comfort.
Elizabeth had been standing over her and like Melody she had seen something wasn't right as she came out. Looking where Cobalt was standing she could see the small body on the ground. She was to afraid to touch it because he might be alive and if she lifted him up in a wrong way he could die. She ran inside the house calling the vet and begging him to come as soon as possible.
But in the mean time all this was happening Cobalt and Melody stood still. Melody was still crying and Steele's brother and sister were weeping too.
~~~
Hours passed. The vet had already come and gone, but even before that it was too late for little Steele. Cobalt was stolen back to train by Rodney, so he couldn't stay and comfort his mate or his children. Thankfully Elizabeth was still there, but even she could only do so much for Melody's pain.
While Sadie and Jade were safe asleep inside the house, Melody strolled out to the little burial made for Steele, where a tiny hand-made cross stood. She lay her head over the grave as if she was still doing that to her own pup, but alas, she'd never be able to rest her head on Steele's body again. She began to cry as soon as recently-abandoned superstitions came to mind. People often believed that bad things happen in threes. And the thought of something like this happening to her other two children broke her down.
Once it was night time, Rodney, Cobalt, and Iron all returned home from training. They ran long and hard all day, but Cobalt's performance wasn't at all well. Throughout the day he felt so guilty about Steele's death. He should have made sure that all of his pups were safe before getting rid of Hank like that. Iron and Cobalt walked to the back door, not saying anything. They saw Melody outside where Steele was buried, laying down, most likely crying.
Cobalt looked at Iron for confidence, and Iron motioned his head towards Melody. Cobalt nodded and went to her quietly, licking her head.
Melody looked up at her mate who was now standing over her trying to comfort her. She stood up and nuzzled his fur. "How could this happen?" She asked and was now crying again.
She could feel the hatred for Hank deep down bursting up. "Something has to be done to the ******* that killed our son" She said in a bitterly voice.
As Melody had spoken Cobalt twisted awkwardly so Melody looked upon him. Cobalt realized what had happened so he looked away awkwardly.
"Cobalt, what happened to Steele?" Melody asked still standing over her youngest son's grave.
Cobalt looked over what to say. He couldn't possibly tell Melody that it was his fault. She'd be so ashamed of him... Without thinking much more over it, he said, "Hank...took Steele..." Cobalt could see Melody's breath escape her already. "And before I could do anything...he threw him into the porch and...crushed him."
As he "explained" his, a lump in his throat made itself known. The guilt was there, and he knew what it was and why it was there. But he still couldn't bring himself to tell the truth.
Melody broke down again and cried. How could someone do such a thing! She didn't want to think about it but the image of her little son dead came again into her mind making her shiver with horror.
More days went past but it didn't make it much easier for the now one shorter family. Melody had gotten a bit depressed but the one thing keeping her up was her two puppies, Jade and Sadie. They kept asking where Steele had gone and Melody couldn't get herself to tell them what had happened. "He was sold earlier than you two" Melody said feeling the guilt coming over her once again as Jade had just asked about his little brother.
"Can we go see him?" Sadie suddenly asked. She was the oldest out of the three and had a very close bond with both of her brothers.
"He moved to another town" Melody answered feeling the tears coming up in her eyes. Jade could notice it and walked up to his mother and licked her cheek.
"It's okay, mama, He'll come back to visit us someday" He said and Melody nuzzled her children.
More time passed. Elizabeth and Rodney couldn't afford to keep the pups, so they sold them for as much money as they could. Almost no one wanted them because they were mix breeds, but luckily two families wanted them. Melody was sad that they weren't around anymore, but thankfully they still lived in town.
She and Cobalt were happy that they were living their own lives. But soon after Sadie was adopted, Melody hadn't heard from her and she grew worried, but they eventually saw each other. Sadie even had a few friends now. One was Stunner, Iron's only daughter. Jade even did his best to keep in touch.
A few months later, when Melody and Cobalt were finally comfortable with the silence of the pups being gone, Melody's sadness only increased when she overheard Rodney talking to Elizabeth. Melody and Cobalt were sleeping outside together when she was awakened by Elizabeth crying. She listened to what was going on.
"You know I love racing, Liz, and Iron and Cobalt and I have been training so hard," Rodney exclaimed.
"I know, but a whole year, Rodney?" Elizabeth cried. "I don't know if I can last that long without you!"
Melody gasped. What was this about? Cobalt and Iron leaving for a race? For a whole year? Why!
"It's going to be hard, but Liz, if I win this race, we won't have to worry about money ever again!" Silence. "Melody will still be here, and I'll be back before you know it. And your job will last you till then. And when I come back, we can finally start a family."
Their conversation died out and Melody looked at Cobalt skeptically. Why hadn't he told her about this race?
Melody felt the loneliness she had felt when her pups had been taken away, again. She nuzzled closer to Cobalt who only stirred a bit by it.
"When would they be leaving?" Melody thought but didn't want to wake Cobalt up to ask. Soon she fell asleep lying close to Cobalt for the warmth that might be taken away from her for a whole year soon.
The morning after Melody woke up but couldn't feel Cobalt lying next to her anymore. She stood but in flash and looked around. "He couldn't have left for the race already!" The thought went through her head as she ran through the house hoping that Cobalt was somewhere inside.
Finally she came to Rodney's and Elizabeth's bed room and she could see Elizabeth sewing. Melody walked slowly over to her and she laid her hand on her head.
"I wish Rodney didn't have to train so hard for this race" she said and laid the socks she was sewing away and sighed.
Melody was relieved to hear that Cobalt hadn't left already but she shared the pain with Elizabeth. It would be very lonely when they would leave.
After another day of training, which was coming to a close, Cobalt ran home with Rodney and Iron and found Melody. She leaped at him and began to nuzzle him vigorously as soon as he walked in the room where she slept. He looked into nothingness low-spiritedly, feeling bad that he had to leave her. But he had to tell her he was leaving, and he had to leave. His master wanted nothing more than for him and Iron to become great like their father, and Rodney had been so good to them.
"Melody..." he started. "This is difficult to say, let alone to do, but...Rodney, Iron and I are leaving in a few days for a big race he entered us in."
Melody knew this moment had to come but she had hoped it wouldn't. "Oh Cobalt can't you just stay behind?" She knew the answer to the question already. She nuzzled him more not wanting to let go of him.
Cobalt shook his head. "No...I can't." he said. "But I'll be back before you know it. You'll be fine." He assured her, in turn licking her face. She nodded.
The next few days passed by quickly, to their misfortune. Elizabeth and Melody, and even Iron's mate Saba was there to see them off. Cobalt and Iron and their teammates were already hooked up to the sled and were going to head to the Nenana train station. Cobalt paid to attention to Iron and Saba, and focused everything on Melody. He could tell she was trying not to cry, and she reached out and nuzzled him until it was time for him to leave.
As Cobalt ran, pulling the sled, as much as he wanted to, he didn't look back in the direction of Melody. And he noticed Iron didn't look back either. But he knew they were both already missing home and missing their loves.
Melody burst into cry as he left, but looking towards Saba she didn't seem to take it as badly, she just walked off towards town. Melody stayed in the same spot until she couldn't see any sign of Cobalt anymore.
She sighed sadly and walked back home. Deep down she hoped to meet Jade or Sadie on the way back home just to have some company. She was already getting lonely and Cobalt would be away for a year.
As Melody arrived home she heard crying from inside the house. She walked slowly in and found Elizabeth in the kitchen, crying over the sink. She dried her eyes and looked down on Melody who was now nuzzling her feet.
"I'm not sure I'll be able to survive a year without him close" She said and sat down to pet Melody.
~~~
A little more than 11 months had pasted. Melody thought about Cobalt daily, hoping he was alive and alright. Sometimes she cried herself to sleep just thinking about if she had lost him like she had lost her youngest son Steele.
Jade had started training like his father. He was now a sled dog in the mail team. He had gotten Hank's old job which worried Melody a bit because he now had a great hatred towards Jade and Cobalt. But Jade hated him more since he had killed his brother.
Sadie was a friend of Stunner, Iron's daughter or so they acted but she had gotten a bit stuck up since her father left. Melody didn't know why but she loved her children alot and they often came to keep her company while she felt depressed.
But now it was a sunny day and Melody was walking home after a visit
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