bit his lip. He knew that Devon’s chances of survival were almost none. But he didn’t want to tell the poor dog that. “Don’t worry,” Dingo said. “I can’t promise you that you’ll make it, but I’ll try to help you as much as I can.”

Devon smiled. “Thanks, Dingo,” he said. Then he turned around again and fell asleep immediately.

That wasn’t the only thing Dingo had to worry about. There was also a food problem. Sure, the dogs hunted and killed enough small animals to feed themselves, but Sandy and her mom were a whole different story. They couldn’t catch their own food, and they needed their meat cooked. Because it was hard to start a fire in the Alaskan wilderness, Sandy and her mom only ate about once every other day. And even when they could get a fire started, they couldn’t get the meat fully cooked, but it was still better than raw meat.

Dingo’s heart sank even further as a dog approached with bad news. “The humans are having coughing fits,” it said. “They’re doing pretty badly right now. We have to reach Nome soon, because if we don’t, they’re as good as dead.”

Dingo walked to a ledge where he could see everyone in the group. He spotted Sandy and Mrs. Warren sleeping underneath a pine tree. Mrs. Warren had draped her own coat over her daughter. They both had coughing fits frequently.

Dingo had never imagined running into this much trouble on the journey. He just hoped that he, and all of the others, would make it to Nome safely…or at least, alive.

-----

Saba’s life had turned into a living nightmare. Just a few minutes before Dingo had fallen into a huge ravine. Saba had stood at the top and called out his name over and over. Her heart sank when no response came.

Just when Saba was going to run for help, she heard something from the bottom of the chasm. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw Dingo coming back up the steep wall, aided by a huge group of dogs and a few humans. Saba embraced her brother as he made it safely to the top.

Saba woke up with a start. She had been having the same dream for weeks-Dingo falling into a ravine and not coming back. But this time the dream was different. Dingo had climbed back up the steep ravine.

Saba smiled. She knew what the dream meant. Dingo was going to keep the promise he made to her. He was going to return to Nome.

Then Saba fell asleep again. It was the first time in weeks that she had fallen asleep with a smile on her face.

-----

The progress that Dingo was making on his journey was becoming painfully slow. Mrs. Warren had to carry her daughter. Dingo carried Matteo on his back, and Liko carried Devon on hers. The three of them moved slower because of their burdens.

After a few hours, two different dogs offered to carry Matteo and Devon for a while, and Dingo and Liko graciously accepted their offer.

Liko heaved a sigh of relief and looked around as she walked. “This is a tough journey,” she said.

“But it’s all going to be worth it,” Dingo said. “You’re going to love Nome.”

“I hope so,” Liko said. “Besides, it’s worth it just to see all of this scenery. It’s so beautiful out here in the wild.”

There was silence for a moment. Then Dingo broke it. “I’m glad that you and Matteo are friends again,” he said.

“Yeah, me too,” Liko said. “I really hope that he’ll be okay. I’d be devastated if he died before we even got to Nome.”

Dingo bit his lip. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he said. “Matteo and Devon are just getting worse. I don’t think that they’re going to make it.”

“Matt’s tough,” Liko said. “He’s always been strong. If anyone can pull through this, he can.”

Dingo didn’t say anything. He just kept walking and thinking. “What are you thinking about?” Liko asked.

“My sister, Saba,” Dingo said. “I wonder how she’s changed since I left Nome. I can’t wait to see her again.”

“It must be great to have a close sibling like that,” Liko said. “I think I have a few brothers and sisters, but I haven’t seen them since we were pups.”

The next question came out of Dingo’s mouth before he realized what he was asking. “So, have you ever had a boyfriend before?”

Liko smiled. “Dingo, flirting with me isn’t a good idea.” Dingo blushed. “No, I’ve never had a boyfriend before,” she said.

Suddenly a malamute approached the two dogs. “Dingo, I’ve got bad news,” it said, pointing to a limp body on the ground near a large crowd of dogs.

Dingo gasped. The dog on the ground was Devon.

Chapter 15

Dingo didn’t know what to think as he approached Devon’s limp body. He expected the worst as he felt for a pulse. His heart sank. There was none.

Dingo bit his lip. The dream of returning to Nome was slowly becoming a nightmare. Would Devon still be alive if Dingo had never taken him on the journey? He shook the thought from his head. He didn’t want to think that he was responsible for Devon’s death.

A small dog, bigger than a pup but not full grown, walked up to Devon’s dead body and sniffed. “My brother,” it said. “Is he…gone?”

Dingo bit his lip and nodded sadly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “What’s your name?”

“Angel,” the dog said. “I’m Devon’s little sister. Well, at least I was…” Her eyes welled up with tears. “Devon always took care of me. Now he’s gone. What will I do?”

“I can take care of you,” Dingo said. “You kind of remind me of my little sister. Well, actually, I’m not really that much older than her. Only by nine minutes.”

Angel didn’t look at Dingo while she spoke. Dingo could tell that she was shy. “My brother is a year older than me,” she said. “He was in my parents’ first litter. I was in the second one.”

Liko came up and nudged Dingo. “I don’t want to interrupt anything, but we have to get moving again,” she said. “Those humans are getting worse. If we don’t hurry up, neither of them are going to make it to Nome.”

Dingo nodded and Liko left. “Angel, why don’t we keep talking while we walk?” he asked. “We’re getting pretty close to Nome. We should be there in a day or two.”

The group kept pushing on to Nome. Dingo didn’t like having to carry Matteo on his back, but at least he was able to talk to Matteo while he was walking. Today Matteo seemed a depressed, contrary to his usually cheerful nature. “Are you okay?” Dingo asked him.

Matteo nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I guess that I’m just kind of shaken up about Devon’s death. The scary part is…” He bit his lip. “I’m next, Dingo. I’m sure of it. Maybe you guys should leave me behind.”

Dingo turned his head and looked Matteo in the eye as he kept walking. “Matt, I’m not going to leave you behind,” he said. “We’re friends. We’re sticking together until the end, remember?”

A slight smile appeared on Matteo’s face. He nodded.

“You just have to stick in there a little longer,” Dingo continued. “As soon as we get back to Nome, I promise that the first thing I’ll do is get you the vet.”

Matteo shook his head. “Dingo, all that you’ve been talking about for the past week is being with your sister again,” he said. “I know that you can’t wait to see her. I don’t want you to put that off any longer just for my sake.” 

“Matt, I’ve been waiting to see Saba again for a month,” Dingo said. “I’m sure that another few minutes isn’t going to hurt. Besides, if I don’t get you to the vet immediately, you’ll be dead. Keeping you alive is more important than seeing Saba again, no matter how much I miss her.”

“Can’t you get someone else to bring me to the vet there?” Matteo asked.

“No way!” Dingo said. “I already told you, we’re in this together until the end. We’re going to do everything side by side from now on.” Dingo turned his head around again and saw Angel walking next to him.

“Well, hi,” Dingo said. “How are you doing?”

Angel looked at the ground as she spoke. “I’m okay, I guess,” she said. “I’m still kind of sad about my brother dying.”

Dingo nodded knowingly. “I understand,” he said. “It must feel horrible to lose someone that close to you.”

“Yeah, it is,” Angel said. “I probably wouldn’t be able to live without Devon if it wasn’t for you.” Quickly she licked his cheek and ran away. Dingo held a paw to his cheek and smiled.

Matteo grinned. “That