Mr. Fridolf handed David's wife the money and like that Boomer was someone else's dog. As the man led Boomer into his vehicle by the rope around his neck, the dog looked back at the barn that held his friends. He had known them ever since he could remember, but all the time he only said two things to any of them. Boomer was born into a world where talking didn't much matter because his mother was deaf, and he never knew about his father. And because of that Boomer felt like he should've said more to his friends throughout those years together. Everyone seemed sad ever since Miksa disappeared, and he never knew what to say to make them happy. He would miss them greatly.

The vehicle eventually pulled in front of a small farm just outside of a town called Nenana. The farm consisted of only a barn and a small house. Scattered all around the property were tens of huskies tied to ropes spiked into the ground, all of them barking with excitement and wagging their tails. Mr. Fridolf took Boomer's rope and led him into the small house.

"You'll like it here, Boomer." said Mr. Fridolf. "You won't be lonely and you will have plenty of good food." The man let the husky loose to sniff around the house for a bit, which Boomer didn't do much of. He just contently watched Mr. Fridolf pick up his telephone and talk into it.

"Hello?" he paused. "Yes, this is Mr. William Fridolf...Yessir, I just picked him up today...He's a fine dog, sir, he used to be a sled dog...Yeah, I picked out a mate for him earlier in the month, her name's Marie, she's a favorite of mine...Yep, you can expect a beautiful litter in a couple of months! ...I'll call you again when the pups can leave their mother...Ok, see you then!" Mr. Fridolf hung his telephone up and looked at Boomer. "Ready to meet yer new partner?" He patted Boomer on the head and took him outside. So Mr. Fridolf was a breeder, Boomer figured. That would explain all of the huskies. He scrutinized his surroundings. Many of the dogs were the same color, but none of them were related. Boomer could tell by the shapes of their face and body. He also noticed that there were more females than males on the farm. Mr. Fridolf must've sold some males when they couldn't breed anymore.

Mr. Fridolf led Boomer behind the house where a single husky was chained up by herself to a lonely tree. The first thing Boomer noticed was that she was in heat. He'd recognize that kindling scent anywhere. She was also red like Boomer, but instead of dark brown eyes, she had bright blue eyes. She was very attractive and slim. Boomer gulped for the first time when she looked at him directly in the face. But Boomer had a good poker-face and held it expressionless for the sake of not seeming foolish in front of her.

"Ok, Boomer," said Mr. Fridolf, tying Boomer's rope near the husky. "This is Marie. She's my favorite, so be nice to her, ok?" He started walking away towards the front of the house. "You two get acquainted now." And he disappeared.

Boomer looked at Marie, respectfully nodded his head, and looked away.

He was afraid to go near her because her scent was already driving him crazy. The females he used to live with never smelled like this and he did not want to offend her, should he accidentally lose control of his urges.

"Hello there," she said kindly. Boomer's ears twitched, signifying that he heard her speak. "What's your name?" Boomer turned his head and looked at her quizically. Did she not hear what Mr. Fridolf addressed him as? He snuffed his nose. "Oh...right. Boomer." She smiled sweetly. "So, where are
you from?"

Boomer kept looking at her, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"Can't you talk?"

He also couldn't bring himself to lie to her, but he nodded stating that he could talk.

"Then why don't you talk to me? How else are we supposed to get acquainted?"

Boomer shrugged and then there was another moment of silence.

"Oh, I see." Marie's voice turned bitter. "Not only are you the silent type, but you're ALSO the type who just come here to "get things done", aren't you!"
Boomer was taken aback by her outburst. His eyes widened and he shook his head no.

"Just want to get your minute in? Well, good luck to you because if you ever even speak to me...I'll...!" Marie snarled in both frustration and anger. She stomped off as far as her rope would let her and suddenly became more interested in the scenery. Boomer didn't want to upset her with speaking now, so he just sat in his spot and looked into the distance as well.

A few hours later, Mr. Fridolf walked around the corner with a smile on his face. He was expecting Boomer and Marie to be friendlier with each other, but what he seen wasn't what he was expecting at all. He seen the two separated from each other as far away as they could. He scratched his head at this and wondered why Boomer wasn't trying to win Marie's heart. It was already evening, so he decided to leave the two outside for the night and wait until tomorrow. When night came every husky was asleep and cuddling beside each other for warmth, with the exception of the vexed Marie and the stubborn Boomer.

That night, Boomer woke up feeling rather guilty about offending Marie. He looked up from his spot over to hers and seen her curled in the snow. Her red fur was blowing in the slight breeze, which must've made her chilled. He decided to start his apology with laying next to her in the snow to block the wind. He buried his nose into his tail, so to not pay any attention to her arousing scent. His back brushed up against hers accidentally, and he shivered, falling back asleep.

~~~

Marie awakened when the sun peeked from behind the mountain. She lifted her head and yawned sleepily. The night had been warmer than she thought it would have. She scanned the area and looked behind her. Boomer layed there, still asleep. She lifted her lip in a snarl and stood abruptly, glaring at him. His ears twitched and he awakened to look up at her towering over him with an irritated look on her face. She scoffed and trotted to the other side of the yard and sat herself down in the snow, her nose stuck up. Boomer stuck his lower lip out in a pout. Why was she being so difficult? He was only trying to keep the wind from blowing on her. Determined to get her attention, he marched up behind her and sat on the ground. Her ears flinched, but her body wasn't going anywhere.

Boomer pinched his brows together and made a single loud bark that echoed across the field, making Marie jump from her spot in surprise. She looked at him staring at her. She frowned at him, but wagged her tail when Mr. Fridolf walked outside from the back door of the house. He said that it would be a good idea to take her and Boomer out for a walk in the meadow. Marie shrugged and rolled her eyes. Boomer showed little emotion, but on the inside he was beaming. This would be his chance to show her his skills.

Mr. Fridolf led the two dogs into the meadow, far away from Nenana so that they didn't cause any trouble there. He let them run loose. Marie encircled the area nearest Mr. Fridolf, but Boomer was running all about in front of her, zigzagging and doing all kinds of jumps over hurdles of snow and holes in the ground. She still payed him no mind. Mr. Fridolf even tried getting her to notice Boomer, but his words weren't fazing her either. When Boomer came from behind Mr. Fridolf, Marie galloped away. Mr. Fridolf patted Boomer on the head and said, "Don't worry, boy, it just takes a little time." A little time was too long for Boomer to prove himself a good dog. He may have been quiet, but he was more determined than any of his team members back home.

When the three approached the land near the farm, Boomer seen the other huskies wrestling each other in the snow. That might work, he thought. Wrestling with another husky and winning would prove his strength. Before Mr. Fridolf could hook him up to his leash, Boomer took off towards one of the huskies, he looked back to make sure Marie was watching. She was, but more irrate than impressed. Boomer ran up to one dog and wagged his tail, his upper body on the ground in a playful fashion. The other dog barked allowing him to play. They wrestled each other. The dog Boomer was scrimmaging with didn't seem to put up much of a fight, but Boomer knew that he knew that he was trying to impress Marie. Boomer toppled over the dog, his teeth over his oponent's belly. He won the little match and looked to see Marie's face. She was now hooked up to the tree in the backyard, isolated from the other huskies, Mr. Fridolf talking on his phone from inside the house. Marie glared at Boomer again and trotted onto the porch of the house and looked into the house window, hoping Mr. Fridolf would notice her and let her in.

Boomer was not giving up. He was determined to somehow get her attention so he could show her that he meant her no harm, without just laying around doing nothing. He would've gotten possitively bored doing so. He figured that she was the only reason worth being here. So he marched up behind her again and tugged at her tail, playfully, and sprinted away from her. She turned her head to nip at him, but seen him a good distance away. He was still within her reach, but she didn't go after him. Boomer snorted in frustration and tried the same thing again. This time he got her to chase him, but only until the porch ended. When he tugged her tail a third time, she chased him away from the porch and returned to her spot in front of the back window. He tried a fourth time, and then finally the fifth time she resumed the chase. She chased him around the yard, Boomer struggling to not get caught by her. He ran around the tree twice, to throw her off guard, but it didn't work. She cut him off on the other side of the tree. He ran the other way, stopped abruptly and kept running around the tree in the same direction, unaware that Marie's leash was tightly wrapping around the tree.

Boomer stopped suddenly like he did before, but Marie tripped next to the tree and landed into him. He stopped her from falling. When she looked up, their eyes locked. They were entraced by the deepness and beauty of the other's eyes.

"I'm sorry for being a jerk," Boomer said finally. "Please give me another chance. I really like you."

Marie was surprised at the nice sound of his voice and she loved it right away. She smiled at him, kindly, in a way that said, "Ok. I really like you too."

~~~

It wasn't long before Boomer and Marie fell in love. Ever since Boomer spoke to Marie the first time, they were together ever since and wouldn't leave each other alone. Their relationship was intimate and loving, even if Boomer still hardly ever spoke and only did so when necessary. Every day they went for their weekly stroll with Mr. Fridolf, they pranced together as puppies would. Then it wasn't long until Marie was pregnant with puppies. Mr. Fridolf was ecstatic when he found out and had to phone a few people to tell them the good news. Boomer was ecstatic too. Never in his life did he ever dream of becoming a father, and now the thought of it was more exciting than anything. Even more exciting than racing.

Months later, Marie was starting to get very heavy with the "extra load" she had to carry, and Boomer still stayed by her side always. Then days passed and the time came for the puppies to be born. Boomer wasn't allowed to see her during the birth, but he waited patiently and quietly outside. He wished that he could've seen her in case something were to happen, but he tried his best to only think of good outcome. About an hour or so later, Mr. Fridolf opened the door to let Boomer inside of the room Marie was kept in. She layed sleeping and calm on fresh blankets while five beautiful red and white furred newborn puppies nursed from her. They were all content and quiet.

Boomer beamed a smile at Marie when her eyes peeked open to see him. She smiled back and fell asleep again. Boomer layed down beside his mate and licked her forehead before resting his head on hers, although he was too happy to sleep.

~~~

One sunny afternoon, the newest family on Mr. Fridolf's husky farm, was playing in the melting snow. Boomer proudly watched his family from afar.

Marie was laying in the snow while their offspring playfully crawled and
tugged on her. Mr. Fridolf gave them names already, so that it would be easier for their new owners to address them. The four boy pups were Markus (normally called Marky), Brian, August, and Benjamin (often called just Ben). The only girl was named Jenna after Mr. Fridolf's sister Jennifer. Boomer loved his daughter and was more protective over her than her brothers. Marie didn't really know why Boomer worried, because whenever the pups would play rough, Jenna would always win.

Something caught Boomer's attention a few yards away from the farm. It was a loose tan dog, trotting around the area and sniffing the ground frantically.

Boomer's attention broke from the dog, to his offspring, which pounced on him. Boomer heard his name called by Mr. Fridolf, who told him to bring the puppies into the barn to try and get them to eat whole food. Weaning them wasn't very easy. Marie had to run from them to keep them from nursing because she was the only source of food they were familiar with.

Marie sat on the ground for a rest and watched her family enter the barn. She planned on joining them to eat after she caught her breath. She heard something approching her. She looked behind herself, expecting to see one of her fellow huskies, but instead seen a leashless tan dog, a Chinook. He was wearing a brown collar and a smug grin on his face.

"Hello there, miss," chirped the Chinook, wagging his tail and encircling the area around Marie. "What's your name?"

Marie felt uncomfortable when she noticed him eyeing her body. She noticed that his nosterils were flaring and she finally remembered that she was in heat yet again. She stood up, careful not to let any part of their bodies touch, and began scooting towards the barn. But she decided to not be rude and answered him. "Marie."

"The name's Bundey," he said proudly. He noticed her trying to leave.

"Where ya going?"

"It's about time for me to eat," she said inching away from Bundey. "I'm awful hungry."

"Me too," Bundey stood on his hind legs and tried stradling himself over Marie. She turned herself around quickly and snapped at him. Then she sprinted towards the barn, exclaiming Boomer's name. He came running out of the barn to her aid, the two passed each other, and Boomer stood face to face with Bundey, the fur on his neck bristling. Boomer growled viciously at the Chinook. He knew exactly what the stray tried to do to his mate and was going to make him pay.

Bundey gasped and tried running away before the bigger dog attacked him, but his collar was grasped by Mr. Fridolf.

"Whoa, there!" Mr Fridolf exclaimed. "Where'd you come from, boy? We need to find yer owner." And he dragged the dog inside of the house, where Mr. Fridolf was going to contact Bundey's owner. The entire time, Bundey was glaring at Boomer with a sour expression. Boomer didn't notice and was checking over Marie's body to make sure she was ok. He didn't say anything to her, but she knew what he was doing.

"Boomer, I'm fine," Marie sighed, relieved. "Fridolf is taking care of the stray." Boomer sighed when he finished looking Marie over and he nuzzled her, him just as relieved that she was ok. Just then the puppies all scurried towards their parents in excitement.

Later that evening, Bundey was sent home with his master.

"Sorry about Bundey getting loose on your property, Mr. Fridolf, no hard feelings I hope?" said Bundey's owner.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it." said Mr. Fridolf. "No harm done!"

"Keep an eye out for him though, will ya?" Bundey's owner asked. "He tends to bite through his leash to get loose. He does that especially if he sees a pretty dog wander around." The two men shared a laugh.

"Ok, I'll watch out for him." Mr. Fridolf reassured.

~~~

It was approximately eight weeks since the pups were born and it was time for them to find new homes. Mr. Fridolf called the families that already wanted to adopt to let them know that they could buy the pups. Marie wasn't as saddened by the occasion as Boomer was. Marie had a few other litters before Boomer, but her previous mates were sold, and she was more used to the adoption days. Boomer never had pups before and he didn't want to see his first offspring leave, especially his only daughter. But thankfully Mr. Fridolf decided to keep Brian on the farm for future breeding. Marie assured
Boomer that Jenna's family lived in Nenana and they would be able to visit her often. That made Boomer brighten up.

The first child to adopt a puppy was a small red-haired girl who went by the name of Rosie. She and her parents were talking to Mr. Fridolf, but Rosie went over to the basket that held the yipping pups. She picked up Jenna and smiled big.

"I found Jenna, mama!" Rosie exclaimed happily. Jenna yipped in excitement as well and licked Rosie's face. "She's so cute!" Boomer watched Jenna with Rosie. She seemed so happy to be with the girl and he was happy for her. He was definately going to miss her.

After Mr. Fridolf and Rosie's parents finished conversing, the family left the house and headed back into town, Rosie squealing, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" the entire way. Boomer watched them from the house until they were out of sight. Then he left the window sill and joined his mate and remaining children. August, Ben, and Marky were all adopted within the next few days and Brian, as Mr. Fridolf promised, stayed behind.

~~~

Almost an entire year passed and it was the day of Boomer's first litter's birth. Boomer never forgot because Brian never let him. Marie was pregnant again and was about to give birth any day now. Boomer reminisced that day while being outside on his leash. He missed Jenna terribly and wished Mr. Fridolf would take them on a trip to Nenana so he could see her. He heard from Jenna's new family, however. They had called Mr. Fridolf not too long ago and said that Jenna was doing quite well. He heard that she was very social and friendly. And that her brother, Marky, was adopted by a family that happened to live next door to them, so Jenna was never lonely either. He heard Jenna was also turning into a spitting image of Marie, only without the ruffled neck fur and blue eyes and was maturing very fast and would be ready to breed in no time. Rosie loved Jenna very much and never tired of her or failed to give her attention. Boomer was happy to hear that his daughter was doing well and that her brother was there to protect her, but he would've been happier to see her.

Boomer's train of thought was intterupted when he seen a familiar Chinook trotting towards the farm. Boomer stood on his feet and growled at him.

"Well, well, never thought I'd see you again!" mocked Bundey. He noticed that Boomer was tied up with a rope when he lunged at him. "Heh, can't reach me can you?"

Boomer snorted.

"Well, in that case..." Bundey grinned. "I've seen your daughter in town. I finda figured she was yours because she's beginning to look almost exact to your mate. They...SMELL, alike as well..." he sighed and grinned lustfully.

"And since you ruined my fun last time, I'm about to ruin your daughter. See ya!" And the Chinook bounded off towards Nenana.

Boomer's eyes widened in shock and he tried chasing after him, but the rope wasn't letting him go anywhere. He had to try and reach Jenna before it was too late.

~~~

Jenna was resting on the front porch of her home waiting for the family to get back from wherever they went. She didn't mind being outside because it wasn't very cold out. Nobody seemed to be around on a Sunday, even her brother wasn't home with his family.

Bundey made it into town and trotted around looking for the red husky. He didn't know of many red huskies, so he knew that finding Boomer's daughter wasn't going to be difficult. It didn't take long for him to spot her sleeping on the porch of her house, a perfect place to corner her. He creeped over to her.

Jenna's ears twitched when she heard the patting of feet approaching her. As soon as she lifted him her head, she felt her body squish under another. She cried out loud in pain and tried kicking the furry body on top of her. Even though she rough-housed with her brothers when she was young, her skill proved to be of no use against this dog. She somehow was pinned down to the ground with fangs over her neck to keep her from moving. When she seen the dog stradle himself over her, her eyes widened in fear. She couldn't make herself fight back and she layed limp.

Just then she heard a growl and a snarl and felt the body on top of her get ripped off. She looked up to see her father towering over her and the stray sprawled in the snow beside the porch. Her father pounced on the dog and bit him and the dog ran away with his tail between his legs. Boomer snorted and went to his daughter's aid. The rope around his neck looked as if it had been ripped and chewed. He stared down at his daughter and was shocked to see her physically and emotionally scared stiff.

~~~

About a month passed since Boomer saved Jenna from Bundey, and she didn't seem to be doing ok since that incident. During that time he heard that Bundey and his master moved from Nenana, but Boomer never heard anything about Jenna. Marie had six new puppies a few weeks after and Boomer tried his best to be a father, but he couldn't help but wonder every day if his first daughter was doing ok.

One day while Marie was nursing the puppies in the barn, Boomer pushed the barn door open and took a walk outside to walk around. He sniffed around for a few minutes and noticed that Mr. Fridolf left his front door open.

Out of curiosity, Boomer walked up the porch and peeked inside through the door. Mr. Fridolf was on the phone.

"Yes, this is Mr. Fridolf speaking." he paused. "Really? She seemed to be doing great not too long ago!...What does Rosie think of her?...Oh I see...She only trusts Rosie, huh?...That's peculiar, she's too scared to go outside even?...Yeah...Well, I honestly can't think of anything that would help, I'm sorry...Oh, so you're moving to Nome today?...Well, maybe a new enviroment will help her out of her shell again...Best wishes to ya, sir...G'bye."

And he hung up the phone. He looked in Boomer's direction. "Hey, Boomer! Jenna's going to her new home today, wanna visit her?" Boomer approached his master in an affirmative fashion.

Mr. Fridolf then tied a rope around Boomer's collar and they started for Nenana. Boomer knew right away that Mr. Fridolf was talking about Jenna on the phone. Her being too scared to go outside. Bundey must have really frightened her. And Rosie seemed to be the only one Jenna could trust. And not only that but Jenna's new family was moving to Nome, a place really far away, and he was probably never going to see her again. He had to try and get some sense into her. If Jenna were to stay timid for the rest of her life, it could ruin her relationship with people, including Rosie. So without any further thought, Boomer sprinted away from the farm and towards Jenna's house in Nenana, practically dragging Mr. Fridolf.

He found it easier than the last time he went and there seemed to be a bit more people wandering around town. When Boomer and Mr. Fridolf found Jenna's house, coincidentally, her family was walking out of their house and loading a few belongings into a vehicle. Just then Rosie came out and coped Jenna into exiting with her.

"C'mere, Jenna!" Rosie pleaded. "It's ok! The snow's fine!" The little girl clapped her hands in encouragement. Jenna's tail slightly wagged. She looked around her surroundings and stepped onto the snow. "Good girl!" Rosie smiled, patting Jenna on the head. Rosie looked in Boomer's direction. "Oh, look, Jenna! It's your papa! Go say hi!" And Rosie gave Jenna a gentle shove in Boomer's direction. Mr. Fridolf let Boomer go, trusting him not to run away and went to talk to Rosie's parents.

"Hi...Father." Jenna said in her soft voice. "I'm leaving soon...And I guess you've come to say good-bye?"

Boomer nodded.

"I bet you think I'm acting rather stupid lately..."

Boomer didn't say anything.

"Well...I better get to my girl before they leave me behind." and Jenna began to leave.

"Wait..." Boomer spoke. "I know you've been hurt...but as a father, I don't want to see you like this."

Jenna turned around to face her father.

"I want you to be happy. Not just with Rosie. Pretty soon you're going to be in a new town and meet new people and dogs." Boomer paused. "Some of those dogs may seem harsh...but not all dogs are terrible. And I don't want you to be quiet like I was. But I still want you to be very careful and...be happy." Boomer for once while speaking seemed at a loss for words. Usually whenever he did speak, he knew exactly what to say. But he was having a hard time trying to find the right words. Somehow the words he said reached Jenna and she smiled. Rosie called her name and before Jenna went to her, she nuzzled her father lovingly and pranced away. She entered the vehicle with her girl, and she watched her father, he watched her, until they were out of each others' sight.

Boomer smiled on the inside the entire way home. He finally felt relieved for his daughter and he knew that she was going to do fine. He returned to Marie and his pups.

"How's Jenna doing?" Marie asked, figuring that's where he and Mr. Fridolf went off to.

"She's doing great." Boomer stated matter of factly.