The young mother padded over to Arik, several pups on her heels. Arik smiled softly as he lifted one you the little dogs up into his arms. He examined it closely and smiled.

  "Well, you're a strong little boy, aren't you?" Arik smiled. "I think you'll be the one I keep. The pick of the litter."

  The little pup yelped as Arik set him down next to his mother. The pup rushed behind his mother and quivered as he piered up at Arik. Marjoia sighed as she licked her pup and murmered softly. Arik smiled a sideways smiled and sighed.

  "Don't worry, little guy. You just haven't gotten to know me, yet," He said as he turned from the mother and her pups and started towards the family houses.

  The young mothers lay out in the family houses as a few of the fathers who actually felt a commitment to the mothers and their families wait outside the family houses for Arik to let them inside to visit their mates.

  Smiling down at one of the youngest fathers, Arik cracked open the door and let the three male dogs into the building. He watched proudly as they rushed to their mates and nuzzled them lovingly. He would spend so much time raising the pups that came from these litters that he would barely get to see the parents, and a few of the parents would be going to other breeders on Verita Island, and he would never see them again, but all and all, it was a good life. Sometimes, it was nice not to be around humans.

  "Arik, what's taking you so long?" Andrea, the Head Breeder, called into the family house. "Let the boys in and shut the door. We have pups to sell."

  Arik sighed as he closed the doors to the family houses. He hated selling the pups. He tried his best not to get attached to them, but that was harder than it seemed. Andrea snatched up a few pups from the oldest litter. Arik sighed as he got the rest. He took the male that he had choosen to keep and set him back down.

  "What are you doing that for?" Andrea cried. "We're keeping this female."

  She held up an ugly brown and white speckled pup. Arik cringed and shook his head, "She isn't going to be able to birth. Look at her body frame. It's too thin. This male, on the other hand, has a strong frame. These are hunting dogs, and we need them to be as strong as possible."

  Andrea sighed, knowing full well that Arik was right, "All right, Arik. We'll keep the male, but he's your duty."

  Arik nodded and smiled as he scooped up the little pup into his arms and carried him back to the family houses. Andrea called back to him.

  "Wait a minute!" She shouted. "Get those other pup out her then you can mark him!"

  Arik nodded slowly, setting the pup back with his mother and carrying the other dogs out to the wagon. Andrea sighed as she set the pups she carried into a crate. Arik set his three into a different crate and turned to go back to the family houses.

  "I'll be fine, Andrea," He sighed. "Take your time."

  She scoofed and sighed, "I'll sell them as quick or as slow as they go."

***

 

  Arik sighed as he held the little male's ear. Pulling back the fur, Arik picked up his tattoo needle and marked behind the male's ear. A sharp whine came from the little male. Arik sighed, rubbing his head.

  "It's all right, little fella. It'll be over in a minute. Now, I have to give you a name. How about...Norse?" Arik sighed.

  Norse whimpered as Arik tattooed NS on the back of his ear. Marjoia barked, and Norse stopped whining, but he still wiggled a bit, trying to get away from Arik. Sighing, Arik sat down the tattoo needle and rubbed the fresh mark on Norse's ear.

  "That's it, love," Arik sighed. "It'll sting for a bit, but you'll soon get over it.

  Norse leaped off the table and curled up under his mother. Marjoia barked and smiled up at Arik. Laughing, Arik ruffled her fur as he left the marking area of the family house. He whistled sharply.

  "All right, boys. Time's up!" He shouted.

  The three males gathered at the door and reluctantly filled out when Arik opened the door. Marjoia nudged her young soon outside as well. Arik shut the door behind him. Tomorrow, he'd check on the mothers again. One of them was due within the week. The was her first litter so whether she was kept as a breeder depended on this. He'd have to log the number of births as opposed to the number of deaths before the pup were old enough to be sold. If the number was favorable with no or few deaths, she would be kept. If the number was negative as in most or all of the litter dies, she would be sold to another breeder.

  "All right, Norse, Marjoia, come on," Arik called. "You two are my responsiblity, fully and completely. I want to be sure you both look presentable. Marjoia, you haven't had a bath in awhile, and Norse, I need to clean your marking to make sure you don't get infected."

  Norse whimpered softly as Marjoia licked the back of his ear. Arik smiled, picking up Norse.

  "Sorry, Norse, but that won't do. I need to clean it well," Arik sighed, walking into the main house.

 

***

  Marjoia growled softly as she leaped at Arik. He ruffled her fur as he pulled himself out of the bed and scooped up Norse. Arik quickly checked him for any injuries and then set him back down. Norse yelped as he rushed under the bed.

  "You are such a wimp!" Arik exclaimed. "Marjoia, do something about your son."

  Marjoia barked and stuck her head under the bed. Norse's yelped echoed through the room as Marjoia latched onto his tail with her teeth and pulled him out from under the bed. Arik gently lifted Norse into his arms.

  "Today, we've got to collar you," Arik sighed. "It's not as bad as tattooing, but you have to hold still this time."

 

***

 

  Arik tightened the collar around Norse's neck leaving room for the pup to grown into it before another one had to be fitted. Arik took a small tag from the pile and etched NORSE onto its surface. He fitted it onto the hook on Norse's collar. Arik smiled as he ruffled the pup's hair and set him down on the ground.

  Norse yipped happily, sitting and staring up at Arik, "So, you finally getting use to me?" Arik laughed.

  Norse yipped again and padded after Arik as he went down to the family houses. He could hear the whimpering of one of the males before he even reached the house. He was scratching on the door and whining. Arik threw open the door, and he bound inside. One of the younger mothers laying in her pin, seven pup crawling over her. Arik grinned.

  "Sorry, boy, I can't let you stay in here," Arik sighed, grabbing the male's collar. "Never sure what the males are going to do to the pups."

  The male whimpered as Arik drug him outside and closed the door. Turning back to the mother, Arik grabbed the records book off a shelf on the wall. He flipped it open, and under the names of the parents, he wrote the number 7. Next to that he wrote the letters M and F, leaving spaces next to each of them to record the numbers when they were old enough to tell. The mother whimpered softly as Arik bent down to see if there were any markings on the pups.

  "Don't worry, love," He laughed. "I won't bite."

  He notice a small circle shaped black mark on one pup. He marked that down and replaced the records book. Smiling, Airk turned to check the others. He gave them each their food and closed the door behind him as he left.

  "You know, Norse, Marjoia, sometimes I feel sorry for them being all cooped up in there," Arik sighed as the little gray pup curled up on her foot. "Up you go," he laughed, lifting Norse off his foot and into his arms.

 

***

 

  Andrea sighed as she looked about the place, "Well, kid, you did good. Giyua seems comfortable, and her pups seem healthy. You did good kid. You did good."

  Arik grinned, chuckling wryly as Andrea turned and walked away. Norse yipped and Marjoia growled as the beating of dragon wings echoed in the air. Arik piered up at the sky. He smiled as two large dragons landed in the meadow. They were rather far away so Arik couldn't tell what color they were, but he could tell that they were upsetting the dogs.

  Tell them to calm down, a voice ringed in his head. We're here for you, not for them.

  "Nothing, hun," A female Dragoneer sighed as she walked over to him. "Rainelth was just a little too blunt. I'm Denne, Searcher for Dawn Sisters."

  "And?" Arik sighed, glancing over at Norse and Marjoia, both were glaring at the woman.

  "We'd like you to come back with us," Denne sighed. "There's a gold clutch on the sands at the moment, and we still need two guys. Rainelth said there was someone good down here, and it seems that you're it."

  "Well, I don't know," Arik sighed, glancing down at his two very tense dogs. "They don't seem to like the dragons very much, and I'd have to bring them with me."

  I'm sure they'll get use to us, Rainelth crooned.

 

***

 

  Ar'ik smiled at Krisoth as Norse and Marjoia nuzzled up to the little brown hatchling. The little brown seemed very content with the pup and adult dogs up next to him.

  Marjoia barked, nodding as she snuggled back in with the brown dragon. Ar'ik smiled at his lifemate and his two best friends. Norse and Marjoia had hated Krisoth when he had first bonded. They had been afraid of him like they had the search dragon, but now, they were the best of friends.

  The brown turned and looked up at his rider, Well, Ar'ik, I never gave them any reason to hate me, and the fear passed quickly. They are good pups.

 

***

 

  Krisoth leaped about, fluttering for a minute and then landing softly on the floor. Ar'ik shook his head slowly.

  "Krisoth, don't hurt yourself," Ar'ik sighed.