Animation Source Forums

Main Characters:

Crysa: http://baltosource.timduru.org/en/chars/Crysa/3351.html

Teddy: http://baltosource.timduru.org/en/chars/Teddy/4271.html

Wes: http://baltosource.timduru.org/en/chars/Wes/4205.html

I'll start, if you guys don't mind.


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The small white pup tripped and landed with a gentle thud beside the large red pup. As it shook its snow white coat, a shadow fell over it. Ears flattening aganist its head, the white pup looked up with its sky blue eyes. The shadow belonged to a tall black female, and she was watching the pup with scorn.

"Crysa, a lady must always be graceful. You must remember that."

The pup looked at its paws. "Yes, Aunt Margret," she mumbled.

The black female gave a curt nod and herded the pups into a line. A brown one in front, the large red one center, and the small white one last. With a aproving nod from their Aunt, the pups followed her down the street.

The white one, Crysa, sighed. "Why do we have to do this? I want to go play!"

The red pup, her brother Toner, looked over his shoulder and smiled sympathetically.

"You know Aunt Margret doesn't approve of us playing with 'mongrels'," he said.

Crysa's tail twitched impatiently. "But this is boring!" she muttered.

Toner gave her a small smile and faced forward again. Crysa craned her neck to see around him. Her sister Junie was walking right behind their Aunt, but her ears kept flickering around, like she was listening for something. Crysa looked past her at her Aunt. Margret showed no signs of noticing.

Good, Crysa thought happily.

Quickly and quietly, she ducked behind a barrel underneath the window of the house they were walking by. When neither Toner, Junie, or Aunt Margret stopped, Crysa beamed. Yes!, she thought as she ran down the street in the other direction.

She was rounding the corner when, Wham!

With a yelp, Crysa collided a brown pup. The two rolled, narrowly avoiding crashing into a blue pup, before Crysa flew off. Shaking her fur, Crysa looked up and saw the brown pup laying on it's back, looking bewelderd. The blue pup had an identical look, only not upside down.

Crysa lowerd her ears sheepishly. "Hehe, sorry."

The brown pup, a male, rolled over as the blue one, also male, tilted his head to the side. "Who are you?" he asked curiously.

Crysa shuffled her paws. "Crysa." she said.

The brown males ears pricked. "Oh! We've seen you around before. Only, your ussualy with that black dog."

Crysa snorted. "Thats my Aunt Margret. She makes me and my brother and sister take classes on how to be 'proper' in public."

The two males looked quizzingly at her, so Crysa exsplained. "She wants us to act like 'purebreds'. All stuck up and snootty." her tail swished irritbly.

The two males exchanged a look, then Wes grinned. "Well, I'm Wes. And this is Teddy. It's nice to meet you."

The brown male, Teddy, smiled and lept into a playful position. "Wanna play with us, Crysa?" he invited. Wes nodded in agreement.

Crysa blinked. Aunt Margret had only ever let her play with other purebred pups that she aproved of, and they weren't much fun.

The white females tail started wagging as a smile lit up her face. "Sure!" she exclaimed happily and tackled Teddy.


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One Year Later

---

Sunlight streamed down onto the bed where the brown dog lay. He stretched and yawned as the light shone through his eyelids. Suddenly he sat bolt upright. Crysa!

It was odd; Crysa was often on his mind these days. But the brown male quickly shook all unsettling thoughts from his head. Today he, his best friend Wes, and their friend Crysa were going on a playdate to the beach. The brown dog could almost hear Crysa repeating what she had told him the other day...

"Teddy," said the smiling white female, "I got a day off from Aunt Margret! Can you imagine?"

Teddy grimaced, thinking of Crysa's demeaning and demanding aunt. "Cool! How'd you do it?"

Crysa smirked. "I prefer to keep such information to myself," she said and with a last victorious look scampered away.

...That had been three days ago. Now Teddy was left wondering how Crysa had convinced her aunt to let her go for a day. She probably is just gonna run away when Margret's not looking, thought Teddy fondly. Good ol' Crysa.

"Ted! Wes is coming up the street, looking for you!" called a familiar voice from downstairs. It was his older brother, Ricky, a member of the Nome Police Force.

"Coming!" Teddy called back. As he went out the front door, his eyes and ears peeled for Wes, Ricky stopped in front of him. "Going out for the day, huh?"

"Yeah," said Teddy, instantly uncomfortable. He could tell by his brother's tone that this was not going where he wanted it to.

"Who else is coming?" Ricky sounded sly.

Rolling his eyes, Ricky's younger brother said, "Well...Wes is coming...and Crysa," he admitted, saying the latter's name in a very small voice.

"Aha! I knew it."

"Ricky...quit bothering me! I'm not" - here Teddy glanced right and left in case anyone else should hear him - "in love with her or something."

"Hmmm...well," RIcky replied, in a very doubtful voice, "have fun anyways!" At that he turned and ran off. Teddy could practically feel the smugness coming off of him as he left. He is my brother, the brown male thought frustratedly, but sometimes he can be so...so...

"Teddy!" Wes's voice interrupted his thoughts as he ran toward his best friend eagerly.

A blueish dog trotted down the street, pausing at the front porch.

"Hey Teddy," He smiled confidently. He glanced down the street as a loud sound of gaggling females interupted him. They were swarming around a brown male with a greasy tuff of jett-black fur on top of his head. Wes's stomach lurched.

"Mitch," He and Teddy both spoke grudgingly at the same time, Teddy a second later.

Wes, surprised to remmber he was not alone, cleared his throat. "Going off to the race tracks I see..."

Teddy nodded and sucked in a deep breath of cool air. Mitch, the town glory hound. Mitch, the ladie's man. Mitch, Crysa's 'match made in heaven'. He squinted at the thought. Crysa's ever-so-controlling Aunt Margaret would rather her spending her time spooning around big-headed Mitch than hanging out with Wes and him, her dirty half-blood friends.

Wes grimaced as Mitch's haughty chuckle carried down the street. He snorted contemptuosly, "Saying good-bye to his fans, is he?"

Teddy shook his head and hopped off the porch. "He's a peice of work."

Wes 'hm'ed and turned around to continue walking down the street. "Speaking of...did Crysa--"

"Say where to meet?," Teddy finished.

Wes smiled brightly, "You seem to always know, don't you Ted?" He laughed.

A pause followed, Wes's face eager, and Teddy's oblivious, searching ahead. Wes prodded further, "...so did she?"

Teddy started. "Uh, no..." He admitted sheepishly. "I assumed it'd be away from the center of town. You know Margaret always takes them there for those ridiculous lessons they have."

Wes obtained a snooty looking face and raised his head as high as it would go, puffing out his chest proudly, "Ah, yes: the epicenter of cultural education in our little town. Best to educate the young minds when they are weak and impressionable." He stepped neatly around a mud puddle, and as Teddy lifted a foot over it, he fussily shook his head, "Oh, no, no, no! We musn't dirty ourselves, Tedison. We shall keep our well-kept composure as pure-bloods, and not lower ourselves to such filth," He grimaced pointedly.

Teddy laughed. "Your Aunt Margaret impersonation is getting much better Wesly."

Wes smirked, lowering his mask, but pulled it back up again, "Correction: it was quite perfect. Remember, to err, is to be a mutt," He trilled his 'r's, perfectly imitating Aunt Margaret's affinity for perfect gramar and pronunciation.

Teddy snicked and whacked Wes's shoulder as they broke down in a fit of laughter.

"A-hem."

A delicate voice inturupted them, and both turned to see a familiar white and red-stripped female standing behind them.

"Crysa!" They exclaimed joyously.

"Correction: it was quite perfect. Remember, to err, is to be a mutt,"

Behind a barrel, Crysa bit her lip to stop from laughing out loud at the blue males imitation of her aunt.

Aunt Margret would kill us if she heard him, the white female thought as Teddy snickerd and whacked Wes's shoulder, then both males burst out laughing.

Crysa smiled before stepping out from behind the barrel and cleared her throat.

Both males jumped and turned to face her.

"Crysa!" they both exclaimed at the same time.

The white female swished her tail with a smile.

"Sorry, was I interupting your vocabulary lessons?" she asked, her eyes sparkling teasingly.

The two males exchanged a look, and Crysa laughed.

"By the way," she said, delicatly walking up to them, "You should know, mud is good for the skin."

She smiled mischeviously and slapped her tail at the puddle, splattering both males with muddy water.

Wes shook his head vigorusly and Teddy snorted, making water trikle down his nose.

Crysa giggled at the looks on their faces.

Wes tilted his head to the side, making water droplets drip from his ears to his face, and grinned. "Okay, point taken."

Teddy chuckled and shook himself.

Crysa swished her tail and pretended to look inacent. "Well, now that you've had your lesson for the day, shall we go, students? Before that glory hound with the grease mop sees me." she added with a scowl in Mitch's direction.

The brown male was strutting back and forth in front of his crooning females, and seemed oblivious to the trio's presence. And Crysa wanted to keep it that way.

Wes and Teddy both looked where she was looking, then each gave a nod.

"Great, lets go then." Crysa said and beckoned with her tail for them to follow her. "I found this really cool place yesterday!" she told them, her eyes shineing, "It's by the old--"

"Hey babe, where ya going without me?"

Crysa stopped in her tracks and cringed. Mitch.

Wes cast a glance at Crysa's face and saw that it was frozen in a mask of horror. Suddenly a rush of determination filled Wes and made his face feel hot. He turned to face the stuck-up brown male.

"Oh, hey, Mitch. Why don't you pick on some other girl?"

Teddy glanced at his friend and was surprised to see a faint white gleam shining from beneath his upper lip. Wes's snarl told Mitch a long, cold story. For as long as Teddy, Wes and Crysa had been friends, Mitch had always harbored a grudge against the two boys...perhaps as competition, or maybe something else. Wes and Teddy had always been quick to jump to their "damsel in distress" whenever such meetings with Mitch occurred, and they usually managed to get away with no harm done to either side (except disgruntled feelings). However, Teddy had never seen Wes openly snarl at Mitch before.

"Wes," muttered Crysa out of the corner of her mouth so that only her two friends could hear, "just drop it. We're wasting daylight. You do want to go with us, don't you? We were going to have so much fun, and fighting with him won't change anything. In fact, it'll probably ruin the day..." The snow-white female's steady stream of soothing words worked their magic. Wes's lip dropped so suddenly that Teddy found himself doubting whether or not he had really seen his friend snarl at all.

Wes and Teddy exchanged a glance, then with a loud bark Wes turned tail and ran in the opposite direction from Mitch.

Crysa could see the look of longing that Mitch cast at both the retreating male and - she shuddered inwardly - at herself. Teddy pretended to change his mind and follow Wes, and that did it. Mitch ran unashamedly after Wes, leaving Teddy and Crysa with a few precious moments in which they could escape to the place that Crysa had planned before Mitch realized that he could never catch Wes, even being a sled dog.

The two dogs ran alongside each other in silence for a few tense moments. Finally Teddy panted, "Where are we going, anyway, Crys?"

Crysa was breathing fast, but her eyes lit up imeditly. "Oh Teddy! You and Wes are gonna love it! It's perfect!"

Teddy tilted his head to the side, obviously puzzled, but Crysa didn't seem to notice.

"Come on, lets go find Wes and I'll show you guys!" The white female bounded ahead, the tense mood from meeting with Mitch aprently gone, her sky blue eyes danced with delight.

The brown male sighed and smiled. The sun shone on Crysa's coat as she ran ahead of him, making her white fur glow like a crystal....

Whoa, Teddy jerked his head back, startled by his thoughts. Where had that come from? he asked himself. Sure, Crysa's fur was as white as the snow, naturely it'd glow like that when the sun hit it, but, he'd never really noticed it before, so why....

"Teddy! Come on, hurry up!" Crysa called.

Teddy shook his head to clear it, then ran to catch up with her.

Wes didn't need to check to make sure mitch had followed him. A big shot sled dog would never turn down a chance to prove himself against a weaker male.

"For a lead dog, you sure run like a turtle! I'm just jogging, Mitch; move it!" That seemed to do it. A new hostile gleam in his eye, Mitch's lean muscles tensed up and propelled him forwards. Wes bit his lip. Maybe it worked a little too well...

Wes picked up the pace trying to gain ground on Mitch, his athletic legs skiming the ground. He hadn't been ahead for more than a few seconds when he felt wind around the tip of his tail followed by a snap, and realized that Mitch had attempted to take a bite out of his tail. He whacked into a stray cart on the side street, which flew backwards. Wes had hoped to lose Mitch, but was dismayed to find him swirving around it and gaining speed once more. Wes growled determindly and hopped up onto a nearby wood container. He steadied himself on the wobbly lid, and then turned to face Mitch, breathing heavily.

"Well, well, looks like the hare beat the tortise," His face was triumphant as he pranced around the box top. "Too bad for you Mitch, looks like the trail ends here; I've never heard of a jumping tortise." He snickered and turned to jump down from the crate and vanish into the alley.

Mitch snarled vehemently and crouched down low, preparing to jump.

Wes took a second from his narrowly-won escape to gloat once more, only to realize what Mitch was about to do. His previously cocky face completely droped. "No, Mitch, I--- l-look," he stammered, stomping his back leg on the box nervously. The planks, which had been decaying for some time, gave like small sticks, "It isn't stable---It-it can't hold both of us!"

Mitch was deaf to the blue mutt. He lunged at the top of the box, but his weight snapped the plank supporting both him and Wes. Yelping, Wes was flung like a slingshot into the street, while Mitch fell off-balance and crashed into the box.

It took a minute for the dust to settle. A de-masculated brown malamute was clumbsily trapped beneath chunks of rotten wood and debris, and Wes had disappeared from sight down a nearby alley, leaving Mitch seething and humiliated in the wreckage.

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"Crysa," Teddy attempted to ask again where they were going, but Crysa merely smiled and flicked her ear at him. The brown male rolled his eyes, but he was smiling so Crysa knew he wasen't really anoyed.

Crysa thanked her lucky stars for Wes and Teddy. They were the best friends she could have ever asked for. And right now, when Teddy smiled at her, she felt her face grow slightly hot. Before she could think much about it, a loud crash startled them both.

Teddy stepped in front of her, and Crysa felt her face grow warm again. Why though?

"Who's there?" Teddy called out, his fur bristling slightly.

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Mitch growled in frustration as he shoved a piece of wood with his shoulder. The decayed piece of wood broke with a snap and fell from him. "Stupid, no good, mutt." he growled under his breath.

"Well, well, well. A bit stuck now, are we?"

Mitch's head snapped around to see a delicate brown and silver striped female sitting only a few feet away from him.

"Dantella." Mitch said bluntly.

His sister swished her tail around her paws, eyeing up the situation her brother was in. "Let me guess, you went after Crysa again?" she asked, a sly smile curving across her muzzle.

Mitch growled. "Just get this last piece off me, will you?" he snapped.

Dantella sighed and rose to her paws, then gracefully trotted behind him. Shifting her paw under the wood, it fell off her brothers leg easily. Mitch grunted and lept foreward away from the wood.

Dantella stepped up beside him. "You make it so hard on yourself, brother." she said, her exspression indicating she pitied him.

The last thing Mitch wanted was pity. He snarled at his sister, who merely flicked her ear at him.

"Why do you go chasing after her when she's around those two mutts?"

Mitch huffed. "She's always with them. How else am I suppose to see her?"

The silver striped female smiled slyly once more. "Honestly, you are quite dense sometimes."

Mitch growled. "Just say what you want and leave." he snarled.

Dantella sighed. "She's not always, with those two mutts. You know where she lives, why not just go there to see her?"

With a final swish of her tail, the silver striped female trotted away, leaving Mitch starring after her, a smile growing on his face.

As they ran to their destination, Teddy and Crysa had their eyes peeled for any sign of Wes.

Crysa began to get nervous. "Ted," she said in a slightly trembling voice, "what if...you know how good Wes can be at teasing...maybe he drove Mitch a little too far this time?"

Teddy knew exactly what she meant. "I certainly hope not, Crys," he said soothingly. "He's probably fine."

Just then,they both heard a sharp bark. It was difficult to hear because of the many trees in the fast-approaching forest, but it was definitely there.

Teddy gasped,and Crysa sighed in relief. "Wes?" they both asked,knowing the answer.

"Hi, guys," came a small, tired voice from over the next dune. Wes emerged from behind the pile of sand,and he was panting hard. His feet were somewhat sore, and his friends could see that his ear had a nick in it.

"Wes," cried Crysa, "are you okay?" She rushed forward to check him.

Wes blushed slightly, but shook it off and said, "Take it easy there, Crys. You know how Mitch can be. I might want to reconsider teasing him quite so much next time, though."

Teddy and Crysa exchanged a private, knowing smile.

"Hey! What'd I do?" barked Wes indignantly. "Let's go to this place of yours, Crysa. Lead on, fair lady!" The blue male smiled and laid a paw before Crysa, who giggled and leaped over the paw.

"Let's go, slowpokes!"

"We're coming, Crysa!"

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The woodland caver, dripping with water and moss, was nonetheless beautiful. Vines and thorns hung from the ceiling like a delicate garland. At the center was a little rivulet of water that trickled into a small pool at the very heart of the cavern. A smooth, fern-lined opening allowed the sky to invade the space, and the wet walls and leaves sparkled.

"Wow. This is...stunning," said Wes reverently. Teddy could only nod his silent agreement.

"Isn't it?" Crysa said smugly. "I told you it would be worth the wait!"

"Oh yeah?" Teddy challenged. "How do you know it was worth it? After all, it was awfully prickly getting in past the thorns at the entrance!"

"I guess you have a point." Crysa studied Teddy with a sly smile as the brown male grinned triumphantly. "But it's worth it to me because of...this!"

Teddy soon had an eyeful of water, sent spinning by Crysa's expert shot. "Ow - Hey!" He skidded his spotted paw across the water and landed a splash on both Crysa and Wes.

"Score! Double points!"

Soon all three dogs were splashing, sunbathing (although not at the same time), and even swimming in the cool water. Romping around through the forest and in the cavern, it was the time of their lives.

"Crysa! Come here imeditly!"

The white female rolled over on the soft bed and groaned. "Oh boy, Aunt Maragrets home."

A chuckle beside her made Crysa turn her head. Her sister, Junie, a soft brown female with brown eyes, lay on the bed, her front paws hung over the edge.

"Crysella!"

Crysa winced and lept of the bed. "I hate it when she calls me that." she mutterd.

Junie smiled sympatheticly. "Well, you know better then to skip Aunt Maragret's lessons, Crys."

The white female rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I need her lessons as much as I need Mitch around." she said.

"Crysella!"

Crysa scowled and started toward the door. "My name is Crysa, not Crysella." she mutterd.

"Better hurry, Crysella." Junie called teasingly after her. Crysa shot her a mischevious smile over her shoulder before going down the stairs.

The white female turned to the large double doors at the bottom of the stairs. Nudging one open, she saw Toner sitting on the floor, and Aunt Maragret in front of him. Her aunt's blue eyes flashed angerly.

Oh joy, Crysa thought as she took a seat by Toner. Her brother looked straight ahead as Aunt Maragret rose and circled them both once before sitting in front of them again.

"So," she said, taking a small breathe, "would eaither of you care to share why you weren't in lessons today? Again." the last word was stiff and Crysa prepared herself for another one of her aunt's long, long, lectures.

"I was with Amarie." Toner said, his brown eyes dark. Crysa blinked. She'd seen Toner angry, but never this angry.

Aunt Maragret stiffened and turned to Crysa. "And you?" she asked stiffly.

Crysa met her aunt's gaze without fliching. "I was with Wes and Teddy." she said simply.

The black female sighed. "Why do you two keep going off with those, mutts," she said the word with disgust, "and delibretly miss your lessons?" she asked.

"I like being with Wes and Teddy." Crysa said cooly. "Their my friends."

Aunt Maragret's blue eyes narrowed, then she turned back to Toner. "Whats your exscuse for seeing that, filthy mutt." she demanded.

Toner's eyes narrowed and Crysa shrank back a little. Out of the trio, Toner had always been the one to keep quiet and cool during their aunt's lectures. She'd never seen him delibretly glare at her.

"Amarie's not filthy." he said coldy, a growl rumbling deep in his throat.

Both Maragret and Crysa's eyes widened. Then Maragret cleared her throat abruplty. "Crysa, go outside. Theres someone waiting for you. I need to talk to your brother."

Crysa glanced at Toner, who sat stiffly. "You know how she is, Toner." the white female whisperd before heading for the door. She took a glance over her shoulder and saw his shoulders relax a little before she slipped out the door.

She'd taken no more then one step when she remeberd her aunt had said someone had wanted to see her. Knowing her aunt, it could only be one dog. One that she had no desire of seeing. Crysa turned toward the door when a voice came from behind her.

"Heya babe."

The white female cringed inwardly. Narrowing her eyes, Crysa looked behind her. "Hey, Mitch."

The chocolate brown male stepped out of the shadows, flickering candlelight from the windows playing off his eyes.

"It was so kind of you to invite me over tonight." He smiled, but there was nothing worth smiling about in Crysa's eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure my Aunt made my desperation for your company perfectly clear." She hopped out into the streets. "Well, I can speak for myself just fine. Get out of here, Mitch."

For a momet Mitch's face fell in annoyance, but he recovered and picked up his smooth demeanor once more. "Well, you may be able to speak for yourself, Crysa,"

Crysa's neckfur stuck out as he said her name. It felt like a child dragging his fingernails across a chalkboard, "but I doubt you could fend for yourself nearly as well."

Mitch sidled up to her then, blocking her veiw of the soft glow of her house and shrouding his face in shadows. "Not at this time of night anyways. I doubt your aunt would want a respectable lady like you wandering the streets alone without an escort." He smiled victoriously then, his tail wagging expectantly, slowly.

Crysa let out a disgusted snort and tried to meanuver the brown behemoth. "I have an escort. Actually, I have two, and both of them would be much better company then you."

Mitch raised an undeservingly knowing eyebrow. "Right, right, your little boyfriends Tommy and Les."

Crysa stopped incredulously. "They're not--"

"Aw, c'mon Crysa! Do you really think either of those two clowns are a better match for you then I am? Are you really that dense?" Crysa glowered vehemently at him. Without another word she turned around and started down the oposite street. Mitch was right at her heels.

"If you do think they're better than me, then answer me this: Why not settle down already?" He growled, persistant to get some answers, "Why not have one of them be a mate?"

Crysa swivled around to face Mitch head on then. He had gone to far, making assumptions like that. Cysa's friends here her business, and who she liked and who she didn't were absolutally not things that she wanted Mitch to have and thought over. "This is not a conversation I want to have, especially with you!" Crysa's voice cracked frusteratedly, her eyes angered but confused.

"Well, you've had to at least think about it! You have to have had given me, or at least them, some hint of what you have in mind!" Mitch's voice had now risen and was creating small rings in the puddles of metled snow. Crysa squeezed her eyes shut against his ranting.

No, She thought, No, he's wrong. She pushed past him quickly and sped into the streets. He can't be right....he doesn't know me. The cool night breeze stung her face as she ran. ...But what if he is right? She slowed down asshe reached a hay barn at the edge of town. Distractedly, she scaled the stray bales of hay up to the eaves of the roof, where she nestled into the soft golden grass and breathed in its comforting scent. Is he right about me? She closed her eyes. Have I been leading my friends on..........?

Crysa's dreams were troubled that night as she sleapt in the barn loft, stars glowing the the sky.

She was in her happy place, with Teddy and Wes, frolicking in the water. And so were the puppies...dozens and dozens of chocolate bown and cream puppies with greasy black and red tuffs of hair and silver streaks.

"Mitch, your little ones are so delightfull!" Aunt Margaret exclaimed, suddenly standing in the midst of them.

A familiar low chuckle reberberated through the water, creating a creavace that swallowed Wes and Teddy whole. "They look just like their mother..." Crysa felt Mitch next to her, smiling at her wickedly, "don't they Auntie?"

Crysa's puppies crowded around her as she followed Teddy and Wes into a black abyss, a horrified look sketched arcoss her face. She could still hear Mitch lauhging as the darkness enveloped her.

OC: I'm REALLY sorry for the long wait, guys...I'm such a slacker lately DDDX I'm planning on getting back into BS now...I was kinda on a little "vacation." lolz Now, on with the story!


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Teddy sighed, letting the warm light of the sun lick the wetness out of his coat. The copper tones in it were shining from the rays of the setting sun, but he paid it no mind; his thoughts were far away.

A breeze moved lazily past the porch, and Teddy could hear the back door open behind him - or at least, he'd thought it was the back door. But a soft voice by his shoulder told him otherwise. "Hey, Ted. What's up?"

Without looking to acknowledge his sister, Teddy replied tonelessly, "Hi, Bobbi."

Her lush red tail curled around her "baby brother" (they were about seven minutes apart). "Something's up, Teds. What is it? Tell me," she breathed.

It's a wonder she doesn't have a mate yet, the brown male thought. Sometimes she can be so...persuasive. Not to mention the fact that's she's stunning. Shaking his head to clear it, he replied aloud, "Oh...I was just out for a day with Wes...and Crysa," he admitted rapidly.

"Ooh," mocked Bobbi, "Little Brother's got a girlfriend."

"No way!" he protested, blushing profusely.

"Well, then...why is it that every single time - every single time - you come home from a playdate with Crysa, you're always in dreamland?"

"Am not!" her brother snapped.

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Look, I'm not going any further with this," the red female stated, taking a calming breath. "I was just wondering."

A moment of silence from Teddy, then, "Well...if I did, persay, have, um, feelings for a girl and I acted like that...what would I do? Um, I mean..." He broke off awkwardly.

His sister picked up his slack almost before he dropped it. "If you did, then I'd certainly like to know who it is," she said, ever so softly, into his ear.

Wow...she plays a good hand, he thought. "I don't know if I can trust you," Teddy mumbled, weakening.

"Of course you can." The blunt frankness of her words snapped the brown dog out of his previous thoughts. Her voice was no longer soft and persuasive, but hard and resolute. "WHO is it, Teddy?"

"You already know," he stammered.

"Say it."

"...It's Cr..."

"Tell me!" Bobbi practically shouted, her temper getting the better of her.

"NO!" Teddy screamed, startling his sister into shocked silence. With a burst of angry energy, he was off the porch and on the street in two bounds, tearing through the gathering darkness as if a monster was chasing him.

"...I'm sorry, Ted," Bobbi murmured. "I didn't mean to...I'm so sorry." Knowing that she wouldn't be able to catch him while he was running like a canine possessed, she sighed and returned to the house.

It's up to you to admit your feelings for her to yourself, Little Brother.

Crysa's tail dragged behind her in the snow as she trudged home the next morning. No doubt Aunt Maragret would give her a long lecture about running off like that.

"Esspecialy from Mitch, a fine gentleman." she raised her voice mockingly, imitating one of her aunt's many praises of Mitch.

"That stupid, idiotic, big headed, fle-bitten," Crysa mutterd, swatting a rock aside, "lousy excuse for a dog!"

The rock bounced off a rain gutter and the loud clank sounded oddly satisfying to the female. "I hate him." she growled, then his words last night came back.

Well, you've had to at least think about it! You have to have had given me, or at least them, some hint of what you have in mind!

Her sandy tipped ears droopped and her eyes clouded. Mitch is wrong, he has to be, she thought, but a tiny voice squeaked in the back of her mind. He's right and you know it, you just won't accept it.

Crysa shook her head to get rid of the voice. I'd just better get home before Junie and Toner get worried, she told herself.




short guys, sorry @_@