That night had been both a miracle and a scare for them all. When word had gotten out that Luna might not survive the delivery, everyone who knew her, especially Copper and Taya, was very afraid. Then, when they got the news that she'd delivered successfully and was still alive, there were cries of joy. The parents of Toby and Luna had come over to see their grandchildren, and Terry and Taya couldn't help but shed joyful tears. All the worry that had come with the work seemed to simply melt away, and everything settled into a silence broken only by the crackle of the fire, giving to the situation a peaceful easy feeling. Arrow watched with a smile on her face as her new siblings suckled at their mother's belly, making soft moaning and growling sounds as they crawled back and forth in competition for feeding places. They even tried barking, which only sounded like a squeak and made everyone laugh.
As Arrow nestled herself between Luna's front paws, Charlie impulsively began to sing and was soon joined by the Calvins. Even Toby hummed a few lines, though to human ears it was just the steady thumping of his tail.
The first Noel, the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
As the humans continued their soothing music, Luna felt the last of her pain slip away, Arrow felt her loneliness disappear, and Toby felt like a fifty-ton weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Taking the place of all these was an overwhelming sense of peace and calm, as if there were some magic, or a thing beyond magic in the song. They all knew that the new additions to their family would take work to bring up and in one way or another each would manage to get into trouble, but for this blessed moment they were all at perfect rest. Arrow smiled and pushed her head against the underside of Luna's chin like a cat against a hand that wasn't petting. "Merry Christmas, Mom," she whispered.
Luna smiled, then in a quick motion bumped Arrow onto her side, buried her nose in the puppy's fur and blew a raspberry into her belly. Amidst her daughter's laughter she said, "Merry Christmas."
Toby, drained but satisfied by the events of the past few hours, let out a prodigious yawn and added, "Merry Christmas to all…" As he drifted off to sleep, Toby thought of the mysterious stranger who had led him to Arrow. I wonder where he disappeared to? he pondered drowsily. I wish I could thank him.
Meanwhile, that same wolf stood by the front door, smiling at the whole scene. "And to all, a good night," he whispered in a voice none could hear. Then he passed through the door and walked through the streets of Nome, quietly enjoying the peace in the air and the satisfaction of a job well done. No one noticed him, which was really quite a pity. After all, very few ever get to see a "wolf" spread his wings and fly into the darkness.