Dusty's story is taking a lot longer to write than I thought, so here's some more of it so you people don't get bored.
Suddenly the same male dog that had yelled at him before butted him in the back end, and that sent Dusty rolling head over tail towards the fluttering banner. Dusty smelled the ripe earth and heard the dogs yelp and curse at him as he pinwheeled beneath their paws. He was moving so fast he imagined the dusty red fur scattered in the white on his back and legs and head floating right off. Instead of the relieving leap through the finish he had pictured, he bounced and bumped his way across the line, slowing to a stop.
Dusty opened his chestnut eyes and sputtered quietly as he swung himself to his feet. All was eerily quiet.
He turned just in time to see Chase hurtling through the finish with a mangy brown mutt right on her tail. His mind was washed clean of concern for the race as he marveled that his three-legged sister could run, and even get across a finish line. It was nothing short of a miracle.
Applause started up, and as it grew and swelled and then settled down once more as the proud cripple hobbled off the street, Dusty’s pleased grin flipped down into a thoughtful frown. Which seven had won? Who were the new mail dogs? He had to know.
After some quiet conferring with a few people in the crowd, the man formerly with the gun stepped forward and boomed, “There was some uncertainty, but the winners are clear now. The members of our new mail team are- Kodi, Dusty, Lucas, Kirby, Ralph, Kira, and…yet another Dusty!” There was amusement in his voice as he named the two Dustys.
Explosions in Dusty’s mind blocked out the loud cheers and whistles from the crowd. Everything seemed to have been muted as he stood there with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. He had made it. He had come in 7th place. He couldn’t believe it…and he didn’t want to. This was not good.
“Dusty!” Julie’s voice shot into his ear. She hugged him and buried her pale face in his thick fur. “You made it! You’re a mail dog now! Woohoo!” Dusty gently licked her face. He loved Julie, and her happiness was catching.
She laughed, then raised a gloved hand. “High-five?” He slapped her hand with his paw. It was a trick Julie had taught him when he was a pup, when she had seen him cocking his head at her as she did a high-five with a friend. She had started teaching him how to do a high-five right then and there, and it had become something they did that was unique and sealed their friendship.
“Yeah!” she exclaimed, and stroked between his ears down to his ruff, and stood up. Dusty followed her to her parents, and as he did so he heard that there would be a special gathering that night at the old mill to congratulate the new mail dogs. He shivered. He would have to go.
Hopefully this social occasion would go better than the ones before.
Dusty stood quietly, like an island of silence surrounded by a sea of dogs. So far luck had been with him; he hadn’t had to talk to anyone, so he hadn’t made a fool of himself. Everything was going good so far.
A cold nose nudged him from behind. “Hey, fellow mail dog.”
Dusty turned to face the female black and white husky he had knocked over during the race. Instantly his brain froze up in horror. “Oh, uh, well…um…hi,” he said weakly.
She laughed, her eyes sparkling and her red mouth open wide. She had beautiful eyes. They were deep blue-green, like the sea, and now they glittered. “No hard feelings about the whole knocking-me-over thing,” she told him, “It wasn’t your fault. I saw Lucas behind you, and I know push always comes to shove when he wants something out of his way. I hope the mail team veterans-like your brother Kodi-know what they’re in for.”
Dusty nodded nervously. He didn’t know what to say. He was completely tongue-tied, frozen. Where could this conversation lead?
Suddenly her eyes widened, and she smiled kindly. “Oh, my name’s Kira.”
“I’m Dusty,” he said in relief. It was a good thing Kira didn’t seem to notice his anxiety and spluttering. He wasn’t the most social dog, and talking to others always made him nervous. “But I guess you already knew that, since you mentioned Kodi.”
“Yes,” she said, “I’ve seen you around town. And you’re kind of hard to miss with that wild coat of yours!”
He grinned sheepishly, but with a trace of sadness. His fur coloring was kind of conspicuous, with its unusual dusting of red over snowy white. It was his enemy when he wanted to hide or become invisible. He was still trying to decide whether he liked it or not. “Thanks,” he said softly.
“Hey, Kira, I’m glad you made the team,” Lucas said loudly, butting in, “And I’m also glad we’ll be seeing more of each other.” Kira frowned and turned her back on the gray mongrel. Lucas stared at her for a few seconds. “Not talking tonight, are we? Well-” He remembered Dusty before he could finish his sentence. “What are you doing, messing with my girl?” he hissed.
“I’m not your girl,” Kira snapped before Dusty could do anything. Her bright eyes flashed. “I’m not anyone’s girl! Just because we’ll be on a team together doesn’t mean you can harass me all you want! Get in line and stay in line, or I’ll-” She gnashed her teeth and snarled savagely.
Dusty was ready to take a step back or two to give Kira’s sudden transformation some room, but Lucas gazed at her coolly.
“I like ‘em fiery,” he whispered with a menacing grin.
Kira’s ocean-wave eyes flamed into livid green balls of rage. She stepped forward as she growled deeply, and Lucas bent towards her as if to bite her neck. Dusty stood there helplessly, his limbs frozen with fear and vain hope.
“That’s enough!” Doc, a St. Bernard and the oldest dog in Nome, slipped his fat body between Kira and Lucas. “That’s enough.”
Silence cupped over the old mill like a mould that wouldn’t fit. Dusty wished he had tried to stop the fight like Doc, but he knew he hadn’t wanted to believe that a fight was developing before his very eyes. He also didn’t know if Kira would have turned on him if he had tried to protect her. After all, she didn’t want to seem like his “girl.” Still…‘Coward,’ he silently jeered at himself.
“Now we are here tonight to honor the dogs that have been deemed worthy enough to be part of the mail team,” Doc thundered, “A team that we depend on to communicate and keep this town from disappearing off the map. And here you are, supposedly mail dogs, bickering like a couple of pups! Shame!”
Kira glared at Lucas over Doc’s back. “Lucas knows no shame. He doesn’t belong on the team, or anywhere else.”
“What? You know I belong next to you, babe,” Lucas purred.
“Silence! We’ll proceed with the activities we’re here for,” Doc ordered, “To honor and congratulate the team. Mail team, line up over there. Everyone else, over on that side of the building…Kira and Lucas are to be separated, though I think that goes without saying.”
Dusty, completely on edge, took his place at the end of the row of mail team members. He studied Kira, who was only two dogs over from him, and Lucas, who was in third place with Kirby and the female Dusty on either side. Through all his quiet ways Dusty had learned how to analyze behavior and appearance and guess at why a dog acted the way he did. Quickly, before the ceremony began, he stared intently at Lucas without drawing the dog’s attention. Lucas seemed hard and rude and completely unaware that there were such things as boundaries when showing feelings. He didn’t act at all like a dog that had grown up in a town, and Dusty suddenly wondered if Lucas was a stray. The iron gray mutt did have a collar, but the leather smelled fresh, and the silver license was as shiny as a new coin. He probably had been taken off the street and away from the alleys only a few days ago…though by the way Kira acted, Lucas had been flirting with her for quite some time.
Dusty shook his head and moved on to Kira. She stood with her head up and her furious green eyes on the door across the room, ignoring the wanting looks Lucas kept giving her. Dusty knew now that she was a friendly, kind, and talkative soul, but if something or someone threatened her, she turned into a vicious, protective monster that could fight with the bad boys. He found himself feeling a twinge of jealousy for Kira’s personality and talents. If only he could be more like her…
“Now,” Doc said firmly, “I will call out the names of the members of our new team. You may voice your support for them. Kodi!”
Kodi grinned proudly and a little nervously at the crowd as a wild cheer went up. As the supportive shouts grew louder his embarrassment melted away, and he swished his tail and thrust his chest out with pride.
“Dusty!” Doc cried.
The other Dusty smiled and stood taller as yells and whistles went up for her.
“…Lucas!” Doc said.
Silence. Lucas bared his teeth at them all.
“Kirby! Ralph! Kira!” Doc shouted. The crowd whooped and stomped their feet, and the forest of wagging tails was so thick it looked to Dusty like the very room was swinging back and forth.
“And, last but not least, Dusty!” Doc cried.
Dusty froze as his name echoed through the old building, and he looked out in astonishment as the cheers continued. He thought everyone was probably just being polite, since he hardly knew anybody, but the support stirred him inside and made him grin like a carefree pup.
“Yeah, Dusty!” Kodi yelled from down the line, “Welcome to the team!”
Dusty felt himself swell inside, and before he could stop himself, he howled. He howled for joy, and he heard Kodi laugh in surprise and howl, too. Soon the others caught on, and the whole mill shook with the joyous cries of the dogs.
Suddenly, the wildest and most beautiful howl cut through all the others. Dusty fell silent and turned with everyone else to see Balto in the middle of the crowd, lowering his muzzle as the soaring call died away. His father smiled softly at him and winked. “Dad,” Dusty muttered with a grin.
“You have two of your kids on the mail team now,” Sylvie drawled, “You’ve got to have something to say about that, Balto.”
“Speech!” yipped someone else, “Give us a speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!”
Balto shook his head in wry amusement. “Okay, okay! I’ll give you a speech…This isn’t going to sound like anything you ever heard before, just to warn you.” He thought for a minute, then looked at Dusty, and he laughed at himself. “Sorry, guys, but I don’t have anything to say except…You all know my father, Scout, was a mail dog? Jenna’s father was a mail dog, too. When we raced Duke in his high-tech plane, I was also part of the team for awhile. And now I’m glad that the tradition’s gone on through the generations. Kodi is one of the best sled dogs I’ve seen, though I guess everyone expects me to say that, since he’s my son. But it’s the truth; he is good.” The female Dusty nudged Kodi in the gut with a smile, and Kodiak beamed.
Balto looked at his other son with pride in his golden eyes, and Dusty felt an anticipating shiver go down his back.
“You all know Dusty isn’t the most talkative dog,” Balto continued, “But his feet are fast where his mouth isn’t. Has anyone here seen him run? He has speed, he has endurance, and I’m not surprised he made it as a mail dog. I’m glad Kodi and Dusty are part of a lasting tradition…and I know Dusty will be a great new member of the team.”
“Yeah!” someone cried, and others stomped and cheered to show their approval of Balto’s speech.
Dusty, however, was still. He looked around at the crowd, then his searching gaze flicked to Kira and Lucas. So much was expected of him. He knew his father had faith in him, but he could feel doubt throbbing like a purpled bruise on his heart. Could he be a good sled dog, with one friend, one enemy, and his father’s and older brother’s shadows hanging over him?
Suddenly, he had an urgent desire to break away, and run free. But Dusty shook himself. No. He had a job to do.
)
*shrug* I know it might get confusing in some parts, but I've tried to put 'the female Dusty' or 'the girl Dusty' or 'the other Dusty' when I mention Universal's character so it won't get too confusing. Sorry if I confused you, Sarafina Fanatic, or anyone else. 
