tripped over a rock, and fell to the ground. Before it could get onto it’s feet, Chance bit into it and it’s blood filled his mouth, and it was dead. Chance smiled with glee. “I caught something, I caught something!” Chance told Aniu happily as she walked over with a rabbit of her own. She smiled, and the two picked up their rabbits and headed home. They tucked into the rabbits and then just lay around the cave cuddled up together. “Chance, do you think…this is the night?” Aniu asked. Chance nodded. He knew what she meant. They had always wanted to start a family and he knew that it was time. He got up and walked behind Aniu, and positioned himself, ready for what lay ahead. It had been two months: it was time for the cubs to be born. Chance help Aniu a month ago to find a place for the birth to take place, but Aniu always knew where she wanted to give birth: in the hollow tree where she and Chance had spent their first night together. She and Chance hobbled off to the tree, and he helped her climb inside. Chance stayed outside, making sure nobody could come here. Every time he smelled an unusual scent, he howled, and the creature would run off, whatever it was. “Chance…they’re comin’!” Aniu barked, waves of pain surging through her. She panted hard, and one after an other, the cubs came. Aniu looked at them, beads of sweat still on her fur. She licked them clean, and Chance popped his head in to look at his newborn cubs. One boy and one girl. They were beautiful. The boy looked exactly like Chance and the girl exactly like Aniu. Aniu smiled at Chance. “We need to name them…” Aniu said, still panting. Chance cocked his head and thought about what the two cubs could be called. “Now about…Balto…and Artica?” Chance finally said. Aniu nodded happily. “Yes…yes, those are good names.” Aniu sighed happily. After the cubs had been fed, Aniu passed them to Chance. “Take them home. I’ll be along in a minute…” Aniu said quietly. “Are you sure I can’t help you?” Chance said concerned, but Aniu shook her head. Chance picked up the small cubs carefully and raced to the cave. If the cubs got cold they would surely die.   After a few minutes of running, Chance came to the cave. He rushed through the plant curtain and went to the back of the cave, where it was warmest. It looked like a few humans had been there, as there was a small fire still burning in the corner. He was lucky they were gone. Chance sat down close to the fire, and put down Balto and Artica on his front paws. The two of them sniffed his paws then Chance moved them to his tail and covered them up with it to save them from getting cold. After a while, the cub’s had fallen asleep under the warmth of their father’s bushy tail. Chance sighed, and walked over to the door. He looked out, but there weren’t even any fresh footprints from the snow that had just fallen. Chance headed back to the cubs and put his tail around them. He also tucked his head into his tail and fell fast asleep. “Chance…Chance…I’m here…it’s ok…” Aniu’s voice said. Chance jolted his head and opened his eyes. Nobody there. He must have been dreaming, but then a ghostly figure emerged in front of him. It was Aniu! “Aniu, boy, am I glad to see you!” Chance said, wiping sleep from his eyes. “You’ll not be glad once you touch me.” Aniu said, as Chance reached out to her. He touched Aniu’s normally furry body and felt that she was a ghost. “No, NO, it can't be!" Chance cried, and touched Aniu again, but his paw went straight through her. Without thinking, he rushed to the place where he had last saw Aniu alive, and he saw what he didn't want to see: a lifeless Aniu slumped inside the hollow tree. Chance rushed towards her. He knew she was dead, but didn't want to believe it. “Dies giving two more life…” Chance sighed. He put his paw over Aniu’s eyes and closed them, since they were open. He broke down and cried, sitting beside her. He licked at Aniu, and huddled himself around her: she was still somewhat warm. Then Chance remembered: he’d left the cubs all alone in the cold stone cave. Chance hoisted Aniu over his shoulders, he couldn’t just leave her there, could he?! He rushed back to the cave, and luckily the cubs were still lying sleeping. He breathed a sigh of relief, and put Aniu’s body down in the corner of the cave until he decided what to do. As soon as they heard their father stumbling around the cave, Balto and Artica woke up. They saw their mother, and not knowing she was dead, crawled over to her. They started suckling from Aniu. Chance laughed sadly as he looked at them. “You won’t get anything, it’s no—“ Chance began, but then Balto looked at him: his little face was covered in milk. Chance cocked his head, but then remembered: if she was still warm, she’d still have milk. Chance smiled a bit, and laid his head on his paws. Then he remembered that he’d have to tell Aniu’s parents, and her sister, that Aniu was dead. Chance sighed, and went over to Aniu’s body and slept against it while the cubs did the same.   The next morning, Chance woke bright and early. Without waking the cubs, he moved them from beside Aniu and put them down on the other side of the cave. He picked up Aniu’s lifeless body, and took it outside. He dug a large hole, and tipped Aniu inside. This was her grave. Chance picked a flower from nearby and put it on the grave. “Rest in peace, my dear.” Chance said, almost crying. Now he had to tell Aniu’s family about her death. He went in to grab the cubs, and made his way to Cole, Keera and Reba’s home. Once he had reached the familiar circle of caves, Chance put down Balto and Artica and howled. After a while Cole walked out the higher cave and onto the rock, and was then joined by Reba and Keera. Cole looked at Chance, and saw Aniu wasn’t there. He shot Chance a steely glare. “Where is my daughter?” Cole said in his harsh voice. Chance gulped. “Cole…Keera…Reba…Aniu is…is…Aniu is dead…” Chance cried. “What! It can’t be!” Cole barked, there were tears in the family’s eyes. “And…and…I’m a dog!” Chance yelled. Cole’s faced filled with rage.  He looked down at the cubs and figured it out for himself: he had wolf-dogs for grandchildren! He would be the laughing stock of the whole forest if this got around! He resisted the urge to jump down and attack Chance, since there were cubs sitting there, but he would have no mercy. “I won’t attack you, I’m too old for such things, but if you don’t get out of here, I WILL sent someone to do it for me.” Cole growled. “How could you pretend to my sister that you were a wolf?!” Reba barked. “Well…that’s the thing…she knew all along…” Chance said. Keera sighed. “I’m sorry about this Chance…” Keera cried. “But you must leave.” Chance picked up the cubs and turned around to leave. “Oh, and I don’t mean just go back to your cave. I mean get out of my territory all together!” Cole barked before going back inside his cave to weep. Chance sighed, and started to walk. He turned around, and saw Keera looking straight at him. Chance sighed again, turned around and continued to walk. Where would he go now? He wouldn’t be able to see Aniu’s grave ever again, never mind actually seeing Aniu. Before he actually went anywhere, Chance put the cubs down and drunk out of a nearby puddle. Suddenly, fog closed in all around him. He smelt it: it smelled just like Aniu. He turned around, wanting her to be there, but all he saw was more white fog. He sighed. “Aniu…Aniu, is that you?!” Chance yelled. He turned around again and saw Aniu’s head, but it was made of fog. In fact, it looked exactly like her.   “Don’t be afraid my dear…” the fog Aniu spoke. “I’m sorry…but it was my time to go. Always remind the cubs of me. Don’t let them forget…” the fog Aniu started to fade away, along with all the other fog. “No, Aniu, don’t go! ANIU!!!" Chance yelled, but she was gone. Tears welled up in Chance's eyes, but he wiped them away with his paw. He picked up Balto and Artica, who were play-fighting together. Chance laughed but sighed at the same time. He looked around: which way should he go? After a while of thought, he decided to go in a north-westerly direction. As he walked, a snowstorm began. Chance sighed: he couldn't keep walking with two cubs in this kind of weather. He looked around for somewhere to wait until the storm calmed. Through the snow that was barreling down, he saw an old tree log. It wasn't ideal but it was the only thing Chance could see. He trotted over to it and squeezed his way inside, along with Balto and Artica: it was the perfect fit. The two cubs fell asleep almost immediatly. Chance sighed sadly, and put his head on his paws and closed his eyes to sleep. The next morning it luckily wasn't snowing, but snow covered the entrance of the log. Chance used his paws to dig his way out, and took the cubs by the scruff of their

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