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"I know how it feels," said Sally, smiling lightly. "I wonder how Fang would do without me a lot of the time. I've honestly spent more of my musk for his sake than my own. The boy is a bit...danger prone," she explained, thinking back. "Well, not exactly danger prone just a bit clumsy, I think because he learned to walk a bit wrong, me being a skunk and walking completely different from a dog. He's gotten much better since then, but..."

Ever since Fang had been a child, he was quite prone to getting into trouble. He'd alway trip over himself and get into dangerous situations. But he was still a very good boy, it's just he seemed to have a difficult run of life in general.

"Maybe it's runoff karma that Steele earned," said Sally, thinking. "Not to say that dog hasn't suffered a lot for the awful things he did...but it makes you wonder..." she stated, thoughfully. "But I think Fang's own good karma has mostly cancled that out. The boy is a lot like Balto, has his heart in the right place and cares for the ones who hate him the most," she explained, smiling grately. "One time, when he was a pup, this big dog attacked him, held a big grudge on Steele, had to skunk that one...but a week later, he found that dog with a piece of glass stuck in his paw...Fang's knowledge of herbs from his mother isn't all that great, but it was enough for him to heal that dog's paw...the same dog who'd tried to kill him a week earlier. That dog was where Fang learned the truth about Balto, which made him even more of a good dog...but I think he got it from his mother to begin with. She was willing to love Steele when no one else would, give him a chance...I defiantly think Fang got all her kindness combined with Steele's determination. Best of them both...that's usually how kids work, isn't it?"

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

Fang nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, then blushed as he realized Jenna had come. "Yeah...I'm not even sure how this happened," he said, still struggling with the ropes somewhat that still bound him.

Jenna walked over and started helpping untie Fang. She gave a small sigh. "This reminds me of one of my sisters," she said, Jenna didn't speak of her own family much for some reason. "She was always getting into messes of some sort, sometimes it didn't even make sense too..." she said, then sighed longingly. "I sure do miss that troublemaker sometimes..." she stated, biting through another rope.

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Dusty blinked and shook her head. "No...that's why I didn't ask..." she explained, thinking back. "I was afraid you wouldn't love me back..."

She sighed, looking around the clearing. "I know it sounds silly...but after seeing my dad break my mother's heart like he did...I was afraid of getting my heart broken..." she stated, looking back to Kodi.

"But I don't think I'll have to worry..." said Dusty, moving forwards a little bit and kissing Kodi on the cheek before returning to her spot. "You're a loyal dog Kodi, you get that from both your parents...I just didn't know if you'd feel the same way about me that I did you."

Kira frowned at this, as if it hit the massive tigress close to home for some reason...She shook it off and turned away, heading back into the woods.

Boris realized why Balto had taken such a shining to Fang. They had quite a number of similarities in their temperament. Boris distinctly remembered noting "Balto going to help a dog he doesn't like to help a town that doesn't like him!" during the epidemic three years ago.

In reciprocation, it was easy to see why Fang had developed such a strong and sudden interest in meeting Balto. If Boris had to guess, Fang was inspired that another dog in his situation and with similar personality traits was able to rise above his obscurity. Moreover, Balto found acceptance, something that Fang seemed in short supply of. Boris decided, in case he were wrong, he kept quiet regarding Fang's personality to Sally, choosing to instead appeal to a more comical aspect of conversation.

"I don't know much about karma, but I'll say this about dogs. Graceful creatures? Not even close." He started. "I don't know how Fang is, but Balto? He slips and slides ALL of the time!"

The more Boris thought about what she said, the more he had wondered. If there was any truth to it that the children inherited the best of their parents, he wondered how Steele's parent's were. Or at the very least, what could have happened to him along the way.

"Speaking of that crazy pooch," he continued "where did they get off to now? The team's already out there, right? If Fang's as determined as he seems, I'm surprised he hasn't yet returned to continue..."

From his perch, Boris scanned the multitude of buildings, looking for a sign of presumably uncouth motion signifying the duo's return.

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

Jenna appeared not to have heard of Balto's outburst. Rather than relieving him that his guise was maintained, he was more anxious and paranoid about being discovered.

Balto kept unusually reserved when Jenna brought about her siblings. One topic he had no personal knowledge of was the relationship between brothers and sisters, apart from observing the mischievious exchanges
between his own pups. Balto had never met her family, and couldn't really comment on her. He hated to admit it, but he was slightly jealous of it all; he couldn't remember much of his youth apart from Boris and his guidance, and he would have loved to have someone else to keep him company. Someone who was linked in such a special, irreplacable way.
Someone to go on adventures with when he was young, to frolic and play with as a daily regiment, but still have that bond enabling them to keep in constant confidence when he was older.

But Balto's jealousy, as it regularily did, fell victim to common sense. Look where he was now! He had a loving mate, a community that (mostly) treated him with dignity, and a great family he couldn't be prouder of.
Also, his own children got to experience that brother and sister bond that he didn't, and doesn't every parent want their child to live a more experienced life than them?

As Fang was nearly freed from his makeshift rope-prison, Balto was quick to pseudo-apologize to Jenna for his perceived tardiness. "I'm sorry I missed the team taking off this morning... you know there's nothing I would rather do than see Kodi proudly doing his job." His half-truth left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I know it means a lot to you. I'm sure it means a lot to him too." The last sentence faltered. He looked away from Jenna, focusing on the garbage in the alley instead. He hoped that she didn't notice his conspicuous (at least he thought it
was) pattern of speech. Was she examining him right now? He wanted to look, but he dared not to, lest he look as guilty as he felt.

Balto had to break the silence. Drown out the fear of giving himself away with white noise before it become too oppressive for his conscience to handle. A legitimate question came to him.

"Why did they leave today, and with so much mail?" He asked Jenna
abruptly. He hoped he didn't appear to be too swift to change subjects. "Don't they usually get another day for recovery? I would think that they would be leaving tomorrow, or the nex-"

A growling noise from Fang's stomach interrupted Balto. A sure sign of hunger if ever there was one.

Balto hadn't thought of that. He didn't like to admit it, but his role as a father was purely on a level of emotional fulfillment. He was a shoulder to cry on, a conveyer of his own experience, an instiller of values, and an ear that was always willing to listen to whatever his pups felt inclined to talk about. However, the physical duties of feeding and sheltering his young ones, save for his wolfen daughter Aleu who had nowhere else to go, were typically allocated to Jenna. Jenna lived with her family, who had food and room to spare, so it simply made more sense that way.

Perhaps, given his lack of experience in such matters, it wasn't so surprising that he had forgotten to tend to the basic needs of his new disciple. As it was with his own children, procuring food for Fang would inevitably be more difficult than it seemed. Though he was accepted by most of the townsfolk, Balto was still a stray. As such, he didn't have a constant and reliable food source for Fang, or even himself for that matter. Mostly he would share a meal with Jenna, or sometimes Dipsy would offer up some scraps from the General Store floor. Even more uncommon was when the town butcher, despite Balto being framed as a
sausage thief a few years back, would happily present Balto with a slab of meat. Balto wondered if Fang had ever indulged in one before.

After Fang had been completely untangled, Balto gestured to the opening of the alleyway and said, with uncertainty "You're hungry, I take it? Come on, let's go find you something..." He glanced at Jenna, silently pleading for assistance.

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

Kodi had sat down now. It didn't, for lack of a better word, sit well with him. They had been stationary in that small clearing for only a couple of minutes, but it felt like an excruciating delay. At the very least, his friends were there to keep him company. A blessing and a curse, two sides of the same coin. On the one side, he remembered the torturous fear and loneliness that enveloped him a few nights ago. With his friends by his side, he felt much more secure, in both mind and body.

On the other side, he grew more and more concerned for their well-being. Kirby and Ralph both showed clear signs of anxiety. Ralph in particular had wound his leather belts tightly with his circular pacing, so much so he spun in the opposite direction with more than a mild bit of whiplash. As the lead dog, he felt solely responsible for making sure his team made it safely to their destination. Of course, their musher was the one at the helm, but it did little to console Kodi. Hearing Dusty empathize with him, whether she knew it or not, worked wonders for soothing his uneasiness.

"I can't really say I wouldn't have felt the same way." He nodded in agreement with her. "It would have been pretty awkward for both of us, I think, if one of us said something and the other... well... didn't." He could only imagine the strange tension that such a poignant confession would cause if it weren't mutual. Maybe his outburst of distress at Fang's arrival actually had an upside to it. He wouldn't have had to issue such an intimate apology leading to that pivotal conversation were it not for him. He'd have to remember to thank Fang later.

"OK! I know where we are now. Missed that turn, musta been a drift blocking the view so I couldn't see it." Mr. Simpson said aloud to no one in particular, save for the canines eavesdropping. This was enough for Kirby to get excited.

"YES! Not that it wasn't fun listening to you two say your vows and all that, but it really is about time we headed on out, eh?" He exclaimed.

Ralph looked oddly blank and agreed with only a nod. Kodi looked quizzically at him before calling out, "You got that right! All right everyone, form it up!" Without hesitation, the other dogs did so swiftly. Kodi looked back at Dusty again, smiling. He turned to face forward as flakes of snow lightly fell around him.


"OK mutts, strap up-" Mr Simpson turned to face his team, ready and willing to prepare for movement, only to find they had done so already. As he stepped onto the planks behind the sled, he looked down and chuckled "That's my team... Mush!".

All sets of paws propelled forward simultaneously, a cascade of powdered snow rising and falling with an unexpectedly high crunching sound. Though nearly drowned out, Kodi heard the directions their musher was shouting, and followed suit. The falling snow quickly filled the indentations they had left in that clearing not soon after they moved on.

Sally looked around the cold tundra surrounding them, keeping a careful eye out for any spots of brown or black fur. "I don't see them anywhere... Well Balto's mate Jenna is in town, so they're probably talking with her," she replied, though had a hint of worry for Fang. Regardless of her trust in Balto, she didn't like the idea of her son getting hurt in any way, shape or form.

Sally turned back to Boris, looking up at him. "Thanks for letting me stay here, by the way," she stated, gratitude clear as could be in her tone. "I know having a skunk aboard probably seemed like a bad idea," she explained, knowing full well her species notorious reputation. She wouldn't lie or suger coat it, she knew skunks were seen as "stinky" animals, and, if they got mad or defensive, very well could be. "Dogs normally don't like me very much, you can probably guess why, and most animals with the knowledge and common sense run away when they see me. A lot of the time, that's a good thing, but when I just want to talk with someone, it's really irratating."

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

Jenna smiled. "Kodi told me he left some of his food for Fang to eat," she explained, giving a smile. She was proud of Kodi for changing so greately about Fang. Seeing her own child hurt another dog so was near impossible to stand, so him making amends felt so much better. She was glad that Fang somehow came to the conclusion on his own.

Jenna looked to Balto, looking him in the eyes. She could tell something just wasn't right, why did he seem so nervious? Had something happened she didn't know about? "Balto, is something wrong?" she asked, sincerely. As she'd told Kodi, in song, you couldn't lie in your eyes, that's somewhere you couldn't hide anything, no matter how hard you tried.

Fang got up and shook himself off from the remaining bits of rope. He was about to say something when he noticed Jenna ask the question. "Uh... I'm going to go eat now, I'll let you two talk," he said, walking towards the post office to get a bite. He could tell that the two had something to say, he just wasn't sure what. And he didn't feel it was his place to overhear.

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

After they were running, Dusty looked up. "Yeah, you're right Kodi," she called. "I'm sure it'd not have ended well if we didn't feel the same way," she replied, happy it had. After so much stress, she felt so much better to finally have it off her chest how she really felt. "I think we can thank Fang for a bit, if it weren't for... Well, you're episode with him, there's no telling if we'd have realized it, would we?" she asked, curious. She wasn't certain. After all, until Fang had showed up, they hadn't made a move. Would they have without Kodi making a fool of himself like that? She didn't know, but she was curious as to rather Steele's son had allowed them to finally admit their true feelings.

Kodi wished he had more time to ponder the chain reactions set in motion, but his focus now lay solely on maintaining their new and increasingly treacherous route.

“This can’t be right...” he said quietly to himself, “I thought the weather was supposed to be clear today.”

Whatever premonitions were depicted regarding the weather proved to be most incorrect. What was supposed to be a pristine and calm day was polarizing in comparison to actuality. A maelstrom of snow stung at Kodi’s eyes, leaving him struggling to see the path ahead, already obscured by blankets of white nothingness covering any discernible terrain.

He wanted to stop; to wipe away the sharp sensations on his countenance. He wanted to curl up and warm his frozen paws. Offering only a slight bit of relief, he quickly glanced over his left shoulder to catch a glimpse of his teammates. All of them looked just as weathered and worn as he did. However, even undergoing the same conditions as he was, they still carried on. His eyes met with Dusty’s, a look of fierce determination piercing him. Kodi resumed looking forward, invigorated by the rest of his gang’s motivation. After all, he thought, if they could keep going, then he could at least return the favor.

“Right! Take a right… is that right?” Mr. Simpson shouted.

Kodi could sense the apprehension in his master’s direction. Kodi couldn’t blame him; taking a new route with any identifiable features masked by sheets of white snow was an arduous task to take on. He started to the right per his order, but immediately reverted to the left when naught but a steep drop appeared in front of him. His stomach churned in the moment he stared into the abyss, where he was unable to see anything except for swirling winds and snow gusting below him. He steered even further to the left, desperate to avoid discovering what lay beyond that hostile shroud. As soon as he did so, a horrified expression crossed his face as the unnaturally loud sound of the sled sliding invaded his ears.

His turn was sharp enough to avoid it. Truthfully, the path he had been taking would have been sufficient to avoid it entirely. In his desperation, his over steer (and his likely confused teammates following his lead) caused the sled to drift at an angle in the opposite direction from his left. The sliding sound changed to a scraping, as the drifting rails of the sled made contact with the icy rock lining the vertical wall of the cliff. Kodi could feel the sled pulling him backwards as it gradually succumbed to the centrifugal force coupled with gravity. He looked backwards for the second time, and saw one small flash of the sled before it went over completely. Immediately, his harness pressed chokingly against his chest.

“NO!” Kodi screamed loudly. He braced himself, and pulled forward as hard as he could, but to no avail. The sled was still suspended alongside the cliff, but the added weight from the excess mail was making the struggle already more tenacious than it would have been. His eyes watered from the harness cutting into him. He couldn’t give up… not now.

He looked backwards towards the sled again, frantically pleading for an ounce of progress at pulling it back to safety. In a terrifying sense of déjà vu from the race against Duke, he witnessed Dusty, who was closest to the sled, being dragged backwards with it, the amount of space between her back paws and the ledge growing ever smaller.

“DUSTY!!!!” Kodi cried.


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

“I- Uh… well… no!" Balto slurred out.

Well, that wasn’t obvious he thought to himself.

Balto stared at Fang moving towards the edge of the alley, desperate to avoid Jenna’s analytical stare.

“I’m fine… really. Just a bit nervous, you know? About training Fang and all that…”

He stopped before he continued, in a low mumble. “…having him make it on the team and all that. Just want to make sure he can make the team. That’s all.”

It was partly true. He really was nervous about preparing Fang for the team, if it were to happen at all. Balto knew that Jenna could detect there was more to it than that. Perhaps it was a maternal instinct that she had developed when the pups fibbed about who-did-what-and-why to get out of trouble, but she had a knack for discovering when someone wasn’t being entirely truthful.
But Balto wasn’t about to tell her the whole story about his anger at Kodi’s reluctance to accept Fang as a team member. Not the whole story, but enough to assuage his worries, and possibly gain some insight.
“Jenna?” he asked as he watched Fang start eating. “What if… What if Kodi’s team can’t take Fang? I mean, they’ve already got a full roster, and I don’t see any of them quitting anytime soon. Especially after almost losing their jobs to Duke… If there’s no room for him, what then?”

His tail and ears drooped. “I don’t want to train him under false pretenses. To get his hopes up when he’s come this far… that wouldn’t be fair to him, would it?”

Balto felt a pang of guilt as he turned to Jenna, when he realized just how unfair it was of him to demand of Kodi a spot for Fang on the team.

Dusty too had gotten a bit aprehensive when they started turning right, but hadn't expected the sled to slid to such a degree. She yelped as the harness got tight and pulled her back. She flailed her paws, trying hard to find any traction, but the weight of the sled combined with the slick ground made it nearly impossible to get her grip. She heard Kodi yell and looked back, seeing her hind legs get closer and closer to the abyss. A fresh surge of adriniline tore though her body and she finally managed to get her claws into the ground and slow herself. She caught a tree root out of the courner of her eye and took it in her teeth, managing to stop her slid and help support the sled, but it wouldn't hold for long...

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

Jenna noticed something more in Balto's eyes, but she knew better than to push when it came to something like this. "There's plenty of teams around here, and besides, having a substatute would be benefital to the team. Remember last winter when Kodi sprained his leg? The rest of the team had to work a lot harder because he got hurt. Having a substatute means that wouldn't happen, and that one of the dogs could be switched out every so often to rest."

Jenna looked off after Fang. "And even if that doesn't work out, there's always a racing team next winter," she replied. "It'll probably take that long just to train him to be a good sled dog..."

She then nuzzled Balto. "There's plenty of options, Balto... And you know that already," she stated, giving him that analyitical eye already. "Something else must be on your mind distracting you if you forgot something like that so easily." she said, trying to draw it out.

Balto knew that there were other options, and he should have known that Jenna would as well. His main concern about the other teams would be whether or not other teams would be as accepting of Fang and his heritage as Kodi’s team seemed to be. Still upset at himself for such crafting such a mythos about Steele and his wicked ways, Balto’s depiction of the former champion was tame compared to some of the revolting stories spread amongst the throngs of Steele’s old friends and colleagues. If Kodi had reacted the way he did to Fang after learning about his father, he couldn’t imagine how poorly he would be treated by the other dogs.

Balto reminded himself that Fang said he was “used to that kind of treatment”, but Balto wasn’t going to throw him to the dogs, so to speak. Of course, Fang’s situation was still serving as a secondary front to Balto keeping his inexcusable outburst under wraps. He feared how Jenna would look at him if she knew how violently he had lashed out at his own flesh and blood, driven Kodi to tears. Verbally, obviously; he would probably be disowned from his family if he had struck Kodi. Maybe he was overreacting? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t intend to find out.

“There are other options, true.” He replied slowly and cautiously. He could sense that Jenna was searching for his real reason, and he wasn’t well-practiced in the art of misdirection. “But, you saw how Kodi acted to Fang when he first met him, right? How Saber still treats him?”

Balto paused momentarily when he realized how bleak Fang’s prospects were in Nome.
“I just think that other teams might not be so… accommodating.”

He sat down, and exhaled deeply.

“The substitution is a good idea, but it’s just so… I don’t know… temporary? Who’s to say that their team is even going to need a replacement? I don’t think that Fang wants to be here on an indefinite standby. I know that I wouldn’t.”

Balto watched Fang eating intently. It reminded him that he hadn’t eaten since Dipsy offered him jerky the other day.
“It’s all up in the air right now, and I just wish that we knew more for certain. I’m sure it will work out, like you said” he added to placate her (he hoped) “but I’m still nervous about it.”

He finished his sentence with a touch of finality, trying to convey that what he said was, in fact, all that was on his mind. It wasn’t, but with any luck, he hoped it would suffice for now. Balto decided that he officially hated lying. He wanted to be away from Jenna, so he could stop walking on eggshells, and having that sort of wedge driven between them because of his deceit was so horribly uncomfortable. It was unfair to Jenna, for one thing, but Balto’s attempts to minimize damage hinged on him doing so.

A snowflake landed on his nose, then another, and another.

“Snow? I thought it was supposed to be clear today…”
He turned to face the forest where his sons’ team had travelled, and a gust of wind met his face. “It’s coming from the east… I hope it’s not too bad for Kodi and them.”

He was silently grateful for the distraction, despite the possibly dire situation that his son’s team may have found themselves in. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?


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

Frantically, Kodi scrambled forward as pressingly as he could in the wake of Dusty’s predicament.

Ralph yelled to him “KODI! Dusty is-”

“I KNOW!” Kodi snapped, a flicker of panic permeating his words. “What would you have me do? I’m already pulling as hard as I can!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Maybe you should stop wasting your energy and pull!”
“Maybe you should follow your own advice then?”
“HEY!” Kirby interrupted from behind. “How about both of you knock it off so we can actually do something?” His voice held a stern poise to it, a return to form when Kirby had been leadership.

Kodi took a deep breath, his bared teeth retreating. “You-you’re right. I just-”

Kirby interrupted yet again, still using his serious tone. “Save it for later.” He softened his composure and added “I understand.”

Kodi looked back to see Dusty clinging to a small tree root. It wouldn’t hold for long, and they were losing ground against the weight of the sled. Kodi couldn’t hear Mr. Simpson, but he hoped that he was still hanging on.

He looked at his team, all of them struggling to keep moving forward, but to no avail. Time to step up, he thought.

“This isn’t working!” he exclaimed. “We need to try something else.”

Ralph’s voice sarcastically filtered from behind Kodi. “Good thing you’re up there. Never would have figured that one out.”

Kodi ignored the comment, fixated on his impromptu plan, and commanded. “Everyone, stop!”

The idea seemed ludicrous, and the directions were disregarded by the entirety of his team. “No offense Kodi, but we’re trying to PULL them back up.” Kirby told him.

Frustrated, Kodi barked at them. “That’s enough! Stop treating me like I have no idea what I’m doing!”
He glanced back at his struggling companion, and inaudibly muttered. “Believe me... I’m leaving nothing to chance.” He snapped to attention, and issued his order again. “Everyone, brace yourselves.”
Giving heed to his word this time, they all stopped and did their best to hold themselves in place. It was to little effect, as almost immediately they started very slowly inching backwards, closer to the edge.

“Kodi!?” His team asked expectantly and simultaneously, except for Dusty, who now had to hold on even harder with minimal support from her team mates.

Kodi kept his composure, resisting the urge to crack under the immense pressure consuming him. “Now, we need to work together for this.” He felt his paws shifting backwards from underneath him. “On my count, pull forward as hard as you can, at the same time.”
He steadied himself. “One…Two…” he closed his eyes, silently hoping with every fiber of his being that his plan would work as he shouted “THREE!”

As all of the dogs lunged forward at once, the effect was instantly noticeable. The paw prints that Kodi had held while struggling to move forward were now just behind him as he propelled past it before settling in place again. Kodi appeared surprised that it had actually worked, but quickly shook it off before giving the next order. “OK, again! One, Two, THREE!”

Amidst the rush of air generated from the forward motion, the front of the sled was visible once again from over the edge of the cliff, and (Kodi secretly thought so) more importantly, Dusty was able to pull herself up.

“Yes!” he cried excitedly. “Ready? PULL!”

The team fell into a rhythm of pulling, stopping, then pulling again, their momentum overcoming gravity’s vicious hold. After several more cycles, the sled was finally back on level ground, Mr. Simpson shell-shocked and pale, gripping the frame with a stupendous vigor.

“If ever there was a time” Mr. Simpson wiped snow from his face “That you’ve earned your kibble… I think this is it.”

Kodi backed out of his harness, leaving it on the ground in front of the rest of the team staring curiously at him. He dashed back to Dusty, immediately embracing her with his muzzle.

“I’m so sorry! Oh my goodness, you’ve no idea – I was so terrified!” Kodi rambled, his worries washing away as he made sure that Dusty was actually in front of him, not some illusion he’d conjured. He nipped the side of her muzzle softly with his tongue, careful not to disturb her undoubtedly aching jaws. “So… how are you holding up? Are you okay?”

Jenna gave a worried look out at the wilderness. "I know, and they're on a new route today too..." she stated, worry clear in her voice. No matter how old Kodi was, she always worried for him. She loved him so much, she loved all her babies. She then realized that Balto didn't know about that fact.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot," said Jenna, embarrassed. "Balto, Kodi's team has gotten a new route, their old one... became unsafe..." she said, realizing that telling Balto, hero of Nome, that a massive predator was on the rampage in the wood might be a bad idea. "Balto, this is important, before I tell you why PROMISE me that you won't do anything rash..."

Jenna gave him a VERY serious look. "I love that you're a hero, I wouldn't have it any other way... But I'm tired of staying home worrying while you run off on a big adventure, risking your life. I know it's who you are, you can't help helping people, but promise me you won't go running off to solve the problem without telling me."

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

Dusty panted, eyes wide as saucers, adriniline still coursing through her vains. She jumpped with Kodi rush to her before calming down just a bit at his embrace and kiss. "Y-yeah, I-I'm ok," she said, though her jaw hurt and she was completely terrified.

She spat out a little blood from her hurting teeth, but nothing severe. She was still shaking heavily from terror. Sure, she'd nearly fallen off that cliff during the race with the plain, but this was a LOT closer a call. Her tail was between her legs and she kept her hind legs crossed, having the dignity to force her body to avoid wetting herself from fear in front of the rest of the mail team. She rested her head on Kodi's shoulder. "I... I thought we were going to die..." she muttered, having trouble remembering a time she'd been so scared. At least during the race with the plane, the others hadn't slipped and were able to save her quickly, this time they'd BARELY managed to avoid falling in together. Her heart was still racing and she couldn't hide how much she was shaking. "I really did..."

“Unsafe?”

Balto eschewed making any promises, his mind alight with what the term “unsafe” entailed.
“Jenna, what’s going on? What do you mean ‘unsafe’?”

All sorts of thoughts swam through Balto’s head. Poachers? Unprecedented weather? A rampant grizzly? Didn’t Sylvie or Dixie say something to Jenna? He thought he heard them mention something, but he couldn’t quite recall. What was it? It had something to do with that meeting in town, and they were going to tell him what was happening. Clearly, with all of the events transpired, he had not been properly informed, as far as he could recall.

If anything happened to Kodi, Balto would never forgive himself for not resolving the tension between them. The hour or so they had been gone was excruciating enough; having to deal with the weight on his chest for any longer than necessary would be downright torturous.

Realizing that his aimless questioning would be met with resolute silence until he conceded to her demand, he bit his tongue (figuratively, of course) and inhaled deeply.

“Alright, ALRIGHT… I… promise that I won’t do anything... rash.” Rash was measured relatively, he thought. “Please, I need to know what’s going on!”

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

Kodi was alarmed at Dusty’s condition. He was closely heeding the blood she had spit on the ground, still warm, and melting through the snow before being promptly covered once again by the frozen precipitation.

“Dusty? It’s alright!” he said urgently. His attempts to quell her anxiety were futile. His heightened pitch and quickened speech were only exacerbated the problem.

“Everything’s fine…” he said reassuringly. “It’s over… it’s over.”

He lifted his paw and gently placed on her shoulder, something his mother had done to comfort him when he was younger. Granted, he was just a pup then, but he hoped that it would still have the same effect on a mostly full grown canine.

“I’m not going to lie to you, I was a bit worried too.” He sympathized. “But, somehow... I knew we’d make it.” Kodi undersold his own doubts as much as he could. He felt as though he needed to be strong for her, given her current state.

Kodi lowered his head to meet her downward gaze. “I made a promise, Dusty. A promise, remember?” He raised his head slightly, touching the tip of his nose to hers, just like he had when he made the promise. “As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

He analyzed her, to try and decipher if her condition had improved. It was difficult to tell if she was shaking from anxiety or from the cold. She was awfully quiet, and aside from the autonomous shivering, she was very still. Was she in shock?

“Dusty… it’s okay.” He whispered as he gazed into her eyes, desperate for a reaction to affirm his assurance.

Jenna gave a sigh. "Alright..." she said, giving him a look in the eye to keep his attention. She was serious, she didn't want to have Balto run off and get hurt or something like that. She always worried for him.

"There's some... Creature in the woods, a big predator of some kind," explained Jenna, keeping a serious tone. "It's killed a few people already. It's not something native to here from what I've heard. They brought in an expert on stuff like this and he said it's some kind of big cat, either something not from Alaska or a newly discovered species... They moved the sled team's route out of it's established territory for their own safety and moved Duke's plane route," she continued.

"Balto, I know what you WANT to do, I know you to well not to know," said Jenna. "But this is too dangrous for you to run off, alone, and be the big hero... I'm scared every time you go out on your own to be the big hero..." she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're nearly had your skull busted open by Steele, you nearly died who knows how many times guiding Aleu to her destiny, and you nearly got killed by those moose and fell off a cliff when you were saving Duke... Everytime you run off to be the hero and leave me behind... I always worry you're not going to come back and I'm sick of it..." she explained, tears streaming down her face. "I love you Balto... I don't want to lose you..."

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

Dusty finally calmed down enough to stop shaking. "T-thanks Kodi..." she stuttered, relaxing a bit. "I was just so scared..." she muttered, feeling embarassed. "I owe you big time," she said, wagging her tail a little and giving a small smile before giving Kodi a loving nuzzle. She was scared still, but glad to have Kodi with her. She trusted him... And she loved him.

She looked back to Mr. Simpson and walked back, pushing her nose against his hand and looking up at him with a soft whine, eyes looking concerned so he knew she was checking to see if he was alright.

Balto was taken aback by Jenna’s emotional confession. He guess he had always known that she didn’t necessarily LIKE when he went off to do whatever it was he had to do, but hearing it like this… frankly, it was heart-wrenching. It made his decision on what to do that much more difficult.

He was at a rather particular impasse here. Kodi was out there; potentially in danger from some monster. That alone was enough to get Balto ready for action, but compounding his own ulterior motive of speaking to Kodi as soon as possible only served to further tantalize the course of action of chasing his son.

On the other paw, there was Jenna. Balto realized that Kodi was also her own pup. This seemed obvious, but taking into consideration that much, she was probably just as uneasy as he was about Kodi gallivanting about in perpetual danger. Granted, she didn’t have quite the complex motive that Balto did, but her simplistic and infallible reason was more than enough to draw similarities. Kodi was her own flesh and blood too.

“Jenna, I-I-uh…” he started. A lot more difficult, he thought.

He started again, this time to actually say something coherent.

“I love you too…” He replied to her, before continuing with an air of great concern “but that’s our son out there.” Balto turned to look at Fang, hoping that Jenna’s sobbing wouldn’t raise any alarms. Balto couldn’t tell.

“But you know that… and don’t I know it.” He finished throatily.

“The post office, they’ve already set up a new route?” As Balto was saying it out loud to Jenna, he came to realize that the sled team had already taken a precaution in doing so. “That tells me that they already know the danger, and are taking as few chances as possible. If I left…” Balto paused, as he found himself doing a lot lately. “All I would be doing is endangering me. I won’t – I can’t put you through that… not again”

Balto hoped that his decision to stay would help relieve Jenna’s distress, despite his own lingering guilt furthering his own. Logically, it didn’t make any sense for him to follow Kodi out there. For one, the snow (falling much faster than it had mere minutes ago) would obscure the team’s tracks. On top of that, they were on a route he’d never been on before, so he would be just as lost as regardless.

Secondly, they were in a group. Safety in numbers was an antique, dust-laden cliché, but it was still used widely for the reason being that it worked. Balto would be out by himself, making himself appear to be a most appetizing entrée for whatever hungry predator was lurking.

Really though, a voice inside his head whispered, your previous excursions didn’t make much logical sense either, and look at the good things that came from them. Balto ignored it, and offered his own suggestion up to Jenna that he hoped would calm both of their racing thoughts.

“Given the circumstances, killer beast and all, you would think the mayor would be notified when they arrive at White Mountain, right?” Balto wasn’t even sure that’s the town they’d be delivering to, but following their normal schedule, that would be their next stop.

“Because what I’m thinking is, White Mountain will have their telegrapher send our town a message when they get there. And that means that we can ask Morse about it, right? That way, we’ll know as soon as they are safe, right?”

Presenting his idea in the form of question might have seemed a bit condescending, but if he could get Jenna to nod her head in agreement and smile, it would be worth it.

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

Mr. Simpson looked down at Dusty, and saw her looking up at him with concern. He wasn’t exactly sure if it was “concern”, but it was good enough for him. That's one thing he loved about dogs. They could be so expressive.

“That’s a good girl.” He patted the top of her head softly. His own hands were still numb from holding onto his sled for dear life. Luckily for him, he had small wooden pegs on the back of the planks he stood on that acted as a stopper for him sliding backwards on most occasions, and an invaluable support for him to stand on when hanging over a cliff. If it weren’t for those, and his determined team, of course, he probably would have been at the bottom of the cliff.

“I’m okay, thanks to all of you! Thanks a ton!” He called out to his team with a joyous glee. “But especially you Dusty; don’t think I didn’t see you holding on to that sapling.” He looked at the small, barren tree, nearly uprooted. He bent down, and straightened it out before settling it back in the ground with a firm press.

“Now let me think…”

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



“Good going, Kodi.” Kirby said gratefully. “Saved our butts, you really did.”
“As well he should have, he was the one that nearly ran us off-“
“-Zip it, Ralph!”

Kodi sighed, turning away from the sight of Mr. Simpson and Dusty to address Ralph and Kirby.
“I did what I was told! He said to go right, and I went right-”

“Yeah, you went right alright. Right over a cliff!” Ralph said sarcastically.

“I didn’t notice the edge until the last second, and I corrected us as soon as I could! The ice and snow, the sled drifted - What would you have done differently?” Kodi snapped back at him demandingly.

“I wouldn’t have taken us over a cliff, that’s for sure.” Ralph said.

“Wait- but I-” Kodi stuttered, frustrated by the downright biting tone that Ralph had taken. “Is there a problem?”

“Yeah Kodi, there is. I nearly died today because our so-called-leader wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings, just doing what he was told because he can’t think for himself!” With that, Ralph turned away, looking sullen.

Kodi looked at his back, bewildered. He looked at Kirby, who had a similarly shocked expression.

“What’s up with him?”

“Well, he almost DID fall over a cliff.” Kirby said matter-of-factly. Ralph was positioned just ahead of Dusty in the formation.

“I get that, we were ALL in danger but there’s something more to it. The way he said it…” Kodi said, pondering what had suddenly caused Ralph to act with such bitterness.

“I can’t speak for him, even though I usually have to, but I’m grateful you pulled through with that idea. The whole momentum thing, how did you come up with that?”

Kodi chuckled “That? It was from when I was a pup. There were some ropes on Dad’s boat, so of course, we had to play with them. And Aleu…” he faltered a bit, reminiscing about his sister that he hadn’t seen for over a year. “Aleu always wanted to play tug of war with it. I just sort of figured out that having all of us pull together back and forth like that would let us win against her and her team. She just insisted on straight pulling, she was always so stubborn that way, and got so mad when we finally beat her with it…”

Kirby batted at the large chunk of snow on his nose and said “Well, however you worked it out, it worked er… out. Nice job.”


Kirby was acting strangely too, Kodi thought. He didn’t recall Kirby ever being so forthright with praise like that. In fact, the uncharacteristic aspect left Kodi feeling more bothered about it rather than appreciated.

“Ok team, strap up!” Mr. Simpson called out. Kodi shuffled to the front, quickly equipping his harness while Kirby held it up for him.

“Despite us nearly dying, SOME good came from this. I know where these sheer cliffs are, and thankfully, we’re actually quite close to White Mountain! We took a wrong turn about a mile or so back if I’m not mistaken.” He seemed giddy, a likely side effect from surviving near death, adrenaline coursing through him still.

They were already turned around from the whole sliding ordeal, so it saved them from any needlessly risky navigation along the edge.

“Is everyone good? Kodi? Ralph? Dusty? Once more, with feeling! Mush!”

Jenna listened to her mate intently and nodded. "Yes, I suppose that'd be a good idea," she said, thinking. She was worried about her son as any more would be, but she was also worried deeply for her mate. She loved Balto so much, and he'd put her through seeing him risk his life again and again and again, she was sick of it. But she didn't mind Balto being a hero, it was just she didn't like being the one on the sidelines, watching.

"But Balto," said Jenna, in a serious tone. "If something does happen and we have to go, I AM coming with you, no ifs ands or buts about it, I'm coming with you," she said, a note of finality in her voice making it completely clear she had no intention of staying at home, worrying herself sick.

"I attacked a Grizzly Bear to protect you, I can take care of myself," explained Jenna. "But I'm sick and tired of sitting at home worrying, I want to be there right by your side if you do ANYTHING about this problem," she continued, being very clear on the matter. "No arguing, that's how it's going to be and that is that."

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

Dusty got back into formation and glared at Ralph. "Ralph, lay off," she said, seriously. "Kodi is just a dog, he makes mistakes, just like everyone else," she said, defending Kodi to the best of her abilities. "And at least he was smart enough to FIX his mistake and save all our lives. You still haven't gotten around to getting that stupid hang nail of yours fixed," she shot back as they took off. "You're my friend and I like you, but Kodi is a great lead dog, one mess up doesn't give you the right to call him a "so-called-leader", especially when he saved your life doing something I highly doubt YOU would've thought of in his position."

“How could I forget?” Balto chuckled. “I never would have made it if you hadn’t come along.” Balto could vividly remember that occurrence.

He was firmly stuck between the cold snow pressing against his back, and the crushing force of the grizzly’s paw holding him in place. The bear had such a wild snarl on his face as his other claw reared back, closing in for the kill. The bear pressed him further in the ground, forcing the air out of Balto’s lungs. As his eyes bulged then subsequently closed, he caught a glimpse of a copper, white, and orange blur leaping at his assailant. “…Jenna?”

“You and I already know it would be dangerous, so I am against you coming along in THAT respect.” Balto said. “But, truth be told? I wouldn’t mind putting the lone wolf act on hold, no pun intended.” He told her warmly, conveying his appreciation for her concern.
“Let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that however, and they make it through alright.” A frigid gust of wind slapped across his nose, stinging sharply, his nerves amplified from the cold. “Judging from this, weather wasn’t on their side.”

He looked at Fang again, who looked like he was still eating. “I know it’s early, Jenna, but when he’s done, do you want to check with Morse?” Balto seriously doubted, especially with the new route in place that would most likely take them on a roundabout route to their destination, they would be to White Mountain already, but at least checking on something would help to pass the time for when the communication office eventually DID get some news.

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

Ralph’s faced appeared sullen, yet humbled, by the words from Dusty behind him. He seemed far less willing to argue with Dusty than he did with Kodi. At least, for the first couple of minutes, but then;

“That’s enough about it.”

Kirby, in front of Ralph, couldn’t quite make out what Ralph had said.

“What’s that? Your hangnail again?” he asked jokingly.

Ralph didn’t find it particularly funny. “THAT’S ENOUGH!” he roared, jerking to the right. The chain reaction was immediately felt by the rest of the team.

“What’s going – Whoa!” Kodi’s right foot nearly collapsed from underneath him, but he recovered before he lost his footing. “What are you guys doing back there?” he asked, turning his head over his right shoulder.

“Shut up Kodi, just SHUT UP!” Ralph snapped, saliva flinging from his mouth. “Watch where you’re going, like you are supposed to be doing!”

For the second time that day, Ralph’s sudden harshness stunned Kodi, and he turned around to continue moving forward, ears perked to Ralph’s upcoming torrent.

“And Dusty, as your friend,” he added with disdain, “I would appreciate if you would just stop mentioning that stupid hangnail. I’ve heard enough about it, and I haven’t complained about it in a while. A long while! Really, I haven’t even had that hangnail for about the same time. So about me and my hangnail? It’s over! It’s over, Dusty!”

The next couple of minutes were oppressively quiet. Excepting of course, the howling winds and crunching snow, which were so commonplace for the team that it may well have been completely silent.

At last, Kirby spoke to Kodi, quietly enough so that only Kodi could hear it.
“Kodi… when he said it was over, I don’t think he was talking about the hangnail.”

“Here’s our turn, Kodi! To the left!” Mr. Simpson called out to him, the missed turn that nearly cost them their lives conquered at long last.

“Kodi, did you hear me? I said ‘when he said-“
“I heard you.”
“And?”
“I don’t think he was.”
“Do you think that maybe… he and, you know, Dusty-”
"I don’t know.”
“Oh. OK.”

The next couple of minutes passed again in silence. Not too long after, several buildings appeared in front of them, barely visible amidst the flurry of white haze.

“All right! We made it!” Mr. Simpson shouted out. They hung a right, pulling into the main street of town, rolling alongside the decks and porches of several storefronts. They pulled in front of the building with “U.S. Post, est. 1908” etched on the window.

“Good job team, mission accomplished. With nary a sight of some ‘wild beast’ either!” Mr. Simpson slid out from the planks, stomping his feet on the steps as he walked to the front door to rid his boots of excess snow that had somehow crept in between him and the rails of the sled. “I’ll see if I can’t get you guys something extra special here, a treat or something, yeah? Just hold tight, I’ll be right back out.”

Before he had even finished his sentence, Ralph wiggled from his harness and walked quickly across the street, pretending to be interested in some sight or another. Kodi watched him, but didn’t make any effort to follow. What if what Kirby suggested was true? The last thing Ralph would want to see is Kodi trying to talk to him. No, for now, he could have all the space he needed.

“So… uh… there’s food mentioned, and Ralph isn’t here? What’s up with that? Hah…heh…ugh.” Even Kirby couldn’t eke out a joke at Ralph’s expense, one of his self-proclaimed specialties.

Kodi slipped out of his own harness, and walked back to Dusty, exhausted.

“Our first mail run as a couple, huh? What a day…” he said.

Jenna sighed at mention of the weather. "I know, but they've been in worse, you've TRAINED Kodi for worse," she reassured. She the nodded. "I think that would be a good idea, Balto," she said, giving him a nuzzle. "I'm sorry for getting so upset... you know I really worry about you Balto. I love you with all my heart," she said, smiling. "I'm just scared you'll get yourself in trouble is all..." she said, always feeling that way when trouble was affoot. Balto was a hero at his heart, she and all of Nome knew that by now.

Fang came back to the two. "I'm done eating," he said, licking his lips. "I'm sorry I got myself in such a mess with the ropes and all, it was really embarassng..." he said, blushing under his fur. "I still don't know how that even happened..."

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

Dusty looked a bit upset, looking at Ralph. "... I'll admit it... Me and Ralph have dated once or twice, but I didn't think it was anything serious..." she admitted, a little guility. "We had fun, but I just didn't click with him like I do with you, Kodi..." she explained, a little conflicted.

"I don't want to hurt him... But I don't love him like I do you..." said Dusty, not sure what she should do now. It hurt to be hurting one of her friends while accepting her love for another. It wasn't a choice anyone should have to make in the first place...

“I know he’s trained for it, but I can’t help but worry, you know? Most of the time if there’s any trouble out here with transport, inclement weather is usually part of it.” This was true; both the serum run complications and Duke’s plane crashing were a result of poor timing and weather conditions. “Maybe I worry too much.” He said to Jenna.

Balto listened to Fang’s subsequent apology. “Still on about that? Don’t worry about it!” Balto said playfully. “Sometimes… we just make mistakes. It happens. There’s no point in beating ourselves up over them, because all we can do is move on… or try to fix it.”

Balto knew that he could use his own advice again. Practicing what he preached and such. He guess he couldn’t really blame Fang for having trouble with letting his mistakes bother him so much, as Balto was still reeling from his own exchange with Kodi.

“THAT” he motioned to the hurricane ravaged alley “I wouldn’t try too hard to fix. I’m not sure if you heard or not, but we’re going to go see a friend quickly before we continue with your training.”

A shutter from a window slammed from a building across the street, the howling winds the likely culprit.

“But these conditions…” he started, before Jenna’s voice echoed in his head. “These conditions will make for quite a challenge. It’s nothing that we can’t handle though.”

The group plodded along the street, to the building adjacent to the Post Office, the communication building. As they approached, muffled ticking sounds could be heard from within.

Balto barked at the window, the ticking stopping momentarily before continuing along its’ steady rhythm. The flap at the door shuffled before Morse’s round head poked out.

“Balto!? Good to see you again!”
“Heya Morse, how… is… are you OK?”

Morse’s ear looking to be twitching uncontrollably, in sync with the clicking of the machine inside.

“What do you mean?”
“It’s umm… your ear.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“…Nothing. Just my imagination.”
“Alright then… so, what’s up? In need of some daily news?”
Balto nodded his head “Yeah! How did you know?”
“It’s the only reason others come to see me, really.”
“Oh- I didn’t mean to-“
“It’s awesome. None of the other dogs would know anything about the rest of the world without me!”
“I… guess. That’s a pretty big privilege, isn’t it?”
“You got that right! So, what can I interest you in? Popular topic today is stocks and bonds; buy, buy, buy!”
“Oh, no thanks. Listen, I was wondering if you had heard anything from White Mountain?”
“White Mountain… White Mountain… let me think.” Morse looked upwards, squinting as though struggling to remember what, if anything he had heard from the neighboring community. “AHA! At around four in the afternoon yesterday, the postmaster in White Mountain requested an express delivery from Nome to White Mountain in light of recent attacks. Medical supplies, food, care packages, Christmas gifts, that sort of thing.”
Balto couldn’t take his eyes off of Morse’s ears. “Er, yeah. Anything else about that?”
“They are expecting clear skies for the journey today.” Morse said, oblivious to the gales of snow whipping around in front of him.
“Got it. Anything else?”
“More recent than that? Nope.”

Balto shook his head and exhaled. “I should have known, there’s no way they could be there already.” He said to himself. “Hey, thanks a lot for your help, Morse. Do you mind if we stop in later today, see if anything changes?”

“I’ll be right here waiting! See you around, Balto!” With that, Morse withdrew into the opening, head sticking just slightly before disappearing from sight completely.

With that, Balto looked uneasily at the Post Office next door, thinking of Kodi again. “So, what should we do to pass the time?” he asked to Fang and Jenna.


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


“Dusty, I-I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Of all the things to come up, this was one thing that he didn’t want to deal with. Not with what was going on already. First his Dad, then that monster, and now Dusty and Ralph… it was a lot to take in over the last few days.

“I know I’ve got to deal with this. Our team can’t afford to be falling apart at the seams on my account.”

Your account. Heh. Your fault.
Stop.
You’re the one who said it, aren’t you?

“I know I’ve got to deal with this, like I said.” Kodi repeated, louder than before. “I just don’t know how to talk about it, not yet.” Kodi walked up the three stairs, to the deck underneath the awning. There wasn’t as much snow up here as there was covering the streets, but the winds were just as frigid. Kodi lay down, tired again. That run was tough, sure, but he was fatigued from the constant stress everywhere he went, from everyone he turned to. “Just like it is with Dad, Dusty. I don’t think I’m very good at communicating with others.”

“Thankfully, that’s my strong point.” Kirby meandered in from his position on the sled.

“Kirby, can we cut the dog-of-all-trades act already? I’m being serious.”
“Gee Kodi, thanks. I was serious too.”
“Really.” Kodi said blankly, emotionless.
“Absolutely! If there is one thing I can do, it’s get through that dog’s thick skull. You forget Kodi, we’ve been friends for longer than you’ve known us.”
“So… what are you saying?”
“Let me talk to Ralph. You’ll have to deal with him, I’m sure, but if I can get him to at least work with us to get home tonight, or at least to be civil, that’s a start, right?”
Kodi kept his paws crossed, but lifted his head up, excited. “That’d be better than I could muster. Are you really-”
“Consider it done.”
“Thanks, Kirby! But why are you helping me out with this?”
“Helping you? I’m helping out Ralph too.”
“Oh… right.”
“I’ll be back in a jiffy. Whatever that is.” Kirby turned around, crossing the road to the set of trash cans that Ralph had tried nestling between to provide shelter from the snow.

Helping you? A real one track mind you have.
Stop it.
I’m not saying anything you haven’t thought of, you know.
…

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

Kirby stepped on a lid as he approached Ralph, whose head was turned towards the wall. The metal pressed in, before popping back up as Kirby stepped off, resounding with a pop.

“What do you want?” Ralph demanded. “Oh… hey, Kirby.”
“You look down in the dumps. Get it? Garbage cans and all that...”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“So, you want to talk about it?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“You could have fooled me. Those weren’t very nice things you were saying to Kodi.”
“What are you, my mother?”
“I’m your friend, Ralph. So is Kodi. AND Dusty.”
“I know. She told me. She definitely said that.”
“For the record, I didn’t even know you two had anything going on.”
“We don’t now, but we did. We sorta dated after that thing with Duke.”
“Sorta?”
“Just went to go eat at the same time, walk around town talking alone, that sort of thing.”
“It didn’t sound too serious.”
“It wasn’t.”
“So why are you so upset at Kodi? Because he's dating Dusty?”
“I-I’m not!”
“You’re a terrible liar, and I’ve known you too long.”
“OK, I was a bit of a jerk. I guess I’m just jealous of him.”
“Jealous of Kodi? What for?”
“He’s the son of Balto, he’s the lead dog, AND now he’s got Dusty. He’s got everything! What about me?”
“You’ve got a bunch of great friends, including me. AND, You don’t have to worry about living up to your dad’s standards. AND, you don’t need to worry about our team like he does. And, you don’t have to be tied down to Dusty!”
“But I like Dusty!”
“That’s beside the point! The real point is, you have got it made, Ralphy my boy! Carefree is the way to be, am I right?”
“Right!”
“So, what do you say? You, Kodi, and Dusty all good?”
“I suppose… yeah.”
“Good enough for me!”

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

“So, how do you think he’s doing?” Kodi asked, staring at the two intently. The door opened behind Kodi, startling him. Mr. Simpson hurried out the door, a bag of dog food in one hand, and several dishes in the other.

“Right next door? I’ll let him know. Thanks for the food, I assure you, they’ve earned it!”
He bent down next to the door, laying the dishes out alongside each other. Haphazardly, he lifted the bag and tilted the food into a steady pour into all of the dishes. Some got more than others, but he appeared too preoccupied to notice.

“This’ll have to do… Kodi! Dusty! Gather the rest of your team, and eat up! I’ve gotta go check in the telegraph office, let Nome know that we are holding up and made it safely. I shouldn’t be too long…”

With that, Mr. Simpson took off, nearly slipping on ice hidden beneath the snow at the base of the stairs.

Kodi stood up and stretched his legs, yawning prompted from his fatigue.

“Well, let me get Kirby and Ralph – never mind, they’re already coming.”

He turned to face the bowls, and ushered at them with his paw to Dusty. “Ladies first?”

Fang looked to Balto. "Maybe go back to mom and Boris?" he asked, looking up to Balto, being a little shorter, despite his natural body type being bigger by genetics. "Last thing they knew we were practicing and training, then I think we got a little sidetracked..."

Jenna blinked. "Wait, so you went to train and... Balto, how exactly did that slip your mind?" she asked, though she was pretty sure she knew. Balto was a lot of things, but sometimes he could get sidetracked when it wasn't something relating to heroism. "I'd like to talk to Fang's mother a bit though, mother to mother, you know," she explained, not having many other mother dogs around Nome to relate to."

Fang nodded. "That's probably the best idea..."

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

Dusty smiled, giving him a nuzzle and starting to eat. She was hungry, it'd been a long run. "Thanks Kodi, you're a gentleman," she said, swollowing a bit of food.

"Hey, about Ralph... Don't worry, I'm sure he'll settle down," she reassured, seriously. "Remember, we kind of just sprung this whole thing on him and Kirby in a situation that wasn't exactly the most ideal time. When we're relaxing in the boiler room is one thing, in the middle of a run is another. Especially with a new route, it's more stressful, tempers can run high and all that," she continued. "Especially considering we just nearly died. It's easier to explode at someone in a stressful situation than just everyday life."