Anna Gamarra 604 10/2/12

        When Disaster Comes To Your Door

            Jason dragged his paws as he walked towards his alley-way. For the third time that week, he had been unable to catch a meal for himself and his younger brother Percy.

            He laid at the mouth of his “cave.” (His nickname for the crate-filled alley.) He was just too annoyed and ashamed with himself to go deeper. To greet Percy, and tell him he had failed to catch them food, again.

            It was quiet. A lot quieter than usual, in this snow filled town.

 But the fact that it was quiet didn’t bother Jason. Because something else, already was bothering him.

            Jason had finally figured out last week, what Balto’s words meant to him. To Percy.

            “This is your new home, for now. You’re on your own from now on, so make the best of it.” Those were Balto’s final words to the young pups, Percy and Jason.

            It meant he wasn’t coming back. That he had intended on leaving them here, in this alley-way since 10 days ago. Without saying anything, but those words, a blanket he had found on top of one of the many crates in the alley-way, and a few nuzzles and licks.

            DartFire had come, but only twice. And his visits where very short. He obviously wasn’t supposed to have gone to see them. In both of his visits, he had brought them small amounts of food, (but it was the right amount for two young pups like them,) nuzzled them, and then he would leave them there eating the food that he had brought. The only thing he ever said to them in his visits were: “Hello pups,” or “Hi,” and “Your welcome”, and “Good-bye, Percy and Jason.”

“But at least he had actually come, unlike Balto.” Jason thought, sighing deeply and repositioning his head on his front paws. Jason hoped Percy didn’t understand what was going on.

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                 A tall, muscular, black and white dog trotted alone down the street. Barely anyone was out and about. Just about seven or ten people where out running errands, doing their business. It was as if everyone else was, gone. You could of course, see lights on coming from a few houses, but that was the only thing that proved other people still lived here.   

         The dog had decided to take the advantage of having pretty much a whole street to himself. He had blue eyes, and a large brown collar with big gold circles all around it, with a buckle at the front of it. The collar was hanging just a bit loose. This malamute’s name was Steele, one of (or as some say the most,) the most hated and shunned dogs in town. He used to be very popular, and one of the most adored sled-dogs in town by every dog and human. Of course he still sledded, but none of the other dogs liked him anymore.  The dogs loathed him. The humans on the other hand, probably didn’t hate him as much though. Because besides most of the other mushers, and a few civilians, he was treated the same way as he was treated before the “accident”. The reason for all the hatred and shunning he received from the other dogs, was because of the life changing “accident”. 

            The dog stopped. He had found his next victim.

            He trotted over to the young paranoid pup, who was lying down at the entrance of an alley, paws crossed with his head laid on top. 

            “Probably just deeply lost in thought, bad ones at that.”  Steele thought, examining the face of the pup, as he got closer to the pup in the alley.

            He stood in front of the pup. The pup raised his head, to look up at the now smirking black and white malamute.

            He obviously didn’t know the dog. (Which was quite surprising. Due to the fact that, Balto had a very important role in Steele’s life changing “incident”.) So he obviously didn’t know just how much more pain-filled his life was going to be from that point on.