A Slight Miss-take
The stars up in the black sky shone down on the sleepy town of Nome, and on the surrounding expanse of wilderness. On a hill just outside of town sat a young pair of dogs talking.
Luna gazed up at the sky. “The stars are beautiful tonight, aren’t they?”
Toby nodded, but he wasn’t looking at the stars. He was looking at his feet. Luna noticed. “Hey, what’s up?”
Toby blushed. “Uh, well, I was just thinking… there’s no telling when that guy might break out of prison again…or if some other maniac like him might show up and have to be stopped.” None of this was what he’d been planning to say, but now that it was said, he’d have to go on or look like an idiot. “What I mean is, we may need your skills again sometime.”
“Does that mean you’ll let me come next time?”
Toby’s face dropped. “Well, see, that’s just it. There’s still the rumor mill to consider.”
Luna sighed. “Tch. Not that again.” She considered. “On second thought, you’re right. We can’t go making a habit of it.” She looked at him. “So, any ideas as to how we could pull it off again?”
He swallowed. It was now or never. Judgement Day. Or Doomsday. “As a matter of fact, yes.” He nervously cleared his throat. “I think I do know a way it would be acceptable...”
Luna lifted her ears, making no effort to hide her interest. “I’m listening.”
“If…oh, man,” Toby groaned. This was not coming out right. “Luna, never mind what I said about making it look right. My point is that the next time I go somewhere, I want you to come. But…” he trailed off.
Luna smiled. “But not just as a diplomat?” she suggested, finishing his sentence.
“Yeah,” Toby agreed. “Way more than a diplomat.”
“Okay, just so I’m clear, are you asking me what I think you’re asking me?”
“Well, I’m not asking you to join the police team.”
Luna could hardly contain herself. For so long she had waited for this moment. Memories flashed before her eyes as if she were reviewing every key point in their relationship… until one came to mind that changed everything.
“Luna?” Toby’s tilted face filled her view. “Are you there? I said it’s what you think it is.”
She nodded. “I thought so.” Steadying herself with an easy breath, she answered, “Well, I guess the answer is… no.”
He jerked back in surprise. “No? But why? I thought...”
Unable to look him in the face any longer, she turned away. “I'm sorry, really. It's just that... oh, it's not that I don't love you. But that stunt you pulled, leaving me behind...”
Toby's ears leaned back. "Are you still upset about that? Luna, this way we wouldn't have to be apart again, ever.”
She looked back to him, ears down. “It's more than that.”
“Then tell me. Please.” He lifted her face with his muzzle. “You know I love you.”
That was the last straw. Luna turned and ran, weeping. “I can't!”
“Wait! Come back! Luna!”
He tried to run after her, but she had the head start. All he had was a load of confusion and disappointment weighing him down like an anchor. As she disappeared amongst the houses, he asked of her retreating tail, “What did I do wrong?”
The walk home was dismal and morose for Toby that night. What had happened to the fire that was between him and Luna? She said it was that he had left her behind, but he thought they were over that. He'd said he was sorry, meant it too. And the times they had spent together searching for that convict... well, he couldn't remember a time when their relationship had felt more real, more certain. It was on the return to Nome that he had decided she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Didn't she feel the same? For crying out loud, she had kissed him not two hours ago.
“THIS DOESN”T MAKE ANY SENSE!” he howled to the still night. “WHAT DID I DO WRONG?!”
“Disturbing the peace,” came a reply a few moments later. “Waking a police dog in need of his rest.”
“Sorry, I didn't mean...” he was so distracted with his troubles that the voice didn't even register until he turned to see who it was. “Dad? What are you doing home?”
Rex was poking his head out the dog door of his house, looking drowsy and none too pleased. Well, more so than usual. “The Chief came and picked me up from the vet's not long after you dropped in to visit. Come inside. It's cold out here.”
Toby trotted up the steps and slid in after his father's retreating head to find Rex shaking as if to ward off the chill of outdoors. The bloodhound still sported some bandages, but he looked a lot better than when Toby had last seen him. “Now, what's the fuss about?”
“I proposed to Luna, but she said no.”
Rex scrunched his already scrunched face. “Did she say why?”
“No. Well, kind of. She said it was something about me leaving her behind.”
“Ah, the house arrest.”
Not bothering to ask how Rex knew about that, Toby nodded. “Right. But I thought we were over that.”
“Apparently she felt otherwise.”
“That's what I don't get. Dad, you should have seen us after she caught up. Yeah, I was kind of cold at first over her slipping away from the canine police, but then she and I got along so well afterward. Romping in the snow, negotiating with the wolves... I guess you didn't know that part.”
“I did. Exile stopped in to give me a full briefing on the case. He mentioned how well you two were getting along.”
“I should have figured. Well, if he told you, then you can see why this makes no sense.”
“I can. Although my experience with females has taught me that, nine times out of ten, they don't make sense anyway.”
Toby groaned. “Dad, this really isn't the time for jokes.”
“Who's joking? We've talked about this before. You're looking for a rational answer, something a male would understand. Females, like Luna, tend to be more emotional.”
Toby thought over some of his experiences with Luna. “I suppose, but if she felt hurt, wouldn't this make up for it?”
“From a rational standpoint, yes. I suspect there's more to it.”
“So what do I do about that?”
“Well, if you're asking for my advice, talk it over with her.”
Toby groaned and let his head fall to the floor, taking the rest of him with it. “I tried that already.”
“Then give it some time and try again. What have you got to lose?”
“My best friend, my girlfriend, the best diplomat I could ever hope to have when it comes to wolves...”
Rex's face twitched. “Alright, so maybe that wasn't the right question to ask. Still, it's the best plan I can think of.”
Toby nodded. “Well, you are the expert on ladies around here.”
Rex chuckled. “That's true. At least I have a pretty good idea of how ignorant I am on the subject. Anyway, I think you'd best get a good night's rest. After everything you've been through, you deserve it.”
Toby rose to his paws and yawned. “Yeah, now that you mention it I am pretty tired Night Dad.”
“Goodnight son.”
Meanwhile, Luna was feeling pretty confused herself. A little voice in her head was asking her the very question she least wanted to think about.
Why did you turn him down? This has been your dream ever since you two started dating.
'Oh, shut up,' she retorted. 'I haven't felt that strongly for that long. You make me sound like Haley or Phoebe.'
Then when did you start wanting him to pop the question?
'The amnesia incident.' Why she was wasting her brain cells arguing with this unwanted voice in her head, she'd never know, but far be it from her to let herself win an argument by default. 'The way he coached me back to a full memory after fighting Pete to get me back, that's what got me thinking about something long-term.'
Okay, so what about that little 'comment' after the snafu with Loki? You said he'd make a great father someday.
'I was teasing him.'
Teasing that gave you dreams about you and him raising a litter of puppies?
' Just my stupid subconscious. Which is probably what you are, only you're the version with extra stupid.'
Says the girl who thought, 'Wow, I love that guy!' when he kissed you for the first time. And speaking of kisses...
“We're getting off the subject,” she snapped without meaning to say it out loud. Then she wanted to hit herself. 'Good grief, I'm losing my mind.'
“Luna?”
She groaned inwardly. She'd know that bark anywhere. 'Leave it to Dad to be in earshot right when I go off the deep end.' “Hey Dad.”
“What's the noise about?”
Luna turned to see Copper rounding the corner in her direction. “Just having an argument with myself. Where's Mom?”
“She's already home. I decided I wasn't quite tired yet, so I went for a stroll.” Copper, being a quarter wolf, had always been more given to night time strolls than his mate. Sitting down in the snow, he resumed his previous question. “So, what are you and yourself arguing about?”
Luna sighed. “Well, it's about Toby.”
“Ah.” Copper looked around. “Where is he anyway?”
“Probably looking for me. Speaking of which, can we walk? I'd rather stay ahead of him just now.”
Following her lead, Copper raised an eyebrow. “You want to avoid him? What's going on here?”
“Toby asked me to marry him, that's what's going on.”
Copper sat down to scratch an ear. “I must be losing my hearing. You want to avoid him because he popped the question? Why?”
“Because...” Luna frowned. This would be so much easier to discuss with her mother. “Because he put me under arrest so I wouldn't follow him on that trip.”
“Yes, but you sorted that out, didn't you? He said such good things about you on stage tonight.”
“After I proved myself, yeah. That's the problem; he wouldn't even listen to me until I pretty much cornered him into it.”
Copper scrunched his face, considering her complaint. “From what I heard he was just trying to keep you safe. Not to mention protect your reputation.”
Ordinarily Luna would have considered her father's point. Being out of sorts as she was, however, she looked away and muttered, “I should have known you'd take his side.”
“Is that what you think?” asked Copper. “Okay, young lady, let's go.”
“Go where?”
“My house. Maybe you'll listen to Taya.”
Luna was more than ready to argue, but then again, she knew well enough that her mother, of all dogs, never hesitated to speak her mind. 'Maybe she'll back me up,' she thought.
What she failed to consider was that Copper knew Taya far better than she ever could, and with good reason.
After Copper had nudged Taya awake, he had Luna explain everything to her too. In response, Taya shook herself. “Kids,” she muttered. “Haven't changed a bit.”
“I'm not a pup anymore, Mom. I'm a grown-up, and I want to be recognized as someone who can make her own decisions.”
Taya nodded. “Oh, I realize that. You want a relationship where you and Toby will talk things over as equals, not just him always having his own way all the time. Right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then tell me something. Were you ready to hear his side of the argument when you wanted to go?”
“What?” Taya was making about as much sense as gravel in a food dish. “Of course I listened to him, but he was wrong.”
“Maybe I'm not making myself clear. Were you willing to consider his point of view as openly as you wanted him to consider yours?”
“I...” Luna stopped, for she found she had nothing to say. “I don't know. I just wanted to go with him because I was worried about him.”
“And he wanted you to stay because he was worried about you,” put in Copper.
Luna gave her father a look. “Dad, no offense, but this is girl talk here.”
“Really?” Taya asked with a raised eyebrow. “I thought it was family talk.”
Luna snorted. “Now see? That's what I want things to be like for me and Toby – backing each other up, not arguing all the time.”
“Do you argue all the time?”
“More than you and Dad.”
Taya shook her head. “Sweetheart, you have no idea how much your father and I argue. Half the times we left you and the others with your grandparents were because we needed to sort things out. Now I wish we had let you see us argue more often; maybe then you would have learned a few things about settling your differences.”
Luna scrunched her face and leaned her ears back slightly. “I'm confused.”
“It's like this,” Copper replied. “Any time there are two individuals, they'll disagree sometimes. That's what makes us individuals: we think differently, we act differently, and sometimes that means that someone has to have the last say. Sometimes one gets their way, sometimes the other, sometimes it's a compromise. In the end, though, it's like the humans say: 'Two can't walk together unless they agree to do it.'”
Luna frowned. “I don't think I've heard that one.”
“Well, it's not word for word,” Copper admitted, shrugging. “I heard it a while back when I was passing by that tall pointy building. Anyway, the point is that you and Toby are going to disagree sometimes. That doesn't mean you have to split up every time you want things one way and he wants things another way.”
“So what am I supposed to do, let him have the last word every time?”
“Of course not,” Taya answered. “It just means that you two need to discuss things calmly and sensibly. And sometimes that may mean going along with something you don't really agree with. But if you and he are really committed to each other, it'll work out.”
“You really think so?”
Taya nodded and smiled. “I know so.”
Luna sighed. “Well, I guess one way or the other I'll have to talk this over with him anyway.”
Copper nosed her affectionately. “Go home and get some sleep, then talk it over with him in the morning.
Luna yawned. “I guess you're right.” She nuzzled them both. “Goodnight Mom. Goodnight Dad.”
“Goodnight Luna.”
“Goodnight sweetheart.”
After she left, Copper chuckled. “You'll have to stop calling her that. Pretty soon Toby's going to have exclusive rights on that nickname.”
“Well he'll just have to yield to my seniority.” Both of them laughed. “Speaking of yielding, I can't seem to remember something. Which one of us won that argument about whether or not to have pups?”
Copper laughed. “I think we both did.”
It was late morning when Toby finally rose from his bed, and with the pleasant forgetfulness that often accompanies waking up, he briefly forgot what had happened the night before. It was only when he noticed that Charlie was already gone – usually Toby had the jump on his young master – that he remembered the reason for his late night and let out a groan. “Now what am I going to do?”
His bitter mood as he slumped downstairs to start breakfast as the rest of the family cleared away their dishes wasn't lost on Charlie.
“Dad?” he asked as he balanced a glass on his plate with one hand while rounding up knife and fork with the other, “Does Toby look kind of sick to you?”
Nolan Winters picked up a water jug as he regarded the poorly-looking blusky. “I'd say he's probably tired from his long trip. Give him a day or two and he'll be just fine."
'A day or two? That's a laugh.'Scratching sounds at the door drew his attention. 'I wonder who...?'
“Toby?” came a bark.
Toby looked up from his breakfast. “Luna?”
“We need to talk. Is this a good time?”
'Is this a good time?!' he echoed in his head. Any time would be a good time to get this mess sorted out. “Yeah, I'll be right out.” He wolfed down the rest of his breakfast – no sense worrying Charlie any more than he already had, and made for the door. There was Luna, seated demurely on the steps and looking more shy than he had ever known her.
Drawing on his vast knowledge of what Luna did and didn't like, what kinds of romantic remarks always got her going, and an acute sense of developed intuition, he said, “Hey.”
“Hey,” she replied uneasily.
There was a moment of awkward silence. “I'm sorry I-” they both said at the same time. More silence. “I didn't mean-” Same song, second verse. “You go fir...”
'Good grief this is getting ridiculous,' thought Toby. He had his mouth half open to tell her to go first when she interrupted.
“You go first.”
Had he been an impartial observer, he probably would have rolled his eyes. As it was, he just took a deep breath. “I'm sorry about the house arrest. I was just trying to do what I thought was best for both of us.”
“I know. And I'm sorry I ran off like that. I should have given us a chance to talk things over.”
He shrugged. “I would have done the same thing, I guess. I can totally understand you freaking out.”
“I wasn't freaking out. Well, not exactly. Mostly I was just... worried.”
“What about?”
She shook her head. “I don't know. I guess after that incident, I started wondering if maybe you didn't love me like I thought you did.”
“Didn't love you?” That confused him. “Luna, I’ve always loved you, even before I loved you like now. I thought you knew that.”
“Let me finish. When you refused to listen to me as you were heading out, it really bothered me. I felt like you didn’t think I was worth listening to.”
Toby was silent for a moment. “Of course I think you’re worth listening to. I was only trying to protect us. You even said last night that it was a good idea not to give the gossips anything to talk about.”
Inwardly Luna groaned. “Figures you’d listen enough to remember when I admitted you were right,” she said without thinking.
“Now that’s not fair. I listen to you other times.”
“Yeah, but…” she stopped herself. This was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid. “Sorry. I’m doing the same thing right now.”
“What same thing?”
“Not listening like I want to be listened to. I really want things to work between us, and that’s not going to happen if we’re both always trying to come out on top.”
Resisting the urge to point out that this was right up there on the Obvious Scale next to “You won’t stay dry if you jump in the water,” Toby nodded. Truth to tell, he had caught himself getting bent on having his own way sometimes. “So where does that leave us?”
“Well I’m going to start by talking less and listening to you more, even if I don’t like what you’re saying. I’m not going to be a pushover, but if we’re going to make this work then we’ve both got to give some.”
“I think we’re both going to have to give everything. In a good way,” he added quickly. “So I guess this leaves us back where we were?”
She shook her head. “Not exactly. I thought about your question, and yes. I do want to be your mate.”
Toby’s face lit up. “Really? Oh wow, this is-!”
“I wasn’t finished,” she cut him off. Pleased to see how quickly he stopped, she went on. “I’ll marry you on two conditions. One, from now on when we have a disagreement, we talk. No more ‘My way or no way.’”
“Are you going to insist on that?” he joked. Seeing the serious look on her face, he withdrew. “Sorry.”
She gave him a look before continuing. “Yes, and I want you to insist on it too. I like you the way you are, and I don’t want to end up cowing you into a yes-dog.”
“Like that could happen?”
“I could certainly try. Anyway, that’s the first condition.”
“Talk things over and don’t let you walk over me. Got it. Rule Two?”
Luna smiled coyly. “I don’t want this to just be a marriage of convenience.”
“It won’t be, I promise.”
“Good. Then you should have no problem with this one.” She hesitated and looked around before leaning in and whispering in his ear.
He blinked. “That’s it?”
“Take it or leave it.”
Toby hadn’t been around Luna all that time without knowing when she was playing one of her games. “Well, dear, if that’s really the way you want it, I guess I can agree to those terms.”
Toby, Luna, Rex © Me
Copper and Taya © redwolf03