themselves had died along with him. 

But no matter how much everyone else felt, no creature was as saddened as the young son of red. As he fell asleep that night, he couldn't stop thinking about what he had seen that early morning. And he refused to believe that his great father, the famous wolf-dog of Nome, was gone forever.

He wasn't ready to say goodbye to him. He couldn't say those words to him . . . not so soon. That night, a comforting sleep was hard for him to achieve. 

No . . . no, he's not dead . . . I can't . . . I won't accept that . . . .

But I saw him . . . his body . . . he's not coming back to us . . . to me . . . . 

No one else would ever understand how much he meant to me . . . .

He was my role model . . . my hero . . . my dad . . . . 

Now that . . . he's gone . . . the one I could always turn to for help, how can I go on to be like him?

How can I make him proud of me now, now that he's no longer here? 

Dad . . . Dad . . . I never got to say how much I love you . . . .

I really miss you . . . . 

With tears still streaming down in his face, the young, now fatherless yearling closed his eyes and attempted to sleep.

= - = - = - = - = - = 

It was one of those days when it was just the two of them. Father and Son. They were going to go somewhere special. The pup was almost eight weeks old, and earlier in the day, Jenna had told the entire litter that it was almost time for them to live out their lives with a human of their own, just like she was chosen by Rosy when she was their age.

"Humans like little puppies, so it will be a nice chance for you to live with one of your own," his husky mother had told the little runt and his five other siblings.  

But today, the father wanted to spend some quality time with the littlest one before the time came to let him go. The father knew that after that day, most likely his attention would be focused on the eldest pup, since she had received her father's wolf-like personality and appearance, but now . . . only one pup showed more importance to the recently-new father.

"Come on, Kodi," the grizzly half-breed told his young son. "I want to show you something that will just be between you and me, okay?" 

"Okay, Dad," the pup replied as they began to walk, but he was curious about his father's intentions. "But I wonder, why just me? Why not Aleu? I mean, she's stronger and the oldest. Wouldn't you want to spend more time with her instead of a little pup like me?"

The grayish dog smirked. "Well, I spend enough time with her and your other brothers and sisters already, son. Today, I want to hang out with you and only you." 

"But why, Daddy?" The red pup whined. "I'm not special like they are. Aleu's a natural leader, Den-Den's playful, Yukon's really, really fast, Dingo's smart, and Saba's gentle and beautiful. But me," The runty husky's brown eyes began to swell with tears. "I don't have anything special!" He sat with his head down as the waterworks fell like a waterfall down his white cheeks. "What sets me apart from the others that makes me special to you?"

His father sighed as he lowered himself to his son's eye level. "You're my son, that's why. Sure, you're not fast or strong or powerful like the others, but you try, putting your whole heart in whatever you do. Also," he saw his son's raised head and spoke into his ear quietly. "You kind of remind me of myself when I was your age." 

"Really?" the pup beamed with surprise. "You were like me?"

"Yeah, it's hard to believe, but it's true." the father blushed. "I was the youngest of my two other siblings, and I wasn't the fastest or the strongest at the time either.” He began to chuckle. “Heh. Actually, I was the most different one of my litter.” Then he looked at his son, who also giggled. “But when I grew up, I began to change. I got faster, stronger, and saved the day when everyone else gave up hope. If you're anything like me at your age, I have a feeling you'll be something great in the next couple of years." 

"Wow," the pup was shocked to hear this from his own father. He no longer cried, but stood up with his head held high. "I understand now! So, where are we headed to, Dad?"

"Up to the top of this mountain," the pup's patriarch stopped and pointed his tan forepaw towards a large mountain peak near town. 

"Up that?" he gulped as his father nodded. "But that'll take all day to climb!" the small child complained. "Plus, it's too high. I won't be able to make it!"

"Nonsense," the wolf-dog began to stretch his legs, preparing for the long climb. "If you're anything like me, you'll be able to make it. Think positive, and you'll be able to do anything." He winked at his young son and began to make his way to the first rocky path. "Trust me, this will all be worth it in the end!" 

"Okay, I'll give it a try," The red and white pup giggled, and with a bit of newfound confidence, he scampered to where his father was waiting for him and they both started to climb. Rock after rock, Father and Son made their way up the peak. About three-quarters of the way there, the grayish mutt looked up at the reddish-violet sky with a gasp.

"It's almost time," he announced to the pup beside him. "Come on! We're almost at the peak!" He charged up the last stretch of rock to the ledge that awaited the duo at the pinnacle of the mountain. The large half-breed and the tiny husky-looking puppy ran as fast as they could until they slowed to a halt at the amazing sight that was awaiting them. 

"Wow . . . ." The pup was speechless as he looked out at the glorious sunset in front of him. The reds and oranges mixed together as they seemed to dance around the large setting star. The sky's dark and cool canvas caused the sun's golden rays to glow brightly through the tips of the great pines outside of town, allowing every object around it to have a slight tint of sunset hue just for a few moments in time.

"Beautiful, isn't it, Kodi?" the father said, still gazing at the marvelous sight. 

"Yeah," The pup sat down in exhaustion and amazement. "I've never seen anything as beautiful as this before!"

"I guess this was worth the trip, huh?" The father turned to his son. 

"Yep!" The son grinned, turning to his father and then back to the horizon again, still gazing with awe as a flock of small birds flew past them and westward, almost like they were soaring on a translucent pathway into the sun.

"You know, this was one of my favorite spots to come to when I needed time to myself. I thought that you might like it here too." 

"Oh, yes, Daddy! I love it here!" The pup hopped up and down in excitement.

"Maybe one day, you'll pass this secret spot to one of your sons, and then you'll understand how I feel right now," The father lowered his head, nuzzling and calming down his son. "I love you so much, and I will always be here for you, no matter when you need me." 

"I do too . . ." the pup let out a tiny yawn as he collapsed into his father's front paws. The father smiled and let out a giggle as his sleeping son murmured into the ending sunset.

"I love you too, Daddy . . . ." 

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PART TWO 

It was now the year 1927. Over a year had passed since the town buried their half-breed hero. His battle-scarred body was cleaned and placed into a wooden coffin made especially in his honor, where it was buried somewhere that he himself would want to lay in eternal rest: the land-driven old boat that he had called home for much of his life. His gander and almost father-like companion (as did the polar bear brothers) continued to live near the hybrid’s final resting place, making sure that the site would remain forever so that his children, grandchildren, admiring humans, and other wild and tame creatures could reflect on the short, yet heroic life that he had lived there. The kaleidoscope of vividly colorful flowers surrounded the medium-sized engraved wooden cross that stood over the dirt and garnished the top of his grave while they budded and blossomed in the spring, flourished in the warm summer rays, and began to wilt and pass on in the chill of autumn and winter, only to begin the process anew in nature’s continuing circle of life. It seemed like although he was gone, life would be just like it had always been.

Meanwhile for the half-breed’s close family, life was slowly returning to normal. Jenna told herself that she would never love another dog as much as her beloved mate again, living out the remainder of her life as a widow, only devoted to the well-being of her five remaining children that continued to live in Nome.  

Her older five children were on their way to living out their dreams, which led to some unexpected events and stunning revelations:

The eldest child Aleu, . . . Well, all Jenna and the others knew was that she had run away from home into the wild. The young widowed husky soon had to tell the other siblings why she ran away in the first place: Aleu, like the other five, had inherited their father’s wolf heritage, but it was her looks that caused her to not be adopted into a human’s loving arms. When she was targeted by a hunter’s aim, their father had to confess to her the truth about why she was so different than her younger siblings, and in anger, she escaped into the wilderness, never to be seen by her husky family again and not knowing what fate had thrown her way. However, to the husky’s surprise, the other children seemed to accept their wolf side much easier than their elder sibling did. 

Yukon and Denali, both were powerful runners since day one, had made it onto a sled team that was used for racing competitions. They were successfully the top team in the