Name: Daniel

Nickname: Dan

Gender: Male

Breed: 100% Siberian Husky

Age: 7 years old (49 in dog years)

Crush: None (DON'T ASK!!!)

Crushes on him: None (Only friends can ask!)

Mate: None (DON'T ASK!!!)

Likes: Being with friends that care about him, people understanding him, going for walks, staring at fire, not remembering the accident (because that's what makes him sad)

Dislikes: Remembering the accident, being depressed, feeling guilty, feeling isolated, people not understanding him, going into mental breakdowns

Personality: Quiet, depressed, feels isolated, suffers from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), is prone to mental breakdowns

History: Daniel was like all the other dogs in Nome as a pup. He grew up watching the sled teams coming and going and wanted to be just like them. When he was put into training when he was old enough, one of the dogs he trained with was Steele. He could relate to Steele at first because they both were very eager to be sled dogs and it looked like they would be good friends, but Daniel quickly became irritated with his big ego and began to dislike training with him. Finally, after over a year of training, Daniel became a sled dog and pulled his first sled when he was 2 years old.

Unlike Steele who became a lead dog almost right off the bat, Daniel had to work his way up to become one, but he finally earned it after another year of hard work. He would often compete against Steele in races, but because Steele's team was much faster, they never earned as many awards as they did, but that didn't detour him from becoming the best he could be. Daniel absolutely loved his job, and he loved his team members like they were brothers. Daniel was very energetic, enthusiastic, outgoing, and determined as a sled dog and during his career, he had built up a pretty well know career in town. 

When the Diphtheria epidemic broke out, Daniel and his team was one of the teams people considered for getting the medicine, but they picked Steele over him because they were faster. When Balto brought the medicine back and Daniel learned the truth about Steele, Daniel lost all respect he had for him and officially broke any ties of friendship he had with him. He was however very impressed that Balto had brought the medicine back, so he began to talk with Balto and the two quickly shared their interests in sled dogging. They soon became friends and they even competed with each other a few times

About a year later, a severe snow storm was making its way toward Nome and a team had to be sent out to White Mountain to retrieve vital supplies the town needed to get through the storm. Daniel's team got picked for the task and Daniel was determined to do whatever what necessary to get the supplies back to Nome. The journey to White Mountain was uneventful, but when they got the supplies and were heading back to Nome, gray storm clouds filled the sky, blocking out the sun, and a very cold wind was blowing. The storm was getting closer. The first 2/3 of the trip was across flat plains and through forests, so there were no major obstacles they had to overcome, but then they reached the mountain pass, which was the most dangerous part of the trip. By now, large amounts of snow were falling and the wind was stronger. Daniel's team mates thought it would be a good idea to go back to White Mountain, but Daniel wasn't going to go back when they were so close, so they continued on. It would end up being a bad decision.

As the team climbed the mountain pass, the storm was getting worse. More snow was coming down, the wind was getting stronger, and the temperature was dropping fast. They would need to get back to Nome fast or else risk getting trapped in the mountains. The trails were narrow and hanging right off the edge of the mountains with ice forming on them. One wrong move, and they were going over. The others still tried to convince Daniel to turn back and wait out the storm, but he just ignored them and forced them to continue on. Then for a brief moment, it looked as if the storm was clearing up and the trail ahead looked clear. Now they had a chance to really move fast, so the team gunned it.   Just then, they heard a large rumble and the mountain began to shake. They looked ahead and saw a large avalanche coming straight at them! Daniel didn't want to get stuck in the mountains and risk the supplies not getting to Nome, so instead of stopping, he made a run for it! The others thought he was insane and tried to get him to stop, but he forced them to keep on going. He was certain they would be able to outrun the avalanche. The team ran faster than they ever ran before as the rumble began to feel bigger and bigger. Just then, a scream sounded out and Daniel looked up to see a giant white wall right in front of him! Then, everything went white!

Daniel's head burst through the snow and he inhaled a big breath of air, almost being crushed by the snow. He collapsed to the ground in a dazed and confused state trying to reorganize himself. After what had happened finally hit him, he quickly looked back to see his teammates' lifeless bodies laying half buried in the snow. Daniel  tried calling out to them, and moving them to get them to get up, but no responses came. Daniel was speechless. He fell to the ground and immediately began to cry uncontrollably. It was as if he had been hit with a ton of bricks. They were dead because of him. That was all he could think about. Just then, one of them began to move! Daniel saw this and quickly dug up the body from the snow. It was his swing dog and best friend Jake! 

"Jake! I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I caused! I should have listened to you!" he said as held Jake in his arms.

"It's okay Dan," Jake said. "It's not your fault. You were only doing what a sled dog does. You didn't know it would happen."

"It's not okay! I forced you all to keep going and I knew I was putting you all in danger! I shouldn't have done it."

"Don't beat yourself up Dan. You're a good sled dog and a good friend. You didn't do anything. But right now, just get out of here before you die too. I'm done for, but you still have a chance! And if you really care about us, you'll get out of here."

"You're not done for Jake! You can still make it too!" But just when Daniel said that, Jake closed his eyes, he stopped breathing, and his body went limp. Daniel gently laid his body back on the ground and cried uncontrollably again. He had never felt so terrible in his life and he wished he was dead as well. For a while, he just sat there looking at his dead friends with tears that were freezing to his face. Those final words that Jake said echoed in his mind. With a heavy heart, Daniel got up and began making his way back to Nome, practically dragging himself the whole way. 

It's been 3 years since the accident and to this day, Daniel has still not recovered mentally from it. Before the accident, he was energetic, enthusiastic, outgoing, and he wasn't afraid to talk to others. When he got back, he immediately went into a deep depression, had an extreme case of guilt, and he also developed PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from the accident. He can't stop thinking about the accident which only fuels his depression and guilt and he has even gone into several mental breakdowns because of it. Which are mainly caused when he tries to talk about it or when people constantly remind him of it. He has also gone into states of isolation because thinking about the accident has made it hard for him to talk to others at times and even when he's with his friends and other people, he still feels isolated. He hardly ever talks about it, which has made him become extremely quiet. The only one he has ever talked to about the accident was Balto. His friends are extremely worried about him because he's been like this for the past 3 years and has shown no signs of recovery. They have all tried to help him in the past, but none have succeeded. He has even thought about killing himself several times, but his friends were able to talk him out of it, but he knows that one day, they won't be able to convince him enough. Ever since he returned, he has vowed never to be a sled dog again. Daniel is still well known in town, but he wishes that all his fame would just disappear completely.

Relation to Balto: Is friends with Balto, was friends with Steele, trained with Steele, and has competed against both of them in races. 

Theme songs: 

Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming - Deep Purple

Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

Hey You - Pink Floyd

All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix

Wishing Well - Free