okay?”

Kodi sighed and Balto laughed.

Listen Mom, I need to go with her to Doc’s, she’s part of my team.”

“But..” Jenna started.

Balto cut her off.

“Go ahead son.”

Kodi smiled at his father.

“Don’t worry mom,” he said as he turned to follow the musher, “I’ll tell you all about it later.”

Balto walked away from the hospital and stopped.

“I wonder if the team well be able to beat that plane,” he thought

The plane was sitting on Main Street.

Balto looked around.

No one was out right now, he and Jenna were alone.

“Hey Jenna,” Balto said, “I want to check out that plane again.”

“Okay,” Jenna said.

She sighed.

“But be careful.”

She and Balto walked over to the plane.

Balto jumped up on the wing, and into the co-pilot’s seat.

“Balto,” Jenna said. “I really wish you wouldn’t do that.”

“What?” Balto said.

He smiled.

“You think I’m just going to start it up and go for a flight?”

Jenna sighed.

“Yes, I do.”

Balto laughed at her, then became serious.

“You’re right.”

He looked at the controls in front of him.

“I would if I could.”

He looked down at her.

“Hey Jen,” hop up here for a second.”

Jenna took a few steps back.

“Un uh,” she said, “I’m fine right here.”

“Oh come on,” Balto said, “I’m not gonna bite.”

Jenna looked uneasily at the plane.

“I know you won’t.”

“Jen, it won’t either, come on up, please?”

Jenna sighed.

“Alright.” She said.

Jenna walked forward and jumped up on the plane’s wing; then she walked over next to Balto.

Balto closed his eyes.

“Can you imagine?”

“Yeah,” Jenna said, looking at the ground. Se hated to be this far off of it.

“Look at this,” Balto said, pointing at the yoke/ “This must be what you use to control it.

“Balto….” Jenna said.

She looked around, looking for someone walking down the sidewalk or something, but no one was there.

“And this must tell you how high you are, look at this, it goes up to twenty thousand feet, isn’t that amazing?”

“Uh huh,” Jenna said.

Inside she shuttered.

“Twenty thousand feet?” She thought. “No dog needs to be that high in the air.”

Just then Jenna saw the pilot walk out of the hotel across the street.

“Uh Balto,” Jenna said. “I’m gonna go home, see you tomorrow morning.”

“Okay,” Balto said, “I’ll meet you at your house..”

Jenna jumped down and ran down the street.

The pilot headed towards the plane.

“Hey,” he said, “Balto, right?”

The man took some more of the jerky out of his pocket and fed it to Balto.

“You like my plane boy?” The pilot asked, as Balto chewed happily on the jerky.

“I tell you boy,” the pilot continued, eating a piece of the jerky himself. “There’s nothing like it.”

The pilot said nothing for a while, he just thought of his dad and their first flight together.

“Would you like to go up sometime?” The pilot asked.

Balto became excited.

“Would I ever!” He thought.

The pilot saw Balto’s reaction and laughed.

“Well, maybe I can make that happen sometime in the future,” he said.

The pilot laughed again.

“I’ve never had a canine passenger before, in fact the only passenger I’ve ever had was my navigator and rear gunner during the war.”

He patted Balto on the head.

“But anything for the hero of Nome, right?”

Balto licked the man’s hand.

“You seem like a good dog Balto.”

“Holy cow,” Balto thought, “that’s the first time anyone has ever called me a dog before.”

The man took the small bag of jerky out of his pocket.

“Here you can have this,” he said, dumping the bag out on the wing.

Balto looked up at him.

“Don’t worry boy, I’ve got a whole lot more in the plane.”

Balto got out of the plane and started munching on the jerky.

“Best snack in the world, and keeps forever too,” the man said, patting Balto on the head.

“Well boy,” the man said, “what do you think of that race tomorrow? Bet you’re voting for the dogs, huh?”

Balto looked up at him and howled.

“Ar-Ar-woooo”

“Wow,” the pilot said, “I’ve never heard that up close before, could you do that again?”

Balto howled again.

Ar-Ar Arwooo”

“Like this?” The man said.

“Aw-Aw-oooo”

Balto licked his hand again.

“That’s pretty horrible, huh?” The man said.

Balto looked up at him.

The man laughed.

“You’re a pretty good dog,” the man said. “Whoever owns you now is pretty lucky.”

“Yeah if anyone cared enough.” Balto thought.

“Me, I’ve never really wanted a dog before, but spending time with you kinda makes me want one, it’d be nice to have a friend to fly with.”

“I’ll go,” Balto thought.

He licked jumped up on the man and licked his cheek.

“You like that idea, huh boy?” The man said, laughing.

He patted Balto’s back.

“Somebody already takes care of you though boy, a dog as good as you can’t be a stray.”

“Yes I am,” Balto thought.

“Well boy,” the pilot said, “looks like you finished the jerky off pretty good, and I actually just came out here to make sure the plane was good to go for tomorrow, so I should probably get back inside, can’t fly on an no sleep you know?”

The man stood up.

“It was nice to spend some time with you Balto.”

He stuck out his hand.

Balto put his paw in it.

“Somebody taught you that, huh boy?” The pilot said. “Whoever they are, they’ve got a good dog.”

Then the man walked away, and back into the hotel.

“That guy is pretty nice,” Balto thought. “Too bad that I have to hope he loses tomorrow,”

Then he jumped off of the plane, and with one last look back at it, he ran towards the boat.

“Well that should about do it.” The Doc said as he gave Dusty her last shot.

“Well how is she Doc?” The Musher asked.

“Well Mt. Harrme,” Doc started, “her leg is pretty messed up, and it will be awhile before she can run, she definitely won’t be running in the race tomorrow.”

“Well, I’ve got an alternate, but it’s not near as good as she is.”

“Well it’ll have to do.” The Doc said.

“Yeah, guess so.” The musher said.

Kodi walked over to Dusty, whom the Musher had just put on the ground outside the hospital.

“How are you doing?”

“Well I won’t be running in the race tomorrow.” She said dejectedly.

“I knew that,” Kodi said, “What’d he say was wrong with you?”

“Oh yeah,” she said, “sorry. He said that I have some broken ribs, and of course my leg.”

She sighed.

“Dogs and trees do not go together.”

Kodi sighed.

“They don’t go with falling either.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dusty asked.

Kodi sighed again.

“Dusty… I’m sorry, It’s my fault that you’re here, my fault that you won’t be in the race tomorrow. I saw that steep trail, and I panicked, I jumped off of the trail.

“Kodi,” Dusty said, “it is not your fault, it was an accident.”

“It was negligence, and it could have cost you or any of the rest of the team their lives.”

“Okay so you made a mistake,” Dusty said, “you’ve realized it, and the next time that you come up against something like that, you won’t do it again.”

“Won’t I?” Kodi asked. “I don’t even remember making a decision.”

He sighed.

“Look Dusty, when you get back on your paws, if you want the position, as first point it’s yours. I’m just gonna go back to first point, where I belong.

“Kodi,” Dusty said, “you’ve wanted nothing more than to be the lead since I met you, and now you’re just going to give it up?”

“I don’t belong there.” Kodi said.

“You’ve been in the position for less than a week, what do you know about where you belong.”

“Because a leader needs to be something that I’m not.”

“And what is that?” Dusty asked, “you’re a part of the team, that’s all that I think you need to be.”

“No,” Kodi said, that’s not all, a lead can’t be a part of the team.”

“What are you saying?” Dusty said.

“He has to be the team.” Kodi finished.

“I’m not the team.”

“Well neither was Duke, and he did fine.” Dusty said.

“He wasn’t a lead dog, he was just a dog, a part of the team.”

“But who’s going to