While Balto was having his adventures, another young wolfdog was adventures of her own

While Balto was having his adventures, another young wolfdog was adventures of her own. This story take place at the same time that Balto was getting the medicine.

 

“HEY MUTT! COME HERE!” a voice barked from the end of the alleyway.

“My name is Kateri.” the canine grumbled, walking towards the voice.

That’s what they all called her. Even the mutts did, for crying out loud. What was so bad about being half wolf and half dog?

It was Azira.

“What?”

“Eh, what are ya doing?”

Kateri rolled her eyes. “What do you think, dancing? Going home.”

“Oh.”

“Oh.” Kateri repeated sarcastically. “Look, what do you want?” Just then there was a terrible yowling. Kateri looked past them and saw a few dogs attacking something. Kateri pushed past Azira and ran to the fray. In the middle was a cat, hissing and spitting. Tufts of hair were flying everywhere. Kateri body checked a dog out of the way and snarled at the other two. She stood in front of the cat snarling. The cat’s owner looked out of the window just then and screamed. The other dogs ran of howling and laughing. It looked like Kateri had attacked the cat herself, and the cat’s owner ran out of the house. She threw an empty glass bottle at Kateri but missed and it smashed against the wall. She laid her ears back and ran away.

 

Kateri huddled in the corner of the rickety shack. She could hear the wind buffeting the shack and she absent mindedly wondered how long it would last and if it would topple on top of her. The door creaked open and a large husky came in. It was her father, Khan.

“Hey Dad.”

“Hi Kat. Is it true that you attacked a cat?”

Kateri snorted. “No. I tried to save it. Azira and her minions did. I was framed. As usual.” She added under her breath. Khan chuckled, “I heard that. So your sure you didn’t do it, you wouldn’t lie to me, would?” Kateri smiled. “Dad, I like cats, why would I want to kill one?”

“Just making sure.” he glanced around the shack and shivered. “Brrrrrr it’s cold in here. Are you going to be OK? Want to come home with me?”

“Thanks Dad, but you know your owner wouldn’t allow it. I’ll be fine, I’m used to it.” Khan looked uncertain. “If you’re sure . . . .” Kateri stood up and licked her Dad on the nose. “Don’t worry Dad.”

 

A few hours later Kateri woke to terrible creaking. The shack was leaning far to the right. Then it began to collapse. Kateri bolted out of the doorway as the shack fell. She scraped her back led on something when it fell and was bleeding. She couldn’t see anything except the little mound of broken boards which was quickly getting covered in snow. So going into town was ruled out. She could easily get lost and freeze to death. So instead she began to dig. A few minutes later all that could be seen was the wide expanse of unbroken white.

 

“KATERI! KAT?!” Kateri yet again, could not see. It took her a minute to realise she was under the snow. Then she remembered all that had happened in the night. “KAT! Oh, Kat, please be safe.” On the outside, Khan thought he heard a muffled sound. “Kat?” The snow seemed to be moving. Khan rushed over and started digging. Soon Kateri broke out of her snowy prison. “Oh Kat!” Khan said, “I was so worried when I came to check on you this morning and your shack was gone. You are so cleaver.”

“Thanks for looking out for me Dad.” Kateri winced when she stood up. “What is it?”

“Oh, I think I just scraped my leg when I excavated the building. It’s OK though.” They walked back to the town. Khan stopped. He laughed. “You’re covered in snow. He brushed off the top of her head with his paw. “Want to go into the forest today, just for fun?”

“When?”

“How about . . . now?”

“Sure.”

They ran through the tamarack trees side by side. “Where are we going?” Kateri asked Khan. “You’ll see soon enough.”

They came to a clearing. Khan seemed to be looking for something. The he started digging into the hill. Kateri joined him. They uncovered a cave. Then Kateri recognised where they were. “Oh Dad . . . .” He had taken her to the place she had lived for the first few months of her life. “I was thinking that you could live here, since you’re old home doesn’t really exist any more.” Kateri walked into the little cave. “Just like I remembered it.” She walked back out of the cave. “Let’s keep exploring.” They were walking through the trees when the heard a loud bang. “What was -” Kateri was asking Khan when he yelled, “Get down!” They dropped. “Guns.” Khan said. They stayed like that for almost ten minutes. “I think it’s safe,” Khan said, standing up, “But we should get out of here as fast as we can.” they started running when there was another bang and Khan fell. Kateri slid to a stop. “Dad?” “RUN, Kat, run and don’t look back!” so Kateri ran and ran, whimpering, “Daddy, Daddy,” until several hours later she could go no further. She collapsed onto the ground and quickly fell asleep. The next morning she ran through the events of the past twenty four hour in her mind. She was several hours from home, had no idea if her father was still alive, and she didn’t know where she was. So her best chance would be to continue. After about half an hour of walking Kateri broke from the trees. She was at the foot of a great mountain range. “Well, I got nothing to lose.”

 

 

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