Hearts and Diamonds

Chapter five

I opened the door and let Roxy in. Her and Rusty followed me into the kitchen.
"Dad's out," I told her. I hung my jacket up on the back of a chair and took Diamond's lead off.
"Where's your mum?" Roxy asked.
"Outside," I replied "First, you get to meet Ace and Jack..."
"Who?" Roxy looked at me with a tilted head.
"Come on, I'll show you..." I left the room. Roxy followed me, leaving Rusty and Diamond in the kitchen.

"This is Ace," I showed her the old dog sleeping in the living room.
"Is he a sled dog?" Roxy asked as she sat down and stroked him on the head.
"He was, but not anymore. He's too old now," I replied. Roxy nodded.
"What breed is he. He doesn't look like a husky or a malamute..."
"He's a wolf!" I smiled. Roxy smiled.
"So you're telling me I'm petting a real wolf!" She laughed
"He really is," I nodded "And, he's Diamond's great grandfather,"
"Cool!" Roxy smiled and petted Ace again. He wagged his tail.
"This is Jack," I sat beside the other dog on the sofa "He's Ace's son and Diamond's grandfather,"
"Is he a wolf too?" Roxy sat down beside me.
"No, he's half wolf. His mother was a Scotch Shepard. After that, they were breed with Alaskan huskies. They all have full names, thought," I told her.
"What are Ace and Jack's names?" Roxy asked.
"Ace of Hearts and Jack of Hearts," I told her "The mother of Jack's puppies is called Sweetie but her full name is Sweet-Heart. One of their pups was called Scarlett which was short for Scarlett Queen. She had a litter with a dog called Valentino and one of their puppies was named Red Diamond..."
"And, that's Diamond, right?" Roxy asked.
"Yep!" I nodded and stood up. "Let's go and see if my mum is outside with the other dogs-"
"Other dogs?" Roxy laughed "How many dogs do you guys own!"
"Three pet dogs, Ace, Jack and Diamond, and eight trained sled dogs," I smiled "Ace and Jack are retired and Diamond hadn't been trained to pull a sled,"
"Eight dogs, really?" Roxy looked really excited.
"Yeah, let's go see them!"

Outside, my mum was practising. She was stood on the runners of her sled, using her foot to push off of the ground. She had eight dogs all paired up pulling the sledge in front of her. "Halt!" She called. The dogs all stopped.
"They're very well trained," Roxy commented.
"I guess, they have to be. When mum's out racing, she's always getting in life or death situations," I told her. Mum got off of the back I the sledge and walked up and down it, to look at all of the dogs. They were all in top health and peak condition. Bright, shining eyes and thick colourful coats.
"The front two are the lead dogs. They're called Scarlett and Storm," I explained.
"Scarlett is Diamond's mother, right?" Roxy asked.
"Correct." I smiled "Lead dogs are the ones you have to put your trust in. Only the most loyal and brave dogs are given that position. Ace was a lead dog back in the day. He was Mum's first lead dog,"
"What's about the other dogs?" Roxy asked me.
"The next pair are called swing dogs. Their names are Nikki and North. The swing dogs help steer," I continued to explain "Behind them is Angel and Ajax. They're the Team dogs. Team dogs are chosen for their speed,"
"And, the ones at the back?" Asked  Roxy, pointing at the ones closest to the sledge.
"They're called the wheel dogs. Wheel dogs are the strong ones. Mum's wheel dogs are called Max and Minx," I finished. We watched as my mum climbed back onto the runners of the sledge.
"Mush! Mush!" She yelled and the dogs started running. Roxy smiled. She had a plan and I wanted to know what it was.