Help!” As he ran down the darkened streets of Nome, Doc stepped out of the boiler room and grabbed him.

“Easy Kodi, easy. What is it?” Kodi was so horrified by what he’d seen that he shook visibly and stuttered.

“Dingo…at the beach….I-I think he’s dead. I think Dingo’s dead.”

“Dingo?”

“I just found him a minute ago. Oh god, he’s dead, he must be dead.”

“Kodi! Kodi! Control yourself!” Doc said, putting a firm paw on Kodi’s shoulder, “Can you take me to him?” Just then, Star walked up to them.

“What’s going on?” Both Doc and Kodi looked at the small Siberian husky and then back at each other.

“Star,” Doc said, “find Kaltag and Nikki and wake all the dogs as quietly as you can. We’ve got a problem on our hands.”

“What kind of problem?”

“Please, just do it, Star.”

“You can count on me,” he replied, running off down the street.

“Now,” Doc said, turning to Kodi, “can you show me where he is?” Kodi nodded hastily, still fighting the shock and fear that gripped his heart, and lead Doc back out of Nome and onto the beach. Doc was still inspecting Dingo when Star arrived with Nikki and Kaltag. After a moment, Doc spoke. “It was certainly a canine that did this.”

“It looks like he was attacked by a wolf dere,” Nikki replied.

“Oh jeez,” said Star, “is he gonna be okay?” Kodi was about to reply, but Kaltag’s eyes went wide and he said,

“Hey, hey, look! He’s moving!” All eyes turned to Dingo as Kodi lay down next to him and supported his injured neck.

“Dingo? Can you hear me? What happened?” Dingo’s eyes opened the tiniest bit and his whispered something to Kodi, but he didn’t understand. Kodi leaned closer. “What, Dingo?” Dingo took a ragged breath and managed one word.

“Jade.”

Before anyone could react to what he’d said, Dingo’s head slipped back and his eyes closed again. Doc quickly put his ear to Dingo’s chest and said,

“He’s still with us, but he needs a doctor now.” Kodi stood up.

“Put him on my back, hurry.” Kaltag and Nikki did so, and Kodi set of for the hospital, with the others close behind.

A few hours later, all the dogs of Nome, some willingly and some not so, were gathered in the boiler room awaiting news of this ‘emergency’ that was so important it justified a town meeting so early in the morning. Sylvie and Dixie sat in their usual spots, chatting lively about what it could be.

“Why would Doc…” Dixie paused to let a yawn out, “call a meeting now?”

“I don’t know, but it must be something big.”

“It better be… Did you hear a scream last night?”

“Mm hmm,” Sylvie replied, “I wonder who that was.” Dixie thought for a moment and her face turned slightly pale.

“You don’t think somebody…” She leaned close to Sylvie and whispered, “…got raped?”

“I hope not, but if that was the case Doc would bring her in here and tell us what hap….” She stopped when Doc walked in, but it wasn’t him she was watching, it was who was following him. Jenna walked in a few steps behind him, and her tears betrayed her feelings all too plainly. Kodi stepped up beside his mother and let her cry on his shoulder. Sylvie and Dixie looked at each other, too surprised to speak. Could they actually be right?

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Doc began, “but the situation is urgent.” He stopped for a moment to make sure he had everyone’s full attention. “Just last night, a horrible crime was committed on the beach just outside of town. A crime so hideous I find it hard to discuss in this room.” The silence gave way to whispers as more and more of Nome’s canine residents came up with the same theory that Sylvie and Dixie had. Doc cleared his throat. “As you all know, Jenna has been a kind and loving mother to nine wonderful children in two different litters…” Doc paused again. The room was as silent as a tomb. “Last night, one of her sons, Dingo, was brutally attacked…and is near death.” Jenna shed more tears on Kodi’s shoulder. “At this point in time it is unclear exactly who attacked him, but rest assured, the assailant will not go unpunished. I will inform you all when I know more. Meeting adjourned.”

One by one, the dogs began to get up and leave. Jenna and Kodi were the first outside. As they padded back toward the hospital, Kodi tried his best to comfort his mother.

“Mom, I’m sure he’ll be…fine.”

“Then why won’t they let me see him?”

Just then, the sound of an engine made both canines turn their eyes to the sky. As they watched, a familiar bush plane came closer and closer until it roared over their heads and set down on the far side of Nome.

“I better go tell him,” Kodi offered.

“No, its best if he hears it from me,” Jenna said, “Kodi, watch over Dingo, and let me know if anything happens. Would you do that?”

“Of course.” Kodi nuzzled his mother and continued toward the hospital while Jenna set off towards the bush plane, where she knew Balto would be. As soon as she spotted him getting out of the plane, Jenna quickened her pace. Spotting the cast on his leg, her voice filled with worry.

“Balto! What happened?” He turned and nuzzled her.

“It’s nothing to worry about, just a few cuts and bruises.”

“Cuts and bruises don’t need casts, Balto,” she replied, smiling half-heartedly, “Are you going to tell me, or are you going to continue failing miserably at lying to me?”

“Alright, I’ll tell you, but later.” Balto noticed everyone leaving the boiler room. “Why’d you guys have a meeting this early?” He looked back at Jenna and noticed tears in her eyes.

“Someone hurt Dingo,” she sobbed, “They thought he was dead when they found him.” She started to choke up. “We don’t know if he’ll make it.” She started to cry, and Balto held her close.

“Shh, it’ll be alright. The good doctor’s never let us down before.”

“I hope Dingo will be alright.”

“He will be, you’ll see,” Balto whispered, “Come on, let’s go check on him.”

Meanwhile, Kodi had been on his way to the hospital when he overheard Doc talking to Kaltag and Nikki. At first, he paid no attention, but then Kaltag mentioned Jade and Kodi suddenly remembered Dingo’s last word to him before he went unconscious. By the sound of things, Doc, Nikki, and Kaltag, were discussing the same matter. Either Dingo’s attacker took Jade, Kodi thought, or Jade was the one who attacked him!

With a new goal in mind, Kodi turned around and trotted toward the beach. Padding up to the spot where Dingo had been, Kodi looked around and scented the wind. A recent scent surprised him. Jade had been there not even half an hour ago. Her trail might still be here, he thought, searching the surrounding area with his keen nose. Finally, he found a faint trail leading toward the outskirts.

“Oh no you don’t,” he thought out loud, “You’re not leaving until I get some answers.” He followed the trail to the crest of a hill, where, to his confusion, it seemed to turn back the way it had come. “Why would she-” Before he could finish his sentence, he felt the weight of a canine on his back. He opened his muzzle to cry out, but the pressure of teeth at his throat choked off his speech before he could say a word.

“Looking for me, are you?” a familiar female voice said, “I guess you found me, but I doubt that anyone else will…”

A short while later, Dusty walked up to Balto and Jenna, who were sitting alone in the boiler room. Balto was nuzzling Jenna and reassuring her that everything would be alright. Jenna, with her head on Balto’s shoulder, was doing her best not to cry. Balto noticed her and turned his head in her direction.

“What is it Dusty?”

“I just wanted to say how sorry I am that this happened. No one should have to go through this.” She glanced across the street to the hospital. “Dingo’s gonna make it, I can feel it. After all, the doctor’s doing everything he can, and he’s never let us down before.” Jenna nodded.

“Thank you, Dusty,” she said, managing a smile. Dusty smiled back and turned to leave. Before she did, she looked back at them.

“Have either of you seen Kodi?”

“Not since I arrived,” Balto replied.

“The last I saw, he was heading toward the hospital,” Jenna added.

“Oh, okay, I’ll see if I can find him. Thanks.”

Dusty padded over to the hospital, but Kodi was not there. She searched around the whole building. Still nothing. She finally returned to the spot where she’d started, and was about to look elsewhere when a canine scent reached her nose. Kodi. She smiled and followed the scent to the beach, and then toward the outskirts. She stopped on the crest of a hill and looked around. How could a scent just disappear, she wondered. She barely finished the thought when a whimper came from behind her.