Toby found Luna waiting for him. "Hi," he said, not sure what else to say.
Luna smiled. "I was hoping you'd come by."
There was a long silence. Toby stirred the ground with a paw. "Your dad came and talked to me about the whole…you know, thing."
Luna looked at him hopefully. "So, it doesn't bother you to have a friend who's related to your hero's arch enemy?" she asked.
"Well, it is kind of strange," Toby admitted. Luna frowned, and he quickly added, "But it's your business, not mine. So I'm not gonna make a big deal out of it. Besides, you're related to Balto too, which I think is kind of cool."
Luna blushed, then drooped slightly. "I hadn't wanted you to find out that part either," she confessed.
Every part of Toby went stiff. "You mean you knew it all this time and you never told me? Why?"
"Well, like you said, it's my business. Besides, you're a fan, and I don't want a friend who likes me for my family connections. I want a friend who'll like me for me. We have a saying in our family that your parents define what you are, not who you are."
"Well, I guess that makes sense, but still…" Toby trailed off, then shook his head. "Ah, forget it." He lowered his chin to his paws and wagged his tail. "So, you wanna play? How 'bout I'll be Balto and you be…" He stopped at a look from Luna. "What?" he asked.
"Let's just be ourselves," she suggested.
"Well…okay," Toby agreed. "And I won't tell anyone your secret," he added. "Just you, me, your folks, and my dad."
And now, thought a black-and-white malamute as he crept away unnoticed through the shadows, so do I.