Diamond in the Rough
by Kiche

"Great job today, boy," the man said, giving the red and white dog a loving scratch behind the ears. He projected a cheerful smile, almost matching the one worn by the dog himself, panting and grinning after the day's work. He stepped out of his harness with a bit of help, and waved his tail briefly as the man gave him one more pat on the head before dismissing him. "Go on, Kodi. Mail run's done for the week!"

Dingo watched with reservation as his brother received the praise and attention. He sat on his master's porch, not wanting to draw attention to himself, as he waited for Kodi to come talk with him, as was customary at least a couple days of the week. The larger and stronger of the two brothers, and possibly the whole litter, Kodi was quite proud of his job as the lead dog of the mail sled team. Their other brother, Dago, was part of a racing team in Nome - not the worst in town, but not quite the best, though Dago himself likely couldn't care less. Dingo, on the other hand, never was trained in the harness, instead having been adopted as a pup by a child who only really kept him as a house pet and fetch-partner. His family was loving enough, and Dingo grew more or less used to the somewhat sedintary lifestyle, but he still sometimes would wistfully imagine what it would be like to live in his brother's paws.

Speaking of whom, Kodi came sauntering over to the other red dog, eyes bright and tail high. "Hey, Dingo," he greeted. "How's it going?"

"Oh, pretty much same old," Dingo replied with a small smile.

"Well, do you feel up for a walk or something? I kind of got a little energy left to burn before sundown..." He can't be serious, Dingo thought, not without amusement. From Nome to Rodney and back in two days flat, and he still had "energy to burn"?

"Why not," Dingo conceded. "It's not like I've done much today, anyway..." He stood up, stretched his legs in place, and plopped himself off the wooden porch, by Kodi's side. "Let's go."

The two brothers began their stroll straight down the road, talking of the days events to each other - Kodi more about exciting things, like black ice and almost being attacked by a bull moose, while all Dingo had to offer was that he finally found the rawhide he'd buried in the yard last month. As the road came to a corner, they turned - however, around the bend, who was walking their way was none other than Steele's daughter, one of the most popular dogs in town, and her tight posse of friends. They just barely missed a collision, but rather than growl and complain, the beautiful female smiled seductively.

"Oh, hello," she ejected, seeming to eye Dingo in particular. "Sorry about that, Kodiak, and... what was your name again?" She swished her up-curling tail playfully.

"Uh... it's, uh, Dingo..." the red and white mutt responded, dumbstruck. She was the most gorgeous dog he'd ever seen; she had a rich apricot and white coat, a forked blaze running up her forehead. Her hind paws had a dark, mud-splashed appearance, while her forearms seemed to bear long, elegant white gloves. One of the girl's friends giggled loudly and he realized he must have been staring. He couldn't see it, but the female who led them - Steele's daughter - delivered a swift, light kick in the knee to shut her up. Then she spoke again.

"Nice to meet you, Dingo," she said sweetly, almost sounding insincere. "I'm Tiffany. See you around, I guess. You too, Kodiak." Then she pushed onward, leading her group of ogling, grinning gossiping girls with her. Kodi turned his head to watch them leave, a "good guy" sort of grin glued to his face, but Dingo frowned and kept walking.

"Hey, what's with you?" Kodi chuckled, trotting to make up his lost strides. "The prettiest dogs in Nome ask your name and you just keep walking like you don't care?"

"I don't," Dingo muttered, staring down at his paws as they walked. What could a dog like Tiffany want with an underclass mutt like himself? There was no sense in getting his hopes up.

"Yeah, okay..."

"I don't."

"Mhm... truth be told, you look a little embarrassed - did they catch you on a bad hair day? Or do you--"

"It's nothing," Dingo insisted, a little defensive now. "I just have no interest in dogs like them. Can't we just keep walking?" He sighed and raised his gaze skyward. "Hasn't been this warm in weeks, huh...?"

"Changing the subject," Kodi observed aloud. "Listen, Tiffany may -seem- out of your league to you, but hey, I can introduce you - more I mean - if you want - I've got good connections in town and --"

Dingo interrupted him this time with a laugh. "Sounds like you should be the one sniffing around after her." Though Kodi seemed delighted by the prospect of his little brother getting some popular girl, Dingo remembered that Kodi was currently single as well. Not that he actually thought he was interested in Tiffany - neither of them were, he reminded himself - but Kodi was always happiest at work, and he didn't seem like the type to want to settle down with a girl.

"Fine, just let her go," Kodi said with a shrug. They continued on in silence for a moment or so, when suddenly Kodi's voice broke the silence again. "Race you back to the post office, go!" He spun around in one swift motion and charged back the way they came, laughing.

Dingo followed after, laughing and smiling himself, even though he knew he was going to lose, for sure. It reminded him of being a puppy again, when the whole litter would race and tumble and play on the beach, only this time it was just the two of them, a large shaggy blur of red and white dashing down the streets of Nome.

+++

The gang was all settled down in the boiler room, content to chat amongst each other in pairs or trios. Tiffany hung back from the conversation for a while, smiling and nodding to seem interested. In her head, she thought back to that time just a couple of hours ago - when they'd run into Balto's sons on the street. The smaller of the two... Dingo, he'd said his name was. He was nothing like the dogs she normally hung out with.

"Tiff, are you listening?" barked one of her friends. The silver-grey husky, Naomi, had her eyebrows raised as she stared at Tiffany, looking a bit irritated.

"Sorry, what?" Tiffany responded, her normal beaming smile spread wide across her muzzle.

"The Glacier Derby's coming up soon," another dog, a collie, explained. "Whose team are you rooting for?"

"I don't know... maybe Brecken's, I've seen them practicing a lot lately," she said, thinking slowly.

"You mean you don't think Cartier's going to win?" Naomi gasped with fake astonishment. It wasn't surprising, really - though Tiffany was fairly close with her brother, she tended to shy away from looking biased by supporting he and his team too much. Instead, she liked to look at every team fairly... or at least, for the most part, she did. Besides being fast, Brecken was pretty good-looking, too.

"He might, I guess, if he stops spending all his time with that girl," she snorted. "and a little more time actually running. Come race day, he'll be all out of shape." Cartier's newest infatuation, she'd noticed, was a black and white husky mix who seemed to steal him away all hours of the day. She was quiet, though - never having to demand he follow her... just sort of attracting him.

"It won't last," the collie insisted, not quite hiding her bitterness. Sheba had always had a thing for Cartier for as long as Tiffany could remember. Poor thing, Tiff thought. She couldn't bring herself to tell Sheba that her brother thought she was a little weird... always following him around when she could and inviting him places. "She's a mutt, anyway - Steele wouldn't like it!"

"Like my brother cares," Tiffany muttered, looking at Naomi, who also understood Cartier's feelings about what his father wanted. "He probably gets enjoyment out of watching dad squirm and complain..." Steele had essentially slavedriven his only son, wanting to make him a racing star like himself - resulting in a rather unmotivated, rebellious dog. Not to say he wasn't good at his job, but it usually took a lot of persuasion these days to get him to run without a hefty reward waiting at the finish line.

Sheba rolled her eyes and sighed. "Whatever."

"Speaking of mutt-love, though," Naomi said suddenly, a sly grin creeping upon her features. "What did you think of those dogs we ran into earlier... Tiffany?" She swished her tail, waiting for a juicy answer.

"Who?" Tiffany asked, tilting her head a bit to feign forgetfulness.

"Kodi, and his brother... what was his name again?"

"Oh, Din-- uh... Dintmoore, or something like that?" She couldn't let on she remembered the nobody-mutt's name, much less that she'd been thinking of him...

"Dingo, I thought it was," Sheba offered.

"Yeah, that was it," Naomi agreed. "He looked like he really had it for you."

"Oh, stop it," Tiffany said goodnaturedly. "You know I play that card with nearly every guy - they all have the same reaction. It doesn't mean a thing to me." It was true, she was known as a bit of - or a lot of - a flirt. Her bubbly hello's, and the award-winning smile - few were resilient to her charm.

"Except most of them try to act all suave," Naomi said. "and want to get you to leave with them or something. This one looked like he'd just seen god or something." Her voice dripped with amusement. Tiffany sighed - her friends, who were obviously the popular, 'top echelon' sort, always seemed to find it amusing when a lesser-known mutt showed interest. As if it were a game or a contest. She was well aware of her beauty, sure - her mother and friends had always assured her of it since puppyhood - but she often yearned to not merely -use- her looks, but to make a real connection with someone. Someone a little less arrogant than most of the popular dogs, her friends included.

"I guess so," Tiffany said flatly. The other girls grinned, hardly trying to conceal their delight, and carried on a new conversation. Tiffany listened on and off, adding a remark now and then - sure, being a mail dog sounds fun, or yuck, I hate how my girl thinks broccoli is the same as a biscuit - but secretly, she let her mind wander back to that dog. Dingo. He really did seem like a sweet, intelligent sort, and anyone from -that- family must be raised right. She felt a sort of warmth stirring inside her chest as she made up her mind, she was going to find Dingo again and talk to him for real.

+++

Sprawled out on the rug in the living room, Dingo stretched his limbs lazily, enjoying the feeling of doing nothing. His kid had gone to school for the day, and not being particularly social outside a small group of friends, he felt no obligations on this quiet weekday morning. He supposed he'd laze around only until noon, then he'd get out of the house - perhaps see if the butcher had any scraps in the dumpster... take a walk to the shoreline... Kodi wouldn't be back until late, but if Dago were around he might have some company...

Suddenly, before he could continue planning his day, Dingo's reverie was interrupted by a metallic clang coming from the side of the house. Alert, he shot upright, expression serious. He got up and carefully padded over to the dog-door that exited to the backyard.

For a human, the snow might have crunched loudly with each step, but Dingo had the large, weight-spreading paws of a wolf. Whatever made the noise was still at it, crinkling and licking its lips. He crept around the corner of the house, ready to chase off any bloodthirsty intruder... including a scruffy alley cat feasting from the family's trash cans.

"Get your food someplace else," Dingo barked, attempting but lacking a menacing sound. The last thing he wanted was to be blamed for making a mess of the garbage... which the cat was already making good on starting.

"Oh, go chase your tail," the cat hissed, not even flinching at the sight of the wolfdog. "This is the first place with any good eats I've found in a day!"

"I'm warning you..." Dingo growled, head lowered. He looked somewhat reminiscent of a Spanish bull, ready to charge across the ring at its opponent.

The cat apparently couldn't be bothered giving a real answer, as it snorted and continuing to bury its face in the unlidded can, rooting around for some gem of a cuisine.

Dingo gave another loud bark, and shot forward at the cat. Unsuspecting, the cat didn't even look up until a fraction of a second before the dog collided with the open can, tossing the cat several feet away into the snow. Ruffled and indignant, it let out a spit-shooting hiss, back arched.

"Fine, you stupid cur," it spat. "Your peoples' trash smells like dog crap, anyway!" It pinned its ears and strode away without looking back.

The red and white dog let out a satisfied huff, and turned to head back inside, when another noise - this one barely audible - caught his ears. Thinking it might be another pesky feline intruder, he whipped around, already in defense-mode.

At first, nothing met his gaze, and he simply stood there, confused. He squinted and noticed then that another dog stood at the corner of the house, just poking her head around the corner. Upon a longer look, he couldn't believe what he was seeing - the crisp cream and white fur, the icy blue eyes, that smile - Tiffany.

She beckoned to him, louder this time. "Hello?" she called. "You're Dingo, right?"

"Uh, um, yeah, that's me," Dingo responded, stumbling over his very few words. He walked over to her uncertainly, his confident, cat-chasing feeling gone, replaced by the nervousness a young dog might feel at his first sled race... not that Dingo himself could know the feeling very well.

Tiffany took his neutral approach as an invitation to walk further onto the family's property, emerging from behind the corner. The ever-present sparkle of curiosity in her eyes remained strong. "You remember me, right? Tiffany," she said, tail wagging. "I don't believe we really got the chance to talk yesterday."

"I didn't think you wanted to," Dingo responded skeptically.

"Nonsense, I love making friends," the female assured him with a warmth that almost seemed too picture-perfect to be genuine. She wasted no time in starting a conversation. "I was just walking through the neighborhood when I heard a commotion over hear, then I saw that cat go running." She laughed. "I guess you won that battle, huh?"

"Um, yeah," Dingo said quietly. He tried to imagine what this girl's motives could be - she must be thinking of something to do or say to him after putting up such a disturbingly nice front - but what? He steered clear of trouble, he'd never had a tangle with one of the populars; could she just get some kind of sick amusement from watching him squirm, and then doing something cruel before strutting off...?

"You don't say much," she commented, sitting down in front of him. "But I can tell you're thinking of a lot."

And she was a mindreader, too. "I'm not really used to..."

"Talking to anyone outside the family?" she offered, though the playful smile remained on her face. "Listen," she said. "You seem like a dog I could really get to know and like. Why don't you come down to the boiler room tonight, and hang out with a few friends and I? I'm sure they'd like to meet you."

The offer was just too golden, too great to believe. Dingo had to think for a second to keep his jaw from dropping. Should he go? Or was this going to be some kind of setup? As ideas and scenarios raced through his head, Tiffany was ready to supply his answer for him.

"Wonderful," she chirped, standing up again. "I'll see you later... Dingo." She leaned forward and gave him a friendly nudge on the cheek. Then she was off again, just as abruptly as she'd approached him, and Dingo was left alone just like that, standing still, awestruck at what had just happened.

+++

"I don't know what she wants from me," Dingo sighed, having just unloaded his predicament onto his sister, Saba. Saba was one of the more 'in' dogs around town, like Kodi - but a bit more concerned with socializing and gossip. Still, he trusted her enough to confide in her, and he knew she would never off and blab about the more personal facets of his life. Unlike many of the other girl dogs around Nome, Saba could be trusted with a secret.

The pretty wolfdog smiled at her brother, unalarmed at all by his so-called problem. "Don't worry about it so much, Dingo," she said. "It sounds like she just happened to take a liking to you! She wants to be friends."

"How can you be so sure?" he muttered. He held onto his suspicions tightly.

"Well, some -other- dogs in the in-crowd might not be so open to make room in there," she explained. "But I know Tiffany - maybe not extremely well, but I know she's much more openminded than her pack. She's not the kind of dog to put up some kind of front to hurt someone..."

"I hope so," Dingo said. He looked to the sky and saw the sun had inched closer to the west since he'd gone to his sister's house and had this conversation. In a couple of hours' time he could be sitting in the boiler room with a bunch of strange, staring, judgemental dogs he'd never had to talk to in his life... if he decided to take up Tiffany's offer.

Saba could see the dread on his face. She frowned, thinking silently to herself. Realizing what would probably be the best option, she told Dingo, "I'll go with you. No one'll dare humiliate my brother with me around to kick their tail." She grinned a crafty grin and swished her tail excitedly. Dingo had to appreciate his sister's loyalty. At that moment, he gave in, and decided how he would be spending his evening once and for all.

"Okay," he said. "If you say so. I'll go."

+++

Standing outside the boiler room, Dingo felt like a fool. He stood just around the corner, so even someone peeking out from the crack between the door and it's frame couldn't see him. Saba had promised to walk in with him, and where was she now, at seven thirty? The wind whipped his fur around, but, being a true Alaskan wolfdog, Dingo hardly felt the chill.

Just as he was about to call it quits and slink home, the tall wooden door creaked open, casting a dim firelight on the crisp, broken snow outside. A feminine voice spoke up.

"Dingo? Is that you?"

The male dog nearly collapsed right there as Tiffany stuck her head out the doorway and turned to look at him. He mustered an embarrassed-looking grin as he answered her.

"Yeah, it's me. I was just out here because... I was waiting for my sister... She told me to wait up for her a while ago, and -- "

Tiffany contained a small laugh. "Do you mean Saba? She's already here."

What?

"Oh... when did she?"

"A while ago," Tiffany answered. She stood aside, beckoning him in. "You must've missed her. C'mon in."

Humiliated before the real trial even began. Dingo sighed and entered the room. So much for smooth, he thought. It was definitely times like this he wished he'd had his brother Kodi's charm or Saba's social grace - instead of his own stupid, shy, antisocial self. As a pup it might have kept him on his parents' good side and out of trouble, but now, it never did him any good to be "the quiet one."

The conversation that had filled the room before came to a gradual halt as Dingo showed his face. Stares were given, and a couple of cutting, girlish grins broke out. About a dozen dogs lines the walls of the room as well as in front of the glowing furnace.

"Who's this guy?" some dog from the rear of the room called out.

"This is my friend, Dingo," Tiffany said, exuding calm confidence. "I invited him to come hang out with us." Dingo was eternally grateful that this explaination seemed to be enough, and all eyes were not on him for more than about ten seconds.

Tiffany reclaimed her place near the furnace where some of her friends already sat, Naomi and Sheba included. Suddenly reluctant to leave her side - despite recognizing Saba sitting on the left wall with her own friends who he vaguely recalled - Dingo followed the pretty malamute and took a stiff seat by her side. He glanced back to his sister, and she gave him a broad smile and wink. He swallowed the lump in his throat and attempted to focus on the conversation in front of him.

"Hi," the silver husky adjacent to them said, eyes locked onto Dingo's. He shifted slightly, unsure of himself for just a second.

"Hi," he parroted.

"Dingo, these are my good friends, Naomi and Sheba," Tiffany said, gesturing with a nod of the head to the respective dogs. She gave a hard stare towards Naomi as she continued, "They're really quite harmless, though you may have trouble getting them to shut up sometimes."

"Who, me?" Naomi asked innocently.

"Who else is she staring at?" Sheba retorted.

"Anyway," Tiffany said. "it's always the three of us over here. Why don't you introduce yourself a little more?" She sat back, smiling expectantly at him. He wondered what he could say to make himself seem a little more interesting, but the most action-packed thing he'd dealt with all day was probably the cat-garbage-alert.

He blinked. "Well... you probably know my brother, Kodi..." he began dully.

"Yeah, he's on the mail team," Naomi said quickly. "How about you? Are you on any sled team...?"

"Uh, not really..." Dingo replied. He wasn't really much of anything, now that he thought about it. "I sort of keep to myself, I guess." Apparently this wasn't a good occupation, as Sheba and Naomi both gave him looks like he was an alien.

"How about hobbies?" Sheba offered. Before he could respond, Naomi butt in again;

"Don't you have any friends besides your brothers and sisters?"

Dingo hung his head low. "Yes, actually, I do," he grumbled, feeling defeated already.

"Naomi," Tiffany growled, irritated with her friend, but making it sound commonplace. "Play -nice- for once, won't you?" The husky shrugged and rolled her eyes, oblivious to her fault. "Sorry about that," Tiffany sighed, looking at Dingo. "They're just used to the shallow, x-times-champion sort of dog..."

"I get it," Dingo said. He thought of, but didn't finish his sentence: I'm just not important enough to be here.

"Wasn't your father some kind of wolf?" Naomi blurted.

Dingo's eyes shot up to meet hers. In his head, a thousand thoughts whirred around, slamming into each other so that they churned, but refused to come out coherently. For the first time that night, anger shot across his face. Bristling, he stood up.

"I don't know what you wanted me here for," he snapped, looking at Tiffany - whose jaw had dropped - then around to the other two. "But I don't have to take this!" He turned on his heel and began to storm towards the door. Halfway there, Saba had noticed her brother leaving. She called out to him, confused.

"Dingo? What's wrong? Why--"

"I'm going home," he growled, not bothering to look at her. He barged open the wooden doors, didn't flinch as the wind suddenly whipped at his face, stronger than before. The same gales slammed the doors shut once more, leaving the dogs inside dumbstruck.

"Great going," Tiffany snarled to the other two dogs who lay by her, her irritance elevated to anger. "Real sensitive." She sprang up from her place, and trotted across the room, everyone watching in silence. She nudged the door open and followed Dingo's trail determinedly.

+++