father are nothing but arrogant jealous pigs! Who have no respect for anyone!” she said. Peter chuckled at her anger which only caused her to become more enraged. She lounged at the mix breed, knocking him down in surprise and latching her jaws tightly around his neck nearly ripping his throat out. Kaleny grabbed a hold of the back of her neck and separated her with much effort.

Peter rolled backward as they were separated and landed with an “Oomph,” When he shook off the sand and stood to his paws, he felt his neck bleeding in the same spot Saba had latched onto. Angered, the young mixed breed growled at Saba, “You’ll pay for that wolf/dog I swear,” he said as he walked toward them. Saba growled and prepared for his attack, he was larger then her, but she was quicker and felt she could take him in battle. A large growl emerged from behind Peter which caused him to look back. Before he had time to react, Balto leapt at him and pinned him to the ground, snarling, “Leave my daughter alone!” he yelled threw bared teeth. Peter’s ears sank back as he tried his hardest not to show the fear that had been running through him. He growled and shoved Balto off him, he left quickly, running back for town and his home.

Balto looked at the two after Peter had gone, his daughter’s teeth were still bared and her body was still tense as she stared at where Peter had been. Kaleny and Balto walked up to her and licked both her ears, “It’s ok Saba,