Disclaimer:

Balto, Jenna, Saba, images, backgrounds (c) Universal

Background (c) Disney

Felicie, Jean-Claude, Flash, Sanak, Hyler (c) me

Aslak, Athos (c) WildFire

Helyana (c) Artemisa

FOREVER AND ALWAYS

CHAPTER 1

Felicie shook snow off her as she left her musher’s side to join her grandparents Balto and Jenna, who were waiting for her to return to Nome with her sled team. It was Felicie’s first run of the season, and she couldn’t be happier. She had decided a while ago that being on Nome’s supply team was the greatest thing that had happened to her — she was able to make many great friends, and do something she loved. But now, she got to see her beloved grandparents, whom she adored and cherished every moment with.

“Hi, Grandma,” Felicie said cheerily as she nuzzled Balto and Jenna, “Hi, Grandpa.”

“Hey, kiddo,” Balto said as he snuffled Felicie’s ear affectionately. “How was your first day back?”

“It was great!” Felicie yipped, her tail wagging. “I just love being a sled dog.” It was true. Despite being in a harness every time she pulled a sled, she felt so free.

“I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Balto quipped, winking at his granddaughter.

Jenna’s chocolate eyes fixed towards the other dogs on Felicie’s team, and she leaned in towards Felicie, a smirk on her face. “Say, what’s the lead dog’s name again?”

“Flash?” Felicie said, quickly gazing towards her friend who always courageously lead their team. “What about him?”

“He’s gotten quite handsome since the last time I saw him,” Jenna said as a grin crept across her face. “What do you think?”

“Now, don’t go getting any ideas, Jen,” Balto warned his wife, although there was a touch of humor laced in his voice. “Felicie is far too young to be dating anyone.”

Felicie giggled. “I’m two years old, grandpa,” she said. “I’m plenty old enough to start looking for a boyfriend.” She then gazed back at Flash, and noticed how warmly his crimson fur gleamed in the autumn sunlight. It was pretty attractive, Felicie had to admit, and Flash was a great guy — but not exactly Felicie’s type. “But I don’t think Flash is the one for me.”

“Well, a pretty and kind pup like you will find a mate soon enough,” Jenna said earnestly.

“Thank you, Grandma,” Felicie said, licking Jenna’s cheek gratefully.

“Well, we don’t wanna keep you from you from your friends,” Balto said, gesturing towards Felicie’s team trotting down the street, “so we’ll see you around. Your pals are probably much more interesting than us old farts, anyway.”

And Felicie was already off. “Alright, I’ll see you two later!” She padded down the streets of Nome, searching for her friends so she could wind down with them after their first run. She put her nose to the ground and caught a whiff of their scent — as well as a new, unfamiliar scent — and followed it until she reached an alleyway. There, she saw Flash, as well as two other teammates of hers named Hyder and Sanak, who seemed to be circling something and laughing. Curiosity piqued Felicie and she slowly stalked over to her teammates, and suddenly she realized they were not laughing at something, but someone. Felicie furrowed her brows and glanced at the boys, and the laughs that were coming out of their mouths seemed more and more menacing the more she listened to them. Her eye then darted to the scruffy brown dog they were laughing at, and her heart sank as she watched him cower into a corner, his tail between his legs.

A sudden sense of confidence came over Felicie, and she put her paw down. “What are you guys doing!?” she barked at her teammates.

“Get a load of this guy, Fel,” said Flash, laughing as he pointed his paw towards the helpless brown mutt who looked absolutely miserable, to say the least. “I’ve never heard someone talk so funny in my life.”

“Please…” the mutt implored, his scraggly fur bristling but his auburn eyes filled with fear and humiliation, “go… go away…” Felicie’s ears perked up and she realized the mutt had a thick accent, and she could tell it was hard for him to get even those simple words out. Rage filled her body and she growled at her friends, who weren’t acting so friendly at the moment as they laughed harder than ever.

“Just because he has an accent doesn’t mean you three have a right to make fun of him,” Felicie snapped. “He’s a dog just like us and deserves to be treated with respect.”

“He may be a dog, but he’s the weirdest one I’ve ever met,” Hyder snorted.

“If you guys don’t have anything nice to say, just go away,” Felicie said, stepping a bit closer towards the victim of the bullying. “I know we just came back from a long run and you wanna wind down and have some fun, but do it some other way, where you’re not hurting an innocent dog who I’m sure did nothing to you.” When her friends didn’t budge, Felicie curled her lip and let out a low growl deep in her throat.

“Alright, we’ll go,” Flash said, rolling his eyes, but there was a half-grin plastered on his face. “Guess we’ll see you around, Felicie. You too, Weirdo.”

“His name’s not Weirdo,” Felicie called out as the boys left the alleyway, “it’s…” It hit her that she just defended this dog and didn’t even know his name. “What is your name?” Felicie asked, tilting her head.

The dog adjusted his paws, and looked up slightly from his hunched over position. “Aslak.”

“Aslak,” Felicie repeated. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Aslak. I’m Felicie.” She put her paw over her chest and smiled.

“Felicie,” Aslak said slowly, drawing out each syllable. He did pronounce her name correctly, though, so Felicie smiled and nodded encouragingly. “Thank you, Felicie.”

“Oh, no problem,” Felicie said. “I don’t know what got into them. They’re some of my closest friends; I’ve never seen them act so mean before.”

Aslak blinked in confusion. “Friend?”

“Yeah, they’re my friends.” Realizing maybe Aslak wasn’t familiar with this word, Felicie decided to explain. “A friend is someone you… hang out with a lot, and do lots of stuff with. Maybe you can be my friend, Aslak.”

“Really?” She watched as Aslak’s tail started to wag; it was the first sign of happiness that he showed since they first met each other.

“Sure, I’ll be your friend!” Felicie said cheerily, and she watched as Aslak’s mouth turned upward into a grin. “Come on, I’ll teach you some English.” She and Aslak got up from where they were sitting and walked out into the streets of Nome. Felicie trotted happily, while Aslak kind of just moped behind, seeming to cower away from everyone and everything.

Felicie figured the best way to teach Aslak English would be to just talk to him. “Where are you from, Aslak?”

“I am from Finland,” Aslak said slowly and carefully.

“Wow, that’s really far away,” Felicie said, barely able to comprehend the fact that Aslak had come from such a different part of the world. “What brings you to Nome, then?” Confusion filled Aslak’s eyes, and it was apparent that he didn’t understand the question, so she reworded it. “Why did you come to Nome?”

“My…my owner…” Aslak explained, “looks for… gold.”

Felicie raised her eyebrows in fascination. “Oh, gold,” she replied. “Yeah, they discovered gold not too far from here about a month ago, so lots of people have been coming to find some ever since.”

“I came on a boat,” Aslak said slowly. “The British dogs, they taught me English.”

“Well, they did a good job,” said Felicie, “because honestly, your English is already not bad.” She watched as Aslak smiled gratefully, and she smiled, too. They then stopped by a small white house, and Aslak looked towards the front door.

“I must go now,” Aslak told Felicie. “This is where I live.”

“Oh, okay,” Felicie said. She was a tad disappointed that Aslak had to leave so soon, but she understood that he had to be with his owner. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow,” Aslak said, “F…Fre...”

“Friend?” Felicie prodded.

Aslak nodded and grinned, and this time the smile reached his eyes. “Friend.”

CHAPTER 2

The warm autumn sun hung high over Nome as Felicie made her way over to Aslak’s house. She had promised to visit him again after yesterday’s encounter, and figured today would be the perfect day to start giving him English lessons — it was a nice crisp, morning that proved autumn was in the air.

Felicie trotted up the front porch and barked lightly, scratching the door. She waited patiently, and about a few seconds later, Aslak slid through the doggy door, smiling shyly at Felicie.

“I did not think you would come,” Aslak admitted.

“Of course I came, Aslak,” Felicie said. “I want to help you learn English.”

“O-okay,” Aslak stammered, a bit taken aback by Felicie’s kindness. He and Felicie hopped down the stairs and made their way into town. Felicie could sense that Aslak was apprehensive about going into town and seeing other dogs, probably for fear of being made fun of again.  So, she stuck close to him and gave him a reassuring smile to let him know there was nothing to worry about.

“Tell me about yourself, Aslak,” Felicie said after a few moments of comfortable silence. “What was it like back in Finland?”

“A lot like Nome,” Aslak replied a bit wistfully as he thought of the only home he had never known. “Cold and snowy.”

“Oh, so Nome is just like Finland, then.” Felicie nodded. “Do you miss your family? You must miss them a lot, I’m sure.”

Felicie watched as Aslak’s eyes darkened, and it seemed as though a rain cloud appeared above his head. However, his answer to her question was not what she expected. “I do not know my family,” Aslak muttered.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Felicie didn’t really know what else to say.

“My mother was Lapponian Herder, and my father was husky and wolf,” Aslak continued. “That’s all I know.”

“No way, I’m part wolf too!” Felicie smiled brightly. Maybe she could fully gain Aslak’s trust now that she knew they had something in common. “Well, I’m only a little wolf,” she clarified. “My grandpa is half wolf.”

“Half wolf, like Balto?” Aslak’s eyebrows raised in fascination.

“Well, yeah, Balto is actually my grandfather,” Felicie said proudly, but not in a cocky manner. Her face suddenly twisted with confusion. “How do you know about Balto?”

“All the dogs know him,” Aslak said with admiration. “He’s a hero.”

“He definitely is,” Felicie beamed, “although to me, he’s just Grandpa. Hey, you wanna go meet him?”

“I-I don’t know…” Aslak said nervously, his ears flattening as he backed up. “I can’t speak like this to him.”

“Sure you can,” Felicie said sympathetically, her blue eyes shining. “Trust me, my grandfather is the last one that would judge you for something like that.”

——

Felicie and Aslak ran over to Balto’s home, a small beige house in the middle of town. Duke the pilot had taken Balto in after he saved his life, and Balto was thrilled to finally have a forever home. Now, whenever he wasn’t roaming the streets of Nome or going off on an adventure, he was sure to be resting in his house, and that’s exactly where Felicie and Aslak found him.

Felicie barked and scratched the door until Balto slipped through the doggy door.

“This better be important, Fel,” Balto said with a yawn, “because I was in the middle of a good nap.” Felicie grinned at her grandfather; the twinkle in his eyes showed that he wasn’t aggravated in the slightest.

“Grandpa, there’s someone I want you to meet,” Felicie said, motioning towards Aslak, who stood rather awkwardly in the back. “This is my new friend, Aslak. He’s a big fan of yours.”

Balto smiled warmly. “Well, hello, Aslak,” he said, “it’s nice to meet you.”

Aslak looked like a deer in headlights as he stared at the great hero, and he felt his heart leap up to his throat. “H-hello… sir,” he stammered. He tried to stand a bit taller so that he wouldn’t look as nervous as he felt, but it was in vain. The shakiness in his voice and his trembling legs gave it away.

“Aslak just moved here from Finland,” Felicie said, trying to lighten the awkwardness of the situation.

“Wow, I can’t believe I’m known by dogs from Finland,” Balto said, amazed but with humility evident in his voice.

“Y-yes, sir,” Aslak said, “We all know how you had saved the children from dip…dip…” He gave up trying to pronounce the word and slumped his shoulders in defeat, flattening his ears in embarrassment.

“Diphtheria?” Balto said helpfully.

“Yes,” Aslak said, grateful for Balto’s help but still mortified that he slipped up in front of the famous wolfdog.

However, it was clear that Balto didn’t mind the young mutt’s broken English. “Hey, learning a new language is hard, and diphtheria is certainly not an easy word,” he said sincerely. “Don’t beat yourself up. You’ve got a great teacher here, and a great friend.”

Felicie smiled gratefully at her grandfather’s kind words, and Aslak smiled too, knowing what Balto said was true.

——

The day went by pretty quickly, and soon the sun was setting over Nome, setting off bright crimson and scarlet hues in the sky. Aslak and Felicie had been walking on the beach all evening, and she had been giving him yet another English lesson to help adjust among the other dogs in town, and, he had truly started to make some good progress... 

“Hey, uh, Felicie? I just wanted to say, that I really…” he paused for a second, trying to remember the word. 

“… Appreciate your help,” he then continued, and chuckled nervously, and Felicie laughed. 

“It's really no problem at all, and you're really making some progress. I mean, you hardly spoke a word when we first met,” she smiled, and Aslak sat down, looking at his paws for a moment, then he looked at her, and returned the smile. 

“You're a good teacher. And also a good…” he began, put then paused, leaving his mouth open and raised his brows. 

“Uh…” he scratched the back of his ear, awkwardly biting his teeth and raising his brow. 

“Friend?” Felicie helped, smiling and raising and eyebrow, and Aslak scoffed, placing his paw back on the ground. 

“I knew that,” he mumbled, looking away, and Felicie chuckled. 

“Of course you did, sweetie,” she teased, and quickly licked his cheek. Aslak raised his brows, and blushed slightly, but thanks to his dark fur it couldn't be seen. He chuckled nervously, raised his head and gave her a shy smile, and then, the two friends headed back to town. 

CHAPTER 3

Felicie spent her next week with Aslak, helping him touch up on his English and just getting to know him better as a friend. She was impressed by how fast Aslak was picking up in the English language; he had improved exponentially since they had first met, and he was a lot smarter than he gave himself credit for. However, she especially came to realize how kind Aslak was. After all the hardship he had faced in his life, he could have been bitter and withdrawn. But instead, he had a caring soul that Felicie took quite a shining to. She still couldn’t really understand why, but she just loved being around Aslak. Even when she was doing her rounds with her sled team, Aslak’s face always stayed in the back of her mind, causing her to run a little faster in her harness so she could get back to him sooner.

One day, Felicie and her team had a harder run than usual, and Felicie felt like she couldn’t walk for another week. All she wanted to do was relax in the boiler room and hang out with Aslak, whom she had been meeting up with every day there after her runs.

She graciously took a biscuit from her musher as a treat for doing a good job on her run, and then quickly headed over to the boiler room.

“Hey, Fel,” a familiar voice called out. “Where ya going?”

Felicie looked over her shoulder and saw Flash trotting up towards her, a look of curiosity on his face. “To the boiler room,” she said curtly. She didn’t mean to sound rude, but she wasn’t in the mood to waste time talk with anyone. She was in so much pain that she just wanted to get to the boiler room and relax by the fire.

“Again?” Flash said with a chuckle. “This is your third time going there this week. You meeting someone there?”

“Maybe,” Felicie said with a smirk.

Flash smiled, but caught Felicie by surprise when he rolled his eyes suddenly. “Oh, don’t tell me it’s that weirdo… what’s his name, Arthur?”

“Aslak,” Felicie said emphatically, “and he’s not a weirdo.”

“Well, he may not be weird,” Flash replied, “but the way he talks sure is.”

“He’s actually been getting a lot better at English,” Felicie told him.

“Well, it’s too bad he’s never gone get rid of that funny accent of his,” Flash scoffed.

Felicie felt her fur bristle. “It’s not funny, it’s just his accent,” she said calmly. “Just like my dad. He has an accent too.” Felicie looked forward and secretly felt relieved that she was close to the boiler room. She had no clue why Flash had such a chip on his shoulder about Aslak, but what she did know was that she didn’t want to deal with her teammate right now. She loved Flash as one of her best friends, but all his snide remarks about Aslak were getting on her nerves lately and she needed a break from him. “See ya, Flash,” Felicie said, turning to make a brisk trot to the boiler room.

“Bye,” Flash said quietly, trying his best to hide his disappointment.

Felicie made her way into the boiler room and spotted Aslak laying by the fire. His dark brown fur had a brightened hue to it as he lay next to the orange and yellow flames. Felicie watched as the herding dog slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

“Hello, Felicie,” Aslak said, his tail swishing left to right.

“Hi, Aslak,” Felicie said, laying across from him, feeling relieved at not having to stand on her legs anymore. “Hope I didn’t wake you up.”

“That is okay,” Aslak said, just grateful for her company. “How was your run?”

Felicie groaned and stretched out her legs. “Tiring as ever,” she said. “We only went to White Mountain, but it may as well be the moon with how far we went.” She smiled sheepishly. “As if anyone could go to the moon.”

Aslak chuckled, and hearing him laugh caused Felicie’s insides to feel all warm. It was the first time she had ever really heard him laugh, and she hoped it wouldn’t be the last.

Felicie and Aslak spent the next hour or so chatting it up in the boiler room. They had lots of fun talking about anything and everything. Aslak enjoyed hearing stories about Felicie’s job and about her heroic grandfather, and Felicie loved hearing stories of Aslak’s days in Finland. Aslak still spoke rather slowly, oftentimes fumbling on his words and slipping up on his grammar, but overall, he was doing a great job. Over time, Felicie completely forgot about the pain in her legs, and she was shocked when she looked out the window and saw the sky turning pink.

“Oh, I should probably get home,” she said reluctantly, rising to her paws. “My humans usually expect me to be back for dinner.”

“I can walk you home, if you want,” Aslak said, making his way over to Felicie’s side.

A crimson color rose to Felicie’s cheeks, and she ducked her head to hide her sudden blush. “I’d like that,” she said softly.

However, the moment got cut short when they heard the sound of pawsteps running hurriedly into the boiler room. Felicie shot up and found her parents, Saba and Jean-Claude, darting towards her.

“Oh, Felicie,” Jean-Claude said, panting as he came to a stop.

“We’re so glad we found you,” Saba added, her voice thick with worry. Felicie was suddenly concerned. Did something bad happen?

“Mom? Papa?” Felicie said, tentatively stepping forward. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s your brother, Athos,” Saba choked out, her eyes filling up with tears.

Felicie’s heart dropped, and she felt her whole world cloud around her. “What happened to Athos?” she asked rather urgently, fearing the worst. “Is he okay?”

Seeing that his mate couldn’t speak, Jean-Claude mustered up the courage to explain to Felicie what happened to her little brother. “Athos… was out with his owner a few days ago, and…” he heaved a ragged sigh, and took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. Those moments felt like an eternity for Felicity, but finally her father opened his mouth to speak.

“Felicie, your brother has gone missing.”

CHAPTER 4

The next few weeks seemed like a blur for Felicie. Each day she waited for news regarding Athos, but despite all the search party’s efforts to find the missing dog and his owner, no news had come around. Felicie had hope that Athos was out there; he was strong and could make it back home if he tried. But as the days crawled on and the temperature rapidly fell, Felicie felt her hope withering away. She felt horrible about losing faith in her brother being okay, but she had to face the facts: a dog could only go for so long by himself in the harsh wilds of Alaska.

Felicie didn’t really bother to interact with anyone during this waiting period. She still dutifully did her sled runs, but didn’t talk to any of her teammates; she just did her runs and went straight home after she was done. She visited with her family members often, and tried her best to comfort her siblings despite the fact that she was grieving as much as they were.

The only person who she really spent her time with was Aslak. Conversing with him and giving him English lessons helped her to keep her mind off her brother, and Aslak was a source of comfort for her during this time of uncertainty. Felicie’s family understood why Aslak was such a comfort to Felicie, but they didn’t tell her yet. Flash knew why as well, and he wasn’t too happy about it.

The temperature had significantly dropped over the weekend, and the sky was covered in clouds of varying shades of gray. There was a chilly breeze in the air that felt nippy and bit at Felicie’s skin despite the thick coat of fur she had been given. Her teeth chattered as she stalked through the streets of Nome, her head down as she focused simply on getting back to her house. A particularly strong gust of wind hit her face, and Felicie let out a small gasp when she saw a snowflake land on her nose.

Oh, Athos, Felicie thought, if you’re still out there, I hope you’re okay…

Suddenly, as if on cue, Saba and Jean-Claude’s parents turned around the corner. Felicie picked her head up and trotted towards her parents, who just walked slowly and stiffly towards their daughter.

“Mom, Papa, did they find Athos yet?” Felicie asked. However, the crestfallen looks on her parents faces were all she needed to know what had happened.

Saba buried her face into Jean-Claude’s chest and let out a sob. Jean-Claude looked at his middle daughter and his mouth twisted in grief as tears flooded his eyes. Felicie had never seen her father cry, and it haunted her to see him in such a state.

“Fel, the search was called off,” Jean-Claude managed to say.

Felicie’s heart stopped and she felt as though everything was closing in on her. “No… no…” was all she could whisper as tears blurred her own vision. “He’s not dead, Papa, he’s not…” she wailed.

“I’m sorry, ma princesse…” Jean-Claude’s voice was choked up as he rested his chin on Saba’s head.

Felicie felt like throwing up. Her vision completely blurred with tears, she brushed past her parents and ran off. She wasn’t sure where she was going, and she didn’t even care who saw her in this state. All she wanted was for her brother to be back, but there was no chance of that happening now. He was gone. He was once here on this earth, running, and playing, and laughing, and just like that, he was gone.

Felicie’s head was towards the ground, and so she had no clue where she was going. She suddenly got thrown out of her trance when she bumped into a larger dog, his shaggy fur bristling against her face.

“Oof!” Felicie grunted, landing on her butt. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said as she wiped her eyes with her paw. She looked up, and to her surprise, she saw none other than Aslak looking down at her. “Oh, Aslak…” she muttered, flattening her ears in embarrassment.

Noticing Felicie’s wobbly voice and her wet cheeks, Aslak leaned forward in concern. “Felicie, what is wrong?” he asked gently. “Did they find Athos?”

Felicie shook her head slowly as she began to tear up again. “N-no…” she stammered, “the search party, they…” A lump rose in her throat and she couldn’t bear to speak.

“I-is he…?” Aslak started. He knew what word he wanted to say, but he couldn’t bear to utter it.

Felicie knew what he meant, too, but she didn’t say anything. She just let out a sob, burying her face into Aslak’s chest as she cried bitterly. She felt so embarrassed — she must have looked a wreck. But Aslak had been one of her last rays of hope these past few days, and she needed him more than ever. Aslak, meanwhile, had never known Athos personally, but still felt wretched over his death. He didn’t really know what to do to help Felicie in this moment; all he could think to do was place his paw on her back and comfortingly lick the top of her head.

But to Felicie, that was enough.

——

The next few days were strange for Felicie. On one paw, she was still devastated over the loss of her brother, and longed to see him just one last time. But at the same time, she was relieved to know he was at peace now, rather than freezing and starving in the forest. Athos’s family and friends had a memorial service for him, and when grandpa Balto howled into the night at the end of the service, it finally hit Felicie that her brother was never coming back. She leaned onto Aslak, who had graciously come to pay his respects, and she felt a little better when he nuzzled against her.

Felicie had also just been under the weather ever since the loss of her brother, and was too depressed to do her job. Another dog had been put in her place for the time being, and Felicie trusted that he and the rest of the team were doing well. She knew she had to get her life back to normal eventually, but she just wasn’t ready to go back to her normal self. Part of her felt guilty for being alive while her brother probably starved to death, if he wasn’t mauled by a bear or some other hostile animal. However, she wasn’t completely isolated from the world. She visited her family often, and spent time with Aslak as a way to keep her mind off the loss. Outside of her family, Aslak was really the only friend she had spent time with since Athos died.

About a week or so after Athos’s service, Felicie went to visit Aslak who she knew was probably at his house. She was glad that Aslak’s owner, Mr. Karlsson, was lenient about letting other peoples’ dogs in the house, especially since he knew how close his dog was with Felicie. So, Felicie slipped through the doggy door so find Aslak chewing on a bone.

“Hello, Felicie,” Aslak said, looking up and smiling. “How are you?”

“Doing better each day, I think,” Felicie said truthfully as she laid against a pillow.

“When are you going to return to the sled team, Felicie?” Aslak said. The question caught Felicie off guard; they hadn’t really talked much about the sled team in the past week or so.

“O-oh, I don’t know,” Felicie said a little nervously, “I guess… I guess when it just stops hurting.”

Aslak’s expression softened, and he leaned a little closer to Felicie, which caused butterflies to float in her stomach. “It’s not ever gonna stop hurting, you know.”

Those words threw Felicie for a loop, and she mulled over them momentarily. “I guess you’re right,” Felicie said, her voice wavering.

“Athos wants you to keep doing what you love,” Aslak pointed out to her, his eyes shining earnestly. “You always will miss him, but he would not want your world to stop because of his death.”

Felicie tried to speak, but no words came out of her mouth. Her eyes grew misty, and she gave Aslak a look that told her she understood what he said.

“You can do it, Fel,” Aslak said, and Felicie’s legs suddenly felt like jelly when she realized this was the first time he had ever called her Fel. “I believe in you.”

Felicie sighed, and stared down at her paws. She imagined those same paws drumming through the snow, the wind whipping her face as she dashed through the wilderness with her team. She then looked up at Aslak, and smiled for what seemed like the first time in forever.

“You’re right,” Felicie said, a sense of determination welling up inside of her. “I think I’m ready to go back, Aslak. Tomorrow will be my first day back.”

——

Felicie stayed true to her word. The next morning, she made her way over to the sled dog kennel with Aslak as her escort, jumping up on her musher’s knees to let him know she was ready to run again. She was actually more thrilled than she thought she would be to get back to dogsledding; she missed running with all her friends.

“Good to have you back, girl,” her musher said, happily patting her head and giving her a treat.

Felicie slipped into her harness and smiled as she saw how happy the other dogs were to have her back.

“Hey, look, Fel’s back!” Sanak cheered, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

“We missed you, Fel!” exclaimed Helyana, the only other girl on the sled team whom Felicie was close friends with.

“I missed you guys, too!” Felicie said, her tail wagging in excitement. “I didn’t think I’d be this excited to get back in the harness.”

Meanwhile, Flash was about to get into his own harness and greet Felicie, when all of a sudden, he spotted Aslak standing next to her, apparently bidding her goodbye. He let out a low growl deep in his throat as he realized he had walked her here… and was probably the one Felicie had been spending time with all week. She was hanging out with that weird old European mutt instead of him, and it made his blood boil. As Aslak padded away, Flash trotted up to him.

“Hey, Weirdo!” he jeered.

Aslak looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened at the sight of Flash approaching him.

“You stay away from Fel, okay?” Flash said, baring his teeth.

“I-I don’t understand…” Aslak said, cowering away.

“Felicie was my friend first,” Flash explained through gritted teeth, “and I’m not letting you get in the way of what we have. If I spot the two of you together one more time, you’re paying big time. Is that clear?”

Aslak wanted to protest, but he was paralyzed with fear as the large crimson dog towered over him.

“Am I clear?” Flash said more emphatically this time. “Sorry,” he said in a mocking tone, “I should have spoken a bit slower, seeing as you don’t speak English very well.”

Aslak wasn’t sure if he should say something, or if she should just break off in a run and hope Flash didn’t catch up to him. But thankfully, he didn’t have to decide, as Flash’s musher beckoned him over to have him get in the harness. Reluctantly, Flash stalked away, but made sure to look over his shoulder one final time at Aslak.

“This isn’t over, mutt,” he warned Aslak cooly.

Meanwhile, Felicie was catching up with Helyana as the two waited for Flash to get into his harness.

“So, tell me about you and the new guy,” Helyana said knowingly, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

“Aslak?” Felicie couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s nothing to tell,” she replied. “He’s just a good friend of mine. He’s been my rock ever since Athos died.”

“Well, by the look on your face, he seems to be more than just a friend,” Helyana quipped.

“What!? No!” Felicie cried out, her face suddenly heating up. Ugh, stop doing that, she mentally scolded herself.

“Come on, you’re blushing brighter than the Northern Lights,” Helyana said with a wink. “I think you have a little crush on Aslak.”

As Felicie ran with her team that day, running out in the cold air helped Felicie to really hone in on her thoughts and evaluate her feelings. She loved spending time with Aslak, and whenever he was affectionate with her, her heart skipped a beat. She always looked to spend her free time with him, and always thought of him at random times throughout the day. Aslak was kind, supportive, and a huge sweetheart, and, if Felicie was being honest, he wasn’t so bad on the eyes either. Her eyes bugged out when she realized that maybe Helyana was right.

Oh my gosh, she thought, I’m in love with Aslak!

CHAPTER 5

For the next few days, Felicie mulled over what to do about her crush on Aslak. How do I tell him? she thought. Wait, do I tell him? If I don’t, then… oh, but if I do…

What will the others think?

Her mind traveled back to the day she first met Aslak, when he was being bullied by her teammates in the alleyway. Flash, Sanak, and Hyder were all her good friends, and if they found out she was going out with the “European mutt,” they would probably give her endless grief for it. Plus, Flash had been holding a grudge against Aslak for a while now, and Felicie had a sinking feeling it wouldn’t get any better if she and Aslak started going out. She knew she shouldn’t care what the others thought, but she also didn’t want to lose her friends. It would make work so much more difficult, and her life would be quite empty without them.

“What do I do?” Felicie lamented, this time out loud. She rolled over on her back and stretched as thoughts raced through her mind. Suddenly, it hit her. “I know,” she said, “I’ll go talk to Grandma.”

So, Felicie slipped through the doggy door and entered the streets of Nome, heading towards her grandmother Jenna’s house. Jenna had once been exactly in Felicie’s spot; she too had loved an outcast… Felicie’s grandfather.

Felicie finally made it to her grandmother’s house and hopped up the front porch. She let herself in, knowing Rosy and her parents were always welcoming towards Jenna’s family. She saw Jenna relaxing on her doggy beg and slowly approached her.

“Hi, Grandma,” Felicie said.

“Oh, hi, Felicie,” Jenna said, getting up to give her granddaughter a nuzzle. “What brings you here?”

Felicie let out a sigh. “Grandma, I’m conflicted about something.”

Jenna tilted her head. “What is it, sweetie?”

Felicie took a moment to assemble her thoughts. “You remember Aslak, right?” When Jenna nodded, Felicie continued. “Well… I think… I think I like him.” This was the first time Felicie admitted it out loud, and she blushed profusely as she looked down, shuffling her paws awkwardly.

Jenna smiled warmly. “Well, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I know,” Felicie agreed, “but I’m afraid of what my friends will think, since, well, they’re not exactly huge fans on him.”

“Why not?” Jenna seemed confused. “He seems like a very nice young dog.”

“And he is,” Felicie agreed, “but they all think he’s weird just because he has an accent. And Flash just can’t stand him for some reason. I figured you would be able to give me some guidance, since you’ve been in this sort of situation before.”

Jenna smiled. “Well, if your friends get upset at you for going out with Aslak, then are they really your friends?”

“I guess not…” Felicie frowned. “But I would be sad to lose them.”

“Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned since Athos passed away,” Jenna said softly, “it’s that you should always tell someone how you feel, because you never know when your last chance will be.”

Felicie looked at the ground for a moment, and then back up at Jenna. “You’re right,” she said with a nod. “I should go tell him. If I lose my friends, then I’ll know they’re not the kind of friends I want anyway.” She stepped forward and nuzzled her grandmother. “Thanks, Grandma.”

They bid each other goodbye, and Felicie left the house, walking aimlessly along the streets. She wanted to go tell Aslak about her feelings for him, but something was preventing her from doing so. Her stomach lurched, and she felt as nervous as ever thinking of admitting her crush on him. Suddenly, lost in thought, she almost didn’t hear a familiar voice calling her name. “Felicie!”

Felicie’s ears perked up and she craned her neck to see Aslak heading her way. Perfect timing, she thought.

“Good morning, Felicie,” Aslak said, grinning. “How are you today?”

Felicie cleared her throat as she stared up at her crush. “I’m fine, Aslak… actually, there was something I wanted to tell you…” her eyes danced around him, “in private.”

“Oh, okay,” Aslak said, and he and Felicie made their way into a small alleyway between two houses. “So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?”

Felicie opened her mouth to speak, but her mouth suddenly went dry. She wanted to tell Aslak how she felt; it was the perfect opportunity, since they were alone. But then Flash’s face popped in her head, along with Sanak’s and Hyder’s, and she just couldn’t. “I… I wanted to tell you, you… your fur looks nice today.” Seriously!?

“Oh, uh… thank you,” Aslak said, looking down at his fur. He was a bit surprised that Felicie made such a big deal about complimenting his fur; he had hoped maybe she would say something more. Something he had been waiting for her to say for a while. “I just got a bath yesterday.”

Felicie gave a watery smile. “Well, that explains it.”

“Well, I must go,” Aslak said, trotting back into the streets. “Goodbye, Fel.”

“See ya,” Felicie said half-heartedly. She wanted to kick herself for chickening out at the perfect opportunity. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” she hissed to herself when she was sure Aslak was out of hearing range.

However, little did she know that there was one person who had witnessed the whole event, from when Aslak stopped Felicie in the streets to when she complimented his fur in the alleyway. And that person was not happy about their interaction at all, and made a vow to himself to do something about it.

——

Eventually, the sun had set in Nome and the dark sky was splattered with stars. Aslak was taking a walk through town and took notice of a small puddle on the ground that was illuminated by the moon. He took a look at his reflection in the pond and grinned. “I guess my fur does look good,” he said to himself.

Although he still thought his interaction with Felicie earlier that day was a bit weird, he was glad to receive a compliment from her. In all honesty, he was starting to look at Felicie in a different light. From the moment they met, she saw something in him that all the other dogs refused to see. She accepted him for who he was, and knew there was more to him than just his accent. Aslak smiled to himself and felt his heart warm. Felicie was truly something special.

His serene thoughts were quickly interrupted when he heard paw prints crunching in the snow. He turned around, and his fur bristled when he saw a silhouette approaching him in the dark. Suddenly, the silhouette turned orange as it reached the light of the streetlamp, and Aslak gasped at the sight of Flash coming swiftly towards him with flames in his eyes.

“I told you to stay away from Fel,” Flash barked, his lips curled as he snarled at Aslak.

Aslak’s heart leapt, and he figured the best thing to do would be to play stupid. “I… I do not know what you’re talking about.”

But Flash wasn’t that dense. “Don’t lie,” the lead dog snapped. “I saw you two in the alleyway earlier today.”

Aslak swallowed, and stood up a bit taller to appear more confident than he felt. “Felicie is my friend.”

“She was supposed to be mine,” Flash roared, overcome with rage. “She was supposed to be my girl, until you took her!”

Before Aslak had the chance to move, Flash leapt on him and dug his teeth into Aslak’s fur. Aslak yelped in sheer terror; he had never fought anyone before. He tried squirming and trying his best to kick Flash off to him, but it was of no avail. Flash was much larger and stronger, and thus had the upper paw in this fight. Aslak cried out as he felt chunks of fur and skin being ripped off of him, and he almost fainted when he saw the snow beneath him turn red. Aslak tried his best to give his all, but he could feel himself weakening under the wrath of the larger husky. Soon enough, Flash was just about to aim straight for Aslak’s neck, when all of a sudden…

“Flash!”

Flash suddenly stopped and picked his head up, looking like a deer in headlights. Aslak could hardly move his head to see what was happening, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a human appear in the alleyway. Gathering the man’s scent, Aslak realized it was Flash’s musher. He seethed as he watched Flash run away from Aslak’s side, pretending as though he was not the source of the mutt’s pain. Flash jumped on the musher in hopes that it would distract him from noticing Aslak, but his plain didn’t work, as the musher couldn’t help but notice the poor dog lying helplessly in the red-stained snow.

“What happened to you, boy?” the musher said as he appeared by Aslak’s side. “You look awful hurt.”

Aslak let out a small whimper, and tried his best to look at the musher, but found that he couldn’t move his head without groaning in pain. “It’s okay, boy,” the musher said, gingerly picking up Aslak from the ground. Flash started to growl in protest, but he quickly got shushed by his musher. “We’re gonna get you to the vet, boy, and you’ll be all better by tomorrow.” As they reached the light being emitted from the streetlamp, the musher had a sudden realization. “Hey, you’re Felicie’s little boyfriend, aren’t you?”

This received a snarl from Flash, but Aslak was happy for some reason that this man thought he and Felicie were dating. He smiled softly and curled himself up in the man’s arms as they entered the vet’s office. He heard the man talking to the vet and explaining how he was found injured in an alleyway. He felt himself get bandaged up, and some of his wounds were tended to with alcohol, which caused a stinging sensation to shoot through Aslak, but he knew it would only help him feel better. And soon, the vet put him down on a bed and covered him in a blanket, and within minutes Aslak drifted off into a deep, restful sleep.

CHAPTER 6

Felicie woke up to pale October sunlight streaming through her window. She slowly opened her eyes, and stretched and let out a yawn. She thought about Aslak, as she always did first thing in the morning. I need to find him today, she thought, and tell him how I feel. No matter what the others think.

Suddenly, the scent of smoke reached her nose. She leapt up, sensing that something was wrong, and saw gray clouds coming from underneath the doorway. Helyana, who was sleeping in the bed next to Felicie, picked up her head up and asked groggily, “Do you smell that?”

Suddenly, Sanak and Hyder burst into the room, confirming the girls’ suspicions. “Guys, we have to go!” Hyder cried. “There’s a fire!”

Felicie felt her heart leap into her throat and she and Helyana bulleted out the bedroom door. The fire was towering over the hallway, and by the looks of it, the ceiling was about to give in. Felicie wanted to faint as she saw the scarlet flames coming over her and her team, about to eat them alive. Was this the end?

Meanwhile, at the vet’s office, Aslak woke up from a restful night’s sleep. He still felt pain in a few areas, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been the night before. He figured he would be ready to leave the vet’s that morning, but for now, he was just going to rest a little more and give his body some more time to heal.

“Good morning, Aslak,” the vet said, coming up to Aslak and scratching him behind the ears. “Looks like you had a pretty rough night, but you seem a lot better this morning. I called your owner, you should be good to go in about an hour or two.” Aslak wagged his tail gratefully and licked the vet’s hand.

Suddenly, a woman walked into the vet’s office with her little chihuahua who needed an appointment, and she sighed in agitation. “Oh, Dr. Thompson, did you hear? There’s a fire over at Mr. Ward’s house. It’s not looking too good. The place is going to burn down, I’m afraid.”

Mr. Ward… now where have I heard that name? Aslak thought to himself. Suddenly, his brown eyes widened. “Felicie’s musher!” he whispered to himself. He suddenly stood up in alarm, leaping down from his bed and bolting out of the vet’s office, ignoring the doctor’s calls for him to return. He felt a bit of pain when he ran, but he didn’t care in the slightest. All that mattered to him was that his dear Felicie — and the rest of the team, no matter how cruel they were to him — would be okay.

He darted to the other end of town and gasped when he saw the flames that were ripping the house apart. He yelped when he realized none of the dogs were outside, and that the firefighters hadn’t arrived yet. Without giving it any further thought, Aslak used all the strength he had and pumped his legs forward, darting into the flaming house. There, he heard the sled dogs howling and crying out in fear, as well as the voice of sweet Felicie, who wounded as terrified as ever. Aslak’s heart lurched; he couldn’t stand to hear her so scared.

“Hey, guys!” Aslak shouted at the top of his lungs. “It’s me, Aslak! Where are you?”

“Aslak!?” he heard Felicie say in surprise.

“We’re in the parlor, Aslak!” Helyana shouted.

Panting in fear and coughing from the smoke entering his lungs, Aslak bolted towards the parlor. The scent of the smoke was more pungent than ever, and all Aslak could see were black clouds circling around him and the other dogs. He could just barely make out the silhouettes of the team, but he knew he needed to find them no matter how hard it was.

Suddenly, he bumped right into Sanak, and noticed the rest of the team was hovered around him. “Is this all of you?” Aslak asked loudly.

“Yes,” Felicie answered, her voice trembling, “I believe so.”

“Okay, follow me.” Aslak gestured in the direction he wanted the dogs to follow him, and they slowly made their way through the clouds of smoke. The fire was growing rapidly, making its way across the floor and up the ceiling. Aslak had to keep an eye on it to make sure it wouldn’t reach them, but he also kept an eye on the little source of light that signified the exit of the burning house, and he knew he had to keep going in that direction.

Surely enough, all the dogs made it to the exit. Out ran Hyder, Sanak, Helyana, the two wheel dogs Zak and Junco, and even Flash, who for once didn’t have a bone to pick with Aslak. But wait, where was Felicie. Aslak searched around desperately for her, and suddenly heard a blood-curdling scream emerge from inside of the house.

“ASLAK!!”

Aslak ran right back into the house and found Felicie sprawled on the ground, her body underneath a chair that had apparently fallen on her. “Aslak, help!” Felicie shrieked as the flames grew bigger and bigger.

“I’m here, Fel,” Aslak said in a surprisingly calm tone. “Don’t worry.” He lifted the chair with his head and told Felicie to run. She hesitated to go without him, soon ran off, meeting the rest of her teammates outside. Aslak put down the chair and was about to run out as well, until a creaking noise erupted from above, a heavy weight fell down and hit Aslak’s head, and the ground shot up to meet him, his whole world going black.

——

“ASLAK!!” Felicie screamed as she watched the ceiling of the house collapse. She was in hysterics and wanted to run back into the house to make sure Aslak was okay, but her friends held her back. “Let me go!!” she screamed, snarling at them as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. “I need to find Aslak!!”

“Fel, you can’t!” Helyana exclaimed reluctantly. “It’s too dangerous.”

The fire department then arrived to the scene and began to put out the fire. Mr. Ward arrived as well, moaning at the terrible state of his home, but grateful that all his beloved dogs were okay. The team watched as the firefighters went inside the house, and Felicie prayed that they would find Aslak okay in there.

“They have to find him,” Felicie cried, “they just have to!”

“They will,” Flash said, catching Felicie by surprise. “He’ll be okay, Fel. He’s strong.”

Felicie was shocked to hear Flash saying such good things about her friend. Her emotions overcame her and she buried her face into Flash’s chest and sobbed softly. Suddenly, the firefighters ran out the house, and Felicie gasped as one carried out Aslak in his arms.

“Aslak!?” Mr. Ward said as he and Felicie began running over to the firefighter. “How is he, sir?”

“He’s breathing, but he’s in critical condition,” the firefighter said, rubbing his hand across Aslak’s dark chocolate fur. “Seems his head got hit by one of the ceiling boards, and he breathed in so much smoke he needs to be taken to the vet immediately.”

“Oh, Aslak,” Felicie whispered as she stared at his limp body.

They brought Aslak over to the vet’s office, where he was declared to be in a coma. Felicie was devastated, as was the rest of the team, who were grateful that this dog whom they had mistreated so much went out of his way to save their lives. Mr. Karlsson, Aslak’s owner, rushed over as soon as he heard about his dog’s painful blow. He looked absolutely wretched; from Aslak’s beating the previous night to his coma this morning, Aslak had really had a toll taken on him.

“Dr. Thompson,” Mr. Karlsson said in an accent as thick as Aslak’s, “please tell me he’s going to be alright.”

Felicie watched intently as Dr. Thompson sighed and placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “He’s not doing the greatest right now. It’s too soon to tell what will happen, Mr. Karlsson.”

Felicie felt her heart drop as she watched Mr. Karlsson bury his face in his hands and wipe away tears. She wanted to cry as well, so she saw herself out out of the vets office and went over into an alleyway, laying down and letting her tears flow freely.

“I should have told him yesterday,” she scolded herself. “Oh, why didn’t I tell him? Because I cared too much about what the others thought. And now, what if he dies before I get the chance to tell him I love him?”

CHAPTER 7

It had been three days since the fire, and Aslak had not made any improvements since he first fell into his coma. He thankfully wasn’t doing any worse, but he also wasn’t getting any better, which concerned everyone. Everyone on the sled team was worried for Aslak and hoped he would pull through, but Felicie was the saddest of them all. She would go visit him every hour or so, and gently lay her head on his shoulder, burying her face in his warm, scruffy fur.

At one point in the afternoon, she had gone to visit Aslak and check up on him. She was disappointed but not surprised to find him in the exact same state as she had seen him the previous hour. “Please, Aslak,” Felicie whispered as she rested herself on him, “you have to get better.”

Suddenly, she heart footsteps coming from the hallway, and an exchange of dialogue between two humans. She leaned in a little closer when she recognized the voices as that of Dr. Thompson and Mr. Karlsson’s.

“He’s not doing any better, Mr. Karlsson,” the doctor said downheartedly. “If he doesn’t wake up by this time tomorrow… it looks like we’ll have to put him down.”

No! Felicie’s heart pounded so hard, it sounded like it was going to burst through her ribcage. She had realized at some point that Aslak may not make it out alive, but hearing it actually come out of someone’s mouth made it all the more real, all the more horrifying. She let out a sob, and leaned against Aslak’s shoulder, sobbing profusely. “Oh, Aslak…” she cried, tears dripping onto his fur. “You can’t die, you just can’t. Please.” Her sobs became more open, and she couldn’t remember ever crying harder in her life. If she lost Aslak, she would lose a piece of herself, and she didn’t know how she could go on without the dog that made her feel whole. “Please, Aslak,” Felicie begged, “I… I love you.”

Suddenly, Aslak’s ear began to twitch. Felicie stopped what she was doing and held her breath, and spotted one of his paws beginning to move back and forth. She sat up and watched in pure awe as Aslak began to stir, and miraculously, open his eyes for the first time in days.

“Wha… where am I?” Aslak said groggily, trying to get up from where he was laying, only to fall flat on his chest.

“Aslak!” Felicie exclaimed breathlessly, licking his face. “You’re okay!” She leapt down from the bed and into the hallway, yapping at the vet and Mr. Karlsson, running towards Aslak’s room as her way of telling them to come in. The two humans exchanged a glance, and then quickly followed Felicie, gasping in shock and joy when they saw Aslak laying on the table, panting and wagging his tail.

“Aslak, my boy!” Mr. Karlsson cried, running over and hugging Aslak, who showered him with kisses.

“It’s a miracle!” the vet exclaimed, clasping his hands together and laughing.

It really is, Felicie thought to herself, feeling like she could fly. She just had to tell the others. As the vet examined Aslak, she ran outside and headed over to her friends, who were all anxiously waiting outside the clinic.

“Fel?” Sanak was surprised to see how lively his friend looked for the first time in days.

“You guys, Aslak woke up!” Felicie yipped joyfully, hopping up and down. “He’s okay!”

“We have to go see him!” Helyana exclaimed as she and the others ran into the vet’s office to see the dog who had saved their lives. Felicie followed them and smiled when she saw Aslak getting fed some doggie treats by the vet, who, by the look on his face, seemed happy with Aslak’s vitals.

“Aslak, man, you’re okay!” Hyder said as the humans left the room.

“What happened?” Aslak asked, his memory still a tad fuzzy.

“Aslak, you saved our lives,” Felicie explained softly. “That fire was just about to get us, until you came in and risked your life just for us.”

“Oh, I do remember,” Aslak said to himself more than anyone.

“We appreciate you risking your life for us,” Flash said, and his words and sudden kindness caught Aslak by surprise. “Even though we were real mean to you. Especially me. I’m sorry, Aslak. We shouldn’t have teased you. Obviously, there’s a lot more to you than just your accent — you’re a hero.” Flash smiled hopefully. “Can you forgive us?”

After this near-death experience, Aslak figured life was too short to not forgive those who had wronged him. “I forgive you all,” he said, his tail swishing back and forth.

“Thanks, Aslak,” Sanak said gratefully.

“Maybe once you get better, we can all hang out together,” Hyder offered.

Aslak beamed. “I would like that.”

Felicie, meanwhile was smiling not only on the outside but in her heart as well. The sled dogs finally saw Aslak for who he was, and were finally giving him a chance. And not that it mattered anymore, but she was glad that now she wouldn’t have to worry about what they thought if she started dating him. However, she still wanted to wait a little before confessing her feelings to him; after all, he had just gotten out of a coma, and she didn’t want to dump all this information on him while he needed time to heal.

——

Aslak remained in the vet’s office for a while, steadily recovering from his injuries. After a week had passed, he was finally cleared to go, as he had almost made a full recovery and could finish the last stages of his healing at home. Felicie remained by his side throughout that entire week, and they were both grateful that Aslak’s life was able to return to normal after all this turmoil.

Aslak took a gentle walk back to his home with Mr. Karlsson, Felicie trailing along with them. The sun was shining in the sky, causing the snow on the ground below them to sparkle. Felicie looked up at Aslak, and smiled as she saw his amber eyes shine in the bright sunlight. She then looked at the path ahead, and what she saw in front of her caused her to stop in her tracks.

“Long time no see, sis,” said none other than Athos.

“Athos!” Felicie gasped, and Aslak’s jaw dropped. “I-I thought you were…!”

“Dead?” Athos chuckled. “Nah, not me. I’m as strong as a full-blooded wolf.”

“What happened!?” Felicie had to shake her head a few times to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. But sure enough, Athos was truly standing right in front of her.

“A bear is what happened,” Athos deadpanned. “My human and I got attacked by a bear, and unfortunately my human got killed, but luckily I was able to escape.” He shook his head as he recalled all the crazy events he had went through. “I got knocked out, though, and next thing I know, I wake up in an igloo and an Inuit man is helping me recover. And, well, obviously it took me a while to get back home, but I got a little help from a new friend of mine, named Luna. I got a few scars, but I’m all okay, and I’m just glad to be home.”

“Well, we’re glad to have you back, Athos,” Felicie said sincerely, nuzzling her younger brother.

Athos then noticed Aslak standing shyly behind Felicie, and he smiled. “Who’s your friend?”

Felicie looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Athos, this is Aslak.”

Aslak smiled and stepped forward, a rare sense of confidence busting through him. “I’m her boyfriend,” he said, causing both Athos and Felicie’s eyes to widen.

Realizing he said the wrong word, Aslak laughed nervously. “I-I mean, her friend… that is a boy,” Aslak explained. “Sorry, I’m not great at English.”

Athos chuckled, clearly understanding Aslak’s situation. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Aslak,” he said. “I’ll see you two around.” And with that, he ran off to find some of his other family members to surprise.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my life,” Felicie told Aslak as they started walking again. “First you wake up from your coma, and now my brother is back.” And, though she dared not say it out loud, Aslak calling himself her boyfriend, even if it was by accident, was just the icing on the cake.

Eventually, the two dogs and human made it to Aslak’s house. Mr. Karlsson stepped inside and immediately went to the kitchen to prepare a warm meal for his dog, while Felicie and Aslak made their way into the parlor, sitting in comfortable silence. Felicie looked up at her friend, and her heart thumped as she watched his small movements that she had grown to love so much.

Now, Felicie, she urged herself. Now is the time.

She cleared her throat and leaned in towards her friend, catching his attention. “Hey, Aslak?”

“Yes, Fel?”

“Um, you know how you said you were my boyfriend out there?” she asked with a giggle.

Aslak blushed and flattened his ears. “I didn’t mean to,” he said.

“No, it’s okay,” Felicie said, placing her paw on his shoulder. “I liked it, actually.”

Aslak tilted his head. “What do you mean?” Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization.

“Aslak, I… I like you,” Felicie said. There, she had done it. “Would you… would you like to be my boyfriend? For real?”

Aslak was silent for a few moments, and for Felicie it felt like an eternity. But then, Aslak’s lips curved upward into a grin, and he nuzzled Felicie as tightly as he could after hearing the words he was hoping to hear for her for the longest time.

“For real.”

THE END