Balto examined it one more time before sitting down in front of Jenna, being sure to not sit on his tail or put any weight on the end of it. “You know you could have broken it. Wouldn’t you have felt bad if you did that?”
Her laughter began to subside down. “Yeah, I would have.” Jenna confessed with a very sincere tone. She stepped forward and nuzzled Balto tenderly. “Because I love you.” She continued rubbing the side of her face against his
Balto’s heart fell and all bitterness that he had vanished with an equally loving nuzzle. “You know how to push my buttons just right. You know that?”
Jenna pulled her head back and winked. “Of course I do.” She paused, then stepped back and twirled around to recompose herself in a more business like fashion. She set herself down onto the deck and took up a stately pose “So … what did you learn about Kodi?”
“Sure.” Balto smiled. “First you torture me, then you pump me for information.” He stood quarter of the way up and moved his tail to the other side of his body.
“Of course. Now why don’t tell me what Kodi told you?” Jenna said with an annoyed tone.
Balto thought very hard on how he could word this well, but nothing seemed like it would be something that would keep Jenna from blasting off in some way. “Well … Kodi didn’t really … say anything.”
“What?!” Jenna snapped to her feet and barked outright. “What do you mean he didn’t really say anything?” She snapped at Balto who almost looked to be trembling under her threatening posture.
“Wait wait. I mean he did speak to me, and he did tell me what happened.” Balto shot back.
Jenna seemed to calm, and returned to her sitting position with ease. Yet her eyes still held a deep apprehension to what the outcome of the conversation with Kodi had actually been.
Balto continued. “Well, Kodi told me that after they finished up at the post office that Dusty had to be left behind to get some medicine put on her paws. So Kirby, Ralph, and Kodi all went to the boiler room to warm up. Kirby and Ralph both began making fun of Kodi’s crush on Dusty, and he freaked on them.”
The story sounded really scrambled together for Jenna; but she knew that it was what actually happened. “That doesn’t explain why he started talking about Dusty. I mean she didn’t do anything wrong. Why did she get yelled at?” Jenna said flatly.
Balto bowed his head and scratched his paw against the deck. “The conversation moved away from that when Dakota showed up. He did admit to yelling about Dusty, but we never went into detail about it.” Balto confessed with a deep-seated failure sound to him.
“So what did you tell Kodi after this?” Jenna asked in a rather perturbed kind of way.
“I told him what I thought I should. I told him I understood that he had just lost his cool. I told him I was shocked and disappointed in him because of it, and that was about it. I didn’t really see any reason to tell him anything other; he would only be angry if I tried to give him advice”
Jenna sighed with a loud groan and moved to her feet. She pointed her thin muzzle right at Balto with one of the saddest looks she had ever given. “Balto, I figured you’d have more insight into this. This doesn’t answer any of the questions I came out here with. I knew that Kodi blew up behind Dusty’s back, and Dusty had heard him. I know this. I wanted to know if something’s wrong with Kodi, or if there’s anything that we could help Kodi with. Do you know what I mean Balto?” She sat back down and wetness began to form around her eyes. “I’m just worried about our son.”
Balto stood and moved his body until he stood right along side Jenna’s and began to talk quietly into her ear, pressing as much of his body against hers. “I don’t think there’s much Kodi would want us to do. He has his problems with girls as we know, and he doesn’t want any help. I think he’s just going to have to do this on his own.”
A heavy sigh, almost a breath of a huffed cry, escaped Jenna. She turned her head away to hide her weakness from her mate
“It’s okay.” Balto reassured Jenna, pressing his body closer to hers and letting his head slide over her shoulder. “Everything will be just fine. You’ll see.”
And there, as Balto held close to Jenna their heat moving into each other, Balto wondered if everything would be fine.
11. The Past Returns
The light from the streets didn’t even touch Kodi’s fur as he sat tucked back in a dark alley. The alley stood barely five feet wide and stuffed so full of glass bottles, wood, furniture, mattresses, and other garbage that the fence which held it in was bulging and beginning to break at both ends. Piles of garbage surrounded the only enterable hole in the fence, camouflaging it perfectly so dogs that might have been looking for Kodi would never find him.
Here Kodi found his solace since he couldn’t find it at the boiler room or with his friends. There was nobody around to mock him about his demotion which stuck so stubbornly to him that every dog in Nome knew it well and asked him for the truth, which hurt to the point of physical pain that shot through his skull. Kodi knew that everybody laughed about him when he didn’t look or wasn’t around. At least my lack of friends isn’t known to well. Kodi thought to try and cheer himself up, but the thought didn’t help any.
Nearly a week had passed since the dark day Kodi lost his lead place on the team. For a few days Kodi just brushed it off as Mr. Simpson getting even; yet every other day when he showed up for the mail run he stood in the same spot running mindlessly, getting fed, and having a rubdown of the old shoulders. The word of Kodi’s demotion spread through town quickly, and dog’s Kodi never knew came up to him to get the word straight from the dog’s mouth. His friends weren’t of the least bit helpful. Neither were his parents who came and asked him endlessly about his demotion and tried to give Kodi advice on this or that, which Kodi just threw away, he didn’t need their help, he was older than that now.
My friends, Kodi laughed in his mind. They hadn’t been his friends since the arrival of Sarge. Sarge was the new Kodi in more ways than one. He showed up ever day when the team returned and smiled and nuzzled Dusty like a puppy. He made a few jokes which would break the team up into hysterical fits, then invite everybody on some adventure around town. It wasn’t this that hurt Kodi the most; it was the fact that he purposely counted Kodi out on everything almost to the point of publicly denoting him. The only place Sarge hadn’t taken was the lead of the team, which Kirby and Ralph both held without end, even though they didn’t do that good a job. If I get the lead back I’m not going to let it go for the life of me. Kodi decreed to himself.
“KOOOOODI!” Came a long mournful cry, making Kodi jump from his thoughts back to the bleak alley of reality. “Where are you!” It was Kirby, and he was close.
“You know, I just don’t understand that dog sometimes.” Kirby commented rather intelligently to Ralph. Ralph seemed the least bit entertained and his half-asleep eyes bolted open after several seconds when he realized that he needed to speak up.
“Uh, yeah.”
“You’re not even paying attention to me.” Kirby accused with a beleaguered point of his muzzle.
“Yeah I am.” Ralph shot back rather annoyed. “I’m just not listening.”
Kirby rolled his eyes and looked away from Ralph who walked lethargically at his side. “KODI!!!” Kirby shouted. “Where are you! … you stupid mutt.” He finished with a mutter.
They continued walking in silence down the long street.
“You know Ralph, I’m kind of worried about Kodi.” Kirby turned his wide face towards Ralph
“What do you mean?” Ralph tilted his head up towards Kirby. “He seems fine.”
“Fine?” Kirby laughed at. “We haven’t even heard him speak since he got demoted.”
Ralph seemed to think about it for a moment. “You know, I think you’re right. I haven’t seen Kodi hang out with us in a long time. You think he might be sick or something?”
“No, I think he might be feeling bad.”
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