VOICES:

-Aniu: Young Glenn Close

-Tundra: Jeff Bridges

-Ataneq: Jack Nicholson

-Tally: Ana Faris

 

Tundra (in bold font)

Aniu (in normal font)
 

            I was speechless. I looked down at my two pups, ones I never knew I had, not sure whether to be happy or shocked. I looked up at my mate Aniu, who was beaming at me. I was still wonderfully surprised that she had found me. She traveled all this way with two pups, and her territory couldn’t be that close either. And I also knew she wanted me to go back to her home with her.

            “Will you come home with us?” Aniu pleaded.

“Aniu, I told you before… I have to take care of my family…”

Aniu’s smile melted and she looked at the ground. As serious I tried to pretend to be, a smile cracked my face.

“That’s you guys now”

Aniu leapt forward and tackled me, licking my face. Balto and Buck, unsure of what was happening, attacked me for real, their tiny puppy teeth nipping my feet. I pulled myself out from under Aniu and shook the dirt off. Aniu whirled around and started to bound away, but I stopped, as if some invisible chain was holding me back. I glanced back at the barn I had known for almost all of my life.

            “Are you coming?” Aniu called.

“Just let me say goodbye to Tally” I replied quietly. This was going to be hard…

Aniu sat down and nodded, fully understanding. I made my way slowly to the barn and pushed the door open with my nose. Two blue eyes met my brown and blue ones. Tally was already awake.

“Tally, I-”

            “I know, you’re leaving”

“I’m really sorry but I’ve-.”

            “-got a family now, I know” she finished. “I’m really going to miss you” she said, nuzzling me.

            “We’re all going to miss you”

A single tear ran down my cheek, but I still smiled.

“Well they’re going to have to deal with you now, you’re going to be the new lead dog”

            “Just stay out of trouble” she whispered, eyes getting misty.

With a final nuzzle, I exited the barn and joined Aniu and my pups. Aniu did a play bow, then scampered off with the pups a step behind. I chased after them but stopped at the edge of the property and took a mental picture. Then I threw back my head and howled, something I’d never done before, but felt fun to do anyway.

Aniu was waiting for me. I ran to catch up but she easily cleared a thicket and disappeared from view. Not wanting to be left behind, I jumped after her and came face to face with the biggest wolf I’d ever seen before. I dodged around this huge wolf and stood between it and my family, snarling fiercely. The wolf’s eyes opened in surprise, but didn’t show his teeth or anything. Aniu walked right past me toward the wolf. Was she crazy?!

“Tundra, this is my father, Ataneq”

            “Oh, okay” I said, sheepishly hiding my teeth and tucking my ears back. “Uh, nice to meet you sir”

Ataneq didn’t say a word, just stared at me with glowing golden eyes. I averted my eyes and turned back to Aniu awkwardly.

“Which way is home?” I asked.

Aniu smiled and happily started down a familiar old trail I remembered as the one I had taken almost half a year ago on the way to the race. I peered over my shoulder, Ataneq was still watching me.

            Tundra was disappointingly quiet for the first part of the way home. So was my father, but he was more shocked then anything else. Tundra must have been the first thing to not be afraid of him in a long time. Tundra had passed the first test with flying colors and there was only one more to go.

“So………… when were they born?” Tundra mumbled, trying to make conversation.

            “About two months ago” I replied happily.

Buck looked from me to Tundra, eyes lighting up. Balto looked between Buck and Tundra, catching on to what Buck was.

                        “You’re our dad?!”

“Yep!” Tundra smiled and licked Buck’s forehead. I could tell he liked the sound of dad.

Buck yipped excitedly and jumped at Tundra. Balto did a little buck and ran circles around us. Tundra smiled and gently tackled Balto. Buck growled playfully and tried to ‘save’ his brother. I smiled as I watched my family play. Could this get any better?

            “He’s a good father” my father said as he watched.

My chest puffed up with pride.

“I know!”

            It took us a few days to get back and every time we passed a city, Tundra excitedly named it for us. The trip was a lot easier then Tundra or I had remembered, since the last time we had been through this way was during the brutal winter. It took us a little longer once we started to travel through enemy pack’s territories. My father lead the way; Tundra and I each carried a pup in our mouths, jumping at every twig snapping and rustling in the grass. But with a final jump, we broke through the tall grass and took in the vastness of the green valley.

“This is your new home” I declared proudly to Tundra.

Tundra’s eyes opened wide and he gently place Buck on the ground. He stepped forward and took in the twin mountains, the shimmering silver creek and blue green spruces. I inhaled and let the feeling of home set in.

“Wow” Tundra breathed.

Then, before my head could make sense of what had happened, two white wolves tackled Tundra to the ground right in front of us. I dove immediately for Balto and Buck, but stopped. I knew those wolves… they were from my pack!”

“Isn’t that Cikuq? And Kanut?! Dad! Tell them to stop!”

But one look confirmed what I thought my father was doing. This was the last part of the test. My father wouldn’t let someone into the pack who would just way us down. He didn’t even know Tundra wasn’t a wolf until he saw him.

The two wolves had Tundra pinned quickly, but Tundra struggled and slipped away. He growled fiercely at the two wolves and bristled. But Cikuq and Kanut worked like a team and dodged to either side of Tundra and pulled his feet out from under him. Kanut continued to attack Tundra and Cikuq backed up, accidentally stepping on Buck’s paw in the process. Buck yelped and Tundra jolted into high gear. Knowing that his pup was being “attacked”, he knocked Kanut off of his feet and pulled him away by the scruff of his neck. Then ha leapt over Kanut and landed squarely on Cikuq, snarling so close to Cikuq’s face that their noses touched.

 “Cikuq, Kanut go back to the pack, he’s with us” my father rumbled, having seen enough.

The two brothers pulled themselves to their feet, rubbing and licking the bruises that were going to develop. Tundra looked at my father like he was crazy.

            “If they were with you then why didn’t you just tell them to stop?!” he gasped.

I couldn’t help but to smile.

                        “Well what would have been the fun in that?” my father shot back with a half smile.

Ataneq gave Tundra one more look, then turned and followed the two brothers back towards the den. Tundra’s look trailed after him as the alpha left, still dumbfounded. I wagged my tail happily and trotted down the hill to be with my still confused mate, Balto and Buck close behind. Buck shot past me, tripped and tumbled down the hill to his father like a furry cannon. Tundra snapped out of his trance just in time to stop Buck from barreling into him. Buck shook his head and looked up at his father, tail wagging furiously.

“Wow dad! You kicked their butts!” he yipped.

            “Yea, do it again!” Balto barked, trying to jump up and lick Tundra’s face.

Tundra pulled himself up and shook the slobber and dirt from his coat. His sledding collar fell to the ground, broken some time during the attack. He hesitated and sniffed it for a moment, but kicked it away. He shook off again, but this time to get rid of the memories. I licked his nose and he grinned.

“Let’s just get back before your father decides to send more wolves to attack us” he joked.

                                                            *