Iliamna’s First-Love Character Sheet
Presented & Written; by Stormer23
© For all!!!

Characters (So far):

Iliamna: A bubbly, sensitive, and fretful dog, which is the main protagonist in this story.

Kodiak (Kodi): Iliamna’s father, son of Balto & Jenna of Nome; second lead dog for the mail-dog-sled-team of Nome.

Sandy: Iliamna’s mother, daughter of Crysta & Garret of White Horse, Yukon; mate of Kodiak and mother of all his pups. A beauty of a mix-bred dog, but worries sometimes over her children’s choices.
 
Attu: Iliamna’s sister and her second-best friend, even though Attu can be a bit mean to her, in a sarcastic sense, but is always there if Iliamna needs her.

Balto: The famous wolf dog of Nome who long ago (in dog years) saved the town of Nome from the diphtheria plague. Mate of Jenna, father of Kodiak, and grandfather of Iliamna.

Muk & Luk: Two cute and a bit dim-witted polar bear cubs who are always together, and live with Balto and Boris on their boat.


Iliamna’s First-Love
Presented & Written; by Stormer23
© For all!!!

Prologue:

Iliamna walked quietly around the town alleys.

          She hummed softly as she listened to the night sounds around her.

           She remembered her mother always telling her and her siblings as a pup,

            "Don't go too far pups! The night is wonderful, but dangers lurk behind every corner when you're not in insight of the things around you!"

             Iliamna chuckled at that memory and padded on, her tail now lowering. She continued to hum again, thoughtfully.

            She turned many rights and lefts down the alleys of Nome, leading farther and farther away from the main parts of town, coming closer to the woods and forests, and mountains and glaciers and other wonderful wonders wildlife offered.

           When Iliamna reached the end of town towards the wilderness, she glanced around in each direction. Then seeing it was safe, and clear, she padded on.

           Then she stopped slowly as she spotted an old White Spruce tree.

          Sap stuck on the side, seeming like something had desperately tried to crack into it. Pinecones hung still from the withered and delicate branches.

           Iliamna pattered around the tree in a circle and then sat down as she spotted the familiar marks of dog-made scraped marks from three dogs.

           "Good midnight Lonely Oak. I've missed you so. How many years has it been since I've seen you last?"
She asked the old tree. Silence was her answer. She smiled.

            "Yes, you're right. It's been far too long."

            Iliamna laid down in the cold snow next to the tree, not minding the small ounces of sap that stuck through her pelt.

             It seems like only yesterday... when I first found you Lonely Oak.... do you remember...?

              Iliamna asked in her thoughts. Then she got up, and dug at what looked like an old upright tree root belonging to Lonely Oak, but it was really a fallen branch from a different tree many years ago, that had been used to hide possessions.

              Iliamna dug and dug, until she found what she was looking for... her old collar.

              The old thing was ripped, torn, shredded, nibbled on by small critters like mice or chipmunks; it was way too old to be repaired. One strap of it was snapped off, the leather was old and withered like Lonely Oak. The star pendant at the end of it was rusted, and only a smidge of it left was clear, and twinkled brightly as it was titled by Iliamna’s paw delicately.

              Iliamna tucked her old collar underneath her stomach, to keep that part of her body off the ground, so she would keep warm, while she nestled in the snow against Lonely Oak, rubbing her coat along its hard and elderly bark.

              I remember when I was young…. Iliamna thought to the old tree. I mean when we were young Lonely Oak, when I was still an attractive dog. Iliamna interrupted her thoughts in a happy chuckle. I remember the year, it was 1930. What a great year that was, I was a year old, learning and becoming quite naïve as I got older. Don’t you remember Lonely Oak? You were just a sapling then. Ah yes, how I was then….

Nome Alaska: Spring of 1930

Chapter 1

              “C’mon Iliamna! You’re falling behind!” Called Atka. Iliamna panted heavily and stopped on the beach. She turned at the presence of a shadow hanging over her. She smiled. It was her mother, Sandy.
              “Tired, Iliamna?” Her mother asked kindly. Iliamna nodded smiling, looking back up at her mother.
              “Just a little. But I’m just stopping so I can warm up for later.”
               Sandy bent down to nuzzle her daughter lovingly.
               “I know. You’re my fast little runner, aren’t you?” She cooed.
                “You bet!” Iliamna answered happily and then raced after her siblings.
                Atka was at the lead of pups racing across the beach. Iliamna was trying to beat him, but Atka was faster. As the other pups in the litter rested, Iliamna and Atka kept going.
               Nearby the waves crashed along the shore, where the pups raced, now along with one of their sisters, Attu, who was now determined to beat both Atka and Iliamna.
              Kodiak, the pups’ father was nearby on the boat, with his father, Balto, talking but then noticed something black in the water, close to where his pups were playing… oil!
             “Pups! Get back towards the grass, quick!”
              Atka and Iliamna heard their father, but Attu didn’t. Sandy was herding the pups back towards the grass, and then too noticed the oil.
             “Attu!” She called.
              Iliamna turned to look behind her, and couldn’t believe her eyes.
              Her father, Kodiak was racing to rescue Attu, who had been swept into the waves by the current after losing her footing on a rock.
             Then, she had fallen into the water, the oil getting closer and drenching her fur.
            “Attu!” Sandy called again in despair. Kodiak plunged into the water after his daughter. When this happened, Sandy left the rest of the pups, racing after Kodiak, but was stopped by Muk and Luk, while Balto raced on over to the rest of the pups.
            Kodi grabbed Attu by the nape of her neck and struggled to get her out of the water. Finally he did. Sandy then dodged the two polar bears and rushed to Kodi and Attu and licked them both fiercely with worry.
           “Momma…” Attu gasped. Kodi coughed out a bunch of seawater.
          “Oh Attu, honey. Thank goodness you’re safe.” Sandy nuzzled her daughter worriedly and groomed her, pausing at times to spit out oil or salt from the ocean. Iliamna raced on over to her sister, dodging her grandfather’s sweeping tail.
         “Iliamna, wait!” Balto called. Iliamna ignored her grandfather and raced on over to her sister.
         “Attu, you okay?” Iliamna asked. Attu shuddered and her teeth started chattering.
         “Momma…. I-I’m…. cold.” Attu replied, ignoring the question. Sandy didn’t even realize Iliamna’s presence, as she huddled down beside Attu. When Iliamna padded her mother’s side with her paw; Sandy then notice her presence.
          “Iliamna honey, please go back to Grandpa Balto.”
         “But Momma, I wanna see if Attu’s okay.”
         “She’s fine, come here.” Sandy invited her over gently.
            Iliamna happily joined her mother and sister. Sandy then looked up to an exhausted Kodi. Sandy chuckled a little and apologized to her

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