better get moving if you’re going to beat that plane. He let out a few hours ago.”

Mr. Harrme sighed.

“We’d better go then, thank you.”

“You be careful out in this storm, a mistake could get deadly out there in a hurry.”

I will, thanks again,” Mt Harrme said as he climbed on the back of the sled.

“Are we not stopping?” Light asked.

Kodi looked behind him again.

“We can’t Light didn’t you here what the postman said?”

“Yeah,” Light said, “I heard him say that we’ve already lost, that flying machine is probably in Nome already.”

“Shh!” Kodi said, “Light I need everyone at a hundred and ten percent right now, and talk like that will just lower morale. Keep your thoughts to yourself.”

“Heyaa!” The musher called out. “Hike! Hike!”

Kodi started running again, wondering if it was even possible to win this race.

Kodi struggled for a foothold on the snow covered hill.

The wind was blowing in his face, and the frozen snow stung his eyes as he crawled up the hill.

“Kodi!” Light yelled.

Kodi looked behind him, but didn’t quit struggling onward.

“What is it Light?” Kodi said, grunting with the effort every step took.”

“Kodi, we’ve got to stop, the storm and the team… they’re all tired.”

“No,” Kodi said, as he placed a paw on the ground. “We can’t stop, we have to finish.”

“But Kodi…”

Kodi cut her off.

“Light,” he almost yelled, “I need everyone at a hundred fifty percent right now, including you. You make it to Nome, and you can sleep for three days for all I care, we’ve just got to get there.”

“Kodi, look around you,” Light said pleadingly, “look at yourself. You can hardly walk.”

Kodi took another step against the howling wind.

“I’m… I’m fine.”

Light shook her head, as Kodi took another step.

“No you’re not, look at you. You keep going on like this, and you’re going to kill yourself.”

“Fine!” Kodi yelled, “Fine Light, if that’s what it takes I’ll do it!”

He took another step and fell.

The team started to slide backwards, but Kodi go back to his feet and shakily pulled them back up.

“See,” Light said.

“No,” Kodi said.

He looked up at the top of the hill, it seemed so far away.

“I can’t do it.” Kodi suddenly realized.

“Kodi?” Light asked.

“Kodi stood back up.

“No,” he said.

“We’re going to make it, we have to.”

Kodi struggled up the remainder of the hill.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of exhausting work, he pulled the sled and team over the top of the hill.

Kodi collapsed.

“Kodi!” Light yelled.

Kodi blinked a few times, trying to clear the blur that the world had become.

He couldn’t hear anything, it sounded like he was underwater.

“Am I dying?” he thought.

Kodi?!” Light yelled again.

Suddenly his hearing came back, and he heard her.

Kodi groaned and tried to stand.

“Got… got to keep going.”

He fell again.

“I can’t do it,” he thought, “can’t even stand.”

The musher got off of the sled and walked up to the front of the team to see why they had stopped.

He saw Kodi lying on the snow.

“Oh no,” he said.

He knelt beside the ice covered dog, half expecting him to be dead, but he wasn’t, just unconscious.

He petted the husky’s neck.

“We tried boy,” the musher said, “you gave it your best, thank you.”

He sighed, then walked back to the sled to set up the shelter.

Chapter 7

“What could be taking them so long?” Jenna asked Balto as she walked out of the dog barn.

Balto was standing out in the cold, thinking, and worrying.

The storm had rolled into Nome last night, and now Balto was very afraid for Kodi, knowing his stubbornness, he wouldn’t stop.

Balto turned, saw Jenna, and smiled.

“Oh come on Jen, there’re probably only about half way now, it hasn’t been long enough yet.”

“Well I wish that they’d hurry up, so I can stop worrying.”

“I know,” Balto said, “me too.”

He looked at the ground.

“What’s the matter Balto?” Jenna asked.

“I’m just surprised, and a little worried, that flying machine hasn’t shown up yet. I figured that it would be here a long time ago.”

Jenna looked confused.

“Balto what’s the matter with you? Don’t you want your son to win?”

Balto looked up at her.

“Well, of course I do, but… well the pilot was really nice to me, something most humans aren’t, I’m… I’m just a little worried about him.”

Jenna shivered.

“Well come on Balto, it’s two in the morning, and it’s freezing out here, come on back inside, please?”

Balto turned around.

“Okay Jen,” he said.

The two of them started to walk back inside, when Balto’s ears picked up the sound of barking.

He whirled around.

“Balto? What is it?” Jenna asked.

Balto heard I again.

“It’s the team…. I think.”

He heard the barking again, then the team burst over the hill.

“The team!” Balto yelled.

Jenna joined him in running out to meet them.

They both pulled up alongside their son, Balto on the right, Jenna on the left.

Kodi smiled when he saw them.

“Kodi!” Balto yelled as they ran, “the flying machine hasn’t made it back yet!”

“What?” Kodi asked, as they entered Nome.

“You won!” Jenna yelled.

Kodi barked.

“Whoohoo!” he yelled.

He his head and looked back at the team as they rounded the corner of Main Street.

“Did you hear that guys?” He said.

“We WON!”

The team all cheered, and Kodi picked up speed, pulling the fastest he’d ever done in his life, as the team sped down the street toward the post office.

“Whooa” the musher called out.

The team slowed down and stopped.

“We did it!” Dix yelled.

“Yes!” Cookie joined in.

The entire team was laughing and talking.

“What are you guys so excited about?” Mt Harrme asked as he climbed off of the back of the sled.

The postman ran out then.

“Congratulation!” he yelled.

“What?” Mr. Harrme said, a confused look on his face.

“You won!” The postman said, shaking Mr. Harrme’s hand.

“We did?” Mr. Harrme asked.

“Yes,” the postman said, “that plane hasn’t’even shown up yet!”

Mr. Harrme cheered, and ran around to the front of the team.

“Good job guys,” he said. “We won!”

He patted Kodi on the head.

“It’s all thanks to my new lead.” He told the postman. “Gosh, I’ve never seen a dog as dedicated as he was.”

Balto was standing out to the side, waiting for his son to be unhooked.

He swelled with pride for his son when he heard the musher’s remark.

“That’s Kodi,” he thought, “my son.”

The musher unhooked all of the dogs, and they began running around in the snow covered street, wrestling and laughing.

Balto watched as Kodi looked around, smiled, and then… he ran away.

“Kodi?” Jenna said as she stepped up next to Balto. “Where could he be off to, he didn’t even talk to us.”

Balto smiled.

“I think I might have an idea.”

Kodi ran into the barn, slamming the open door against the wall.

“Dusty!” He yelled.

She was asleep in her bed.

Kodi barked and ran over to her, shaking her awake.

“What?... what is it…” Dusty said.

She opened her eyes half way, and coughed.

“Kodi?” she said.

“Kodi!”

“When did you get back?”

Kodi smiled.

“Just a few minutes ago, but guess what?”

“What?” Dusty asked.

“We won!”

“Oh Kodi!” She yelled, “that’s great!”

Then she collapsed into a fit of coughing.

Kodi’s smile faded.

“Dusty, are you okay?”

“Yeah, she said, coughing once more. “I’m just kinda sick right now.”

“Have you been to Doc’s ?”

Dusty nodded.

“He gave me some of the nastiest tasting meds though.”

“Well they’ll help,” Kodi said, “so don’t fight them.”

She smiled at him.

“What makes you think I’d do something like that?”

He smiled back at her.

“Look… uh, Dusty… there’s… there’s something that I’ve got… got to tell you…. Something I realized when… well out there with the team…..”

Dusty smiled, for she thought she knew what it was that Kodi was stuttering about.

Just then Balto and Jenna ran into the barn.

“Hey Kodi!” Jenna said as she ran up to her son. “You’re alright, ohh I was so worried about you, you can’t ever do