Toby Recharged Part One: Desire

 “Hey, Dad, I think I got it!” came the all-too-familiar voice.

“Alright,” Toby sighed, walking over to a pile of boxes. “Just let me get into place.”
Caspar groaned. “Aw, Dad,” he protested, “I don't need a spotter. Just stand back and watch me.”

“No, no, I'd really feel better if I were here, alright?”

The young pup shook his head. “Okay,” he agreed. Once his father was in place, he stepped back and took a running leap at the stack. Timing his landing exactly, he planted his claws in the top edge of one of the boxes and, after a moment's scrabbling, managed to get his grip. “See?” he said. “I don't need you there.”

“So far, so good,” Toby replied. Deciding to employ a bit of tact, he added, “I'll wait here. If you make it, I don't want to miss a thing.” It was true. Despite dozens of past failures, Toby kept hoping that this time, the pup could do it. And if his son did take a fall... well, he was still hoping he wouldn't miss, in a different way.

Caspar smiled, placated by the answer. “OK, watch this!” he boasted. Swinging for a moment, he managed to work first one back leg and then the other up onto the box. Then he jumped up to the next one. Little heart pounding with excitement, he focused on the topmost crate. Just one more, and he would be at the top! He jumped, and...
...misjudged the leap, clunking into the side of the box. He fell back down, landed on the box he had jumped from, and was spared another painful landing by Toby's well-practiced catch.
“Aw, man,” he groaned. “I was almost there.”
Toby set him down. “Are you alright?” he asked.
Caspar rubbed a paw on his head. “I bumped a bit, but yeah, I'm OK.”
“Good,” said Toby.
“Can I try again?”
His father shook his head. “No, I think that's enough tries for one day. Why don't we...”
“Toby, Caspar, where are...” another dog appeared, nodding in satisfaction as she spotted them. “Uh-huh. I thought I'd find you here.” She walked over to them, a somewhat stern look on her face. “Have you been doing what I think you were doing?”
The pup tucked his tail between his legs. “I was, uh, practicing,” he admitted.
Luna suppressed a groan and looked at Toby.
“It's alright,” he said quickly before she could voice her objections. “I was here the whole time, and he didn't get hurt.”
“He even checked the boxes first to make sure they wouldn't fall,” added the pup.
Luna nodded. “Well, alright,” she conceded. “As long as he was keeping an eye on you.”
Toby noticed the sun sitting low on the horizon, painting the south-eastern sky a bright splash of oranges, reds, yellows, and purples. “Well,” he said, “Time to go home.”
“Just one more?” pleaded Caspar. “I really think this time I can do it.”
Toby feigned considering the matter. “How about we come back tomorrow?” he offered. “The boxes should still be here, and you'll be well-rested.”
Caspar's tail began to wag. “Promise?”
Luna gently nudged Toby with her hip. “I think we'd better discuss this in the morning,” she interjected. And Toby knew by her tone that what she meant was, “I need to have a talk with somebody before tomorrow morning.” It was amazing how well he had learned to read Luna once they got married.
“Uh, right,” Toby agreed. “For now, let's go.”
“Aww, do I have to?”
“I'll stop by before bedtime and tell you a story if you go now,” Toby promised.
Caspar jumped in the air. “Yipee!” he yelled. He tried to flip to show his excitement, but all he managed was to land on his back. Rolling over, he made a mad dash for Luna's house as fast as his little paws could carry him, his tail whipping like a pine sapling in a blizzard.
“We'll be right there,” Luna called after him. Then she turned and gave Toby one of those worried looks. “You promised to be careful,” she said reproachfully.
“And I was careful,” he replied, starting after their son at a slow pace. “I kept my eye on him the whole time, and I was always in place to catch him if he fell.” Toby knew Luna worried about Caspar, he being something of the runt of the litter. But he still felt justified in what he'd been doing.
“You won't always be there to watch his back,” she replied, walking beside him. “What makes you think he won't go doing the same stunts when you're not around? He could really get himself hurt. And then you go encouraging him with those stories about all the nutty stuff we did when we were kids. Why?”
“Because...” Toby thought for a minute. “Because he looks up to me. He's my son, and I want him to be happy.”
“So do I,” Luna agreed, “But can't you teach him to be happy with who he is? You sure didn't get very far trying to be Balto.”
Toby sighed. “I know,” he confessed. “I guess it's just harder when I'm the one someone's trying to be like.”
In spite of herself, she couldn't help smiling just a little. “Honey,” she half-scolded, half-teased. “You're being silly now.”
“I am not,” he protested. “I'm proud that he admires me, that's all. Don't you want the girls to look up to you?”
“I want them to be themselves,” she replied. “They need to know...”
“Who they are, not what they are,” Toby finished with her, knowing Luna's family motto all too well at the moment. “I know, I know. I just want to be admired by my son. If he wants to be like me, why shouldn't I help him?”
“Because he's not like you,” she replied, her ears dropping slightly. “Out of all our kids, he's probably the least like you until you get to his personality.”
Toby drooped like a withering leaf. Luna was right. Caspar had poor coordination, he couldn't run well or long even for his age, and his sense of smell, while not the worst Toby had ever seen in a pup so young, was far less than one would expect given that he was one-fourth bloodhound. With orange-toned fur inherited from Luna, he didn't even look like him. And yet the driving passion within that little heart was nothing except to be like his dad. The irony was sickening. It seemed the only thing he had inherited from his father was his obsession with the impossible; his will to be someone else.
“I know he's not like me,” Toby admitted. “He's got my attitude, but almost everything else is straight from you. Why?”
“I don't know,” Luna admitted. “Maybe the stork thought it would be good for a laugh.”
“I'm serious,” Toby insisted. “Why is it that everything he wants to have like me, he can't? And why can't I teach him to be like me anyway?”
“I don't know,” she confessed, “But sooner or later he'll have to learn to be himself, just like you did.”
“But what is 'himself' anyway?” he asked. “I don't have the heart to tell him this, but he doesn't seem to have any special abilities at all.”
“He will,” Luna asserted, nodding her head confidently. “Once he stops trying to have yours.”
Toby groaned. “Am I being egotistical,” he asked, “To wish that he did have mine?”
She shook her head, and advanced a few steps only to turn and push her muzzle past his into a warm doggy embrace. “No,” she replied. “You're just proud of him. Maybe if you tell him that, he'll stop trying so hard to please you.”
Toby nodded, finding this to be, if not wholly settling, certainly an encouragement. Perhaps it was less that it gave him an idea of direction than that he knew just as he loved and was proud of his son without reservation, so Luna supported him in the same way. He nuzzled her back. “Thanks, Luna.”
As they continued on, he added, “But be honest. Don't you want the girls to look up to you?”
“If you come right down to it, I'd rather have them look up to you,” she answered to his surprise. “I'm not the one who wears the pants in this family.”
Toby smirked. “Need I point out the obvious?”
As promised, Toby told the pups a story that night while they nestled in their basket. Luna curled around them, and Arrow, who was by now at the stage where she felt she should sleep on her own, was in a basket nearby. Toby sat facing the menagerie, regaling them with the story you may know as Wilderness Hunt, the tale of how he and Luna, together with Nome's police team, had tracked down and captured a desperate criminal. It was a familiar tale, and one by one the pups drifted off, all except for Caspar. He sat riveted to his spot, his eyes shining as if he could see the events played out before him. And indeed they were, for Caspar had a most powerful imagination, more than Toby's had ever been. He could see an event that had happened, or a plan as he hoped it would, as clearly as the finest movies ever made.
When Toby finished the tale, Caspar bounced up to his hind legs twice. “More, more,” he pleaded.
Luna nudged him back down. “No, Caspar. It's time for you to go to sleep.”
“But I'm not sleepy,” he whined.
“Let me take him for a minute,” Toby said. “I want to have a talk with him anyway.”
“He needs his sleep,” Luna replied. “So do you and I, for that matter.”
“We won't be long,” Toby replied, picking up Caspar and walking out the door.
As Toby set Caspar down, the pup's tail was whipping again. “That was really great, Dad,” he said. “How you took down that Lawrence guy, and got everyone back safely, and...”
Toby stopped him. “Well, it wasn't all me, remember,” he said. “I was only as good as Luna and the team. They all had skills that played a part in getting us to him and capturing him.”
“Yeah, but you were the best,” said the pup. “Someday I'm going to be smart and brave and strong, just like you.”
Toby placed a paw on his son’s back. “Let me ask you something,” he said. “What makes us strong?”
The pup shrugged. “Exercise, good diet, fresh air,” he replied, listing the things Luna had always said would make them big and strong.
Toby shook his head. “I don’t mean that kind of strong,” he explained, “although those are important too. But the kind of strength that really matters is from others.” He grew quiet then, speaking in a soft tone. “Inside you is a part of everyone who loves you. First your mother and me, then your brothers and sisters, then Charlie and Connie and even Eugene and their parents.”
“And Grandma and Grandpa?” asked Caspar.
Toby nodded. “And them too,” he agreed. “Everyone who has ever loved you and everyone you’ve ever loved is inside your heart, and as life goes on you’ll get more and more of them.”
“But I’m not big enough to have anybody inside my heart,” protested Caspar.
Toby wanted to hit himself over the head. “I didn’t mean it that way,” he admitted. “It was a figure of speech. It’s like, your mother and I, your brothers and sisters, everyone who cares about you is a part of you, and you’re a part of them. It’s all those parts, working together. That’s where real strength comes from. Does that make sense?”
Caspar thought about it. His parents being part of him made sense; he’d always known from the way he and they smelled that he was somehow a mix of them. And it made sense that his brothers and sisters were part of him too, in some different way. It didn’t all make sense, but he knew one thing for sure with the kind of certainty only a child can have. He knew that if his father said it, it was true. “Not all of it,” he admitted. “But I think I understand.”
Toby smiled. “Atta boy,” he beamed, patting his son on the head. “Always remember, wherever you go, I’ll always be here…” he removed his paw from Caspar’s head and brought it down until the tip touched the pup’s chest. “…and here.”
Caspar smiled. “I will, Dad. I promise.”
Toby yawned. “Well now, it's time for us both to go to bed. Let's get you inside, okay?”
“Can you stay tonight?” pleaded Caspar.
“You know I have my own home with Charlie and the Winters family,” he replied as he escorted his young progeny inside.
“Please?” begged Caspar. “I like having you there when I go to sleep.”
Luna's ears pricked. “I wouldn't mind the company either,” she added encouragingly.
Toby shrugged. “Well, I guess I can stay for a while,” he conceded. After all, he knew even if he wanted to forget that all too soon the pups would go to new homes and family moments like this would be gone. As he nudged Caspar into the basket and assumed his usual position with his head over Luna's back and his eyes on the pups, he added, “But Charlie will want me there in the morning.”
Caspar smiled, yawned, and nestled up among his brothers and sisters. As Luna began to softly croon a lullaby, Caspar rolled his father's words around in his head. “Your mother and I, your brothers and sisters, everyone who cares about you is a part of you, and you’re a part of them. That's where strength comes from. Always remember, wherever you go, I'll be right here.”
Dad's a part of me, he thought, smiling. And someday, that part is going to show itself, and I'll be the best dog there ever was, just like Dad!
The following morning, Luna was sleeping peacefully. The only break in her slumber had been waking up for two minutes when Toby got up to give her a quick goodbye lick and then return to Charlie's. But she was about to experience a much ruder awakening.
“Geronimo!” came a loud call.
“Huh?” asked Luna groggily. But that was all she had time for, because the next thing she felt was an impact in the middle her back. Startled, she rose, and the pressure slid down her side into the middle of the sleeping pups, setting off an eruption of protest.
“Hey, no fair!” cried one. “I almost had that rabbit this time!”
“I was after a caribou!”
“I was dreaming about having a good dream!”
Amidst the roused barks of his siblings, Caspar lay where he had landed, belly up, grinning sheepishly at Luna, who wanted to laugh at how cute he looked in spite of her great annoyance.
“So, she asked, her warring sides settling on a truce with a stern expression, “What was your dream, Caspar?”
Rolling over, he withered slightly under her gaze. “I was, um, sleepwalking?” he ventured.
“Nice try,” Luna pressed. She didn't like to get mad, especially at her own pups first thing in the morning. But Caspar's hesitation prompted her to suspect something else. “Were you playing at being Toby?”
He shrank slightly. “Maybe,” he replied.
She heaved a sigh. Be supportive, he thought. “What story?”
The slight softening of her tone heartened him. “I was practicing my jumps,” he said. “Like when you and dad used to play in...”
“The storage lot, I remember,” she interrupted. Her back still hurt every time she thought about it. “Caspar, did-” but she was interrupted by a nudge at her side. Looking down, she saw Melchior pushing his nose against her stomach. “Yes?” she asked.
Mel looked up. “I'm hungry,” he said. This prompted the other pups to look up at her expectantly too.
Luna sighed and rolled onto her side. Apparently any further discussion of Caspar's antics would have to wait until after breakfast.
Finding the chance to talk to Caspar didn't turn out as easy as Luna had hoped. After breakfast, the pups all wanted to play. Since she didn't want to embarrass Caspar in front of his siblings – a major faux pas, according to advice previously gathered from several experienced parents – and since Toby hadn't arrived yet, and since she didn't want to send the rest of the pups off to play unsupervised, Luna decided their discussion would have to wait. Until then, she located a rag and let them have at it.
Toby did arrive later that morning, somewhat later than usual. He was grinning openly over a game of fetch with Charlie. “Hey, honey, I-”
“Daddy!” the pups cheered, dropping the rag and crowding around him.
“Hey, kids,” he laughed, sticking his muzzle into their midst.
“Wanna play rip-the-rag?” asked Star.
“Mom and Dad are too big to play that with us,” Arrow pointed out. “We need a game adults can play.”
“How about caribou hunt?” suggested Luna brightly. “Daddy can be the caribou.”
“Yay!” the pups cheered. “Dad's a caribou!”
“What about you?” asked Toby, looking at Luna.
“I'll be along soon,” she replied, putting a paw on Caspar's tail to hold him back. “You can go ahead and I'll catch up.”
Toby noted her position and Caspar's pinned tail, raised an eyebrow, and then shrugged, knowing Luna would fill him in on the details later. “Okay, then,” he said, turning to the pups. “Catch me if you can!” And so saying, he made a mad dash for the pet flap with the pups fast on his heels.
As the last of his siblings exited, Caspar looked up at Luna, looking hurt. “Why can't I play too?” he asked.
“You can,” she told him, “But first we need to talk.”
His ears drooped. “Did I do something bad?” he asked.
“Well...” she hesitated. She didn't want to tell him he shouldn't be like his father – after all, she reasoned, there were few better role models for him to emulate, and certainly a number of worse ones. “I just wanted to ask you about your talk with Toby last night.”
Caspar smiled. “It was great,” he yipped cheerfully. “He told me about how even though there's other people and dogs inside me, he's a part of me too.”
Luna was confused. “What?”
Didn't she hear me? he wondered. “I said he told me about...”
“I got that part,” Luna cut him off. “I just don't know what you mean. What exactly did he say?”
Caspar concentrated, trying to remember every detail of the conversation. “Well,” he said, “We were talking about the story he told last night, and he said that there were other dogs who had skills that helped stop that Lawrence guy. Then he started telling me about where real strength comes from, bits of everyone we like inside of us working together.”
Luna was getting confused. “That doesn't make any sense,” she replied.
Caspar was disappointed. Why couldn't his mother understand? It all made sense last night when Toby told it to him. Maybe I can't make sense like him yet, he thought, not liking the thought at all. “Well, I didn't get all of it either,” he admitted. “But he talked about how you and he are part of me, and other people and dogs who love me like Grandma and Grandpa are part of me, and even some humans like Connie, and those are all what make me strong.”
Luna was starting to get it, and she had some idea now of Toby's strategy. “Alright,” she said. “That's all I need to know for now.”
Caspar smiled and wagged his tail. “Now can I go play?”
Luna nodded. “Yes, we'll both go. I've been itching for a little fun myself.”
They found Toby cornered by the pups between two houses a few blocks away. His fur was mussed and damp with snow, a testament to the wildness of the game. “Looks like you've bitten off more than you can chew, huh caribou?” asked Luna.
Toby laughed. “I guess so,” he replied as the pups, circled around him, surged in for their “kill.” But just as they were about to get him, he gathered himself and bounded over their heads, laughing. “But then,” he added as he hit the ground and made a dash for the gap between Luna and the wall, “I've been wrong before!”
Luna calmly stepped in his way, causing him to crash into her and fall flat. “Yeah, you sure have,” she replied as she extracted herself from the wreckage and the pups rushed in to take her place.
“Hey!” Toby protested as they swarmed him like piranhas, “Whose-ow! Side-Ack! Are-dow! You oon-ow!”
Luna laughed as Caspar joined the fracas. “Ask me again when your ears are gone,” she joked as Arrow and Caspar began a game of tug-of war with Toby's ears between them.
“Ow-ow-ow!” Toby cried.
Luna smiled. “OK, kids, the caribou's dead. Let him up,” she chided.
“If he's dead,” asked Angel, “Why are we letting him up?”
“Because now I have to go to caribou heaven,” he replied with an exaggerated groan.
Luna laughed as the pups tumbled off of Toby and he rose to his feet. “Do I still have my fur?” he asked jokingly as he turned his head every which-way to check for damage.
Arrow smirked. “Everything but the top of your head, Dad,” she reported, to laughter from the rest.
Toby looked at Luna, worried. “She's joking, right?”
“Relax, dear,” she said, touching her nose to his. “Bald's a cute look for you.”
“Ha-ha, very funny,” he grumbled, touching a paw to his scalp just to be sure.
“Now what, Mom, Dad?” asked Caspar. “What do we play now?”
Toby smiled, a certain smile Luna had come to dread. “Now...” he gloated.
“Honey, don't you da-”
“It's your mom's turn to be the caribou!”
“Yeeaaahh!” cheered the pups, surging towards Luna. Luna, in mock-terror, ran off down the street fast enough to stay ahead but slow enough to make it a reasonably fair chase. “Toby!” she called, “I'm going to get you for this!”
Toby laughed and ran after them, chortling all the way.
At the end of the race, Luna suggested a visit to her parents, receiving mixed responses. Star was in favor. Angel and Zar were indifferent. Arrow was okay with it, but said she'd rather stay with Luna or go home and see if Eugene wanted to play. And Mel said he'd prefer to go home and take a nap. In the end, Arrow was permitted to go home, since Eugene was her master, and Caspar talked the others into going to see their grandparents.
Once they had dropped in to visit Copper and Taya (who were more than glad to have their grandkids' company), Luna quietly disappeared with Toby at the first opportunity. While the grandparents kept the youngsters entertained, the two stepped out onto the porch.
“Is something wrong?” asked Toby.
Luna shook her head. “I don't know as there's something wrong, exactly, but Caspar was playing around again this morning and from what he said, you said something last night that prompted him to do it.”
“What?” asked Toby. “I don't know what you mean.”
“He said you told him that you were part of him, and that he got his strength from that.”
“I told him... oh wait...” he trailed off. “Well, yes, but I told him that everyone was a part of him-everyone who cares about him and vice-versa, that is.”
“He mentioned that too, but apparently he zeroed in on one fact: you are part of him.”
He groaned. “I was trying to explain to him that I'm not the only part of who he is. That there's a great deal to his identity and his destiny, not just the little bit of him he got from me.”
She sighed. “I believe you,” she said softly, “But he's not getting that message clearly enough. You need to get the point across to him that his future is his own, and that he has to find his own gifts.”
He nodded. “I'll try,” he promised. “And soon. Definitely soon.” Lowering his gaze to the floor, he muttered, “But it would be a lot easier if I had some idea of what his gifts are.”
She smiled and licked his cheek. “You'll figure it out,” she said. “I have faith in you.”
Toby spent the better part of the day trying to decide how to talk to his son about their little problem. He wanted to be clear, but he didn't want to be so emphatic as to sound angry. More than anything, he wanted to avoid hurting the pup's feelings, knowing how difficult it had been when, as a pup, he himself had been brought face-to-face with his own ineptitude. “Caspar, I'm glad you want to be like me, but I just don't think you can,” he tested. “No, that last part sounds too harsh. Son, it's great that you want to be like me, but I think you should try to learn what you can do yourself. No, still not coming out right. Look, Cas...”
“Who are you talking to, dad?”
Toby looked to see Caspar coming toward him. “Oh, hey,” he greeted, taken aback slightly. “Caspar, I've uh... I've been meaning to talk to you.”
“You have?” asked the pup.
“Yeah, there's something I need to explain.”
“What's that?” asked Caspar, tilting his head.
“It's this business of you trying to do all the stuff in the stories.”
Caspar began to wag his tail. “You want to go practice?” he asked.
“No, no,” Toby replied. “I... that is...” he trailed off, trying to think. He took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. “Look, son, I'm glad that you want to be like me, really, it's just...”
Caspar groaned. “Have you been talking to Mom again?”
Toby paused. “Well, yes.”
“I knew it. You're starting her routine about how I should stop acting like you and try to be me.”
Toby clicked his tongue. “Well, yes, but-”
“But I don't want to be me, Dad. Me is boring. There's nothing special about me.”
“That's not true. There's a lot that's special about you.”
“Like what?” asked Caspar, looking up at him. “Name something.”
“Well,” Toby began, not sure how to finish. “You're adventurous, you're smart...”
“Yeah, but you were always smart, Dad.”
“Not according to your mother,” he joked. “Look, all I'm asking is for you to try something different once in a while.”
“You mean I can't play the stories anymore?”
Toby froze. He had no idea how to answer that. If he said Caspar couldn't practice anymore, the pup might think he wasn't proud of him. But if he said that he could, then how could he expect him to pursue gifts of his own?
After a moment's careful thought, he replied, “Well, I was just thinking it might be more fun to try something new, something we haven't done before.”
“But I like the old games. I like hiding and climbing and fun things like that.”
“Well, yes, but don't they ever get boring?”
“No.”
Toby blew out through pursed lips. I wonder if I was this much trouble, he thought. “We'll talk about this later, OK?”
“OK,” Caspar mumbled. No puppy likes to hear that his parents want him to quit his favorite pastime, and he was no exception to the rule.
“Come on,” said Toby. “It's getting dark. We'd better get you back home.”
After returning Caspar to Luna's house, Toby wandered around town for awhile, pondering his dilemma. So engrossed was he in wondering he didn't even notice the chill creeping through his fur. What could he do to get Caspar to try something new?
“Boy, you look glum,.”
“Huh?” Toby's head shot up. Looking back and forth, he spotted a familiar yellow husky a few yards away. “Oh. Hi Pete.” Pete's presence was much more welcome than it had been in the past. It was true, he still had his troublesome moments, but he was working hard to reform his character, and it was definitely showing.
“What are you up to this time of night?” asked the blusky.
Pete smiled just a little. “On my way home from a date with Trixie,” he replied.
“How'd it go?”
Pete's smile broadened. “She said she's never seen me so...” he paused to remember the word. “Courteous.”
Toby smiled. “Glad to hear it's working out,” he replied. But his smile soon faded as he thought again of his own problems.
“Something wrong?”
Toby nodded. “It's my son, Caspar.”
“Caspar, Caspar...” Pete struggled to place the name. “Oh, the ru- uh, the little guy who wants to be like you?”
“Bingo.”
Pete's ears pricked forward. “What'sa matter with him?”
Toby heaved a deep sigh. “Oh, he's trying too hard to be like me. And I don't have the heart to tell him, but he's nothing like me at all. Now I'm trying to figure out something he and I can do that won't be some play on my old adventures. I'm hoping something will click and he'll figure out what he's good at.”
Pete nodded. “Huh. I guess that would be a bit of a problem, wouldn't it?”
“You can say that again.” Both of them stared into the distance for a minute. “I have to come up with something,” Toby stressed. “It's not like an idea will just walk up and smack me in the face.”
“Why dont'cha try just wandering around?” asked Pete.
Toby looked at him. “You think that would work?” he asked skeptically.
The husky shrugged. “Always works for me,” he replied. “When I was with the gang, if we didn't have any trouble to get into, we'd roam around looking for some. When I'm out with Trixie and we don't know what to do, we wander around and look for somethin'. When I'm bored, I go for a walk. It doesn't take a genius.”
Toby scrunched his chin and gently chewed on his lower lip, considering the idea. Why not? He could always pitch it to Caspar like they were exploring. That could be fun. Besides, what could it hurt? “I guess I might as well try it,” he replied. “Thanks, Pete.”
“Eh, don't mention it. See ya around.” And with that, Pete trotted off toward home, and Toby happily turned and headed for his.
Caspar was not in the highest of spirits the next morning. While his siblings frisked around with a leather ball filled with elk hair, he sat and moped, drooping so that he looked for all the world like an un-watered plant.
“Is something wrong?” Luna asked, nudging him slightly.
He sighed. “You got through to Dad, Mom. Now he doesn't want me to be like him either.”
Luna's heart sank, taking her gaze with it until her eyes were focused on the spot between her front paws. Now no one was happy, and she was the reason why. But what could she do? There was no helping his lack of similarity to his father. But should she have made such an issue of it? Maybe things would have been fine if she had just let him and Toby play. Perhaps he could learn how to do the things nature hadn't given him the aptitude for. Sure, she worried, but why? At heart her son was no different than his father, and Toby had turned out just fine. Did I do the right thing? she asked herself. And if not, where did I go wrong?
“Is everything okay?”
“Daa!” Luna jerked back. She'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed Toby's approach.
Toby and Caspar both jumped too, startled by her cry. The pups also whipped their eyes in the trio's direction, wondering what was the matter.
“Luna, what's wrong?” asked Toby.
“Nothing,” she replied. “You just... surprised me, that's all.”
Toby nodded. “Ah.” Lowering his voice to a whisper, he added, “Well, I was wondering if I could take Caspar for the morning.”
His whisper wasn't quiet enough. “Can we come too?” called the other pups.
Toby shook his head. “No, Caspar and I need a little father-son time.”
The other pups nodded and went back to their game. It was hardly unusual for Toby to take one of them away for a few hours of “father-son” or “father-daughter” time, and although the pups coveted the attention it always brought, they had been taught never to interfere with one another's special time.
For once, however, Caspar wasn't interested. “I wanna be alone,” he said.
“I think you'll like it,” Toby said in a sing-song voice. Leaning in close to the pup's ear, he added, “It's something I did a lot of when I was a pup.”
“I thought you wanted me to stop that,” he replied.
“So did I,” Luna observed.
Toby shook his head. “Well, I just might have changed my mind.”
“Really?” asked Caspar, instantly forgetting the previous day's discussion. His eyes sparkled, and his tail began to wag again. “What, what?”
“I'll tell you when we get outside,” was the reply. Toby paused just long enough to give Luna a reassuring look, and then he and Caspar headed out the door.
“So, what are we going to do today?” asked Caspar.
“Exploring,” Toby answered, smiling.
“Oh, exploring.” Caspar didn't know how to respond. “What's exploring.”
“Well, we go around and look for fun places to go, things to do, that sort of thing,” Toby explained.
This pleased Caspar, and he fell into step beside his father. “How come you never talk about doing this exploring stuff before?” he asked.
He shrugged. “Well, it didn't really figure into anything I did directly,” he replied. “But exploration was where all my adventures began.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Like the storage lot where I met your mother and climbed on boxes and played all those games. That was lots of fun to explore, because the humans are always moving things around there.”
“Cool!” the pup was all smiles now. “Can we explore that?”
Toby shook his head. “Nah, we've been there lots of times. Most of the fun of exploring is to go someplace you haven't been before.”
“Oh.” Caspar seemed disappointed.
“But we can start there,” added Toby. Caspar grinned.
For once in the time Toby had known him, Pete's idea turned out to be a smash hit. Caspar delighted in finding new places in his hometown, from spaces to sniff out under buildings to interesting back alleys to nose around in, although Toby had to veto some of these, since one didn't always know what might be in them. All in all, the two of them had a splendid time of it. Even though much of it was nothing too special, there was the enjoyment of spending it together. And of course, with two imaginations as fertile as theirs, nothing stayed dull for long. A space under a house could become a bear's den, or a dim alley could be a mountain pass. Caspar liked it so much that Toby practically had to carry him home by force for lunch. Even then the only way he could convince him to stay was to promise they could do more in the afternoon.
“So,” asked Luna, “What did you and daddy do all morning?”
“We went exploring?” Caspar beamed.
“What's exploring?” asked Star.
“It's wandering around looking for new stuff and new places,” he explained. “Like bear dens and canyons, and...”
“You found all that here in Nome?” asked Star, wide-eyed.
“Sure,” he beamed. “Well, sorta. You've gotta use your imagination.”
“Well,” Luna chuckled, “It sounds like the two of you had a good time.”
“Can we go exploring too?” asked a chorus of eager voices.
“No, it's my and Dad's thing to do together,” protested Caspar.
“Hold on,” Luna countered sternly. “It's not like only you can go exploring with Toby.”
“But it's my time with him.”
“You had all morning,” she pointed out. “Toby's not just your father, you know.”
“Yeah, I know,” he grumbled. He wanted to argue further, but he knew there was no winning it. Luna was very firm on teaching the pups about sharing.
Toby was somewhat bothered when they put the question to him. He too had been enjoying the alone-time with his son, but he knew that it wasn't fair to exclude his other children. Still, he had promised Caspar that they could explore in the afternoon, and he felt sure that the two of them were on the verge of a breakthrough, that the elusive secret of Caspar's gift was just around the corner.
Luna sensed her mate's unease, and wondered how to balance things out. “What if you take Caspar,” she offered, “And I'll take the rest of the pups?”
“No,” chorused four voices. “We want to go with Daddy.”
Toby scrunched his chin. “It seems like the only fair solution to me,” he said, trying to ignore the ensuing moans.
“Maybe we can all do something special together another day,” offered Arrow.
“Good idea,” Luna smiled. “And since you brought it up, there's a place I've been meaning to take everyone at some point. This could be a good chance for that, maybe this weekend.”
“You mean the place?” asked Toby.
She nodded, gamely ignoring the curious looks and questions of “What place?”
And that was that.
That afternoon, or evening rather since Nome was still in near-total darkness that time of year, the two dogs' travels took them to the old sawmill. Toby was uncertain about going inside, but Caspar really wanted to check it out.
“OK,” Toby conceded, “But stay close to me, and be careful.”
“Why?” asked the pup.
“Because, um, it's enemy territory. Wolves live there, bad ones. Really clever too, they even know how to set traps like the humans do.”
Caspar's eyes went wide. “Really?”
“Yep,” said Toby. “So we can go in if you really want to, but we have to be careful.”
The pup nodded. “Okay,” he whispered.
Inside, the mill was dark and dusty. Piles of lumber, cut and uncut, lay on every side. To Caspar, they looked like huge boulders. The second floor, built onto the walls on either side, loomed like a pair of towering cliffs. Woodcutting equipment lay around, bristling with toothed blades like sharp rocks at the bottom of a waterfall. Even to Toby, who had been through his share of scrapes and tight spots, it was more than a little spooky.
“What are we looking for in here?” asked Caspar.
Toby wished he had asked that question before they went inside. He was tempted to say “The exit,” but thought better of it. “Uh, the bad wolves have a sled team trapped in here,” he said. “And we've got to find them and set them free.”
“Why are they keeping them here?” he asked.
“Because they're mean, of course.”
“Oh.”
Toby's ears shot up. “I heard something.”
Caspar froze. “What is it?”
Toby's head flicked back and forth. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness by now, but there wasn't much to see. “Wolves,” he replied. “They must know that we've come t-”
And then he stopped. Had a shape just flitted through the shadows? It must have been his imagination. No, there it went again. Something had definitely darted across a patch of light coming in through a window. Was it a rat? He hoped not. Rats usually wouldn't pick a fight with a dog his size, but it wasn't at all unheard of for them to go after, and even kill and eat, a small puppy like Caspar.
“Caspar,” he whispered, “I think it might be better if we leave.”
“But what about the dogs?”
Me and my big mouth, thought Toby. He, of all dogs, should have known how potent a pup's imagination could be, especially his son's. “We can worry about that later,” he hissed. “Now that the wolves know we're here, we can't get near the dogs' prison.”
“Maybe if you distract them, I can sneak in and free the dogs.”
“No!” he snapped. The last thing he wanted now was his son slipping off alone. “We have to stay together.”
“But we've gotta do something,” insisted the pup. “We can't just leave the sled team behind.”
“OK,” Toby agreed. “I think they're keeping them down at the other end, so here's the new plan. We'll go out so they'll think we've left. Then we'll come in at the other end and let the dogs go. In and out, real quick.”
“OK.”
They headed for the exit, but before they could get there, Caspar let out a frightened yip. “Wolves!” he cried.
Toby turned and saw the last thing he wanted to see. Not wolves, but rats, just as he had feared. A small pack of them were heading straight for Caspar, teeth and eyes glinting. Caspar stood frozen in fear at the site of the rodents, some of them almost as big as he was.
Toby lunged, grabbed his son by the neck, and with a sharp twist of his own, flung him towards the door. “Go!” he yelled. “I'll hold them off and catch up!”
The frightened puppy didn't argue. Instead, he dashed outside into the moonlight.
Toby caught the first rat in his teeth, bit hard, and tossed the broken body away. But in the time it took him to kill that one, six more swarmed his legs and began jumping for his throat. Slinging them off, he ran, grabbing the more stubborn ones off his legs and chest as he bloted outside to join his son. He was bleeding from several small, painful bites when they re-united.
“Dad, are you okay?” asked Caspar.
He panted. “Yeah, I'm fine,” he said. Lest Caspar for some reason try to stick to the game, he added, “Let's go home. It looks like the sled team managed to get out the other way while we distracted the wolves.”
“Good,” said Caspar. “I don't want to mess with any more of them.”
As they trotted home, Caspar looked up at Toby. “You were really great, Dad. The way out took on those wolves was...”
“Rats,” Toby interrupted. “They were rats, not real wolves.”
“Well, yeah. But the way you took them on was the best.”
Toby nodded, too weary for the words to make a mark. “Thanks,” he said, “But let's never do that again, OK?”
Caspar nodded. “Okay,” he agreed. “No more wolves.”
They knocked paws on it and headed for home. After a moment, Toby started to chuckle.
“What's so funny?” asked Caspar.
“Oh, nothing,” he laughed, looking at the bites and scratches adorning his front side. “I'm just wondering what your mother will say when she sees me like this.”
They got lucky. Luna was still out with the other pups. So the two of them settled down to rest by the fire and wait for them while Mrs. Calvin did various tasks about the kitchen and hummed to herself, waiting for her husband to return from work and their kids from school. The flames bathed the two dogs in warmth. The smell of pine smoke and the aroma of bread baking in the oven mingled in the air. The crackling flames and the woman's soft aria surrounded father and son. As the terror of the rat-infested mill left their minds like dust swept out the back door, a sense of peace settled over them like an eagle spreading her wings over her nest. All was well.
Caspar looked at Toby. “Dad?” he asked.
“Hmm?” Toby murmured, lifting his head.
“Will you teach me how to fight rats like you did?”
Toby stifled a moan. Luna would kill me if I did, he thought. “I wish I could, son, but it's just too risky.”
“Why?”
He took a deep breath. “Rats are dangerous. Normally they won't go after someone as big as me, but if you had tried to fight them yourself, they would have badly hurt you; probably even killed you. You're just a snack to them.”
Caspar's eye got wide. “You mean they wanted to eat me?” he squeaked.
“I'm afraid so,” Toby said. “Even for someone as big as me they can be dangerous. If enough of them came after me, or even just one if it had rabies, I'd be in trouble.”
“Oh.” The pup took this in. “Did you ever get hurt by a rat?”
“No, I guess I just lucked out when I was your age. I never ran into any live ones, just a few dead ones that I liked to scare your aunts with.”
“Were you scared of live rats?” the pup asked.
“Oh, very,” Toby asserted. “Especially tonight. I was so scared I didn't know what to think. But I knew I couldn't let them hurt you, no matter what. I'm not about to lose my son to a bunch of rodents.”
Caspar buried the top of his head in Toby's chest. “You're the best, Dad,” he smiled.
Toby smiled and curved his neck, bringing his head around to draw his son in closer. “Thanks.”
The two of them stayed that way for some time before they heard the squeak of the pet flap, heralding the arrival of Luna and the other pups.
“Well, this is a surprise,” Luna remarked as father and son rose to greet the pack. “You're home early?”
Toby shrugged. “We figured we'd give the ra- I mean wolves, a break after we freed the hostages.”
Luna nodded. “Oh, I-” she stopped as she noticed the scratches all over Toby's front legs. “Wait, where did you get those?” she asked.
It was a long and awkward conversation that ensued. While Toby tried to describe it as calmly as possible, Caspar, seeing the events play out once more as he had imagined them, kept interrupting with his version of the stories. The other pups, excited over this daring adventure, had immediately wanted to hear every detail and began peppering the two explorers with questions. Melchior even got it into his head to set out and see the “wolves” for himself until Toby threatened to cancel the family trip if he tried it. And Luna just stared at Toby as if she couldn't believe he would do something so crazy. “Why would you go into the old mill anyway?” she demanded.
“Because I didn't expect there to be rats in there,” he confessed. “I guess they were nesting in the sawdust and wood shavings.”
Luna shook her head. Questions swirled through her mind. How could he have not known there would be rats? Why would he and Caspar choose the old mill, of all places, to explore? Then as she shook her head, her gaze fell upon their pups. Five pairs of eyes were fixed on Toby. One pair was looking at her.
Arrow. It dawned on Luna that Arrow's parents, her real ones who had died long ago, must have argued just like she and Toby were on the verge of doing. Was that what she wanted her babies to see? Mom yelling at Dad over an honest mistake? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Are you sure you're okay?” she asked, the only question that really mattered.
Toby nodded. “Yeah. None of them bit too deep, and I didn't smell rabies on them, so I think I'm fine.”
She smiled and stepped forward to push her face against the side of his. “Alright,” she agreed, “That's good enough for me.”
“Does that mean I can check out the sawmill now?” asked Mel.
“NO!”
After Luna had gotten the pups settled down for the night, there was one question she realized she had meant to ask Toby. But he had already gone home for the night, so at first she decided to forget about it until morning. Only she couldn't. The question ate away at her mind for hours and hours, robbing her of sleep until at last she did something she had never done before: she got up and left the pups sleeping by themselves. Their fur was thick enough now that between it and the heat emanating from the coals in the fireplace, they should be warm until she got back.
She dashed down the street and around to Toby's house, anxious to learn the answer to her question and get back to the pups. She slipped in the pet flap and crept up the stairs to Charlie's room, Toby's preferred sleeping place. Sure enough, there he was curled up on the foot of the bed. She nudged him with her nose until he woke. “Luna?” he asked. “What are you doing here at this time of night?”
“I need to ask you about Caspar,” she said. “While you were exploring today, did you find out anything?”
Toby's heart sank. In truth, he had forgotten all about it. “No,” he confessed. “All I found out was that he likes to explore.”
“Oh.” Luna was disappointed. “I don't suppose exploring is his gift.”
“It could be,” Toby pointed out. “Although there's not really much opportunity in Nome for canine trailblazers.”
She groaned. “Well, we're back to square one, I guess.”
“At least we found something he likes doing besides pretending to be me.”
“I guess,” she admitted. “And it's not like he has to make a career out of it. He can always just be someone's pet.”
“True,” he agreed without much enthusiasm. “I just wish he could... I don't know, excel.”
“He will,” she said, laying a paw on his. “I don't know how, but he will.”
He sighed. “I hope you're right.”
Caspar didn't object much when Toby advised they not do any more exploring the next day. Also, perhaps out of respect for Luna's concerns, Toby held off on sharing any tales of his childhood, defaulting instead to accounts of Balto's life and the lives of his children, including Luna's father Copper.
Caspar voiced no objections, but inside he was full of questions and worries. He had nearly been killed, his father had been clawed up and bitten several times, and for what? He wasn't any closer to being like his father. Maybe he didn't deserve to, he thought privately. I was the one who wanted to go into the mill anyway.
His brothers and sisters seemed unaffected by his dismal mood. Whatever Luna had told them about their upcoming family outing, it must have been good, because they were as excited to go as all get-out. For his part, Caspar just wanted to stay at home and sulk. But how could he say so? Everyone else was so excited, even Mom and Dad. And from what he heard, the place they were going was someplace really special to his parents. He couldn't just say no. It wouldn't be right.
And so, when the day came for the trip, Toby and Luna took their progeny out to see this special place. And along with them, his heart heavy and dissatisfied, went Caspar.
Toby and Luna started roughly at mid-morning and took them out of Nome, to a mountain not very far away from town. The air was cold, and before long all the pups were riding on one or the other of their backs except for Arrow, who was too big to ride. Caspar was complaining about the trip. How much longer would they be out there? Why couldn't they do it when it was warmer? Why did they have to do this now?
“What's wrong with you?” asked Angel. “Aren't you looking forward to it?”
“Yeah,” Caspar lied, “But why do we have to do it now?”
Toby looked at him in disbelief. “Caspar, why are you acting like this?”
“Because I don't want to go,” he sniped.
Toby was hurt. That hurt, and the frustration of the past several days, came out in gruffness. “Well, you should have spoken up sooner. I'm not turning around, and neither is your mother. You'll just have to keep a stiff upper lip about it.”
Luna turned to him. “Honey, do we really want him spoiling the trip for everyone?”
He shook his head. “No, but we don't want to spoil him either.”
“I want to go back,” Caspar repeated.
“What's your deal?” asked Mel. “This is fun. We never get to go out of town unless we're visiting the Northern Lights Pack.”
“Yeah,” agreed Star. “Besides, Mom said where we're going is a great place to see the northern lights.”
“Don't forget the sunrise,” chimed in Angel. “Mom said the sunrises there are the best. You did too, didn't you Arrow?”
“Yeah, they sure are.”
“But I don't want to go,” insisted Caspar.
“Too bad,” Toby countered. “We're going, plain and simple. You'll thank us for this one day.”
“Yeah, right,” the pup grumbled.
They reached the place at almost midday, as the light of the imminent sunrise was beginning to brighten the southern sky. It was a roughly semi-circular area at the top of small mountain, cloaked in snow from a flat face of rock about fifty feet wide at its back to a sheer dropoff some fifty feet away, The only closed area on the mountain was a small cave in the rock wall. The pups sat in hushed silence five feet back from the edge of the cliff, eagerly anticipating the brief dawn and the promised view. Luna had assured them it was something they would always remember, having no idea just how right she was.
Toby took Caspar, the only one not wagging his tail, aside. “Why have you been acting this way?” he asked. “You've done nothing but complain.”
“I didn't want to come here anyway,” he pouted. “What's so great about being here?”
“Son, this place is very special to our family, especially your mother. You have no idea what it's like to be up here at sunrise.”
“Maybe I don't want to be up here,” he complained. “Maybe I want to go home.”
“Daddy!” called Bethazaar. “Come on, you'll miss the sunrise!”
Toby sighed. “Look,” he said to the obstinate pup, “Can you just try to have fun for a few minutes? We won't be here that long.”
Caspar mumbled something under his breath and allowed himself to be led back to the others. He even made himself smile a little as Luna explained how her grandfather, Balto, had found the place years ago before even his and Jenna's first pups were born. He had shown it to Jenna, then they to their pups, and then Copper, their son, had shown it to Taya, and then they showed it to theirs. “It's a family tradition,” she explained. “And now you're a part of it.”
“Mommy look!” barked Zar.
Caspar had been rather cynical about the whole thing. But when the sun peeked over the horizon, he had to admit, it was a sight. Sure, it was blinding, but what a beautiful blindness it was! The white rays of light seemed to set the very sky on fire.
“Come see!” Luna called after a moment when everyone's eyes had adjusted. She was standing near the edge, but not too close for safety. “Look!” she said as they came forward to within two feet of the cliff.
The pups stared, mouths wide open. One or two even began to laugh out loud in delight. It was just that beautiful. Hundreds of feet below them the wilderness spread out as far as the eye could see. Pine forests covered the area around the base of the mountain for a mile or two, then dispersed into open tundra, beautiful and blindingly white, spreading to meet sea or far horizon. It was a sight that made one forget all cares and simply admire this extraordinary work of art. Even Caspar, in that moment, was glad his parents had made him come after all.
The peace was not to last, however. For as Luna turned, her back feet strayed a little too near the edge.
“AAAHH!”
Before they had time even to jump from the scream, she was barely hanging on by her front paws to the cliff's edge.
“Luna!” Toby jumped forward, grabbing onto her collar and struggling to pull her back up. Arrow quickly followed suit, bracing her paws in the snow and pulling up for all she was worth. But instead of making headway, Luna only slipped back further, sliding out of her collar and barely catching it in time. Now all three of them were clinging with all their might, Luna scrabbling desperately for even enough of a crack to lodge one toenail, and Toby and Arrow fighting for all they were worth to pull her back up.
The pups gaped, not knowing what to do. And for Caspar, it was gut-wrenchingly clear as their paws began to slip that they wouldn't be able to pull her back up. If only they could dig their claws in, it would be easy, he thought. But the only way they could do that was if they were facing the other way...
“That's it!” he cried.
“What's it?” asked Zar, but Caspar was already running forward. Crouching under his dad's stomach, he pressed his front paws against the front of Toby's leg and began to push.
“Caspar, what are you doing?” asked Star.
“Helping Dad!” he grunted. But he could feel he wasn't making much headway. “Help me!”
The pups just stared at him, wondering what had seized their brother.
“If we don't, Mom and Dad and Arrow will die!” he shouted. “Help me! I need your help!”
Mel ran forward and copied Caspar's position on Toby's other back leg. “You heard him!” he yelled to the others. “Let's do it!”
The other pups ran to Toby and Arrow, crowding in wherever they could. Angel and Star took Arrow, and Mel, seeing that Arrow was having the hardest time, helped them. “Your claws!” Caspar shouted. “Dig your claws into the ground!”
And they did, sinking their hind claws into the snow and ice for all they were worth. They pushed and clawed until they felt as if they had nothing left to give. Caspar, now short of breath, looked back once to see if Luna had made any progress. She was still barely visible, but he happened to glance at the ground behind him. “Footprints!” he grunted to the others. “We're... making... headway. Don't... give... up! Push!”
Inch by inch, millimeter by painful millimeter, they managed to give their father and big sister the footing they needed to move backward across the treacherous ground, until finally first one paw, then two paws, then two legs, and at last all of Luna was safely over the edge. Toby and Arrow, freed of the weight, tumbled backward, and the pups fell with them like dominoes. Everyone was, if you'll forgive the expression, dog-tired.
“Okay,” Luna panted. “I do not... want... to do that... ever again.”
“Amen,” Toby agreed, dragging himself to his feet. “Everyone alright?”
“I'm good,” Arrow gasped.
“Fine.”
“OK.”
“Alive.”
“Still breathing.”
“I'm alright,” reported the pups.
Luna, to the surprise of the pups, began to cry. Angel ran up to her and started to lick away the tears. Toby moved his head over both of them. “Luna, what's wrong?”
“Nothing, I'm fine,” she sobbed. “It's just... I was so scared. I thought I was going to die, and I knew if I fell you wouldn't let go, and... and...” after that her words were lost in more tears.
“But we made it, Mommy,” said Zar. “You're okay.”
“Thanks to Caspar,” Mel put in.
“Caspar?” asked Toby. “That was you?”
Caspar shrank a little, embarrassed. “Everyone helped,” he said. “But yeah, it was my idea.”
Toby laughed. He hadn't been able to tell who was shouting in the heat of the moment, but now that he knew, he laughed. “Good job, son!” he approved, ruffling the fur on Caspar's head. “You saved us all.”
Caspar's tail began to wag.
Luna, meanwhile, had managed to recover from her fright and find her feet. “You did a very good job,” she smiled, nuzzling him.
“Aw, Mom,” he groaned, flinching away from her nose.
Toby laughed. A hero one moment, and a regular pup the next. That's my boy, he thought. “Well,” he said out loud, noting the now-setting sun. “I think we've had enough of our little cliff-top vista. Let's go home.”
“Yeah,” groaned Arrow, neck still sore from the effort of pulling Luna up. “Home sounds really good right now.”
“Come on, Caspar,” said Zar as the pups gathered at the path. “Heroes lead the way home.”
Toby stopped him. “Uh, hold onto that thought for a minute. We'll catch up, but first I've got to have a talk with him alone.”
Caspar waited in silence as the rest of the group headed down the trail. Then he turned to his father. “I just want to tell you how proud I am of you,” Toby said.
“I just did what you would have done, Dad,” he replied.
Toby shook his head. “Nuh-uh, tiger. Not even close.”
Caspar was stunned. “But... but-but I thought...”
“You,” Toby went on, “Were ten times better than I could have been at your age. It's time you knew the truth, son. You're not like me. I'm a soloist at heart.”
“A soloist?” asked Caspar, puzzled. “What's a soloist?”
“A do-it-yourselfer,” he clarified. “I work okay with groups sometimes, and I sure work well with your mom, but you're different. Special. You're a leader.”
“I am?” asked the pup, eyes wide.
“Yes,” said Toby, so proud he was fighting tears. “Look at you. You're not even as big as your brothers, but when the time came you saw what had to be done and you got them to work together. You didn't have to explain your plan, they just followed you because that's what you are. It's who you are. You were born to lead the way.”
“Wow,” Caspar whispered.
“Now,” Toby added, “Why don't you lead the way to the rest of the family? I don't know about you, but I'm getting cold up here.”
“Yeah,” Caspar shivered. “Me too.”
As they set off down the path, Caspar looked up at his father. “So what am I going to lead, anyway?” he asked. “A sled team? Maybe some police dogs like you?”
Toby laughed. “I don't know,” he admitted, “But something tells me it's going to be great.”
The Beginning...
Copper, Taya © Redwolf03
All other characters © Dragon Tamer