can’t believe you won! How can you go so fast?…What the-”

“Lucas slipped his collar!” Dusty hissed sharply, and threw himself at the gray mutt, knocking him off Kira. Lucas grunted heavily when they hit the ground, and he glared at Dusty and slugged him in the face. Dusty saw silver and gold stars for a minute. He shook his head to clear his vision and ducked Lucas’ next blow just in time.

“So you ARE trying to steal my girl,” Lucas growled as they both staggered upwards to face each other. He looked behind Dusty, and his expression froze, then calmed.

Dusty turned his head and saw Kodi and the rest of the team leering at Lucas. Kira was supported by Kirby, and she glared so hatefully at Lucas, Dusty expected the mutt to burst into flames.

“How could you do this to me?” Kira shrieked shakily.

“Like I said: because you’re mine,” Lucas sneered.

“Well, she won’t be yours by the time I’m finished with you,” the female Dusty growled, “Because you’ll be dead.”

“But…but you can’t do that to me,” Lucas wheedled, “I’m still part of the team, right?”

“It’s a good thing there aren’t any mail teams in the afterlife, because Lucas wouldn’t make it on any one of them,” Ralph said. He paused thoughtfully. “Unless you believe in reincarnation, and there isn’t an afterlife…”

“Karma’s definitely going to come back to get him, then,” Dusty said, baring her teeth at Lucas. “I hope you turn into a stinkin’ poodle, you-”

“Guys, that’s enough!” Kodi cried, “We can’t kill him. Who here could live with that? But,” he glared at Lucas, “I’d say you don’t belong on the team anymore, either.”

“What the heck’s going on here?” The musher stood behind them with a lantern in hand and a grumpy face. “What’s going on? Lucas, you slipped your collar! Alright, that’s it! Everyone back to bed! As for you-” He dragged Lucas over to the sled, hooped the collar over Lucas’ head, and tightened it by two notches. “-you’re not getting out again.”

Dusty hesitantly went back to his pile of straw and lay down, gazing at Kira. She lay with her white paws over her face, curling up dejectedly into a little black ball. He felt an ache of sorrow for her, but he could tell she wanted to be left alone. He hoped she would be all right. Her pride and self-respect had been seriously wounded, and her hate for Lucas enflamed. His hate, also.

As Dusty curved his body so his tail covered his wet nose against the wind, he wished Kodi would forget about the competition, Kira would find the courage to keep running with the team despite her shame, and that Lucas would disappear from the face of the earth.

“C’mon, let’s move!” the musher yelled, “Pull. Pull!”

Dusty tried not to look into the mid-morning sun as the team painstakingly climbed the cliff. He was glad not to be in the wheel dog position anymore. The musher had changed them around in hopes of avoiding the violence that had almost occurred the night before. Kodi was still the lead dog, but behind him it went Ralph, the girl Dusty, Kirby, Lucas, Dusty, and Kira.

As he placed his paws carefully on the shifting ground, Dusty could hear Lucas’ hot, angry breathing up ahead, stirring the brown hairs on Kirby’s tail. Dusty shuddered, and tried to erase the image of himself falling off the cliff with Lucas’ arrogant face sneering at him as he tumbled downwards. ‘You’re a mail dog,’ he told himself, ‘Mail dogs don’t get scared.’ He thought this as his paws shook ever so slightly and his heart ran cold and hard as ice. “I’m one lousy mail dog,’ he thought angrily.

Two stones skittered down the rocky side as he misplaced his footing for a moment. A sudden yelp from Kira made Dusty whip around to see her scrabbling at the earth with her claws. She growled softly in frustration as she slowly slipped down the cliff. Dusty felt the tug and struggled to keep his footing as he was dragged down the side by Kira. Soon the whole team began sliding back, and Kodi was grunting and groaning loudly as he arched his strong back to try and pull the team up.

“Whoa! Pull, team, pull!” the musher yelled.

“Kira! Less pad, more claw!” the female Dusty shouted.

“That’s what I’m DOING!” Kira growled as she slipped another foot.

“Kira!” Dusty cried.

“Less talk, more pull!” Kirby said through gritted teeth. Kodi agreed with another moan.

“I will live to my next meal, I will live to my next meal,” Ralph chanted under his breath.

Dusty felt a shifting lightness in the harness behind him. He looked back and gasped when he saw Kira wriggling out of the leather straps, trying to save the team by eliminating the start of the problem: herself.

“Kira! Wait! You can’t-!” Dusty protested, but he was too late. Kira looked at him with spinning green eyes, and pushed herself out, falling to the dark earth below. “Kira!” Dusty cried.

Something inside him tore. He found himself twisting, jerking, pulling himself out of the harness. He couldn’t leave Kira to die.

Dusty stopped right before he could slip out entirely. This was his last chance to go back.

Lucas’ tough legs kicked him in the face, and the momentary blindness and impact forced Dusty out of the straps and into the cold air. Fear roped around him as he plunged to the dark. His heart froze. His thoughts froze. He couldn’t believe what he had just done.

Fear thrust a long, lonesome howl from his chest that was ripped from his lips as he fell faster and faster. Dark like night swallowed him up. He hit the cold ground hard, and the dark entered his mind.

Black cold greeted Dusty as he regained consciousness. It was so dark, for a minute he wondered if his eyes were still closed.

Freezing winds shoved him to his feet, and he forced himself to pad through the snow, floundering and shivering so violently he fell more than once. He felt like he was at the ends of the earth, at the end of the world. He tried to howl just to see if he wasn’t truly alone, but his voice had disappeared. His lips parted to let out faint whistles of air; that was all.

He trudged on through the night, wishing he could see something besides black. The side he had landed on hurt, and he could feel his legs begin to freeze. Yet still he stumbled on. He wondered why he was continuing to travel when he doubted he would ever get out of whatever he had landed in; a ditch, maybe. His heart gave him the answer: instinct. Whether he wanted to or not, his body would fight to survive. That instinct was the seed of every creature’s soul.

He struggled on through the snowy gusts. Whether he had a name, a purpose, or a past, he didn’t care. Any thoughts of Kira never entered his freezing brain. He felt his paws slog through the thick snow, and he wished he could see them. Without his sight he felt lost, nothing more than another shadow among shadows. He felt himself becoming part of the night.

He set his foot down on something hard and stony. He jumped back, and then placed his paw in again and began carefully feeling around. Nothing sprang out to attack him, and miraculously his paw was sheltered from the storm. Slowly he drew himself inside and collapsed in relief as the icy wind ceased to ruffle his fur and scream through his ears. His muscles relaxed, and he fell into a deep, dark, exhausted sleep, completely unaware of the sleeping presence behind him.

A few days later, Balto and Jenna sat talking in front of the mail office as the dusk settled around them.

“I just know Dusty did great on his first run. He’s going to be so proud!” Jenna exclaimed, “I just hope Kodi helped him and didn’t turn the whole run into a competition. And that the team didn’t run into any wild animals, or storms. Oh, I hope they’re alright!”

“Jenna, Jenna,” Balto laughed, “Dusty will be fine. They’ll all be fine. Stop worrying.”

“I’m not worrying,” she protested, “I’m just…concerned.” She paused. “Okay, so I am worrying. I’m their mother. This is what I do!”

“Then I guess it’s the father’s job to be calm and reassure the mother.” Balto licked her cheek and nuzzled her. Jenna smiled and closed her red-brown eyes. “Remember, this is for Dusty’s own good. Maybe when he’s around other dogs more, he’ll learn to break out of his shell.”

“Yes,” Jenna said softly, her eyes opening. She drew away and touched her nose to his.

Balto smiled warmly and looked into her dreamy eyes, but then started backing away. “Uh oh. You’re not asking for another litter, are you?”

“Balto!” Jenna cried, “Can’t I be affectionate with you without thinking about pups? Two litters, ten pups, is enough!”

“Just checking.”

A dog-like howl split the quiet. Jenna spun around and froze in a pointing stance. “Kodi!”

Balto’s ears perked up, and he listened closely as the howl died away. Though Jenna hadn’t heard it, Balto could tell the difference between certain howls, even if it was only a subtle change. Kodi probably didn’t realize it, but he was using a mourning howl, a call that wolves used to express their sorrow to the world. ‘This is bad,’ Balto thought, ‘This is very bad. Whatever happened out there must