Chapter 1: When we met...
The bath salts clinked in my basket as I hummed, their lavender scent mixing with the crisp mountain air. Then—BOOM. The shockwave rattled the building, and my tail puffed to twice its size. Through the window, a plume of white fog unfurled over the pines, rainbow sparkles dancing inside like trapped fireflies.
"Ezo's games never caused that kind of explosion."
I shouted for Ezo Red Fox. No answer—just the distant tap-tap-tap of her hands playing that game of hers.
I found her with her bushy tail wagging as she played her game. "Ezo, we've got a situation—"
"But my high score!" She whirled, frantically pressing and swiftly moving her hands.
I grabbed her collar, hauling her up. "New eruption. New Friend. Move."
She groaned, but her ears twitched toward the sparkles. Even she couldn't ignore it.
The fog clung to our fur like wet gauze, glittering particles sticking to my clothes. Ezo sneezed. "Smells like burnt marshmallows and—achoo!—regret."
Then impact.
Something heavy knocked me face-first into the snow. A cold nose pressed against my neck. Teeth? I squeezed my eyes shut—
Lick.
Warm, wet, and definitely not murderous.
I cracked one eye open. Pointed black ears. A snow-dusted muzzle. And eyes—blue as glacier ice—locked onto mine.
Ezo yelped, tugging at the girl's shirt. "Off! Bad dog!"
The stranger rolled away, shaking snow from her hair. Black as ink, except for the tips—white like my tail.
"You… a Friend?" I rasped, heart still hammering.
She tilted her head. "Friend? I'm Balto. A dog." Her gloves flexed. "But my hands feel… wrong."
Ezo hid behind me, peeking over my shoulder. Balto's tongue lolled.
"Oh no. She's adorable."
I sighed. "Let's start with 'don't pounce on people.' Then we'll tackle existential crises."