10.

France: 1917

Kyle swore as he braces himself but to no effect as he is sent colliding with the man in front of him.

Both men glowered at one another before standing up straight, both of them losing patience with one another not long after colliding for the millionth time.

"This can't be safe," Kyle growls as he tries to keep himself balanced, the only thing he is able to hang on to is his rifle, which he attempts to keep planted between his feet despite the bouncing of the cart every few feet.

"These carts weren't designed for people to travel in!" Oliver shouts over the wind as the train continues to roar down its current course.

"How do you know!?" Eric demands. All three companions have been jammed together near the middle of the train car, an un-favoring spot as the close-packed bodies were making things noticeably warmer.

Beneath them the floorboards jingled and bump together, the wood seems to have been haphazardly been put together, causing Kyle to fear that the support would give way and the Marines would fall through.

The only source of clean air and sunlight was the space by the door. The men there at least get that satisfaction, but otherwise, they were as jammed packed as their friends. There were some hastily constructed benches alongside the cart, but there were too many men on board to fit on them. The train's very design is different compared to the ones back in the states, even the city boys noticed that. The carts were fourteen feet long, but are light and flimsy, Kyle doesn't know how many times he felt weightless and thought they were going to be a part of a wreck. To add further mystery to the strange contraption, they didn't have air brakes, just dinner plate-sized disks that make a loud crash whenever the carts bump into one another, which also caused the men within to stumble into one another.

"These cars are called '40 & 8,' or 40 hommes and 8 cheveaux I think it was!" Oliver says with a thoughtful look on his face.

"What does that mean!?" Kyle inquires.

"Forty men and eight horses," Oliver answers.

"Well, that explains the smell!" Eric says with a wrinkled nose.

Kyle agrees with him, both boys grew up around farmlands so the distinct smell of a horse's "waste" is quite a disguisable scent that they could recognize anywhere.

"Why are they treating us like livestock?" Eric demands, "Shouldn't we be getting better treatment!?"

"We're still in disarray!" Kyle reports, "Last I heard we are now soldiers of the army!"

This earns a snort from Eric but he doesn't make a comeback because he knows it's probably true.

They are Marines, military personnel, but now that they are moving on land they are entering the army's jurisdiction. Now orders and commands are all a jumbled mess as the high-ups try to relocate the Marines within the Army, causing much confusion and delay. This is what caused their hold up back in St. Nazire, their regiments and battalions were split up and each division was lacking its full men power. They even heard that a sister company was stationed somewhere in England rather than France where they were supposed to be.

To say they were in disarray would be an understatement, naval soldiers on land weren't unthinkable but the paperwork is.

Kyle supposes they were lucky. Until they could get their numbers up to full strength a majority of Marines have been reassigned to working parties or patrolling as MP's, domesticated work. However, the boys of the 51st Company and a few others have been selected to travel to Gondrecourt to receive additional training. It isn't exactly alluring but surely it's better than being at a work party doing civilian work.

The excitement has died down a bit not long after the first few hours since the forsaken train took off. Now everyone is cranky and agitated due in part to lack of sleep and lack of movement. The stench of animal waste wasn't helping matters either.

"Hey!" someone near the open door shouts, "We're here!"

As if in agreement with the man's words, the train slowly loses speed and it wasn't long before the cart shakes and screeches violently as the train comes to rattling and violates stop.

That was about as much as the men could stand, even with the train still in motion, slugging inch by inch now, the Marines hopped from the cart and into the outside. Kyle quickly followed their example like every other man around him. He briefly thought with all of them huddled together like this and lumbering to the open as a single mass body they probably did look like cattle. He pushes that to the side though as he finally reaches the threshold and jumps out.

He is momentarily blinded by the sunny day and bright colors as he holds a hand up to shield his eyes, but after a few seconds, he puts it down again.

Right at that moment, a petite white flower is held up in front of his face and a squeaky voice speaks.

"Soyez les bienvenus!"

Kyle blinks in surprise as he glances down and sees that the person holding the floral was a girl, eight or nine possibly. Her little blond locks were coated in dust and the smock she wore was a pale blue with some brown mix in it while a brilliant smile lights up on her face. She held the flower in one hand and a bouquet full of the floral underneath her other arm.

Unsure of what else to do, Kyle hesitantly reaches out and accepts the flower. It seems so delicate and small…so out of place compared to Kyle who is dressed for war, almost as if he is from a different world than the flower.

"Err," he gulps a couple of times before saying one of the few French words he had picked up, "Merci."

The little girl smiles widely at him before moving along to another man and presenting him with another flower. As Kyle looks around he sees that there are more children, boys and girls, all mingling within the Marines ranks and presenting individuals with their own flowers. All of them are happy and displaying it with their brilliant grins, which proved infectious, causing some of the grumpy naval warriors to smile back as well.

Soon the young Marine's gaze is pulled away from the scene as he looks beyond it and at their surroundings. As far as he can see are elegant farmlands mixed in with barns and small housings. A town is set up not too far from the train station and there is a forest close by as well. There is even a stream that cuts across the land like a silver ribbon that sparkles whenever the sun hits it right. The blue sky and the bright sun is shining, painting such an elegant scene that Kyle couldn't help but smile at it.

For days they were cooped on in a small area facing either stone buildings or the cold interior of the ship. They had little to no room to stretch, a constant pungent smell consisting of body odor and garbage always filled the air and it seemed to have always been cloudy with the threat of rain.

This, however, is what he was built for; open farmland with a lot of space and a lot of sunshine, just like home.

He brings the flower up to his nose and takes a long whiff, enjoying the fragments the little plant offers as he closes his eyes, enjoying the peaceful day.

"This is brilliant," he whispers to himself with a smile.

"This is the pits," Eric declares as he stares at his boots, watching as he sinks a few inches into the mud before finally hitting the bottom.

Kyle places his bag on his designated cot, the impact of the heavy bag causes an explosion of dust to take place and envelops the young man within it. He coughs as he takes a few steps back and nearly slips on the wet mud before righting himself up.

"Who can stand to live here," Kyle asks to no one in particular.

"Moo," a cow tethered to the wall answers.

"I'm not asking you," Kyle snaps at the animal, causing a few chuckles from his platoon as they assess their new living quarters. A barn.

The peaceful lovely town that Kyle had admired nearly an hour ago seems to have been a deception as the Marines moved in. Honesty the whole place stinks, it actually caused Oliver to up-chunk what few rations he was able to eat on the train ride over. Alongside the unpaved road were shallow ditches, an open drainage system with thick sludge within it. It was even worse out by the countryside where there are piles of animal "fertilizers." Kyle has used the method himself, but this is the first time he has ever seen a steaming stack of the stuff that towers over the average man. France is a nice country, but it's things like this that throws Kyle for a loop.

The people themselves, or more generally the farmers, were quite friendly and even offered some cheese and wine, something that most of the boys accepted without hesitation (they thought it would have been rude to refuse the generous offer)

The barn itself was well organized, there are farm tools that are stored in a specific place, the cows and a few horses were kept in their own little pens and there were a few bales of hay. The only out of place are the Marines and the cots that have been placed inside.

The townhouses are military barracks that some French soldiers occupied previously, but they are too small to accommodate everybody so a majority of the Marines are forced to sleep elsewhere, mainly farm buildings and the likes.

Kyle has slept in a barn on a few occasions, but apparently, a French farm is different from an American one. Home suddenly seems a lot farther away than ever now.

Kyle moves his bag further up the cot before propping it on the edge before he lies down and uses it as a makeshift pillow and briefly closes his eyes.

He then removes the flower he had stored in his pocket and holds it against his nose. The smell is almost gone now, or it could just be overwhelmed by the thick and gross aroma that cloaks around them.

"Training here better be worth it," someone voices, "I didn't come in here just to be killed by toxic air."

"Why do you think they gave us gas masks in the first place?" another question, "so that we can survive anything."

"All I'm saying," The first person continues, "is that our trip here has better be bloody worth it."

"Oh, it is," a new person speaks up, "and I bet you wish tomorrow will come quickly."

"Oh is that so," speaker number one voices, "and why is that?"

"Cause," continues the third voice sounding rather proud of himself, "I heard from my lieutenant myself that we are going to be taught trench warfare."

There is a snort of a response, "Really? Well that's nothing new is it?"

"Yes, but this is," the person insists, "We're going to be taught by the blue devils themselves."

Here Kyle's eyes pop wide open.

Immediately the atmosphere in the room became one of awestruck wonder and astonishment. The Blue Devils of France were heroes, champions of the battlefield. In the early days of the war, their trench fighting skills broke the stalemate in the French Alps where they were stationed. Though they had few victories since then, the whole world knows of them and their courage, their blue beret and cape has captured every young man's imagination and seems to proclaim that this is what a real fighting force looks like.

Kyle never thought of such a word to describe him, but at the moment he feels…almost honored if he used the word right. The living legends, the blue devils, coming here to train them? For some reason, this feels like a great load has been taken off his shoulders only for his heart to drop into his stomach.

The Blue devils will no doubt give them the best training experience possible to ensure their survival. Yet, on the other hand, this action also means that the Marines will no doubt be seeing some action in this war. Possibly soon.

Nome Alaska: 1925

"Welcome home son!" Jenna cries as she nuzzles deeply into her son's neck.

"Aww, mom!" Kodi cries, happy to be with his parents once more, but not really appreciating the amount of affection being displayed in front of his sled team.

"Come on kid," Ralph says with a wide grin, "that's a sweet moment."

"Enjoy it," coos Dusty.

Kodi does indeed enjoy it, nothing beats the warm embrace of a mother, even if his friends are standing a few feet behind quietly chuckling about how "adorable" he looks.

The mail team has just been relieved from their duty by their human and was allowed to roam around for the rest of the day. As soon as the crowd of people received their mail they had dispersed and this was when the small family reunited with their traveling son in front of the post office.

Finally, Jenna moves back and Balto steps forward.

"It is good to have you back home safely son," beams the proud father.

"Thanks dad," Kodi says as he bobs his head while his tail wagged a bit. Though he doesn't embrace his son like his mother, the young husky hybrid can still see the love within his father's eyes.

"What about me?" a voice suddenly pipes up.

Kodi grins widens when he turns towards Aleu who smiles back at her brother, but before either of them could say anything more they hear a high pitch whistle.

"Wow," Kirby says after he finishes his whistle, "what a hot-"

"Hey!" Kodi suddenly snaps at the eldest dog, "that's my sister!"

"Oh," instantly Kirby's goofy smile vanishes as he rubs a paw against the back of his head as he looks away, chuckling nervously, "Sorry."

Kodi rolls his eyes as he turns back to Aleu, "Just ignore him, we all do whenever he thinks he met 'the one'."

Aleu giggles at the word as Kodi walks forward and rubs against his sister affectionately.

"It's so wonderful seeing you again Aleu."

"It's great seeing you too Kodi," Aleu says as they step back and look at each other, "I have so much to tell you."

"Oh?" Kodi quirks an eyebrow, "Well I have something to tell you," he looks at his parents and uncle, "all of you really," he then returns to giving Aleu a teasing smile, "and I bet it's more interesting than your story."

Aleu puts on a face of mock surprise.

"Really?" she asks in a supposedly innocent voice, "so getting adopted into a wolf pack and becoming their alpha leader isn't shocking to you?"

Aleu busts out laughing as she watches Kodi's grin instantly changes as his jaw drops and gapes at his sister.

Dusty's eyes are bulging open as well and Kirby's jaw has dropped open in complete surprise.

Ralph only arches his own eyebrow before shaking his head, "by this point I don't think there's anything that this family can do that can surprise me."

This comment gets a chuckle from Balto, as he too wonders what other crazy adventures the rest of his children are getting themselves into.

"Well…uh…" Kodi tries his best to speak again, but this revelation was a little too much for him to fully comprehend. He remembers when he was adopted, how it was quick and easy, but he also recalls Aleu being left alone and how she had yet to be picked for months on end. He knew she had a different look about her than he and the other pups, but he never once thought that would hinder her chance at being loved. When he hadn't heard from her for a while he had assumed that she had finally found a family to love.

Becoming the leader of a wolf pack never occurred to him.

Aleu laughs at the look on her brother's face, "Don't worry Kodi, it took days for papa to accept it as well."

Kodi continues to stare aghast at his sibling before turning his stun gaze to his parents. His mother's small grin shows her agreement with the statement while it also mingled with some motherly worry. Balto merely gives a brief nod of his head, both confirming what their daughter had said, along with some of their own reluctance in recognizing the truth in her statement.

The mail team in turn slowly looks among themselves in both wonders, confusion, and slight concern. Is there a special way that they are supposed to greet Aleu now? A formality that they have to perform? And if they did insult her in any way would they be thrown to the wolves? Literally?

"Um…greetings…pack leader?" Ralph starts out slowly, unsure if he is doing this correctly.

He shudders in fear and worries when Aleu rolls her eyes but relaxes when she answers him, "Just call me Aleu, unlike my brother, you don't have to treat me like royalty."

"What?" demands an undignified Kodi.

Balto just shakes his head before head butting Kodi, catching the husky off guard and gaining his attention.

"Ok son, now that we know what Aleu has been up to, what is it that you wanted to say?"

"Oh," Kodi slowly looks away, not meeting anyone's gaze. He isn't sad, but he is definitely nervous as he releases a chuckle and rubs the back of his head with a paw, "yes…about that…"

Jenna tilts her head as she watches her offspring closely, "Kodi is there something wrong?"

"Uh…" Kodi continues to be tongue-tied, looking between Balto, Jenna, and Aleu as if he was prey that is backed into a corner by predators.

Dusty then walks forward and surprises the small family as she rubs her side against Kodi's body and licks his face. That was far too much affection for two dogs to be more than just friends. Apparently, the surprise is that Kodi and Dusty are together now, possibly as mates.

Instantly Kodi's parents gave each other a look, almost as if they were communicating through their eyes alone. They only have known Dusty briefly, but in that time they have come to know her as a respectful husky who is also strong and kind. Furthermore, Kodi has been known to inherit his father's wisdom (though it can be tainted at times due to public influence, such as when Duke and his airplane were seen as the enemy towards the mailing team) if he decides that Dusty is an ideal mate, then they should trust their son's decision. Besides, the two young dogs are already on the same sled teams, even if they have complaints there isn't much that they can do about it.

At that moment the parents already decided to trust their son's choice, even if there are some lingering doubts.

Kodi must have seen what was transpiring between his parents and becomes nervous again. His anxiousness proves to be contagious for Dusty soon feels herself becoming quite as well, suddenly questioning herself for her recent actions.

"Sorry for not telling either of you this earlier," Kodi says with an apologetic gleam in his eye, "but it's just…we couldn't…" finally he sighs as he looks at the husky by his side before saying with a big smile, "I love her, and I couldn't go another day without being with her."

Dusty looks away, seeming to be blushing beneath her fur while her eyes shine with happiness.

They are silent for a moment before his mother beams at the couple and says, "Well it's lovely you found a mate Kodi," she then turns to Dusty, "and it's wonderful to have you with us now Dusty."

The young husky gives a timid smile, but in actuality is overjoyed that her mate's family has accepted her.

Aleu seems taken aback for a moment but after the initial surprise is over she begins to smile herself, followed closely by her father. The small family has gotten larger evidently and they couldn't have been happier.

Aleu, however, felt a stirring inside of her. She is happy for her brother, she truly is, but for some reason, this causes a sudden pang within her, one feeling of…loneliness. She frowns slightly to herself and tries to banish the emotion. She has no need for it, besides she isn't alone, she has her family and her pack, what more could she need?

She knew the answer though, and it is the presence of a male. One who could love her. Keep her warm. Keep her safe. A presence that she could retreat to, find strength in, tell her secrets to, and to be generally cared for while she, in turn, cared for them.

She briefly closes her mind and allows her imagination a moment of respite, just to ward off the unwanted feeling within her. She can picture warm soft fur rubbing against her. Her head rubbing against his side, feeling unbelievable amounts of muscle holding strong against her nuzzling. Looking up into the male's face…the midnight black fur…the warmth of his breath warming her…the blazing blood-red eyes staring back at her and into her very soul. A dark creature that offers her protection and-

Aleu quickly jerks her head back and releases a small gasp at what her own mind had imagined. She just pictured herself being mates with Eran.

She feels her cheeks warming and she fights hard to keep herself from looking down at the ground despite the fact nobody present noticed her flustered state.

'What is the matter with me?' She questions herself, 'I can't…we can't, we shouldn't…it shouldn't even be an option!'

Despite the inner turmoil though, deep down she knew the response to her answer. So far ever since she and her wolf pack have returned she has only ever confided her feelings, her past, and her thoughts to two people; her family and Eran.

He knows everything about her, he has an impressive body mass and he even seems to be suffering from the same sadness that had plagued her when she had first learned of her wolf heritage. Despite that though he is willing to stand tall and strong, ready to fight, ready for the attack; just like her when she felt she was alone in the world.

Only unlike her, he has an ally, and she is willing to do whatever she can to help make him feel better. And despite her doing her best to see reason, she felt pulled towards him despite his species's oddness, in her eyes they just make him more interesting, a mystery that needs to be further investigated and learned about. In turn, she will also help him to feel welcome in his new home. Maybe that would cause him to consider it…

She shakes her head again.

No, he probably wouldn't want that. So far he has shown little signs of interest in her and the emotions she is feeling could all be one-sided. She could feel like this for him but there is no guarantee that he is feeling this way for her. She has a crush, a simple liking towards him, and nothing more.

'Besides, he is of a different species, he would most likely want someone of his own kind. Someone far better than me…'

This thought enrages her, but at the same time brings sadness to her heart. The thought of him being with another female and away from her is…terrible. She didn't want to feel it but at the same time has no say in the matter. She shouldn't be giving herself false hope anyway, she needs to focus on the important things at the moment. Like caring for her pack and visiting her family.

At this, she looks back up and is surprised by what she sees next.

Kodi has a confused look on his face as he gazes at something beyond Aleu.

Curious, the she-wolf looks behind her and sees a human male.

She was about to dismiss him when she notices something…off about him. Most humans would usually glance at the dogs before looking away and continuing on with their business. This one, however, is keeping his full attention on her and her family.

He is clothed in a long grey cloak that covers his legs down to his knees, is wearing thick boots, and has a small hat on his head that she believes she heard humans call a "flat hat". He has black fur barely peeking out from under the headwear, a young face and pale blue eyes that seems captivating. They are truly set solely on her family, but within there is no malice or anger that she usually sees in the few humans that are suspicious of wolf hybrids. Yet his eyes look almost…sorrowful.

There also seems to be a sort of…aura the male is radiating. His arms are crossed as he stands there, seeming to be as solid as stone, doing absolutely nothing. That didn't stop the strange feeling washing over Aleu though, a feeling that isn't uncomfortable, yet wasn't welcoming either. It is as if there is a little voice speaking into her ear; telling her this human is different.

That isn't the oddest thing though for his eyes…they look…familiar. She squints a little, trying to look further into the blue orbs, trying to retract whatever secret is hidden there. At that moment the human looks directly at her and…time seems to freeze. Everything got quiet as she looks at this human and his eyes, his sad, soul cringed eyes. So familiar but also so alien at the same time.

Suddenly he jerks back as if he has been stuck, immediately breaking eye contact with Aleu. He then turns around and walks away, not glancing back at her for even a second as he continues down the street.

She is filled with the sudden urge to follow him. To comfort him. But why? She doesn't even know who he is. And yet…

"Uh," Kodi's voice brings her back to reality and she turns to look at him as he finishes with, "who was that?"

"He looked…interesting," Dusty says hesitantly, seeming to have a troubled time trying to think of ways to describe the experience.

"If by interesting you mean creepy then I agree with you," Ralph speaks up next, "sheesh, talk about a stalker."

"That wasn't normal," Kirby agrees, "even by human standards that has to be seen as strange."

Aleu doesn't say a thing. What can she say? Should she defend the human? But how and why?

"Yes," Balto says in a protective tone as he continues to watch the male walk away with a rather hostile look that reminds Aleu of when her father first set his gaze upon Eran, "there has been some…changes since you last been here."

"Like that human?" Kodi questions.

"Yes," answers Jenna, who looks uncomfortable talking about the current subject, "his name is Kyle Shames."

Aleu instantly is on alert upon hearing these words and turns to her mother.

"Kyle Shames?" she asks to ensure she heard correctly, "That's Eran's human companion?" She couldn't help but note the irony that she was just thinking of the wolf-creature in question not too long ago.

Balto gives a small smirk as he looks at his daughter, "they share a lot in common don't they?"

Aleu made to answer but stops and closes her mouth. Her father has a point there and that scared her for some reason. Is that why he looked so familiar? Is Kyle suffering from the same loneliness that Eran is? She remembers how defensive he was when her father accused his human of troublemaking, perhaps that loneliness is where the loyalty was born.

"Um excuse me," the father turns back to his son and his friends who looked beyond confused, "who is Eran? Or Kyle for that matter?"

"It's a long story," Balto says as if this would wrap anything up.

"We have time," Ralph voices as he sits down, "next mail run isn't due for a few days."

The others in the team nod their heads as they put all their attention on Balto and his family, patiently waiting for an explanation.

Balto finally sighs. He didn't want to dampen this reunion, but seeing his son's resolve, and knowing that the mail team will hear about it eventually, it might be for the best that he tells them here and now.

"Alright," he says as he looks up at the team, wondering where to start since this is the first time he had to explain the strange happenings that have been occurring in Nome recently.

"It began a few days ago, close to the start of the week," the age-old hybrid begins, "as far as anyone knew it was a normal day, sunny skies, working humans and no accidents or disasters to worry about."

Kodi actually had to work hard to keep a smirk off of his face. This is starting to sound like one of the many ghost stories that his uncle Boris had told him before he and his siblings went to bed when they were pups. The look of amusement fell from his face however when he notices his mother and sister. Both of them aren't smiling, in fact, they look solemn; his mother trying to keep her eyes from looking at the ground, and Aleu suddenly found the pebble by her front paw to be interesting as she rolls it back and forth across the floor. The females are the strongest in the family, seeing them suddenly looking worried doesn't make Kodi feel better, in fact, it sets him on edge. Something is definitely not right here.

"Aleu had just returned from the wilderness," Balto continues, "and had told the dogs that she and her wolf pack have come to stay in the forest-"

"What!?" Kirby suddenly interrupts as he shoots up to his feet, "there are wolves here!?" He suddenly begins to look around as if expecting a feral animal to come charging at them at any moment.

Kodi coughs and gains Kirby's attention. He then raises his paw and says, "I'm part wolf you know."

Kirby then calms down before sinking down to the floor again, smiling meekly as he chuckles lightly to himself.

After the brief interruption, Balto restarts his story.

"As I was saying, not long after Aleu's return we received word that a new human had arrived in town, one that is different from the others."

"Kyle Shames," Dusty guesses.

"Yes, him," Balto acknowledges with a nod, "He has forsaken the company of his species by secluding himself to the forest, doesn't socialize with anyone in the village and he is just…well, every time people have seen him he just looks depressed."

"So?" Ralph asks, "Every litter has an oddball, and from all our traveling we can safely say that not all humans are the same."

"True," Agrees Balto, "But Kyle Shames also has the smell of a wolf about him."

"What?" Kirby demands, "but that's impossible right?"

"Ordinarily," Jenna voices, "I came within close proximity of him myself and there is no doubt about it; he has the scent of a wolf."

"But that can't be mom," Kodi voices in disbelief, "in order for someone to smell like a wolf they have to be a wolf or live among them since birth."

"Which furthers adds to the mystery," Balto continues, "and not only that but…well we had yet to see it for ourselves but with everything that has been happening it could be possible."

"What?" asks a slightly mystified Dusty.

"There has been talk that he could growl," Jenna answers.

"Growl?" Kodi asks, wondering if he heard right.

Balto releases a puff of air before nodding grimly, "I know this sounds crazy son, even I am having trouble believing it, but after everything that has happened I wouldn't be surprised if this was true."

Hesitantly the dog team looks among themselves, silently asking the other a simple question; do they believe? In all honesty, none of them would even entertain the thought, it just sounds too fantasized to even consider. But this is Balto that is speaking to them, the soundest minded person they have ever met, a hero for crying out loud. They would believe anything that he would say, but this may actually be pushing the limit.

Still…his mate and his daughter Aleu haven't been voicing any objections so does that mean they too believe in what is being said?

"Well…things have…changed much I suppose," Kodi begins slowly, unsure with what to say, "But all in all…that doesn't sound too bad."

"That's because you have yet to have heard of his animal companion," Balto tells his son.

"Animal companion?" asks a perplexed Ralph, "like what? A dog?"

"Or a wolf?" Kirby asks lightly and tries to laugh but it came out humorless and fearfully. His attempt to lighten the mood failing miserably.

"It's…a…" Balto looks out of the corner of his eyes towards Aleu, hoping that she could help a bit.

Aleu for her part isn't quite sure with what it is that she should say. Despite her few encounters with Eran they haven't gotten close to speaking about his species. She also didn't really feel right talking about him right now without his permission, but still, this might be for the best, in this way Kodi and the others will know of his existence and maybe she will be able to convince them that he isn't dangerous.

She takes a deep breath before speaking.

"We don't know yet," she answers truthfully before rushing along, "but still he's friendly and he-"

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kirby suddenly interrupts, "is he a dog? A cat? A bird maybe?"

Aleu nervously licks her chops before stating, "as far as we know…he might be some breed of wolf."

"The people here allow him to have a wolf for a pet?" Dusty asks, astounded by such a thing.

"Not exactly," Balto answers, "so far it seems that the people aren't aware of the wolf's-"

"Eran," Aleu suddenly speaks up with a bright fire of defensiveness in her gaze, "his name is Eran."

"Yes, Eran" Balto agrees, giving his daughter a sideways look after her sudden outburst, "as I was saying, the town's people haven't seen him yet and so far we are still deciding whether to tell them or not."

"Either way it's risky," injects Ralph, "the humans would surely panic upon seeing a full-grown wolf living amongst them."

"That's not all though," Aleu says hesitantly, "You see Eran isn't exactly a…normal wolf."

These words made Kodi's stomach drop as he asks, "and what, pray tell, do you mean by not a normal wolf?"

Aleu finally shakes her head in frustration.

"Look maybe it's best that you see him yourself," she says in an annoyed voice, "I honestly don't know where to begin talking about him."

"That is probably a good idea," supports Balto, "I'm still having trouble understanding what it is that I saw myself."

"Not making us feel any better dad," Kodi says, speaking truthfully considering the rest of the mail team have suddenly become a bundle of nerves.

"Eran is fine," Aleu tries to tell her brother with a smile, "he is actually quite nice and once you get to know him I'm sure you two could be good friends."

"Friends?" Kodi questions, "yes, friends with a wolf whose mere mention puts a glum look on our parent's faces would surely be interesting."

Before his sister could respond, Balto steps in.

"Look," he says, "let's not discuss such things now, alright? I'm sure Kodi and the team here are tired from their journey, the last thing they would want is to hear premature ghost stories."

"Yes please," Kirby all but whimpers as he lies on the ground with wide eyes and his tail tucks close to his body.

"Alright then," Balto says with a grin, "follow us to the boat, I'm sure a nice quiet meal with your uncle will replenish your strength Kodi."

After a round of agreement from everyone present, the dogs and hybrids begin to walk out of town, heading towards the outskirts.

Aleu engages with her father and mother in conversation while Ralph and Kirby start whispering and chuckling to each other, possibly coming up with various pranks they could pull off while they are in Nome.

Dusty has maneuvered herself so that she could be closer to her mate as she presses close to him and rubs her head a little under his chin. He likes the gesture, but he is sure he felt her shiver and he knew why.

"What do you think of what your parents just said?" Dusty asks him when she pulls away but stays close to his side.

"I don't know," Kodi answers as his brows furrow while in deep thought, "they have always been so reasonable and smart, they wouldn't let anything like this bother them unless it was serious."

"It certainly sounds creepy though," she tells him as she lightly shivers, prompting him to lick her muzzle and causing her to look up at him with twinkling eyes.

"Don't worry Dusty," he tells her in a reassuring voice, "everything will be fine."

She makes a small humming sound and they fall silent, basking in each other's warmth as they walk. Only a few seconds later does Dusty speaks again.

"You didn't tell them," she says bluntly.

Kodi gives her a cheesy smile, "Well I was nervous."

"Nervous about our relationship," she amends while casting him a doubting look, "makes me wonder how you're going to look trying to tell your parents."

"I will," he says firmly before adding, "soon."

"Do you think they approve of me?" she asks with concern in her voice.

In answer Kodi licks her again with a bright smile, "of course they do, I can tell, you have nothing to worry about."

"Alright," Dusty says with obvious relief, "still…will that change after you tell them?" she thinks for a moment before saying, "should we tell them?"

Kodi nearly trips upon hearing those words and turns his stun face towards his love.

"Of course we should tell them," he answers defensively, "they're my family and they should know."

"I know, know," she reassures him, "but with this…oddness happening, do you think they can handle the news?"

"I'm sure they will," he tells her reassuringly, "besides," he leans in and licks her again before finishing.

"Sooner or later, I think it'll be obvious to them what this big 'surprise' is."