inside.  When he was a pup, he didn't care, but now that he was over a year old, he loved being outside.  It wasn't until Balto had told him that he was part wolf that he understood.

Picking up his blanket, he set it down in the corrner.  Kodi walked in a few circles until it felt just right and then laid down.  He looked out the open door and put his head on his paws.  After a few moments, sleep finally found Kodi.

Chapter 3

Kodi awoke to the sound of barking.  He lifted his red head up and shook.  Yawning, the young male looked around him.  It wasn't until he stood and walked out of the shed that he realized what he would be doing during the day.

"The race!" he said, his voice almost a yelp.

The red husky turned to the sound of laughing.  "Did your blanket bite you, son?" Balto asked.

Kodi laughed.  "Dad," he laughed.  "You know I have my big day today."

Balto nodded.  "But aren't you going to make up with your mother?  She's pretty upset about last night."

Kodi thought for a moment then it all came back to him.  He had been horrible to his mother, who had only wanted to reconnect with him.  All Jenna wanted was to be included in his life and he had shoved her back out.  The young husky shook his head.  "Dad, I was so mean to her."

The wolf/dog nodded.  "She told me all about it..."

The red husky looked down in shame.  Balto saying that made him feel even more guilty.  He wished he could just go back in time, back to when he first started to train for the mail team, so he could re conect with Jenna.  But he knew that was impossible.  So it's not even worth wishing for if it won't happen, Kodi told himself. 

He looked up at the sky.  There were a few birds flying gracefully.  Kodi turned back to Balto.  "I'll go visit Mom after the race," he said.

The wolf/dog sighed and turned around.  "Alright.  It's up to you," he paused for a moment.  "Good luck today."

"Thanks."

Kodi watched as Balto walked away, the feeling of guilt mounting every moment.  He wanted to go visit Jenna, but he also wanted to be a mail dog.  That had been his goal for a while, he just hadn't told anyone.  Kodi knew that if he talked to his mother more, than she would be supporting of him.  But he hadn't.  He let his dream come between them.  "And I was stupid for it," he said outloud.

The husky walked away from his shed and went out to look for Dusty and the other two.  At least with them, he'd have something to take his mind off his betrayal to his mother.  He sighed again as he saw about fifteen dogs gathered around one area.  He looked around and spoted Dusty. 

"What's going on?" he asked as he came up to her.

Dusty looked at him.  "Oh, nothing really.  Some stupid dogs are getting into a fight trying to make some others just go home and not race."

Kodi shook his head.  "Why?"

The female laughed.  "It's just something that those boneheads do."

The red husky  nodded.  It didn't make a lot of sence to him, but then again, Kodi wan't that familair with how most of the town dogs acted.  He was just about to walk away when he heard a savage growl behind him.

"Trun around you spinless coward!" a large black and white husky snarled.

Kodi spun around and looked at his challenger.  He wagged his tail a little, trying to show he didn't want to fight.  "Uh... Hi?"

"Don't you 'hi' me!" he snarled.  "I'm going to get this spot, got that pup?"

The red husky let out a laugh.  "I've been training to get this spot, and I'm going to get it."

The black husky took a step back, a look of confusion spreading across his face.  "Did you just... talk back to me pup?" he let out another snarl as he lundged at Kodi.

Kodi yelped and jumped back.  He didn't want to fight, but he could see no other way around it.  The red husky bit the black one on his front paw, feeling the matallic taste of blood running down his throat.  He almost gagged when he first felt it, but the thought quickly went away.  The only thing running through his mind right now was the will to win.  To beat the black husky.

The young red husky let go of his challenger's paw.  He could see that he had done some damage to it.  Not thinking, Kodi turned his back on the larger dog only to be pulled back and thrown to the ground.  The black husky loomed over Kodi, making him whimper.  Thinking quickly, Kodi rolled out from under the larger dog and jumped behind him, bitting the back of his neck.

The black husky howled in pain.  He tried to shake of the smaller dog, but just couldn't.  Kodi had a good grip on the back of his neck.  Then the black dog ran wildly to the nearby fence and slamed Kodi into it.  The dazed red husky slumped off, laying in the snow.

"That'll teach you to mess with me," the black husky snarled.

Another black husky, this one female, ran up.  "Ren," she cried, "you're hurt!"

Ren shook of her concern.  "I'll be fine Summer."  The large male glarred at the red husky on the ground.  "He won't be bothering me again."

The two black huskies walked off, Ren growling at Kodi once more as they turned the corner and disapeared from sight.

"Kodi, are you ok?" Kirby asked as he walked over to the unmoving husky.

The red husky stirred a bit and looked up.  He tried to stand, but promptly fell over.  "What just happened?" he asked from the ground.

Dusty walked over and licked him.  "Well, Ren just beat the crap out of 'ya pretty much.  But you fought back at least."

Kodi nodded and stood back up, this time staying up.  He looked around at the croud of dogs gathered around them.  The husky let out a small laugh and walked away with Dusty, Kirby, and Ralph.  He didn't want to be the center of attention right now.

"You're still going to race, right?" Dusty asked, a hint of worry flooding her voice.

Kodi nodded.  "I plan on winning, too.  I really want to be on the main team with you guys."

Dusty smiled and turned her head.  When the group stopped walking, they were outside Kodi's shed.  He looked at them and smiled, walking in.  "I'll see you guys later."

The trio nodded and walked back toward their musher.  Kodi watched them go.  He wished he could go with them, but he knew that he would have to rest before the big race.  The one that would change his life forever.  For better or for worse, he could only hope.

Chapter 4

A few hours later, Kodi woke with a start.  He shook himself off and peered out of the shed.  He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep.  Crap, he thought.  The race!

Kodi dashed out of the shed and to the spot that the race would be starting.  Luckily, all the other dogs were also just arriving.  The red husky looked around.  All the dogs there were there were very fast.  The thought of heading home crossed his mind quickly, but he didn't.  The young dog walked to the staring line, wagging his tail slightly and searching for Ren and Summer.

A gunshoot quickly grabbed his attention.  The other dogs around him ran to the starting line.  They all stood up right in a perfect line.  There was an eagerness in the air.  Some dogs let out a bark and others just wagged their tail.  Kodi was about to say something to the dog next to him when there was another loud blast.

"The first one to go across the finish line will be the newest member of the mail team," a redish/cream colored female husky said.  Kodi guessed she was the one that had retired.  "I will be looking forward to rewarding the winner.  Good luck to you all."

All the dogs barked in return as the redish/cream female dashed away to the finish line.  There was another gun shoot and all the huskies took off, their legs a blur beneath their bodies.  Kodi could feel his heart pounding, but it filled him with joy.  Speeding up, he passed five dogs at once.  Looking around, he saw there were only three more ahead of him.

"Go Kodi!"  Dusty's voice drifted to him for the sidelines.  Kodi's heart leapt at her voice and filled him with even more energy:  the energy he needed to push past two more huskies.  His eyes were now set on the one in front of him.  Just has he was about to pass the last one, he felt his paws fly out from underneath him.

Kodi felt the breath getting knocked from his lungs as he hit the ground.  He looked up and saw Ren passing him with a snarl on his face.  The red husky leapt to his feet and pushed himself harder than ever.  He could see Ren doing the same, though.  Kodi watched as the black husky pulled ahead of the dog that had been ahead.  Now all that was keeping Kodi from his dream was Ren.

The finish line was getting ever closer.  They were almost upon it now.  Kodi felt as if he just wanted to stop, to let Ren win, but he pushed himself onward.  He could not let that dog get it. 

The finish line was within five yards.  Just as Kodi thought he was going to lose, he passed the black husky.  Pushing himself on even harder than before, Kodi passed the line. 

He had won.

Panting hard, Kodi looked over to Dusty, who was running over to him.  "You did it!" she cried, nuzziling him.

Kodi smilied.  "I did, didn't I."

The redish/cream husky walked over, a smile on her face.  "You did a great job today," she said, her tail wagging. 

"Thank you... Uh..."

"Niya," the husky said, smiling.

Kodi nodded politely.  "Thank you Niya."

Niya laughed.  "Such a polite young lad.  You'll be a