Gravestone

Prologue

 

The pickup truck drove down the main streets of Nome, Lakida sticking her head out the window. Her master, Baker was in the drivers seat, the other dogs in the bed. Lakida was the lead dog for a sled team in the Iditarod, and the race was tomorrow.

"You exited for the race Lakida?" Baker asked. She playfully barked in response. "I thought so." Baker chuckled.

"Hey Baker!" Harold, the shopkeep who sold the dogsleds yelled.

"Yeah Harry?" Baker asked.

"Are you gonna make your own sled this year, or will you buy one of mine for a change?" Harold asked.

"I guess I'll buy yours this year Harry." Baker answered.

"Alright, I knew ya would. How you doin there Lakida?" Harry asked. She barked in response. "I'll take that as a great. You're lucky Baker, Lakida is one of the most well behaved and nicest dogs I've ever met." Harry boasted.

"Yeah, she's somethin." Baker agreed.

"Well, I gotta go, and we're holdin up traffic here." Harry said.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few hours to pick up that sled, alright." Baker said.

"Alright, bye Baker!" Harry yelled to him as the truck drove off.

The truck pulled up the Bakers house. "Alright guys, pile out." Baker ordered. Lakida hopped out of the passenger seat.

"You heard him, move it!" She shouted to the others. They all jumped down from the bed of the truck. Baker whipped out his house key, and unlocked the door. The dogs piled throught the door.

"Alright, roll!" Baker yelled.

"Line up boys." Lakida ordered. The dogs lined up.

"Lakida?" Baker asked. She barked in response.

"Balfour?" He asked again. Another bark.

"Gnome?" another bark.

"Gibralter?" another bark.

"LaMont?" another.

"And Calistoga?" another.

"Good, everyone's here. Again." Baker muttered. "You guys go have some fun outside, dismissed."

The whole group ran outside, Lakida and Gibralter trailing behind.

"Lakida, I just noticed that you have a cut above you eye." Balfour asked, seeming a little bit worried.

"It's nothing." She responded.

"It's your father again, isn't it?" Gibralter asked.

"No, I said it's nothing!" She yelled.

"Lakida, you can't let him do this to you. The more you let him hurt you, the less confident you become, and sooner or later going outside isn't even an option." Gibralter argued back.

"Please, let's just drop it." Lakida stressed.

"Ok." Gibralter muttered. Gibralters heart got a tiny crack as he saw Lakida in pain. How do I ask her? He thought to himself.

The next morning Lakida jogged around the house waking everybody, but nobody moved.

"Ok, the hard way then!" She yelled as the pressed the alarm. There were three loud blares, and almost instantly, all the dogs jumped up, and Baker came running down the stairs in his underwear.

"What's going on!?" He yelled. He noticed all his dogs were line up and ready.

"Alright." Then he remembered the alarm. "Lakida, was that you?" She hung her head and whined.

"Well, atleast now we won't be late." Baker reassured. "To the truck!" The whole lot of them hopped into the truck, Baker started the engine, and they were off.

"Hey Lakida, where'd you go last night?" LaMont asked.

"Out." Lakida responded. Gibralter looked at her, and noticed she had another cut, but this time it was so close to an artery in her neck.

"Lakida, really, where were you?" Gibralter firmly asked.

"Out!" Lakida yelled.

"Really, how'd you get the cut on your neck?" He asked.

"I...I...I uhh." She stuttered.

"Lakida?" Gibralter asked. "You went to see your father didn't you?"

"I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday to him." Lakida explained.

"You apologize? He should be the one apologizing!" Gibralter yelled.

"Let it go Gibralter!" She yelled.

"No! What is he doing to you?" Gibralter asked.

"I know you care about me Gib, but this isn't your business." Lakida faltered.

"Lakida. He's hurting you, and I, none of us can bare to see that." Gibralter stated.

"Look you need to.." Lakida bagan.

"No you need to tell me why he is doing this." Gibralter cut her off.

She started to tear.

"Look, he thinks I'm absolutely worthless because I'm different than other people, because I have a purple tint to my fur, because I'm not full huskie, because I...I...I..." She choked out as she collapsed in tears on Gibralters shoulder.

"Lakida, I'm so sorry." Gibralter fumbled with his words. She just lay there crying, Gibralters fur began to get drip.

"Lakida, that cut is close to your artery, was he trying to?" Balfour asked.

"Yes." She sobbed. "He hates me, and no matter what I do, he just doesn't love me."

"It's ok Lakida, you still have us." Gibralter reassured.

"You guys are the closest thing I have to family." Lakida wiped her tears away. She looked at Gibralter. "Thank you for caring so much." She licked his cheek. He felt himself begin to blush.

"Uh oh, look who's blushing." Gnome chimed in.

"Gnome, be nice, or I'll show you embarrasment." Calistoga warned.

"Yes mom." Gnome mocked. Bakers truck arrived at Harolds store.

"There you are Baker, you didn't show up yesterday." Harry chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry about that Harry." Baker apologized.

"Ahhh, it's ok. I got you the best sled I could find." Harry bragged.

"Oh you didn't have to Harry." Baker said.

"And to make you feel even worse, it's free." Harry chuckled. He pulled out a sled made from polished wood, it was painted red.

"Ah, that looks nice Harry." Baker nodded. "What do you think Lakida?" Lakida exitedly barked.

"Alright, thanks Harry. You gonna be at the start?" Baker asked.

"As always!" Harry yelled.

"Alright, see ya there!" Baker yelled as he left the shop. Him and the dogs hopped in the truck and drove to the starting area. As they pulled up he noticed the size of competitors had doubled since last year.

"Whoa." LaMont piped out.

"Easy boys, we won last year and this years not gonna be any different. Am I right!?" Lakida shouted.

"Yes Mam!" The whole team shouted in return.

"Alright let's get a howl on three, one two three!" Lakida yelled. There was a loud echo as the howl traveled for miles, they were ready.

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