growled.

                        “He’s not fit for you anyway… you deserve a real dog… like me”

That was it!

“Don’t flatter yourself” I spat.

Dash had apparently had enough too.

                        “Don’t you ever talk to me like that!” He growled.

“I’m surprised you actually heard what I was saying!” I shot back, rising to my feet. “It’s so hard for you to hear when you won’t shut up about yourself!”

Dash snarled and slapped me across the face. More shocked then hurt, I stumbled backwards and prepared for another attack, but I didn’t need to worry… a black blur flashed past and had Dash pinned. It was… Triton? I had never seen him angry before but he looked beyond angry now.

            “Don’t you ever lay a paw on her again!” Triton snarled, so close to Dash that their noses touched. “Or you’ll have me to deal with!”

Triton let Dash get up but stood defensively in front of me. Dash shook himself off, trying to redeem his bruised ego, but when Triton growled again, he walked away quickly. Once his brother was out of sight, Triton whipped around with a completely different expression on his face.

            “Are you okay?”

I smiled and nodded, dazzled from Triton’s sudden bravery.

“I am now…”

Triton smiled and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aleu grinning like she knew I had changed my mind about Triton. But before we could say anything else, something unexpected happened.

                        “Guess what boy! We found you a new home!” chirped Triton’s owner as he clipped a leash on Triton’s collar.

Triton’s eyes darted back and forth between me and his owner but before he could say anything, he owner yanked Triton away, cutting off his goodbye.

“No…” was all I could manage.

            “Sorry about Triton” Aleu said one last time as she dropped me off at my house later that night.

I smiled sadly and nodded. Aleu returned the smile and walked off into the night. I waited for a few seconds and sighed sadly. Now that Triton was gone, no one would walk me home every night. No one would come and keep me company when he had to sleep outside. No one to keep Dash in his place…

The harsh Alaskan wind blew and my bandana flapped. With a finally sigh that turned my breath into a cloud, I sulked onto my porch and walked in through the doggie door. My two adult owners were sitting at the table with Danny and Emily. My real owner Kate, who had grown considerably since she had first adopted me rushed over. Unlike her sister, she still treated me like I could understand and never grew bored with me.

            “Guess what girl! You’re going to have puppies!”

I had to stare at her for a few seconds to let it process. I wasn’t pregnant!

            “Mom and Dad said that they could get you a companion so that you aren’t so sad or lonely… and I asked them if we could get a boy so you could have puppies! And they said yes!”

Oh great I thought. Another dog like Dash I’d have to fight off. My heart sank and I miserably retreated to my bed. Kate mistook it for exhaustion.

            “Don’t lay down yet Mya!” Kate said. “Mya, come!”

Groaning, I put my feet under me and dragged myself over to Kate obediently.

            “Good girl” she said, patting my head. “Your new boyfriend is going to be here any minute!”

I groaned again. If only she could understand me!

A few seconds later there was a knock at the door. Kate and her parents rushed to the door. I stayed where I was, trying to postpone meeting my mate-to-be but I could hear my owners bubbling about him on the front porch.

            “Oh he’s so cute! Mya’s going to love him!” I heard Kate squeal.

                        “He is quite a looker!” Kate’s dad laughed. “But he has good bloodlines for pups too”

All I needed was another snobby purebred!

                        “I can’t thank you enough!” Kate’s dad said to the dog’s owner. “Well, let’s see what Mya thinks of him!”

“Here it comes” I muttered under my breath.

Kate’s dad opened the door to let the new dog in and I braced myself. The door opened and revealed a pair of sharp blue eyes…

“Triton!” I barked.

            “Mya!”

I couldn’t run fast enough over to him and licked his face over and over again, tail wagging fiercely. Triton’s tail was a blur and he jumped all around, running off puppyish energy that had suddenly formed when he saw me. Finally when we were both tuckered out of running around the small living room, we laid down on the floor, his white paw over my cream colored one.

“I thought your owner took you to another home…”

            “I would never let him take me away from you” he smiled, blue eyes sparkling.

I had never been happier as I had then. The hole in my heart had been filled. I would never have to be alone ever again….

Mya, Dash, Triton, Buck and Klondike (c) me

Balto, Jenna and Aleu (c) Universal