Love for an Enemy

A Short-Story by MyBloodyPawPrints.

It was a beautiful day outside, the sky blue, the grass sprouting from the melting snow, and birds flying high above my mother's house. I stretched the sleep from my limbs and turned to see my mother walk out of the dog flap.

"Damian, today's the day." She said as she nuzzled my neck.

Today was when I would be going to the house just outside Nome to be a breeding dog. I couldn't wait to meet so many other dogs.

"Thats right mom!" I barked happily.

Today I was two years old and big enough to leave the house. My father, Balto, was coming to wish me luck. I turned and saw him run up onto the porch and smile at me.

"Damian! How do you feel about leaving?" He asked cautiously.

"Great dad." I murmured.

My father was really pretective after my older sister Aleu left. But now it was my time to find a good home for myself.

"I'm going to miss you guys..." I added.

"We'll come visit twice every week!" My mother, Jenna, said.

"Really? Thanks!"

Rosy, now a teenager, walked out of her house and picked me up, I was heavy for her but she placed me in the back of her truck. Since it was summer, cars could be drove on the streets. Her dad walked out after her and started the car. I smiled a farwell to my parents and I was taken out of Nome.

---

When we arrived, I could smell the different dogs that where here. At there where five dogs, not including me. Rosy let me out of the truck and I jumped on the ground, spraying dirt and snow under my paws.

"This is him, his name is Damian." Rosy's father told a plump man who walked up to us.

"Well Damian, you are going to love your new female. She's feisty but I bet you could manage." The man laughed.

I wasn't paying attention until he put me on a leash and Rosy and her dad drove away. He walked me over to a large hut and let me off the leash.

"Try to make new friends O.K?" The plump man said.

I turned and walked through the door. I saw five other dogs sitting on hay and eating from food bowls.

"Um...hello" I whispered.

"Hello there! See I told you Bruce, we were getting another guy in here!" A gray female barked, "I'm Lynne."

The gray dog walked up to my and nudged my side, as if she wanted me to follow her. I did and she introduced the other dogs to me.

"This is Bruce, my mate." She stopped by a tan, plump, husky who lay on a low barel of hay.

"Hello."

"That is Bixie" She pointed her muzzle at a blue-gray female who lay asleep on the soft floor, "Her mate is Ken" She then pointed her muzle at a gray dog who looked a lot like Lynne. "He's my brother." She added.

"Hello everybody." I barked happily.

"And over there is Rosalie. I don't think she's gonna like you being her mate. She doesn't like anyone." Lynne cautioned.

"She doesn't like being a bredding dog?" I asked.

"No she doesn't. She won't have a litter of pups because she doesn't want Thomas to take them away."

"Thomas?"

"The man who baugth yoiu and everyone else here. But it's good you are red and white like Rosalie, Thomas doesn't like mixed colors too much."

"Oh."

I looked at Rosalie, she had been eyeing me the whole time, her eyes looked furious. She was younger then the other dogs, almost as old as me. But I couldn't bear thinking how this would work out if I was going to keep my place here.

---

A few weeks past but every time I tried to walk up to Rosalie, she would snap at me or even bite me. Thomas saw her reactions and tied us both outside and to a tree. We stayed on opposite sides, I was terrified. Why was this female so irritationly mad at me? I never did anything to her. 

One day...

"Rosalie?" I whimpered.

"What now?" She snapped.

"I...uh..."

"C'mon, say what you want! I don't have all day!"

"W-why are you m-mad?"

"Because!"

"But I-"

"Shut up!"

I sat there for a long time, wondering what I did wrong. I got up and slowly walked towards her. She didn't even look at me. As I settled down beside her, she tilted her head a bit, looking up at me.

"I-I'm sorry...Damian." She whispered.

I looked at her, astonished. This was the first time she'd ever said my name. I didn't even know she knew it.

"I-I just...I don't want to have a litter just for them to be sold." She explained.

"I understand. But can't you show that to Thomas? Show him that you want to keep them?" I asked.

"No...humans don't understand us."

I nuzzled her head and she closed her eyes. We both lay down and fell asleep under the stars.

---

The next week, Rosalie walked up to me with an excited expression on her face.

"Damian! Damian!" She barked.

"What is it?"

"I'm going to be having our pups!"

"Thats wonderful!"

"I hope Thomas lets me keep them though." She looked down at her paws.

"We'll find a way." I murmured as I stepped forward to comfort her.

As time passed, Rosalie's belly was getting larger and larger. But finally, one night...

"Damian! They're coming!" She barked.

"Lynne! Get Thomas!" I barked when Lynne ran up to us.

She nodded and turned towards Thomas's house. When she came back, Thomas held a towel and a hot blanket. I stood by Rosalie and kept licking her face, trying to calm her. Pup after pup came, finally the sixth pup came out and Rosalie's breathing softened.

"Damian? Are they okay?" She asked, looking around.

"They are right here." I said calming her.

When the pups where old enough to walk, Thomas came to the hut with a large box. He picked up one of Rosalie's pups and started to put it in the box. Rosalie looked at Thomas with sad eyes, begging him to let her pups stay with her. Thomas took a while to understand and walked away, with no pups to sell.

"I told you that we could keep them." I said.

"But they will be sold, So I'm keeping my last born pup with us. So she can grow into a fine breeding dog like us." Rosalie said.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm quite sure."

"I love you Rosalie."

"I love you too Damian."

"Love for an Enemy, can always be conquered." I laughed.

"Exactly." She smiled and nuzzled her youngest pup.

My Daughter.