The sun was just barely rising and there was already movement inside of the cave where Aleu, Steele and their pups lived. Teagan opened his eyes then flicked his tail slightly as he glanced around at the rest of his family. His bright blues eyes, identical to those of his father, carefully scanned the sleeping faces of each of his family members and then he smiled.
"Good, they're asleep," Teagan said quietly to himself before he leapt over his younger sister, Heather. He grinned then began to walk to the mouth of the cave. Before he got there, he felt something pounce on him. He yipped in surprise and struggled to see what had him pinned down. As he glanced up, he was met with darker blue eyes, identical in color to his mother's, but belonging to his older brother, Coal. Coal smirked down at his younger brother.
"Well good morning, Teagan. Where are you going?" Coal asked with false innocence. Teagan growled softly.
"Apparently nowhere now since you've got me pinned down. Just get off me, Coal. You're heavy," Teagan said irritably. Coal chuckled.
"I don't have to listen to you, Teagan. I'm the oldest," Coal teased. Teagan struggled and growled louder in frustration.
"I don't care! Get off of me," Teagan snapped in annoyance. Coal chuckled again and rather than getting off, he plopped down all his weight on Teagan. Teagan groaned loudly in discomfort. Freya and Heather lifted their heads then stood up and walked over to their brothers. Heather, the smallest and youngest of the pups, remained quiet, but Freya decided to speak out.
"Hey Coal, get off of him would you?" Freya asked impatiently. Coal glanced up and his eyes defiantly met his sister's light blue ones. They glared at each other for a moment before Coal groaned with disappointment and rolled his eyes.
"Oh fine. You're no fun," Coal complained as he got off of Teagan. Teagan grunted and shook off his fur.
"Thanks for getting me covered in dirt, Coal. Now mom's probably going to give me a bath," Teagan groaned. Freya giggled softly.
"I honestly don't see why you make such a fuss about getting cleaned, Teagan. It's not that bad," Freya said. Coal chuckled softly.
"Yeah Teagan, Freya's right. Besides, you have brown fur anyway, so you can hardly see the dirt," Coal said dismissively. Teagan narrowed his eyes then growled playfully.
"Well dirt shows up on your black fur so maybe I should show you how it feels, Coal," Teagan said with a smirk. Freya rolled her eyes and stepped calmly between her brothers before they could continue.
"Would you guys cool it? Don't you remember what mom said yesterday? We're supposed to meet our grandparents today," Freya reminded. Before anyone else could respond, Aleu walked over and sat beside Heather.
"That's right Freya," Aleu agreed softly. Freya giggled softly and ran over to her mother's side before she sat down once again. Coal and Teagan followed after then sat down in front of their mother. Surprisingly, Heather was the first to speak up.
"Mom, what do our grandma and grandpa look like?" Heather asked in her characteristic soft tone. Aleu smiled brightly.
"Well your grandpa, Balto, looks a bit like me, but more like Teagan's color. Your grandma, Jenna looks a bit like you, Heather. Her fur is a darker red though," Aleu explained. All four of the pups smiled happily. Coal glanced at the mouth of the cave.
"So, when do we leave then?" Coal asked eagerly. Aleu giggled softly.
"We can leave once your father gets up," Aleu replied. Just as the words escaped her mouth, Steele walked up.
"Is everyone ready to go?" Steele asked with a warm smile. The four pups nodded eagerly and Aleu smiled brightly.
"Let's be on our way then," Aleu said. The family soon set off on their way towards town. By the time they were in sight of the old ship, the sun was nearly setting. The journey usually didn't take too long for just Aleu and Steele, but with the pups, they had to adjust their pace and stop for breaks every so often. Aleu and Steele stopped the family by the beach that was right beside the ship. Aleu howled softly. Just inside the ship, Balto flicked his ears at the familiar howl and leapt down from the side of the ship then walked over to Aleu and Steele.
"Well hello you two. Long time no…" Balto trailed off when he saw the pups looking up at him. He chuckled softly then howled to call Jenna. In town, Jenna was out with Rosie, but when Balto's howl was heard, Rosie understood and let Jenna go. Soon Jenna arrived and sat down beside Balto.
"I've been waiting for you two to finally visit. What took you so…" Jenna trailed off when she the pups looking up at her. She smiled softly. Aleu took a step forward.
"Mama, papa, I'd like you to meet your grandchildren," Aleu announced proudly. Coal walked up first.
"Hello, my name is Coal. I'm the oldest," Coal said with a grin. He went back to his previous spot then Freya walked up.
"My name is Freya," Freya said with a smile. She went back and sat down then Teagan stepped up.
"My name is Teagan," Teagan said with a few wags of tail. His gaze lingered for a moment on Balto and he felt happy that he and his grandfather's fur colors were similar like his mother had mentioned earlier. He went back and finally Heather shyly walked up.
"And my name is Heather," Heather said before she turned and quickly went back between her parents. She spared one more glance at Jenna and smiled softly as she looked at her grandmother's red fur. Though her own fur stood out from her close family, it was comforting to know she and her grandmother had something in common. Balto and Jenna smiled happily and wagged their tails.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm your grandma, Jenna, and this is your grandpa, Balto," Jenna said. Balto dipped his head slightly as Jenna said his name
"Now that you guys are here, feel free to make yourselves at home," Balto said warmly. Jenna nodded in agreement then looked up at the sky.
"That and it's getting dark, so if your parents say it's ok, you could stay the night," Jenna with a glance at Aleu and Steele. Steele chuckled softly.
"Thank you for the offer, Jenna. That sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't want anyone to get lost in the dark on the way home," Steele said with a sweeping glace over the pups. Aleu giggled softly and nodded in agreement. The pups soon got more acquainted with their grandparents and then transitioned to playing games. By the time it was completely dark, all four of them were exhausted and fast asleep. Jenna flicked up her ears and listened intently as she noticed the town quieting.
"I'll need to be getting home. Where are Aleu, Steele and the pups going to sleep?" Jenna asked Balto. Balto flicked his ears then glanced at the ship.
They can stay up in the ship. We can all carry one pup each up there," Balto replied. Aleu, Jenna and Steele nodded in agreement. Aleu picked up Freya, Balto picked up Teagan, Jenna picked up Heather and Steele picked up Coal. The four then climbed the walkway on the side of the ship then placed the pups in Aleu's old room.
"Now that you guys are settled, I'd best be going," Jenna said soft smile at the group. Everyone nodded once as she headed back to town. Balto yawned softly.
"I must be getting older because I'm beat. I'm sure you guys will need sleep too since you'll have a long walk back with all these pups," Balto said with a chuckle. Aleu and Steele nodded then Balto headed to bed. Aleu and Steele lay down with their pups and soon they were both asleep.