Raven blinked twice. Why was he so cold? His eyes, still unfocused, roved around the clearing he was in. What was going on? What happened?

Raven rolled onto his back, startling a soft, "Oh!" from someone. On Raven's stomach was nestled a familiar red shape. Her green eyes were focused intensely on his. At the sight of this female, everything from the past several weeks flooded Raven's mind. He laid his head down on the ground as he was overtaken by dizziness. After he had calmed down, he looked back up at Redd to make sure she was still there. She was. "Oh," he sighed.

It was like the empty hole that had consumed his chest for weeks was filled just by her presence. Redd smiled gently, but her lip trembled. She buried her face in his long chest fur. It took Raven several moments to register that she was crying. He placed one paw on her back and licked her forehead.

"I'm so, so, so sorry!" She whined. "I wasn't...It was...oh, Raven! I shouldn't have left! I didn't think..."

"Redd," Raven whispered. "Oh, Redd. Shh. Don't blame yourself. I can't imagine what that must have looked like to you! Oh, Sweetheart, calm down. I'm here."

Redd sniffed and placed her ear to Raven's chest, just above his heart. She stared blankly out into the woods as she began speaking.

"These weeks have been...beyond terrible. Undescribable. No one else can ever know what I've been feeling...I would never doom someone else to that fate."

Raven sighed. "I felt the same way. I can't live without you, Redd. You and I are bound together. I love you."

Redd inhaled deeply. "I've missed the sound of your voice. I love you too, Raven."

Raven didn't know how long they stayed there like that. He closed his eyes after Redd stopped speaking. The next thing he knew, it was dark out and he was surrounded by snarling wolves.

Instinctively, Raven rolled onto his stomach, being careful not to crush Redd as he flipped her underneath him. Raven took up a defensive stance, his teeth glinting in the light of the moon. Redd, however, calmly crawled out from underneath him, her expression perplexed.

"Storm!" she growled at one of the wolves. "I told you not to come looking for me!"

The black wolf's eyes darted from Redd to Raven and back again.

"I wasn't," he denied, his glowing eyes fierce. "I was on patrol and I saw him holding you...what else was I supposed to do? I...thought he might be holding you hostage."

Redd snarled. "Do you think I'm not capable of taking care of myself?"

Storm looked at Raven. "But he's the biggest dog I've ever..."

"Just shut up." Redd snapped. "This is Raven."

The wolves silenced. Hackles flattened. The silence grew awkward.

"Obviously you've talked about me." Raven whispered. The clearing exploded in laughter, all except for Storm.

"Come on," a rust colored wolf laughed. "Your mother and grandmother are worried, Redd. At least speak to them before you leave."

Raven followed the pack warily as they led him to the densite. A red wolf and a greying wolf sat outside of the cave, their eyes sweeping the clearing anxiously. As Redd approached, the red wolf stood up to greet her.

"Oh, Redd. I was worried." she whispered as she hugged Redd.

"It's okay, Mom." Redd whispered. "I'm here now. And I found Raven."

The wolf's amber eyes snapped up, focusing on Raven. She walked over to him, Redd by her side.

"Well, he certainly is all you've said he is," Redd's mother commented.

"Thank you, ...?" Raven began, but ended, realizing he did not know her name.

"Mahogany," the red wolf smiled.

Raven smiled too. "Mahogany."

"He's bigger than I thought!" a crackly old voice called from behind them. "He's bigger than me!"

Redd's aging grandmother walked over, her tail swishing behind her.

Redd chuckled softly. "Raven, this is my grandmother, Whisper."

Raven smiled. "Nice to meet you. Ma'am."

"Likewise," the greying wolf said, smiling.

"Mom," Redd said softly, "I came to say goodbye. Raven and I are going back to Nome."

Mahogany's smile dropped. "Of course, Sweetheart. Whatever you want."

"Don't worry," Redd smiled, "we'll be back!"

"Good!" Whisper exclaimed. "I want to see you again sometime."

"Alright." Redd whispered. She nuzzled her mother, and then her grandmother. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, darling." Whisper called.

Redd turned to Raven and smiled. "Alright. Let's go."

The two turned around and ran. Raven hadn't relished the wind rushing against his face in a long time. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, letting his paws fly over the ground.

"Wanna race?" Redd called over the whoosh of the wind.

Raven yelled back, "You're on!" and surged forward.

Redd caught up with him easily. "You may be stronger, but I'm faster!"

They continued on for at least two hours. At last, the woods began to thin, and the light from the rising sun brightened every second. Raven spent the last of his energy and pushed his paws impossibly faster. He rocketed out onto the tundra, Redd laughing behind him. Raven slid to a stop, looking out at Nome.

"Home."

A howl interrupted his joy. Then, something big and hard rammed into Raven.

"You're back! Both of you!"

"Dingo!" Redd screeched. She hugged him tightly as Raven got up.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you two again!" Dingo cried. He looked extremely tired.

"How long have you been out here?" Raven asked, his voice wary.

"Since you left," Dingo replied. "It was only two days."

"Wow," Raven whispered, shaking his head. "It seems like it was so long ago."

"It seems like years since I've been here." Redd sighed sadly. "I've missed it."

"Redd!" A brown mass hurled itself at the small dog. Redd recognized it to be her father.

"Dad!" she cried.

"Oh, Redd! Where have you been?"

"I was with Mom, Dad."

Cedar lapsed into silence. By now, most of Nome's dogs were standing around Redd and Raven. Redd was crying tears of joy. Had her friends really missed her this much?

By the time she had talked to everyone, dusk was beginning to fall. The exhausted dogs padded over to the boiler room to rest. Redd was too tired to go home tonight. She let her eyes droop and her breathing slow as she drifted off to sleep, the last thing she remembered being a soft lick from Raven.

Redd woke up in the morning in Raven's arms. She stretched stiffly and yawned. Raven stirred and yawned. Redd stood up and stretched again.

"Where ya goin'?" Raven asked sleepily.

"Out. I'm hungry." Redd replied bluntly. "You go back to sleep. I'll be back in a while."

Raven nodded and laid his head down. Redd smiled at him and headed out into the cold morning. Instead of going home, Redd padded her way out to the woods. Her taste in food was different now; kibble and dog chow wasn't satisfying anymore. Warm, fresh meat was more to her taste. Redd reached the edge of the trees and shoved her nose to the ground.

Redd didn't have to track long before she came to a rabbit trail. She followed it to a patch of thorn bushes, where she knew it would be hiding. Redd barked and ran at the bushes. Her trick worked. The rabbit shot out from under the bush, dodging and weaving through the snowy forest. Redd caught it easily and quickly ended its life. She settled down in a small dry spot to enjoy her breakfast.

Several minutes later, she emerged from the woods, her energy restored. As she jogged around Nome, Redd felt a surge of pure joy. Oh, how she had missed her home! As she jogged back toward the boiler room, an annoyingly familiar brown shape emerged from the fog. A snarl ripped up through Redd's throat. She wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to stand Nicoles' interference.

"Hello out there, mutt!" Nicole called. Redd said nothing in response, but slowed her pace to a walk. Nicole jogged out to greet her, a smug grin pasted on her face.

"So how does it feel," she asked, stepping in stride with Redd, "knowing that you're a mutt? A stinking half breed? And to think that Raven wants you! He deserves better...someone his own species."

Until that moment, Redd had been able to keep her jaw clamped shut, but when Nicole pulled the wolf card, Redd snapped.

"You think you're so great? That being purebred," Redd spat the word, "is everything? Ever wonder why no one like to hang around you? It's because of your personality. Breed had no freaking importance to anyone but stuck up...bitches like you! I'm half-breed. Yes. Who cares? So is Balto, the hero of Nome. His children, some of the kindest dogs I know, are part wolf as well. In fact, all dog breeds originally were wolves. Guess what? Huskies are the closest thing to being wolf."

Nicole screamed as Redd's words sunk in. She screeched, "Impossible! I could never be one of those stinking, flea-ridden monsters! Wolves are disgusting!"

"Excuse me?"

At that point, and very luckily for Redd, Dingo and Saba walked up, both to see what all the commotion was.  Neither of them looked happy.

"Like I said," Redd continued, her fur bristling, "breed doesn't matter. However, if you think that purebreds are better than half-breeds, here's your chance to prove it. Midnight, tomorrow night, outside of town by Balto's boat."

As Redd turned around to find Raven, she got the chance to see Nicole's horror-struck face. Redd smiled in satisfaction. She turned around and there was Raven, his eyes almost as wide as Nicole's.

"Did you just..." he trailed off.

"Yep." Redd growled as she stalked off. "This could be fun."