The secret that all of Beringo's teammates had to bear, save for Roger, who had his lovely breakfast dreams, was actually not some big deal for them. As close as they were to one another, they knew that betraying one another's trust meant the end of their friendship. For a long time they'd been friends and ending it abruptly was going to be costly.
Summer was coming and the snow was no more. This meant some more free time for the sled dogs and they deserved it. This was not only opening the path for them to have their well deserved vacation, but now that they all had time for themselves, this also meant the path to discover feelings for one another and it was sparkling all around Nome.
It was an early summer day and in the house, Dakota and Indiana were still resting in bed, with Indiana resting his head on Dakota's chest as she was licking him lovingly by his forehead. He muttered in satisfaction, telling her: "Just a little bit to the right, Dakota. Yes, right above my eyebrow."
"Enjoying, aren't we?" Dakota teased him, as if Indiana was injured and couldn't do anything by himself, which was of course something she didn't mind in particular. Indiana let her know: "Ohhhh, ever since we all got the break and vacation, waking up with you every morning is the biggest pleasure I may afford!"
"Ahhhh, don't flatter me, Indiana! You haven't seen the biggest pleasure just yet!" Dakota teased him some more because why wouldn't she? Sure, they hadn't admitted their feelings to one another yet, but they had it on their minds. Just then, they heard Hallie's voice: "Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?"
"What do you think?" Justin teased her as she nuzzled him, showing the gratitude and kindness. Him being all relaxed and slow-minded and her being quirky and a bit ditzy clearly made them fitting for one another and then Indiana cleared his throat: "Ahem!" It was clear that their taunts weren't secret among one another.
"Oh, looks like we're not the only one awake." Hallie hoped that she and Justin were awake before Dakota and Indiana before addressing them: "Have you had some fun nights recently, you two? I mean, how long has it been since you've had your night out?" Not really the best question she had to ask them, but if it was for the record, then it had to mean something.
"I don't know, maybe not long after your first date?" Dakota lazily replied, stretching her legs and neck and coming out of her bed. She walked to the center of the room as Hallie did and the latter asked: "How come you haven't had been on a date for a while? You've been the first one among us, remember?"
"Maybe first, depends when Beringo started seeing Aniu, his friend." Indiana let her know what would have been a possible option, because he did not exactly know how long they'd been seeing each other. Justin asked them: "Then why don't you go on your next date soon? You know, there is something that you may discover by yourselves!"
"Such as?" Dakota wondered, since ever she and Indiana dated one another, it had never come to "I love you" moments and Indiana saw in Justin's eyes how that same moment didn't occur to them as they were dating. Then, he figured out: "I got it! Instead of competing who's going on a next date first, why don't we make this a double date?!"
"A double date?" Hallie asked, being surprised by these news. Sure, double dates weren't something really new, but for their time, to go on a date with more than one couple, this was unexpected. Indiana continued: "I mean, we've been friends ever since we've been puppies and for the last few months we've been dating one another respectively, but what if we have all of us our entire night for four of us?"
"Four? Huh, I wonder…" Justin was about to say, but Dakota was like: "Shush! He can't hear it even when he's asleep!" That was right, Roger was still sleeping as hard as rock, but risking to expose Beringo's secret was going to leave dire consequences and cause them to lose Beringo's trust all because they couldn't tell him!
"Right, we'll discuss this somewhere else." Justin whispered to her and even then, Roger didn't wake up. Hallie asked: "Indiana, what's your big plan for the double date as you call it?" Four dogs, two males, two females, having this unique chance soon, Indiana started: "It isn't a big plan, it is just that we arrange where we'll go all together and have a ball!"
"Big plan, uh?" Justin was either not amused by what Indiana had to offer or just was expecting a little bit too much from him. Then, the pawsteps from the outside were heard, moving straight towards the dog doors and Dakota told them: "Guess who?" If it wasn't the one they thought it was, then there was a reason to panic.
"Moooooooooooooooorning!" Beringo's voice echoed as he pushed the dog doors with his head, all of them giving the amused looks when they saw Beringo well rested. Every second night he'd go to be with Aniu on the old boat to hang around with her and sleep over there. He had to sleep over at Nash's place too. "What did I miss, you guys?"
"Nothing, Beringo. We were just talking about how the four of us will go on a double date soon!" Indiana informed him and Beringo didn't have to add two with two to realize he wasn't in this, but it didn't matter to him. He knew why it was like that and he didn't bother begging them anyhow: "That's nice of you, guys. When are you planning to go?"
"That we are still thinking about." Justin let him know, as they couldn't suddenly add any time possible but to arrange their everyday schedules when they were going to be able to do so. Beringo briefly glanced at Roger and then at his friends, telling them: "You know, I was about to tell you some things, but I don't think that I want to have Roger find out!"
"Don't worry, we'll have to wait for him to leave or we'll discuss it some other time." Dakota cleverly judged this whole situation and as for now, Beringo smiled to them all, asking: "I'm starving, what's for breakfast?" Then he realized that "breakfast" was possibly not the best word to use when he heard a sleepy voice saying: "Did someone say breakfast?"
"If we didn't say that, then we said fast break. How's that for compromise, Roger?" Indiana noticed his bulky friend waking up on the sound of "breakfast" and him stretching his legs while still on his back. Others were laughing and Dakota told him: "Now come on, Roger. You know that is the only thing that wakes you up every morning!"
"Oh ha ha ha ha." Roger was totally amused by Dakota's taunts and as he was fully awake, it was time for breakfast and rightfully so, when Nash's voice came from the kitchen: "Here you go! I've made you some dry food combined with grounded beef for you!" Saying no more, Roger was the fastest, word-wise and speed-wise: "Coming through!"
Indeed, as Roger had his love for food and Beringo had his love for Aniu, this led for the other four of their friends to settle down with their "double date". One way or another, these friends had been knowing each other since the puppy days and now that they had finally figured out that there could be none other else but them, it was their time now.
"You know, since there is not a lot we can do in this town, we might go to the beach and have some fun in here!" Justin suggested where their date could be at. As for the others, they seemed to like the idea, but Dakota spoke: "Before we go there, why don't we start with a nice stroll around the town? Who knows, we may come across something new!"
"I may sound like Roger here, but if we find a place for four of us to have a dinner, we'll certainly enjoy some meat in the alleys." Indiana let them know and he had to be thankful that they were near the post office right now and not at home otherwise this would all have turned into Roger's food fest right here.
"Oh, and if it wasn't for summer right now, we'd have the entire date ended with some northern lights! Too bad there aren't any during summer." Hallie was hoping for something that they had to wait for months to be back and Dakota let her know: "Don't worry, we just have to wait for the fall and then we'll all have our second dates with the northern lights!"
They made sure that there were no suspicious or wondering ears around and once they had made sure entirely that no one was eavesdropping, Indiana told them: "Well, I do wish that we could bring Beringo, but it seems that none of us are really comfortable with Aniu being around us." That being said, he was not wrong, judging by the looks on their faces.
"I mean, if he loves her, then that's fine, but I don't want us to have anything with her and end it all with her actually being found out and Beringo being actually insane as they thought!" Hallie didn't want to hear of it, but at the same time, she cared for the well-being of her friend. Still, the prejudices seemed to be stronger.
"Only other couple we could think of coming with us would be Scottia and Koyuk." Justin wondered if that was a good idea and sadly, it was not. Dakota told him: "Don't bother, Justin. Indiana had already spiced things up with them and their sarcasm enough times. I don't think it's going to be that easy." In the end, they had to give up on them.
"So, now it's just the four of us. When are we going to go for our double date?" Indiana clearly wanted to be in charge of situation, clearly underestimating them all. Dakota told him: "Easy there, big boy! We have to take a good look of what is coming soon these days!" They had to think this through together and just then it came to their minds.
"Say, isn't like this the first day of July?" Hallie asked them, remembering something she could have seen on calendar before. Others figured it out soon with Dakota saying: "You're right, today is the first day of July! Isn't this a time of the year, somewhere in July, when people of this town celebrate something? Something 'independence', I think it is."
"Independence Day… though I'm not exactly sure what happened then?" Justin heard something about this being a great day for the people of Nome, but nothing came to their mind what else could it be, but then he remembered: "Oh, this is the time of the year when the sky is raining those loud and colorful explosives. Is anyone afraid of them?"
'Loud and colorful explosives'? In one paw, it sounded somehow intimidating, but at the same time, it also sounded pretty interesting. Justin asked them: "I'll tell you that I'm not really afraid of those explosions. Anyone else?" The others were surprisingly taking his stance and it was amazing that the dogs like them were not caring how loud and deafening those explosions were.
"If the sky is going to rain colors from those explosions, why don't we all have our date then? It's going to be our very first memorable double date!" Dakota found this whole idea exciting and seeing her like that, Indiana didn't bother rejecting: "You know me now, Dakota!" So Indiana decided to go to this date against all odds and as for Justin and Hallie.
"Alright, we're going on our second date on that special night!" Justin approved the whole idea and so did Hallie. Their plan was simple for what they could do: start with the night stroll around the town, find some good source of food and even music, as Hallie seemed to have a good taste in it and then end it all on the beach, perhaps taking a dip in the water should one of them have that pleasure.
Independence Day, as it was called, was celebrated every fourth of July, and for the people of United States and their overseas territories it was one of the most important days in year. However, for someone living in Nome this was going to be a pretty humble celebration due to its desolation and distance and it was something that dogs could feel relieved about.
"So, you two boys are finally getting ready to share some fun with girls, right?" Beringo asked them in the late afternoon as they were waiting for Dakota and Hallie to be done, as they wanted to look smooth and clean for their date. Justin asked him: "We'd go ask you and your friend to join us, but it is something we do not want to risk, Beringo."
"Don't sweat it. It is actually good from you that you won't expose us and thus, I won't lose any trust for you." Beringo told them this and yet, Roger was still unaware of Beringo's secret. In fact, he was somewhere outside right now so this talk could go smooth. Now Indiana told him: "Worry not, my friend, because you have scored a top notch female for yourself!"
"Wait, for real?" Beringo asked him, being curious how Indiana had changed his stance towards Aniu and admittedly, Indiana told him: "If I never met Dakota in my life before and if Aniu were a husky like us, I think you and I would have each others' throats than backs!" He found this dark humor pretty amusing while Justin and Beringo seemed like stunned by what he just said.
Seeing how they were not laughing, Indiana just stopped, thinking how it was not a great idea to say something like this. Meanwhile, Justin told him: "Beringo, now that we've been thinking, I think that this could be the step ahead between me and Hallie. I think that tonight is the night I'll tell her that I love her!"
"Oh ho ho! Did you think through what you'll tell her as well before?" Beringo liked where Justin was going with his ideas. Not short of surprises, he let him know: "It's like a poetry, my friend. Once I recite it to her, I know that I won't regret it!" Now Justin was a step ahead and as for Indiana, he told them: "You know, I have no poetry with myself to recite, but I do think that I'll have to say the same thing for Dakota."
"Just don't rush it. Females don't like the rush, Indiana." Beringo let him know, basing it off how he didn't rush to tell that to Aniu after secretly meeting her for months and Indiana smiled to him, as if he knew how it was for him. Then, they finally could hear Dakota and Hallie calling them: "Booooooooys! Are you ready for your surprise?"
"We sure are!" Justin and Indiana simultaneously said it because now that the doors were opening, nothing could go wrong! Boy, were they right when their eyes widened in surprise and jaws dropped in awe as they could see both Dakota and Hallie coming. Neither of them had a messy fur and each one of them had at least one flower attached to their ears! Dakota's left ear had a pasque flower whereas Hallie's right ear had a wild prairie rose!
"Oh wow, you two have outdone yourself!" Beringo complimented them both as neither Indiana nor Justin could believe how pretty they were looking! Dakota walked up to Indiana and with her stroking his chin with tail, it finally felt like as if Indiana's awe finally lifted off because he spoke: "You… you look pretty!"
"Heheh! I knew it that you'd like it, Indiana!" Dakota mused because of how Indiana was being all goofy around and Indiana corrected her: "More like… love it!" Dakota giggled at this remark and now was ready to go. As for Hallie, she was rubbing her nose against Justin's, whispering: "I was hoping to find a red rose for my ear, but I found only this."
"Don't sweat it, Hallie. That rose looks much prettier around your lovely ear." Justin complimented her, knowing that there was nothing more than to have her beauty around him. As for Beringo, he chuckled at this scenery and just let them know: "You know, I'm still here so if you don't mind, I'll just go!"
"No, no! We're about to leave, Beringo! But who knows, maybe you can learn some moves from us for Aniu, you know?" Dakota let him know and she was being fine with Aniu. Well, not that she had any directly positive feelings about her, but unlike Hallie, she could tolerate her and would make sure that Beringo's secret wouldn't go out of her head.
"If you say so… then you four have a good time!" Beringo greeted them all and held the doors for them so they could all leave, with their date up ahead. Just as he was going to let the doors shut closed, he heard from outside: "Beringo, keep the door!" It was Roger and he was huffing when he rushed straight into the house, much to Beringo's confusion.
"Roger, you could have just gone through the dog doors! What's the big deal?" Beringo found it confusing how Roger just went straight through the doors. Roger lazily told him: "Nah, I don't feel like stretching myself through these doors right now. By the way, did you just see them leaving? Girls looked pretty and groomed up when they left!"
"I saw everything, Roger. They're going on their date." Beringo let him know although Roger knew it as he was also being told about this date. While Beringo circled around the room, Roger told him: "Look, I know that you've told me that it was for the best to let Dakota go for Indiana, but do you sometimes think you wished otherwise?"
"At this point? No. I got pretty much used to it that these two will end together one way or another." Beringo let him know and since he was the only one who did not know about Aniu, it was obvious that he'd think that Beringo still had no luck with females, telling him: "Well, it that is what you say. Maybe now that rumor is gone and long dead, you could try to find yourself a female now! In fact, I may think of finding one for myself."
"Oh really? Since when do you choose females over food?" Beringo slyly looked at him, wondering how come Roger started talking about females. Roger firmly let him know his opinion: "Oh you know. Enjoying food won't really have me happy for life, but having a female? Now I may finally understand these two how it is with them."
"If all six of us were right here in room right now, I think it'd be us making a party in honor of your decision!" Beringo joked about Roger's decision while at the same time he was glad to hear him think this way. Roger told him: "At least your jokes don't sound so brash and crass like Dakota's. And if I do find one, I will tell you first, then I'll tell them!" That seemed pretty valid to Beringo, now that Roger had an another path in his life.
Now, back to Indiana, Justin, Dakota and Hallie, these four dogs were going to have a wonderful date, or at least they were going to make it look like it was going to be wonderful. Strolling around the streets and alleys, they could hear that the humans in houses were all celebrating this day, with some of them pulling out their rusty barbeque, logs and coals to burn the meat and sing some of songs, some of which were decade defining.
"My, my! Do these humans enjoy today!" Hallie was amazed how the humans were celebrating this day. So far so good, families and relatives gathered, friends laughing and singing with one another and them preparing little of pyrotechnics that was going to be used for tonight! Justin smelled the air, clearly enjoying it: "Too bad that Roger is missing this, which means more for us if we manage to grab our dinner!"
"Don't you worry about dinner, Justin. I know a secret passage to the butcher's should we not find some proper meal soon!" Indiana informed him as he had some knowledge about secret paths around the town, thus earning him "sneaker" title for such deeds. Just at it seemed like things were going smooth around…
"Did you hear that? This smashing and racket?" Dakota stopped, listening from below one window that was opened and there was a man yelling, in quite different language: "Suka! Chto ty ot menya khotish!? Eto moya vodka!*" And then there was someone else talking, the language they could understand: "Damn it, Russkie! You had enough of this vodka drink!"
"You have a one year old son and home and this is how you compensate your pain!? We invited you to come over and forget your grief, but now you're making a mess of our party!? I wonder how does your son manage to live with someone like you!?" Another one spoke and wasn't really fond of the Russian man's behavior, who just responded with: "Chto ty znayesh'!?**"
"Come on, let's get outta here before someone starts throwing things at us!" Indiana didn't like hearing the racket between the family inside and this "Russian", who was using some profanities in his mother language. They managed to leave the alley soon before some kind of smash was heard from there.
Eventually they had made it to butcher's, still catching some breath after thinking what it could have been had they stalled farther over there and let something glassy hit them. Now that they had heard from Indiana that he knew the secret passage, Hallie asked him: "Now, Indiana, where is your secret passage you have told us about? Will you get us some meal?"
"Say no more." Indiana had things under control and there was a crate leaning at the wall. Pushing the crate with his head, there was a small hole and fit enough for someone like him to pass through, he told them: "Wait here, I will be back in no time!" Indiana crawled through the small opening and his friends were wondering how Indiana could even fit in it?
He was not wrong because right then he showed up with a bag of meat that was smelling from while he was crawling back! Dakota excitedly squealed: "Ohhhhhhhhhhh, this surely smells delicious! You gotta tell me how you found this secret passage, big boy!" Indiana laughed and nuzzled his girlfriend, telling her: "All in it's time, Dakota."
It seemed like as if neither Justin nor Hallie really cared how Indiana knew for this secret passage and besides, he had to return the crate where it was so no one would know about how someone had broken in and besides, it was summer so there was going to be no snow trail left behind. How crafty of Indiana to get the meal on fourth of July 1921!
To make sure the humans would not see them stealing the meat and also to make sure not to attract the unwanted dogs around, they had already made their way to the beach and making sure that no one followed them, they could proceed forwards. At this point, the sky was dark blue, painted with the bright moon to the east and with the tiny little stars showering the sky. So far there were no rainy cloud sin sight.
"Say, this looks like a nice spot. What do you think?" Dakota just had to point out the precise middle spot in between the old boat on one side and the town on the other side. Indiana knew it she'd choose something that had to be "perfect" and yet, he dropped the bag down, claiming: "If you like it here, then I'm staying here too! What about you two?"
"Well, as if we have any other choice right now." Justin decided to go with it and Hallie's answer could have been same one way or another. Dakota cuddled closely to Indiana and Hallie did the same to Justin. Indiana told them: "Well, there's enough for four of us, why don't you help yourselves?"
"If that's what you like, Indy." Dakota whispered in his ear and she reached for the first thing she could find and it was a piece of porkchop, which was already making her mouth water. Indiana waited for Justin and Hallie to choose and former found a piece of beef jerky while latter came across a turkey leg in it. And what did Indiana do? He had found his answer and possibly it was the best one.
"Dakota, check this out!" Indiana surprised her and with the swift move, he rolled a chain of sausages and they wrapped around her shoulders and neck. She blushed by this maneuver: "Oh!" and not to forget, Indiana moved closer to her, all while she had that porkchop in this mouth. Justin could have been heard muttering: "Uh, close enough!"
"Dakota, have you ever wondered for the last few months what I have been thinking of you?" Indiana asked her, gazing in her sky blue eyes as she did in his dark brown eyes, all while the moonlight was shimmering in the background at them. Dakota, being flirty, let him know: "Do surprise me, you big boy."
"I know that you always wanted a discipline and that there were some of us who always made fun of you for that, but not me. You may point out that I'm being sarcastic, as I am usually, but I am not sarcastic here, sweetie." Indiana started this, knowing that this was going to sparkle something much greater at this point.
"You're not? It is a miracle when you're not! I'm just kidding, do say more." Dakota giggled when she heard how Indiana didn't think of being sarcastic for a moment and he continued: "I always liked how you wanted things to be in order and if no one would ever reach for you, then I know that I was going to. From the moment I met you, I knew that there was something between us, but I didn't have courage to say it… until now."
"Indiana, I don't know what to say." Dakota felt like she was losing her ground here and as if she were ascending to skies with Indiana's words and that ended with: "Dakota, I love you. I love you the way you are and no matter how ordering and discipline demanding you are, I do truly love you and I don't want any other female than you."
"Indy…" Dakota muttered and she leaned her head against his chest all while they could share their sausages over here. Justin and Hallie gazed at their newly formed love as if the sausages around them were representing the blossoming bush of roses that symbolized the newly formed love between them.
"You know… hearing Indiana what he just told her, he turned into a bigger poet than I could ever be with whatever I had for you, Hallie!" Justin was amazed how someone like Indiana could have come up with something as simple as that and yet make it feel like a groundbreaking success. Hallie leaned on his shoulder and she whispered: "Justin, you do not need to be my poet to say these words. I already feel them in my heart!"
"You, Hallie, must be some kind of psychic! For all the quirkiness and weirdness, you're the female I dreamed of and want to know why? Because no matter what the others will say about you, I will say that I love you. You heard me, I said it, I love you, Hallie!" Justin didn't hesitate to speak his mind open now that their rose bush was going to blossom over here and unlike how Indiana and Dakota's was going to be more peaceful.
"I love you too, Justin. And I think we need to celebrate this further! Hey, you two, would you want to join us?" Hallie asked Indiana and Dakota into whatever she intended, but they were busy eating a chain of sausages together, waiting for them to rub their noses once they reach their last sausage together.
"What was it that you intended, Hallie? Hallie?" Justin asked her this, but noticing that she was not replying, he looked around and just then, he felt like seawater splashing him in the face. Hallie laughed how her splash directly hit him in the face and that just made him: "Oh, no, you don't! Come back here!" He mischievously laughed and these two were dynamically going to celebrate the crowning of their relationship, by the chase in the shallows.
He caught up with her quite soon and she toppled down on her back in the sand and sea, causing her to say: "Oh, looks like I wasn't fast enough for you!" Fast or slow, did not matter to him because he lowered his head to rub his nose against hers, telling her: "You'll be always fast enough for me to love you the way I do right here, right now." So that was what the summer had to offer them all this time along - feelings.
*Bitch! What do you want from me!? That is my vodka!
**What do you know!?