Somewhere, between Nome and the town of Golovin, which was founded east of Nome ten years before the latter, there was a trail. It was a trail that for the most of the year, when there was snow, would often leave the sled tracks behind. Today was one of the days when the fresh new tracks were to show up again.
The white rabbit hopped in the middle of the track, being unaware of the nature of the two horizontal, equally wide lines on either sides. The rabbit had other intentions. It paid no interest in discovering who made these and where they led. It was digging in the snow, hoping that in this winter, it'd find some herbs underneath snow to satisfy its hunger.
Sniffing the possible frozen grass underneath, the rabbit had its ears perked and heard the silence was broken. It sounded like a stampede. Not a stampede of caribous, elks or deers, but as if there were many dogs at once running, panting and barking. The rabbit was aware with every second the sounds were getting louder and louder!
Thus abandoning its goal to search the food, the rabbit hopped onto the side by the snow bush as in that moment, a sled, pulled by six dogs, with the mail bag in the sled and being controlled by the tall, rugged man, were passing by. The rabbit could be glad that there was not a single second to delay as it watched the sled disappear from the sight.
"Hike! The town of Golovin is just ahead of us!" The musher, Gundarsson, noticed the small town resting on the eastern side of the small cove. Two dogs who led the team, on the right was Clark and on the left, where Marion was meant to be, was actually Fritz. He was getting the hang of this, much to the pleasure of his teammates and the musher.
"Alright, we're almost there! Let's get this over with!" Clark barked to his teammates and he received his response in form of their barks. Any minute now they were going to make it in the town and rest in front of the post office, for a little bit. There it was… right in front of them… the post office and the post master was coming!
"Alright, halt!" Gundarsson commanded his team as they had made it to their destination in the town of Golovin. While it was evident that they were going to return soon, it was a relief for the team that all six of them were going to get their well deserved break. All of them fell on the ground and rolled on their stomachs.
"Team, you're doing a great job as usual! But with Fritz replacing Marion, we're doing as good as before and if not… better!" Clark stated this out as he intended to highlight the youngest member among them. Fritz chuckled embarrassingly and told him: "Clark… you really don't have to say it! I know that I got the hang of this, but…"
"But what? You're doing good for your age! What's there to comply anyhow?" Clark asked him with the laugh as he knew that there was nothing to be embarrassed of. So Fritz decided not to say anything else but: "Clark… how is Marion doing? How long it is going to take her to give a birth?" The curiosity in this case was welcome.
"Well, Fritz. She's been pretty tired lately, but she's lively as ever. We hope that our puppies will come by Christmas and speaking of Christmas, it's going to be in seven days!" This clearly reminded them that by Christmas, there was going to be at least one more mail delivery and after that, they were going to have some time off.
"So I guess that's going to be your… Christmas present? A family?" Fritz asked this as he wanted to be polite, making sure he left a good impression. Clark was amused by his punchline in here and he responded with: "I say it is the best Christmas present I can wish for!" While not the present to have every year, he made his point.
While they were still resting, Clark glanced at the young malamute, how he and Marion had warmed up to him as soon as he was starting to replace Marion… he could still remember how he called them "sir", "madam", "mister" and "mistress", only for Clark to tell him: "Fritz, call us by our names. We are not the president and the first lady of dogs!"
That memory jogged in his head and made him smile, knowing how the young one was just anxious. The door of the post office opened and revealed Gundarsson with the fresh new bag of mail, being put in the sled and this meant one thing… "Alright! We're returning to Nome, which we should reach by sunset! Mush!"
Clark's team set off back to Nome, around the time when Christmas was creeping behind the corner. For humans this was going to be a delight and even the dogs knew what the joys lied on that special day…
Christmas day 1918…
In the house, in one room to be specific, there was a kid, sleeping in a bed. It was six years old boy, having a black hair while sleeping on the side. The sun was rising behind the snowy clouds out there, but the morning was coming to the kid in an another form and that was when the door of the room opened.
Two adults had entered the room and one of them was obviously Gundarsson. Judging by the black hair he and that kid had, it was already clear that the sleeping kid was his son. Gundarsson was with his wife, who was at least ten centimeters shorter and had a brown, wavy hair. She was the one who had headed to the little one first.
"Viktor! Viktor! Wake up! Christmas has come!" Viktor's mom, Gundarsson's wife, stirred the little sleeping boy, who had been awaken by his mother rubbing his shoulder. The little one had looked at his mom and what he said first was: "Mamma? It's Christmas! Oh, Merry Christmas, mamma! Merry Christmas, pappa!"
"Merry Christmas, my son!" Gundarsson delightfully hugged his son as he had headed to his father to wish him Christmas. Since Christmas had many joys, this was going to be the special one for Gundarsson and his family when he told his son: "Viktor, there's a Christmas surprise I'd like you to see before opening presents! Come!"
Little Viktor looked at his mother, who with the smile on her face just nodded to follow his father, with her following her husband and her son behind. After descending down the stairs into the living room, which had a grandly decorated Christmas tree and few presents for each, there was a door to another room next to the tree.
"Son, we'll head there to the shed. I'll advise you to keep your tone down, alright?" Gundarsson headed to the shed while being followed by his son and his wife. Viktor responded: "Okay, pappa." Reaching for the door knob, Gundarsson pushed the doors and switched the light on, which only dimly lit the small room.
All three of them stood at the entrance and Gundarsson looked at his son, asking: "Do you see something new there?" Viktor looked at his pets, Marion and Clark. Marion was resting in the bed, leaving Clark to lay down next to her and the bed. When Viktor looked at Marion's belly, he asked: "Did… did Marion…?"
"Become a mother? Yes, she gave a birth of four last night!" Gundarsson patted his son by his head as the little one was excited upon noticing four newborn puppies sleeping or being fed by Marion's milk in the bed. One gray, two tan and one white… A Christmas miracle!
Since Viktor was not saying anything, listening to his father carefully, he did tell him: "Viktor, I know that you find the puppies cute, but if you want to cuddle the puppies and play with them, you will have to wait for two more weeks when they open their eyes. Sure, Marion trusts you, me and your mother, but she won't be happy to smell the scents on her puppies and those scents are not theirs, do you understand?"
"Yes, pappa." Viktor said silently, being disappointed that he could not play with them yet. Still, his mother didn't want to leave him feeling down when she placed her hand on his shoulder and tell him: "Son, look at the gifts under the tree! You are going to like what you'll see!" Little Viktor felt the excitement coming back to him when she told him about presents.
Gundarsson led his son out of the shed and closed the doors, while leaving the room dimly lit. Clark and Marion were awakened when their masters came to the shed and so he looked up at his mate, asking her: "Marion? Marion? How are you feeling?" Marion wearily opened her eyes and gazed at her mate, answering: "Still tired from last night, but I'll make it… thank you for being with me, Clark…"
"You're welcome. I'd not miss the birth of our puppies, you know it." He said it silently, knowing that he did not want to make her cranky after a sleepless night. Both of them gazed at the sun yellow sheets she was laying on and watched their four newborns. Marion was filled with that motherly feeling upon seeing her puppies.
"Clark… look at them… three males and only one female…" She paid attention to that, indicating that they were having three sons and one daughter. Clark was not really paying attention to that last night so he asked: "Which one is female?" She nudged the snow white puppy, feeding near her abdomen. "This one and she is the youngest puppy."
Now it was clear to him which one was female among three sons they had. Now it was the main task for the parents and it was when Clark asked her: "So, have you thought of any names for our sons and a daughter?" Marion looked at him again, then at the gray puppy who looked like him and answered: "This one, the oldest… this is Beringo."
"Beringo…" Clark repeated after her, gazing at his eldest son. If she had not named him after Bering's Strait, which was widely known here in Alaska, then where else she could have come up with a name like that? Now it was Clark's turn: "Well, I might have two names for his younger brothers."
She turned into ears when Clark looked at the tan puppy who was sleeping, being the only one who was not being fed right now. He had some more tan fur between his eyes and this revealed: "This one is Amak. And his brother, next to Beringo… That one is Ridge." Now it was just the only female in the litter who needed a name.
"Amak and Ridge…" Marion repeated her younger sons' names. Ridge had a muzzle covered with the gray fur, the same one from his father. The only female had her eyes covered with the gray fur from her father and thus Marion revealed: "Beringo, Amak and Ridge… and their little sister Bethel…" Now it was settled as soon as Bethel was chosen as the white female's name.
"Beringo… Amak… Ridge… Bethel…" Clark and Marion repeated simultaneously as they wanted to memorize their names and looks as soon as they could and then spoke delightfully: "Look at them, our family! Maybe they will take after us as sled dogs! What do you think?" He was already excited for their futures.
Marion saw that excitement in her mate's eyes and she answered him wearily: "I think that they should have my love and your care, then we'll talk about them being sled dogs, if that day comes…" While not expecting that answer, Clark was amused by that response and so he let her mate rest her head on his paws, falling asleep no longer after. She deserved it, all while the little ones, now all four of them, were being nursed.
As Christmas went by, so did New Year and it was still not the beginning to the new decade. For some it was one another year to enter and live in, but for Clark and Marion's four puppies it was something they'd get to know once their senses sharpen and discover the brand new world on their own.
One late January day Marion stayed at home, resting in front of the fireplace that was radiating the warmth on this snowy day. Her four puppies were playing with one another with little Viktor all while his mother was reading a book in the armchair nearby. Clark was on his mail delivery and was bound to return from Golovin before noon.
"Tag, you're it!" Little Bethel, the youngest puppy of the litter and only female among them, with her having the same blue eyes as her father, pounced Beringo, the eldest puppy and the one who was taking a lot after his father, even with eyes, as he was not expecting Bethel's "ambush". He groaned in an annoyance: "That's not fair!"
"What's not to be fair, Beringo? There are no specific rule in the game of tag!" Ridge, the tan puppy with the brown eyes as his mother, joked on Beringo's groaning when he was still safe from getting tagged. Amak, his older brother and also bearing his mother's eyes, joked: "So are you going to groan some more on the floor or get over it?"
"Get over it? Maybe… get over you!" Beringo then suddenly and swiftly rolled on his belly and on all of his fours and swiftly pounced his brother on his back before effectively telling him: "Tag, you ARE it!" Amak gazed at him in disbelief as he was taken off guard with his joke. Now it was all three of them who scattered around.
"Hey!" Amak yipped after this, rolling on his belly and all his fours before trying to get one of his siblings tagged. All while little Viktor laughed amusingly how they were playing, making him say: "You are pretty funny puppies! If there was a way we could understand you!" It sounded like a fantasy, something his mom did not mind that much.
"Ah, too slow!" Ridge made his escape when it was seemingly going in Amak's favor to corner him by the armchair. He didn't get himself hit or anything, but Bethel jumped over him by taunting: "Not fast enough!" Amak frowned as he felt like he had it coming with his jokes and lack of attention.
Marion watched them play and as long as they were not playing dirty and were not spitting bad words at one another, she was all fine with this. She gazed at the clock hanging on the wall opposite and realized that her mate was coming soon, along with their master. She saw how Amak managed to tag Ridge, who took it fair and square.
"Viktor, your father is coming now. Let's get the living room in order!" Viktor's mother placed the book on the table next to the armchair and Viktor got up, obeying: "Yes, mamma." They moved the puppies back to Marion as they were getting the carpet clean from the dust and some of Marion's shed fur. All while Bethel asked: "Is daddy coming so, mommy?"
"Sooner than you may expect, sweetie!" Marion licked her daughter by the cheek as the arrival of their dear father was coming any minute soon… sooner than expected, as Marion said, when the boots stomping on the porch, followed by the light stampede, were heard from outside.
The doors opened, revealing Gundarsson with him holding the hat in his hand while cleaning the snow from his long hair. It didn't plummet his mood when he said delightfully: "I'm home!" He was not alone, letting Clark go past while his son and his wife greeted him delightfully back.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" All the puppies saw their father coming to them as he, while tired, was happy to see his puppies coming to him. He panted: "Hey! Hey! Daddy's home! Yes! Whoa, hang on, Ridge!" Too late, as because how his puppies were besieging him, he had no choice but to drop down and roll on his back, letting the puppies jump on his belly in joy as he was losing his breath from the laughter.
"So, how was the delivery, honey?" Marion asked when it came on her turn to nuzzle her mate, who after the run of puppy tickles on his belly, rolled on his stomach. He got back some air while the puppies besieged him some more. He revealed: "Like any other. Snow got us a bit slowed down on our way back, but Fritz handled the situation well."
"That's good." Marion said it, since the snow could not slow her down either. Yet, Clark had something else to share: "Gundarsson has something to tell you, Marion." She looked at their master, who ducked down to the tan female adult husky to let her know: "Marion, I think it is your time to return to the sled service."
After weeks being on a break, Marion saw this coming. Yet, it did not ooze the enthusiasm from her when she gazed at all four of her puppies. She spoke: "If I'm back to the service… who is going to look after our puppies when we're not here?" This had puppies confused, especially when they were hearing their mother saying this.
"What is it, mommy?" Amak asked, not knowing what was going on. Clark also had that uneasy feeling coming to him, yet he was handling this situation fairly well when he told her: "Honey, are your forgetting something? Mistress will look after them! You see how well she treats her own son, so you don't have to be afraid!"
"Who is going to look after us, daddy? What's happening?" Beringo wondered, trying to figure out what his parents were saying and Clark answered him: "Beringo, your mother is now going back to the sled service and that means that neither of us will be home when we're out on our duty." Now all four of them watched in disbelief… they were going to be alone?!
"Don't worry, little ones! Just know that mistress will look after you, like a puppysitter!" Marion encouraged them as if she did not want them to cry for the sake of times when they were not at home. Ridge asked her: "But… but how long you won't be at home, mommy? Daddy?" The answer came soon: "Just a couple hours on specific days."
While they were still feeling mixed about this, Marion and Clark knew that if they were in the hands of someone they could trust, they had nothing to worry about. Well, it was going to take some time until they were going to get used to it, both parents and puppies. As it was clear, Fritz had to be returned to Kaasen because the deal of him being Marion's replacement expired.
Few more days passed and the another mail delivery was afterwards. For the first time ever since she'd given birth to her four precious puppies, Marion did not want to leave her house, but at the same time, she could not defy her duties. Before she was ready to go, she nuzzled each of her puppies by saying: "Puppies, do behave when we are gone and listen to the mistress, is that clear?"
"Yes, mommy." Ridge obeyed, even if he was uncomfortable that both his mother and father weren't going to be back for hours. Bethel couldn't resist to ask her: "Mommy, daddy, how long you'll be out there? Will you come back?!" She even clinged on her mother's leg as she didn't want to let her go.
"Bethel, your mother and I will be back home before the sunset! Don't worry! The mistress and little Viktor will look after you when we're on the duty!" Clark encouraged his only daughter as he nudged her to let go off Marion's paw. Amak asked them: "But when you get home, will you stay with us?"
"Until we get back to our next delivery any day soon. Now we have to go!" Marion didn't want to give promises as they could hear Gundarsson calling for them: "Marion, Clark! Let's go! We've got a mail to deliver!" So the parents were leaving the house, with Beringo having the last word: "Bye mommy! Bye daddy!"
The doors, once closed, made Marion look in front of herself as she had to follow her mate to the post office. Clark saw that uneasy look on her face and promptly, after crossing to the Main Street, he answered her: "Marion, don't bite yourself for that! It isn't easy for me to leave them there home, but you have to trust the mistress, she will take a good care of our puppies!"
Marion glanced at her mate, hoping that whatever he was saying, it was true. She nodded weakly and sighed, whispering: "I just hope that… I won't look like a bad mother for doing this…" Clark leaned closer to her and with his warm and caring voice, he answered: "You won't… like I am not looking like a bad father for this too… now come on!"
Thus Gundarssoon led them to their harnesses and for the first time in weeks, Marion reclaimed her position that had been Fritz's when she was on her pregnancy break. His scent was still fresh from the deliveries when she had to rest. This was all broken, the fantasies and thoughts in her head, when Gundarsson, after placing the mail bag in the sled, grabbed the leashes and yelled: "Mush!"
Clark and Marion were leading the team to the town of Golovin, with Marion, who had been out of service for a while. She was not working out for her return to her post, but was she faster than ever. Even Clark had coped up with her speed and decided to unify his speed with hers so both of them would return home as soon as they could!
By noon they made it to Golovin. While returning with the bag of mail for Nome, Gundarsson received a warning about the oncoming snowstorm, but if the dogs were to mush as fast as they could, they would reach Nome before the snowstorm would reach them. Wasting no more time, they had immediately set off home!
"As if being away from puppies was not bad enough… we have a snowstorm on our tails!" Marion said this grumpily when they were heading to the west, noticing the first clouds coming from the front. None of the dogs but Clark were going to question her motifs, not even when she barked: "Come on, faster! We must get home before sunset!"
Gundarsson was surprised by the condition and energy Marion had, but he had his concerns, especially about the blizzard on the way. The sun was setting when they were on the slopes near Nome and the clouds raging with the snow behind them, they were certain that they'd get to safety in no time!
"We're almost there! We can do this, come on!" Clark barked at the others when they were less than five kilometers from their birthtown. Only to cross the plains in front of them and reach the first houses… the streets… the post office, straight in front of them! They made it! They had not much time to rest while Gundarsson headed to give the bag in the office and dismantle the team.
"Let's take you all home before we get snowed it!" Gundarsson decisively led each of the dogs to their masters, thus leaving Clark and Marion as his own to take for the last. Once it was just them, he beckoned them to follow him as the wind from the northwest was kicking in, blowing stronger and stronger. In no time, they had reached their home.
"Marion, I have to admit, you were out of sled service for three months, but you have lots of energy flowing in your veins, girl!" Gundarsson patted her by head when they had found themselves in front of their house. Marion was flattered by the compliment and Clark's smile as if he were saying: "I told you so!" Then they had entered the house.
What they had to see was just adorable in their view. Mrs. Gundarsson and Viktor had watched the puppies in Marion's bed being tucked under the blanket and napping. With the book standing on the table above, Mrs. Gundarsson looked at her husband and told her: "Jakob, look! It took us a while to calm the puppies because they had hard times to deal with Marion and Clark leaving, but we did it!"
"You've done a good job in tucking them in! I need to lay down a bit, it's going to be raging snowstorm soon." This view made Gundarsson feel the sleep hit effectively when he yawned, feeling the warmth from the fireplace. Before letting his father go to rest, Viktor told him: "Pappa, we even told them a story for bed to calm them down."
While it was looking like as if they were raising four human babies rather than puppies, Gundarsson didn't care that much as with the smile stretching under his bearded face, he patted him by head before taking a rest in the bedroom. All while Clark looked at them, then the puppies and at last at Marion.
"What did I tell you? Mistress and Viktor took a good care of our puppies!" Clark whispered to his mate, who couldn't deny what he was saying when he leaned on his shoulder and adoringly watched Beringo, Amak, Ridge and Bethel sleep soundly in their bed… with the snowstorm raging out there.