a huge forest that stretched for miles from Nome to White Mountain. He could even have walked back to Anchorage.

 

 

“No, don’t be so foolish Kari, how could he walk back to Anchorage?” Kari told herself just under her breath. Suddenly, she could her footsteps. Kari stood up, and looked around her. All she could see was snow and massive, over towering pine trees. The echo of the footsteps made it impossible to find out which direction they were coming from. “Shadow? Is that you?” Kari said quietly.

 

 

She felt frightened.

 

 

“Hello? Who’s there?” She said.

The footprints were becoming louder and louder, and getting closer to Kari.

 

 

Kari started to yell she was so frightened, “Who’s there?! Please…   stop! Shadow!”

 

 

The footsteps suddenly became a run. Kari screamed with fright then began to sprint across the snow. She stared back looking for whoever’s footsteps they were. All of a sudden, Kari felt herself falling. She was so tense that she hadn’t noticed the drop. Kari felt a quick rushing pain as she hit a hard and snowy ledge. Kari gasped for breath then looked around her. She hadn’t fallen far and luckily hit a ledge and not the bottom, far down.

 

 

 

 

“Kari!” Balto shouted.

 

 

He had noticed someone in the woods and started to run towards them. Balto knew it was Kari, he could recognize her voice. He looked over the edge and saw her lying on the ledge.

 

 

“Kari!” Balto shouted to her, “Are you alright?”

 

 

Kari looked up and sighed a sign of relief.

 

 

“I’m fine dad!” She called back up, “How did you find me?”

 

 

“That doesn’t matter right now Kari, what matters is getting you out of there!”

 

 

He looked around trying to find something that would help Balto get Kari back up again. There seemed to be an old rope buried in the snow that some sled team must had left years ago. He tugged on it and the snow whipped off. It was firmly trapped in the deep snow and with a great heave, Balto fell backwards and pulled it out.

 

 

“Kari!” Balto shouted, “Look, do you see this rope? Grab onto it,“

 

 

Kari clenched the rough frosted rope with her jaws and held on it tight.

 

 

“Now, you have to climb up, and I’ll pull,”

 

 

She placed her front paw on a snowy ledge then lifted up her back leg. Soon, Kari was safely on top with Balto panting with exhaustion. Kari ran over and nuzzled her father.

 

 

“Thanks for saving me dad!” She shouted with delight.

 

 

“Nothing too it.” Balto said, then there was a long silence before Balto said, “Why did you run off? Your mother is worried sick about you Kari!”

 

 

Kari felt angry with herself.

 

 

“I’m sorry dad, I should have told you I was going…” She said.

 

 

“Why did you go?”

 

 

“Shadow’s gone missing, and it’s all my fault! I shouted at him the other night and he ran off… away from me! I can’t find him anywhere! I searched all through Nome, then came out here…   but I haven’t even found a trace of him,”

 

 

Balto frowned at her.

 

 

“Kari, I don’t want you wondering out here on your own, it’s dangerous! Why didn’t you tell us about Shadow going missing?”

 

 

“I don’t know…  I thought you might say it wasn’t important enough – wouldn’t let me go – maybe say you didn’t want to lose me just for Shadow. I just thought you wouldn’t care,”

 

 

Balto sighed, then said softly to Kari,

 

 

“Kari, why would I not care? Even if he is Steele’s son, his life is at stake. That is more important than what I think of him. I went looking for Steele, don’t you remember?”

 

 

Kari nodded, then smiled.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6  Shadow

 

 

 

Balto raised his nose into the wind. He couldn’t find the scent of Shadow. He frowned then carried on walking hastily through the snow. As they got further up a mountain side and the trees became less and less, the temperature dropped and the wind howled. Snow was beginning to flow down fast, and darkness would soon reach them. Balto sighed, then turned round and faced Kari. He looked up into her troubled eyes.

 

 

“Kari, the weather is getting worse, and your mother will be more worried than ever –“

 

 

“Wait, I know where your going with this dad!” Kari said, “No!”

 

 

“Yes! Kari, you need to go back home – it’s not safe for you here – I will carry on and look for Shadow,”

 

 

“By yourself? No, dad, I can’t let you do that! Besides, this is all my fault, and I…”

 

 

“This is not your fault Kari, this was bound to happen sooner or later. You need to go back to your mother,”

 

 

“No, I’m not gonna leave you dad,”

 

 

Balto smiled at the thought, then nuzzled into her and sighed. Alike with Alue, Kari had too got Balto’s stubbornness, and Balto knew it.

 

 

“Alright Kari –“ He said, “But we have to be quick, we’re running out of time,”

 

 

Kari nodded, and they continued to pace through the deep snow, up towards the great mountain that watched over them.

 

 

 

 

Kirby sat at the edge of Nome looking out at Kodi and Dusty. They were both sitting on the shore talking, as the sunset. Kirby could hear a voice behind him, he turned round to see Ralph. Next to him, was a beautiful pure white dog. She was the same size as Ralph and had a tail that curled over her back and twisted at the end.

 

 

“Kirby, I would like you to meet Dove,” Ralph said, smirking.

 

 

“Oh yea, that dog you saw earlier. Nice to meet you,” Kirby said, but he wasn’t really interested. He turned back round so he could frown at Kodi some more.

 

 

“Eh, Kirby? Are you still after Dusty?”

 

 

“Yea, so,”

 

 

“Well, she’s kinda with Kodi now,”

 

 

“Oh come on! Dusty’s just being friendly, she doesn’t really know how Kodi feel’s about her! Kodi ain’t right for her, it’s obvious isn’t it?”

 

 

“No. I think Dusty know how Kodi feel’s Kirby…”

 

 

“Oh shut up Ralph! Just go away!”

 

 

Ralph was taken aback, and stomped away with Dove. Kirby continued to stare at Kodi and Ralph. All of a sudden, Kodi turned his head round so he was looking straight into Kirby’s eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Dusty, it’s Kirby again,” Kodi said, “He’s been watching us…”

 

 

“What is with him today?!” Dusty said and stood up looking furiously at Kirby. Kirby noticed her angry face and walked down to see what was wrong, but he thought he knew the answer.

 

 

“Eh, hey Kirby,” Kodi said, uneasy, but Dusty stepped in front and burst out.

 

 

“Kirby! Why have you been watching us?! It’s not right!”

 

 

Kirby gaped at her, then said,

 

 

 “It’s Kodi! He hasn’t told you what he really feels about you!”

 

 

Dusty yelled, “How dare you Kirby! I know how Kodi feels about me! And it’s no business of yours!”

 

 

“You don’t really know! Kodi’s in love with you!”

 

 

Kodi gasped in shock. He couldn’t believe Kirby just said that. But Dusty stayed put with the same look on her face, no change at all. Then she said something that surprised both Kodi and Kirby.

 

 

“Yea, and I love him,”

 

 

Kirby looked at her in shock, along with Kodi. But Kodi had a different shock from Kirby, a joyful and excited shock. Kirby had a terrible, ‘that can’t be right’ shock.

 

 

“You… you do…” Kodi smiled at her. Dusty nodded then smiled back.

“What…   did you say?” Kirby said.

 

 

Dusty grunted the repeated her line slowly so Kirby could hear perfectly.

 

 

“I – love – Kodi,” She said.

An even wider grin burst out of Kodi’s face. She loves me… he thought to himself.

 

 

Kirby stood in silence for a while in distress, thinking over what Dusty just said. It was hard for him to take it all in. Dusty just waited for him to speak again with a scowl on her face, but Kodi next to her couldn’t look happier.

 

 

“But Dusty – don’t you – wouldn’t you,” Kirby sighed. But he understood Dusty’s face clearly. He hadn’t a chance with her anymore, she was in love with Kodi. Kirby felt awful inside. He felt angry and heart broken. Not to mention embarrassed. He sighed a long and mournful sigh, and looked like he would burst into tears, then ran off.

 

 

 

 

Kodi edged round the huge wooden doors of the Old Mill. There Kirby was, lay down on the floor and staring into the heart of the furnace flames with a miserable look on his face. Kodi walked in and sat down next to him. Kirby sighed, then still keeping his gaze on the flames, he began to speak.

 

 

“I’m sorry Kodi. I just…  wanted me and Dusty to be together so much that when she said that she loved you, and you loved her and all that… I just – I just couldn’t take it”

 

 

“I understand Kirby,” Kodi said, “I’m sorry too…”

 

 

“Kodi, I was being selfish. I know now I can’t have Dusty…   she has already found her perfect partner,”

 

 

Kodi smiled.

 

 

“Thanks, Kirby,”

 

 

 

 

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