to look at him, afraid of what she would feel.

Seth nodded hesitantly and turned to go, but as he did, he cast a glance over his shoulder and grinned.

Perfect.

As day turned to night, Dusty lay beside her pups as they drifted off to sleep again. Since they’d woken a few hours ago, Dusty had walked them through the town. As they walked slowly through the maze of streets and alleyways, Nome’s many dog citizens had given her a solemn nod that conveyed their empathy silently, much to the relief of Dusty, who was not yet certain of just how to tell her children that their father would never be coming home.

Finally, they had grown tired and followed her home, where they were quickly put to sleep. In their minds, another day was over, but for Dusty, it was much more than that.

It seemed as though she had turned a corner on her road of life, much too soon for her liking. She would have to find someone else. No, she couldn’t even bear the thought. She would simply have to get along as best she could. Dusty sighed and looked sadly at her pups as they slept peacefully, curled against each other.

God, Kodi, I miss you.

That night, as Dusty sobbed over her dead mate, Jenna grieved at the loss of her son. Curled up in her bed side by side, she and Balto hardly moved all evening.

“Balto,” Jenna said finally, “what are…we going to tell the pups?”

“I’ll think of something that’ll make it easier on them. After all, they’ve never lost a brother.”

“I meant about us,” Jenna sighed, “You’re not their father. How long are we going to lie to them?”

Balto was silent for a long time.

“They have the right to know the truth.”

 

Chapter Two

 

Nome

Sled team held back because of weather. Stop. Should arrive early tomorrow. Stop. Sorry for inconvenience. Stop.

Anchorage. Stop.

The telegraph operator in Nome reread the first message to arrive that morning before he tore it off and set it in a small box off to the side of the machine. The shopkeepers were beginning to worry. This should calm them down, he thought, Seems like all they care about is their goods, not the sled teams that risk their lives to deliver them…

Outside, a pair of green eyes peered in through an open window.

Hmm, this took less time than I expected. The situation is changing, and must be remedied.

 

A few hours later, the kindly old man took the small stack of telegraphs and, after stretching quickly, left to deliver them. The first on his list was the sled team notice.

When he walked into general, its owner, a short young man, gave him a smile as he approached the counter.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Jones?” the store keep asked.

“Nothing right now, Kevin,” the old man answered, presenting the first telegram, “Just see that this gets around to all of the other business men and women, if you would?”

“It’d be my pleasure, sir.”

“Thank you, Kevin.”

“Anytime, Mr. Jones. Have a nice day.” Kevin set the telegram on the far side of the counter near the edge and was about to continue with his morning routine when his wife called him from the storeroom in the back. He turned quickly and left, but in doing so, he inadvertently knocked the telegram off the counter. It floated in midair momentarily, and then came to rest on the head of Kevin’s Labrador, Max, who was, as always, sleeping behind the counter. Being a very light sleeper, Max awoke instantly when he felt the lightest tap on his head. He stood up, which caused the telegram to slip to the floor, at which point Max noticed two words that sent up a warning flag: sled team.

Now, dogs are not as light in the head as some think them to be, and Max was no exception. He peered closely at the telegram and his eyes opened wide once he had finished reading. So shocked was he that in his haste to leave he tripped over his own feet twice before even reaching the doggy flap in the front door, and only then to find it locked. Just then, Kevin returned from the storeroom and noticed the fallen telegram.

“Oh, I guess I dropped that.” As he bent to pick up the paper, his eyes came to rest on the front door, where his dog stood staring outside. “Hey, what’s the matter, Max? You want to go out?” Max barked excitedly. Kevin set the telegram on the counter again and then unlocked the doggy door. Max bounded eagerly outside. “What’s gotten into him? He’s never been that lively before…”

 

“Are you absolutely sure that’s what it said?” Dingo said anxiously.

“Positive,” Max replied.

“Then we’ve got to tell Dusty!”

“Wait, shouldn’t we tell your mum first?”

“Yes, we should. Come on!”

“You go ahead,” Max said, “I’m going to spread the word. There are a lot of families who’ll be very happy to hear about this.”

“Alright Max, I’ll see you soon.”

Max watched Dingo take off at a run toward Jenna’s house and turned to go the other way. The next person he intended to tell was Doc, who was sure to be in the boiler room. He had hardly gotten halfway down the street when someone beckoned to him from an alley.

“Max,” the voice called.

“What? Who’s there?”

“Come here, I need to talk to you.”

Max hesitated briefly, but the voice sounded oddly familiar, so he advanced into the dimly lit alley. As his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, Max called out,

“Where are you?”

“Right here,” replied a voice from further in the darkness.

“I can’t see you, show yourself.”

“Normally I don’t take orders from anyone, but in your case I’ll make an exception.” A shape stepped from the darkness. Max could see the outline of a dog, but nothing more.

“What is it you want from me?” he repeated, “I haven’t got much time to spare right now.”

“Everyone’s the same,” the dog sighed, stepping into the light, “they can’t even take time to see an old friend.” At that moment, a beam of sunlight caught the stranger full in the face, and the black husky flashed a toothy grin at Max. Max, though slightly unnerved by the grin, slowly shook his head.

“I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

“That’s where you’re mistaken, my friend,” the black husky said coolly, “You were among the jury on the day of my trial here in Nome. Surely you can’t forget that fast?” Max peered closer at the stranger, and his eyes widened in recognition and shock.

“I know you!” he gasped, backing away, “Y-you’re not supposed to be here! You’ll be killed!” He was not prepared for the answer that came from behind him.

“Wrong again.”

Before Max could react, he was forced to the ground and quickly dragged behind a dumpster, where his assailant glared down at him. The brown fur and tan-tipped paws reminded him of Balto, but the green eyes told him this could not be.

“Now then,” the brown husky said calmly, “There was a telegram delivered to the general store, and you saw it. Have you told anyone else?” Max shook his head frantically. The brown husky nodded, but when he spoke again, his voice took on that of a demon,

“Let’s keep it that way.”

Suddenly, the brown husky sank his teeth deep into Max’s throat, and he tasted blood. Max struggled in desperation, but the brown husky lifted his head off the ground and with a quick jerk of his head broke the Labrador’s neck.

“That was quick,” said the black husky with a grin.

“Make sure he’s out of sight, and avoid getting blood on your paws. We don’t want to look bad for our presentation.”

 

Jenna and Balto lay sleeping in their bed basket when there was a knock on the door. At this, Balto’s ears perked up, and he slowly got to his feet and stretched. Jenna stirred slightly, and he nuzzled her.

“You stay here. I’ll see who it is.” Jenna sighed and curled up tighter. Balto smiled and walked to the kitchen door just as a head poked through the small dog door. “Dingo? What are you doing here so early?”

“You’re not going to believe me. Can I come in?”

“Of course, of course.”

Dingo stepped inside just as Jenna walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning Dingo. What are you here so early for?”

“Well, like I was saying, you won’t believe me…”

 

Meanwhile, Dusty lay curled up beside her pups, grieving over her ‘dead’ mate, when there was a knock at the door of her shed. She was not too surprised when she saw Seth waiting for her. What caught her attention was the sense of urgency in his tone.

“Dusty, something’s just happened,” he said, “I need you to come with me.”

“Alright,” she said, glancing at her still sleeping pups, “but what about my-”

“We won’t be gone long, I promise,” Seth insisted, “You’ll be back before they wake up.”

“Oh… Alright.”

 

Jenna was ecstatic.

“You mean,” she gasped, eyes brimming with tears, “he-he’s alive?”

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