even luckier than I thought.”

 Luna laughed and rubbed her head under his again.  ‘This is the best day of my life,’ she thought.

 Toby returned the nuzzle.  ‘I’m in way over my head.’

 Toby’s mind was in a whirl as he walked up to his father’s house.  He didn’t know what to say or how to say it.  The emotional spin of being a father-to-be had robbed him of all but the barest threads of his senses.  Sure, he had babysat Loki for a lot longer than he honestly would have liked, and he and Luna had been doing alright with raising Arrow, but somehow this seemed completely different.  All he knew was that he needed advice, and there was only one place to get it.

 He scratched at the door, hoping his father would be home.  “Dad?” he called.

 Rex stuck his head out with a knowing look on his face.  “What is it, Toby?” he asked.

 ‘So much the same and yet so, so different,’ Toby thought as he reflected on the time when Rex had asked the same question back when he and Luna first hit puberty.  He gulped.  “Can I come in?  I need to talk to you.”

 “Okay,” Rex agreed.

 Toby came inside and told his father everything.  Rex listened with a growing smile.  “So it worked out after all?” he asked.  “Well, congratulations.”

 Toby nodded.  “Thanks.”

 Rex’s smirk grew.  “And unless I miss my guess, you came here because you need some advice.”

 Toby nodded again.  “Yeah.”

 The bloodhound’s eyebrow lowered.  “Are you having second thoughts?”

 Toby’s ears shot up.  “What?  No!” he blurted.  “I love Luna, Dad, and I’m thrilled about the pups.  It’s just that... well, I don’t know anything about being a dad.”

 Rex nodded.  “The same problem I had,” he agreed.  “Of course I had the benefit of your mother’s experience to draw on.  But I suppose your experience raising Arrow will fill that gap.”

 “I don’t know.”  Toby scratched, more from unease than an actual itch.  “Something tells me this is going to be different somehow.”

 “Well, you know I’ll help in any way I can.  The first thing you need to remember is that you’ll never make it alone.”

 “I won’t?”

 “Not on your life.  The first secret to raising kids is that you and Luna have to do it together.”

 Toby nodded.  “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

 Rex shook his head.  “No, you’re not following.  You need to divide the job between you.  For example, when it came to raising you kids, your mother and I each did what we were best at.  I did the careful jobs that called for thinking ahead, like giving a certain young scamp advice when he needed someone to bail him out.  Your mother, on the other hand, is good at thinking on her feet, so she handled the things that called for flexibility.”  He coughed a trifle and added, “Not that I can’t think on my feet, mind you, but I have more capability at it when dealing with humans.”

 “I see.  But what if neither of us is that good at thinking ahead?”

 Rex chuckled.  “Then I suggest both of you stay on your toes.  Kids are always coming up with ways to surprise their parents, as I’m sure you know well enough.  But my advice still stands.  You and Luna have to work together.  Build on each other’s strengths, and make up for each other’s weaknesses.  It’s just like the way I work with the chief to track criminals.  I use my nose, he uses his gun.”

 Toby nodded, although the analogy between raising pups and tracking bad guys struck him as extremely odd.  “Okay, teamwork.  Is that all?”

 Rex laughed.  “Not by a long shot, it isn’t,” he chuckled.  “You have to be ready to handle unexpected twists.  Pups running off, getting tangled up with criminals, getting lost in the woods, it’s hard to keep up with them.”

 Toby’s ears drooped.  It didn’t take a genius to see that Rex was referring to his specific exploits, and he had to admit that until now he had never considered their real effect on the bloodhound.  “Sounds like a lot of work.”

 “It is a lot of work, but believe me when I tell you that if you do it right it will be worth every minute.  And that brings me to one thing I wish I had done a better job of with you and your brothers and sisters.  Whatever you do, don’t miss a chance to show them how much you love them.  I keep thinking maybe if I’d been more attentive, you wouldn’t get into so much trouble.”

 Toby laughed.  “Ah, Dad, you did fine.”

 Rex smiled.  “Thank you.”  He cleared his throat.  “Now, that’s about all the advice I’ve got to offer.  Don’t forget it.”

 Toby nodded.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”  As they walked together toward the dog-door, he added, “Thanks, Dad.  For everything.”

 Rex beamed.  “You’re welcome, son.  Oh, and one more thing.  When your kids give you more trouble than you can handle…”

 “Yes?”

 “You can come running to me.”

 Toby laughed.  “I’m sure I will, Dad.  I’m sure I will.”

 As he watched his son leave, Rex couldn’t shake the feeling there was something both of them had overlooked, some extra factor which could ruin everything.  But what it was, he couldn’t say…

 Toby was not the only one seeking advice.  Luna had gone to Copper and Taya’s house, hoping to find out a little more about what she was heading for.  “Mom, Dad?” she called as she slipped into the house.  She looked around.  Her parents were curled up next to each other, smiling in their sleep.  She crept up and tapped Taya with one paw.

 “Huh?” asked Taya as she stirred.  She opened one eye, yawned, and stared at Luna sleepily.  “Luna?” she asked.  “What are you doing here?”

 Luna smiled.  “I thought I’d stop in and say hi,” she replied.  “I have some news.”

 Taya got up slowly, careful to avoid waking Copper.  “What kind of news?” she asked.

 Luna smiled.  “How would you and Dad feel about being grandparents?”

 Taya, still half-asleep, took a moment to process the question before she gasped.  “You’re not.”

 Luna nodded.  “Oh, yes I am.  It’s too early to show much, but I definitely am.”

 “But I thought you couldn’t.”

 Luna shrugged.  “So I proved the vet wrong.  It’s not the first time.”

 Taya laughed and nuzzled her daughter.  “I’m so glad,” she whispered.  “I know how much you wanted it.”

 Luna nodded.  “Yeah.”  Then she pulled back.  “Listen, I need some advice.  There are a few things I need to know.”

 Taya raised an eyebrow.  “Such as?”

 “Everything.  Aside from raising Arrow, I don’t know much about being a mom.  How am I supposed to do it when I’m… you know, really doing it?  From the start, I mean.”

 “Hm.”  Taya bit her lip.  “I sure wish my mom had been around to answer that question when I was in your spot.”

 “But you managed to pull it off, right?  Please, I need to know.”

 “Well when it comes to having the kids, I don’t have much advice except be ready for anything and have something to bite down on, because it hurts.”

 Luna grimaced slightly.  “As bad as the avalanche?”

 Taya shook her head.  “Worse,” she replied.  “Not as long, but a lot worse.  Now as for raising them, you have to be willing to listen.  That’s one lesson that gave me a lot of trouble.”

 Luna eyed her mother’s tattered ears.  “No kidding?” she asked.  She only meant it as a joke, but Taya’s face darkened.

 “It’s not as easy as it sounds.  At least…” The tension passed from her expression and was replaced by a strange emptiness.  “It was hard for me, anyway.  When you and the rest of your litter were born, I was pretty new at caring about anyone.  Even myself.”

 Luna nodded slowly.  “I guess it’s hard to love anyone when you’ve spent your life fighting for your neck, huh?”

 Taya nodded.  “I don’t know what I would have done without Copper,” she replied.  “He and you kids are the best thing that ever happened to me.  So that’s my advice.  Don’t let your kids get too much under your skin.  They have things to say too, so give them a chance to say it.”

 Luna