Keula pauses in the joyful dance of canine welcome with the new team member Amber. Perking his ears and standing stock still he soon gets the notice of Iiummi.
“What is it Keula?” Iiummi asks as his own ears perk at attention.
“Another visitor coming to join our team.” Keula the malamute replies wagging his tail with excitement hardly noticing when a female nose sniffs at his tail while he lifts his muzzle to point his nose at the wind. “Young male...and by himself. Places everyone!” he orders while giving each dog silent signals with ears and tail.
“Hello?” Bryan calls as he slowly approaches the group of dogs. “Anyone here?” he asks looking first to the sled then to the dogs that all whine and tail wag. “Something happen to your musher guys?” Taking off his backpack he removes the last of his food wanting to make a few friends. “Hungry?”
Iiummi eyes the offered sandwich and licks his lips able to smell the roastbeef even before the first drops of his drool freezes just under his chin.
Keula shoots Iiummi a silent reproach and noses Amber the malamute toward the human.
Amber, having been enjoying herself by sniffing her teammates and enjoying things only a bitch can experience, pauses looking to Keula daring to give the male malamute a questioning look. “I follow only a female alpha so will not rush to curry your favor Keula. And do not try threatening me to try getting your way either.” The bitch adds with a snort and swish of her tail.
But as Keula then Iiummi talk to her in the language of dogs with silent ear and tail movements most humans would never see she listens understanding but reluctant till the rest of the team begin talking to her. The need to belong and the will of the pack too strong even for her to resist for long she finds herself before the human gobbling his food down her throat before she is fully aware of it as the entire team looks on with approving looks and tail wags of encouragement.
“Well hello to you too boy!” Bryan answers laughing at the boldness of this dog.
Amber finding the taste better then she had expected for something from a nondog is quick to lick at the boy’s hand. Then at the prompting of the team she jumps up on her hindlegs to lick at the boy’s face while her tail wags happily behind her as he rubs behind her ears.
Keula gives Iiummi a knowing look as Amber gets introduced to humans and the joys of having your ears scratched in those hard to reach places.
Iiummi for his part is still thinking of the lost sandwich that should have been his. The scent of Keula all over Amber increases his anger at his male teammate as resentment builds.
“Where is your musher boy?” Bryan asks while trying to wrestle the overly friendly dog back down only to find the dog is the stronger one between them. “Never seen a malamute as large as you boy. Bet you sire expensive puppies.” He muses as the dog gives his face a few more licks before dropping back down to all fours.
“Good dog! Err girl. Sorry.” He adds sheepishly once he notices the dog before him is a bitch.
Amber finding the antics of this human funny lets her tongue loll partly out of her muzzle as she pants, as she knew he was male even before she could saw him walking toward the camp.
“Well I guess I had best hook you guys up so I can get a ride back to town huh? Can always send someone back to look for your musher. As for me I need to find shelter before this cold weather is the death of me.”
Much to his surprise he finds all the dogs lined up before the sled waiting for someone to hook them to the gangline. “Wow you guys are very well trained!" Thoughts once more drift to the dogs he knew when he was young.
But growling brings Bryan back from his day dreaming as he looks to see the contents of his backpack scattered over the snowy ground and a cringing husky being confronted by the bitch he was petting moments ago.
“Good girl! Very good girl.” He calls to the large female who begins wagging her tail at the praise. “Protecting my pack? So does that mean we are now friends?” he asks smiling not bothering to collect the dog chewed items that where once his treasures.
Amber bounds over to the human finding all this praise filling her with a need to please as she noses at the human shamelessly begging to be petted more.
“Yes you are! Your a very good dog Amber.” He tells her after reading the name on her harness.
A bump against his side causes him to jump slightly till he sees another malamute holding a harness within its muzzle. “Do not worry big fella I am not harming your girl.” Bryan answers laughing slightly as these dogs seem almost human.
“Ok whose harness did you bring me boy?” he asks reaching out a hand and takes the bit of tack before the malamute chews on it. “Odd no name on this one...” he trails off as his thoughts suddenly turn foggy
“No! Do not touch the harness it’s cursed! Iiummi howls no longer able to hold his anger inside at how Keula has been treating him.
“Why could he not understand what we said to him Keula?” Amber the malamute asks while leaning forward to sniff at the human to puzzle out a very different scent coming from him now. One she always smells on her male teammates, a male dog smell.
Keula watches as the humans nose darkens and his mouth pushes out into the start of a muzzle even as a bulge forms behind as the growing tail tries to escape the restricting clothes. “Iiummi what am I to do with you? As this is the second time you almost ruined our getting a new team mate!”
“Whos Iiummi?” Bryan asks with widening eyes at finding himself before talking dogs.
“Bryan you know Iiummi is the cringing husky over there who is about to get mauled by the team. Just as you know all our names. Flare your nostrils and let our scents into your nose. Good dog.”
Iiummi curls his lip showing fang but is quick to slink behind the sled and out of Keulas view while he is distracted with the new member.
“Amber, Bryan could always hear us it was only a matter of him opening his nose and ears.” Keula explains as he watches Bryan’s ears become canine like while the humans quivering nostrils drink in the team musk even as his eyes show both fear and confusion.
“Bryan you know you’re among your team mates. Put that harness your holding upon yourself like a good dog.”