Polaris stormed out of the kennel. She didn’t know where she was heading. As long as it was away from the rest of the team, she didn’t care.

            Cooper and Rusty were the worst. Cooper was always undermining her authority as team leader and Rusty egged him on.

            The rest of the dogs weren’t much better. The only dog who really supported Polaris was Ginger. Ginger was a slim orange mutt with big ears and black flecks. She wasn’t traditionally pretty and was basically ignored by the rest of the team. Polaris figured she was just loyal because Polaris was the only one who noticed her, but it was still a nice change from the other dogs.

            The slender black-and-white husky soon found herself at the lake outside of town. The rotting remains of an old ship stood by the lake. Polaris trotted towards the remains, planning to spend the night there. She wanted time to cool down before going back to the kennel.

            Polaris walked carefully up the ramp to the ship. It creaked and shifted under her paws. She went to the cabin of the ship and curled up. She was still angry about the things Cooper had said about her, but the solitude made her feel a little better.

            Polaris hoped Ginger was OK. She had to be lonely without Polaris.

            Polaris was asleep quickly and dreamed of running through the wilderness, free and with no responsibility.

            The next morning, Polaris woke up thinking how much she didn’t want to go back to the kennel. Not only were the other dogs jerks, but her musher was nothing special. He didn’t give her any attention besides feeding and training.

            Polaris suddenly had an idea. She was going to take a vacation! Polaris would go to White Mountain and see what adventure she could find along the way.

            Polaris left the ship and took a swim in the lake. The water felt cool and refreshing, and when she was done, she felt like all her worries had washed away.

            Polaris trotted out towards the wilderness that led to White Mountain.

            Now, Polaris was alone with her thoughts. She tried not to think about her sled team, but her thoughts kept turning to Ginger. She wondered how Ginger would fair without her. Would she be too lonely? Could she handle the stress?

            Polaris shook her head. She was on vacation now. She wouldn’t think about her team.

            So, what else was there to think about? What about the wilderness she was in. There were probably foxes. Foxes were cute. And squirrels. Always fun for chasing. And wolves.

            Polaris slowed down. Wolves? She didn’t like the idea of meeting a large, intelligent predator on her own.

For a moment she considered going home. But when she thought about it, Polaris realized she was enjoying her freedom too much to go home.

Polaris found some berries she recognized as not poisonous and ate them. They were sweet and so much more satisfying than the dry, slightly stale food than her musher gave her.

Polaris breathed in the fresh air and wagged her tail. Polaris kept her thoughts from her team for a while, but eventually she found herself thinking about Ginger again.

Polaris was relieved when at sunset she reached White Mountain. She found a restaurant and ate from the garbage can behind it. She strolled around the tiny town and was disappointed at how much it was like Nome.

Polaris came across a kennel that was called Gray Brush. She scratched at the door and called,

“Hey! Anyone there?”

“Who’s there?” a nervous voice asked.

“My name’s Polaris,” the little husky said. “I’m a sled dog.”

“Let her in!” a deeper voice said.

The door swung open and a stocky chow mix stood at the door. He glanced behind her then nodded for her to come in.

Once inside, the chow mix pulled the door shut quickly. Dogs lay around the rectangular room, chewing on bones and relaxing on blankets. A huge black-and-white malamute sat in front of a radiator on the opposite end of the room.

“Welcome, Polaris,” he said.

Polaris recognized his voice as the one that asked she be let in.

“What brings you to White Mountain?” he asked.

“I’m on vacation,” she said.

The big dog laughed.

“How’d you swing that?”

“I just left last night,” she said. “That’s all.”

“How long do you plan to be gone?” he asked.

“Just a few days,” Polaris said, laying down on a spare blanket. “What’s your name, by the way?”

“Sitka,” the malamute said. “So, where are you from?”

“Nome,” Polaris said.

            “You came here from Nome?” the chow mix said. “Boy, are you lucky!”
            “Why?” Polaris asked.

            “You didn’t meet the wraith,” the chow mix replied.

            “Don’t start on that again, Gizmo,” a red husky said.

            “Well, it’s true!” Gizmo said. “I saw it!”

            “What’s a wraith?” Polaris asked.

            “The wolves have this legend,” Sitka said. “If a wolf—or dog—dies with unfinished business, they sometimes come back as vengeful ghosts. It’s just a legend.”

            “No, it’s not!” Gizmo said. “I saw the wraith the night I tried to run away!”

            “What did it look like?” Polaris asked, mildly curious.

            “He’s a huge black-and-white husky with glowing eyes!” Gizmo said, his eyes growing wide.

            Polaris figured Gizmo had seen a wolf or imagined the whole thing. She was still curious, though.

            “Do you know who this husky is?” she asked.

            “He’s a dog from Eagle Hill kennel who fell to his death after a fight with his team,” Gizmo said.

            Polaris didn’t remember hearing about anyone from her kennel dying near White Mountain, confirming her suspicion this was just a legend.

            “Well, I’ll be careful,” she said, hiding a smile.

            Polaris chatted and laughed with the other dogs. They were so much nicer than her team! She also enjoyed not having to be in charge and being able to be just one of the team.

            “Polaris,” Sitka said. “If you needed a vacation from your team, maybe you could use a new team. How would you feel about joining ours?”

            Polaris was tempted to say yes, but then she thought of Ginger.

            “Thanks,” she said. “But I have responsibilities back home.”

            “I get that,” Sitka said.

            After chatting a bit longer, the dogs went to sleep. Polaris missed the warmth of Ginger curled up against her.

            The next morning, Polaris had breakfast with the dogs, then started out. She began to head home.

            Once at the bottom of the mountain, Polaris decided to take an indirect way home. Instead of heading directly towards Nome, she walked along the base of the mountain. It was a beautiful day and Polaris loved the feeling of the sun on her fur.

            Polaris had reached an especially rocky part of ground when she heard a voice behind her. It was deep and a little breathy.

            “Hey,” it said. “What are you doing out here?”

            Polaris spun

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