it is a working room. Because of the messy desk and the diploma on the wall next to the door, the way definitely to escape.

I heard steps behind the door and then a key turning inside the lock. Soon it opened and a white-coated man walked in. His coat was a bit dirty. The rest of his clothes were clean.

I wondered what he might do for me if I’d try to run for the open door.

Soon I got up stretching myself when another human walked in. This time it was a woman. She placed two bowls near the basket that I had been occupying. Of course I knew that they could throw me out of their house whenever they wanted.

The first bowl contained food. It was some kind of mess of food what wasn’t sold in restaurants or something like that. I sniffed it feeling my hunger.

I learned in army that you should always eat as much as you can because if you don’t do so…you might suffer from hunger while others aren’t, and it feels bad. I started to eat it tasting the juicy meat, potato and some other delicious parts in there, especially when it was all in one bowl…

They watched me as I ate everything that they gave me. After that meal they gave me some bread and dry meat not knowing that a normal dog doesn’t eat that much what I eat. All is basic stuff from the army. After I was full…I lay down whimpering about my shoulder and then cleaning my paws with my tongue.

I then turned my eyes to see the water bowl that the woman had brought me as well. I drank the water lapping it softly into my mouth. I then rested my head on my paws when both humans left me all alone inside the room with the flies. I heard the door close and my ears perked and listened sharply.

”They didn’t lock the door!” I said almost shouting and got up limping up to the door and pushed it gently open. But it didn’t open.

I opened the door the same way as humans do, but I did it with my mouth. A smirk appeared on my face when I walked out to see a doctor talking with a man on the first floor.

I stopped when the man was waving his hands to describe the situation. I giggled a bit.

”…we need one dog...I don’t have any for use…I badly need one!” the man shouted. He was wearing a large jacked. He was ready for a cold trip, I noticed that.

”I’m sorry I don’t have any dogs…you have mine already running with you… Ain’t she enough?” the doctor asked and cleaned his glasses while the other man shook his head.

”No I need one dog more…there is nobody to use at the moment…you know I can’t make the team wait…we’re leaving schedule all the time!” the man shouted and sat down on a small chair near the front door.

”I’m sorry Mr…but I don’t have any dogs…except…I do have one…male…strong he at least is but there is one but…” the doctor said but before he could continue the man got up smiling and patted the doctor’s shoulder. “Get him on here! I take him for use as long as I can get new member for replacement!” he shouted and grabbed a leash from his pocket.

The doctor shook his head and heard me walking down the stairs. He turned to see me and pointed at me. “This is the dog…take him if you want,” the doctor said and cleaned his hands on his shirt and smiled a bit when the man leashed me up at once.

”Ok boy time to go for a run,” he said to me and checked my body. “Man he is strong…” the man said while we walked outside the house.

Cold air welcomed me with cold wind. I shivered a bit when I followed the man.

I saw a sled farther in front of a post office. There was a dog who seemed to be dark gold. Behind him was a darker red-and- white husky. Next to him was a big husky. I grinned of my first thought. Being fat in the army was an insult. Then female husky came into view. I didn’t pay attention to her.

I padded on the leash towards the team. Finally I realised what was waiting for me. One place on the sled team was empty.

”Oh god please, no,” I said under my lips. When the dogs finally noticed me, they stared at me for a while. One of them smiled.

”Finally we got one more dog so that we can run!” The darker red shouted and jumped a bit, the other ones only smiled. I tried to hide my M.S.D.F collar that causes a lot of troubles for me.

”Hey what’s your name?” One dog asked me when I was pulled nearer to the dogs. I still hid the tag on my collar wishing for the best.

”Well…umm…Rayne,” I said quietly while I was hooked to the sled. I felt leather against my fur and I swore that it made me feel bad…

”My name is Kirby…I’m the leader of this sled,” the dark golden husky said with a smile. I shivered in a disgusted way. Him? A leader? He didn’t seem to have seen the real leaders who had died for their country- this one was only something else.

I felt others giggling a bit to my embarrassment. “My name is Kodi,” a second dog said with a smile, “for short…” he added. “My name is Dusty and nice to meet you Rayne,” the female said.

I felt even worse when one of the dogs got curious of my collar that I had been hiding, holding my paw in front of it like I were saluting.

”What are you hiding?” One of the dogs asked when I held my sides. “Oh nothing just my shoulder…bit hurt…so this way…it doesn’t hurt so much,” I said and placed my paw onto the ground. For my luck silver plate was shining only weakly but enough that it hid the texture on it.

”Oh…” I heard Kirby say. He was thinking about something his eyes glancing at my collar.

The musher was loading the sled. I felt weak in my legs; I had never pulled a sled before in my whole lifetime. Even the Army didn’t train us for it. I wondered why…


”Are you alright?” I heard a female voice behind me. I turned to see the right wheel dog or whatever was behind me…she was the last dog for me. Her fur was black and white.

”Yeah…I’m fine,” I replied to her question quietly showing that I didn’t want to be bothered. I felt my heart beat faster. Now I’m in trouble…I thought inside my head and felt that my legs wanted to give up. On that moment I accidentally turned my head and chest so that the sun didn’t reflect off of the collar’s plate.

I didn’t notice it myself but heard gasps with my right ear.

I felt cold glances turned towards me when the sled dogs whispered a while with each other. At once I felt that I was left out. Each sled dog whispered to each other.

I didn’t hear any of their whispers but I thought that it wasn’t anything good for me.

”What?” I asked glancing at each of them for a while. I saw their friendly look was gone. It made my whole body shiver of a small fear.

”Nothing,” Kodi said, he then turned away from facing me. Others did the same. I felt bad.

Soon the musher shouted something and Kirby pulled me almost with the whole sled. I didn’t have any idea of sled commands…only those of the Military. I was an outsider of the sled team.

I whimpered from the speed almost stumbling on my feet. I growled of the speed the dogs took. I had no experience of being a sled dog how on earth could keep up with them?

I thought inside my head while I kept the speed with the dogs. It was kind of easy but the sled made it hard to pull.

”Can’t you hold up with us Mutt?” The left wheel dog asked and bit my tail. I growled for a warning. “Can’t you then?” I asked in a growl, but it disappeared fast because I knew that I was on thin ice.

”Hah! You’ll give up soon! I’m sure of it,” the dog said with a smirk. The others on the sled team laughed. “He ain’t worth it,” Dusty said in a giggle while she kept running. “He surely doesn’t know even what mush means,” she added. Everyone started laughing…

It was so obvious that I would face these sort of things when they knew what I am…

----


After a while the team was returning to Nome. We had only ran about four hours. It felt like hell for me.

I was a bit tired of the running like everyone else. But they weren’t trained as well as I was. Being a soldier I had good stamina so I didn’t give up easily.

Suddenly I felt ice under my legs. I started to run in place and then I fell onto the ground making the whole sled unstable.

I heard someone call me “idiot”, I hit the snow, and the dog running next to me hit me. I felt a pain when Dusty hit me and I heard a yelp from her.

Soon the sled hit the snow and everything was quiet for a while. I got up and got tangled into the sled’s harness. I saw others getting up also. Kirby checked everyone and when he arrived near Dusty he was shocked. “Dusty are you alright?” He asked nudging her leg that she held up.

I turned lazily to see what had happened to her. I knew that she had hit me badly.

”Urg…my leg…is hurt...” she whimpered softly when Kodi ran up to her and lowered his head to see her paw. “I’m ok really!” She said when she rolled onto her belly and tried to get up. She yelped and fell back to the ground. Kodi and one of the sled dogs I knew as Ralph turned towards me.
”Look what you did to her you clumsy idiot,” Kodi said growling lightly.

I backed up a bit. “What you mean?” I asked bit confused.

He didn’t answer. Rest of the dogs helped Dusty to her feet. Musher ran up to her and checked her leg. “Poor girl…” Musher said and grabbed Dusty in his hands. He carried her to the sled and let her rest there.

He hooked the dogs onto the line. Each of the dogs growled at me. Noone was hiding their anger.

”Hey listen…it’s only an accident!” I shouted not trying to catch up a fight where I could die easily taking only one or two with me…

I felt a growl still killing my soul the whole rest of the trip. No one answered to my words.

----

Soon we arrived back into the town. They first stopped in front of Vet’s place. There I slipped out of my harness and ran off in fear that the musher would have me put down.

I disappeared behind a corner seeing the Musher disappear with Dusty into the Vet’s place. Kodi followed with Kirby and Ralph. A female whose name I didn’t know ran with the remaining dogs into a building that I had no idea of

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