Time

Ananta laid patiently beside Kasey. But after no movement, she looked at the young girl, whined, then nudged her. After no response, Ananta stepped over Kasey's still form and faced her. Slowly the human girl looked into the pale arctic blue eyes surrounded by black fur. After a moment, Kasey finally lifted her hand and started petting the dog. Ananta's tail wagged as she laid down, nuzzling up to Kasey's chest. Kasey's silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she lost the energy to pet the warm husky in front of her. But Ananta only whined until slowly, Kasey again started to run a hand down its soft coat. Ananta licked a tear on Kasey's cheek before laying its head back down, closing its eyes.

A sob shook Kasey's body again as she hugged the dog tightly, letting the tears get lost in Ananta's black and white coat. Ananta didn't struggle and simply folded her ears back, letting the girl weep in peace.

Shobek looked at the stairs for the fiftieth time and Belasco heavily sig