I lay back on the grass, enjoying the warmth of the summer sun on my skin. I could hear the kids splashing and laughing in the shallow part of the creek nearby. I knew I didn't have to worry about watching Abby too closely. Maria was good about keeping an eye on her when she was around. They were like sisters. Each of them being an only child and the only female children in a town full of males gave them a solid bond. Not that they didn't like playing with the boys, too. Especially Aedan, Godfrey and Catherine's oldest son. He was a fine young man, polite and considerate. I didn't need for Maria to tell me she had a crush on him. I could tell by the way she smiled at the boy.

I raised my head as the surrounding got suddenly quiet. My maternal instincts caused me to worry any time I didn't hear my daughter making some kind of noise. She was never very quiet. Not even when she was sleeping. Like her father, Abby snored softly at night.

I relaxed and let my fear subside when I saw the group gathered around the shoreline, staring at something on the ground. I thought they had found a frog or a turtle to keep them occupied. But as I squinted between the feet of the group of children, I noticed a furry object trembling. I stood up and walked over to where they were. Abby was in the center of the group, sitting on the muddy bank, staring at a little wolf cub. She was speaking to it softly, in Kanien'keha.

The poor little pup was shivering in fear as the faces of the kids hovered over it. I could hear it whimpering softly. I shooed the children back and took Abby's hand. She reluctantly let me move her away from the pup.

"Can we keep it, Ista?" she asked.

I couldn't help but grin at the question. The cub couldn't have been more than a month old. It was skinny and dirty, looking horribly pitiful. I wondered where it's mother was and how it had gotten so far from the woods. Wolves usually stayed in the northern forest. It was rare to see them this close to civilization, especially young ones. I guessed this little guy – or girl – had wondered away from the den and gotten lost. Or it had been cast out of the pack for being thought weak.

"Can we?" Abby asked again. She looked up at me with her large brown eyes. It was that very stare that made Connor give in to her all the time. She was spoiled rotten, thanks to him.

"Let me shoot it," Hugh spoke up.

Maria and Abby gasped at the statement. It was like Hugh to want to use his rifle on any sort of animal. He fancied himself a hunter. He plagued birds and squirrels everyday, but had never really fired on anything bigger than a rabbit.

I looked at Terry's son. "You're not going to shoot it," I said. "It's just a baby."

"It's dangerous," he told me.

Abby started crying and pulling on my hand. It was rare for her to shed tears for any reason. She mostly just got mad and threw a fit when she disagreed with something. It made me realize how strongly she felt about animals. I knew she loved horses. She always had. She couldn't wait to be big enough to ride one her own. She visited the stables every day, playing with Akosha:tens' filly. The one she had named Akwa:wen, the Mohawk word for mine.

"Ista, please," she begged, hugging me tightly. "Don't let Hugh kill Okwaho."

I sighed realizing she had already given it a name. And an incredibly unoriginal one at that. She reminded me so much of her father I couldn't help but smile. "He's not going to kill the pup," I told her. "We'll take it home and feed it."

Abby looked at me with a highly appreciative and happy grin on her face. "Nia:wen! Nia:wen! Nia:wen!"

"I'm not saying we can keep it, Abby." I took her chin and made her look at me. "We'll take care of it for a few days. But if Rake:ni says no, we have to turn it loose."

It would be far easier to let Connor make this decision than for me to tell my daughter she couldn't keep the puppy. Considering I had the same soft spot for animals as Abby had, I would let my husband take sole responsibility for this outcome. It might have been a little mean of me to expect him to have the final word, but he knew as well as I did that our house would be a zoo if it was up to me.

Abby gave me a sweet smile. "Rake:ni will say yes."

"No."

I looked at Connor, trying not to frown as Abby pouted. Okwaho was lying on his makeshift bedding of old linens that the little girl and I had made for him when we'd brought him home. In the three days we'd had him, the cub had done little else than wander the room we set up as his and nurse milk from one of Abby's old bottles. His teeth were tiny and sharp, but not strong enough to eat solid foods yet. I had given him some mashed up deer yesterday, which he seemed to like. But he'd had difficulty chewing the big pieces.

"Please, Rake:ni!" Abby begged. "Ista said we could keep him."

Connor looked over at me, a slight expression of defiance in his gaze. I looked away, refusing to admit to anything. That hadn't been what I said, exactly. But I didn't tell him that. In truth, I wanted to keep the pup. I had thought Abby's pleading look would be enough to convince her father to give in. But he was being firm with her for the first time ever.

"We do not need another pet, Awe:ri," Connor told her.

"Yes, we do," Abby pleaded with a sad voice.

"We have plenty of animals already,"

"But we don't have a doggie," she told him.

E:rahr had died last year. Abby hadn't been old enough to understand, so Connor and I had just told her he ran away. It had saddened me, but Connor was unaffected. I wondered why. E:rahr had been his dog. He'd had him for a long time, every since he'd moved in with Achilles. But Connor was a rock. He said death was just a part of life. Passing from this world to the next should be rejoiced, not mourned. I understood his point of view, but it was hard to accept.

Connor knelt down in front of Abby and looked at her. "That is not a dog," he said. "It is a wolf. A wild animal. The instincts of such a beast are not easily tamed, Awe:ri. I do not want you to be hurt."

Abby pulled away from him, crying loudly, and went to where the baby animal was resting. She lay down beside him and wrapped her arms around his neck. The wolf cub raised his head, glanced at her, then went back to dozing while Abby wept on his fur.

I exchanged at look with my husband. One that let him know I was disappointed in his decision. He sighed and stood up. He passed the doorway I was leaning against and his countenance let me know he wanted to speak to me alone. I followed him into the hall, closing the door behind me. Connor looked at me.

"You told her she could keep a young wolf?"

"No," I answered weakly. "I told her if it was okay with you we could keep him."

Connor's brow knit at my words. I pursed my lips together, trying not to betray my anxiousness. I knew I had to be calm if I wanted to persuade him. Connor responded better to rational conversation than he did to begging. With me, at least.

"He's only a baby," I stated. "He won't survive if we turn him loose now."

Connor sighed, crossing his arms and watching me with a struggling look of indecision. I knew he was close to giving in, but not close enough to be pressed. I stayed quiet, glancing at him with a slight pout, and hoping he would resign to letting us keep the puppy.

"One month," he stated firmly.

I hid a smile as I waited for him to list the terms of the agreement.

"After that, the wolf is being returned to the woods – whether it can fend for itself or not."

I nodded, trying not to betray how happy I was with his choice. "You wanna tell Abby?"

Connor exhaled loudly and went back into the room where Abby was laying with her doggie. After a moment, I heard her let out an excited exclamation. I smiled to myself, knowing that she would find some way to convince him to keep Okwaho forever.

Seven weeks later...

I avoided looking at the stern gaze my husband was giving me as I finished washing the dishes. I was taking my time on purpose, slowly wiping the cloth over every part of each plate, front and back. Connor had only just gotten back home. From where I wasn't sure. He had been off sailing, spending time with his beloved Aquila. I tried not to be jealous of that, even though I felt like she got more of his attention than I did at times. I didn't understand his appeal to the open seas, his love of the salty wind. We were different in that way, much as we were in every other.

"I thought we had an agreement," he spoke softly.

I glanced over my shoulder at his face, ignoring the firmness in his expression and giving him a confused frown. "About what?"

Connor's eyes narrowed and he paced a few steps forward, stopping just a few inches behind me. He watched me intently as I maintained the air of ignorance at the subject.

"About the wolf."

"Oh," I murmured in understanding. I glanced back at the soapy water, realizing that it was empty of anything to wash. I began to dip the rag, swirling it around the surface of the liquid. "I decided we should keep him."

I heard Connor let out a displeased breath. "Faith..."

I turned around to face him, pretending I didn't care if he was upset with my choice. I did care, really. I didn't want to argue with him, especially over something this silly. But I was adamant about letting Abby keep Okwaho. He really was a good pup, well behaved and playful. He made her laugh in a way few things could. I felt they were a good match for each other. Abby needed someone to play with, someone to give attention to. I thought she needed a pet to make up for not being able to have a sibling.

I crossed my arms, waiting for Connor to make his argument. I was sure he had a long list of reasons why we shouldn't try to domesticate a baby wolf. I knew the risks involved in taming a feral beast, but also knew we stood a good chance of avoiding all of them because we had found Okwaho at such a young age. He had never acted hostile once toward Abby. Even when she pulled his tail or ears, he would only yelp and look at her with large surprised eyes.

Connor watched me for a long time in silence. Then the corner of his mouth rose in a sly grin. I hated it when he gave me that look. Not because he would react in a cruel way, but because he was about to make a statement that would bait me into denying something I knew was true.

"If you wanted a pet, why did you not just say so?"

I gave him an irritated frown. I didn't like it that he knew me so well. I felt like there were no more mysteries between us. It made me feel boring, but not in a wholly bad way. It was comfortable to have someone who knew me as well as I knew myself. But I didn't want him to know that.

"Abby wants to keep him," I stated defiantly.

Connor nodded slowly, as though he wasn't convinced. "He is to stay outside."

I couldn't keep a frown of displeasure from my face at that. I liked having Okwaho in the house. I liked it when he and Abby would come to my bed at night and keep me awake with all their moving and noises. It gave me a security that I rarely felt when Connor wasn't home. It wasn't that I thought the pup would make a good protector, more he was like a second baby to me. I had an attachment to him.

"Fine," I grumbled.

My husband gave me secretive smirk before leaving the kitchen. He knew as well as I did that Okwaho would be inside again as soon as he left. He just chose to let it go. I guess that's why I loved him so much.

Kanien'keha:

Ista - Mother

Rake:ni - Father

Akosha:tens - horse

Akwa:wen - mine

Nia:wen - Thank you.

Okwaho - wolf

E:rahr - dog

Awe:ri - heart