same, I should be lead, if ole Harrme would ever give me the chance.”

Balto smiled.

“Relax son, you’ll get your chance soon enough, and when you do, I have no doubt that you will shine.”

“Thanks Dad,” Kodi said.

“Listen Kodi,” Balto said, “you’ll never guess what I saw this morning!”

His father became excited, and got a gleam in his eye that Kodi hadn’t seen in a while.

“What is it dad?” Kodi asked.

“I saw a flying machine, up on the mountain.”

“A flying machine?” Kodi asked, :but how?”

“I don’t know, but there was a human at the controls, wouldn’t that be wonderful, to soar above the clouds?”

“I don’t know,” Kodi said, “I kind of like the ground under my paws myself, but that sounds pretty cool, I wish I could have seen it.”

Balto began to nod, but stopped.

“Dad?” Kodi asked.

Balto smiled”

“Son, I hear it again!”

A few minutes later Kodi heard it too.”

“Wow, that’s loud.”

Everyone in Nome was coming out of their houses or businesses to see what the noise was.

The airplane soared over the distant mountains and circled the town.

Then it landed right on Main Street, taxiing right passed the two astonished dogs.

“Balto!”

Jenna ran from the side walk over to him.

“I really don’t like that thing, that’s the second time that it’s almost run you over.”

Kodi smiled.

“Hey mom.”

“Hi Kodi.”

Jenna turned back to Balto, he was walking away.

“Where are you going?” Jenna asked.

Balto didn’t stop walking, and when he spoke, he sounded as if he were in a trance.

“I want to get closer to it.”

Jenna sighed.

“You would.”

Chapter 2

Balto walked up to the plane and sniffed it.

He smelled that same strange smell.

The human took off his goggles and sat them on the controls.

Then he started to climb out.

Balto jumped up on the wing.

“Hey,” the man said, “a dog welcoming party.”

He patted Balto on the head.

“You’re Balto aren’t ya?”

The man pulled a bit of jerky out of his pocket and gave it to Balto, who ate it happily.

“I’ve heard a lot about you boy, quite the hero.”

The man winked at him.

“Want to guard my plane boy?”

Then the man walked toward the growing crowd of people.

Balto jumped into the pilot’s seat.

Jenna and Kodi made it over then.

“Oh Balto,” Jenna said, “I wish you’d come down, what if it takes off or something?”

Kodi smiled.

“He’s probably hoping that it will.”

Balto laughed.

“You’re right Kodi.”

Dusty ran up then, she looked upset.

“Dusty?” Kodi asked, “what’s the matter?”

“Oh, it’s horrible, come quick Kodi.”

Then she took off running toward the post office.

“Huh,” Balto said, “wonder what that was about?”

“I don’t know,” said Kodi, “but she’s not usually emotional like that, I’m going to follow her.”

Kodi started to walk toward the post office.

“Wait Kodi, Balto said, I’m coming with you.”

He jumped off of the plane and started to follow him.

“Are you guys just going to leave me here?” Jenna asked. “Wait up.”

She ran after Kodi and Balto.

Dusty was standing behind a crowd of people. She looked back as Kodi and his family approached.

“Oh Kodi, I’m glad you came, it’s just horrible.”

“What are you talking about?” Kodi asked.

“Follow me,” responded Dusty as she threaded her way through the crowd in front of her.

Kodi followed.

Soon they came to the front of the crowd, and Dusty stopped.

“Look.” She said.

Kodi saw the man that had gotten out of the flying machine talking to Mr. Jacobs, their Musher, Mr. Harrme was there as well.

“Fine then,” Mr. Jacobs said, “it’s settled. A race will be held to White Mountain with the winner carrying the mail from now on.”

Mr. Harrme looked at the pilot.

“Good day sir.”

Then he walked off.

“Hey,” the pilot said, “I need to repair my plane, it needs a prop. I’ve got the part, but it’ll take a week or so to put it on.”

“Fine,” Mr. Harrme said, “next week then.”

“Did you hear that?” Dusty asked.

Kodi had a serious look on his face.

“Come on Dusty, we’ve got to go tell the rest of the team.”

“That’s it then,” Duke said, “today was the last time that we’ll carry the mail.”

“What are you talking about?” Kodi asked. “You’re the leader and already you’re giving up. We’ve got a week to prepare, to practice the route.”

It doesn’t matter,” Duke said, “did you see it come in, it’s too fast.”

Kodi shook his head.

“I can’t believe this, you’re just going to concede to him?”

He turned to the rest of the team.

“I don’t know about you guys, but this job means a lot to me, and there’s no way that I’m just going to let it die quietly without even trying.

Dogs have always carried the mail, as long as I can remember, heck a team was carrying mail when my dad got here, and that was a while ago. I say that dogs have always carried the mail, and we always will.”

He stopped and looked at Duke.

“Now I don’ know about you, but I’m gonna, I’ve got to try.”

Dusty stepped forward.

“I’m with you,” she said.

Kodi turned to her and smiled.

“Anyone else?”

Slowly the whole team moved to Kodi’s side.

Dusty looked at Duke, who was the only dog still on the other side.

“Duke?”

Duke looked at the ground.

“Duke come on,” one of the other dogs, named Cookie, said, “we need a lead.”

Duke sighed, and walked out of the shed.

“Well now what are we gonna do?” A female on the team named Dix said.

“Yeah,” chimed in Joe, “we need a leader, we can’t run without a leader.”

The other dogs all agreed.

“We’ve got one ,” Dusty said/

“Who?” The others asked.

“Kodi,” you’re first point dog, “if you want it, the spot’s yours.”

“If I want it?” Kodi asked. “I have never wanted anything else, but.. are you sure.”

All of the dogs agreed.

Kodi stepped forward, and Dusty moved back with the team.

He smiled.

“Okay,” he said, “team, where do we find another dog to replace me?”

Dusty stepped forward.

“The musher has dogs to replace us if we get sick or injured, he’ll take care of that.”

“Okay,” Kodi said.

“Team we’re going to have to run like we never have before, Duke’s right in that that thing, whatever it is, is very fast, and it may be that we can’t beat it, but I’m going to give it all that I’ve got, and I expect the same from all of you.”

All of the dogs nodded.

Chapter 3

Kodi was pulling the sled though a snowstorm.

It had set in yesterday, and the race was tomorrow.

He squinted through the storm, and tried to make out the mountain that he knew was the marker to home, to Nome.

The musher couldn’t see anything, and was relying on his new lead, Kodi, to pull through the snow.

Kodi stopped.

“What’s the matter,” Dusty asked.

She was the first point now that Kodi was the lead.

“I can’t see.” Kodi said.

This was the first time that he had hit a storm like this, much less as lead.

“It’s okay,” Dusty said, “Kodi, you’ve got to keep going. It’s going to get dark soon, and we’ve got to get home by then.”

Kodi nodded.

“Some leader…” the dog that had replaced Dusty, at second point, Herash, said.

“Take it easy on him,” Dusty said, it’s his first week.”

Kodi smiled, he liked the fact that Dusty would defend him.

“Come on team, Mush!”

He started running again.

Soon the team was at full steam.

Suddenly the ground dropped out from under him.

“We’re off trail, Glory Canyon!” Kodi thought.

Then the team and the sled behind them, plunged over the edge,

There was a sight trail, that led to the bottom, but Kodi was afraid.

“The team will run me over, if I take the trail,” he thought.

He jumped over the edge.

The drop was nearly vertical, about thirty degrees.

The team more or less fell the two hundred feet to the bottom.

The sled jackknifed, and the musher slid down on his belly, hanging onto the handle bars.

The sled was sliding toward him, and Kodi with the rest of the team, jumped out of the way, not Dusty.

The sled hit her, and she bounced into the

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Next page