you sympathize with her… don’t you?”

Balto sighed, knowing what his son’s response was going to be.

He nodded.

“I… I don’t believe it…” Kodi said. “My mate cheated on me, your SON, and yet you think I did something wrong!”

Kodi started to walk away.

“Kodi…” Balto said.

Kodi stopped.

“I didn’t say what she did was right, it was wrong, and very hurtful, but… she loves you, I can see it in her eyes. She realizes she did something wrong…”

Kodi cut his father off.

“Don’t you dare say we all make mistakes!” Kodi yelled. “’Cause this wasn’t a freakin mistake!”

Balto sighed.

“Kodi, son, it’s obvious you aren’t going to listen to me, so why don’t you go talk to your mother.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking.” Kodi said. “You did the same thing she did, of course you’d sympathize with her.”

“Kodi…” Balto started, but Kodi cut him off.

“I’m gonna go talk to Mom.”

Then he turned and walked away.

A tear came to Balto’s eye as he thought of the events surrounding he and Angel’s… relationship.

He knew Kodi hadn’t meant to hurt him, or at least Balto hoped he hadn’t, but he had.

Balto sighed and walked out the door, headed to Jenna’s.

“Maybe I can beat Kodi there...” Balto thought.

Kodi walked hesitantly up the stairs to his mother’s home.

He’d walked around in circles for a bit, unsure of how to proceed.

His dad had made a good point, although Kodi hadn’t wanted it to be true, a part of him, deep within his heart, still loved Dusty, but his mind told him that that love was gone, and he believed it.

Kodi ducked through the doggy door.

“Hey Kodi.” Jenna said, as she stood up and walked over to him.

Kodi sighed.

“Hey Mom…”

Jenna nuzzled him.

“I know about Dusty.”

Kodi sighed again.

‘Dad?”

Jenna nodded.

“He came by to see me right after you left his house.”

“Well,” Kodi said, “what do you think?”

“I think your father is right, you need to talk to her.”

Kodi sighed, slightly irritated.

“Not you too… I felt for sure you’d understand, you’ve been in my position.”

“You’re right, and you can learn something from me. For a long time I shut your father out of my life, and I was miserable. My mother told me then that there is only one dog on this earth who will make you truly happy, Balto is mine. Your father and I are nothing without each other. We can not live apart anymore… it would literally kill us. That’s what I felt when we were separated, like dying.”

She paused.

“You and Dusty are the same way. I’ve seen the way you two act around each other, and you’re just like your father and I.”

“… but I can’t get past what she did.” Kodi said.

“Believe me son, I know the feeling… when father and I were separated, my mother told me something else. She first asked if I still loved him. Of course my immediate response was no, but then she smiled, and told me to think with my heart instead of my head. For the next two or three weeks, I thought I had thought with my heart, but I hadn’t… it wasn’t until your father came to rescue me, even though I’d said I didn’t love him anymore, that’s what made me truly think with my heart. I realized then that I could never be without him again, no matter what he does, I can’t survive without him.”

She paused and took a breath.

“Kodi don’t wait for something like what happened to me, to happen, because you might run out of time. Time is always against us, it can be our best friend, or our worst enemy, but it’s always ticking away…. As awkward as it may be, we all have a set number of hours that we’ll be alive here on this earth. When our number is up, that’s it, there’s no more time. None of us know our time, so we have to live each hour like it is our last, we can’t afford to have lasting grudges, or bad feelings toward someone. Do you understand?”

Kodi sighed.

“Ye… yeah…. I suppose that makes sense….”

Kodi closed his eyes, and a tear rolled out of them.

“What is it Kodiak?” Jenna asked, nuzzling her son.

Kodi sighed.

“I…. I don’t know where she is….”

Jenna smiled.

“You’ll find her, I’m confident that she’s somewhere in Nome.”

Kodi smiled.

“Thanks Mom. As much as I wanted you to tell me I did the right thing, what you’ve told me is much more helpful, and very appreciated.”

Jenna nuzzled him again.

“You’re my son Kodiak, no matter how old you get, never be afraid to come to me, all right?”

Kodi nodded.

“Mom I’ve got to go, I’m gonna have to start looking for Dusty.

“You’ll find her.” Jenna said.

She got up and walked to the door.

“Where’re you going?” Kodi asked.

“I’ve got to go talk to your sister, she…”

Jenna sighed.

“She wants to go save her pack, but… right now that’s suicide. She’s not listening to anyone else, so your father wants me to give it a shot.”

“Good luck.” Kodi said, nuzzling the side of her head. “… and thank you, thank you for everything mom.”

With that he turned and walked through the Doggy door, and onto the porch, which he bounded down and stopped on the snow covered sidewalk.

He looked up.

The clouds showed no intention of leaving, and the snow was still pouring in from above.

“If I was Dusty,” Kodi thought, “where would I have gone?”

Then he sprinted down the sidewalk.

A few hours later, Kodi had made the circle back to his father’s house.

“I can’t find her anywhere…” Kodi thought. “She’s… she’s gone.”

He shook his head.

“What’s the matter?” He thought. “That’s what you wanted isn’t it? What you told her to do…”

“So why do I feel so terrible?” Kodi said aloud.

Balto came out then.

“Hey Kodi, what are you doing back here?”

Kodi sighed.

“Dad… I… I can’t find her anywhere, I… I think she left.”

“What?” Balto asked.

Kodi nodded.

“I… I may never see her again. What am I going to do Dad?”

Balto smiled.

“Kodi, though you may look all dog, remember that there’s wolf in you too, and wolves have quite a sense of smell…”

Balto started to walk away.

“Dad…”

Balto stopped.

“Dad I’m… I’m sorry about the way I talked to you this morning, I… I’m just so upset, mad at myself I suppose…”

Balto smiled.

“Forget it Kodi.”

Then he continued walking.

“Where are you going?” Kodi asked.

Balto smiled.

“I’m watching the kids today, so that your mother can have a day off, go to town or something... I’ll be there if you need me.”

“Alright Dad.” Kodi said.

“Good luck finding Dusty.” Balto said.

“Thanks Dad.” Kodi said, then he too turned around and walked off, his nose to the ground.

Kodi picked up Dusty’s scent soon after leaving his father’s house, it zigzagged around all over the place.

“Wherever she was going,” Kodi thought. “She didn’t want anyone to follow her.”

The trail finally ended at a small, old cabin near the edge of town.

Kodi walked up the porch steps, knowing in his heart whose house this probably was, but not wanting to believe it.

“She came back to him…” Kodi thought.

He padded up to the door and scratched on it.

Presently a black husky stuck his head out.

“Who are you?” The dog asked.

“My… my name’s Kodi.”

The dog gasped.

“Well… come… come inside.”

The dog disappeared, and Kodi stepped through the doggy door into a cozy little living room.

Kodi saw a blanket on the floor next to the fireplace, and four bowls beside it.

The thought of what had probably taken place in this room made Kodi feel sick.

“You’re him aren’t you?” The dog said.

“Him who?” Kodi asked.

“The gray dog… Dusty’s mate.”

Kodi whirled around.

“Then you’re the one!”

Before the dog could respond, Kodi belted him in the face, knocking the dog to the floor.

The husky tried to stand up, but Kodi kicked him again.

The dog was on the floor, any fight that may have been in him gone, and before he knew it, Kodi was on top of him, his jaws at the dog’s throat.

The dog had a hard time speaking because of the pressure on his throat.

“Ple… Please, you… you might want to hear… wha… what I… have to.. to say…”

Kodi released the dog, and he stood up.

The husky rubbed the side of his throat with his paw, and coughed.

“Man you got a good grip…” the dog said.

“So what might I need to know?” Kodi asked.

“Right,” the dog