Blitz, Haywire, and Ambyr lay down on a soft patch of grass that somehow managed to shield itself from the snow. They all lay on their backs, staring up at the sky.

“Oh, oh!” Haywire pointed up with his paw. “And that cloud looks like –“

“Lemmie guess, a bone?” Blitz sighed.

Haywire sat up and gaped at Blitz. “How did you know that?”

Blitz rolled his eyes. “It’s a giant, bone-shaped cloud in the sky...It’s kinda hard to miss.” Haywire looked at him a little while longer, then fell back to the ground.

“We’re bored, aren’t we?” he said after a while.

“Wow, you’re very observant,” replied Ambyr. “Man, I never thought I’d ever pass up the opportunity for a break from mail duty, but right now, I’d pretty much be willing to do just about anything.”

“Would you now,” replied a voice.

Blitz, Haywire, and Ambyr looked at each other, trying to figure out who spoke.

“You three spent the last four and a half hours looking up at the sky, and none of you even noticed me!” A hawk swooped down and perched itself on a nearby tree. It ruffled its feathers and pecked at its talons. “I’m flattered.”

“Who are you,” asked Blitz.

“Name’s Hark, mates!” The hawk bowed low and flapped it wings a couple of times. “Just flew in from the northern parts of Alaska for a bite to eat.”

“You mean you flew all the way here just for a morsel?” Ambyr asked.

Haywire sighed. “My hero.”

Hark nodded. “Blasted field mice grow scarce when the ground is covered in snow. Since it’s a little more thawed out down here, I thought I’d swoop by.” He stopped to peck at a spot under his wings. The hawk then flew down to the ground and landed next to the three Huskies. “Say, I hear you three’re looking for a bit of adventure?”

Ambyr flopped on the ground. “Yes, anything!” she said, eagerly.

Hark looked around. “Well...”

Blitz and Haywire leaned in, closer. “Yeah? What is it?”

Hark lifted his wing to them, as if he were telling a secret. “That old saw mill by the town has been abandoned for about two years already. None of them townsfolk ever bothered to do away with it, but there is something I think you may be interested in doing for me.”

Blitz, Haywire, and now Ambyr leaned even closer to the hawk. Their muzzles poked his stomach, and Hark pushed them away. “I need you to retrieve something for me. I was told there was a great treasure in there, something that would have any hawk gaping in wonder and amazement.”

“What is it, what is it?” Haywire said, jumping up and down.

“The Treasure is too great to describe in words. Instead, how about we all go down to that old saw mill and have a look in it ourselves? I hear it’s haunted!”

Ambyr ears perked up. “Haunted?! Alright, now you’re talking! Come on, guys, let’s get going!” She started nudging the other two away, but Haywire stopped.

“I dunno,” he said. “Mother always told me to stay away from old human dwellings...they tend to change your views on everything.”

“Oh, don’t be such a pup,” Blitz said. He nudged him forward too. “I promise that Ambyr and I won’t let anything pull your tail.” And with that, they all set off for the sawmill, with Hark flying close by.

The four of them raced to the sawmill. Blitz got there first, then Ambyr, followed by Hark, then Haywire. They all stopped front of the old building.

“It’s...bigger than I remember,” Haywire said.

“The old carpenter made attachments to the mill, and also used it as a home to live in,” said Ambyr. “It’s two buildings in one.”

Haywire shook his head. “Alright, Ms, Fervent. You go in first.”

Ambyr rolled her eyes. “Don’t use big words, Haywire. You might hurt yourself again.” She stepped up to the front porch steps and pushed open the door with her paw. A small pile of sawdust showered on her. She coughed.

“Is it okay?” asked Haywire. “You don’t sound too good.”

“Give it a rest, Haywire,” said Blitz as he also made his way to the door. Hark flapped his wings and caught up with them. Finally, Haywire also stepped inside. They were in a lobby of some sort. Three hallways led to different parts of the house, and a staircase led to the upper floors.

“Do you know where this treasure is?” asked Blitz.

Hark shook his head no.

Haywire turned around. “Well, it’s obviously not here, so we’ll just –“

“Have to look deeper in the house,” Ambyr finished. She pulled him back. “None of us are leaving until we find that Treasure.”

“I love this girl,” said Hark cheerfully.

“What, are you, nuts? You can go on this goose chase all you want, but just leave me out of it!” He headed for the door. Ambyr dashed in front of him and fake tripped, causing the door to slam shut with a click.

“Oops,” she said innocently. “Silly me. Guess we’ll have to find another way out.” She turned to the left-most hallway. “I’ll take this way. It’d be better if we split up, to cover more ground.”

“Now who put you in charge” asked Blitz, but Ambyr wasn’t listening. She was already half way down her hallway. He then turned to Haywire, who was nervously looking around the lobby. Blitz sighed. “And I’m younger than you. This is embarrassing...Okay, you can come with me. We’ll take the upstairs. Hark, you can scout the rest of the hallways.”

Hark and Haywire both nodded, and they went their separate ways.

“Who do those guys think they are,” murmured Ambyr to herself. Her hallway led to a corridor lined with doors. She pushed open the first door. It was a small bedroom. She rummaged through the closets and bet, but didn’t find anything interesting. She continued walking down the corridor. “Alright, Ms, Fervent. You go in first,” she mocked Haywire’s tone. Then she laughed. But her laughter was cut short when she heard a soft thump. farther down the corridor. Slowly, she creeped forward. “Guys,” she said. “I already know it’s you. Haywire, you can stop with the tricks now.” Thump. There is was again. It was coming from the room at the end of the hall. She pushed open the door. “Guys...?” She pushed the door open all the way...and screamed.

“What was that?” said Haywire. “I heard screaming.”

“You’re hearing things,” said Blitz. “Come on. Let’s try this room here.” Blitz walked over to a room whose door has been knocked down. He stepped inside. It was a morning room. Haywire brushed against a wooden table, and knocked over a teapot. It shattered on the ground with an ear-splitting crash. Blitz angrily gestured for him to be quiet, but it was too late. Panicked, Haywire backed up further and collided with another table. A bucket filled with murky water fell and landed on top of his head. Haywire screamed and ran from the room, the bucket still covering his head. He fell down the stairs, making a grunt on every step.

“Wha – Oh! Eek! Ouch! Aah!”, and landed safely in a pile of sawdust. Blitz called to him from the top of the stairs.

“Haywire! Are you okay?”

Haywire slowly rose from the pile of sawdust. It covered his entire body, turning his pitch-black fur into an eerie pale white. “Ooooooohh” He removed the bucket from his head. And limped over to the foot of the stairs. Blitz was petrified.

“GHOST!” he screamed. “GHOST! IT ATE HAYWIRE!” Blitz whimpered and bolted away to the other rooms of the upper floor.

Haywire had his eyes closed to prevent sawdust from getting in his eyes. “Blitz..? Wha...WHA-CHOO!!” He sniffed. “I can’t see anything...can I have a tissue, please?”

Hark couldn’t move. He heard too many things, his wings refused to flap any more. Screaming, moaning, and a commotion upstairs followed by more screaming. Hark also heard the word “Ghost” shouted a few times.

“Okay...Come on, Hark, you can do this!” He said to himself. “You want that Treasure or not?” He had to land. Keeping an eye out for any ghosts, he ruffled his feathers. And walked on the floor. Everything seemed so big when he wasn’t in the air. He didn’t like it one bit. Cautiously, he searched through the hallways, scouring through every nook and cranny he could find. Through the kitchen, past a couple of bedrooms, and across the second, hallway, Hark squeezed through an opening of the last room. It was a bathroom. He scurried in the tub, then out, and looked through the sink. Nothing. He was about to leave when something caught the corner of his eye. It was stuck in the toilet, but through the rancid water, he could see something glimmer. What was that? Could it be...No, it couldn’t...but then again... Hark’s eyes widened. He called at the top of his little bird lungs. “Guys! Guys! Come quick! I found it! I found it!”

Ambyr couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t stop screaming...and squealing. This room was loaded with all sorts of Treasures! Balto pictures, Balto books, Balto posters, and all sorts of Balto knick-knacks! Ambyr screamed again and bolted around the room, admiring every