Chapter 5: If You Look to the North…

Aniu had hoped that she would be able to return to her pack before they woke up in the morning, but unfortunately, her long absence would not go unnoticed. Mayak had waited for her clear through the night, and by the time she returned, he was quite cross, "Aniu, where have you been?!" he yelled as she came over a small hill.

"So much for an easy getaway," she thought, "I was out scouting, just like I said I would be," she snapped back.

"You sure took your time. You left yesterday morning," he said.

Aniu knew she would have to explain her absence, and quickly thought up a cover story, "Look, I got caught up and I had to spend the night to rest," she said.

"Oh really? Just what would you get caught up with?" he asked.

She figured that she might as well tell him about the town. In a way, she did explore it, and she would have to give him something to throw his suspicions off, "I found a human settlement after I followed the river to the south."

His expression suddenly changed from anger to fear, "Humans? How far?"

"I'd say, twenty minutes by walking," she replied, "There was a point where I had to duck for cover to avoid being seen. It took me awhile before I felt safe enough to come out; that's why I'm late."

"Are you sure you weren't seen? They could have followed you here, to us!" he said, as panic started to add to the fear in his voice.

"Don't worry, no one followed me. I made sure to stay out of sight," she replied, "You sure get jumpy whenever they are mentioned."

"Yeah, well you'd be jumpy too if you went through what I had to," he mumbled.

They started walking back to the others through the woods and on the way, Mayak asked the question she knew would come eventually, "So, you've had a little more time to think about my proposal. Do you have an answer for me now?"

This was it, time to see if her plan would work, "Actually, I have thought about it Mayak. I'm sorry, but my answer is no."

Mayak stopped, "No?" he growled as he glared at her.

"Unfortunately. I think it would be best if we took more time to know each other. After all, I've only known you for about a month now," she said, hoping that reason would satisfy him.

Mayak continued to glare at her, but he also appeared to be thinking it over. Finally, he gave his response, "Alright, we don't have to mate this year. We'll take another year and get to know each other better," he replied, and then he came right up into her face, "But in the meantime, I don't want you trying anything with anyone else you hear me? I am the alpha of this pack, and so you will be MY mate! You won't be the mate of another wolf, you won't even be the bitch of one of those spineless dogs. You will be mine, and if I can't have you, then I'll make sure no one will!" he shouted. He stormed off, and Aniu realized that she had been holding her breath the entire time. She had a feeling that he would be disappointed with this, but his sudden outburst frightened her. The fact that he was being so possessive put her off. Amak would never act like this.

"Amak. What if he suspects that there is another? No, he didn't ask anything about it. He doesn't know his name, or even that he exists. But why does he keep mentioning dogs? What is going on in his head?"

She found the other three from her pack around a fresh kill and they made room for her as she came up, "Aniu, it may not be any of our business, but I'm wondering how well things are going between you and Mayak?" Faro asked her.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Well, he has taken quite an interest in you," he said, "I'm wondering what you think about it."

"I told him that I didn't think I was ready for something like that yet," she replied, "After all, we haven't known each other very long."

"That's true; so how did he take it?" Atka asked.

"He agreed, but I don't think he really liked the idea of waiting," she replied.

"Did he get really upset or did he just storm off?" Faro asked.

"He got very angry and started going on and on about how I was his and no other's," she replied, "Why?"

"Uh oh, I was afraid of this," Faro muttered and the three of them started to look very worried.

"What were you worried about? Is there something that you know that you're not telling me?" she asked, "Ever since I've met you, you always changed the subject whenever I asked about him. There is something you know about why Mayak has such a short temper, and I want to know it!"

Faro looked at the other two, then at her, "Alright, I'll tell you about it, but don't mention that you know. It's something that Mayak hates."

"I'm listening," she said.

"Okay, it happened last year, when we were still in our full pack. Mayak was the alpha male and he had his eyes on the current alpha female, Sami. However, she was very resistant to his advances, and she eventually told him that she wasn't interested in him. She left him with little reason for doing so, and he spent the next little while wondering why she rejected him. Then, one night, he found out why," he said, "The reason that Sami wasn't interested in him was because she already had another."

A twinge of fear shot through Aniu. She was much like Sami, not interested in Mayak because she already had someone she loved more, "Her lover was the beta male of the pack, and also Mayak's brother Mias. When he realized this, he took as a personal betrayal, disowned his brother, and almost attacked Sami in rage. Judging by how he reacted to you, I guess he hasn't quite gotten over that. You probably reminded him too much of that painful day," he continued, "Despite that, he still had feelings for Sami, but he would have to take another blow a few weeks later, when the hunters came for us. Mayak had to watch as his brother fell to the human traps, while Sami was killed by the dogs. Since then, he just hasn't been the same, and has developed an almost pathological hatred of dogs, along with the idea of rejection as well."

"Uh-oh, if Mayak ever found out about Amak, it would hurt him in more than one way and he'd probably lose it," she thought, "I had no idea that he had been hurt that way."

"And as far as he knows, you don't," Atka urged, "Sami's rejection and her death is a very painful thing for him, so you should never bring it up."

"I won't."

"Good, I'd hate for anything to happen to you," Faro said, "Look, if you start to get any indication that Mayak is starting to get a little unhinged, you should come to us. We've been around him longer and we may be able to deal with him."

"I will, thank you," she replied, and felt a little safer knowing that the rest of her pack could back her up if things got messy. However, she wondered if they'd be as willing if they knew that she was involved with someone else; someone whom Mayak would hate.

Mayak had gotten the message that she wasn't interested and had started to back off, but anytime she saw him, he would glare at her with contempt. She figured that it was simply because he was disappointed by her answer, but there was also a part of her that feared that he suspected her of something.

After a few days had passed, Aniu decided that she would go off to see Amak again. She waited until everyone else had fallen asleep, including Mayak, and crept away into the night. She remembered the way into town from last time and had no trouble reaching it. She reached his yard first, but found that he wasn't there. She sniffed around and followed his scent along the outskirts of the town to a large barn. There was light coming out from inside, possibly from a lantern, and she could hear voices coming from inside. She crept around the side and found an opening in the boards that she could peek through. There were a few lanterns in the barn, illuminating the entire room with a soft, orange light. She looked around and saw many dogs inside, including Amak. All the dogs inside listened intently as one of them told a story to the others. She adjusted her view and saw that it was Steele telling the story.

"So there we were, neck and neck with the finish line only yards away. It seemed like Amak would win, so I thought to myself 'Steele, you can do this. You just have to believe in yourself.' I summoned all my inner strength, and pushed myself harder than I thought I could before and by some miracle, I was able to pull ahead and win the race," The other dogs 'ooohed' and 'aaahed' at this while Steele grinned and started walking around holding his head high, like he owned the place. Aniu saw that Amak was rolling his eyes before stepping up to add his two cents.

"Well, that's a very riveting tale Steele," he cut in, "But I remember that race too and there's a small part at the end that you missed."

Steele's grin changed to a scowl, "Like what?"

"Oh I don't know…" a grey and white female shot in, "How about the part where you tried to snap my feet off at the end?"

"Uh, uh….. I don't recall ever doing anything that horrible," he replied, putting on his best good-dog face, "I would never try something like-"

"Oh cut the crap Steele, you're no hero or superdog," she shot back, "You're nothing but a cheater and a liar. You're lucky I didn't rip you apart then!"

"Rip me apart eh? I knew it. I knew you were like that Sonya. Even though you're only half of it, you're still a wild wolf," he taunted.

"So this is the Sonya that Amak told me about," she thought as Steele continued his taunting.

"Why don't you go back and howl with your pack? That is, if they'd even want a half-breed like you," he said before giving out a mocking impression of a howl. However, his howl would be cut short by Sonya as she lunged at him, knocking him over. Steele was quick to retaliate and they both snapped at each other, trying to gain the upper hand. Finally, Amak jumped into the fray and tried to break them up.

"THAT"S ENOUGH!" he turned to her, "You should know better than that. You know he's only doing it to get a reaction so don't give him what he wants."

"Oh, but I don't blame her Amak. After all, she is a wolf and they are known to be temperamental," Steele shot in.

"YOU SHUT UP!" she cried and tried to lunge at Steele again, but Amak stopped her. Steele kept on laughing at her, so Amak turned on him next.

"Oh, are you going to give me a talking-to too?" Steele asked. Amak said nothing and simply grabbed Steele's neck in his jaws and slammed him into the ground, "Hey what are you doing?" Steele cried out.

"Well talking to you wasn't working, so I'm trying this," he replied. Steele tried to get up but Amak held him down with his paws pressing on his chest, "Listen to me, and listen to me well because I'm only going to say this once. You may be the champion now, but that doesn't mean that the rules don't apply to you. You will stop bullying my teammate and you will stop acting like an arrogant, stuck-up ass all the time! Understand!?" Steele nodded, but he still held the scowl on his face. Amak let him up and he decided to get out of there before there was any more trouble. Seeing that the story was over, the other dogs left too, leaving only Amak and Sonya.

"Nothing's changed," she said dejected, "Even after I got our team out of that blizzard, he still picks on me. What can I do?"

"There really isn't much you can do other than tough it out," Amak replied, "Giving him a reaction is only what he wants."

"But he'll still pick on me even if I don't react to him! I've tried ignoring him but he simply follows me around," she said, "I can't sit and do nothing forever. Why can't I beat him up? Why can't I fight back? Why can't I show him to not mess with me?"

"Because you'd get yourself in even more trouble. He has friends and if they saw you attacking him, they would fight back. You may be able to fight off one, but certainly not his whole team at once."

"But it's not fair!"

"I know," Amak replied, and Aniu could see that this was upsetting him as well, "I know it's hard for you; heck, it's even hard for me to watch you go through this. I know Steele is persistent, but fighting back with violence will never solve the problem once and for all. If anything, it'll only lead to more hurt."

There was a pause, then Sonya spoke again, "I bet Steele wouldn't be so happy if he hadn't won that race. We were so close… and I was the one that tripped up."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about that. You only tripped because Steele cheated, and despite that, we still managed to get second place. Considering this was your first big race that's amazing. We got second place, even though everyone said that you were only a scrub dog, good enough for pulling freight. Even dogs on our own team were saying that you would never be a racing dog and you proved them all wrong. You got us to second place and I'm proud of you for that. I'm sure your parents would be proud of you too," he finished.

"But my parents are gone," she said sadly, "They would never know about this."

"Actually, they might," Amak said, "You know how on some nights, the aurora comes out?"

"Of course," she replied.

"Well, I have heard a story that says that the spirits of those who have passed watch over us when the aurora shines in the night sky. If that's the case, then I'm sure that your parents have been watching over you for a long time," Aniu couldn't help but smile at this. Amak had remembered the story from their first night stargazing.

"Really?" she said, and he nodded in reply, "Where did you hear something like that? I don't think I've ever heard any of the sled dogs talk about anything like that."

"Oh, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Oh she might Amak," Aniu thought, "She seems like a sharp kid."

"Well, thanks for telling me that Amak," she replied, "I-I don't think I've ever told you this, but you've been like a father to me. You've always been there for me and I don't know how I'll ever thank you for that."

"Here's how: Try not to get yourself into any more trouble with Steele okay?" he replied, and she nodded, "Now go on, you should be getting home," Sonya ran off, leaving Amak alone in the barn. Once she was sure that the coast was clear, Aniu crept around and poked her head in.

"So, I take it you had a bit of an exciting night," she said.

Amak looked up in surprise, "Aniu? I wasn't expecting you," he said, "I guess you saw that little skirmish there?"

"Yes. Are you always the one breaking up the fights?" she asked.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. What you saw was only a small taste of the prejudice towards wolves," he replied, "I've done my best, but the others are so set in their ways, which doesn't help Sonya's mood much. The race that you saw was actually her first and she was looking forward so much to winning, but then Steele ruined it for her. For the past couple of years, he's been constantly harassing her, all because she's a wolfdog."

"It must be so hard for her," she said. "At least she has someone like you to look after her. I guess I know why you once called her 'your baby'."

"Yeah, she may be grown up, but I still think of her as my little girl. However, it's not all bad now; after the race, the others on my team have started to accept her more. Besides, she's always been a tough girl; she'd probably do okay without me. But enough about her; you're here, and I should be a good host for you," he said and leaned in to nuzzle her. She returned it with her own, and then the two left the barn.

"Last time I saw you, you said that you would have a surprise for me," she started, "What is it?" she asked.

"I can't tell you; it wouldn't be a surprise then," he replied coyly, "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough, but we have to get to my house first." They reached his yard and when they got there, Aniu took a moment to look up at the sky. The dark sky was dotted with stars, but the northern lights that she enjoyed watching so much were absent tonight.

"It's a nice night," she said, "Though, it's a shame the lights aren't out."

"Yeah, I would've enjoyed seeing the dancing spirits tonight," he said, "But I think I have something better in store for you. Wait here," he finished before dashing into his shed. He came out of it carrying a bag in his mouth that rattled when he dropped it. He went back into the shed for something else while she examined what he had first brought. Inside the bag was a set of colored, translucent chunks. They were somewhat like ice, except they didn't feel as cold and they were much clearer than ice was. While she wondered what he had planned that could possibly be better than the northern light, Amak soon came back out of the shed carrying a lit lantern in his mouth.

"Amak, what are you doing?" she asked, "What's all this for?"

"Creating the northern lights," he replied.

"Creating the lights? How?"

"Well, if these pieces of glass are the polar ice caps…" he said as the arranged the glass in front of a small hill, "And if this lantern is the sun…" he continued, placing the lantern down on the ground so that he was in between it and the glass.

"I really don't see what you're getting at," she said.

"I'm not finished. Now, you have the ice caps and the sun, so if you look to the north…" he said as he moved to the side. When he was out of the way, the light shone through the glass and a dazzling array of color appeared on the hill. The reds, greens and blues all mixed with each other in an impressive show. They may not have been in the sky, but they were the close enough to the real northern lights that they left her breathless.

"Amak it's…… it's so beautiful," she said, amazed at the show playing out before her.

"Yeah…… beautiful," he said, not staring at the lights, but at her. She turned and looked at him, and as the light shone onto his face, it reflected off his eyes, making them glow. He was absolutely the most handsome sight that she had ever seen. His one ear drooped a little and he had a grin on his face. Not a large grin, just a small one that showed peace and contentment. She leaned in and nuzzled into his chest, and he licked the top of her head. She wanted this moment to last forever; it was just so perfect.

She didn't know what it was, but at that moment something clicked in her. That something told her that now was the right time. It was time for her to cement her bond with Amak. There's no need to go into details, but it can be safely said that on that night, it felt to her as though she and him were the only creatures in this world.