Animation Source Forums

"Alright then... tomorrow night sounds good."

Kodi knew that he should have told Dusty that he loved her too, but he didn't. He was amazed that they admitted the way they felt at all, and was too nervous to vocalize aloud the three words. He hoped he would get over that quickly, she deserved to not have any doubts about his feelings for her.

Kodi cleared his throat. "Well, uh - we should probably get back. Don't want to keep them waiting too much longer."

The two returned to the main road, and it appeared that the rest of the group, save Kodi's father, had all but gotten tired of waiting, and left to wherever they went.

"Dad! Where'd everyone go?"

--------

"Hey Dusty, Kodi."

He added extra emphasis his son's name, Balto's way of acknowledging... something. Nothing specific, just something.

"The rest of the group all went to the City Hall, to see what's going on down there." He motioned behind him to indicate the direction, not necessary since the swarm of people around the building was about the only thing going on in Nome at the moment. "Dusty, if you hurry, you could probably catch them; they left just a little bit ago!"

He turned to Kodi, in the middle of a prolonged yawn. "But you... come on, let's head back home. You need your rest. We can talk along the way."

---------

"I hate this!" Ralph and Kirby both exclaimed in unison.
"I hate cats." Ralph said, sullen.
"I hate running new routes!" Kirby sulked.
"Kodi and our human take care of that, why does that bother you?"
"You've never seen a cat, why does that bother you?"

At least, in spite of the coming shift in mood and schedule, Ralph and Kirby could always count on each other for good company.

Dusty gave it some thought. She was curious but...what kind of girlfriend would she be if she didn't stay with her boyfriend when he was hurt and had a rough day. "If you don't mind, can I come with you?" she asked, blushing a tad. "I'm really worried about Kodi...I've never seen him so worn out and I'm concerned," she admited. "So can I tag along?"

---------------------

Jenna sighed. "This is serious," she said. "But what kind of cat could be strong enough to kill armed hunters?"

"I've seen a Lynx do some damage, but they just can't do something like that," said Sally. "I've never heard of a cat that lives around here tough enough to kill a human."

Dipsy gave another listen. "From the sound of things, the expert says it's a feral cat...what does that mean?"

"I don't know," said Jenna. "I've heard it used to describe something wild, but I'm not sure what they're talking about here."

"He's also saying it might be a new species or something," said Dipsy, listening. "He had theories, since they don't know much."

Dusty understood. Fang was in no condition to be on a sled team right now. His body was in horrible shape from malnutrition and he had no training. That and she knew Kodi didn't like being called a 'pro'. "Balto...I know we're the only team aviliable, but rumor is our route is getting changed due to the disappearences," she explained. "And Fang's in bad shape right now. He's going to need a lot of work to even be close..." she explained, feeling bad for him. "I think the most important thing right now is that he gets training. Who knows? Maybe by the time he's in shape, he'll be able to join a racing team," she explained. "I'm just saying, jumping the gun might not be our best choice right now."

Dusty sighed, not wanting to say that, but it was the truth. "Mr. Samson would have trouble accepting a new dog to the team normally, let alone a wolfdog whose not trained and is in bad shape, he needs to get fixed up first."

---------------

Jenna looked to Ralph and Kirby. "Think the new route will be safe?" she asked, concerned for Kodi. "I mean...what if that still doesn't keep you safe from that thing? I'm worried sick about you all...I sound like Mel, don't I?"

This was the first Kodi had heard of disappearances, and a change in the route. He remembered seeing Sylvie and Dixie down the street when his Mom came to talk with him, so he was sure that's where the rumor had emanated. The question was, where had THEY heard it from, and why? He would make a note to ask Dusty later, once they salvaged what was left of Fang's hopes and dreams with Balto.

"So, you see, there's nothing we can really do... I'm sorry." The look of disappointment on Balto's countenance was powerful. Even though it wasn't Kodi's fault, the fact that he had to deliver this news made him more involved than he had liked. He was glad Dusty had come with him, to help shoulder his burden.


Balto sighed, and said collectedly "I guess, if that's the way you feel..." The trio had arrived outside of the refinery, where Kodi's bed lay warm and inviting inside. Balto had started to turn around, clearly disappointed.

"Dad no-no wait! We can still help him train, YOU can help him train! I'm certain that when the sled races come around next year, mushers will be vying-"

Balto turned around, a cold look in his eyes, his voice just as frigid. "You expect him to wait for a year? Waiting around, purposeless, for a chance that might not ever present itself?"

Kodi was scared. Balto sounded angry, very angry. What scared Kodi the most was that Balto seemed in complete control, not shouting or anything, fully aware of what he was saying.
"Please Dad, it's not like that! There's nothing that we can do!"

"That's not true and you know it!" Balto raised his voice. His escalation from calm to uncontrolled scared Kodi more than just the subtle form of anger he had been using.
"Why don't one of you take a break from running, allow Fang to take your place for a while?" he shouted.

Kodi admitted he hadn't thought of that, but for good reason. While he was sure that his team wanted to help Fang find his bearings, he was sure that none of them would want to give up their coveted slot. For Kodi at least, his job was all he had, apart from Dusty.
"Dad...please, you know that we can't- none of us want-... it's just not feasible..."

"It's perfectly feasible! Maybe if you would stop thinking of only yourselves for a change, you could see that! I thought I raised you better, thought you learned what was important with Duke... I can't believe you are being so selfish." Balto walked down the way he came, leaving Dusty and Kodi alone in front of the door.

Kodi was crying, his body twitching each he tried to suppress a sob. He wished suddenly that Dusty hadn't been there, to see him so weak and pathetic.

---------------

Ralph had started coming into this meeting unaware of what was going, but when Jenna asked if it was still going to be dangerous, he learned enough to make an informed answer.

"I don't know Jenna... it's gotta be bad. I mean, look at Duke's route!"
Hoping Ralph didn't think that this creature could fly, Kirby asked, for his sake and everyone elses, "What about Duke's route"?

"I mean, if they are changing his route in case of a crash, this cat-thing must be fast! Or at least, it must have been attacking these poor people all over the place if where his plane flies over is in it's path for a long time!"

Kirby elaborated to to clarify. "Look at it this way... if Duke's wide flight path is in this things' hunting ground, it's gotta have a pretty big hunting ground if HE needs a new route, right? I don't know that we'll be out of it's path without a completely new and extraneous route! Even then, who knows?"

"...What does extraneous mean?"

Dusty snapped. "Don't you dare walk away!" she yelled to Balto. "You think your son is selfish?! He tore himself apart last night because HE was guilty about what happened with Fang!" she yelled, now furious. "The fact of the matter is Fang's in no shape at all to run right now! Mr. Samson wouldn't give him the time of day right now. You want to really help him, help him train, make him something that a musher would want on their team!" she stated. "Right now, no musher in their right mind would put him on their team. He's not in condition to run on a sled team, he's skinny as a rail. If you weren't so stubborn you'd see we DO have his best intrests in mind! If he ran right now he, and the whole sled team could die," she stated. "He's malnuritished and weak, he needs food and training, he needs to get strong, then he can run," she stated. "You've only ran a few times, you haven't been a sled dog all your life like we have. You're built for it, yes, but you're not a full time sled dog like we are," she explained.

Seeing Balto talk to Kodi like that made her furious. "Even Jenna is in better condition to run than Fang is. Fang CAN be a sled dog, but not right now. Any of us runs and trips, we get brusied up. If Fang ran and tripped in the condition he's in, he's breaking bones, and worse, he becomes a liability to the entire team," she explained. "You want to really help that boy? Heal his body first and train him, we'll help you do that. But don't jump the gun and assume that just because you were able to jump in and be a lead dog everyone could. You're one of a kind, me, Kirby, Ralph, and most of all your son had to work our tails off before we could even slip on a harness. You were special," she said, finally calmed down. "If you can talk to Kodi like that, maybe you and Steele aren't so different after all," she said, dead serious.

Dusty went into the room and slammed the door with her back leg. She laid down next to Kodi. "Are you ok?" she asked, concerned. "That was wrong of Balto to say that."

-----------------------------

"The bigger the creature, the larger its territory," said Sally. "If they think this thing is that big, it must be dangerous."

Jenna sighed. "Please watch yourselves, ok?"

OOC: My final post for a while, details
http://www.animationsource.org/board/discussing-balto-truth-and-consequence-t32413.html


Balto didn’t turn once to face Dusty during her outburst. He stopped indignantly to listen to what she had to say, not really absorbing it. She didn’t know, didn’t have a clue. Neither of them did. Balto wandered along the outskirts of town back to his boat, waves from the body of water gently lapping the shore, a steady gentle rhythm.

He hadn’t felt so riled up in a very, very long time. He couldn’t remember feeling so upset in his entire life. The nerve of those two, denying him the chance to be truly great at something, so show everyone that he was worth the life he’d been given.

He had hoped Kodi suffered at his words. Kodi tried so hard be to giving to others, Balto thought calling him selfish was a nice touch. When he started to cry, Balto couldn’t help but feel a supreme sense satisfaction. It served him right. Balto had enough of others trying so hard to bogart the potential within him, thinking only of themselves and their lives.

Balto stopped where he was, the cold water rushing to meet his grey paws, before retracting back down the shore he stood on.

He looked out at the water, a most lovely shade of blue. An ocean breeze caused perfectly symmetrical whitecaps to form, like a snow covered mountain range far off in the distance. The sun stood high above, striking the water with its reflection, almost blinding Balto.

“What have I done?”

He awoke, for lack of a better term, from a strange dream. He knew it wasn’t a dream, he could remember everything in vivid detail, and remembered the malicious tinge he imbued his words with. He could remember all of his self thoughts, justified by the one mistake he had made.

Balto had noted before that in Fang, he saw himself. Somewhere between meeting Sally and violently accosting his son, Balto confused the two.

The desire to help Fang to join a team wasn’t altruistic, not in the slightest. The memories of Balto’s youth, trying so hard to find his place flooded him, as they had when he had first met Fang and heard his story. He remembered how the other dogs wouldn’t give him the time of day, wouldn’t help him when he wanted so badly to help others. Balto simply wanted to be accepted for what he was, and appreciated for what he could give.

When Dusty and Kodi informed him of the obstacles that presented themselves in securing Fang a place on the team, Balto’s disappointment rushed him back to those days, the familiar sensation of hopelessness engulfed him. It wasn’t about Fang from here on out, it was about him. About the nearly five years he had wasted. About the things he could have done if only he had been given a chance.

All of the resentment and bitter thoughts that had resided within him from those times resurfaced, more powerful than ever given the time they had been allowed to culminate. His past embitterment overflowed into the present, and erupted in a fierce storm at whoever was in his path. He couldn’t think of a less deserving recipient than Kodi.

Balto didn’t heed Dusty’s remarks, but they wedged themselves in his mind somehow. Retrieving them wasn’t especially difficult. The truth in each echoed through his thoughts constantly, reminding him of what he had done. Things others said to him with intent to harm can be brushed off as falsehoods, simply there to incite anger and inspire sadness, with no base in reality. Truths, on the other hand, don’t go away. He couldn’t get them out of his head, because no matter how much Balto tried to deny it or play it down, he knew that it was true. These truths stuck with him, defined him.

Balto hadn’t likened himself to Steele before. The way he acted, he wouldn’t be surprised if one had only heard the ghastly stories Kodi did had mistaken Balto for Steele. He couldn’t believe he was capable of such disregard for basic humility.

Right now, he couldn’t imagine how Kodi felt. His loving and supporting father suddenly erupting at him for reasons that only Balto could understand… Kodi had a very sensitive frame of mind as it were. He attacked when Kodi was most vulnerable, surrounded by his loved ones who unwittingly agreed not to judge him. If Kodi never forgave him, he would understand.

The wave rolled back to Balto’s front paw. He lifted his paw, water dripping to the soaked shoreline below. He continued back to his boat, wishing that tomorrow would come. Kodi already needed sleep, and he didn’t want face Dusty again. Balto wanted to be left alone.

Balto hoped for his sake, that unlike Steele, he wouldn’t sleep a wink that night.

---------------


“Thanks Jenna, I’m sure we’ll be just fine. Kodi’s got a good sense about him, Dusty too. If there’s any sort of danger, I’m sure he’ll be able to detect it.”

Kirby reassured her, not knowing that Kodi’s sense had already been eluded by this danger, and had proven to be nearly fatal.

“Speaking of, where is Dusty? Did she go back with Kodi?” he continued.

“Not sure why she would. Kodi may be fun to watch run, but he sure is boring to watch sleep.” Ralph answered.

“You WOULD know that, wouldn’t you?”

-----------------------



Kodi couldn’t reply to Dusty, he couldn't hear her. He sobbed uncontrollably when his father’s voice played in his head when he closed his eyes. Selfish, Selfish, SELFISH.

“You are selfish, aren’t you?”
“No… I’m not, I was just being reasonable.”
“Reasonable? Your dad’s right, you were being selfish. You could use the break. You’re a poor leader as it is. The only reason you are lead dog at all is because your friends felt sorry for you.”
“That’s not true… I worked hard”
“They felt sorry for you. And you took advantage of that. Used it to con your friends into putting you up in front. Not only are you selfish, but you’re manipulative. A real piece of work, you know that?”
“No… I-I worked hard. I earned it”
“You know you’re up at the front as a shield, right? If you hit a tree, it should give the rest of them time to move.”
“They wouldn’t… not Dusty…”
“They would, and you know it. They were perfectly fine without you. Now look at them. Kirby and Ralph have to pretend they care about what you say. Dusty has to pretend she cares about you now that you’ve forced her paw. They are such a considerate bunch. Not like you, you’re selfish..”
“No I’m not… she does care.”
“Really? What proof do you have of that?”
“She said so… she did.”
“Your father said he was proud of you. He’s sick and tired of coddling you, finally told you the truth. I imagine that it won’t take her much longer. Listening to you complain day in, day out.”
“She said she… she loves me.”
“She’s lying. You aren’t a stranger to lying to protect someone’s feelings, though, are you? Poor Fang. He thinks you’re going to help him.”
“I’m going to help, and she DOES love me.”
“You can’t help. You can’t help yourself. You’re worthless. You’re a terrible dog. There’s a reason you were the runt of litter. You were always worthless. You’re too dumb to realize that.”
“She loves me.”
“She hates you. They all hate you. Why do you think they all gravitated to Fang, and didn’t listen to you yesterday? You’re the monster. A pitiful wretch, not even a random predator wanted to finish you.”
“She loves me.”
“No, she doesn’t”
“SHE LOVES ME.”


Kodi opened his eyes, and gazed blearily at a concerned Dusty.

“I love you Dusty. I really, really, really do.”

With that, Kodi’s eyes closed again. He had stopped crying completely, and he quickly drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Dusty remained curled around Kodi, trying to be whatever comfort she possibly could to her love. "I love you too..." she said. She did feel guilty herself over what she'd said to Balto, no matter how truthful it may have been. Balto didn't mean to be so mean, she knew that. He'd snapped, the stress of the whole situation, how close he was to Fang had been too much. It didn't make it right, but it made her regret what she'd said. "I'm sure he'll realize he was wrong..." she whispered. "You're not selfish, Kodi...your father just misunderstood..." she whispered, more for herself than him. "Sometimes that happens...you lose your cool and say things you feel downright rotten about later," she continued. "Doesn't make it right...but it makes it understandible..."

Dusty looked up out the window, thinking. She then began to sing...

“Sometimes I wonder about my life
How things could be so different
If my family hadn’t been lost to strife
If my father had known what he meant.
Did he mean all that he said that night?
Dad, was the love you had for us really true?
Was it just anger clouding your sight?
Did that make you lose what we meant to you?
Did your anger change you inside?
Was it all just a show?
Will you ever look on me with pride?
Will we ever know?” Dusty sung, looking down at Kodi.

“Now I wonder about Fang’s life.
What all has he been through?
His father’s words must be like a knife.
Oh how I wish it wasn’t true!
A father should be kind and gentle
He should love his son with all his heart
He shouldn’t make all his actions mental
He should make sure to keep his part.
But is Steele such a rotten dog inside?
Is his act just a show?
Is there a part of him that he did hide?
Will we ever know?

Now I wonder about your life
So different from ours
You haven’t had so much strife
You’ve been his star
Your father is the town’s fastest dog
You, the mail team’s fearless leader
But that doesn’t mean you don’t have bogs
You have your own place on the pain meter
That fight just now seemed so wrong
Was his act before a show?
Has it been that way all along?
Will we ever know?” she sung, a smile slowly crossing her face.

“…No, he really loves you, Kodiak
That fight was a show
He’ll say that when he comes back
That much I really know…” she sang, reassuring in her tone on the last part.

Dusty laid her head across Kodi’s back. “He’ll come back, Kodi…and when he does, he’ll apologize. Balto didn’t mean all those things he said…he loves you too much not to…”

OOC: That was originally going to be a duet with Fang (only different verses), but I felt now was much better time. It's called "Will We Ever Know?"

--------------------------

Jenna chuckled. "Can't you two stop fighting for five minutes?" she asked, shaking her head slowly. "Anyway, we should all head home, my Rosie is probably worried about me..."

Congratulations, this roleplay has won the Private Roleplay Award!


(c) Moki Hunter

You have also won a gift!


http://i51.tinypic.com/zukxed.jpg
(c) Moki Hunter

Good job, Godzillawolf and HMXTaylorLee, for making this roleplay stand out!

For more information about these awards, click here.

A ray of cold light emanated from the glistening Alaskan moon, shining through the pentagonal window of the mill before resting on Kodi’s shifting figure. He opened his eyes blearily, squinting through the darkness surrounding him, broken only by the moonlight and the warm glow of the furnace along the adjacent wall.

As his eyes adjusted to his surroundings, they brought to focus the ever-sharpening figures of Ralph and Kirby sleeping close to the orange haze. He wondered where Dusty was, but the warmth enveloping him reminded him. He could feel her body slowly breathing in rhythm, in and out, peacefully on his back. Her weight was a comfortable one. It was a weight that he was grateful to support, not a burden like one might think. The last thing he remembered hearing before he went to sleep was the melody that Dusty sang. He couldn’t quite recall the words, just a vague symmetry of harmonious tones were all that played in his memory’s ear.

The notion brightened Kodi’s tired spirit, until it was quickly replaced with the menacing rasp from his father’s chiding. Kodi shuddered, an anxiety swallowing him. As was typical for him, any negativity one derived from his own actions was reciprocated twofold unto himself.

Guilt, he thought. He hated it, how effortlessly it could arrest and bind him. The suffering he’d wrought… no!
He took a deep breath, and the missing lyrics rushed to the forefront of his thoughts, and the words Dusty spoke afterwards. He closed his eyes, and whispered softly “It’s not my fault”. His resolve, much to his surprise, was more strengthened than he would have thought possible. That’s right, he thought, It WASN’T his fault! Dusty’s last words echoed, “He didn’t mean those things he said, he’ll come back… he loves you too much not too “.

A restless surge of energy pulsed through him, but he constrained himself. He wanted to go speak to Balto, as soon as possible, while this feeling of revelation was coursing through him.

Slowly, slowly, he inched his way out from underneath Dusty. She moved, a small adjustment, but enough to make him slow his already snail-like pace. He had caught up on sleep, at least he thought so, but didn’t want to interrupt Dusty’s time for rest. He felt he owed her that much at least. Almost there. Her head was resting atop of his, her soft chin tickling his snout. Slowly, like a mother laying a preeminently fussy sleeping child to sleep, Kodi gently pulled away completely from underneath her. He let out a sigh of relief, as she still appeared to be in slumber. He quietly turned around, towards the set of double doors acting as a barrier to the crisp winter night on the other side.

He looked sideways at Ralph and Kirby, observing them as he crept past. Surely they were aware that he and Dusty were together, so to speak. It saved him the trouble of having to break it to them, although he figured he would oblige them in explanation in the morning regardless.

He reared up on his hind legs, pushing one of the doors open, a raw gust striking his thoroughly unprepared face, bitterly cold. Quickly as he could without raising too much fuss, he edged the door closed, but still open enough that he could return without a problem after speaking with Balto. As he thought of this, he realized that his father was probably sleeping at the moment, and that confronting (he hated that word, but it was the only one that jumped to mind) him right now wasn’t the most practical idea he’d ever had. Jenna was right to enforce a proper bedtime for him as a pup; going to sleep in such radical shifts was not conducive to his schedule in accordance to that of everyone else’s. His full night of sleep so early meant he woke up THAT much earlier.

As he trekked through the familiar alleyway, he saw the telltale grey filter signifying the sun and moon coming to an impasse, so he didn’t wake up as early as he had thought. He noticed that their teams’ sled was still outside of the post office, pulled up alongside and closer to the wooden deck than it was when they had left it yesterday. That could only mean one of two things; Mr. Simpson had forgotten to put it in the shed (unlikely, as he had already gone through the trouble of filling their food dishes for the morning), or they had yet another set of deliveries. It was uncommon, rare even, but not unheard of to have two deliveries in rapid succession, back to back with only a day in between for rest. He would bet on the latter.

He continued to the boat, turning his attention to Balto yet again. His father’s words replaying themselves... maybe it wasn’t the best idea to talk to him so soon….
NO! He needed to clear this from his conscience, as he sure his father did too.
Selfish, Selfish, Selfish…

Balto rolled over again, pulling his brown blanket out from underneath him, exposing his back to the frigid breezes rolling off the waters. Annoyed, as it had happened many times in his sleepless night, he corrected it by clamping his teeth down on the blanket and giving a sharp tug yet again.

Balto’s thoughts that night had been focused solely on his son’s mournful countenance. The look of utter disbelief wrought from his attack. His fatigue worsened, but his will to sleep was replaced in droves by regret that commanded him to stay awake to think of what he’d done. He sighed, and lifted his body up from the floor, blanket still wrapped around him. He stumbled out of his blanket after tripping on it, the cold air finally having won out in the pseudo competition between it. He lifted himself to look outside of the glassless window, watching the grey hues overlap the black and purple skies above him. It wouldn’t be much longer until the gang would be awake, hopefully Kodi included in their number if he had rested enough.

Of course, it wasn’t enough for Balto to spit those nasty words at Kodi, but he did so when Kodi was already completely exhausted mentally and physically. He thought of his son’s shocked expression again, and turned his head away from the flat gray mirror of water towards the town parallel to it. Balto didn’t think much of it beforehand, but there was a scratch on Kodi’s face. A small red scratch, hardly visible on his white muzzle. How had it arrived there? He could visualize it in front of him, a small red outline against a white backdrop… but wait? He squinted his eyes, and saw the red outline of Kodi positioned atop a small snow mound, slowly moving towards him.

“Kodi!” Balto said aloud, hushing his outburst on the second syllable, only slightly aware that Boris and Sally were still asleep close by. Balto jumped down from the window, back into the small hub where he had (not) slept, excitedly shuffling down the plank to go meet Kodi. He turned around the rear of the boat, and stopped. Kodi was nowhere to be found.

Had he imagined seeing him there? He certainly wouldn’t be surprised if he did, given his state of exhaustion. Balto sprinted up to the top of the small mound that he had seen “Kodi” on, and examined the familiar set of fresh paw prints. He had been here alright.


He couldn’t do it. Kodi’s inner sensibilities grasped ahold of his psyche the closer he approached.
A familiar fear raced through him as he crested a precarious snow mound, and the large ship where his father resided came into view.

You really don’t know when to quit, do you?
I’m not quitting… not now. I need to speak to him.
He made it pretty clear he wants nothing to do with you.
But Dusty said… I know that-
Trying to make you feel better, that’s all. Every word he said was true. Yet you crawl back to him, why?
I need to explain… he needs to know.
He already knows. You need to know when to leave well enough alone. Go back to your all-important job, like you’re expected to. Like he knows you will.
But I-I need to-
Go back. Just go.
B-but…
Go.

As suddenly as his inspiration to clear the hazardous air with his father had come, the intimately familiar sensation of fear and guilt had overwhelmed him medias res. Kodi stared at the boat, slowly rotating his body, tail between his legs back towards the town, towards his all-important job. But something caught his eye, movement in the helm of the ship. Balto was awake! Kodi scrambled down the hill, to take shelter behind one of the many buildings. He needed to get away, hide. Taking refuge behind a bakery (the nearby air filled with the scent of freshly cooked breads and pastries), he stopped to catch his breath.

Kodi didn’t know why he had run so suddenly; he knew that he would need to speak with his father eventually. The new found sense of clarity he had experienced the day before slowly trickled back to him. It would take some time for him to adjust, he supposed. Kodi turned around, and peeked about the corner of the building, and saw his father’s figure silhouetted against the brightening sky on the mound. His father had definitely noticed him, and probably wanted to speak to just as badly as Kodi did. Kodi wanted to run out from his hiding place shouting “I’m here! It’s all going to be OK!”

But he couldn’t. Something inside him wouldn’t allow it. That voice, HIS voice. Kodi lowered his eyes to the ground, and shook his head. Not yet, he thought. Not just yet. The smell of bread wafted to his nostrils, and Kodi was reminded again of how hungry he was. He had only eaten the one meal almost an entire day ago, and if the sled position was to be believed, he and his team likely had a long, challenging day ahead of them. Kodi slowly stepped through the town, several of the human occupants greeting him as they had risen for the day, past the post office towards the mill. The double doors were opened, his teammates likely already roused from their slumber. Dusty sprang to his mind again, and he hastened his pace towards them, anticipating their first mail run as a couple.

Fang yawned, rolling over on a matress near the sled dog's home. The door had been closed when he'd showed up, he wasn't sure why, but didn't argue. He shook himself awake and slowly started towards Balto's boat, thinking. He wanted to train, that would be a good place to start, wouldn't it? Right now he was rather emaciated, that could be solved, but he needed to train his body naturally.

The cold night didn't quite effect him all that much, as he was used to living in the cold weather of Alaska with no real protection. He walked slowly, knowing it was early morning and realizing that Balto might still be asleep, as might be Sally, but he wasn't and he wanted to see them. He slowly walked down to the boat and noticed Balto already up and about.

"Balto!" he called, running down to the old wolf dog. Fang then noticed something. It was rather clear that Balto was exshausted, but why? He didn't know. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned. "You look like you didn't get any sleep at all."

-------------------------

Dusty yawned widely, walking out of the old mill, having realized that Kodi hadn't been there when she woke up. She then saw Kodi and ran up to him, nuzzling him. "Hey Kodi," she said, nuzzling him lightly. "Where were you?" she asked, more worried than anything else. "Did you wake up to talk to you dad?" she asked, whispering so the other two wouldn't hear.

However, she did see he looked well rested, so maybe her little "lullaby" had helpped him sleep soundly. She kind of hoped he hadn't talked with Balto yet, as she wanted to talk to him about how it must've been for Balto and that he was probably regretting it as well.

Fang nodded excitedly. "Yeah, I'm really looking forwards to training," he said, smiling and wagging his tail. He'd come all this way to be trained by Balto, it was what he wanted more than anything. He wanted to be trained and join the sled team.

Fang then looked over at the rising sun. "I love the sunrise," he said, smiling lightly. "When me and mom were out alone, I always liked it when I got to see the sun rising. Since we're in Alaska, sometimes it's a few days before you see the sunrise..." he said, watching. "Mom always said that the sunrise is one of the greatest things in the entire world...it's rising shows new life, a new chance...kind of fitting that I'll start training right after seeing it, huh?"

---------------------

Dusty listened carefully and nodded. "That's right," she said, in full agreement. "I don't think Balto really meant anything he said...it was said in anger, just like with you and Fang before. You didn't mean it and once you snapped out of it, you felt completely rotten about it," she continued, thinking it over.

"I bet you father didn't sleep a wink last night and right now is feeling sick to his stomach over what he said," she continued, thinking each word carefully. "Because sometimes, when you say something in anger, you don't realize it until later...I've been the same, it shows you have a heart when your guilt kicks in after all. Giving you father some time to think it out and he'll probably come apologizing to you."

"Good morning," said Dipsy, walking over. "Looks like you all are going on a new sled path now," she explained. "Mel overheard it, the new path is a tad bit longer, that expert did something with the attacks locations and mapped out what he thinks is this things territory or something like that. I'm sure Mel will come and give you a paranoid earfull about...now."

"Well it's not so much that they're afraid it'll be able to take Duke's plane down," said Dipsy. "They said that they're afraid he might crash in the territory of whatever it is," she explained. "The scientist they brought in said whatever this thing is, it must have a pretty big territory how big he guesses it is," she continued, looking for Mel.

"That makes sense," said Dusty. "Bigger animals normally stake out a bigger territory....but what kind of cat is that big? Even a lynx isn't big enough to force us to change our route."

"The guy said it was probably a feral big cat," said Dipsy. "Or a new species of some kind. Anyway, he said from the paw prints they found, it's a huge animal. It's already killed quite a few people in the woods, so they had to change your route."

Dusty nodded. "In that case, I'd say our run is probably to try and get our mail for the week finished as soon as possible so we can be back in quickly."

------------------

Fang nodded. "Alright..." he said, rather nerviously. He'd never ran a race before, so he wasn't sure if he could do it. "...I'll do the best I can..." he said, taking a rather illadvised starting stance.

Fang's lack of knowledge about this was rather clear, he was in a stance that put most of his weight in the wrong place and would slow him down right off the bat. But who could blame him? Skunks just didn't run, his father refused to teach him, and no other dog in Nome besides the mail team had given him the time of day so far. He really had no idea what he was doing.

"So I found this little black and white thing in the bush," explained Sally. "It took me a bit to realize it was a dog, but when I did, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Fang was just a little emasiated pup at the time, barely alive..." she said, sadly. "So I took him to my den and caught him some food, and slowly raised him back to health...well as healthy as I could get him..." she explained, talking with Boris. "I have to say, once he was better, it was one of the happiest moments of my life..." she admitted, smiling brightly.