"Come on Ilena, mush!" Rosie was practising her mushing with Ilena. They were known all over town for their speed and stamina. The Junior Sled Race was only a month away and not only did Rosie have to gather a team of dogs, but train them too! Ilena ran with the sled tied to her back. With another dog or two it would be like there was no sled at all!
The two champions slowed down and Rosie went inside the store to collect some shopping. "Hey, Ilena, how 'ya doin!" It was Marsha, a Shiba Inu who used to play with Ilena as a pup. "I'm fine thanks. Hey, Marsha, do you know anyone who can run fast?"
"Sure I do, honey! Listen. Go to the boiler room at six o'clock tonight, there's plenty of selection!" Marsh whispered. Then Rosie came out of the store and Ilena said bye to her friend.
Rosie went home to drop off the shopping and untied Ilena from the sled. "See you later, girl." she smiled as she patted the head of her canine. Rosie walked to a house on the other side of town. When she knocked, a woman answered the door.
"Can i help you Rosie?" She asked.
"Yes please. Is Donny in?" Rosie replied politely. Soon they were walking together down the street. Rosie told Donny how excited she was about the race. The two of them went to the beach with all the other kids.
At six, Ilena quietly left the house and went to the boiler room. There was every single dog in town there. The talking finished as a big St bernard held up his paw for silence.
"Now then," he projected "It is poster night. Does anyone want to advertise something?" Nobody spoke. The a voice said. "Yes, I do." Ilena went up to the front of the group.
"I'm sure you know of the race that is being held. Well, my musher needs dogs. Is there anyone who is not in the race that wishes to be?" About eleven dogs barked. "In that case, at half past eight tomorrow morning, come to my house." The evening continued. Ilena hoped that she would be able to get enough dogs for Rosie.
Rosie was woken up by a great noise.
Dogs? she thought as she climbed out of bed. As she opened the door, an amazing sight apeared. Twenty dogs, including Ilena, were sat outside of her house. Later that day Rosie took them all out to the beach. She timed each dog individually and picked out the best six. A team was born.
Rosie asked the owners if thay wouldn't mind her using them in the race. Everyone knew Rosey was kind to animals and so they said yes. A black female named Mifa knew Ilena and thay were at the front, with Ilena leading. The two wheel dogs, Joopa and Hale, were brother and sister. Both of them were white with a patch of brown over each eye. Neo and Sanca were grey-white, and finally, Jai was a brown and creme spotted male. Ilena liked him. He was nice to her and he was talented in his sled racing. Jai ran in fourth postition, so thay never really got time to talk.
"Dad, are you home? I've got news!" Ilena called through the cold and quiet house. No-one answered, so instead, she went back out the door to try the boiler room. "There you are! hey, guess what? Rosie's made a team and I'm running in it! So is Mifa and Jai!"
"Great!" Balto smiled. He always liked hearing that Ilena was in a race. Just then, Kodi walked in. Balto and Ilena told him about everything."That's fabulous! I'd run in the race but I've got a job to do. What's the track?" Ilena said that the track was around Nome once, then a lap around the lake and then to go through the woodland, following the flags that marked the route, then to arive through the finish in Nome. "Sheesh, a bit long." Kodi blinked.
"Well if Rosie wins then she'll be able to mush anywhere. Now then, I'm meeting up with Jenna to go and visit Muk and luk. I want you two back home by six. Okay?"
"Yep." Kodi and Ilena smiled at the same time. Ilena knew Kodi was actually her uncle, but she didn't care. She had always thought of him as a brother, even after Balto told her that she was his grandaughter.
Ilena made her way home and curled up in front of the fire. She had dreams of a race and holding a trophy with Rosie. She woke up early and went to find Mifa. They had arranged to meet up at the beach the previous day. The wind was freezing and the ground was hard. Ilena wished it was summer. Then she heard a bark. Following it, she made her way through the light mist. Mifa was there, prancing around on the sand. Ilena yapped to signal she was there. The two dogs ran up and down the beach together, then they came across Steele. Not many dogs knew Steele now, for his title had been taken when Balto saved the town. He had lied about Balto and the team dying and so no-one ever listened to or trusted him.
"Ladies, this is my patch of beach. Now, I'm not gonna make you fight for it, so I'm just asking you politey."
"Well, it isn't
your beach," Mifa began. Steele cuffed her and she yelpped. Ilena growled.
NO-ONE hurts MY friend! she thought, standing her ground. Steele turned to her. He smiled in a way that seemed like a 'Nice try' face. Ilena growled again.
"So, you're that mutt's grandaughter are you? I never guessed you'd look so much like a dog."
"I'm only one fith dog," Ilena snapped "You might tease me about that, but I see it as an advantage."
Steele was about to taunt her more, when Ilena swipped her paw across his face, claws ready. Steele jumped back, but he still received a scratch. A bead of blood appeared on his face. He turned and ran. Ilena helped up Mifa who was still crying from her blow. They turned back to home and the mist cleared, the dew on the grass disappeared, and birds began twittering.
"Ohhhha! Steady!" Rosie called. Ilena slowed to a halt. The team was practising the run around the lake. She was the only one that wasn't tired, and they weren't even half way yet! Rosie unhooked the dogs from the sled and let them have a sniff about. Twice a dog went astray into the woods and she had to call them back. Jai, Ilena and mifa talked to each other about the route. Jai thought it was quite long, but Mifa stuck with Ilena, saying:
"Well, that's why we're training!"
The sun went over the sky a bit more and they continued the run. The flags weren't up yet in the woods, so they had to take the long way around. The sun disappeared and clouds towered in the sky. Snow was on it's way.
The dogs battled their way through the deep slush. Their paws were wet and cold. Only the bare fur on their backs kept them from freezing to death. The icey wind stung their faces like the bitting of teeth, sharp and britttle. They chattered like icicles themselves, their jaws shaking in the cold. The view ahead was almost invisable. The hope in being rescued was small, as they all believed they would die in the deep freeze.
A long, deep note ehoed through the air. A white wolf flickered in and out of visability. It watched the animals struggle, even with the guidence of the wolf dog. Ilena looked up to see the white figure. She only caught a glimse of it before the snow mixed it back into the breeze. The howl was heard again. Jai and the other dogs cringed. Ilena called back. The sled dogs were horrified with the sudden outbreak of Ilena. But she led them on until a dark cave flickered in the distance.
The cave was wet and cold. But it was shelter. Rosie huddled down with the dogs to keep warm. The night wore on and a search was planned. But the helicopters couldn't come out because of the storm. They were on their own. The wind whistled through the cave and blew out the lamp. They had no more matches, and no more light
Early the next day, a helicopter was sent out to look for them. Rosie couldn't get the sled inside the caave the previous night and so left it out in the open. This was a vital sign for the rescue team and they landed on the soft snow. Rosie woke with the humming of the blades. Ilena was already at the cave entrance, seeing who was there. A member of the team held a shot gun to her.
"No! Don't hurt her!" a voice called in the darkness. Ilena wriggled out of the man's grasp and padded into the cave. The rescue team followed.
"Rosie? Are you alright? We're here to get you home."
The dogs and Rosie were air-lifted to safety. The sled hung by straps to the bottom of the copter. She spent the next few days in bed. Her parents brought her mugs of soup and some bread. Ilena slept in the living room near the fire. While sleeping, she remembered the white wolf on the hill. Well, she remembered the eyes, as the fur couldn't be seen, as it was a white as the snow. It seemed calm, and unaffected by the storm. It knew her. But how? Ilena settled her head down again.
The fire spat and Ilena started awake. The room was empty. Outside it was dry and crisp, no snow was blowing and the sun was out. Perfect weather. She got up shakily. Her energy had returned, and Ilena felt she could run a million miles. The town was almost deserted. A dog or two greeted her and a man who was going to buy a paper gave her a pat on the head. Ilena made her way to the boiler room and Balto was there. She sat down next to him and told him the story of the wolf, when it guided her to the cave. He was taken back. Was it the same spirit that helped him?
Rosie knocked on the door. Her parents had finally let her out of the house. Donny answered the door. "Hi Rosie! Feeling better?"
"Yes thanks." she smiled "Do you wan't to go to the beach? I'm taking the dogs out to practise."
"Um, well, I can't. Sorry." he said, closing the door. Rosie was just going to ask why not, when he
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