Shadow looked at Ron curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, beware of Flake the idiot," Ron replied, dryly. "Be careful of the evil zaps of lazy." He stuck out his tongue to demonstrate.

"Ron," Shadow said. "She’s just a little… well… she’s just Flake."

"More like an airhead," Ron hissed. Ron’s green eyes filled with humor as he added, "Beware, my padwon." Ron’s gray figure collapsed with laughter.

"Right," Shadow responded, sarcastically. "Since when did you decide that we were in the space movie your owners watch?"

"Since now!" Ron laughed. Ronold scrambled back to his paws.

Shadow was the runt of her litter. Ronold was the sibling she got along with best. They played together and talked. They could always confide in one another.

Shadow was named Shadow because of her pitch-black fur and her blue eyes stood out like a fish out of water.

Ron, on the other hand, was named after their grandfather. Ron was always joking. He had green eyes that sparkled with laughter when he was playing a joke.

Then there was Flake, the white airhead with amber eyes. She and Ron were opposites and didn’t even try to get along or to pretend they did. She was lazy and prissy

Aaron was the oldest. He was reddish-brown with brown eyes. He worked hard if he was forced. Aaron was easy to annoy but kind at heart. However, he had large ambitions of being great and known.

"Yeah?" Shadow challenged. "Well then, you just lost your padwon to the dark side!"

"What are you doing?" Aaron grinned, joining them.

"It is the Emperor!" Ron cried. "You have snatched my padwon away!"

"Huh?" Before Aaron could even ask what was going on, Ron was on top of him. Shadow lunged at the two.

"No!" she yelled, dramatically. "I shall join who I wish!"

Aaron, still looking confused, just said, "What the heck is going on?"

"We’re playing Star Wars," Ronold grinned.

"Don’t make fun of it!" Aaron growled. "It’s quite good!"

"I know," Ron agreed. "Which is why I’m playing it!"

"I still say you’re Captain Lunatic," Aaron groaned.

"And you’re still Mr. Straight Jacket!" Ron cried, silently laughing, jaws spread wide open.

"Shadow!" Shadow cringed at the sound of her owner’s voice. "Come here!"

"Bye, guys," Shadow groaned. She crept to her owner and felt herself being thrust into a cage and into the backseat of the car.

"Stop your whining! I’m sick of it!" snapped her owner. Wondering where she was going, Shadow huddled in a corner of her cage.

When the car stopped, Shadow had time to recognize where she was. The pound! Her owner carried her into the office.

"Hi. This, mutt attacked other dogs!" fibbed Shadow’s owner.

"What do you want then?" asked the man at the desk.

"Put her down," ordered Shadow’s "owner". Sighing, the man picked up the cage.

"Alright," he replied. Shadow was carried into the operating room and saw the man pick up a needle, as he opened the cage. "This won’t hurt."

You’re going to kill me! Thought Shadow. She was prepared to die when a wolf’s body flew through the glass. He snarled at the man and grabbed the needle.

Once it was in his mouth, he looked at Shadow. "Come on!" Shadow jumped through the window and followed the wolf. They stopped at a creek and the wolf dropped the needle.

"I am Timber," he told her. Shadow looked him up and down. Timber was a brown wolf, her age.

"Shadow," she replied.

"Where do you live, Shadow?" Timber asked.

"Nome," Shadow replied. "But I’ll be a street dog now."

"You know, you could get a new home," Timber suggested. "Live here."

"Here?" Shadow echoed. True, she’d probably have his company but what about Ron and Aaron? Although, Shadow felt oddly tempted by his offer.

"Could I just try it for a few days?" she asked.

"Yes," Timber nodded. "Do you wish to see the den?"

"Wait!" Shadow cried. "You mean, we’d share one?"

"Well, yes." Timber looked at her oddly. "Do you not have our laws?"

"No," Shadow replied.

"Well, I don’t know much about dog life but wolves…" Timber hesitated, "…when a male saves a female, or vise versa, they become mates. It’s how it is."

"Mates?" Shadow echoed. "Woah, woah! I have really left my neighborhood."

"I know it’s a large responsibility," Timber said, "and if you do not wish it…"

Didn’t wish it? Shadow couldn’t bear it! She turned and ran towards Nome.

"Shadow!" She ignored Timber’s howls. She almost ran into Ron.

"Shadow!" he cried, happily. "I saw your owner come back with an empty cage!"

"She tried to put me down by lying," Shadow said, shakily. She explained "everything".

"Gosh," Ron whispered. "Why don’t you know what to do?"

Shadow looked away with shame. "Because, I’m just that little runt that isn’t ever sure of herself."

"Aw, Shadow," he murmured. "You’re more than that. You’re a friend and you’re a great fighter."

"Sure," Shadow snorted.

"You beat Aaron," Ron reminded her.

"He was tired that day," grumbled Shadow.

"Shadow…" Before Ron could continue Shadow looked at him.

"Ron, I’m just me, alright?" Shadow snapped. "Don’t try to make me feel special because I’m not! My personality is shy and timid and scared! Don’t try to make me feel otherwise."

"Shadow, your family love you for you," Ron told her.

"Well, I’m not much," Shadow growled.

"Who are you?" demanded Ron, to someone over her shoulder.

"I am Shadow’s mate," replied Timber’s voice. Shadow’s jaws gaped wide, as she spun around.

"What?" Ron gasped. Shadow had "forgotten" to tell him about the wolf’s law. "Shadow?"

"Timber," Shadow said, "this is my brother, Ronold. Ron, this is the wolf who saved me, Timber."

"Ah, I see," Ron responded, looking hurt, "so he saved you and you mated with him?"

"No!" Shadow cried.

"Allow me to explain," Timber spoke up. "In my culture when a male or female saves the other gender, they become mates. It is the law but I will not force her into it."

"Shadow?" Ron looked at his sister. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"Because I was scared!" shouted Shadow. "I told you about being able to stay because I was scared! You know me! The timid runt!"

"Shadow, stop bringing that up!" Ron yelled. "It’s pathetic!"

Taken aback, Shadow gasped. Ron gasped too. He had never lost his anger with Shadow before.

"Shadow," he whispered. "I’m sorry."

"I should not have come," Timber stated. "I shall leave."

"I’m coming with you, Timber," Shadow said, softly, giving Ron a hurt look.

"I do not wish to force you," Timber told her.

"You aren’t," Shadow replied. She walked to him. "This is my decision. No one here will love me like you will. In return, I will learn to love you. Good bye, Ronold."

They walked into the forest, leaving a hurt and frustrated Ron behind. He kicked the snow and howled with anger.

"Ronold?" his mother, Night, walked up to him. "Are you alright?"

"Shadow left us," he said. "She left me because I yelled." Ron turned around and set off to find Aaron.

"This is it." Timber had led Shadow to a large cave. "We could split the cave. You have one half and I have another. But it does get cold…"

"We could use body warmth," Shadow suggested. "Just to stay warm." She didn’t want Timber to have the wrong idea but little did she know he wanted out.

"Well, I know a place in Nome with other dogs," he told her. "It’s called the boiler room." Shadow winced. Ron had gone there once to help Kaltag clean some barf.

"S-sure," she replied. They started back but Timber stopped.

"We should spend the night here," he said. Shadow nodded and went into the cave, Timber following.

Timber woke early in the morning. He saw Shadow curled up beside him and walked outside. He sat in the cold and looked up at the stars.

"Mother," he whispered, "what do I do?"

"Follow your heart, son." A brown wolf appeared.

"I think that when I take her to the boiler room and she’s asleep, I’ll leave," Timber replied. "I don’t want a mate."

"Son," said his mother, "sometimes one’s path is laid out. I am not saying you don’t have a choice but you must think it through."

"Mother, I don’t want to fall in love," Timber admitted. "This isn’t a childish thing. I just don’t want the responsibility."

"So you want to be with several females at once?" his mother demanded.

"No!" Timber growled. "I want to be able to go to another dog though if that love is deeper!"

"It’s called divorce," his mom said, calmly. "You won’t need it if you listen to your heart."

"Mom, my problem is that, while we were walking, we got to know each other. Mom, I think I like her, like her," Timber responded.

"Then go with that," his mom replied. "You might be what she needs."

The next day, Timber and Shadow set off for Nome.

"So, I heard last night," Shadow told him. "I heard it all."

"Great," muttered Timber. "Just great."

"I think I like you too," Shadow told him. Before he could recover from his shock, they heard a roar.

"Bear!" Timber cried. As the bear came into sight, it roared again and charged. Shadow shoved timber out of the way and prepared to take the hit.

Then, she was hit with impact. Only, Shadow felt herself being shoved out of the way. Beside her, Ron was on his stomach. He scrambled up.

"Starting without me, Sis?" he asked, breathlessly.

"Never, Captain," Shadow grinned. Ron smiled and leaped onto the bear, Shadow and Timber at his side. They began ripping at its fur and soon, the bear was tumbling down a hill, taking them with it!

They slid onto a patch of ice and, before they knew it, the ice around the bear broke! Ron, who was beside the harry mongrel, was dragged down with it! The ice went back up straight, trapping Ron under the surface.

"Ronold!" screeched Shadow. She ran to the spot where he disappeared into the icy depths and began to claw at the ice. She glanced at Timber, who was near thin ice!

Shadow, struck by an idea, leaped onto the ice. She plummeted into the water. She glanced around in the water and saw Ron’s figure, fighting the ice and the urge to let himself sink.

Shadow swam to him and nosed him. He looked at her and smiled, weakly, before he began to sink, unconscious. Shadow began to swim after him and grabbed his scruff. Unfortunately, she let her mouth fill with water.

Shadow felt bubbles escape her mouth as she swam upwards. Soon, she had his head above the surface, along with her own. Timber helped her get Ron up then get herself up.

Ron looked up at her and grinned. "Ya did good. You’ve made a transformation from the shy one to the brave one. Timber changed you."

"No." Shadow shook her head. "You both did."

Once they reached Nome, life basically got back to normal. Ron’s owners and he took in Shadow and Timber. Shadow and Ron were soon playing again. Sometimes they’d play Star Wars, other times they’d play Lord of the Rings.

That was when their owner introduced them to Harry Potter….

The end! Ron’s book is next and his will be 2 parts!