I used a few words from the Cree Indian language in the story. "Kanawisimowin" mean "something that protects the owner" and is used to refer to a bear's paws. "Awasisiwiwin" is a little bit of a pun, the word means "childhood", but it also fully contains the word "wasisiw" which means "bright". I thought "the brightness of childhood" was a good name for a sun dog.

Joe Kanawisimowin stood low on a snowy hill, at just the height to peer over the crest at the spreading white expanse of the frozen lake below. He huffed the frigid air in long steaming breaths, the fur of his hood pressed close around his cheeks. The nearby trees were grasping out with branches heavy laden by fresh snow, and the air was still and silent, a clarity nearly lost but for moments like this, in Canada's open forest lands.

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My mother-in-law proposed a little game while we were all quarantined. Inspired by the story The Decameron, a tale of story telling during the Black Death, she proposed we write stories on a theme each week. The first theme was "weather or sky phenomona".

Sally dreamed about flying. It was her favorite dream. Floating above the house, above the town, she could see all the tiny little people rushing about like the ants in the backyard. She also dreamed about puppies sometimes, that was her second favorite dream. Daddy said she could get a puppy when she was done with all the hospital visits. She already picked out her puppy. She wanted a husky with bright blue eyes just like the sky.

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