into the snow, feeling it crunch under their paws.  Luca wanted to just break out into a sprint.  The feeling of the snow under his paws felt so much like when he pulled the sled with his team.  He had been the lead dog, so naturally the team looked up to him for commands.  His father had been on the team, too.  So had his uncle.  It was a family tradition for the males to be in the sled team.  That duty now belongs to Taluas, he reminded himself.  Right now, my only dedication is to Aniu and Aniu alone.

            “What’s wrong?” Aniu asked, tilting her head slightly.

            Luca shook his head.  “Nothing.  I was just thinking.”

            “About what?”

            Luca smiled.  “Well, back home it was like a tradition for the males in my family to be on the sled team.”

            “And you were,” Aniu reminded him.

            Luca nodded.  “And I was.”

            He smiled and looked at his mate.  He would never leave her.  Never.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Over the next month, Luca was happy to see that Aniu was steadily putting on weight.  Their unborn pups were healthy and that was all they wanted.  For the past few nights, they had caught ten rabbits; four of which Aniu had already eaten.  Luca knew that they would have to catch something bigger, though, once the puppies were born.  Either that, or go back to the town and steal something.

            “Luca,” Aniu called as she woke up.  “What are you doing?”

            “Thinking,” he said, coming over to lick her.  “It’s okay.”

            She nodded and laid her head back down on the soft dirt sighing.  She slept a lot now, so it was mainly up to Luca to catch food for them to eat.  That was what he was getting ready to do, too; hunt.  Today he was going to try to catch more rabbits.  A caribou would be even better, but to catch one of those would require a whole pack or at least more than just him.

            “I’ll be back soon,” Luca said, gently licking Aniu.

            The she-wolf nodded and licked him in return.  “Hurry back.”

            Luca smiled.  “I will.”

            Aniu watched as Luca left the den to go off into the snow.  He was as silent as she was in the snow.  The fact that he had been a sled dog had helped that, too though, and she knew it.  Quietness wasn’t something one could learn.  One had to be born with it.

            It didn’t take Luca long to find a rabbit trying to find a small patch of grass to nibble on.  He lowered himself to the ground, just as Aniu had taught him.  Slowly he ventured toward the unsuspecting prey.  The rabbit crouched on its hind legs and sniffed the wind, causing Luca to stop.  If the rabbit saw him, he would give chase.  Luckily, the rabbit didn’t see him.

            You’re mine, Luca thought as he got closer to it.  Soon, he was close enough to it that he could leap and kill it.  Just as he was about to, something snapped behind him, making the rabbit jump.  Not wanting to lose the rabbit, Luca leapt, not knowing what the snap was. 

            A short struggle followed, but finally the rabbit’s heart gave out.  Luca carefully picked up his prey and started back to the den.  He looked around as he passed where the snap came from, but he didn’t see anything.  Turning to get back, he never saw the two golden eyes watching him.

Chapter 4

            “Hey An,” Luca said as he step into the den, dropping the rabbit in front of his mate.

            Aniu lifted her head and ate the rabbit gratefully to have fresh meat.  The other rabbits were more of a stock and they ate them whenever Luca was out for long periods of time or if he couldn’t catch anything. 

            Noticing the worried look on Luca’s face, Aniu sat up.  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

            “Nothing,” he told he, licking her.  “Nothing.”

            Aniu laughed.  “Don’t lie to me,” she scolded.  “You’re lying and I can tell it.”

            Luca smiled.  “Nothing can get past you, can it?”

            “Nope.”

            He sighed.  “When I was out hunting I could have sworn someone was out there too.” 

            Aniu looked at him.  “It could have been a wolf.  We aren’t the only ones in the whole forest.”

            Luca shook his head.  “It wasn’t a wolf.  It was a dog.  A husky.”

            “How could you tell?” Aniu asked, tilting her head.

            “The smell,” Luca said.  “The husky smelled like people:  the people from my town.  I could smell the meat man and all of the other dogs and everything.  It almost felt as if I was back there.”

            Aniu licked him.  “You miss it, don’t you?”

            Luca licked her back.  “No!  I would never go back.  I love you too much to leave you.”

            “Not if I wasn’t going to have the pups,” she said.

            “What?” Luca asked, startled.  “Why would you say that?”

            Aniu sighed.  “I hear what you say at night in your sleep,” she looked at the ground.  “You say how you miss the town:  your owner, your friends.  Everything.  You want to go back, but you won’t leave me like this.  You are a dog and therefore very dedicated to whom ever you love.”  As she said this, a tear slid down her muzzle into the snow.

            Luca licked her and forced her to look at him.  “No,” he said.  “I love you.  I love you more than life itself!  I would rather die then leave you.”

            Aniu smiled.  “You are very dedicated.  And for that, you may be a fool.”

            Luca laughed.  “But I am your fool,” he said playfully.

            Aniu tried to hide her smile.  “Yes, you are.  Just remember that,” she said, attempting to be serious.  “And if you leave me, I will kill you.”

            Luca, too, tried to be serious.  “And if you did that, I will leave you.”

            The two looked at each other and laughed.

            “I love you,” they both said at the same time.

            Blushing, Aniu laid back down.  Even though she and Luca were mates, it still felt a little weird that she had fallen for a husky.  Her mother and father had told her that was the worst sin a wolf could commit, loving and mating with a husky.  She was taught they were impure.  But they were wrong, Aniu told herself.  If they were still here to see Luca, they would see they were wrong.  He is the most pure animal ever.  As pure as a wolf, in fact.  Putting the matter behind her, Aniu fell asleep with Luca at her side.

Chapter 5

            The next morning, Luca woke up at the crack of dawn.  He