bedroom.

Soon he had worked his way outside.  It was still very early, and the sun was still a few hours from rising.  All was quiet.  There was a gentle, cold breeze, and a pale moonlight cast upon the snow. 

Togo realized it would take some time to traverse the distance from town to Anvil Mountain.  He looked up at the dark slope looming in the distance, and thought how nice it would be to see one more sunrise from Anvil Rock, atop the mountain.  The place where, in years past, he had taken his young protégé, Balto, to enjoy the surrounding scenery, and to talk.  He remembered how Boris, the Russian snow goose, had realized that Balto would need the guidance of another sled dog in order to learn what it meant to be a dog.  And Togo was a legend…a hero.  In the years which unfolded, Togo became more than a mentor to Balto, he became a friend.  And, when Balto and Jenna’s pups were born, he became – like Boris – an uncle of sorts.

Togo’s one regret was that he would not have the chance to say goodbye to his old friend.  He sighed again, and set out for the mountain.

CHAPTER 4

The first rays of the sun poured into the upper windows of the boiler room, and played across Dusty’s eyelids.  She clamped them tight and, with a groan, rolled over to clear the shaft of sunlight.  Yawning, she then groggily rose to her feet.  With a long stretch, she walked over to her water bowl, and took a long drink. 

Dusty paused and lifted her head as she caught the sound of someone sighing.  Looking around, she saw Kirby, Ralph, and most of the others of the team were still asleep.  However, Kodi was laying by the door of the boiler room, which was slightly ajar.  His head was down against his forelegs, and he was seemingly lost in thought.

Dusty jumped down off of her shelf onto the floor, and walked over to Kodi.  “What’s wrong?  You look worried.”

Without raising his head or looking up at her, he replied softly, “It’s Togo…last night, he said some things to Dingo and I that really have got me worried.”

Dusty sat down next to him.  “Kodi, have you been up all night?”

“Yeah…” he replied.

She shook her head in disappointment.  “You know better than to do that!  We’ve got a big supply run to White Mountain!  We’ve known about that for days.  Mel’s been working us like an army drill sergeant, trying to get us ready for this heavy load!”

Kodi did not answer.  He continued staring out of the door.  Dusty paused for a moment, sighed, and continued.  “What did he say?”

Kodi raised his head and looked up at her, with deep concern in his eyes.  “He was talking like he thinks that it’s his time, Dusty.”

Dusty gasped, and pulled back in surprise.  She was about to reply, when the back door to the boiler room opened, and Mr. Simpson appeared.  “Up and at ‘em, everyone!  Time to get ready for our run!  How’s my team doing today?”  He began gathering up the harness, and then preparing some breakfast for the dogs.

Kirby awoke with a lazy, lip-smacking yawn, and stretched out, his joints cracking.  “Ooh!  What a night!” 

Ralph rolled right over and off his own shelf, and fell to the floor with a loud thud.  “Ouch!  I think.”  He looked at his left foreleg, and shook it a few times.  “I guess I must have slept on it or something.” 

Dusty giggled, and walked over to join the other dogs.  She stopped and turned back to Kodi, who was still lying by the door, staring out.  “Come on, Kodi.”

With a sigh, Kodi rose up and walked over to join them.

CHAPTER 5

Belle was busy enjoying her breakfast, when she caught sight of Kirby’s team rushing off on their run to White Mountain.  Unlike her father, she was eager to be a sled dog, and often spent time with her grandfather, Balto, learning the moves, and the routine.  As the team sped off, she jumped up and down at the fence to her kennel, barking repeatedly.  She so wanted to join them!  But the fence, that darned fence – it held her back!  She ran back and forth along the fence line, barking as she watched them disappear into the distance.

“Belle, please stop that.”  Dingo stepped up behind her, observing her with a fatherly glance.

“But papa, I hate being cooped up like this!  I want to run with a team, like uncle Kodi!  Like grampa!”

Dingo laughed softly at her enthusiasm.  “Well, your chance will come sooner than you know it.  You just have to try and be a little patient, kiddo!  Take the time to be a puppy!”

Belle plopped down.  “Hmph!”

Dingo rolled his eyes and sighed.  “Aww, don’t worry about it, Belle.  Uncle Kodi’s team will be back tomorrow morning.  You know that.  We’ll go out and meet them when they return, okay?”

Belle just huffed in frustration, and turned her back on him.  Hanging his head, Dingo walked off.  He had plans of his own for the morning.  He leapt the fence of the kennel, and headed off for his father’s old fishing boat outside of town.

After watching him go, Belle thought hard of how to get herself outside of the fence.  Then she had an idea!  She’d just dig under the fence, and then she’d be free!  And so she commenced to digging.

Dingo walked along the path which he and his brothers and sisters, and his mother, had taken on many occasions in the past.  There, fronting the beach of Norton Sound, was the old ramshackle fishing boat, leaning rakishly to one side.  There was, however, no sign that Balto had yet risen.

Dingo walked over to the boat, and ascended the long plank which connected with the deck.  He sniffed and looked around, but all was quiet.  Walking over to the wheel house, he poked his head inside, and found Balto stretched out underneath his blanket.  Stepping up to his father, Dingo nudged him with his muzzle.

“Wh-what?  Oh, Dingo!  What’s up?”  Balto yawned and started to get up.

“Mornin’ dad.”  Dingo wandered aimlessly about the wheel house.

Balto watched him for a second, and said “Come on, Dingo.  I know that routine.  What’s going on?”

Dingo stopped, sighed, and looked sadly at his father.  “Something’s wrong, dad.  With Uncle Togo.”

Balto walked out of the wheel house onto the deck, and towards his water bowl.  Dingo followed.  After drinking for a second, Balto looked up at him.  “What do you mean?”

Dingo sighed again.  “Well, he and Kodi were talking last night, and they mentioned something about Togo’s ‘race being run’.  Do you know what that means?”

A shadow of sadness swept over Balto’s face.  He walked over to Dingo.  “He’s old, Dingo - much older than any of us.  Eventually, everyone reaches that point.  He’s probably just tired.”

Dingo looked up at his father sadly.  “I guess.  But, as he was leaving, he also mentioned something about having a busy day today…”

Balto’s eyes widened.  “Are you sure about that?”  His voice wavered.

Dingo was caught off-guard by Balto’s reaction.  “I think so.  Why?”

Balto started for the plank which ran from the boat’s deck to the ground.  “Come on!”  He jumped onto the plank, and ran down to the beach.  Dingo followed behind.

Back in Nome, Belle managed to dig enough of a hole to just squeeze underneath the fence.  She pushed herself through, but found herself stuck…for a moment or two.  And then, with one final pull, she tumbled out onto the tundra and into a snow drift.

Popping her head up out of the drift and shaking off the snow, Belle hopped up and out to free herself, and began running off towards Anvil Mountain.  She remembered once how Balto had shown her that, from Anvil Rock, she could spy the return of teams coming from the east.  That, she determined, was where she’d go to spot the return of Kirby’s team.  Then, as they got closer, she could descend and intercept them, and join them as they finished their run into Nome.  Tongue hanging out, and flapping in the breeze, she galloped hard for the mountain.

CHAPTER 6

Up the mountain, Togo was struggling against gravity, and his own arthritis, to reach the heights.  As he climbed over rocks and ice, occasionally checking his footing to avoid slipping, a gust of wind would threaten to sweep him off of his paws.  Then everything around him seemed to slow to a crawl.  He stopped, confused by the occurrence.  Taking a moment to observe the surroundings, he then thought