girl took me to see the doctor . . . It has something to do with us.” Her face turned a slightly darker shade of pink as she turned away from his gaze. “You know how the broken bottles and the lantern come together to make the Northern Lights?” 

“Yeah, we both know that,” Balto chuckled, wondering where Jenna’s sudden mention of the aurora was leading this discussion. “I told you that when we first came here!”

“Well, imagine if you were the broken glass and I was the light, we would . . .” She lowered her muzzle against her chest, staring at her front paws and his larger tan ones; a short laugh slipped from her lips as she spoke her next words. “We would be able to pass those big paws of yours to the next generation, at least.” Her face was flustered as she awaited Balto’s response. 

Balto’s eyes widened, causing him to be silent for a moment as he looked at his blushing mate. Only after he looked down at the said ‘big paws,’ her words began to make sense in his head. “Wait a minute! Do you mean that . . .? Are you . . .? How much longer until . . .?”

After she responded with a nod of her head, he leaned over and congratulated her, nuzzling against her face and also returning the grin. “The doctor says that I’m not due for another five weeks at the latest, but he told Rosy that I was doing wonderfully.” 

“That’s good news, Jenna!” Balto was now grinning ear-to-ear, excited about the announcement of becoming a father-to-be. “I’m sure that when they’re born, they’ll be look just as beautiful as you are.”

“And you too,” she added. “Don’t forget, you helped make this possible for us as well!” 

“Does anyone else know yet except for us and Rosy’s family?” The wolf-dog asked, worried that her popularity would be at stake if anyone else learned about it before he did. “I wouldn’t want you to lose your town status just because everyone will know that you’ve messed with a mutt like me.”

“No. At least, I haven’t told anyone yet except for you,” She reassured him. “I had a strange feeling about it for a couple of weeks, but I’m not quite showing yet, so I should be okay for about another week.” She then lowered her eyelids gracefully, replying to his last comment. “And I don’t think anyone would lower me due to me carrying your legacy and all. You’re a hero, and any female would be honored to bear the pups of a hero! I know I am.” She leaned up to his neck and nuzzled him. 

“Well, you’re the only female I’d ever choose to be with, Jenna, because I love you and no one else.” He returned the gesture, and then his face had a look of embarrassment on his face when asking his next question. “Can you feel them moving yet? I mean, inside you, of course.”

Jenna laughed airily. “Oh, Balto, they may be only a few weeks old, but they are moving a little bit as they continue to grow. Do you want to feel them?” 

He nodded with a smile as she motioned his head to her belly as she rolled onto her side. Her white stomach was now lined with two rows of light pink teats, which would soon be swelling with the milk of life. However, her belly was only a little bit larger than usual, but when he leaned his cheek against her coat, he closed his eyes as if he had reached complete enlightenment. The gentle pulsating rush nudging against her furry skin, the fetal motions rhythmically fluttering against the linings of their temporary home inside the husky’s womb, and the overpowering sound of his mate’s constant breathing and steady heartbeat – each sound that entered his eardrums filled his heart with serenity and joy, and at that moment, he felt like the luckiest dog in town . . . or perhaps, in the entire world.

“I can feel them!” Balto returned his head back from her body, allowing her to lie back on her stomach. “I can just tell that they’ll be strong and beautiful – a perfect mix of the two of us.” 

“And we can finally raise a family that’s full of love . . . together,” Jenna stared lovingly into her lover’s pools of golden yellow and red. Their noses touched once more as they rested beside each other for about a half an hour before emerging their secret sanctuary.

That memory was one of the best moments that the wolf-dog could remember, for nothing, not even becoming a hero came close to the unspeakable joy that one feels when he hears the announcement of learning that he was to become a father for the first time. 

However, once he closed his eyes and tried to sleep that night and every night afterward, he could see something with his mind’s eye that made him toss and turn instead of sleeping peacefully.

He felt like could see the future that he was awaiting to occur in only a matter of days. Every dream was the same each time, but every time he awoke panting rapidly at what he always saw. 

Everything was painted with a shade of pitch-black darkness. The hybrid couldn’t see anything around him at all. The air was cold, frigidly causing the dog to shiver. Suddenly, he saw a glowing light in front of him. Instinctively, he ran towards it, hoping that this light would lead him out of this sudden darkness; however, the bright radiance was actually shrouding his beloved Jenna as she rested inside her woven bed. She was surrounded in a warm blanket and her two-toned tail covered her hind legs. The gray-brown canine slowly but surely approached the cozy scene that was filled with warmth, hoping that there was a chance that he could see the tiny bundles of joy that lay underneath the safety of the purebred’s tail. He first showed a bit hesitation at the joyful sight of pure tranquility, but once he realized who it was in front of him, he relaxed with a gentle grin. Jenna, also just noticing her lover’s presence entering the lit area, lifted her head from her body and began to give him a soft smile that somehow made him a bit uneasy. Her coat was not as beautiful as he had remembered when he was awake – it was dull and dark, but since it was enveloped in that strange, almost heavenly light, it looked clean and more stunning than usual. The rest of her features were just the same: monotonously lackluster when seen up close, but angelically gorgeous from only a step’s distance.

Out of all of her visible features, only one caused him to tremble, making his heart sink: the longer he stared at her eyes . . . they were once shining amber and hazel, but now her eyes were empty and dark . . . almost lifeless compared to his dramatic and lively ones of red surrounded in yellow. 

He tried to communicate with her – “Jenna?” – but it was to no avail. She only continued to show that same grin that made him take a few quick steps backwards. He spoke again – “Jenna? What’s wrong with you?” – with concern for his mate’s safety in his tone, but the female’s next actions caused even more shock and utter confusion to the wolf-dog.

She still spoke not a word, and gestured him to come towards her once more, as if she had something to show him. He silently agreed, moving closer to the bed cautiously. Once the male reached her bed, she slowly lifted her tail, as if to reveal the quietly-whimpering pups that he had been waiting to meet since finding out that he was to become a father. But when the tail had moved all the way against the edge of her blanket-covered bed, an even brighter beam of light emanated from where the pups would have been suckling against their dam’s tiny teats. He couldn’t tell how many were there using his sight or by their newborn scent, but he heard a loud howling cry fill the air; it was a din that sounded like it came from one of his lupine ancestors. The shrill blare pierced his ears, causing him to shut his eyes tightly and lower his ears as his half-breed body fell onto the ground.  

After it ended about ten to fifteen seconds later, he rose to his feet, only opening his eyes after regaining his balance, but what he saw next made him gasp in fright: his mate with her heavenly light and all, had vanished from his sight, and nothing else, not even a trace of her elegant scent, could be found. It was as if . . . as if she was never there in front of him only moments ago. The sounds of the hybrid’s sudden anguish made him shake almost violently, causing him to drown inside the intense obscurity of his chronic nightmare.

Whenever the blackness fully covered him, the grayish-brown wolf-dog suddenly woke up with a gasp, breathing heavily with his eyes wide open. Each morning was the same for the next four weeks, each time caused Balto’s gander companion to lecture on the sudden importance of these repetitive visions that made the wolf-dog worry about Jenna’s health and well-being. This morning was the same as usual. 

“Balto, the only thing that you should be worried about is your own health and well-being!” Boris pointed a feathered finger against the dog’s moist nose; his voice was harsh, but very parental to the soon-to-be father. “That nightmare is causing you to have a severe lack of good sleep!”

“Boris, I know that already,” he let out a loud yawn as he lifted his hindquarters and lowered his forelegs forward, stretching himself awake. “I’m just worried about Jenna, that’s all. She means everything to me, especially since about four weeks ago anyway.” 

The gander let out a slight chuckle. “She’s actually been everything to you ever since early January, Balto. I remember you couldn’t stop sighing and watching her when that human of hers got sick.”

The wolf-dog grinned, slightly embarrassed by his guardian’s words of truth. “Yes, that’s true, but lately, she’s more than just a star in my sky.” He closed his eyes with his nose to the changing sky that prepared for the upcoming sunrise. “Jenna is . . . well, she’s my life, my everything, Boris! I really love her, and I can’t wait for my chance to become the father that I’ve never

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5

Next page