Dasher lay in the cool grass, and sighed happily. He picked his head up to lick Pumpkin's muzzle, and she glanced at him affectionately. It was months after the fire that raged through the city, and the packs had to deal with the treacherous Oz, killer of Trickster.

Dasher stretched, rolling in the lush greens. His past self would have never even imagined a life in a pack, but he was a different dog now. He was no longer a lone dog. No longer a runaway pup living on the streets. He had a pack, a mate, and three beautiful pups.

Their laughter and barks danced through the air, and Dasher couldn't help but chuckle as he watched them. Fire and Ice, Flash and Frost's pups, were playing with his. Even though they were bigger, they still played with Dasher's pups. The pack nicknamed them The Storm. Not just because they were a storm of happiness and energy, their names were Thunder, Lightning, and Rain. Dasher whined sadly. Their one pup, little Wind, hadn't made it. Sometimes he imagined her romping and playing with her pup pack, even though he knew imagining wasn't helping him. It was part of life, though, and Dasher appreciated his three pups that had lived.

No, appreciate was way too weak of a word. He loved them. With all his heart, just like he loved Pumpkin.

"Pups! I have a treat for you," barked Lucy. Dasher sat up and scratched his ear with his hind leg, watching. Yapping joyfully, all five pups tumbled over to Lucy. She was holding a deer leg in her mouth, and dropped it for the pups.

"Wow! A whole deer leg!" Lightning exclaimed. Lightning was the first born female pup, and her fur was the exact same color as Pumpkin's. Her body and face structure was the same as Dasher's, and she had a patch of white on her stomach.

"It's bigger then Thunder!" Rain added. Rain was the smallest female pup. She was more thickset, like Pumpkin's build, and had fox-red fur. But it was also spotted with Dalmatian spots, except for they weren't black, they were white and just a shade lighter then the fox red already on her. Thunder puffed out his chest.

"But I bet I could eat it in one gulp!" he boasted. Thunder was the biggest, and the only male pup of the litter. Thunder was built like a lab, and his fur was a totally mix. His fur was fox red, but half his face was white, and so was his entire muzzle. His chest, belly, and front paws were white. So were the back of his front legs. Where there was white, Dalmatian spots dotted it.

"Not if I eat it first!" teased Ice, butting Thunder in the shoulder. Ice was a spitting image of Frost, but you could see some of Flash in her face structure.

"We all have to share," Fire reminded them. Fire was black like Flash, and a total mix of German Shepherd and lab. He was also the dog that kept all the pups in line. Lucy placed the deer leg down, and the pups descended on it like a tornado. They yapped and yelped happily.

"Slow down or you'll give yourselves a bellyache!" Pumpkin called, but the pups weren't listening. Dasher watched them, happiness blossoming inside him. I couldn't be more overjoyed. Dasher turned away from his pups, looking out at the horizon. The sun was just beginning to set, and dusk was falling. Dasher sniffed, ears straining as he listened. There were still threats out there, he knew. There were rumors that Sword was having problems controlling his pack of vicious dogs, after all that was why Fairy decided to join Flash's pack. She told the pack that it was because of Pip, who was a foster puppy in her human den. Later she told Dasher, Pumpkin, and Lucy the real reason.

There will be danger. There will be more fighting. But I'm ready to face it, and I will fight fiercely. For my mate, my pups, and my pack. 

The End.