chopper waved back, letting his eyes travel from the tree. Kodi’s ears picked up the sound of groaning wood. Blaze running next to Avalanche barked, "Dusty look out!" Dusty looked up to see the tree moving toward the team and to be accurate toward her. The musher ducked down as the dogs pulled harder as the tree crashed to the earth, narrowly missing the branches full of needles. Dusty whimpered as she thought her and Ralph and maybe the wheel dogs could have been crushed under the massive weight of the tree. When Ralph looked back he saw the black dog smiling.

***
 

"Hi Ashley!" Emily exclaimed happily and then with a polite manner, "Hello Mrs. Baker." Mrs. Baker smiled as she let her child follow after Emily once her boots were off and her coat hung. Emily’s mother, June was waiting by the table. Pirate sneaked in and gave a joyful bark. "Hey Pirate!" Emily sunk to her knees to give the red husky a hug. Pirate chuckled as he watched them for a bit as they made up designs for their soon to be jack-o-lanterns.

"Hey."

Pirate whipped his head around to see Shasta lying on her bed with Avalanche’s bed right next to it. He flashed her a flirty grin, "Hey to you to." Shasta giggled. Pirate walked closer to her and laid down in front of her.

"Emily was nearly dying waiting for you guys." Shasta spoke and Pirate chuckled.

"Well trust me, I couldn’t wait to get here."

"To watch how they make jack-o-lanterns?" Shasta arched a brow.

Pirate chuckled with a bit of blushing. "That and to see you."

Shasta smiled before her expression turned sad. "Did you hear about…"

"Dusty?" Pirate finished for her. Shasta nodded.

"Nothing’s going to happen. I mean hey, I’m not dead yet. Am I?" Pirate got up and started to circle himself trying to get a good look at his body. "No missing patches of fur, no bones sticking out, no hanging piece of flesh unless I can’t see it."

Shasta busted out laughing at Pirate’s remarks. He smiled as she laughed. Once she calmed done, he just grinned. "You certainly know how to liven a place up." She spoke.

Pirate raised his head and spoke with a joking manner. "I’m not only the best tracker, I’m the life of the party." Shasta chuckled.

"Well as Avalanche would say it…"

"Ya damn right."

Pirate and Shasta looked toward the doggie door. Avalanche had just entered the house and finished shaking her coat. She smiled wide as the two huskies gave welcoming barks. "Avalanche’s back!" Emily squealed with delight as she hugged the gray husky before hugging both Shasta and Avalanche. Pirate’s tail thumped the wood floor with a sad look. "Ok Pirate…you’re my third favorite!" Pirate’s expression brighten and he gave a happy bark.

Ashley hugged her dog and whispered, "You’ll always be my favorite." Pirate licked her cheek and she giggled. The two friends got back up and started back on their pumpkins with their mothers cutting through the pumpkin. With a pan nearby the girls screamed, "Eww…" as they dug their hands into the pumpkin to scoop out pumpkin guts. Pirate ventured closer to the table and looked up to see what was going on. Big mistake. Ashley accidentally dropped some of the pumpkin’s inside on his snout. Pirate gave a surprised yelp. Avalanche and Shasta giggled as Pirate tried to sniff the orange slimly stuff as well as tried to get it off. Mrs. Baker came to his rescue and took the slime off his nose and put it in the trash. Pirate sneezed causing the two huskies to giggle.

"Aren’t you going to get a closer look Avalanche?" Pirate asked.

"Don’t you think you’re funny!" Avalanche exclaimed and Shasta chuckled. The dogs watched the faces starting to form on the pumpkins. Emily’s triangle eyes pointed up while Ashley’s triangle eyes pointed down. Shasta giggled as Pirate sneaked a sniff at a blade. "Don’t let that get on your nose." Avalanche spoke and she meant it as she thought back to the tree. Pirate gave her the expression reading, "You think I’m that much of a dork?" Avalanche chuckled lightly

They had finished their first jack o lanterns and placed them on the counter with the pumpkin’s lid. The huskies approached the counter and giggled at Emily’s pumpkin. It had a toothy grin while Ashley’s was a little scarier with its jagged smile. The friends had started on their second pumpkins. "Come on. Let’s go outside." Avalanche said, she needed to tell them. Pirate nodded and followed the gray husky outside. Shasta followed along next to him as her senses picked up that something might be troubling Avalanche.

Once outside they sat around in a circle. "So how was the mail run?" Pirate asked. Avalanche sighed.

"It was okay until we got near the end." Her tone was worried at the last couple of words.

"What happened?" Shasta asked. She became concerned and her face showed it. Pirate’s imagination was going wild on him.

Avalanche looked at them through sorrowful eyes. "A chopper was chopping away at a tree as we were passing by. The tree nearly fell on us. But it didn’t fall until Dusty was almost even with it."

Shasta gasped. "Was anyone hurt?"

Avalanche shook her head. "We barely missed it. I’m starting to think that white dog thing is true. If there’s another sighting we all have to be on our toes to keep an eye on one another."

Pirate sighed and started to think. "A tree? First that wolf looking canine and now the tree! What’s next that the white dog with the dark blue bandana will throw at us?" He shook his head. "Hopeful no more sightings."

Avalanche looked at him. "Why hasn’t anything happened to you?"

Shasta snapped, "Sister! It was probably an accident!"

Pirate shook his head. "No it wasn’t." He told them what had happened to him.

Once done telling them, they each had mixed emotions about the Husky/Spitz cross. "She came to your rescue?" Shasta asked.

"She had to know this dog well." Avalanche pointed out.

The back door opened then with Emily standing over the threshold. "Time for supper you two. Pirate its time for you to go home." Pirate looked at the both of them before giving them friendly nuzzles.

"See ya guys later." He said as he left the backyard. He walked to the front of the house where Ashley was holding her jagged smile pumpkin. Her mother carried the second one. Pirate chuckled as it only had one tooth in its smile. "See my jack o lantern Pirate?" Ashley let him sniff it before his tail wagged. Ashley giggled.

"Come on sweetheart. Let’s show Daddy your pumpkins." Ashley gave a squeal of delight as she walked next to her mother with both hands carrying the jagged grin pumpkin. Her mother carried the other one and Pirate walked next to them as if he was on a leash.

Shasta didn’t eat much of her food. She was worried about Pirate and Dusty and who would be next. Who will see the white dog next? She sighed and her mind was troubled as she went to bed. "Good night sis." Avalanche spoke softly. "Good night." Shasta whispered back. But her mind was in no state to sleep.

***

Ralph was walking around before he would head to bed. He was now worried even more for Dusty. His mind was thinking about the Spitz/Husky’s story. Was it actually true? Ralph had not heard what happened to Pirate. Suddenly he stopped. For some reason he felt as if he was being watched. Ralph looked to his left. Nothing and the same for the right, nothing. His eyes scanned the area in front of him and then he wheeled around. No one was about. He gave a huff. "I’m just being silly." He said to reassure himself. Ralph turned around to face the direction he was going and froze. It couldn’t be and he fell back on his haunches. Her green blue eyes blinked and her legs were ready to run from her standstill. Ralph started to back away. She followed slowly and her lip raised. A growl erupted from her throat and her hackles raised beneath her bandana. Ralph gulped. "I’m not going to hurt you." He spoke almost about to stutter. She growled again, her expression fierce.

"Then run past me." She snapped. Ralph was shocked. She growled again. "Not tomorrow…now!" She barked. Ralph scrambled to his feet and dashed past. When he got to the end of the street, he looked back and saw nothing.

"Now that was weird." He said to himself. As he turned to walk away, he heard a bellowing laugh and a horrible howl pierced the night’s silence. Ralph broke into a run, with his tail tucked between his legs. He didn’t know what was going on. All he knew was to get the hell out of there.

***

Today was Sunday, a day off for the mail team. Ralph had plastered himself to his crate. He was terrified from last night still. He heard paw steps coming through his alley. He held his breath and waited. It was Avalanche. He sighed a sigh of relief. Avalanche gave him a welcoming bark. Ralph hopped from his crate and stretched. "Hey Ralph. How are you doing today?" She asked. Her smile brightened his mood a bit.

"I guess I’m fine. Nothing’s bad happened yet." Avalanche’s expression turned grave.

"What do you mean?" She asked quickly.

"Don’t tell me you’ve seen that Husky/Spitz cross." Ralph and Avalanche looked behind them to see the pure brown husky known as Matt. Matt trotted up to