Chapter 6: A New Surprise
In the early hours of the next morning, Aniu slowly woke up and found herself lying on something soft. Amak was fast asleep on his back, and she had fallen asleep with her head on his warm chest. As she lay there, listening to his heartbeat, the memories of the night before rushed over her. Every action, every feeling and every thought came back in full force. They were now mates, bonded for life. She started to get up and her motion stirred Amak out of his sleep as well.
"Good morning beautiful," he said as he opened his eyes.
"Good morning," she replied, giving his face a nuzzle.
"Is it morning already?" he asked.
"Unfortunately," she replied, "I wish I could stay longer, but I really don't want to arouse any more suspicion than necessary."
"That's true," he said before getting up, "While we're on the subject, how are things going with your pack? The last I heard from you, Mayak was giving you a little trouble."
"He was, but I told him that I wasn't interested in him," she replied, "He seemed a little put off by it, but I think he got the message."
"That's good to hear," he replied, "Well, shall we be off?" he asked, and she nodded.
The two walked side by side, occasionally stopping to nuzzle each other. They didn't need to say anything to each other by now; they could tell what the other was thinking simply by glancing at them. Amak seemed to have a new spring in his step, and Aniu felt like she had limitless energy.
"So Aniu," he started, "Did you ever think you'd end up like this? Becoming mates with a sled dog?"
"Truth be told, I didn't even know dogs existed a couple of months ago," she replied, "So no, nothing like this was ever in my wildest dreams, but I wouldn't have it any other way. You will be the only one for me."
"Same here," he replied, "Besides, not many girls can say that they get to cuddle up with their champion at night."
"Amak, you could be one of the wheel dogs for all I cared; I'd still love you all the same," she said.
"Aw, thanks," he said, giving her a lick on the cheek. She returned it with her own and soon, their walk came to the edge of her pack's territory. It was time for her to say goodbye again, "Take care Aniu," he said, giving her a goodbye nuzzle.
"I will, and I promise I'll come back to you soon," she replied. She gave him one last lick on the cheek before dashing deeper into her pack's territory. It was just before sunrise, so she was sure the others would still be asleep when she had gotten there. She didn't count on one of them waking up early, and noticing that she was missing.
"Where were you?" a voice called. She turned and saw that it was Salin, "I woke up to, well, relieve myself and you weren't here. Where did you go?"
"I….. I couldn't sleep," she said, "I went out for an early morning walk."
"Uh huh, yeah. Did I mention that I got up in the middle of the night?" he said.
"Darn it, he's good," she thought, "Look, it's nothing you should worry about."
"Alright, if you won't tell me, maybe you'll tell him," he said, motioning towards Mayak's sleeping body. A twinge of panic shot through her. Mayak was already in a foul mood about her and if he found out about her nighttime trips, he might put two and two together without even seeing Amak, "I'm going to have to tell him something, but it will have to be a watered down version. The full story might turn him against me."
"Okay Salin, I'll tell you, but not here. Follow me," she said and took Salin a few yards away. Despite the risk of telling him about Amak, she figured that if she left out the part about them becoming mates, then Salin might be willing to keep her secret, "Salin, I was simply out visiting a friend, that's all," she started.
"But there are no other wolves in the area," he replied, "Who would you be visiting?"
"My friend… is one of the husky dogs from the town I went to a few days ago," she said.
It took a moment for this to sink in, and when it did, his eyes widened, "D-dog? But, they- they're dangerous!" he cried.
"Not this one, he's very kind. Remember when I had disappeared that week after the big storm?" she said, "I didn't tell you this before, but I was actually saved by a dog; the same dog I was visiting last night."
"Why would a dog save you? Mayak said that they would kill us," he said.
"This one is different from the others. He doesn't buy in to the prejudice that causes the other huskies to attack us," she replied, "After we met, we found that wolves and dogs weren't all that different."
"Are you sure he's okay? What if it's all some kind of trick?"
"It's not a trick; Amak would never do something like that. He has never made any attempt to hurt me. He cares about me and he listens to me," she said.
"He listens to you? Heh, it sounds as though you really like this guy," Salin chuckled, "Are you sure you aren't more than just friends?"
Aniu knew that she had told him enough, "Don't jump to conclusions Salin. Now, can I trust you to not tell anyone?"
He took a moment to think it over, "Well, if you're absolutely sure that this dog is okay, then I suppose I can keep your secret. I won't tell anyone about your friend," he said.
"Thank you Salin," she replied.
"Though, you really should be careful about sneaking off like that again," Salin said, "You wouldn't want Mayak to find out about this. He'd go completely ballistic." Aniu knew he was right, but she also knew that if the worst should happen, Amak would be there to protect her.
For the next few weeks, things went by quite peacefully. Her pack continued to hunt for food during the day, while lounging in the evenings. Mayak was still acting quite distant to her, but she didn't mind at all. Not having to deal with his commanding attitude was actually quite refreshing. Every few days, she would sneak off during the night to visit Amak. Sometimes they went for walks around town, other times they explored the woods, while some nights had them just relaxing under the stars cuddled up with each other. It was during those weeks that winter finally ended. The warm weather melted the snow and ice, transforming the landscape and freeing it from its icy prison.
It was also during these weeks that Aniu started to notice something was different about her. She was hungrier than usual, and would sometimes feel a strange cramping in her belly. She would also sometimes wake up in the morning feeling woozy and nauseous. "It's probably just a stomach bug," Amak said after she had told him about it, "I get them every now and then and they always clear up after a little while. You just need to wait it out, that's all."
She followed his advice and tried to wait it out, but the symptoms remained. Soon, she noticed that she had a slight bulge growing in her abdomen. It wasn't much, but it was still there. However, she brushed this one off as just putting on a little extra weight. A little extra weight never hurt; in fact, it would help if game were to become scarce. However, the weight gain didn't explain the cramping or morning nausea. She tried think about what would cause all of those symptoms, but none of the illnesses that she knew about matched it exactly.
One night, she was fast asleep, dreaming about her youth. She was remembering the day that she asked the one question that all curious cubs eventually ask.
"Momma, where do cubs come from?"
"Ah, I had a feeling you'd want to know that at some point. Well, when you and your siblings were born, you came out from inside of me."
"Huh?"
"Yes, all creatures in this world start their lives inside their mothers, eventually coming out into the world."
"But wouldn't we all be too big to fit inside of you?"
"You were much, much smaller then; small enough that all of you could fit in me."
"What was it like having us inside you?"
"Well, at first I didn't notice anything, except that I was hungrier than usual. That's because I was eating for myself and your siblings as well. Sometimes I would wake up feeling a little sick or with cramps, but that went away shortly. Soon after, I started to feel you move around as you grew inside of me."
"Okay, but if we were growing in you, wouldn't you get bigger too?"
"Yes, I did get a little bigger, and it's good for a mother to get bigger because it means her cubs are growing and healthy."
"Do cubs just appear in you and start growing?"
"Not exactly. In order for cubs to start out, there needs to be a meeting of two; in this case your father and I. It is a sacred moment that mates share only with each other. But you don't have to think about that now. You are still young and have all your years ahead of you….."
A sudden cramp snapped her from her dream. She groaned, and rolled over as it passed. As she thought about her dream, it suddenly dawned on her. She now knew what was happening to her. She and Amak had shared that special moment together, the moment that only mates have. The cramping, appetite, and weight gain all fit together now…
As she dashed through the dark woods towards the town, she felt an intense mix of fear and joy. She was carrying pups; her's and Amak's, and they would be born to parents who loved each other. While this brought her joy, there was also something about it that frightened her; what if her pack found out about this?
"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!"
If Mayak found out about this, it would all be over. As far as he knew, she was simply not interested this year. If he found out that she was having the pups of another, let alone a husky - she couldn't imagine his rage. What would he do with a litter of half-husky pups? He hated dogs so much that he would surely kill them – and maybe her with them.
As she left the woods, she wondered how Amak would take it. Would he still be his usual chipper self, or would he be scared like she was? "Would he be happy about being a father, or would he see our pups as a liability and leave me?" she thought, "No, he'd never leave me. He loves me, and he said that he'd do anything to protect me," She had no idea how he would react to the news, but she would find out soon as she had reached his home. The door to his shed was closed and inside she could hear his faint snoring, "Amak, it's me," she called as she scratched at the door, "Amak, please wake up. I need to see you."
Finally, she heard his snoring stop, followed by the sound of him shuffling about. The door to the shed creaked open and he stepped out, a little bleary-eyed from being woken up in the middle of the night, "Aniu? I wasn't expecting you tonight," he yawned, and soon noticed the worried look on her face, "What is it, what's wrong? I don't think I've ever seen you look so scared."
"Amak, I…. it's-" she started, but the sheer gravity of the situation overwhelmed her, and she broke down, nuzzling into his chest for comfort.
"Shh, shh, it's okay. You can tell me what it is," he comforted, "What is it? Did the others find out about us? Did that Mayak try to hurt you?" he asked, placing his front leg around her in an embrace, "What's wrong, tell me."
"No Amak, it's not that. In fact, things might be going right, but it's still a little much for me," she said. She looked up into his eyes and summed up all her courage to tell him. This was it, the moment of truth, "Amak, I'm carrying pups."
"Pups?"
"Yes, pups. Our pups," she replied.
Amak stood there with his mouth slightly open as the news washed over him, "You and I….. pups….. you mean…. I'm going to be a…… father?"
"Yes," she replied, "We're going to be parents."
His mouth started to curl up into a growing smile and he started laughing, softly at first, but then it grew and grew. He squeezed her close to him and covered her with nuzzles and licks, all the while laughing his head off out of joy, "Wow, me a dad, who would've thought? Wow," he said, but noticed that she wasn't taking it as lightly as he was, "Hey, why the long face? Aren't you happy about this too?"
"I am happy about this, but I'm scared too," she replied, "What if Mayak finds out about this? Or worse, what if the other dogs in your town find out?"
"Then we won't let them find out," he replied, "Aniu, I swear I will protect you, no matter what. I don't care how big or mean Mayak is, but if he wants to lay a paw on you or our pups, then he'll have to answer to me. As long as you're with me, you'll always be safe."
"I know, but I'm still scared," she said, with tears starting to run down her cheeks. She started to cry into his chest; not out of fear for herself, but for her unborn children, "They won't notice it now, but when the pups start to grow, they will see. They'll see that I cheated on Mayak. He'll - he'll be so angry. I don't know what he'll do to me if he finds out that I went behind his back and mated with a husky. He hates them so much and I'm so scared about what he might do to me… or to you."
"I know, but I'm here for you," he comforted, "I'll always be there for you, looking out for you." They remained together for a few moments while she cried herself out into his chest, "Okay, I know this is a bit overwhelming, but don't be scared. This is a happy moment for us right?" he said.
"Yes," she replied.
"Then you shouldn't be so sad. I'm happy about being a father, and you should be happy about being a mother," he said, "Now, do you want to go back to your pack tonight, or do you want to stay with me?"
She thought for a moment, and knew that it would be best if she her pack never found out about this. Salin may have been willing to keep her secret, but she wasn't so sure about Faro and Atka. They had offered to help her if Mayak ever gave her any trouble, but would they be as willing if they knew what she had done with Amak? "I want to stay with you," she replied, "I want to be with you."
"Okay, we'll figure something out. My goodness, you're shaking," he said, and Aniu realized that she had been trembling since she had arrived, "C'mon, maybe a quick walk would do you some good. It'll help you calm down from this crazy night," he suggested.
She nodded her head and they started to walk down the dark streets of the town, "Amak, if I do have to leave my pack to hide my pups, where should I go?" she asked.
"Well, I'd be happy to take you in," he replied, "I did it once before, and I'll be more than happy to do it again. Heck, I'd even be willing to share my little shed with you. Though, I will warn you, I sometimes snore at night."
"Thank you, that's very kind, but how would you hide me?" she asked, "It won't be like the last time you took me in. You're in a town, with many people and dogs."
"Well, there's more than one way I can think of to keep you safe. You could settle yourself on the other side of town, far away from the other wolves, but still relatively close to me, " he suggested, "Or, and this may be a stretch, but bear with me; we could see if we could disguise you as a husky and hide you in plain sight."
"Are you sure? Won't they see that I'm a wolf?" she asked.
"Maybe, maybe not. Huskies and wolves are so similar that I have heard of cases where one has been mistaken for the other," he replied, "If not that, then maybe saying you're only part wolf would do the trick. Granted, it might earn you a few funny looks, but at least you won't have to hide."
"I don't know….. so much could go wrong," she said.
"Maybe, but what's important now is that you're safe with me," he replied, "We can work out the fine details in the morning."
Aniu was grateful that once again, he was sticking out his neck to help her. As they walked, she nuzzled into his side, and he stopped so that he could return it. After it ended, they took a moment to gaze at each other. Both wore a look of complete content, but before he could lean in to give her another nuzzle, his face suddenly became alert as he saw something over her shoulder. She noticed his reaction and when she looked back, her blood froze. They weren't alone on that dark street.
Standing no more than ten feet away was a husky with piercing blue eyes. It was Steele; they had been caught, "Oh, this is yet another unexpected twist," he sneered, "I didn't know you liked those kinds of girls Amak," Amak didn't respond and only glared at his rival, "I thought a respectable sled dog like you would be above this," Steele continued, "But, I guess no one's perfect. Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," he finished before lunging at them. Amak reacted quickly and intercepted the strike, knocking Steele to the ground.
"Aniu, RUN! NOW!" he yelled and she did not hesitate. She took off, with Amak following closely behind. Soon, they heard Steele barking his head off, which alerted more of the dogs that something was up.
"At this rate, we're going to be surrounded soon," she said.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," he replied before they turned down an alley to evade the inevitable mob.
