my pups were alive. My emotions were as strayed as my thoughts, but I couldn’t focus on a single one. The door to the shed creaked open and Mindy came in with a bone in her mouth. As distraught as I was, I couldn’t help but to smile.

            “I thought you’d need this” she said, placing the bone in front of me.

“I thought it was the guy’s job to bring the girl food” I said with a grin.

            “You looked stressed” she replied, plopping down next to me.

“Thanks” I said, nuzzling her.

            “I don’t think my humans would mind if I crashed out here tonight” she smiled.

“Good, cause I need some company out here”

            It was later on that night when I woke up again. I sniffed and scanned the shed. Nothing was there. Mindy still slept peacefully at my side. I licked her forehead and she mumbled in her sleep. I laid my head back down when a shrill tapping made me jump. Mindy hadn’t flinched. Slowly, I rose to my feet and went to the window. A black figure, a raven looked in at me. We stared for a few seconds. Finally, blinking, I went back to Mindy.

“Stupid bird” I muttered to myself.

It tapped the window yet again, this time more frantic and harder. Wincing at the loud noise, I went back to the window.

“What do you want you stupid bird?” I growled. “Let me sleep!”

The raven cawed and pecked at the glass.

“Go away!” I hissed.

The raven fluffed its feathers and darted away.

“Finally” I sighed, heading back to Mindy.

The raven’s caw made me jump out of my skin. I spun around. The stupid bird hopped toward me through the open shed door.

“Go!” I hissed again. “I could eat you if I wanted to!”

The raven cawed angrily.

“That’s it!” I growled, crouching.

I pounced but caught nothing. Shocked, I looked around for the bird. Ahead of me, the bird watched with a curious expression. I crouched and pounced again. I caught nothing again. The bird cawed again, beckoning me.

“What, do you want me to follow you or something?”

The bird fluffed its wings again as if it was saying yes. I sighed.

“I really have lost it now” I moaned.

The raven flapped its wings and took off. I trotted along under it. It lead me towards the outskirts of town, but before we exited the town, the raven took a sharp dive into an alley. I had to run to keep up, but it was too late, I’d lost site of it.

“Now I know why everyone was so worried about me” I muttered under my breath.

Suddenly, something moved behind a trashcan. My fur bristled and I moved closer.

“Who’s there?!” I snarled.

Someone leapt out, fur as bristled as mine.

            “Leave me alone!” she spat.

We were eye to eye, but I had to stop. Something was strange about her…

“What do you want?!” we growled at the same time.

“I asked first!” we barked at the same time again.

“Uh… a bird… led me here” I said, realizing how stupid that sounded.

The hybrid, a brown and cream colored female, rolled her eyes.

            “You guys are all the same” she growled. “All the same pig- headed-.”

“Don’t waste your time” I snapped. “I already have a mate!”

            “Oh yeah?! And how many does that make?”

“Uh… two…” I admitted, folding my ears back. “But that’s none of your business!”

            “Listen…uh, who are you?”

I’d learned a long time ago that giving out personal information was a bad idea. I shrugged.

            “Well whoever you are, as far as I can tell, you’re just like every other guy out there”

“And so far, you’re just like every lonely stray”

She froze.

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked quietly.

“Picking on everyone else to make yourself feel better”

Her eyes burned and her expression darkened.

            “You have no idea how hard my life has been!” she spat.

“Try me” I growled.

            “I’ll show you!” she snarled, stalking toward me.

I growled and did the same. But before we could fight, the raven cawed again.

“What do you want with me?” I snarled, turning my attention to the bird.

            “You weren’t kidding” the hybrid said amused.

“No, I wasn’t!” I snapped.

The raven cawed again. I sighed. It took off again.

“This stupid bird’s gonna lead me around all stupid night” I growled under my breath.

I started after it, but it spun around and went back to the hybrid and circled around her, cawing.

            “Leave me alone!” she screeched, desperately trying to catch it.

“I think it wants you to follow it too” I said, amused.

            “I wouldn’t follow you if you were the last thing on earth1” she barked through anger.

The raven stopped circling and pecked madly at her head.

            “Okay, okay! I’m going!” she yelped running toward me. “See?!”

Satisfied, the raven soared ahead, this time taking us out of town.

            “Stupid bird” she muttered, leading the way.

The raven led us towards Balto’s boat. The raven soared ahead and disappeared behind the boat. I jogged and the female, sighing heavily, jogged too. I slipped quietly up the ramp and past Boris and two pups, making my way over to the captain’s quarters where Balto slept.

“Balto… wake up” I said nudging him.

            “Buck, do you have any idea what time it is? Or did you suddenly think the moon was the sun?”

He opened his eyes and noticed the angry female.

            “What did he do to you?” Balto asked her flatly as if I made someone angry every day.

“Nothing!” I shot. “Some stupid bird led us here and I don’t know what it wants us to do”

Balto sat up, wide awake.

            “Was it a raven?”

“Yeah… how do you know?”

            “It’s a long story… where is it now?”

The raven cawed, right on cue.

            “Let’s go” Balto said, following the bird briskly.

I sighed and the female moaned.

“I’m never going to wake up tomorrow” I muttered.

We followed Balto and the bird across the beach and towards the woods. The female cringed. I guess she’d never been to the woods before. Balto seemed too focused on the bird to care and I was too tired to notice. Finally, we came to a clearing and the raven disappeared. Once the hybrid and I caught up, I realized how foggy it had gotten.

            “Hello my children” Aniu’s warm voice echoed.

I jumped out of my fur and the female squeaked. Balto smiled as if he was expecting it. The graceful white figure, my mother, stepped out of the fog. The hybrid let out another small noise.

“Hi mom” I said with a sheepish smile.

            “Hello Buck” she said with a smile, then looking at Balto and the hybrid, “Balto. Inari”

                        “How do you know my name?!” Inari asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

            “Well I should know who my own daughter is” Aniu smiled gently.

Inari looked like she was going to faint. Balto and I both looked at her in shock, exchanging surprised glances.

            “Yes boys, she’s you sister” Aniu said softly. “But I didn’t just call you all here for that”

Inari, Balto and I all tore our eyes away from each other.

            “Buck, you need to go home”

I tilted my head.

“I am home” I said, throat tightening.

Aniu gave me a sad smile.

            “I didn’t save your life so that you could forget about those who loved you”

I lowered my head.

            “You can