Holiday Story Event 2013 - No Place Like Home For The Holidays: Running Home - 1. Running Home

It was… morning. Probably. The sun was low over the horizon, which meant nothing in reality because it never got brighter than a pale twilight, but Socco got up anyway. They had slept for four hours, which was plenty to be getting on with. Shaking the snow out of his fur, Socco barked the team awake.

Huskies rose out of the mounds in the snow, the white stuff flying everywhere as they bristled in the new cold of the air. It was warm under the thick white blanket, and now every single one of them was ready for breakfast and the off. Socco nosed the unmoving heap from which he had risen and thrummed deep in his chest.

“C’mon Dinahei, time to run.” A blue-grey ear flicked through the surface, accompanied by a mumble. “You too Natu. Let’s go.”

A pair of yellow eyes in a grey brindled face blinked up at him before the husky rose, shaking as he found his feet. Together they nosed Dinahei until the youngest member of their trio was also upright.

“You need to lose weight Socco.” Dinahei mumbled. “You slept on my fucking foot again.”

The grey and white sled dog nuzzled at his lover’s ruff, then pressed himself equally hard against Natu’s fur.

“Whose turn is it to mush today?” Suda asked. Natu’s brown coloured older brother did not look like he’d slept well, and regarded his cousins with wary yellow eyes. “We need to get on the trail pronto or we’ll be late.”

“We won’t be late.” This came from Cenai, Natu’s third sibling as she emerged from the covering of the sled wearing seal furs over her skin. “Fuck its cold, even for us.” The twenty-four year old starting handing out frozen fish to her brothers and cousins. “And I know you want to be off big brother. Don’t you flick your ears at me.”

The children of the Sabaakax clan ate quickly and silently, teeth slicing through the frozen food as swiftly as they could. Every single one of them wanted to be back in the traces and running towards home. Cenai, the only one currently human, chewed her way through one of her mother’s homemade cereal bars and tucked some currently frozen jerky into her clothes to thaw against the heat of her body. She would eat on the go.

“Are we really likely to run into anyone at this time?” Kinai asked between chewing the ice out from between his toes. “Why don’t we all run? We’ll make faster time.”

His elder brother growled.

“Better safe than sorry. We can’t afford another close call if someone sees a team pulling an empty sled.” Mak shook his liver-brown muzzle firmly. “Someone has got to be standing there, if only for the look of the thing.” He turned to his littlest brother. “Fuck’s sake Dinahei, eat your breakfast before someone steals it.” He shot an acidic glance at Natu. “Again.”

“Like I would steal his food.” Natu snarled, even as he pressed his shoulder into the littler huskies side. “He gave it to me.”

“Then he’s stupider than I fucking thought to be involved with you two. C’mon!” He barked to the others. “Let’s go!”

The beauty of a sled team made up of shifters was they could pretty much get themselves into the harness without any help. The downside of having a sled team made up entirely of siblings, cousins and second cousins was they bickered like mad. Cenai walked with her second cousin to the head of the team, and Socco growled.

“What?” Cenai knew her family well enough to read the timbre of their voices and their body language.

“I don’t wanna run behind Kipa.” He shrugged, stepped into the traces in second position. “Sorry sis.”

“Well who else is gonna run lead dog?” The assembled dogs regarded him with questioning expressions.

“I wanna run behind Dinahei.” Socco grinned, brown eyes sparkling with mischief. “What? The view is better.”

Natu chuckled.

“Oh yeah. Good plan. Put Dinahei in front, we’ll all run harder.”

“You mean you two will?” Suda shrugged from his favoured position as wheel-dog. “May as well. Do it sis.”

Kipa snarled at her brother as she passed him. Socco merely flicked his ear in acknowledgement of her annoyance. So Kipa took up the spot behind Natu halfway along the traces, and Cenai hooked Dinahei’s harness to the carabiner at the head of the rope.

“You sure you’re ready for this kiddo?” She ruffled his ears through the thick leather and wool of her gloves. “You gotta be ready to pull OK?”

Dinahei barked excitedly. Being the youngest, he hardly ever got to lead.

“What the hell is the rush anyway?” Taba asked, shaking out her tail. “We’ve done our last drop. It’s just about going home.”

Dinahei turned to his cousin with his ears up in disbelief.

“Have you forgotten what day it is tomorrow?”

“Huh?”

“Oh sister…” Seeba shook her head at her pale sibling’s words.

“It’s Christmas!” Dinahei barked joyfully. “We gotta be home for the holidays!”

Cenai broke the sled from the ice clogging up the runners and jumped on the back.

“Alright guys, let’s get home to our Alpha for Christmas. MUSH!”

“Dinahei!” Socco shouted.

“Huh?”

“GO!” Both his partners barked. The smaller husky yelped in surprise, threw his weight against the padded webbing straps around his shoulders, and they were off.

There was almost nothing as good as running. Socco grinned as he ran, feeling the joy of the tight tug behind him, the weight of the sled, the sense of togetherness as ten of them pulled forwards, running towards home. And there were even fewer things better than running behind Dinahei, given free rein to chase the tail of one of the boys he loved and let his imagination roam wild. The three of them had lain together under the snow, sharing body heat and love. Natu loved his privacy, so they had dug themselves a little pit, let the snow build up around them, and then tried not to melt it all with the heat of their combined passion. Dinahei had been pliant and eager to please, and it was with a generally satisfied burning in his lions that Socco gave chase.

The last run out before Christmas was always long, hard, and ended up having extra stops added to it. People wanted packages run all over the north, whether it was medicine for the long winter, presents ordered from Outside or last minute items to trade and sell. People all over the globe thought they were mad to live where they did, but a lot of those same people appreciated the large exports of fish, seafood and meats which came out of the Interior and the icy coasts cut off from the rest of the world. Fuel was expensive, and for most ordinary people, it was much cheaper to pay a sled dog team to take what they needed across the ice.

It was good weather for running, cold and clear, and a nice day for Dinahei to try out his position as lead dog to the whole team. Once or twice he or Natu had to point the boy in the direction of the best ground, the hardest ice, the best packed snow. It was easier for Socco, because when the blue and white husky slowed, he could rub against his rump before snapping at his heels.

They ran all day as the sun crept a paw’s width higher in the sky and moved ponderously along the horizon. The Sabaakax team kept a tight tug line behind them, and the brush bow of their shipping sled took the strain. When the going became harder, Cenai would get off and jog alongside them, but the huskies ran too fast even for her human pace. Socco was happy to be in the traces, he hated to mush at the back, to stand still while his family ran ahead, pulling with joy. The only mar on his otherwise joyful mood was what Mak had said.

His relationship with Natu and Dinahei was not generally well understood by their siblings and cousins, and unfortunately, they weren’t going to be getting away from snide comments like Mak’s when they returned home. They were all going to the big house Dinahei, his brothers, parents and grandparents all shared with their Alpha. And there was no way anyone was going to be cool with the idea of the three of them sharing Dinahei’s room. Realising the last night they would have alone and uninterrupted was over, Socco wished suddenly that something would happen to the sled or the traces and they’d get stranded, because at least then he and his lovers could sneak away and screw each other’s brain’s out properly before they had to go home.

They were a mile from Anchorage when Dinahei put on a burst of speed and tacked to the right.

“Oh what the fuck?” Mak snarled from the back of the line.

“Dinahei!” Cenai shouted. “What are you doing?”

But Socco had caught on, and running through the centre of town seemed like a great idea on Christmas Eve with one of the men he loved leading the way.

“Dinahei! Dinahei!” Natu barked in excitement.

“Good plan babe.” Socco leapt forwards in the traces, making Anysie behind him lurch and snarl. “Give the kid a break cus.”

“You guys are ridiculous.” Anysie replied, but she was happy when she nipped at Socco’s white heels. “Come on! Let’s give the people something to look at.”

“Right through the middle of town.” Kipa mumbled. “What a mess.”

They came through Northeast Anchorage at full tilt, and Dinahei set up a bark as they passed onto the university campus. Dogs yapped and howled at the call and Dinahei danced in the traces even as he ran. Socco knew the pack would hear them even from miles away. It was Christmas Eve, and they were coming home.

Every light blazed in the windows of the Sabaakax family home, a sprawling chalet-cabin which was tucked into the thick forested foothills of the Glen Alps, right at the main trailhead fork. The on-duty ranger’s cabin was just up and around the corner, but it was Christmas Eve and it was getting dark, so Natauq, Dinahei’s father, wouldn’t be there. Everyone was home, waiting for them to come back. Even Mak barked as they came up the main drive towards the house and the big fir tree covered in warm white lights. No one would admit to such a silly emotion, but they liked to see the decorations up for Christmas.

“Gran-mama!” Dinahei, Natu and half the team all shouted at once, because standing in the doorway, wrapped in many layers of wool ,was their great-grandmother, alpha female of the Sabaakax pack. Yakona laughed as the sled slowed all at once, Cenai stepping on the brake with both feet to avoid crashing into her cousins.

“Gran-mama!” Dinahei had wriggled out of his harness, backing up practically into Socco’s face and sprung away to Yakona’s arms, pressing his muzzle into her thick clothes.

“Well look at you little pup, running at the front.” She ruffled his ears. “Good for you. Well done kids!” She called to the rest of the team, who were even now backing out of the traces. “Come on inside when you’ve put the sled away. Hot dinner’s all round!”

There were clothes in the sled shed, and Suda changed first and got dressed, handing assorted garments around to his cousins and siblings as the huskies shook themselves, stretched and became human. Only Socco, Natu and Dinahei stayed in their fur.

“Oh well that’s convenient for you.” Kipa grumbled. “Just so you don’t have to help with the sled.”

Socco growled and stood, skin, muscles and bones rearranging themselves into a tall twenty-six year old with slightly grey short cropped hair and wide smooth features. Everyone on Socco’s side of the family had stronger Inuit features, whereas Dinahei and his immediate cousins were much paler. Socco grabbed the leads from his sister with a snarl.

“Like you can even fucking count.” He snapped. “Let’s go boys.”

Dinahei and Natu both rose from their fur, shaking out the long run, and Natu grabbed two pairs of jeans and a couple of crocheted afghans.

“Get dressed Soc.” He handed his lover some clothes and took the tangled lines. “Dinahei get the harnesses off Cenai before she mixes them all up again. I ain’t fuckin’ running in fluorescent pink next time we go out.”

Eventually they all made it into the house, eleven young adults in various states of undress and dishevelment, a mess of uncombed hair, dirty feet and big grins.

“What’s for dinner?”

“I’m hungry ma!”

“Jesus Mak, will you two get a fucking room?”

“Watch ye tongue.”

“Hush squabbling pups.” Ujarak’s low timbre made them all still, turning towards where he sat in the giant pine, antler and hide throne by the fire. “Come and be warm and happy with each other.”

“Gran-papa.” Taba sighed, stepping across the gleaming wooden floor to where their Alpha sat. She hugged him hard. “It’s good to be home.”

All the bickering was forgotten as each of the young huskies went to the leader of their pack, and hugged him, were petted by him, communed with him. No matter how much they all loved their parents, or didn’t, every single one of them adored their great-grandfather. Dinahei practically purred under his Alpha’s hands.

“Come on pups! Dinner’s ready.”

It was not physically possibly for any meal involving twenty eight people to be anything less than loud, mad and enormous. Other families cooked a lot at Christmas, but every Sabaakax family meal was a big deal. Ordinarily the pups would eat last and help serve, but they were full of bounce and threatening exhaustion from their trip, a twelve day round journey since they had last been home. The team ate quickly, because they were never home long enough to lose the canine instinct to wolf down their dinners. Socco sat back in his seat, gnawing at the end of a shank bone.

“Oh Socco, don’t be so uncivilised.” His mother said. It was from her malamute genes he and Kipa got their wide brown eyes. “You surely gnawed on all the bones you liked on your trip.”

Natu muffled his laugh with his hand and Dinahei snorted, blushing at his plate. Socco merely grinned in a lazy sort of manner.

“There’s always an appetite for more bone-”

“Oh don’t be so disgusting.” Mak snapped.

“Boys, boys…” Mak’s grandmother Kunik shushed them. “Anyone would have thought you’d been cooped up in a kennel all day rather than running fifty miles. I think you’d best be excused. Go relax by the fire.”

Socco didn’t need asking twice, and with a quick jerk of the chin, he had Dinahei and Natu following him from the table. They fell into a heap by the fire and the two older men pulled their younger companion across them, his head in Natu’s lap.

“It won’t last long.” Natu murmured. He was right, because any moment they’d be joined by any one of the dozens of members of their family, interrupting their bliss.

“Then we may as well enjoy it.” Dinahei replied softly, his blue eyes watching the soft twinkling lights on the big Christmas tree. There were stockings hung by the fire, made of caribou skin and seal leather, each one with a carved antler tag, bearing one of their names. Socco got up quickly and rearranged them so Dinahei’s stocking was in between his and Natu’s.

“Right where you belong.” He kissed the teenager passionately. Dinahei purred under his hands. “We all belong together.”

“If only everyone else could see that.” Natu kissed both his mates, allowing himself to linger over the distinct differences in taste and texture. “I almost feel sorry for them.”

“Who are we feeling sorry for?” Kinai wandered in through the doorway. He’d actually gone to get dressed properly, and looked snuggly in corduroys and chunky knit sweater.

“Isn’t that my jumper?” Natu asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yup. Here.” The black haired young man held out a bowl with a spoon. “I brought ice cream. One for you too Socco.”

“Hey thanks.” The boys smiled and Socco dabbed ice cream on his youngest lover’s nose.

“I don’t get ice cream too?” Dinahei whimpered.

“Nah.” Kinai was grinning, looking smug and delighted. “I thought I might give you your Christmas present early. You’re going to want to wear it in the mornin’.”

“Really?” Dinahei was suddenly excited, kneeling on the floor looking every inch the excited pup, even though he was wearing skin and a nineteen year old’s slender figure.

“Well, everyone else said I shouldn’t buy it for you, but it was their idea.” He nodded to Socco and Natu, now leaning back against each other, eating frozen desserts and looking conspiratorial. “We figured if you were gonna be out front, then we were gonna wanna keep track of you.” Kinai brought the present out from behind his back. “Merry Christmas little brother!”

To the uninitiated, it might have looked like a random bundle of straps, but Dinahei put his hands over his mouth, squealed with joy, and then leapt on his brother, hugging him and knocking him to the floor.

“I still think we should’ve gotten him a computer game or something.” Natu joked.

“I think he’ll learn to like it.” Socco replied. “Dinahei get off him, kid’s gotta breathe sometime.”

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” Dinahei held up the harness. It was certainly a lead-dog’s harness, and it wasn’t built quite like the weight pulling harnesses they usually wore. The grey-blue straps were laid out at different angles to make the whole thing seem longer and sleeker and the padding only extended around the neck collar and the portions which would lay along his ribs. The fur-matched colour was stitched with bright silver reflectors. “A racing harness?”

“You wanna try in on?” Kinai asked as the rest of the family began to wander in, most with more ice cream.

Dinahei was naked in seconds, and like pretty much all of them, he was totally unashamed of his body. A few crunchy breaths later he was back wearing four feet, pink tongue lolling. Kinai had measured up his youngest brother well with mostly guesswork, and the harness fit with the smallest of adjustments. Dinahei barked with joy as he turned to his lover’s.

“You look great babe.” Natu hugged the husky round the neck. “I always knew running up front would suit you.”

“Oh what have you boys bought him now?” Their uncle Nocus asked. “You keep on filling the kid’s head with ideas about racing and he’ll just get disappointed.”

“We’re in the boxing day thirty uncle.” Natu replied without missing a beat. “First qualifying run of the season.”

“Oh god…”

“Hey Dinahei, looking good man.” Kal petted him as she came in before Suda. The first of his generation to mate with a human from a non-shifter family, Suda was super protective of his wife. But she’d grown up around dogs, and the fact her new in-laws could change shape seemed to have fitted rather easily into her world view. “You guys are going to race? Very cool.”

Dinahei licked his brother’s cheek, and then went to slump over his two partners, who instantly petted and tickled him until he panted and yelped in delight. For now, everyone was content to let the matter rest, and that was the best thing about Christmas. As annoyed at their uncle might be, or as uncomfortable as Mak and a few others were at the sight of the three of them so obviously together, no one wanted to say anything to disrupt the peace and calm warmth of all the family together in front of the fire. It was Christmas, and no one wanted to fight about something that would still be an issue in a few days. Especially since Socco was sure many of them had the nagging idea, deep in the back of their minds, that any complaining they were going to be doing wasn’t going to make a split hair of difference. Dinahei yapped happily in his new harness, and Socco thought of how wonderful it was going to be to run behind his mate when he wore it, and how perfectly fitted the back of the neck band was going to be between his teeth later when the three of them got a chance to slink away.

“You’re thinking dirty things again.” Natu muttered, feeding their husky partner melting ice cream from his fingers.

Socco blinked back into focus in time to watch Dinahei licking vanilla from Natu’s hand.

“Well I am now.”

“You cheeky fucker.”

“Anyone for a mince pie?” Grandmother Aluki asked, appearing from the kitchen, a platter laden with baked treats in her arms. Most of the team instantly jumped up to take the tray, offering a pie differentially to their alpha before demolishing most of the pile.

“Oh to be young again.” Luava said wistfully, patting her ridiculously flat post-three-strapping-young-boys belly.

“You guys are the lucky ones.” Kell sighed. “Shifter’s have such good metabolisms.”

“It’s just a Sabaakax thing.” Sighai replied. “None of those polar bears are less than two hundred pounds.”

After the mince pies there was wine, whiskey, and other things in interestingly shaped expensive bottles which had come from Outside. Dinahei didn’t switch back to his skin, and Anysie and Seeba also ended up in their fur, which meant they got hot milk with whiskey in a bowl. And after that everyone wanted some. All twenty three huskies ended up in a heap on the floor, with their five humans watching over them.

“You kids wanna all go for a run?” Aluki asked, already pulling on her coat. Everyone barked, but it was Urajak who stood at the head of the suddenly assembled Sabaakax clan. The grey husky howled softly in agreement of the idea, and then turned to bark at the only one of them who was dressed. Dinahei slunk past his mates, his mother, his father petting him as he passed, and crept past his grandparents to stand next to his alpha.

“Well then little pup.”

“Gran-papa?” Dinahei stood with his head low.

“Merry Christmas pup.” Urajak pushed against his youngest great-grandchild’s fur, sharing their scent, showing everyone he loved the child, despite any faults other saw in him. “Well, you’re lead dog now. Lead the way.”

“Really?” Dinahei blinked rapidly, his ears flicking forwards. Already his tail was curling up in unbridled excitement.

“There’s no place like family for the holidays pup.” The old husky smiled. “We’ll be right behind you. now MUSH!”

Dinahei barked once, and dashed out of the open door and into the snow, one dog in flashing silver reflectors at the head of a pack that yowled and yapped, running for the joy of flight, nipping at each other’s heels and rejoicing in their fur. They didn’t go far, and as the pack spread out they played in the snow, rolling in the powdery whiteness, rubbing against each other’s fur. It was as though every single one of them was a puppy again. Socco stood at the border of the thick trees, looking back at the house of his family, his tail wagging.

Natu trotted up with a happy yap.

“Glad to be home babe?”

“Yeah.” Socco sat, curling his tail neatly around his feet. “It’s nice to be home.”

They watched their cousin rolling in the snow with Socco’s grandfather and Natu’s aunt; fur and snow flying everywhere.

“Where’s Dinahei?”

“Here.” Both huskies turned to see their boy, looking resplendent in his new harness, his fur dusted with diamonds of snow. “Can’t you see me in my new harness?”

“Cheek.” Natu barked.

“I can think of a fair few uses for that present of yours babe.” Socco said with a grin.

“I bet you can.”

“We should go back and join them.” Natu shrugged. “Home for the holidays and all that.”

“I am home.” Dinahei rubbed himself over his two lovers, pushing against their fur. “Come on.” He tilted his head towards the woods, cocking an ear. “I can think of plenty of things to make some of this snow melt.”

“We’re supposed to have snow for Christmas babe…” Natu sighed.

“We have snow all year.” Socco smiled. “And it ain’t Christmas yet. They won’t miss us for a little bit.”

As he followed his mate’s, Socco wagged his tail to think one day soon, they might have a little home all of their own, together. Until then, the best place to be as Christmas dawned over the world was within howling distance of the house with both the men he loved wrapped around him in the snow.