Author's Note: Forgive me if the accent type is hard to read, I tried. <3 Also, forgive me for grammar errors, typoes, etc., Word doesnt always catch everything. ;D

In the hustle and bustle of Times Square, 1921, faces whizz past you. So many different features, cultures; but in reality all the same, all trying to get somewhere in the sea of flesh. There are two faces that stick out today, the high class second generation Russian family of Sevastian and Iovilla Dmitriev, clutching the leash of Nicolai, their prized Siberian Husky, pushing past person by person to make it to their destination.

The tall, well-kept building looming before them was obviously one of another wealthy family. There was what looked like red roses or carnations blooming beautifully in the warmth of the late spring sun, mounted on their pedestals outside of every pristine glass window. Sevastian looked at his wife, held out a hand and rapped two quick times on the jet black door before him. Nicolai, their beloved pooch, sat at Sevastian’s feet and licked his limp hand, giving a wag of his bushy tail when he was acknowledged. The door made a small clicking sound, and a few seconds later the fashionable owners of the lovely house were in their view. They were Cristofor and Therese Auzenne, a rich French family living in the heartbeat of New York, much like Sevastian and Iovilla themselves. As they stepped inside, they instantly felt at home in the lush and vibrant luxury of the similar family’s house.

A few laughs, and they were down to business. They sat on the set of plush white couches in the living room and settled in to make their pitches. The reality of it all was, Sevastian and his wife answered an ad posted in the newspaper by Cristofor and Therese; and what it all came down to was the gorgeous stack of fur by the name of Nicolai. Nicolai, being in the prime of his life, was perfect breeding material for any family, and Sevastian answered the call. As they began to talk of their deal, an intricate blossom of the two different accents braided through the air, creating an almost musical effect in the vibrance of the house. In the end, Sevastian agreed to breed Nicolai with their purebred Siberian, Estelle, for the small price of 20 dollars, and one of the best male pups for free. Cristofor agrees, and as the two men shake hands, Therese stands and titters out of the room to fetch Estelle. As the female husky gracefully steps into the room, Nicolai’s eyes widen to take in her beauty and poise.

Julian’s first memories were of the blurry faces of his mother, four siblings, and masters. Of being named when they turned but three weeks of age. Julian; his name, as well as a slur of others that turned out to be Fletcher, Afrodille, and Constance. It was a loving atmosphere, one to by admired by any, for Cristofor and Therese loved their dogs dearly, especially Julian. He was their prized of all of the other pups, right on the line with Estelle. And it wasn’t until the week before Sevastian and Iovilla’s arrival to choose the best male pup that they realized Julian may be ripped from their clutches forever. In a flurry of frantic activity, they hid him in a closet with food and water the day before Sevastian and his wife arrived, praying Julian would stay quiet and live with them.

Julian was terrified. The closet was dark and had mouse droppings littering the corners and crevices, evidence of mice occupying the house as well. He huddled up in the corner, shivering and whimpering quietly, wanting his mother’s gray-and-crème fur more than anything else in the world. After what seemed like an eternity, there was movement outside the door; it sounded like the door to the room was opened. A series of footsteps rang in his ears, maybe four people, entering the room just outside of the gloom he was confined in. A bark, it was his mother, and another if a dialect he didn’t quite understand. A strange dog in his house? Julian pricked his ears at this and listened closely. A deep voice with an intricately unfamiliar accent spoke quietly, and Julian listened. “Hello. Thank you for inviting us, friends. Ve vill vork quickly in choosing our prize.” The man spoke, entrancing Julian with this foreign speak. Though, unbeknownst to him, the accent he spoke with was foreign as well.

Another flurry of activity through his barrier, and the sound of silent searching. Julain began to fall asleep, encircled by rodent feces and chill. Suddenly, a violent change in atmosphere rose Julian from his half-state of consciousness, and he huddled in the corner with wide eyes. The casual shuffle of footsteps was quickly replaced with brooding suspicion, and Julian allowed the voices to seep through once more.

“…Not to be bother, but veren’t z’here four pups vhen you called us? V’here is fourth?” The man’s deep voice whirled in his mind again, the different tone almost menacing. Then a male voice Julian recognized. Cristofor.

“Ehh…not zat I recall…?” He said, his apparent nervousness shooting the suspicious atmosphere through the roof.

“V’hell…” The strange accent continued, “I just cannot accept z’is. V’here is fourth puppy? You expect me to take home z’his…ridiculous excuse vor a puppy?” The voice became more and more menacing as the sentence progressed. “You think I am stupid? You think I don’t know you are hiding him?” The man licked his lips. “I demand to see fourth puppy. I v’hill not leave till I have decent puppy to vinish this deal.” The seething voice finished, leaving a tension thick in the house’s atmosphere.

“Sevastian…” Cristofor continued, a quiet pleading in his voice. “I assure you, Fletcher ‘ere is not pathetic. ‘e is assuredly anozzer very good addition to zour family.” A growl and nervous throat clearing filled the silence.

“Z’his puppy is a waste of breath.” The accent growled. “I v’hill not leave till I see fourth puppy.” And with that, after a short hesitation, light footsteps tapped in Julian’s direction, and Julian rejoiced with a happy whimper. The door creaked open, and he found himself swooped up into the arms of Therese.

Julian’s swirling blue, green, and gold eyes widened at the man before him.

He was tall and dark and pale, with striking ice blue eyes and a cold, calculating expression. His apparently lank body was strewn with stringy muscle, shown through his tight-fitted black suit. He held a jet black trench coat in his arms, as well as the leash of the oddly familiar male husky at his feet. The woman beside him was slight and blonde, her auburn eyes darting around the room quickly and dizzily. Her dazzlingly white-blonde hair made his eyes water. Julian’s eyes darted back to the man as his chilly blue eyes roved Julian’s gray, tan, and crimson body. A convulsion rippled from his head to the tip of his tail when the man’s icey eyes locked into Julian’s and remained there for what seemed like an infinity.

“Vhery good. I take z’his puppy v’it me, and ze rest are yours.” The man said simply. Julian looked up at Cristofor, finding his eyes sad and longing as he looked back.

“Yes, o’ course, Sevastian…but…can we…’ave a few minutes an’ say goo’bye? Ve…ve are a little attached to zis vone.” The cold man thought for a moment, finally shrugging and making his way to the door handle. “Z’hat is fine by me…but no more trick, ya?” The man, Sevastian, turned the doorknob and exited the room, his blonde shadow right on his heels.

The next thing Julian registered, he was being patted and stroked and cuddled by his masters, and he watched as tears rolled down Therese’s face. He was confused what could possibly be happening that made this house go from supercharged to gloomy? Next thing, he was set down next to his mother, and he was happy to finally be able to cuddle up in Estelle’s thick fur. Then even more confusion when he was ripped away from his mother and cradled carefully toward the door. He managed to peek through the crook of Therese’s arm, back at his mother and siblings, and the last this he saw of them was the enraged face of his brother, Fletcher.

More confusion, movement, and before he knew it he was being shoved into a little crate and passed into the hands of the scary man and his harried wife. He whimpered and pawed frantically at the bars of the crate, staring halfheartedly at his masters and feeling shaky and scared. He was shoved into a vehicle and the male dog jumped up next to him, and that was the last thing Julian remembered, for he passed out from stress.

When he recovered consciousness, they were inside another huge house, and he was laying on a plush dog bed, in an empty room. Or, so he thought, anyway. A male voice, a dog, spoke with the same menacing accent, but different. It was more caring and smooth. Charismatic.

“Good morning, puppy. I v’has vondering if you vould ever vake again.” A throaty chuckle. Julian watched with wide, ocean-ripple eyes. “Julian, correct?” Julian nodded. “Ah, v’hell, I suppose I should properly introduce myself.” The large husky laughed and looked out of the large window. “I am Nicolai. But, I suppose you vould vant to call me dad.” An involuntary smile spread across Julian’s face, thrilled that he finally got to see his dad. His mother didn’t know much about him; Julian deducted this from the multitude of times he and his siblings asked without answer. He had so much to ask him. But he could only manage a small grunt from his wide open mouth. Nicolai lifted his paw and lightly shut Julian’s mouth, giving a small chuckle. “Might v’hant to close zhat. You can catch flies.” Julian’s brows furrowed and Nicolai laughed. “Zho, Juli.” Julian started at his father’s new nickname for him. He had been listening very closely, because the strange accent was hard to understand next to his French one. “How is your mother?” Unbeknownst to Estelle and her masters, Nicolai had been secretly in love with Estelle ever since the night of their breeding. Well, really, ever since he first laid eyes on her.

Julian cocked his head at this strange question, but answered anyway. “Eh…she is okay, I suppose. Back at ‘ome…uh, I mean my old ‘ome,” Julian paused, noticing his dad’s eyes sparkle with glee. Whether this was from Julian’s stammering or his French accent, Julian wouldn’t ask. “She was very nice, sweet, caring.” his’s eyes lit up with love as he thought of his mother. “She vould always let me roam ze room, explore, and she vould be ‘appy as ve do it.” He spoke of her with a sort of reverence, and Nicolai noticed this and smiled. A very advanced young pup, Juli was.

“V’hell, I’m glad she’s doing vell.” Nicolai’s eyes twinkled for his secret love. “Eh, it is gettling late, boy. I vill make sure to send for you tomorrow.” Nicolai said happily, obviously delighted to have his son with him. He exited the room with a final goodnight, and Julian settled in for a night of good rest. He wasn’t going to be tired when he spent the day with his father the next day.

The next half a year of his life was full of growth and learning. He stuck by his father’s side and learned much from him, taking on many of his qualities along the way. Though he was still absolutely terrified by his cold and mysterious master and the blonde shadow, he was always looked upon with a good air because he was always with his father, obviously the man and woman’s beloved. Julian grew significantly in this time, became tall and broad and handsome. By his eighth month, he was already taller than his father, and he hadn’t even hit the dog equivalent of puberty yet. Though he missed his French family, he felt that he lived with them still, and he always made sure to keep his French accent, no matter what. He felt closer to them that way.

There was darkness to this happiest time, however. His subconscious mind always remembered one thing from his last day with the French side…Fletcher’s face. This face haunted him through his dreams, cropped up in his mind while he had free, lazy time, and disturbed him deeply. Now that he was older he could understand more what the emotion in his face said. Why was he so angry? What could have provoked that face of absolute and terrible rage? Whatever it was, it unnerved Julian, but he shook it off as much as possible. But his nightmares haunted him, and remained until one incident on his first birthday…

It was late at night, and Julian was tossing and turning in his comfortable bed. He had moved into the “dog” room with his father after he had his major growth spurt. He rolled and twisted, and he was getting and overall terrible sleep, when his father’s hushed voice broke through his consciousness and willed him awake. Nicolai’s tone was urgent, low, and tense, which rustled Julian awake very quickly and he looked up at Nicolai, startled. “Pére, yes, vhat is ze problem?” He said quickly, in an equally hushed voice. It wasn’t until then that he realized he had picked up some of his father’s Russian dialect, but he didn’t worry about that then. “Juli, I need you to get up, now.” Nicolai ordered, and Juli stood and shook. “No time, boy! Run, now!” His father rammed into his side, willing Julian to move. And so he did. As soon as his father expertly opened the door to the dog’s room, Julian became absolutely terrified as he realized their predicament.

The entire living room was engulfed in flames, casting a red-orange glow onto each white and gold wall. He stood like a deer caught in the headlights until his father rammed his side once more.

“Move, boy, move!”

Julian ran in a daze, his gold-flecked-blue and green eyes cast with a red glow. His father was a blurry fur clump ahead of him, shouting things like “run!” and “move, come on, Juli!”. Julian obeyed as best he could, but he was still in a terrified state until the front door swung open, his father’s expert door opening skills striking once again, and the cold air hit his face and woke him up. He ran with long strides while trying to keep pace with his father’s slightly shorter legs. Besides, he had no idea where he was going. Then it hit him.

“Dad, follow me!” He screamed into the night, the loud sound of neighbors’ horrified screams nearly drowning out his voice. Nicolai heard, however. “To v’here, Juli? Ve have no’vhere to go!” He said in exasperation. Julian nodded. “But ve do. Dad, I’m going ‘ome!” He caught himself, rethinking that sentence. “We’re going ‘ome.” He said, hoping Nicolai caught it. He glanced back again, finding that his father was obviously still confused, but pushed on, throwing his sight, hearing, and smell into the night, trying to navigate his way back home. Back to his mother.

And also to face his waking and sleeping nightmare.

They ran for what seems like hours, going in circles at times, changing direction and then changing back again. Nicolai was obviously getting worn out, but Julian pushed on. It wasn’t long before he though he saw the light of day coming up (or was that the sleep deprivation?) over the tall house with the black door. He glanced back at Nicolai, who was panting, but at the same time smiling, as if trying to say, “Well done, son.” Julian yawned and lifted a paw to scratch at the door, to signify their arrival, but before he could it swung open, just barely hitting him in the nose on its way open. A tall, lanky figure with a red-brown flop of hair stepped out into the open, stopping dead in its tracks as it saw Julian and his father. It was Cristofor, and his vibrant green eyes swooped across the two quickly and glimmered in recognition. “Julian? What are you doing ‘ere? With your father…” His eyes widened in grim recognition, probably from the reason he so quickly tried to rush out the door. He dropped what looked like suitcases and turned around. “Therese, my love! Julian is ‘ere, with Nicolai! I sink zey’ve been ‘it! He rushed inside, grabbing her by the waist and dragging her out. Julian recognized her instantly, her extremely prominent curves, big bust, long, wavy black hair, and the ever-caring, soft chocolate eyes that reminded him of his mother. Her eyes lit up with love and happiness, Julian recognized that look anywhere, and he ran forward to nuzzle her. That they still adored him, still wanted him here, made him feel right at home. Nicolai began to feel more comfortable and walked forward, allowing them to give him affection. Julian saw something in his eyes that he did not understand, sort of a searching, blank look, but he was not going to ask him about it now. He looked back at his masters as Cristofor spoke.

“’Therese, love…eh…” He said slowly, catching her mocha eyes with his emerald ones. “Do you sink, maybe…we ‘ave room for two more?” Nicolai yipped at that, that they cared for him so quickly was mindboggling. Therese nodded lovingly and gave each dog a fur shuffle. “I sink it can be arranged.” She said, love immediate in her voice. And so it was that they were put into large crates and stacked carefully in the back of their automobile, with five other dog crates and two large suitcases. (How they got it all packed into one car Julian will never know.) And soon they were off. It was a long drive, and while they were still near home it was tense, and Julian caught phrases such as “can’t believe they were attacked” and “we could ‘ave been next”. Whatever happened, it caused this move, but Julian wasn’t going to worry about it then.

They drove for days, stopping twice a day for a bathroom break and food, but never really interacting. They stopped other times to get a weird smelling substance to run their vehicle with, but Julian didn’t pay much attention to these stops. Hours and days began to blend together, and much of this time was a blur for him. Finally, an indefinite amount of time later, things were moving again. The car was ridden roughly onto a ferry and the dogs were taken out, allowed to roam the deck until needing to leave again. There was a happy reunion, Julian greeted his mother with a heartfelt nuzzle and licked her muzzle, and she returned the gesture. Nicolai greeted her nervously, and though she was surprised to see him here, she greeted him politely back. Though Nicolai was unsatisfied, he took it well, and sat on his haunches to watch the dark water go by. And Julian couldn’t help but notice Fletcher sitting awkwardly and lonesomely at the feet of Cristofor, looking out into the dark horizon as if he saw something there.

They were soon loaded back into the car and began driving again, passing a sign that read “Welcome to Anchorage!”Julian looked through the small holes in his crate to the bustle of this new place, though it was nothing compared to how New York ran. At any rate, he continued to watch this strange new place as they drove on.

Julian passed out for a while, loosing track of time and falling into a deep sleep, and soon he was awoken by the shuffling of feet and slamming of car doors. His crate was removed and set onto a dirt driveway, and he felt others being stacked on top of his. He breathed in deep, taking in the new scents of this new place. If he could deduct correctly, for the time they have been traveling, they were far away from Times Square. Very far. Soon they were progressively moved once more, and when they were let out, they experienced a beautiful house, decorated with dark colored wood and floors. It was intricately made, down to the bevel of running wolves on the hearth and the carefully measured and sanded log walls. All seven dogs made their selves right at home, sniffing the deep, earthy scent of the floor and walls and testing out the comfort of the sofas and beds. They watched Cristofor and Therese unpack, moving swiftly and nimbly about the house, occasionally taking money out of the house and coming back with more stuff in bags to put away. Julian found a paper that fell out of Therese’s pocket, and it read: “Welcome to Nome, Alaska! Find a beautiful house today!” On the front it was carefully designed with what looked like a sled with dogs tied to it, mountains, forests, and faces of people that must live here.

They settled in nicely, and by the time they could relax, the sun was setting on the horizon. Oddly enough, they just let the dogs out to roam the town; Julian guessed it was because they were trusted. Outside the log house was the big reveal, and all of his siblings got to meet their father. Julian was feeling slightly proud, since he had gotten to grow up with Nicolai. But that passed sooner or later, and as the sun dipped below the expanse of earth, the family began to explore their new home.

The town was small and quaint, Julian extracted that much from just looking at it. People roved the streets in evening dress and talked and laughed lightheartedly. Dogs congregated in alleyways and talked, told stories, and just acted like dogs. It was a very close knit community, and Julian had a feeling he would really like this place. Away from the hustle of the big city, it was easier to focus on life, meaning, and family. There was a boiler room that seemed like the place that dogs always hung out, that was the place to be as a dog. Julian smiled, he was glad to be very observant. Maybe he could fit right in and skip the awkward accustom process. He laughed at himself with that; there’s no way. But a dog could dream, right? He trotted about the town until the moon was high, and at that time began to make his way back home.  As he walked slowly and with purpose, he couldn’t help but notice a lanky shadow slithering along in the darkness, and he was intrigued. The first thing he thought was: Fletcher. He decided to take a closer look and see what it was all about.

It was, in fact, Fletcher, and he neared very swiftly and quietly so as to not disturb him. As it was, however, Fletcher had learned quickly how to realize when he was being followed, a lifetime of being rejected at work. He swiveled, facing Julian with a low, heart wrenching growl, and Julian took a step back in bewilderment. That same face that had haunted him since his departure was right here in front of him, even more terrifying than before.

This was most assuredly Fletcher, Julian knew that for a fact. His brother had always had a lank and sickly thin body, as well as an almost cat-like walk that would fool anyone into thinking he was just a big feline. His face was very thin as well, his unreadable deep emerald eyes swimming with suppressed secrets. He looked mostly like his mother, where Julian took mainly after his father, and Fletcher could be dirt next to his boyishly handsome diamond brother.

Julian opened his mouth to speak, but the pure rage and hatred on Fletcher’s face kicked the breath straight from his lungs. It was his brother who had the chance to speak.

“What ah you doing ‘ere, rat?” Fletcher spat, eyes swirling with hatred. Julian was taken aback once more, why was his brother speaking this way? He spoke quietly, voice laced with confusion and hurt. “Brother…I’m not sure why you speak dis way to me. V’hat have I done to ‘urt you?” He said, truly unknowing of his actions. His brother looked at the ground in amazement. “You really dun know, do you?” He said quietly, almost to himself.

“You always ‘ave to be better zan me, don’t you?” Fletcher flew quickly back into his rage, obviously working on a short fuse. Julian shook his feathery fur. “V-v’hat?” He stuttered, his strange Russian-laced-French-accent singing into the night. “You were always ze pretty boy, ze favored pooch, and I was trash to zem. Do you ‘ave any idea ‘ow zat feels?” He seethed, eyes swimming with unraveling streams of tears. Julian again opened his mouth to speak, but his brother stopped him. His eyes and fur were streaked with tears, and his eyes were Christmas colored, red and green. “Just don’t, man.” Fletcher said simply, staring into the rising moon. “I hate you.” He said with a cock of his head, eyebrows raised. He then brushed by Julian, hissing at how feathery soft his fur was, and stalked off into the night, most likely not returning home right now.

What seemed like hours later, the feeling rushed back to Julian’s toes and he ran for home, his mind running on overdrive. He suddenly realized why his world had been so upside down since his departure from his mother; deep down inside, all along, he knew that his only brother hated him. Even as a two-month-old pup, his subconscious had recognized that. He suddenly realized that, right now, his two Russian masters were either dead or severely injured, and he had done nothing to stop it. He suddenly realized that he would never experience New York, the place of his birth, ever again. And, most of all, he realized that, with his brother’s uncovered hatred, his life here was bound to be a living hell.

Julian’s first sleep in Alaska was restless, and it lacked the one thing that defined sleep: sleep itself. The next month of his life, moving toward his year-and-a-half birthday, was numb and blurry, like straining to see the bottom of a muddy pond. He woke, ate, and strolled the town, learning the little paths and alleyways, the fastest ways to get where he was going. And then he slept again, in a seemingly never-ending cycle. Months more passed, and he was soon to be two years old.

In the months that had slipped by, Julian had truly become a handsome fellow. He was tall for the average husky, and his body was strapped with lean muscle that rippled as he walked or strained himself. His large eyes became deep and mysterious, hiding secrets and pain and his life’s story. Another curious feature was the small curl of longer fur present upon his head, truly a defining characteristic. His recent reclusive nature made him all the more strange and appealing, and though he didn’t notice, he had a few lady followers around town that were intrigued by him. Things went on smoothly, lazily, as if destiny decided to lay easy on everyone for a while.

In August of 1924, there was a bit of a change of pace. It was all over the news, the long dropped Nome Mail Team had been remade! All of the new dogs were well trained and selected, and everyone had high hopes for the success of this team, finally. Julian blindly greeted them, congratulating the new and spunky members. There was the lead dog, Athena and her large team of seventeen other dogs, including Silver, Sledge, Rita, Demon, Owen, Hachiko, Icess, Kenny, Trent, Kaskae, and more. He really didn’t pay much attention to any of the faces, and soon, they were off for their first run.

In September, 1924, Julian and his siblings officially turned three.  When he woke, he was greeted by a bunch of smiling faces and happy whines and howls. Nicolai urged him to get up and celebrate a bit. After a bit of stretching out, he decided to get up and join the celebratory crowd.

When Cristofor and Therese let them out of the room, they were each given the best gift a dog could ever get: a big, juicy slab of steak. Julian began gnawing violently at his own personal heaven, and while doing that he looked around the room. Afrodille, his boyish sister, was digging in, slurping it down like it was the first meal she had had in months. Julian smiled; if he knew Afro, he knew she was a big eater. Period.

His eyes roved the room further, and settled on quaint little Constance. She was laying down on the floor, biting daintily at the large slab of meat in front of her. Julian chuckled to himself, such a tiny little body working on such a large blob of meat. Next to Julian, Constance was an ant, she was much smaller and lighter than the average husky. She was also very soft and sensitive, easily hurt.

No one else in his family knew this, but Julian just loved Constance. He had always felt this protection over her, this bond with her, but not in a weird way. They were very close as siblings, and he always noted the sadness in her eyes when Julian became remote and unresponsive. The closeness started when he learned that Constance had heard the little spat between him and Fletcher, and she was very concerned for him. Julian accepted her and soon enough, a little of the void ripped open by his brother was healed by his sister. And he would be forever grateful for that.

Julian continued looking through the room. He found his father and mother laying very close together, working side by side at their separate steaks. Julian was happy that things may be getting better between Nicolai and his mother, maybe they were falling in love after all. The first few months here were rough, Nicolai had tried and tried but Estelle would continually push him away. Maybe things were finally looking up.

There was only one dog left in the room, the one Julian had been hesitant to look at. Fletcher was curled up in a corner around his steak, alone, staring blankly at the doggy door as he chewed. Julian’s heart wrenched, feeling a pang of anger and pity at the same time for his poor brother. He knew his brother was hurting. He was rejected at such a young age and continually rejected throughout his life. But why was be being lashed out at? Just as this thought ran through his mind, Fletcher caught his eyes, snarled quietly to himself, and turned his back to the world.

Suddenly, Julian just wasn’t hungry anymore.

He stood up from his meal and hopped swiftly out of the dog door, landing soundly on the wood of the front porch and plopping down, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. He stared out into the afternoon, the September sun casting a homely orange glow over the town. He sighed and tucked his face under his paws, feeling depressed again. He hated the feeling that he was cast away by a member of his own family, his own flesh and blood.

His broodings were disturbed by the sound of commotion inside the house, and before he knew it he was being trampled and whizzed by; his family was emerging from inside the cabin. Fletcher purposely landed an inch from his face to startle him, and Julian shivered nervously. The last to exit were Nicolai and Constance, his two favorites out of his whole family. Constance stopped and looked at him in concern, stepping back up onto the first step of the porch.

“It is…Fletcher again?” She said, but Julian could tell by the all-knowing sparkle in her eyes that she already knew the answer. She sighed and shot a dagger-like glance in the direction her other brother had slunk off too, and turned carefully back to Julian. “You know I am always ‘ere, Julian. An’ I promise to stay zat way, alright?” Julian smiled halfheartedly; he got this speech all the time. Constance belted out a tinkling, pixie like laugh. “But I am quite sure you are tired of hearing zat, eh?” She shot a glance down the street, and the inferred light bulb popped up above her head. “Come on, Julian.” She said, her feather light paws landing next to his head. Julian opened an eye and grunted. “V’hat? V’here and v’hy?” He said, gathering a bit of suspicion. Constance’s bell laugh danced through the air again, and she nudged his face with her nose. “Just get up, Julian. Follow me.”

Julian did as he was told and stood. Constance began her floating strut toward wherever she had planned, and he slowly followed. He stared at the ground and studied each of the different footsteps; pawprints, shoe indents, and even the marks of bare feet decorating the area.

Pawprints. That was one of the things Julian truly liked about this place. It wasn’t just the people’s town, it was the dogs’ too. This place was so friendly to its canine counterparts, and it made Julian truly feel at home.

It wasn’t two minutes later that they had reached their unknown destination, and Constance turned to him and smiled.

“Well, Julian, we ‘ave arrived.” Her eyes sparkled in anticipation. Julian grunted and sat down on his haunches to scratch his ear. “Ah, yes, but, v’here ha’ ve arrived to?” His voice was sullen, and Constance rolled her jade eyes, the smile still wide on her face. “It is your birzday. And we are going to celebrate.” Julian’s eyes widened. He pricked his ears toward the door in front of him, finally realizing where he was. It was the boiler room, and if he remembered correctly, the dogs in town had put together a party. What a coincidence. Julian squinted his eyes and shook his head slightly. “Maybe some ozzer v’ay…” He said hesitantly. Constance shook her head, her silky long fur flowing perfectly. “No. It is time to begin living. You are sree years old and with nozzing to show for it! Follow me, we are going in.” Julian stood up slowly, watching as Constance used her nose to open the slightly cracked door up even more. He followed her in and gasped.

There were a lot of dogs there, more than he had previously imagined. To name a few there was Doc, the big St. Bernard, Jenna, the vibrant red husky who had moved here a year back, Steele, the black husky, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star, three of Steele’s “wingmen,” and a variety of other dogs from sled teams formed all over Nome. Julian looked warily around the room before Constance caught his eye and bumped him with her shoulder.

“Come on. Go mingle.” She said, bounding off into the crowded room immediately afterward. Julian lifted his head and took some slow steps forward, making his way toward Steele and a few other dogs.

“…kinda felt bad because I took his place, but I guess Master thought it was for the best.” Steele finished, shuffling his paws around and smiling nervously. The dogs around him were two females and a male, and all of them smiled and laughed as Steele finished his story. “Well, Steele, don’t take a thing like this lightly. You lead you team to victory now, alright?” The male said, shaking his head toward a few of Steele’s team members and nodding. He was a large and burly male, and it looked like he had had his fair share of fights within the town. From the way his stood, it showed off his strong back legs and thin front ones; he was obviously an experienced runner. His intelligent amber eyes were embedded in a time-worn face, and his coat was all types of grays and browns. Steele chuckled a small little laugh and smiled. “Yeah, I gotcha, Chief.” Julian decided to speak up then.

“’ey all, v’hat’s new?” He said, catching bewildered looks from everyone around the group. He shuffled his paws and cleared his throat, looking from face to face. The looks he was getting were making him feel uncomfortable. “V’hat?!” He spat, his voice accidentally harsh. One of the tan females next to Steele spoke first.

“Uhh…well…the thing is, everybody think your…mute.” She slid her yellow eyes down to look at her paws, and giggled uncomfortably. “Mute?” Julian said slowly, cocking an eyebrow. The blue-gray female spoke next. “Yes…we all see you take your daily walk around town, but you never stop to…eh, socialize. You kinda always kept to yourself. So we all figured that…you just couldn’t speak.” She laughed quiety, eyeing him like he had five heads. Julian’s chuckle was choked off.

“Eh…well, I am not.” He said, clearing his throat again and frowning. Steele smiled at everyone and spoke, trying to break the awkwardness. “Well, we were just talking about me! I just got lead dog position in my team.” He smiled again widely, his eyes flashing with pride at his new job. Julian’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Zat is very high up position, correct? V’hat an honor. Good for you.” He said in sincere congratulations.  Steele beamed at him and thanked him warmly. The male in the middle spoke up again. “So…you gonna tell us your name, France?” Julian flashed his eyes at him, slightly miffed at this male calling him that. Nonetheless, he introduced himself properly. “Julian. An’ zat is my sister, Constance.” He gestured over to Constance, who was gleefully getting to know Jenna. No one spoke, so Steele took over the silence. “That’s a nice name!” He said. He was obviously very friendly. “I’m Steele, and that’s my uncle Frezno.” He said, gesturing to the older male. Julian nodded, and he looked at the two females. The tan one spoke first. “I’m Chandler.” She smiled wide, making her entire face light up. Julian gave her a smile, and turned his attention to the bluish female, who spoke up last. “Nilla. I just moved here from Anchorage.” Julian smiled and shook his feathery fur out, not noticing the drool practically pouring from Chandler’s jaws.

“Beau, lovely names.” He said, grinning crookedly. Chandler giggled, and Nilla shot her a look. “I am going to go catch up vith ma soeur, my sister. I am ‘appy to ‘ave met you all.” He bowed slightly, like the gentleman he was, and turned to walk away.

As he did, he caught eyes with Silver, one of the dogs from the fairly new mail team. She looked at him icily and rolled her eyes, returning to her conversation with Nikki. Julian gave her a “who do you think you are?” kind of look and walked toward Constance, who was now deep in conversation with Jenna and Sylvie, her Afghan Hound friend.

“’ello z’here, ladies. ‘ow is conversation?” He said, sitting lightly on his haunches. Sylvie’s eyes widened at his sudden appearance, and she involuntarily batted her eyes. “Hello, handsome.” She said under her breath, and Jenna laughed heartily as she nudged Sylvie with her paw. Constance looked at him and smiled. “Jenna, Sylvie, dis is my brother, Julian.” Jenna smiled and greeted him warmly. “Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Julian.” She lowered her head slightly. “Jenna was just going to tell us about her bandana, where it came from.” Constance said matter-of-factly. Julian’s eyes flashed to Jenna’s bandana and back to her face, and nodded. “I’d love to hear your story. Speak on.” He said with a flourishing gesture of his paw. Jenna grinned and began.

“Well, maybe a year and a half ago, I was still living in White Mountain with Rosie and my masters. My best friend, Gabriel, got it from a fan, and he gave it to me.” She looked down at it and her eyes flashed with love and happiness. “I never take it off. And I don’t think I ever will. I love it.” Everyone nodded in approval and continued talking.

The party went on for hours, and soon, after everyone arrived, they had to take it to another venue because the room was just too small. On the outskirts of town there was a very small, abandoned shed surrounded by a huge open space, another popular spot for parties. Dogs spread out and rolled down surrounding hills, laughing and howling and having an all out good time.

Julian finally got down to truly enjoying himself. After he finished talking with Jenna and the other girls, he made his way back to Steele and got to know him better. He really liked Steele, he was really humble and friendly and seemed like he would always have your back. After they learned more about each other and felt more comfortable, both were able to really come out of their shells, talking all around, telling jokes, making fun, and just being guys. Julian loved the idea of a guys night out, because in all reality, he had never had a real guy friend to just hang out with and be himself. He had been a loner for such a long time, or with his sisters, or with his older father or mother. And since Fletcher hated him, he couldn’t get any good guy time there.

He also got to meet Steele’s wacky wingmen, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star. Nikki was a chubby, manly chow dog who had an interesting way of speaking that intrigued Julian. Kaltag was Julian’s favorite, he was a Chinook dog and stood with a regal yet casual pose and was very friendly and loose. Star was a neurotic and hyperactive little husky, who honestly got under Julian’s skin a bit, but Julian tolerated him. Overall, it was a great night to celebrate and just be guys.

One thing was unnerving him, however; he continually looked over at the female Silver, and to his frustration, every time he caught her gaze she would give him the same disgusted look. What had he ever done to her? All he could think was that this was Fletcher all over again.

Near the end of the night, however, there was a big problem. A pack of absolutely starving wolves went loony and began to attack the party! In the chaos of around 50 dogs racing around frantically and another thirty or so wolves mixing up with them, Julian got shoved into the shed and was knocked out by a falling plank of wood. That was all he remembered until the next morning.

When he woke, light was seeping through the small cracks in the wood and the window above him. He moved slowly, the weight of the wooden plank still evident on his back.  He expertly slid out from under it and stood, his head still pounding. Julian lay a paw to his throbbing cranium and grunted, looking around at where he was. He sort of recognized the area; it was the shed in the field the party was moved to last night. But why was the door closed? He shoved his weight against it a few times, but it wouldn’t open. As he continually tried to open it, a female voice broke into his concentration and startled him.

“It won’t budge, moron. I tried that earlier this morning.” He stopped and turned, finding himself awfully close to Silver, the very one who was flashing those looks at him the day before. He narrowed his eyes. “V’hat exactly is rong v’ith you?” He hissed, his blue-green-and-gold eyes shooting daggers at her. She was laying on the floor, facing the wall, and she lifted her head to look at him from the corner of her eye.

“What, is Mr. Rich and Handsome not used to a little rejection?” She sneered, returning her head to the wood floor. Julian growled. “V’hat is that supposed to mean?” Silver sighed and rolled her sky blue eyes.”V’hy do you ‘ate me? V’hat exactly ‘ave I ever done to you?” He spat. She grunted and shifted her weight a bit, remaining calm though Julian was getting angrier with her by the minute. “Don’t blow your top, pretty boy. You might break a nail.” He roared lowly, sitting down as far from her as possible, fuming. Silver smiled slightly, delighted at getting him so worked up. Julian flashed a look at her, mumbling a snide comment under his breath.

“At least I don’t sink I am queen of everysing."

And that set Silver off. She flew up from her spot on the floor and snarled, nearly falling over in a rage.

“I think I am queen of everything?! Really? Because I’m not the dog who lives in a top notch cabin house walks around the town every day like I’m the man. I don’t look for pity from my family because, oh, I’m HATED by my brother. I don’t go around like a depressed emotional wreck, practically desperate for attention. You know who does? Oh, I think it’s a certain husky with a denim collar, sitting like he’s the man right in front of me!” She raged on. Julian opened his mouth, feeling miffed at this accusation.

“Excuse me, v’oman, I v’alk around looking for attention? ‘ave you looked into ze mirror, lately? Because every time I see you around town, your strutting your stuff like your ze thing everyone vants!” He spat back, getting up in her face. “Your nozzing but a hypocritical oversized rat!” He roared, watching as her blue eyes took on a tinge of red in pure anger.

“Oh, you did not go there!” She screamed back, actually at a loss for words now. She huffed/growled and turned away from him, beginning to pace the short length of the shed. Julian watched her with narrowed eyes, slowly lowering himself back down to a sitting position. The pit of his stomach was sort of twisted now; yelling at any female went against all of his values. Even a female who truly got under his skin and ticked him off. Nonetheless, he sat there fuming and watching her pace the room as she cooled off, taking deep breaths and willing himself to calm down. Finally, after almost ten minutes, Silver sighed and sat down at the opposite end of the room, flashing him a look that he threw right back at her.

A day later, and they were still locked in the same room together, with no one coming to find them.

That night, it was deep midnight when Julian was shaken awake by roaring winds and pounding rain outside of the thin walls he was concealed in. The room was dark, almost too dark, and everything was illuminated with eerie white light every time lightning struck. He shivered and curled his head closer into his tail, hiding under its thick fluff. After an hour, the storm continued to rage on. He hadn’t fallen back asleep since the storm woke him up an hour earlier. He tried to listen to it and allow it to put him to sleep, but something was off in the room that he couldn’t shake off. He listened closely, and sensed something had changed in the air.

Ever since the big outpour of feelings the other day, the room seemed perpetually charged with a negative energy, laced with hatred and disgust. However, to Julian’s surprised, the atmosphere was different now. Fearful. Needy. Scared.

Julian lifted his head and looked around, his eyes bombarded by the black night, and when a flash of lightning came lay his eyes on the silver-coated female he had been sharing this blight with all along. She seemed to be shivering, her body making the most minuscule vibrations in the midst of the storm. He heard a faint whimpering being whisked away by the crashing rain and pounding wind. He was at a loss for words; he had never really seen the more vulnerable side behind her sarcastic wit. The knitted his eyebrows together and ever so softly called out to her.

“Silver…” She didn’t move. He sighed and lay a paw closer to her, trying to muster up any courage he could possibly have. “Silver.” He said more forcefully, feeling sort of sympathetic for her. A clash of thunder, and she whisked her head up off the ground to look around. Whether it be directly from the clap of thunder or from Julian calling her name, Julian wouldn’t know. The flash of lightning, and he found her staring back at him, blue eyes wide. She began to resituate herself, but didn’t give an answer. Julian cursed at her under his breath; she was so full of herself sometimes.

The next morning it was a little different. The ferocious nature of the aura in the room had toned down, and the nervousness shot up. Silver was pacing around all day, he heard her mumbling things like “why haven’t I been found yet” or “am I going to die here?” Every so often he caught her flashing looks at him, but they weren’t disgusted or angry. More…confused. And not a second later she dropped them again.

Two more days passed. Things were getting more and more tense in the little shed, and Julian was worried about another spat between him and Silver. She had stopped pacing and was curled up in the far corner, face to the wall. Julian stood and eyed her for a moment before taking the few steps closer to the door. He hoisted his front paws onto it, standing nearly as tall as 5 feet. He studied the door closely, looking for weaknesses, cracks, any sign that he could force the door open. He bounced on it a bit; yep, still solid. He sighed and hopped back down, shaking his head and walking back to his spot. When he lay down and closed his eyes, he felt other eyes on him, but he didn’t acknowledge it. And soon he drifted off into a half asleep, half awake sort of state.

When night fell, another storm rolled through. Julian had felt it in the air earlier, it was part of the tenseness he had felt all day. He rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, listening to the rain pelt the tin roof, and wind make the wood whine around them. The thunder came in quiet and in small amounts, but Julian just knew that this would be the calm before the storm. He opened his eyes and looked through the small window above him, seeing the rain transform the way the glass allows light to pass. The lightning flashed in his eyes and outlined everything in the small confine he was in, as well as the slight figure of his roommate, Silver. He rolled his head over and looked at her. He noticed how light she was…and how the feeble light caught the different shaded of fur. How the lightning reflected on her gorgeously glossy coat. He blinked and shook his head; he was supposed to hate her, remember? She was nothing but a…he rolled his head over to her again, gazing at her multi-shaded fur.

Suddenly, he jolted at the loudest roll of thunder he had ever heard in his life. He heard Silver cry out and sit up quickly, looking around with wide eyes. Julian started at the sight he saw. Her fur was streaked with silver tears, still rolling down her face. He had never seen her look so…vulnerable. Almost childlike. “Silver? Uh…” He said, scrambling for words. She seemed to come to her senses, her eyebrows furrowed as she turned back over.

“I’m fine.” She said. Her voice deceived her, however, for it cracked on the last word. Julian sighed and shook his head.

“No…you’re not.” He said softly. She rose her head and looked into his eyes, finding she could see into them for miles. Then the floodgates opened. The tears poured from her atmospheric eyes as she lay her head to the floor, flinging her dainty paws over her face in a futile attempt to maintain dignity. Julian’s eyes widened as he flew up, and ran over to her. Then he stopped. What was he going to do? He barely knew this girl, and was supposed to hate her. His mind flashed through the first full day here, the fight, the screaming, and the fury. But standing here over her, he couldn’t feel the same way. His eyes teared up as he watched her, so scared and upset. His mind acted without his permission as he lowered himself down next to her, bringing the curve of his body close to her. She opened her eyes and stared at him in confusion, eyes glistening wet. He pulled his head next to hers, his eyes wide and trusting, willing her to accept him. After a second t of staring that stretched to infinity, she nestled her head into his feathery neck, the tears still coming strong.

“It is ok, my sweet.”

“We’re…never…gonna…get…out…of here!” She cried softly into his neck, the sobbing cutting her sentences like a knife. He then realized it was never the storms that were scaring her, it was the predicament they were faced with. He closed his eyes and curved closer to her.

“Shh, shh.”

“We’re…stuck…in this shed…to die…”

“No, no…do not say such s’ing.”

“It’s...true!” She cried louder, and he felt her nestle further into his neck.

“Shush, now. Let yourself be calm. Calm…” He said softly into her ear, willing her to become steady.

Ten minutes later, Silver’s sobbing had glided into the steady breaths of the sleeping. Julian opened his eyes and listened to the remnants of the storm pitter-patter against the tin roof, pondering on that night’s events. After a long time of no sleep, he heard Silver’s small voice in the darkness.

“Julian?”

“Yes?”

“I’m…scared.” She admitted into his fur, and he shushed her.

“I know, I am here. Sleep now, ma belle.”

“Oh my god…”

The sound of creaking wood and force assaulted Julian’s ears and he awoke. He looked down to Silver who was still fast asleep in his fur, and he stood up abruptly, feeling surprised at himself for what he had done. Silver jolted awake and took a quick inventory of what was going on around her, and her eyes rested on Julian. Her white fur showed turned slightly pink as her face flushed, and she stood awkwardly.

The door slowly opened, and the sunlight poured in, stinging Julian’s eyes and making his go blind for a few seconds. He stepped out into the light, followed by Silver. They were greeted by Constance, Steele, and Athena, and as they began the trek back into town, Julian looked at Silver. Her gaze roved to meet his, and she blushed again. He smiled slightly, then cleared his throat, becoming serious again.

“Well…see ya.” She said quietly, running off to catch up with Athena. “Julian let his gaze follow her there, his eyes filling with regret.

“Goodbye…”

Throughout the following weeks, Julian never went a day without thinking of his time in the shed. Well, mostly, that last night with Silver. He told and retold the story to his siblings, his friends, and pretty much the entire Nome canine community. He found himself staring at her as she came home from runs, watching the graceful movements of her body as she danced along the grass and trails. He had dreams of thunder and lightning, the smell of wood and her silver fur. He didn’t even really notice Fletcher anymore, because his thoughts were wrapped up in this confusion of feelings about Silver.

Julian began to hang out with Steele more, who told him about his long time crush on Jenna. Julian listened, and when Steele asked him about any female possibilities, he just shook his head and steadily said no. As weeks passed, Julian noticed a change in Steele. He had been winning race after race after race, and his ego was becoming too big for Julian to handle. In late November, Steele won his first golden collar, and after that, he was never the same.

The months passed much like this, and pretty soon 1924 blurred into 1925, the time of a crisis in Nome. The Diphtheria epidemic struck hard, and its devastating hand struck down young and old alike. Even Julian’s beloved owner, Cristofor, was rushed to the hospital late one night.

Of course, the rest is history, I suppose.