kidding, were not fully grown up yet anyway, so what did you expect?” She asked with a calm yet a bit distressed voice, eyes frowning with concern. Kodi turned back towards her and sighed with a faint smile.

“Still, Kirby and Ralph beat me up the hill…” he started, but Dusty cut him off.

“And they are even more bushed than you!” She said, pointing over at the two malamutes lying half-conscious on the ground. “They managed to pass you because they never sit down except for when they sleep, so it’s only natural that they are a bit more enduring.”  She smiled at Kodi. He chuckled at her remarks.

“Thanks Dusty, you really know how to make me feel better.”

“You know how I roll.” She replied with a grin.

After the dogs had caught their breath, the musher took them back to the town. He decided that it was time to call it a day, it was only noon, but the dogs could barely walk. The exhausted dogs laid down on their usual spots in the boiler room and didn’t move an inch. But after half an hour or so, Kirby and Ralph were back on their feet, chasing each other around the room, annoying the others to no end, until the musher came back with their food. All of them ate without a word and went to sleep even if the sun was still licking the horizon.

The next few months went on in a monotonous way, every morning they would get up; follow their musher to the beach or the plains, training on different terrain to prepare them for the winter and the sled runs that would follow.

Although Kodi tried his hardest, he still didn’t manage to pass Kirby and Ralph when they first caught up with him, especially on the hills.  

Still, Kodi felt that he was improving at the same rate as all the others. He couldn’t wait until the snow came and their real job would start.

A bad first day

The morning wind carried with it tidings of the upcoming winter, snow had begun to fall on the remote city of Nome. Patches of ice had been formed along the coastline.

Five months had passed since Kodi and his team had started training, and the time had now come for them to be tested with a real sled, with real cargo. They were to transport mail and some minor supplies to a mining project about four hours north of Nome.

Kodi sat on the top of the mountain that overlooked the town. His parents had brought him and his siblings there many times before, and he had grown to enjoy the view. He sat there, taking in the sparse morning sun, deep in thought. Suddenly he heard someone closing in from behind.

“Enjoying the view?” A calm voice asked. Kodi snapped out of his thoughts and spun around, muscles tense. He relaxed when he saw it was his father.

“Oh, it’s just you…” Kodi said, turning back towards the rising sun.

“Is that any way to greet your father” Balto asked, faking an insulted voice. Kodi chuckled at his father’s tone.

“Good morning dad” He turned towards his father and gave him a half-heartedly smile.

“That’s better” Balto replied. “Now, tell me what’s bothering you”

“Huh? What makes you think something’s bothering me?” Kodi asked quizzically.

“C`Mon, I'm your father, I can read you like a book. When you need to think, you always go somewhere remote, more than once you have gone up here, that’s how I found you.” Kodi sighed.

“I should have known better than trying to hide anything from you.” He said with a sad smile. “But since your perceptive abilities are so great, what do you think is bothering me.”

“Yes, I'm perceptive, but I'm no mind-reader.” Balto sighed. “But if I had to guess…I’d say that you’re worried about your first real assignment as a sled dog.” A gleam in Balto's eyes told Kodi that his father had no problem guessing.

“I'm not scared!” Kodi exclaimed, with anger rising in his voice. 

“I did not say that, neither did I expect it.” Balto said with a calm voice, walking to Kodis side, watching the sunrise. “But I know that you are nervous.” He let the statement linger in the air, almost expecting another protest. But none came.

“I guess…” Kodi looked down at the ground. But it’s not only the assignment I'm worried about… He thought to himself.

“Then I guess the question is; why are you nervous about your job?” Kodi looked at his father.

“I-I don’t know…” He stuttered. His father smiled.

“Then what is there to be worried about?” Balto turned to face his son. “As long as you give it your best, I will be proud. As long as you do what you love, I will be proud.”  

Kodi just stood there, speechless at the words of faith coming from his father. “Thank you dad.” He finally managed to say.”It helps, it really does.” His eyes met his father and they both smiled. Kodi felt some of the weight on his shoulders had lifted. Balto felt that his son was not fully depressed anymore, but he knew that something entirely different was bothering him. He decided to play it safe, not wanting to ruin the father and son moment.

“So, is there anything else you want to talk about?” Balto asked, hoping to be able to lift his son’s spirit a bit more.

Kodi realized that his father could still feel distress in him. He considered confessing his confused feelings about Dusty, but decided not to. He was not ready yet.

“No, I'm fine, thanks.” He answered in a low and calm voice, as if to ward of any questions from his father.

“Well” Balto sighed. “Then I guess you better head back to town, it’s almost time for you to leave with your team. “

“WHAT!” Kodi exclaimed loudly. “Is the sun that high already?” He spun around and jolted down the hill. “See you later Dad!” He yelled from over his shoulder.

Balto was left alone on the mountaintop, he watched his son run towards town. Good luck son. He thought to himself.

“He is growing up…” A voice stated from behind a boulder. Balto turned around and saw Jenna coming around the boulder.

“Yes he is…” Balto replied with a smile.

“And in more than one way.” Jenna said with a chuckle.

“How did you…” Balto said with wonder in his eyes.

“You’re not the only one with perceptive abilities you know.” Jenna walked over to her mate and stood beside him, both contemplating the sun rising over the snow covered landscape.

////\\\\

Dusty was standing outside the mail-office with the rest of the team. The only one missing was Kodi.

“Have anyone seen Kodi?” She asked the others.

“Not since yesterday.” Jason replied.

“Perhaps he ran away because me and Ralph got the lead positions” Kirby said with a smirk.

The day before, the musher had placed all the dogs in front of the sled in the positions they would be in for next day’s run.  Kodi was deeply disappointed when he realized that Kirby and Ralph got the lead. Dusty was next to him and Mike and Jason was at the back, but Kodi paid this no heed. Through the rest of the day and the evening he was in a rather sulky mood. Dusty and the others did what they could to cheer him up, but their words of comfort fell on deaf ears.

“Kodi`s not like that!” Dusty defended her absent friend. A touch of anger washed through her face.

“Hey, calm down girl, I was just kidding.” Kirby said taking a few steps back.  Mike came to his rescue.

“Look Dusty, I'm sure he is fine, he probably just lost track of time and is on his way right now.”

As if to prove him right, an exhausted Kodi comes running around a nearby corner.

Mike saw Kodi in the corner of his eyes. He smiled. “Speak of the…” the rest of the sentence was lost. As Kodi tried to brake, he slipped on the snow and went crashing into the unsuspecting Husky.

“Sorry I'm late.” Kodi panted.

“Where have you been? “Dusty asked sternly. “We are heading out in half an hour”

“I'm fine, thanks for asking.” Mike muttered, stumbling up on his feet.

“What does it matter?” Kodi said happily, ignoring Mike’s mutterings with ease. “I got here on time didn’t I?”

Dusty was baffled by Kodis change of mood since the day before. “What happened to you this morning? Yesterday you were all gloomy and depressed, now you look like you just found a fresh bone.”

“Well, I had some thinking to do.” Kodi started explaining. “So I went up on the mountain that overlooks the town. I met my father there, we talked, and then I came here.” He purposely left out the subject of conversation, and Dusty suspected that he was hiding something.

The group chatted about random things regarding their upcoming ordeal. Some thirty minutes later, the musher arrived with the sled from behind his house. The dogs went quiet, tense with excitement. They were strapped up to the sled; the supplies were loaded onto the sled. And suddenly the dogs ran off, heading towards their destination.

The mining camp was not too far away; the journey went without incidents, they arrived at noon and delivered the cargo to the awaiting foreman. The team got their bowls filled and they ate in silence. An hour or so later, after the dogs were rested, they headed back for home.

But half way